Ps 111:7-8 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. 8 They are steadfast forever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. NIV
As we have considered God’s power and greatness we must remember that no discussion of God’s being can truly be balanced and complete without considering also His character. Psalm 111:7-8 carries within it a powerful insight into the Lord’s values system and the character that lies behind His every word and deed. First the psalmist points us to consider the nature of God’s works. Every act of God is performed with complete faithfulness and perfect justice. There is never a moment when we have to fear that God will not arrive on time or even show up at all. He is perfectly faithful in His very character and the nature of His being. We can also rest confidently in the knowledge that His decisions will be rooted in a foundation of perfect justice.
When we go to the courts of man for justice there is always the possibility of corruption or mistaken rulings. Man is easily tempted and twisted by his love for personal gain or a misguided personal values system but this is never the case with God. At all times God’s judgments and decisions flow out of the depths of His character, and His omniscient understanding of every facet affecting a particular decision that He chooses to make. With man there is always the possibility of some relevant fact being overlooked that otherwise may have affected the outcome of a ruling. With God there is no possibility of such an error because in all things and at all times God is completely all knowing and this knowledge is handled with absolute wisdom, love, mercy and justice. The knowledge of this reality is powerful to greatly enhance our ability to rest trusting in the Lord and His ways towards us.
Because of the steadfastness of God’s character, the completeness of His knowledge and the perfect application of His wisdom we can at all times trust fully His decisions, His words and the laws by which He governs His dealings with us. He is of such character that not only has He restricted and regulated the affairs of all men by His perfect precepts, God has chosen to restrict His own actions to the clearly stated standards of the Word of God. God has presented to all of the world a clearly articulated document by which we can find confidence and rest in regard to God’s dealings with us. He chooses to act only in accordance with the principles and precepts of His word and because of this our hearts can rest knowing that God will act consistently towards us from a moral basis of trustworthy and faithful character. We may not always understand the fullness of God’s ways and why some things in our lives have come to be, but at all times we can rest safely in the knowledge of God’s trustworthy character and His commitment to deal with us justly and from heart of loving compassion.
Friday
October 30, 2009 - Psalm 111:1-6
Ps 111:1-6 I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. 3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. NIV
When God acts, He acts with purpose! The works of the Lord are many and they are mighty. God is constantly at work in the earth moving everything that has been created according to His authority and power. The works of the Lord are not random. In every way God is at work to accomplish His purposes in the earth. Psalm 111:1-6 draws us to consider the glory of God’s works. In verse 3 the Psalmist cries out “Glorious and majestic are His deeds…”, the works of God compel us to discover who He is and the glory of His power and majesty.
The Psalmist identifies the natural response of the great works of the Lord, reflection! In verse 2 he directs us to the fact that those who delight in God’s works are moved to ponder them. What do God’s works say about God? What does the measure of His power say about His strength? What do the things that He chooses to do say about His character and nature? The more we see of God’s mighty acts, the more we see of God himself! He acts not only because of His feelings towards those whom He impacts by His actions. He performs great and mighty acts because they are a revelation of Himself! God wants to be known!!!!! It is wisdom to consider the message that is contained in every work of God. It is wisdom to consider God’s ways and learn of who He is!
Can you remember the things that you did yesterday? How about last week or last month? The nature of man’s memory is varied, and at times fleeting, and selective, but consider for a moment what we are being taught by verse 4 when the Psalmist says of God, “He has caused His wonders to be remembered.” God chooses to demonstrate His power in ways that leave a lasting impression upon the mind. He is not acting in a secretive or exclusive manner. Time and again God has performed His signs and wonders for all the world to see. He is not intimidated by the possibility of public scrutiny. In fact He invites the world to consider His acts and His claims concerning Himself in the pages of scripture. Take some time to reflect upon the works of the Lord; His kindness and compassion, His power and the multi-faceted expressions of His love and let your heart be strengthened by the knowledge of the greatness of our God!
