God of Meanwhile

[S] Genesis 26:26 --
Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.

[O] The word "meanwhile" in this verse refers to the period of Isaac under pressure from the neighboring nations to push him out because God bless his community to be rich and significant in size.  He had to keep moving to different wells until the herdsmen of Gerar did not challenge them anymore.  While these events were taking place -- i.e., Isaac going through some difficult times -- Abimelech was on his way to meet Isaac because (v.28) they saw clearly that the Lord was with Isaac.  It's a wonder how God works in people hearts in His timing.

[A] Whenever I am going through some challenging times (not because of my wrong doings), I feel like God has abandoned me and yet just like this passage, He works in some mysterious ways in other people's hearts and He will raise up those He recognizes to be faithful to Him.  I needed this reminder and a reset of my attitude such that I must continue to honor the God of this universe who in the "meanwhile" works in and around me.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for this wonderful passage to touch my heart to encourage me.  Please let my heart be rejoicing for who You are and what You are doing even though I do not see everything clearly.  I put my trust in You who's got my back!  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Reset (not rest) in God Every Morning

[S] Lamentations 3:23-26 --
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

[O] Some key words from this passage just jumps out and comforts me and strengthens me:

• New every morning:  God's loving and gracious faithfulness is new every morning for me.
• My portion:  God is enough for me PERIOD.
• Will wait for Him:  Since He is enough for me, I can wait for Him without being anxious.
• Good to those whose hope is in Him:  Where I put my future is important.
• Wait quietly:  Waiting itself is based on trust and hope, so there is no reason to make noise (or grumble).

[A] My apps are:

1. Renew my love for Him every morning as I start the new day He's given me.
2. Be gratefully satisfied to know that God will be enough for me.
3. Wait on Him to reveal Himself throughout the day.
4. Do not lose any hope by aim at the wrong things.
5. Pray quietly for His ears only.

[P] Dear Father, as I read Jeremiah's testimony in this passage who, if anyone in this world, very well understands the true meaning of suffering physically and mentally I am so encouraged to take on the circumstances I face each day.  May I not unnecessarily pile up each day's burden and struggles soon to find out myself drowning in them but may I put my trust and hope in You who promises to rescue.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

A Personal Creator of this World

[S] Hebrews 1:2 --
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

[O] Jesus made this world I live in and He is so personal that He wants to speak to me.  The scene of Jesus finding His disciple Peter after the resurrection to personally talk to him to affirm and re-affirm the love between them.  In many ways, His talking to me personally now is like that.  I've already messed up big time and still doing a fine job of doing that and yet Jesus pursues me personally to share with me the wisdom of living in this world.

[A] I need to tap into this wonderful resource that Jesus Himself offers to me to guide me how to live in this world.  I have to stop giving excuses about being too busy.

[P] Dear Jesus, please continue to shower me with Your wisdom to live this world as wise as I can putting total trust in You.  In your name I ask. Amen.

Do Not Seek Bethel and Gilgal

[S] Amos 5:3,5 --
3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:
"Your city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left."
5 do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing."

[O] Bethel and Gilgal were the safe houses for the Israelites but God is warning them not to put their trust in those places but in Him because He is going to reduce them to nothing.  Just in last few days we had some natural disasters in US of flooding, excessive heat, and storms threatening lives and taking out power to millions of people.  Without power there isn't a whole lot we can do these days and these power outages can happen in a flash without any warnings.  That's how things can change from good or normal to disaster -- in a blink of an eye no matter how disaster-prepared we are.

[A] Examine my heart for my "Bethel and Gilgal" where I put my trust as a safety net.  There is nothing wrong with having safety nets to mitigate crisis as a measure of having margins around life's edge points, but I need to be careful not to trust in them more than I trust in God's provision and guidance for my life.

[P] Dear Father, through Your Holy Spirit please convict my heart of areas where I've built up my Bethels and Gilgals so that I won't lean on those that can become nothing in a flash.  Let my heart be trusting You alone 100%.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Maker or Breaker of My Life

[S] 2 Chronicles 16:8-9 --
8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.9 For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

[O] God strongly support those whose heart is completely sold out to Him.  In fact, His search party is looking for these people throughout the earth.  With God's strong support, there is nothing that can get in the way and this is the message especially for those up against insurmountably huge obstacles in life (the immense army) when it is so easy to search for my own way out using my own plans.

