UNFAILING Love. Wow...

 I love mornings. The promise of a new day unfolding "with no wrinkles in it", as Anne Shirley would say, fills my soul with wonder and anticipation. He is so near and wonderful!

And that is always true -- but there are plenty of mornings that don't feel so new. Some days I awaken to the ongoing pain of a broken heart. The previous day's concerns loom large with the shadow of trouble blocking the morning light. As the servant of Elisha awoke to find the army of the king of Aram surrounding the tent, my enemy is at my door. He has not disappeared.

But like Elisha, I need to have my eyes opened to see. Or maybe my ears opened to hear. 

I will feast upon this promise throughout the day:

"Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE UNFAILING LOVE I PROMISED TO DAVID." (Isaiah 55.3 NLT)

Oh, my.  Indeed, what a feast that provides! 

OPEN your ears, people!!! OPEN your ears, Darlene!!!!

He will GIVE you ALL the UNFAILING love that was promised to David. 

Unfailing. Never runs out. Never quits. NEVER FAILS.

Always succeeds. ALWAYS.

Continually available and already MINE.

Just COME. HEAR. LISTEN. And find LIFE. 

Thank you, Lord of Heaven's Armies, for lavishing Your generous love upon Your people. Thank you for rich truth with which to stand, and having done all, to stand.

Ephesians 6.13 NIV   Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

More Lessons from Hezekiah

Ah, my dear King Hezekiah. God has been gracious to you. I read that you were sick unto death. The Word of the Lord came to you letting you know this would be it. You would not recover. You have been warned and now can be sure to get your house in order. But you weren't ready for that. 

You turned away from others to God alone and wept privately before Him, reminding Him of your faithfulness through the years. And God heard your cry.

Another word was sent, a promise of fifteen more years. Imagine that! More days, weeks, and months. More time.

But, my dear King Hezekiah. You did not end well. You caved to praise from men. You became a man-pleaser. 

The Babylonian king, hearing of your grave sickness, sent an envoy to comfort you. You were flattered, indeed! Babylon is one of the super powers. And Judah is very small. How wonderful that he was attentive to you! And you fell all over yourself to impress him, showing him EVERY treasure of the kingdom. Spices, aromatic oils, the military armory were all viewed. The Palace was on full display. Gems, golden goblets, silver chalices -- all were revealed with great pride! Nothing was held back. And the Babylonian envoy was duly impressed. 

God also took note. He sent His Word to you through Isaiah. "The time will come when all of this treasure will be taken away by Babylon. Nothing will be left." He continued. "Some of your very own sons will be taken into exile and become eunuchs serving in the Babylonian court."

And, King Hezekiah, I regretfully submit that your response is amongst the saddest verses in the Bible. 

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "This message you have given me from the Lord is good." For the king was thinking, "At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime."             Isaiah 39.8

Oh, my dear King Hezekiah! This is not a father's heart. This is certainly not our Father's heart! How have you chosen to spend your days, months, and years? Is it for your own safety and pleasure, your own success? Please choose more wisely, dear King Hezekiah!

Here's a secret: I am getting older every day. The weeks are flying by now. The months slip away. Almost daily I am wont to turn my head to the wall to weep privately, crying out to God for more time. Oh God, more strength. More energy. More time...

But today Hezekiah's words have reminded me that this plight is not his alone, nor is it mine. It is common to all of humanity. Our time here is limited. Finite. Coming to an end. We all know that. Or we certainly should.

And today, as I read that very sad verse once again, I find my cry for more time being challenged:      What will you do with that time? How will you use it? How have you been using the time already allotted you? 

Oh, my Father in Heaven, You have found me out and laid my heart bare once again. What an amazingly true, faithful, and loving God you are.

Oh, dear God, help me to be faithful with each and every precious moment before me. Let me set my eyes upon You afresh this day, and every day. Let me bow humbly and say, This is the day You have made. Let me be glad and rejoice in it. And let me serve You fully, with my every thought, my every word, my every deed.

Hezekiah's Prayer

Hezekiah was king of Judah during a troubled time. A very troubled time. 

Sennacherib, the powerful Assyrian king, had forcefully overtaken most of Judah, crushing everything and everyone in his path. And his mighty army now was standing at Jerusalem's gates. Threats had been issued for all to hear and the people feared greatly. Hezekiah had torn his clothes, donned burlap, and sought the Word of the Lord through Isaiah, His prophet. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Nonetheless, the Assyrian king's messenger comes once again with a letter calling for surrender, or destruction would be upon them. "Don't let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises..." Oh, the Assyrian king was most crafty and his army was indeed formidable. This is fear-mongering at its worst.

Upon hearing the message, Hezekiah did the right thing, turning once again to God. He went to the temple, and laying the letter out before God, he prays.

"O LORD of Heaven's Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim!    You  alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth." Isaiah 37:16

Wow! That prayer! Did you hear that? Do you comprehend what Hezekiah understood? He knew who his God was. He knew he had access to THE LORD OF HEAVEN'S ARMIES!!! This is the God who is seated on the throne between the mighty cherubim! A HOST is His to command. His chariots are tens of thousands, thousands of thousands. He has 200 million mounted troops!

Oh, how I needed to hear that today, to be reminded that HE is the one that I, too, serve. HE is the very same GOD I have access to through Jesus. 

Sickness, spiritual deception, wanton disregard for His order and design, slander and harmful words, disunity within the ranks, egregious sin and blatant rebellion. All of this and more can overwhelm me. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I will humbly bring this to God, the Lord of Heaven's Armies. I will lay out the charges before Him and pray. 