When God acts, He acts with purpose! The works of the Lord are many and they are mighty. God is constantly at work in the earth moving everything that has been created according to His authority and power. The works of the Lord are not random. In every way God is at work to accomplish His purposes in the earth. Psalm 111:1-6 draws us to consider the glory of God’s works. In verse 3 the Psalmist cries out “Glorious and majestic are His deeds…”, the works of God compel us to discover who He is and the glory of His power and majesty.
The Psalmist identifies the natural response of the great works of the Lord, reflection! In verse 2 he directs us to the fact that those who delight in God’s works are moved to ponder them. What do God’s works say about God? What does the measure of His power say about His strength? What do the things that He chooses to do say about His character and nature? The more we see of God’s mighty acts, the more we see of God himself! He acts not only because of His feelings towards those whom He impacts by His actions. He performs great and mighty acts because they are a revelation of Himself! God wants to be known!!!!! It is wisdom to consider the message that is contained in every work of God. It is wisdom to consider God’s ways and learn of who He is!
Can you remember the things that you did yesterday? How about last week or last month? The nature of man’s memory is varied, and at times fleeting, and selective, but consider for a moment what we are being taught by verse 4 when the Psalmist says of God, “He has caused His wonders to be remembered.” God chooses to demonstrate His power in ways that leave a lasting impression upon the mind. He is not acting in a secretive or exclusive manner. Time and again God has performed His signs and wonders for all the world to see. He is not intimidated by the possibility of public scrutiny. In fact He invites the world to consider His acts and His claims concerning Himself in the pages of scripture. Take some time to reflect upon the works of the Lord; His kindness and compassion, His power and the multi-faceted expressions of His love and let your heart be strengthened by the knowledge of the greatness of our God!
Thursday
October 29, 2009
Enjoy another one of our guest writer's devotionals today
Do not be Anxious
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
In Philippians 4:6, Paul gives us a model for prayer. Paul is giving the church members of Phillippi final instructions and he tells them, “Do not be anxious about anything.”
Has anxiety overwhelmed you? In times of trouble and emotional distress are you able to remain at peace in the midst of the trial?
Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
Anxiety and prayer are two great opposing forces to the Christian walk. Anxiety is counterproductive worry about the cares and concerns of our lives. Anxiety wears down a person’s emotional and physical ability to concentrate on positive solutions to our problems. Peter gives us similar instruction by saying “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) There are a lot of things that we could worry about: the economy, our country, family situations and much more. But instead of anxiety, Paul gave instructions to the Philippian church to take everything to prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.
Prayer, petition with thanksgiving have positive benefits to diminishing your anxiety. Prayer and petition places the situations in God’s hands for Him to control. In his book, Today is Mine, Leroy Brownlaw says this of prayer, “Many times we cannot get the courage to stand on our feet until we get on our knees.” In addition to the divine assistance, prayer helps us gather our inner resources which afford strength. Strength and peace are found on our knees in prayer, releasing our burdens to the Lord so He can replace our worry
with peace.
A heart of thanksgiving is also important. How easy it is to grumble about our situations. We have many examples of this in the Old Testament where the Israelites were provided for in the desert. God supplied all of their needs by providing clothes that didn’t wear out, health, protection from their enemies (when they listened to Him), food and water. But, like what is typical of humanity, instead of thanking God for all that he has provided, we can turn our attention to those things that we have not received yet. Or even turn our focus on the things that haven’t come in the right time. Thanksgiving is the antidote for grumbling. Thanksgiving tells God how grateful we are to Him and helps us place our trust in His provision instead of trying to find the solutions on our own. Thanksgiving reminds us that “all good things comes from the Father.”
So if your heart is heavy today with worry and anxiety, remind yourself that by prayer and petition and thanksgiving, present your requests to God and He will give you the peace that you need to calm your heart and your spirit as He works in your situation.