[A] In many ways our family is facing an immense army right now and passages like these bring tremendous strength as they remind us how BIG our God is and how He is the maker or breaker of what happens in our lives.  I want to be found by His search party looking for those whose heart is completely His.

[P] Dear Father, I realize that I must go upstream against the currents of this world in order to be spotted by Your search party to be on Your team.  It is then and only then that You will deliver me from the obstacles I face not because of my skills or efforts but because I have been found by You to be on Your team.  May Your peace and strength continue to sustain our family as we go through this challenging period.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Snare of Fear to Freedom of Fear

[S] Proverbs 29:25 (NIV) --
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

[O] The contrast between fear from trusting myself versus trusting in God is like walking in a mind field not knowing when to step on a mine versus running (or riding a horse, or just simply walking about enjoying the nature) in a green prairie open wide to the horizon without worrying about anything.  My own fear will swallow up myself but if I free myself from that and turn to trust in God, then His peace will overwhelm my heart.

[A] Right now, I CAN worry about a few things which can easily put a fear in my heart, but I refuse to go there  and let my heart lean on God all the way.

[P] Dear Father, in the midst of so many things going on, I can so easily lose track of how great having my trust in You all the time.  I want to take another step today of learning how not to feed the fear in me, but to invite Your hope and peace to populate my thoughts.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Anchoring Faith on the Power, Not Wisdom

and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4, 5 NASB)

[O] The phrase, "but in the power of God" spoke loudly today because no matter what happens in my life my faith must not deviate from becoming the billboard for God's power (and not about my own performance).

[A] Wow. As our family is currently faced with a crisis I'm struggling to understand how I can still do this when I'm easily focused on finding a solution first. My mind agrees here but following through is challenging.

[P] Dear God of the universe, teach me to surrender my circumstances into Your hands so that Your power of resurrection is the only one projecting out of our family. Sprinkle a bit of Your strengths for us while you're at it, too, as I cry out to in Your Son's name.

My Trailblazer

[S] Isaiah 45:2 --
2 "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;
I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.

[O] Since I cannot tell the future which I'm dashing into, this promise of God to His people is very assuring and hopeful because He is going before me to prepare the path that I will be walking.  I don't believe the smoothness implies trouble-free list for me, but the fact that He will watch over my future is the key factor that I can bank on.  Also, the challenges I will face -- doors of bronze and iron bars -- will also be taken care by God who is ahead of me.  He will be my trailblazer.  (As a footnote, this preparation is referring to King Cyrus of Persia who will be used as His instrument to carry out His purpose.)

[A] When I take a moment to stop and think about my future and well as my family members' future -- kids growing up into adulthood, etc. -- it is quite stifling.  However I need to remember again and again about how God is going before me (speaking in terms of this world's timeline) and I need to slip into His presence at all times without worries or trying to take things into my own hands.

[P] Dear Father, I want to give You my total trust when it comes to my future.  I want to know how I may please You in the moment I live in rather than trying to plan the future too much.  I humbly ask in Your name.  Amen

Clinging to the Core

[S] Ruth 2:11-12 --
11  Boaz replied to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.  12  "May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."

[O] Ruth followed after Naomi's God and followed through physically by leaving her homeland and coming to Bethlehem.  Originally, Naomi's family left Bethlehem due to famine and settled in the land of Moab where a different kind of famine struck her family and even in the midst of such a famine Ruth's dedication, commitment, and service to her in-laws were exceptional in most people's eyes which Boaz referred to here.  He praises Ruth for seeking refuge under God's wings. In the most unfavorable condition, where she had other options as a way out of there Ruth chose to stick with God because that's what was at her core.

[A] It seems I am faced with lots of turbulent times going through the stage of my life and I do have some options to alleviate myself from this condition to ease a little but I need to examine what's at my core and need to cling on to that belief.  It is what I do now which will mold and prepare for what's coming ahead and it is what I do now which will let God know where my heart is at to trust in Him.  What good would it be if I am conditionally trusting in Him (only when things going well)?

[P] Dear God, give me a heart like Ruth who clung on to Your faithfulness and promise in the most unfavorable situation she found herself in.  I want to find refuge under Your wings.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Less Processing, More Practicing

[S] Mark 16:17-18 --
17  "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18  they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

[O] As I read what Jesus said to His disciples prior to His ascending into Heaven, I thought of Paul who shook off the viper who bit his hand which amazed the local villagers and brought many to be healed by Paul.  (Acts 28:3-9)  I wonder if Paul remembered this commissioning of Jesus when he shook of that viper.  He probably did that and drew much strength from it I'm sure.  It's almost claiming what Jesus foretold of what was going go happen to those who believe in His name purely based on trust and complete faith.

