I Can See

Now keep this in mind: it was you, not your children, who saw and experienced firsthand all the lessons the Eternal your God taught you. You saw how He demonstrated His majesty and His overwhelming power. You saw the signs He performed in Egypt and everything He sent against Pharaoh the king and everyone in the country. You saw what He did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and its chariots, right when they were chasing you: He drowned them in the Red Sea! The Eternal destroyed them all, and the Egyptian army still hasn’t recovered. You saw how He took care of you in the wilderness and brought you safely to this place. (Deuteronomy 11:2-5 The Voice)

Life is not easy; we were never promised it would be. We are told that it is through the 'not easy' times that we will grow. Our faith will mature, and we will find our pathway to a better life. I know that when I was at my lowest, and I turned to God, I saw Him move. He touched my life and opened my eyes. 

I am so glad I wrote in my journal of all the times I cried out to Him and He responded. I can page though my notes and see how He works. When I forget how good He is to me every day, I simply go to my own record of His goodness and I see where He has been moving. 

I can see how He demonstrates His majesty and power in my life. I can see the signs He performs to keep me going physically, emotionally and spiritually. Looking back over my notes I can see His hand of protection and guidance steering around trouble and pain. Sometimes I see His hand directing me through these difficulties so that I can grow closer to Him.

I have seen in the past how He took care of me in my wilderness. I can see His provision to bring me safely to today, and then tomorrow. I am an eyewitness to His faithfulness, His love and mercy. Because I can see, I can also testify all that I can see.

Deuteronomy 11:1-15

A Voice in the Wilderness

December 26                                                                  

Scripture Reading
Read Isaiah 40:3-5 and reflect on the passage.

Matthew 3:3 clearly identifies John the Baptist as "The voice of one calling" in our reading for today.  When Isaiah wrote this passage, it was common practice for eastern monarchs who were making an extended trip, to send servants before them to prepare for their passage. This included improving roads and removing all impediments to the safe travel and arrival  of the monarch. John fulfilled this role by calling the Jews to repentance, baptizing them, and ultimately preparing them for the coming of King Jesus.

During this Advent season, we have been preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and in many ways His coming into our individual lives to save us. We have had, and continue to have, an opportunity to heed Isaiah's words and John's actions as we examine ourselves and "make straight in the wilderness a highway for our  God". We also have an opportunity to put these same words and actions into place as we interact with others – both believers and non-believers. The King has come! Let us continue to prepare the way for His presence in our hearts and lives and in those who don't know Him.

Questions

What areas in the wilderness of our lives should we ask God to help us "make straight" as we contemplate the miracle of Christmas?

How can we help "prepare the way" for non-believers to hear the true message of Christmas and receive the gift of Jesus into their lives?

Prayer

Father, thanks for Christmas. Help us to be voices that "prepare the way" for Christ's  presence in our lives and the lives of others. Amen.

                                                                                                                        Tom Richards

Some Things Never Change

Matthew 4:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%204%3A1-11&version=NIV;TLB

  

Have you ever had a face to face confrontation with the devil? Neither have I. But Jesus did, and he won! There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this passage in Matthew. First though, let’s take a look at the back story. Let’s dig deeper to see what else was going on.

 

Jesus quoted several verses from the book of Deuteronomy. The lessons of Deuteronomy occurred as the nation of Israel finished wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. They were at the Jordan River as Moses gave them his final words of instruction to prepare them before they entered the Promised Land.

 

Here are just a few of the lessons that Moses passed along to them:

 

¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.            Deuteronomy 6

 

¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.  Deuteronomy 6

 

³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.    Deuteronomy 8

 

Do these verses sound familiar to you? They are the same words that Jesus used to defend himself against the devil. Spoken 1400 years before, they were still powerful! 

Some things never change.

 

I would bet that while Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, that he was meditating on Deuteronomy because he was getting ready to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land. Not a physical land, like Moses lead them to, but a spiritual home, inhabited by those who have faith in Jesus.

 

In light of this, as we wander in the wilderness, doesn’t it make sense for us to meditate on God’s word to prepare us for battle? Some things never change.

 

⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.                Deuteronomy 6

 

 

Safety in the Wilderness

These were troubling times for David, future King of Israel. He was a wanted man, hunted by King Saul like a criminal. David was on the run, seeking a place of safety where he could lay low until things cooled down, until he could formulate a plan of action.

Adullam...where...all who were down on their luck came. (1 Samuel 22:1-2 TM)

This is a particularly meaningful reading for me today, perhaps for you as well. We have all spent time hiding out in the wilderness and running from the enemy. David didn't choose wilderness living, he had nowhere else to go when Saul isolated him from his family, ended his military career and banned him from the palace.

The wilderness experience starts out with feelings of disconnection and isolation, and usually get worse before it gets better. Someone who seeks safety from hurt or pain, one who runs from rejection and loss, feel the need to escape, to run anywhere that refuge might be found. In David's case it was to the cave of Adullam, where he turned back to God. Adullam means a place of refuge.

Following my husband's death, I experienced a season of wilderness living.  It was during this season, when I left the home we shared for so many years and moved 700 miles away. I first read about David's escape to Adullam and felt a real connection to this story. In fact, a friend told me she saw the word, 'refuge' when ever I would speak of my new home.

What are you running from?  Are you in a wilderness where you are seeking safety or security? Read more about this time in David's life and just see if perhaps God isn't providing a safe-haven for you too. There is much more to me said on this topic, but just maybe we need to take this in first; consider your wilderness and make the most of it.

1 Samuel 21:10-22:5

You Promised!

Numbers 20:2-13

Israel in the Wilderness

 You Promised! Can’t you just hear her whiney little voice complaining about how she did not get what she wanted-what was promised? That annoying complaint can come from a child, adults, or perhaps the elderly, but no matter where it originates, it can be irritating just the same.

We can only imagine the times the Lord has heard this type of appeal. It goes back to long before Jesus walked the earth; perhaps to Adam and Eve as they endured the hardships that accompanied their dismissal from The Garden of Eden.  

In Numbers 20, the people of Israel are in the desert. They feel they have been wandering in the wilderness forever and can’t handle much more. They complain to Moses and Aaron that there is no food or water and question why they were lead away from where they were to begin with. They want it to end!

We can take example here. The only way to our Promised Land is through the wilderness. There is no secret passage way that will get us there quickly and pain free. Whining and complaining will not make it better, in fact it will likely bring about increased adversity.

Our God has promised us a new life in heaven, but the road there can be long and difficult. This wilderness world in which we live challenges us daily, and often brings us to the point of grumbling, quarreling, and losing heart. We are all on this journey together. Perhaps envisioning how some others have experienced the wilderness will help us realize it’s normal and common to struggle through feeling lost and alone at times.

Some of us play the hand we have been dealt with style and dignity, and others well, not so much. Those who seem to handle their wilderness well, are probably in close contact with God. When the journey seems too much to bear, go ahead…Ask God for peace and clarity. Let Him know you are willing to go where he is leading you and that you want what He wants. If you choose to go it alone, you will likely get no more than just “a little cheese to go with that whine.” 

Read/Listen to Number 20:2-13