Do not be Anxious
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
In Philippians 4:6, Paul gives us a model for prayer. Paul is giving the church members of Phillippi final instructions and he tells them, “Do not be anxious about anything.”
Has anxiety overwhelmed you? In times of trouble and emotional distress are you able to remain at peace in the midst of the trial?
Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
Anxiety and prayer are two great opposing forces to the Christian walk. Anxiety is counterproductive worry about the cares and concerns of our lives. Anxiety wears down a person’s emotional and physical ability to concentrate on positive solutions to our problems. Peter gives us similar instruction by saying “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) There are a lot of things that we could worry about: the economy, our country, family situations and much more. But instead of anxiety, Paul gave instructions to the Philippian church to take everything to prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.
Prayer, petition with thanksgiving have positive benefits to diminishing your anxiety. Prayer and petition places the situations in God’s hands for Him to control. In his book, Today is Mine, Leroy Brownlaw says this of prayer, “Many times we cannot get the courage to stand on our feet until we get on our knees.” In addition to the divine assistance, prayer helps us gather our inner resources which afford strength. Strength and peace are found on our knees in prayer, releasing our burdens to the Lord so He can replace our worry
with peace.
A heart of thanksgiving is also important. How easy it is to grumble about our situations. We have many examples of this in the Old Testament where the Israelites were provided for in the desert. God supplied all of their needs by providing clothes that didn’t wear out, health, protection from their enemies (when they listened to Him), food and water. But, like what is typical of humanity, instead of thanking God for all that he has provided, we can turn our attention to those things that we have not received yet. Or even turn our focus on the things that haven’t come in the right time. Thanksgiving is the antidote for grumbling. Thanksgiving tells God how grateful we are to Him and helps us place our trust in His provision instead of trying to find the solutions on our own. Thanksgiving reminds us that “all good things comes from the Father.”
So if your heart is heavy today with worry and anxiety, remind yourself that by prayer and petition and thanksgiving, present your requests to God and He will give you the peace that you need to calm your heart and your spirit as He works in your situation.
Wednesday
Psalm 108:13 - October 28, 2009
Ps 108:13 “With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. NIV
Psalm 108:13 is simple and direct in its declaration of faith: “With God we will gain the victory!” Have you ever tried to do something in your own strength only to fail miserably? This is one of the great traps of the Christian life. Paul confronted the church at Galatia by challenging them with the statement in Gal 3:2-3 “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” NIV
Many people get a great vision from the Lord, a good business plan or ministry idea and then pursue it in their own strength. Abraham was guilty of this in the birth of his son Ishmael. The difference between his expected time frames and the fulfillment of the vision from the Lord accompanied by the pressure his wife applied to him by suggesting her servant as a surrogate mother provoked him to take matters into his own hands instead of waiting on the Lord. The end result was the birth of Ishmael and generations of tension between the two people groups that would emerge.
When there is a battle to fight or a dream to fulfill it is vital that God’s people remember that it is the Lord who gains the victory. The prophet spoke over Zerubbabel in Zech 4:6 "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” NIV Zerubbabel was commissioned by the Lord with the task of rebuilding the temple. It was a giant undertaking that would require the strength of many men and the accumulation of abundant resources. All of this and yet the emphasis of the Lord to Zerubbabel was “your own power and ability can never fulfill this mission!” The will of the Lord is only effectively completed by the Spirit of the Lord being given place in the lives of God’s servants.
David learned how to fight the Lord’s battles by revelation. The prophets would confirm who and when to fight. They even gave direction concerning how to fight! In one instance the Lord gives them a strategy to camouflage their movements by waiting for the wind to create a disturbance in the leaves of the trees so that they could move undetected by the enemy. For another king the Lord instructed the army to send the worshippers into battle first and the Spirit of God created ambushes for the enemies of God’s people and they were destroyed before the Lord’s people ever had to swing a sword or shoot an arrow.
