His presence

Today's Readings: Zephaniah 2:8-15, 3:1-20; 2 Chronicles 35:20-27; 2 Kings 23:29-30; Jeremiah 47:1-7, 48:1-47

Highlighted Verses and my thoughts:
"But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail.  But the wicked know no shame." Zephaniah 3:5

"For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior.  He will take delight in you with gladness.  With his love, he will calm all your fears.  He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."  Zephaniah 3:17

Zephaniah prophesies about the rebellion and redemption of Jerusalem in these chapters.  Most of the writings tell of the judgement that will be given by the Lord to all of those who have been so disobedient to him.  However, the thing that stood out to me were these two verses.  They say that the Lord is still there with the people, living among them, even in their disobedience and rebellion.  Even in his promises of destruction and judgement, the Lord does not give up on his people.  He is still there, making himself available to the remnant who will trust in his name.

  
My response to God:  Dear Lord, thank you for not giving up on me, just as you did not give up on your faithful people in Jerusalem.  Make me lowly and humble, for they are the ones who trust in the name of the Lord.

Rejoice in all things

Today's Readings: Habakkuk 1:1-17, 2:1-20, 3:1-19

Highlighted Verses and my thoughts:

"I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post.  There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint." Habakkuk 2:1

I think this means that we should wait patiently, and specifically, looking for answers from the Lord when we ask him something.

"What sorrow awaits you who build big houses with money gained dishonestly!" Habakkuk 2:9

I guess with the mortgage issues of the current day and the government bail out, I am reading this from a little different perspective than I probably would have otherwise.  Not that I believe everyone who is affected gained the 'money' (i.e. mortgage) dishonestly, but it just makes me think about it a little differently.  

 

"But the Lord is in his holy Temple.  Let all the earth be silent before him." Habakkuk 2:20

I included this because it has been one of my favorite verses for awhile.  I remember when I first returned to church as an adult and joined the choir when we lived in Virginia.  Every Sunday morning, we opened the service with an a Capella version of this verse.  

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights." Habakkuk 3:19
This kind of ties in with what I brought up above regarding the economy and the mortgage situation.  There are so many people really worried about the economy, mainly because they have no control over the outcome.  I think this verse says it all.  In all things, whether your fields are barren, your flocks are dying, or you lose your home because of making a poor decision, you must rejoice in the Lord.  Rejoice in the Lord always!

My response to God: My God, my rock, my salvation...help me Lord to not worry about the things going on around me, but to worship and praise you in everything.  Give me patience to wait for your answers and be wise enough to understand that, even when they are not the answer I am looking for, your answer is always the right answer.

Reform

Today's Readings: 2 Kings 23:1-26; 2 Chronicles 34:29-33, 35:1-19; Nahum 1:1-15, 2:1-13, 3:1-19

Highlighted Verses and my thoughts:

"And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the prophets -- all the people from the least to the greatest.  There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord's Temple.  The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord's presence.  He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul." 2 Kings 23:2-3a

King Josiah not only restored the Temple of the Lord, but he  made major reforms in the religious life of the people.  After he read the Book of the Covenant, he began making assignments to the priests to complete the cleansing of the Temple and other areas by destroying all the artifacts that remained from the time of idolatry.  He made the pledge, in front of all of the people, to obey the Lord with all his heart and soul.  One part that stood out to me was that it was all the people  from the least to the greatest.  King Josiah gave them all the opportunity to hear the commands of the Lord.

My response to God: Father, help me to be like King Josiah.  Help me to recognize when I see wrong going on around me and to step up to the plate and make the changes necessary to be obedient to you.  

Grace

Today's Readings: Jeremiah 5:20-31, 6:1-30; 2 Kings 22:3-20; 2 Chronicles 34:8-28

Highlighted Verses and my thoughts:

"But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people -- that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord.  So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace.  You will not see the disaster aI am going to bring on this city.'"  So they took her message back to the king." 2 Kings 22:18-20 and 2 Chronicles 34:26-28

During the restoration of the Temple, the high priest found The Book of the Law in the temple.  When it was read, King Josiah learned of the disobedience of his ancestors and that they had not been doing everything that was required by the book written by Moses.  He immediately tore his clothes in despair and sought after guidance from the prophet Huldah in Jerusalem.  Above was her response to him.  

This portion of the reading was prefaced by the Jeremiah verses, which described the rebellion of the people, their multiple warnings, continued rejection of the Lord's way, and warning of invasion and destruction that would come because of those decisions.  But, now we see that because of King Josiah's repentance and desire to make the necessary changes to follow what was written in the Book of the Law, the Lord gave him a second chance.  The disaster would not take place until after his death.