[A] I feel I am processing too much information rather than believing simply what God promised in my life.  If He says I will not be hurt by deadly poison,and heal the sick by laying hands on them, then that's what I should be doing purely out of my faith letting God to take care of the outcome.

[P] Dear Father, increase my faith so I may take in Your words as is completely to move towards putting them into actions. I need to do less processing and more practicing so please prompt me to take more specific actions throughout my days.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Don't Play With Strange Fire

[S] Leviticus 10:1-2 --
 ¹Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. ²And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 

[O] While it is unclear what they were really doing but the "strange fire" was something that God had not commanded them to do in His presence and the consequence of not adhering to His holy presence was death in this case.  It's like bringing a piece of paper near a burning fire -- it'll be consumed instantly.  Bringing any unholiness near the "burning" presence of God's holiness will only bring instant consummation by His holiness.  Nadab and Abihu disrespected this and they faced the consequence.  Verses 9 and 10 hints the idea perhaps they were under influence of some strong drinks bringing before God profanity.  God is holy and that attribute by nature cannot co-exist with anything unholy no matter what our intentions may be.

[A]  At the end of the day, God will not accept or tolerate any unholiness in my heart when I come before Him.  I am constantly pulled from my daily activities to be tainted by unholiness which can easily cause me to bring some strange offerings to God which He never commanded me to bring to Him.  I need to be very sensitive about my thoughts and heart condition at all times.  Through the Life Journaling my heart is drawing closer to Him by filling it up with His word daily but many challenges in my life currently just seems to deflate it just like a tire with a hole losing air faster than air pumped into it.  I need to pray more to protect my heart as well as my wife's.

[P] Dear Father, as little as it may be my wife and I are trying our best to submit our hearts for your ministry and lately not only due to the ministry's challenges but just overall things in life are simply overwhelming.  May we not fall by the forces that hit us but to stay firm in Your word through consistent prayer lives.  I know You are with us just like how You had been with Your people through the history of seeing how You moved nations in Isaiah 41 and yet promised to be with Your people.  I am trusting Your sovereignty and omnipotence in this world.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

But to Keep It In Mind

[S] Genesis 37:8,10-11 --
 ⁸Then his brothers said to him, "Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
 ¹⁰He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?" ¹¹His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

[O] Joseph's dream stirred up this family conflict because it sounded absurd especially in that culture for older siblings and father to submit to the younger one in the family.  It carried no weight whatsoever despite the fact that it did come from the Lord as everyone found out in the end.  I liked how Jacob nevertheless kept Joseph's reporting of his dream in his mind without totally discarding it as nonsense.

As I face many things in life everyday, I also find myself facing some unique situations where it seems so out of place that I want to just ignore it and move onward because it just does not make any sense to even dwell upon it, just like Joseph's dream to his brothers.  However, this passage spoke to me about how I need to be prayerful especially to these situations to examine and seek how God may be working in them to reveal His purpose and just like Jacob, keep these in my mind and bring it to my Lord for His shepherding my heart through them.

[A] As I am pondering upon a situation which I can come up with a longer list of why we shouldn't go down that path, I heard God's small voice through this passage about how God's plans and ways are indeed greater than what my tiny brain can come up with.  I cannot find a specific verse now re: how God's plans are bigger than mine but Jeremiah 29:11 captures the basic concept of that.  The take away in this current situation is how I need to seek for His purpose rather than coming to a conclusion.  Keep this in my mind and take the journey down the path to find out what God has in store for us.

[P] Dear Father, I submit to Your wonderful plans for our lives especially when things don't quite seem right, or does not make sense to me.  I want to trust You as Jacob did desiring to follow You every day seeking Your guiding hands rather than to come up with a total solution because even if I did find such a solution, I still have to rely on You every moment anyways, so trusting and learning from You take a much higher precedence.  Thank You for being the leader of my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

God Does Not Use a "Perhaps" Faith

[S] Genesis 16:2 --
 ²So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

[O] Sarai ran into a dead-end road and came up with a solution of her own.  I give her the credit for not giving up totally but what concerns me is her conclusion of God's will by saying, "the LORD has prevented me from bearing children."  Based on this wrong assumption she further commits wrong actions by letting Abram take Hagar as his wife to bear him a child.  In fact, she wasn't even 100% sure about this as she says "perhaps I will obtain children through her."  God does not operate on a "perhaps" faith and commitments, however, Abram did not care because he listened to Sarai and followed through with the "wrong" suggestion.

[A] Concluding (or justifying) what God may have decided can lead to dangerous results because that wrong assumption skews the rest of the actions.  Based on Sarai's thought process, I need to raise a yellow flag whenever I feel like "perhaps" God will come through.  God doesn't work on a chance of faith but on a fully committed faith.

[P] Dear Father, may my faith be completely confident in You such that whenever I feel a sense of "perhaps-ness" that Your Spirit would warn me to stop and re-evaluate the situation to avoid mistakes like Sarai and Abram committed.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

What is My Question for Jesus?

[S] Mark 9:22-23 --
 ²²"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"
 ²³And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

[O] The father of this demon-possessed boy asked the question "If you can do anything ..." and to that Jesus responds by saying "If you can?  All things are possible to him who believes."  At first, I felt like this man asked a "dumb" question, but as I reflected more on this passage, his question led him to experiencing Jesus' miracle right in his and his son's lives.  What question am I asking Jesus now with the issues in my life?  Am I too calculative in forming my question to impress Jesus or others?  I need to be like this father who simply wanted his son to be healed and sincerely asked Jesus to reach that goal.

[A] The questions I ask Jesus reveal my utmost interest in life now.  Make a list of my questions for Jesus to examine my own heart's motives.

[P] Heavenly Father, I want to align my mind with my heart so that my mind is fully occupied with what is most important to follow and worship You.  I want to ask the right questions like this father regardless of worrying about how well it sounds.  Please let Your response take place in my life because I want to experience Your miracle -- only what You can do -- in my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

If You Heard It, Then Follow It

[S] Jeremiah 38:24 --
 ²⁴Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know about these words and you will not die.

[O] This statement (scene) is very ironical because it is King Zedekiah who should've been concerned about dying and not Jeremiah.  Although it is true that Jeremiah had many people seeking to kill him, Jeremiah was not afraid because he had already surrendered his life to God and trusted Him to protect him; and even if not, he will still be God's presence dead of alive.  However, Zedekiah had a much greater choice to make here about whether to trust and follow God or to stay in his own comfort zone of safety (he was deceiving himself).  Especially knowing what happens to him later, Zedekiah's ignoring of God's warning to him was a bad mistake, but I also make similar mistakes of ignoring God's advice just like Zedekiah.

[A] If I'm not interested in following what God will advise me, don't even bother listening to Him.  Turning that around, if I am going to read or listen to God's word, then listen with the open heart of obeying His words.

[P] Dear God, Your care for me in this world full of so many people really touches me as I meditate on how You personally cared for Zedekiah and Ebed-melech.  Zedekiah refused to follow the personal message clearly presented to him while Ebed-melech trusted in God enough to save Jeremiah and You knew where each of them were and provided Your grace accordingly.  Thank You for being such a warm and personal God.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Is the Path to Jesus Familiar?

[S] John 18:3,6 --
 ³Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 
 ⁶So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. 

[O] What caught my eyes in this familiar scene was the list of things the Roman cohort and officers brought with them to arrest Jesus: lanterns, torches and weapons.  We can see from verse 2 that they came to this location often to spend time with Jesus and they certainly did not need to bring lanterns, torches to get here and definitely did not need any weapons there.  However, the Roman soldiers who were not familiar with Jesus the "Light" and His whereabouts needed their own "light" to find Him.  How ironic it is to see these soldiers confronting Jesus, the one who came to deliver the love of God, as a criminal or an enemy filled with fear -- so fearful even at His saying "I am He" push them a few steps backwards and fall to the ground.  Depending on my own perspective, Jesus can be my friend and a loving teacher, or a fearful "monster."

[A] As much as I need not try to light my way with a flash light in broad daylight, I should not try to find my own way when Jesus the Light of this world is in my heart, desiring to guide my every step.  What this means for me is to surrender my own will every morning to navigate my day's journey but for Him to light the direction I need to go, not just in "big" decisions of the day also any and all small decisions I need to make each day.

[P] Dear Jesus, I want to trust in Your Light to guide me throughout the day.  May I live out the words of Paul: less of me so more of You will be revealed in/through my life.  In Your name I ask.  Amen.

Entrusting the Future of Our Children

[S] Hosea 9:12 --
    ¹²Though they bring up their children,
         Yet I will bereave them until not a man is left.
         Yes, woe to them indeed when I depart from them!

[O] When God's hand is removed there is nothing I do that will bear fruitfulness.  I can easily dive into the mode of trying to become the best dad for my children because I want them to grow up being the best they can be.  All very good intentions but this verse teaches me that even the "bestest" intentions of raising my children unless God is at the core of their lives (and mine), it will all be in vain.  In fact, they will be "bereaved."  A very scary thought and a good reminder for me to put this at the forefront of my fatherhood -- do not let God's hand be removed from you by seeking Him daily at the feet of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and His Word.

[A] My wife and I had good discussion about the strategy of raising our children especially when they're in their teenage years of going through so much changes and growth in all aspects of their lives; we can all get lost in the mix of it all!  And the devotional reading in last couple of weeks have honed in on this topic so well that we're convicted to let our kids know what the "core" they must hold on to and what are the superfluous surroundings they do not have to cling on to.  This is actually a scary step for us to take because at the center of this means we are entrusting our kids' lives/future into God's hands.

[P] Dear God, please send us Your confirmations of our decision to take this route with our parenthood because it's very difficult to steer down this path as I feel I'm losing control even though in my mind I know You ARE in full control.  We want to entrust our children's future into Your hands.  Please mold them and use them for Your glory.  And continue to encourage us a little here and there because we need it.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

What Do I Believe About Tomorrow?

[S] Joshua 3:5,7 --
⁵Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
⁷Now the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.

[O] During my college days's finals week, we'd have ice cream stations on every other floor of the dorm and so I took my coffee mug to get some ice cream to enjoy it but as I was passing by the elevator I saw a guy coming out with a small plastic bucket (like the sand bucket a little child uses) filling it up by visiting every station. I was thinking is he going to really eat all that by himself? The answer was yes. I never dreamed of eating that much ice cream in a sitting so this was quite a surprise for me. That experience came to mind when I verse 5 because God has an unlimited amount of wonders to shower on me and I can take either a coffee mug size worth or a (large) bucketful worth of it depending on how much I'm prepared to receive it. Joshua was assured that tomorrow God will do wonders and he was fully ready to take it all in and encouraging the people to do likewise by consecrating themselves.

How much do I believe that God is about to do His wonderful works in my and my family members' lives? And is my heart prepared to take it all in without missing a beat? Am I encouraging others to do likewise?

God also honors Joshua's trust in Him as the leader of the Israelites and He exalts him before the people just as He did with Moses. Joshua, a newbie leader, trusted God fully (as he always did even when Moses was alive) and was leading his people to prepare for God-sized wonders. He did not have any fancy implementation and deployment plans, per se. And based on this God placed him in the proper leadership position to lead them through Canaan's conquering march.

[A] First, confirm in my heart that I do fully trust God to bring upon my family, and church something awesomely wonderful. Second, prepare my heart to the max to receive it all. Third, encourage others around me to prepare (consecrate) themselves also.

[P] Dear God, here I am before You to fully preparing for 100% receiving of Your wonders which You are about to carry out. This is both scary and exciting. This is sink or swim. This is risking it all for You! In Jesus' name I ask. Amen.

Dwell and Cultivate Faithfulness

[S] Joshua 2:24; Psalm 37:3-5 --
²⁴They said to Joshua, "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.
³Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
⁴Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

[O] The message of going into Canaan and conquer that land continues as Joshua now assumes the commander in chief position after Moses passed away. The two spies he sent into Canaan (Jericho) returned with a convicted message of "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands." The Jericho fortress may seemed mighty but the hearts of the people living in it have already melted without any hope. As I think about that scene I'm almost thinking the walls of Jericho falling down after the Israelites circled for seven days may even symbolically display the hearts of the Canaanites living in there. I find myself doing the same thing -- the condition of my heart really displays through whatever I try to cover up on the outside. The melted hearts of the people were like the crumbling down walls of Jericho. So, the Israelites gained full confidence as they crossed the Jordan River to conquer Jericho.