King Solomon taught the people of God in Prov 3:5 of the need to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.” NASU Too often the primary problem in receiving the Lord’s victory is that we place our eyes on our circumstances and only rely on the Lord to the degree that we can control or understand what is happening in our circumstances. When the Israelites were following Moses out of Egypt they despaired when all they could see was the Egyptian army closing in. They had no concept of the great victory that the Lord had prepared for them and so the murmured in unbelief rather than standing in faith. This same pattern appears throughout the generations of God’s people recorded in the word. In the face of overwhelming circumstances there is no better response than to trust the Lord and lean upon His word! Turn to Him for the peace you need and the wisdom to win the victory. It is not your own strength that will help you today! It is with Spirit of God that will lead you to victory!
Psalm 108:13 is simple and direct in its declaration of faith: “With God we will gain the victory!” Have you ever tried to do something in your own strength only to fail miserably? This is one of the great traps of the Christian life. Paul confronted the church at Galatia by challenging them with the statement in Gal 3:2-3 “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” NIV
Many people get a great vision from the Lord, a good business plan or ministry idea and then pursue it in their own strength. Abraham was guilty of this in the birth of his son Ishmael. The difference between his expected time frames and the fulfillment of the vision from the Lord accompanied by the pressure his wife applied to him by suggesting her servant as a surrogate mother provoked him to take matters into his own hands instead of waiting on the Lord. The end result was the birth of Ishmael and generations of tension between the two people groups that would emerge.
When there is a battle to fight or a dream to fulfill it is vital that God’s people remember that it is the Lord who gains the victory. The prophet spoke over Zerubbabel in Zech 4:6 "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” NIV Zerubbabel was commissioned by the Lord with the task of rebuilding the temple. It was a giant undertaking that would require the strength of many men and the accumulation of abundant resources. All of this and yet the emphasis of the Lord to Zerubbabel was “your own power and ability can never fulfill this mission!” The will of the Lord is only effectively completed by the Spirit of the Lord being given place in the lives of God’s servants.
David learned how to fight the Lord’s battles by revelation. The prophets would confirm who and when to fight. They even gave direction concerning how to fight! In one instance the Lord gives them a strategy to camouflage their movements by waiting for the wind to create a disturbance in the leaves of the trees so that they could move undetected by the enemy. For another king the Lord instructed the army to send the worshippers into battle first and the Spirit of God created ambushes for the enemies of God’s people and they were destroyed before the Lord’s people ever had to swing a sword or shoot an arrow.
King Solomon taught the people of God in Prov 3:5 of the need to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.” NASU Too often the primary problem in receiving the Lord’s victory is that we place our eyes on our circumstances and only rely on the Lord to the degree that we can control or understand what is happening in our circumstances. When the Israelites were following Moses out of Egypt they despaired when all they could see was the Egyptian army closing in. They had no concept of the great victory that the Lord had prepared for them and so the murmured in unbelief rather than standing in faith. This same pattern appears throughout the generations of God’s people recorded in the word. In the face of overwhelming circumstances there is no better response than to trust the Lord and lean upon His word! Turn to Him for the peace you need and the wisdom to win the victory. It is not your own strength that will help you today! It is with Spirit of God that will lead you to victory!
Tuesday
Psalm 107:43 - October 27, 2009
Ps 107:43 “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.” NIV
One of the greatest signs of wisdom is a teachable spirit. Many people form their opinions without information and then seek information that supports their opinion. When we do this we find ourselves fighting to defend the areas of deception that increasingly develop in our lives. Many people have accepted the lie that says “you are not loved, you have no value” and many other false beliefs about ourselves that damage our self-concept. Psalm 107 emphasizes the great lengths to which God has gone to speak into our hearts the abundant message “YOU ARE LOVED!”
This passage places a strong emphasis on the measure of the love of God. There is a kind of love that is rooted in the feelings of the heart but has no sense of capacity to express that love in the context of its circumstances. This will never be the case with God. The scriptures declare that God’s very essence is that He is a being of love. His power is measureless and therefore His capacity to communicate love into our hearts and lives is without limit.
Psalm 107 reminds us that it is wisdom to consider the great love of the Lord. How can this be? Why is an understanding of the great love of the Lord valuable to a heart of wisdom? The answer to this question is in truth quite simple: to rightly understand the Lord we must understand His primary motive towards us. In the Garden of Eden one of the strengths of Satan’s temptation as he extended it towards Eve was to question God’s motives in His dealings with Adam and Eve. He cast doubt on God’s integrity which provoked Eve to fall into unbelief and sin. A right understanding of the love of God would have prevented this. Had she understood that God is completely loving in His ways towards us, and that His motives are never corrupted by selfish agendas, her capacity to accept His boundaries for her life would have been greatly reinforced.
Many of us fall into unnecessary striving and pain because we do not connect in our hearts to the reality that we are loved with a perfect love and that we our Father deals with us through a perfect wisdom. As tokens of His love God has provided for us redemption through Christ, a position as Sons and Daughters, called us friends, He has sent His Holy Spirit of Adoption into our hearts and so much more. We are loved with an everlasting and all powerful love that as I Corinthians says “never fails.” The more we consider the great love of God the more we will be empowered to live in a security of heart that makes us bold and faith-filled. Knowing the love of God enables us to trust both His word and His ways so that we can confidently rest in His leadership over our lives in every circumstance.
One of the greatest signs of wisdom is a teachable spirit. Many people form their opinions without information and then seek information that supports their opinion. When we do this we find ourselves fighting to defend the areas of deception that increasingly develop in our lives. Many people have accepted the lie that says “you are not loved, you have no value” and many other false beliefs about ourselves that damage our self-concept. Psalm 107 emphasizes the great lengths to which God has gone to speak into our hearts the abundant message “YOU ARE LOVED!”
This passage places a strong emphasis on the measure of the love of God. There is a kind of love that is rooted in the feelings of the heart but has no sense of capacity to express that love in the context of its circumstances. This will never be the case with God. The scriptures declare that God’s very essence is that He is a being of love. His power is measureless and therefore His capacity to communicate love into our hearts and lives is without limit.
Psalm 107 reminds us that it is wisdom to consider the great love of the Lord. How can this be? Why is an understanding of the great love of the Lord valuable to a heart of wisdom? The answer to this question is in truth quite simple: to rightly understand the Lord we must understand His primary motive towards us. In the Garden of Eden one of the strengths of Satan’s temptation as he extended it towards Eve was to question God’s motives in His dealings with Adam and Eve. He cast doubt on God’s integrity which provoked Eve to fall into unbelief and sin. A right understanding of the love of God would have prevented this. Had she understood that God is completely loving in His ways towards us, and that His motives are never corrupted by selfish agendas, her capacity to accept His boundaries for her life would have been greatly reinforced.
Many of us fall into unnecessary striving and pain because we do not connect in our hearts to the reality that we are loved with a perfect love and that we our Father deals with us through a perfect wisdom. As tokens of His love God has provided for us redemption through Christ, a position as Sons and Daughters, called us friends, He has sent His Holy Spirit of Adoption into our hearts and so much more. We are loved with an everlasting and all powerful love that as I Corinthians says “never fails.” The more we consider the great love of God the more we will be empowered to live in a security of heart that makes us bold and faith-filled. Knowing the love of God enables us to trust both His word and His ways so that we can confidently rest in His leadership over our lives in every circumstance.
Monday
October 26, 2009
Cultivating purposeful rest (so to better hear from God)
In the last couple of devotionals we have considered briefly God’s desire to communicate with us – his children, his people! On Saturday we looked at how God called out to Samuel in the night hour. On Sunday we looked at how God wants to speak to us through dreams. Today – let’s continue this theme of God speaking to us.
I am really struck by the fact that God spoke to Samuel “in the night hour.” Beyond that, I am struck with how often in Scripture God is speaking through dreams. And the amazing thing is – he sometimes is giving absolutely, critical and life-changing revelation! Joseph was given his prophetic destiny through a dream – a reality that surely came to pass (Genesis 37:1-11), which saved multitudes, influenced world history and an entire empire. Isn’t this interesting? And even Jesus’ destiny hinged on a dream given to Joseph and Mary, warning them to flee from Herod’s attempt to kill him. And we can be grateful today for that dream that preserved the baby Jesus (Mt 2:13-15). The point is: God was speaking a necessary and destiny-changing word through the dream in the night hour.
To me, this is a very intriguing way for God to speak. Why is the night hour so suitable for us to receive revelation from God? I think there is very practical reason for this. At night we are potentially in the most rested state. Our defenses are down, and our thoughts are not racing at a thousand miles per hour (hopefully!). In this place, there is great potential to be free from the distractions, cares, and burdens that we normally carry upon our weary shoulders. This creates space for God’s word to reach us.
Now, God is speaking to us all the time in different ways. And of course we can and should aim to be at peace and rest throughout the day receiving from God all the time. But a practical reality of our human existence is we need specific set apart times of rest to receive from God. This can be at the night hour, or it can be in a disciplined time of rest and meditation. The key thing is to cultivate a purposeful rest in the Lord. The more we do that, the more we will hear from him.
A purposeful rest in the Lord could be summed up as: “Be Still, and know that I am God…” (Ps 46:10a). Quite literally, the idea is: “Cease moving forward! I am your God and will take care of all your needs. You just need to rest and be still for a change!” Or think about when the Israelites were trapped by the Red Sea and were being chased by the Egyptians. God declared to them through Moses: “Do not be afraid . . . . The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex 14:13-14). We can also think of Jesus’ invitation to the weary: “I will give you rest…and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29). Ah, the restful invitation from God sounds so good, like water to our thirsty souls – and oh yeah…that’s Biblical too! :)
So how can we cultivate a purposeful rest in the Lord? For one, we need to prioritize time in our schedule to rest in the Lord. This won’t just happen naturally. We need to make that choice, and then discipline ourselves to do it. Initially it can be difficult to quiet ourselves even when we make the time. But I believe as we persevere over time, we will find that resting in the Lord becomes easier, and actually something we desire not to live without. And we will begin to hear the Lord in ways and clarity like never before. When I am having trouble resting in the Lord, I find that deep, slow breathing helps to calm my body and allow my spirit to get in tune with the Spirit inside. I also find praying or singing in the Spirit to be essential at times; and resting with some worship music at other times.
As we position ourselves more and more for purposeful rest, however you do that, be expecting God to speak to you! Expect dreams that could change your life! Expect that “at night the Lord’s song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life” (Ps 42:8). Your life is never going to be the same. Hallelujah!
In the last couple of devotionals we have considered briefly God’s desire to communicate with us – his children, his people! On Saturday we looked at how God called out to Samuel in the night hour. On Sunday we looked at how God wants to speak to us through dreams. Today – let’s continue this theme of God speaking to us.
I am really struck by the fact that God spoke to Samuel “in the night hour.” Beyond that, I am struck with how often in Scripture God is speaking through dreams. And the amazing thing is – he sometimes is giving absolutely, critical and life-changing revelation! Joseph was given his prophetic destiny through a dream – a reality that surely came to pass (Genesis 37:1-11), which saved multitudes, influenced world history and an entire empire. Isn’t this interesting? And even Jesus’ destiny hinged on a dream given to Joseph and Mary, warning them to flee from Herod’s attempt to kill him. And we can be grateful today for that dream that preserved the baby Jesus (Mt 2:13-15). The point is: God was speaking a necessary and destiny-changing word through the dream in the night hour.
