Devotions For The Reconciled Life

I spent an entire evening lying beside my husband in a hospital bed sobbing.  Not just tears here and there.  Constant sobbing!  It was not a pretty sight!  I don’t remember all the details of that night but I remember sobbing that my faith was gone!  I remember screaming at God that His plans aren’t good, they are terrible.  I remember wandering into a hotel in the wee hours of the morning, asking for a room, needing to be alone and the man asks, are you okay?  My response, NO!  He says do you need me to call the police or someone for you?  My response, NO!!!!!  Worst night ever.  A night of despair.  I never ever want to go back to that night again. Moses has led the Israelites out of Egypt.  Never mind God had sent plague after plague right before this.  God had showed His strength and His protection in exuberant ways.  But the next little thing happens and the Israelites start losing their faith.  We...

God sent a great wind to part the Red Sea so the Israelites could pass through on dry land..   Exodus 14:1:   Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, God appeared to Moses on Mt. Sinani and covered the mountain with smoke and the mountain shook violently.   Exodus 19:18: All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. God led the Israelites through the wilderness using a cloud by day and a fire by night. Exodus 13:21:   By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. God has done some VERY big things in the Old Testament.   Now we...

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 I have to confess that I’m a movie and T.V. junkie.  I also don’t like waiting.  Commercials are my bane.  I often use a DVR to watch a show.  But, I’m not alone in my commercial skipping.  Commercials are what ultimately fund the programs that I enjoy.  My impatience, along with others, is causing issues in the entertainment industry that will likely negatively impact production of shows I enjoy. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the Israelites that had been exiled to Babylon first.  False prophets were telling the people that their exile would not be long.  The Israelites were not putting down roots.  They were not building homes, planting gardens, nor marrying and have children.  They we...

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalms 27 :14 My coach had a challenging method for building strength.  You would “max out” and that weight was the basis of your lifting workouts.  You would lift 50% of the weight 10 times, then lift 2 sets of 5 lifts of 70% and finally 2 sets of 5 of 80% of that weight.  After 2 weeks we would “max out” and change our lifting weights based on the new maximum.  The maximum weight that I could lift increased substantially over the course of my time in high school.  When I began to exercise as an adult I used the same method.  Surprising to me the method worked just as well 20 years later.  Weight is useful if we let it be. It seems fitting to me that the words “wait” and “weight” are related words as homophones .  I think they are more alike than their sounds.  Waiting to me is a very heavy weight from lifting.  A large, crushing weigh...

When my daughter was a baby, she was incredibly attached to me. When she was afraid, upset, or in need of anything at all, Mommy was the unquestionable solution. I remember that distinct, contented, baby-sigh that would come from her sweet little lungs when I would pick her up and hold her. It was a wordless sound that said, ‘Whew! I’m ok.’ Her mother’s presence alone made everything better. In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat suddenly found himself under the unexpected attack of a large army. He could have panicked, or raged, or run away. But instead, he wisely followed the instructions God gave him: He and his people prayed, they stood firm, and they worshipped. As a result of Jehoshaphat’s act of simple obedience, he was rewarded: The enemy was defeated. But perhaps even more important than that, Jehoshaphat experienced the presence of God–His magnificent glory, His protection, and His rest. Imagine God’s presence as described in Isaiah 6:1-3: It was in the year King Uz...

Then Jehoshaphat knelt low with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD to worship him. Then the Levites from the sons of the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel shouting loudly. In the morning they got up early and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were about to go out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the LORD and some to praise the splendor of his holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing: Give thanks to the  LORD, for his faithful love endures forever." 2 Chronicles 20:18-21 We’ve talked already about how the struggle Judah and Jerusalem faced was insurmountable.  They were defeated on their own.  They prayed ...

Have you ever wondered why it is so incredibly hard to do nothing?  Why do we have such a hard time being still and trusting God?  What is it we think our actions accomplish? Can we really receive revelation from God when we are busy doing? These questions are points to ponder.   We serve a God who calls us to wait on Him, to call out to Him, to trust Him and yes sometimes He calls us to action.  Our action is to be in obedience to Him when He leads. In the scripture reading, God tells the Israelites to stand firm, hold their position and see the salvation of the Lord.  He tells them not to be afraid  and assures them that the battle is for Him to fight for them.  That actually sounds pretty good, so why do we find it so hard to do? I have been through times of battle.  There have been times when I have fought on my knees and times when I was called to action.  Regardless of where God is leading us, and what He is tell...

“Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you.” All Judah was standing before the LORD with their dependents, their wives, and their children. 2 Chronicles 20:12-13 Helplessness is a terrible feeling.  Circumstances completely out of your control.  Powerless.  Undone.  I have been in three significant car wrecks.  The memories from those are not detailed but the overwhelming feeling of being out of control and helpless is clear.  One of those took place by freshman year of college.  Five us were folded into a Pontiac Grand Am.  We were fit so tightly that no one wore their seat-belt (it was the 90s).  As we flipped headlight to taillight three times and rolled over twice, the front passenger quoted the 23rd Psalm.  We were helpless and our only hope was God’s grace.  All five of us survived when first responders were...

2 Chronicles 20:3-4 Jehoshaphat received word a great multitude was coming against him.  Not just one enemy or one attack but there were going to be many attacks.  How would you feel if you were Jehoshaphat?  I think when the enemy attacks that one attack is enough!  I sure am glad I don’t know in advance of many attacks.  My response would not be as gracious as Jehoshaphat's response.  I remember one week, my husband was taking a very dangerous chemo, my health was terrible, my stress was through the roof, my kids were sad and afraid, and then I get a call that my daughter has head lice.  I come home to not one but three kids with head lice.  My son starts running a high fever and my husband’s immune system is compromised.  Talk about many attacks from the enemy.  That was not the end of the enemy’s attack!  There was more to come in the coming weeks!  I think that might be a modern day version of what Jehoshaphat was abo...

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. Ephesians 6:18-19 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13 Having a front-row seat to the life of Christ, the way he prayed captured their attention. Jesus had a habit of retreating from the demanding crowds and spending time alone in conversation with His Father, as seen in Mark 1:35. “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed....