1 Chronicles 7-10, Legacy Destruction

 “Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord’s word.  He even consulted a medium for guidance,  but he did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. ”

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What a tragic end to a legacy…dying because of your unfaithfulness and taking your entire family with you.  It is so critical that I trust in God rather than my own strength or strategies.  Lord, help me to see it clearly when I am doing anything of my own rather than from You!

Psalm 81, 88, 92, 93- Fruitful Result

 “The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare, “The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭92‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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These Psalms remind me that God is faithful and righteous in everything He does, and He calls me to the same high standard.  Lord, I am not righteous on my own, but wholly need to rest in Jesus.  Lord God I want to be so close to You that it is like I am permanently in Your presence.  Let me bear fruit for You all my days!

1 Chronicles 6, Faithful God

 “These were the places assigned to Aaron’s descendants from the Kohathite family for their settlements in their territory, because the first lot was for them.  They  were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands,”

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭6‬:‭54‬-‭55‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This reminds me that God is taking care of His leaders just like He said He would!  What a faithful God!

Psalms 73, 77, 78- Present Presence

 “Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory. Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.  But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do. ”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭23‬-‭26‬, ‭28‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Nothing is better than Gods presence!  Lord, allow me to know Your presence always!

Chronicles 3-5, Trust God

 “They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.  He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in him. ”

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Even in this boring list of names, we are told of a group of people who trusted God and defeated their enemies because they turned to Him in prayer.  God listened and acted on their behalf for one reason: they trusted in Him!  Not trusting in themselves, their skill, their numbers or their strength…they trusted God!  Lord, I pray that my words, actions and motives reflect that I trust You in every moment of my life…

Psalms 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87- Trust Worthy

 “Through you we drive back our foes; through your name we trample our enemies. For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory. But you give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced. We boast in God all day long; we will praise your name forever. Selah”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭44‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Lord, sometimes it is so easy to trust in the skill You have given or the blessings You provide…remind me that those are not mine and that You are the only one worthy of trust.  Help me to trust in You alone!

1 Chronicles 1-2, Jesus vs Lineage

 “Adam,  Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Noah’s sons:  Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem,  Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Abram (that is, Abraham).”

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭4‬, ‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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The detail of recording all those generations is intense!  I am guessing that these Israelite people put a lot of value in identifying their lineage…so different how that we have a Jesus who adopts us no matter our lineage!  Praise Him!!!

Psalms 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21- Guiding Presence

 “I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.” I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely. You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭2‬, ‭8‬-‭9‬, ‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Lord, how refreshing that You are with me through all of life’s circumstances! All the good that I have in life is directly from Your hand and I can rest knowing that You are right beside me…

2 Samuel 1-4, War’s Raveges

 “David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “The Lord bless you because you have shown this kindness to Saul your Lord when you buried him. Now, may the Lord show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to you because you have done this deed. Therefore, be strong  and valiant, for though Saul your Lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.””

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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The fight for power is horrible…division, pride and jealousy are not a good look for anyone.  So much death and destruction in these few chapters and God is in the background.  Even when pain and suffering are all that we can see, God is still working in the background.  Lord, help me trust your plans as You work in the shadows.

Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130 - Sin Forgiven

 “Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be revered. Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭130‬:‭3‬-‭4‬, ‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Happy Easter…He is risen!  He is risen indeed!!!

What a blessing to know that God made a plan for the forgiveness of sins through Jesus sacrifice on the cross.  His resurrection demonstrating His power over death and victory over sin.  Thank You Jesus for willingly paying my penalty and giving me righteous in return!

Samuel 28-31, Psalm 18- Devine Protection

 “God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God. God — he clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me securely on the heights. He trains my hands for war; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation; your right hand upholds me, and your humility exalts me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭30‬-‭35‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What a powerful God we serve— He knows our path, strengthens us and protects us— even when it feels like we are lost, wandering and alone.  Lord, allow me to see Your fingerprints in my circumstances, Your presence in the darkness and Your love in the silence. 