To me, this is a very intriguing way for God to speak. Why is the night hour so suitable for us to receive revelation from God? I think there is very practical reason for this. At night we are potentially in the most rested state. Our defenses are down, and our thoughts are not racing at a thousand miles per hour (hopefully!). In this place, there is great potential to be free from the distractions, cares, and burdens that we normally carry upon our weary shoulders. This creates space for God’s word to reach us.
Now, God is speaking to us all the time in different ways. And of course we can and should aim to be at peace and rest throughout the day receiving from God all the time. But a practical reality of our human existence is we need specific set apart times of rest to receive from God. This can be at the night hour, or it can be in a disciplined time of rest and meditation. The key thing is to cultivate a purposeful rest in the Lord. The more we do that, the more we will hear from him.
A purposeful rest in the Lord could be summed up as: “Be Still, and know that I am God…” (Ps 46:10a). Quite literally, the idea is: “Cease moving forward! I am your God and will take care of all your needs. You just need to rest and be still for a change!” Or think about when the Israelites were trapped by the Red Sea and were being chased by the Egyptians. God declared to them through Moses: “Do not be afraid . . . . The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex 14:13-14). We can also think of Jesus’ invitation to the weary: “I will give you rest…and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29). Ah, the restful invitation from God sounds so good, like water to our thirsty souls – and oh yeah…that’s Biblical too! :)
So how can we cultivate a purposeful rest in the Lord? For one, we need to prioritize time in our schedule to rest in the Lord. This won’t just happen naturally. We need to make that choice, and then discipline ourselves to do it. Initially it can be difficult to quiet ourselves even when we make the time. But I believe as we persevere over time, we will find that resting in the Lord becomes easier, and actually something we desire not to live without. And we will begin to hear the Lord in ways and clarity like never before. When I am having trouble resting in the Lord, I find that deep, slow breathing helps to calm my body and allow my spirit to get in tune with the Spirit inside. I also find praying or singing in the Spirit to be essential at times; and resting with some worship music at other times.
As we position ourselves more and more for purposeful rest, however you do that, be expecting God to speak to you! Expect dreams that could change your life! Expect that “at night the Lord’s song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life” (Ps 42:8). Your life is never going to be the same. Hallelujah!
Sunday
October 25, 2009
Dream the dreams of God!
Joel 2:28-29 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people, Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” NIV
Yesterday we were talking about the fact, that God is speaking to us. We were looking at Samuel and how God was calling him in the night hour. Let's take a brief look at dreams and how God chooses to talk to us through them. For years scientists and academics have been researching the human dream life; trying to find out why we dream and what dreams mean. They come up with all different kind of statistics but dreams still seem to be a mystery they can't fully explain. Even so, there are some interesting facts about dream life in general that can help us understand more about this one of many ways of how God is speaking to his children.
We spend about a third of our life sleeping. Why would God choose not to speak to us, when we are already in a state of being quiet? In 1. Samuel, God calls Samuel as he laid down. The more time we make for God, the more we quiet ourselves, we grant him access to speak into our lifes. Thank you Lord, for speaking to us through dreams! We simply need to learn to interprete dreams rightly. People tend to believe that dreams are either simply nonsense or that every symbol has a meaning. I personally believe, that God constantly uses dreams to speak to us; however, we can influence our dream life. Did you ever experince, that you go through seasons where your dreams reflect your day or a certain situation you go through? Sometimes our thought life is so busy with those things that we can't still our thoughts. In those seasons, our dreams often times are influenced by that.
Dreams are symbolic. God speaks to us through dreams, but they are often times symbolic. Because many people don't know enough about the symbolism, dreams appear meaningless. But the more we learn what the different symbols mean, the more we are able to interprete dreams more accurately and we learn to understand the way the Lord speaks to us.
Different symbols can mean different things to you and me. God speaks to you in a marvelous and unique way, in a way that he speaks to no one else. But as we are still getting to know his language, we can get confused. I definitely recommend reading books about dreams that will help you better understand hearing God's voice in the night time. One very helpful book is “Understanding the dreams you dream” by Ira Milligan.