These other kings and messengers are false. All those who trust in idols will come to nothing. HE alone is Lord of All. 

Who are you trusting? Who are you bowing before? 

If you have accepted Jesus' Lordship in your life, you have full access to the Lord Almighty. Bow to Him alone. Every concern, every fear, every threat levied against you is nothing. He has thousands of thousands and He will rescue you. 

Hezekiah's story continues. God promised help and God answers his prayer. 

That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there. Isaiah 37:36, 37

Oh, Lord, our God, come save, rescue, and deliver. Amen.

He Cares For You

"...casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5.7 NKJV

Tears filled my eyes as I read David Guzik's commentary on this very familiar scripture: 

"At their best moments the religions of ancient Greek culture could imagine a God who was good. Yet they never came to the place where they believed in a God who cared. The God of the Bible — the God who is really there — is a God who cares for you." 

The reality of daily life without the knowledge of His deep abiding care overwhelms me. And yet all around me people live this way, without such wonderful knowledge. These same people are searching for someone who truly cares. Some search quietly; some are desperate.

Too many children too early in life have experienced a profound lack of care, safety, and nurture. Discarded, neglected, completely lost in a world of adults who are preoccupied with their own profound lack, these children are frightened, panicked, floundering victims desperate for care. They will do anything to find that care, to feel real care. Anything.

Adults, deeply wounded by failed relationships in marriage, family, or the workplace are fearful, incredibly hopeless and despairing, bitter. Yes, deeply wounded. 

Alcohol and drugs provide escape. Licentiousness and wantonness promise fleeting pleasure and acceptance. Immoral causes rooted in rebellion against God capture them, bringing a passionate purpose to the daily grind.

They are slaves indeed, living in bondage to the pain of not having absolute and unconditional care. Even in the midst of marriage, family, successful business, tribe or gang, they exist in fear and bondage. Broken to the core. Frightened and flailing. And so, so alone.

The God of the Bible promises His care. And when we turn to Him, His care is real. His care is dependable. His care is profound, a balm and healing salve to our wounded souls. 

I have walked in that real and abiding care for many, many decades now. Yet all around me are multitudes who have never known such care. And that is almost unimaginable for me.

But not completely unimaginable. The horrors and crushing sorrow of such loneliness rushing in at night, the callousness required to merely exist let alone thrive in this world, the selfish decisions and hurtful actions that would be the result -- these things overwhelm my senses and I fall on my knees in deep gratitude to Him. I have been rescued from so, so much.

He is my Daddy, my Abba Father, my God who cares for me moment by moment. I have experienced His care. I trust His care, I love His care, and I will boast of His care. 

As David Guzik said, so many religions created by mankind have been false attempts to get close to a God they could at "best imagine to be good." But the one true God, revealing Himself to mankind in Jesus, showed the world a God who cares; He deeply cares. 

I want the world around me to know and find His care. We must tell them. It's there for them. He's waiting for them. He's LONGING for them to turn to Him and accept His love, His provision, His care. 

Oh, my. What a joyful people are the people who know the Lord.

 

Seeing

 James 1.25 NLT

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

 

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This morning I was reading through James 1. I heard God's clear call to me: 

...be quick to hear, slow to speak... 

"Yes, Lord, you are right. I still need to grow here. I interrupted someone again last night before an idea was able to be completely shared. I failed miserably at being quick to hear and slow to speak. I am so sorry."

Just a few verses later He catches me in my fault (clearly He knows me well): 

...don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says...

"Oh, Lord, help me to walk in this truth. It will bless others, it will bless me, it will bless You. It is hardest to do with those closest to me. Help me."

And yet again, two verses later, He interrupts my stream of consciousness with this great and marvelous counsel:.

...But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free...

Ah, yes, look carefully, Dar. Look carefully. 

Other translations put it this way: look intently; peer and fix our attention there.

My interpretation: give it more than a cursory glance. Not an "I read this chapter and can check the box" kind of reading. 

Of course not. Clearly His perfect law deserves more. After all, it is a wealth laid before us, a treasure box to be discovered. It requires that we fix our attention. Take care. Look with attentiveness and keen fascination. 

All of these ideas were meditated on because I took His admonition to heart. I looked up various versions; I chewed on the meaning of each one and looked up definitions of words used. I needed to be schooled in that simple promise: But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free...

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This morning as I read James, was I sensing freedom in the call to be quick to hear and slow to speak? Not really. Hope, and a desire to do so, yes, but freedom? Maybe not quite.

Was it freeing to be told that I should not merely listen but that I should do? Hmmm...not exactly. 

Have I had great success in this over the past 50 years of following Jesus? NO. I've had some success, perhaps even fair success. 

But am I there yet? NO. 

And then comes this precious counsel from my Daddy in heaven:

James 1.25 NLT

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

The perfect law provides freedom. How could I have forgotten?

Lean on Him, Dar. Cry out to Him for understanding, forgiveness, and grace to walk in obedience. There is freedom there. There is NO freedom in trying to do it yourself, neither is there freedom in continuing to live in sin. You will be a slave to sin or to flesh in those scenarios. So: repent, repent, and repent again. Turn away from those things over and over and you will find the liberty that comes through His perfect law of grace and redemption. 

Thank you, Lord, for daily sustenance and patient reminders. 

I will always love learning Your holy ways.