Psalms 17, 35, 54, 63- Faithful God

 “God, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth. God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my life. I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you. I will praise your name, Lord, because it is good. For he has rescued me from every trouble, and my eye has looked down on my enemies.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭54‬:‭2‬, ‭4‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Lord, You are so faithful and in every situation You protect me.  Help me to rest in Your plan for my life even when things are tumultuous or confusing.  Allow my mind and heart to meditate on how You have worked good from even the hardest things in my past.  Give me confidence in Your ability to do it again!

I Samuel 25-27, Re-Directed

 “Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won’t have to strike him twice! ” But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the Lord’s anointed and be innocent? ”  David added, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will certainly strike him down:  either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. However, as the Lord is my witness, I will never lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed.  Instead, take the spear and the water jug by his head, and let’s go.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭26‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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David impulsively sneaks into the camp of his enemy, Saul, and his friend thinks he is there to kill him.  That seems like the only possible reason, but then David is struck by conscience and changes his mind, they just take some things from him instead.  This appears to be God redirecting the impulsive plans of David.  

This reminds me that it is never too late to change direction and follow what God wants even if I was previously following my own half baked plan!  Lord, help me to instantly recognize if I am going my own way and turn to follow You as soon as I realize I have made a mistake.

Psalm 56, 120, 140-142, Strength made Perfect

 “Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way. Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me. Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me. I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭142‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Strength in our weakest moments comes from God; even in our best moments our strength is directly from Him.  We may not feel like we need God when things are going well, but our own “strength” is so feeble and flimsy.  However, when we are weak, we have no illusion, we know that we need His help!  Lord, help me to remember that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Psalm 7, 27, 31, 34 & 52- Protective Presence

 “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence of everyone you have acted for those who take refuge in you. You hide them in the protection of your presence; you conceal them in a shelter from human schemes, from quarrelsome tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me in a city under siege.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What a picture of a counterintuitive comfort…we always want to be removed from the pain, the suffering, the trials…but Gods solution is not always what we are wanting.  Many times He wants us to run to Him in the darkness and rest in His presence.  In His presence is peace and rest, comfort and joy.  We can know Him in the midst of our trials if we seek Him.

I Samuel 21-24, Gods Deliverance

 “He said to his men, “As the Lord is my witness, I would never do such a thing to my Lord, the Lord’s anointed.  I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” ”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This has always been a passage of intrigue as it seems like God is providing an opportunity for David to be free from running.  So much of his suffering and trials would be over if he just shanks Saul here…but he doesn’t.  He trusts that God will handle the situation.  Lord, help me to trust You like that.

I Samuel 18-20, Psalm 11 & 59, Humble Leadership

 “David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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David must have been a great leader if he was both successful and the people he led were pleased.  I believe this reflects following Gods Word and leading in humility.  We see evidence of that later on when David does not feel worthy to be Sauls son-in-law.  Lord, help me to lead in humility and confidence of You accomplishing Your plans!

I Samuel 15-17, Humility & Confidence

 “Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses  of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,  and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves,  for the battle is the Lord’s.  He will hand you over to us.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭46‬-‭47‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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David’s humility and confidence in God accomplishing the task is amazing!  This is the first glimpse of what it looks like to be “a man after Gods own heart”!  Lord, help me to depend wholly on You to accomplish Your plans…and less on my own skills and abilities.

1 Samuel 13-14, Seek Guidance

 ““All right,” Jonathan replied, “we’ll cross over to the men and then let them see us. If they say, ‘Wait until we reach you,’ then we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ then we’ll go up, because the Lord has handed them over to us #— #that will be our sign.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭14‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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It is an encouragement that Jonathan is taking direction from God…something his father was not doing well.  Lord, help me to hear Your voice, and then follow You!

1 Samuel 9-12, Serious Calling

 ““As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.  I will teach you the good and right way. Above all, fear the Lord and worship him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things he has done for you. ”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This is Samuel speaking to the new King Saul.  It stands out to me that his role was very serious as a mentor, not just an opportunity, but a strong calling that if ignored or minimized would be seen as sin. Lord, help me to take seriously the role you have given me as I walk with men through challenging seasons!

I Samuel 4-8, Desiring God

 “Time went by until twenty years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel longed for the Lord. Samuel told them, “If you  are returning to the Lord  with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths that are among you, set your hearts on the Lord, and worship only him.  Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Gods presence was far from the people and they felt that distance, desiring God be close to them.  It was obvious that they had allowed other idols to take Gods place and they felt the distance.  They longed for the Lord…I believe we can feel this today when we enter “dry season” when God feels far away.  This allows us to look around and remove idols and remember the sweetness of relationship with Him.  When those idols are removed and we turn our attention to seek Him, there is a fresh desire for intimacy with our Creator.  Lord, help me to stay in seasons where I long for You and we have sweet times together!

I Samuel 1-3, Cleaning House

 “The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence.  In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread. ”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Samuel is Gods chosen one in the midst of unholy servants.  Hophne and Phineas were evil men representing God and through many circumstances He orchestrated a plan to bring righteousness back to the temple.  Samuel was set apart from conception and ready for service to God and His people.  Lord, help my thoughts, motives, words and actions bring You glory!

Ruth 1-4, Gods Providence

 “Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son. The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

‭‭Ruth‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬, ‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What an amazing story of God turning suffering and tragedy into redemption and heritage.  These women strategic thinking worked in concert with Gods will to produce an incredible story.  Lord, please help me trust that You are at work even in the tragic and that Your plans are brought about through trust and planning.

Judges 19-21, Chain Reaction

 “The congregation sent twelve thousand brave warriors there and commanded them, “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword,  including women and dependents.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭21‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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The far reaching effects of sin are obvious in this detestable section of scripture…every chain reaction to the first sin is devastating.  Lord, thank You for sending Your Spirit to indwell Your people so that we don’t dig ourselves into such a horrendous situation.  Give me wisdom to see when I am slightly getting off track so that my sin does as little damage to others as possible!

Judges 16-18, Seemed Right

 “In those days there was no king in Israel;  everyone did whatever seemed right to him.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This is literally the theme of the book of Judges, either people are doing what was wrong in Gods eyes, or they are doing what what’s right in their own eyes.  They both mean the same thing.  And because of that everything is a wreck!!! Literally everything is cringeworthy…Lord help me to live by Your Spirit and follow Your commands.  I want to honor You with every thought, word and action!

Judges 13-15, Self Trust

“Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless  when I harm the Philistines.””

‭‭Judges‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/1713/jdg.15.3.CSB

Samson was using his own plans to take vengeance on the Philistines.  How many times to I take things into my own hands.  It may not be taking vengeance agains someone, but I definitely try to solve problems without bringing God into the plans or better yet, asking what God would have me do!  Lord, help my first impulse to be to come to you in every problem or decision!

Judges 10-12, Godless Reputation

 “Ibzan, who was from Bethlehem,  judged Israel after Jephthah and had thirty sons. He gave his thirty daughters in marriage to men outside the tribe and brought back thirty wives for his sons from outside the tribe. Ibzan judged Israel seven years, and when he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭12‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What a horrible time to live as an Israelite.  Leaders come and go with nothing good to say about any of them, constant fighting and God is no where to be seen.  Lord, allow my life to be shaped by You so that if anyone remembers me, You are a prominent part of my story!

Judges 8-9, God vs Self

 “In this way, God brought back Abimelech’s evil #— #the evil that Abimelech had done to his father when he killed his seventy brothers.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭9‬:‭56‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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When God is leading His people and they are obedient, incredible things unfold…yet when people are leading toward their own goals, destruction and devastation quickly follow.  Lord, I want to follow You rather than lead.  Help me to hear Your voice and pursue You only!

Judges 6-7, Not Strategy

 “The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say,  ‘I saved myself.’”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭7‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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I can relate with scared Gideon here, feels too small and weak and incapable of the task that God puts before him.  He plans, strategizes and very successfully recruited an entire army…but God know those things will get in the way of people seeing the truth of God being the one to save them…not Gideon.  Lord, help me to trust You and not my own plans.  You alone are worthy and can be trusted in every situation.