We forget about 90% of our dream within the first 10 min after awakening. Because of that, it is very important to write your dreams down. The enemy is at work. He tries to steal the dreams God gives you. That's why we can at times completely forget what a dream was about just shortly after awakening. Even though a dream might seem to be insignificant or doesn't make sense to you as you wake up; it is always good to keep track of your dreams by writing them out, including the date and time. Some dreams might never make sense, but some will - a few days, weeks or even months later. I often times dream dreams, that don't make sense to me at first, but some time later I look back and suddenly realize how powerful a dream really is that I didn't understand before. Just reading it again suddenly opens up a new understanding.
God gives us a powerful tool through his dreams. My prayer for you is that you will learn how to listen to his voice even as you sleep. May he open up your understanding to interprete the dreams he gives you and to let them become powerful tools in your hand in your daily walk with the Lord. If you don't have a developed dream life yet, I pray that you will dream the dreams of God. Lord, pour out your Spirit upon your people! Amen.
Joel 2:28-29 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people, Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” NIV
Yesterday we were talking about the fact, that God is speaking to us. We were looking at Samuel and how God was calling him in the night hour. Let's take a brief look at dreams and how God chooses to talk to us through them. For years scientists and academics have been researching the human dream life; trying to find out why we dream and what dreams mean. They come up with all different kind of statistics but dreams still seem to be a mystery they can't fully explain. Even so, there are some interesting facts about dream life in general that can help us understand more about this one of many ways of how God is speaking to his children.
We spend about a third of our life sleeping. Why would God choose not to speak to us, when we are already in a state of being quiet? In 1. Samuel, God calls Samuel as he laid down. The more time we make for God, the more we quiet ourselves, we grant him access to speak into our lifes. Thank you Lord, for speaking to us through dreams! We simply need to learn to interprete dreams rightly. People tend to believe that dreams are either simply nonsense or that every symbol has a meaning. I personally believe, that God constantly uses dreams to speak to us; however, we can influence our dream life. Did you ever experince, that you go through seasons where your dreams reflect your day or a certain situation you go through? Sometimes our thought life is so busy with those things that we can't still our thoughts. In those seasons, our dreams often times are influenced by that.
Dreams are symbolic. God speaks to us through dreams, but they are often times symbolic. Because many people don't know enough about the symbolism, dreams appear meaningless. But the more we learn what the different symbols mean, the more we are able to interprete dreams more accurately and we learn to understand the way the Lord speaks to us.
Different symbols can mean different things to you and me. God speaks to you in a marvelous and unique way, in a way that he speaks to no one else. But as we are still getting to know his language, we can get confused. I definitely recommend reading books about dreams that will help you better understand hearing God's voice in the night time. One very helpful book is “Understanding the dreams you dream” by Ira Milligan.
We forget about 90% of our dream within the first 10 min after awakening. Because of that, it is very important to write your dreams down. The enemy is at work. He tries to steal the dreams God gives you. That's why we can at times completely forget what a dream was about just shortly after awakening. Even though a dream might seem to be insignificant or doesn't make sense to you as you wake up; it is always good to keep track of your dreams by writing them out, including the date and time. Some dreams might never make sense, but some will - a few days, weeks or even months later. I often times dream dreams, that don't make sense to me at first, but some time later I look back and suddenly realize how powerful a dream really is that I didn't understand before. Just reading it again suddenly opens up a new understanding.
God gives us a powerful tool through his dreams. My prayer for you is that you will learn how to listen to his voice even as you sleep. May he open up your understanding to interprete the dreams he gives you and to let them become powerful tools in your hand in your daily walk with the Lord. If you don't have a developed dream life yet, I pray that you will dream the dreams of God. Lord, pour out your Spirit upon your people! Amen.
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