My response to God: Dear God, I give praises to you and am in awe of your mighty power.  Thank you for your grace and forgiveness.  Help me to stay in your will and keep myself open to your messages through your Word.  

Repentance

Today's Readings: Jeremiah 2:23-37, 3:1-25, 4:1-31, 5:1-19

Highlighted Verses and my thoughts:

"And yet you say, 'I have done nothing wrong. Surely God isn't angry with me!' But now I will punish you severely because you claim you have not sinned." Jeremiah 2:35

"But despise all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord, have spoken!" Jeremiah 3:10

"They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent." Jeremiah 5:3b

"'Yet even in those days I will not blot you out completely,' says the Lord." Jeremiah 5:18

Still, thousands of years after the Lord spoke through Jeremiah to the people of Judah and Israel, it is still the same.  We claim we do not sin.  So many times, when we do admit our sins, we only pretend to be sorry; but, most of the time we refuse to repent.  But, God loves us so much, and desires to be a part of our lives so much that he does not give up on us.

"Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God"

"Confess that you refused to listen to my voice"

"Return home, you wayward children"

excerpts from Jeremiah 3:13-14

God gave Jeremiah the words that give us hope, just as they gave the hope to a wayward Israel.  He told them, and he tells us today, exactly what we must do in order to come home again to our merciful God: Admit and confess our sins and return to him.  It is so simple, yet we make it so difficult.

My response to God: Loving and merciful God, I wonder over and over why you have not given up on me.  Show me when I am wrong and am too stubborn to see it for myself.  Lead me to my knees, to that place where I see in myself what you see, and where I confess, repent, and return to you.  Thank you for your forgiveness...over and over again.  

Living water

Today's Readings: 2 Kings 21:1-26, 22:1-2; 2 Chronicles 33:1-25, 34:1-7; Jeremiah 1:1-19, 2:1-22

Highlighted Verses and my thoughts:

"The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings.  So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner.  They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.  But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request.  So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.  Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!" 2 Chronicles 33:10-13

How sad it must have been for God to see his people and their leaders, their kings that he had put in place, turn away from him.  Time after time, the Kings would do evil in the Lord's sight, building pagan shrines and the asherah poles and worshiping idols.  It must have been a joy for the Lord when Manasseh's father, King Hezekiah, finally destroyed the pagan shrines that had been constructed to worship Baal.  But, again, upon King Hezekiah's death, his son, Manasseh went back to the old ways and rebuilt the altars and shrines, even in the Temple of the Lord.  Through the prophets, the Lord continued to warn the people.  Finally, now, Manasseh finally turns and admits that he needs God.  Here God shows the grace that would later be available to all through his son, Jesus.  How much love must he have for us all to be there when we call on him, even after we ignore him and put other things before him in our lives.  

"For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me -- the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!" Jeremiah 2:13

How stupid can we be?  We are so much like the people of Israel.  Here the Lord was, the living water that is necessary for their eternal life and instead, they ignore it and try to survive with useless, broken, empty fake gods.  How many times do we do the same thing, but put ourselves and our own sinful desires in the place of the cisterns.

My response to God: All praises go to you, my God and my protector.  Open my eyes to recognize when I start leaning toward a broken cistern in my life.  Guide me away from it and back to take a drink of the living water that only comes from you.  

Letting go and letting God

Today's Readings: Isaiah 63:15-64:12, 65:1-66:24; 2 Kings 20:20-21

Highlighted Verses and my thoughts:

"Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?" Isaiah 63:17a

"Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind." Isaiah 64:6b

"After all this, Lord, must you still refuse to help us? Will you continue to be silent and punish us?" Isaiah 64:12

People today are so like this, looking for someone else to blame for their mistakes.  Just like the people of Israel, we find ourselves blaming God for letting us have the free will to make decisions for our life.  Of course, this usually only happens when we begin to receive the consequences of our actions.

"The Lord says, "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.  I said, 'Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not call on my name." Isaiah 65:1

God is always here for us, just waiting for us to call upon him.  But, in order for us to call upon him, we must admit to ourselves that he is God and we are not.  We must let go of the need to be in control of our lives and give ourselves totally over to God.  We must search him out and look for him and call upon him to not only be a part of our lives, but be the purpose for our lives.

 
My response to God: O God, forgive me for my pride and desires to hold on to the control of my life, even when there is no chance that I would ever have control.  Help me to see that I am responsible for my actions and deserve the consequences that fall upon me because of those actions.  Thank you for always being here for me when I finally realize that I can only make it when you are in control.  Thank you for your forgiveness when my pride rears is ugly head.