Towards the end of Moses' life, the Israelites the new generation have learned to trust in God to obey and move forward into Canaan. Psalm 37:3 echoes the same sequence of Israelites: 1) Trust in the LORD; 2) Do good; 3) Dwell in the land; 4) Cultivate faithfulness; 5) Delight in the LORD; 6) He will give desires of the heart. The part that grabbed me was "dwell in in the land and cultivate faithfulness" because it seems like I'm at a crossroads about to enter and dwell in the land God has promised me; and then what comes after that is cultivating faithfulness of me and my family. Oh how I desire to do that!

[A] Today, Psalm 37:4 is seen with the backdrop of conquering Canaan and that's where I seem to be at also, just on this side of Jordan about to encounter it split up for me to enter that land. It is during the rainy season flooding the Jordan with rough currents. My mind is rushing through to find a way to cross at least a million people not to mention the mighty fortress of Jericho. Yes, the two spies reported a very positive outlook but what's seen ahead sure looks difficult if not too risky to fail. That is what my mind processes these days as I look beyond where our small group ministry is at. I want to apply Psalm 37:4 in light of my current situation. I want to delight in You God so You will mysteriously and miraculously provide the desires of my heart. Come Lord, Jesus, send Your Spirit to guide us and to fight ahead of us.

[P] Dear God, I delight in Your wonderful power and strength. I trust in Your leadership of my life, my family's lives, the small group ministry You put me in charge of. I give You all the glory and may what I do reflect Your wondrous beauty. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Bigger, Taller, Large, and Fortified to the Max

[S] Deuteronomy 1:22-33 (boldface added by me)--

 ²²"Then all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.'
 ²³"The thing pleased me and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe.
 ²⁴"They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
 ²⁵"Then they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought us back a report and said, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is about to give us.'
 ²⁶"Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;
 ²⁷and you grumbled in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.
 ²⁸'Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there."'
 ²⁹"Then I said to you, 'Do not be shocked, nor fear them.
 ³⁰'The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
 ³¹and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.'
 ³²"But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,
 ³³who goes before you on your way,to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.

[O] In this passage I've noted the process of how the Israelites responded to God's promise and command of entering into Canaan and conquer that land.  Initially they requested Moses to send a survey team to scope out that land which sounded good to Moses and 12 representatives were sent into the land for 40 days to survey and report back.  They returned to acknowledge that the land indeed is good as God said (v.25) but 10 of the 12 spies reported that the risks of getting beaten by these "giants" are too high and they should not enter the land.  This report discouraged the people to a point of melting their hearts (v.28).  The obstacle they were facing grew bigger and bigger and their hearts sank deeper and deeper.  Moses' reminder that God promised to fight for the people ahead of them didn't help much.  They already forgot about the miraculous exodus from Egypt as well as how God had led them through the Red Sea and then through the desert while providing food to eat from heaven.  Moses says in verse 32: "But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, ..."  Many of us believers often say, "trust and obey" but how many times do we really trust and obey when we're up against the obstacles that are far bigger than what I can ever imagine?  That's when I need to surrender my fear and move forward if, in the first place, I trusted God's promise for me.  Why is it that we quickly forget about the commitment and begin to justify using our own logic to veer away from the original bearing?  In my observation, the main cause for this is because, 1) we lack the experience of God "defeating the giant obstacles" so we don't have any reference point in our lives to latch on to God's powerful promise; 2) we don't give our spiritual leaders enough credit & trust to follow their path.

The Israelites refused to trust what Moses (plus Joshua and Caleb) told them that this land is already given to be theirs regardless of who lives in there now.  They were probably thinking who is this guy telling us some crazy thing to do.  Can't he see who lives in there?  Instead had they overcome such a fear with "but" Moses is a man of God and he is in tuned with God and so I give my trust to him as our leader to take us into the place God desires for us to be -- in Canaan -- to bless us.  This is not easy with all the circumstantial influences but God is looking for such a follower to do His works here on earth.

[A] I need to examine my heart about how closely I am following my spiritual leader and whether I'm giving them my trust because God's proven to me they are His people.  Based on this, I must collaborate in spirit to work through some of the challenges in the ministries I'm involved with by claiming the original promise God placed in my heart about how He desires to use me there -- rain or shine.

[P] Dear God, "rain or shine" I desire to stick close to You by committing my services to the spiritual leaders You placed over me.  I do not want to veer away like the Israelites here just because my own outlook seems too gray or even fearful that I will be swallowed up by the forces against me.  I trust You oh Lord Jesus.  In Your name.  Amen.