“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 30:18 ESV
What a fearful thing to have the wrath of God against you. It is both terrifying and the brings a small bit of confidence that His Justice is perfect.
Lord, help me to listen to Your voice when you speak. Help me obey Your commands and delight in following Your way.
“Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”
Ecclesiastes 9:9-10 ESV
Wisdom for the ages: whatever you are working on, do it with all your heart…and in the process, enjoy the blessings God has given you!
“Our God is coming; he will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes him, and a storm rages around him. On high, he summons heaven and earth in order to judge his people:”
Psalms 50:3-4 CSB
It is good to remember that God is the ultimate judge not just our Father. Lord, allow me to live in a manner that brings You glory!
“Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds. How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”
Psalms 36:5, 7 CSB
Lord, your faithfulness includes love, protection and guidance as well as discipline, correction and reproof. Thank You for loving me enough to demonstrate Your faithfulness in all these flavors!!!
“For the land abandoned by them will make up for its Sabbaths by lying desolate without the people, while they make amends for their iniquity, because they rejected my ordinances and abhorred my statutes. Yet in spite of this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or abhor them so as to destroy them and break my covenant with them, since I am the Lord their God. For their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God; I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 26:43-45 CSB
God cares so much about us living according to His plan, that He tells them that they will suffer if they don’t obey…but He will not completely destroy them. He will remember the promises and restore them after they have endured suffering. Remember this suffering is only intended to bring them back to their senses and finally obey Him.
Seems like the best way is just to obey from the start so that we don’t have to also endure more suffering…why is that so challenging for some of us?
Lord, build my faith so that I can trust You... So that I can fully believe that in EVERY situation Your ways are best and literally bring flourishing to me.
“Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge.
Don’t let your heart envy sinners; instead, always fear the Lord. For then you will have a future, and your hope will not be dashed.”
Proverbs 23:12, 17-18 CSB
Discipline is not easy, but it is worth it…to be disciplined in holding Gods Word in high esteem, or listening to it above my own wants or desires takes daily, moment by moment surrender.
God I cannot do any of this on my own, I need Your Spirit to empower me, to produce self control, and to energize me to surrender to Your will every second. Without Your strength, I will drift back to my selfish ways and be dragged away by pride. In that far away state, I feel so alone and hopeless…
“Poverty and disgrace come to those who ignore discipline, but the one who accepts correction will be honored.
Desire fulfilled is sweet to the taste, but to turn from evil is detestable to fools.
The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Proverbs 13:18-20 CSB
How does my life fit into these categories? Lord, give me wisdom:
“Poverty and disgrace come to those who ignore discipline, but the one who accepts correction will be honored.”
I don’t want poverty and disgrace, but I do want to be honored…
“Desire fulfilled is sweet to the taste, but to turn from evil is detestable to fools.”
I don’t want to be a fool and I want to avoid sin…
“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.”
I don’t want to suffer trials but I do want to be wise…
Lord, help me to see how todays thoughts, decisions and actions lead to who I am tomorrow…or in 20 years!
“At the end of your life, you will lament when your physical body has been consumed, and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and how my heart despised correction. I didn’t obey my teachers or listen closely to my instructors. I am on the verge of complete ruin before the entire community.””
Proverbs 5:11-14 CSB
What a chilling result of not following Jesus: life in ruins, body falling apart, depressed and despised by everyone around. Not just because you didn’t listen to the Word of God, but solely because you only listened to yourself. All of the choices, based on what you thought were…OK, maybe not the best but OK. Never seeing where the road leads…until suddenly you wake up to this reality!
Lord, help me to see the end of the road I am traveling! Open my eyes, awaken my heart and give me joy in following You! I am so blessed that You love me enough to paint the picture of the alternative to joyfully fallowing You in peace, love and contentment.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. I have solemnly sworn to keep your righteous judgments. I am severely afflicted; Lord, give me life according to your word. Lord, please accept my freewill offerings of praise, and teach me your judgments. My life is constantly in danger, yet I do not forget your instruction. The wicked have set a trap for me, but I have not wandered from your precepts. I have your decrees as a heritage forever; indeed, they are the joy of my heart. I am resolved to obey your statutes to the very end.”
Psalms 119:105-112 CSB
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. Lord, thank you for illuminating my way so that I would have the wisdom and understanding to take my next step. It is only because I spend time becoming familiar with Your Word daily that I have confidence to take each step toward where You desire. Please Lord, align my actions with what You have shown me every step of the way.
“How I love your instruction! It is my meditation all day long. Your command makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers because your decrees are my meditation. I understand more than the elders because I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path to follow your word. I have not turned from your judgments, for you yourself have instructed me. How sweet your word is to my taste — sweeter than honey in my mouth. I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way.”
Psalms 119:97-104 CSB
“I have not turned from your judgments, for you yourself have instructed me. How sweet your word is to my taste — sweeter than honey in my mouth.“ Lord, it is incredible that You personally help me to understand Your Word. You don’t leave me struggling to comprehend what it is you want me to know. You have blessed me beyond what I deserve…only God can do what You have done!
“This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.””
Psalms 110:1 CSB
God is telling king David that He (God) does not need David’s help to fight the battle. Sitting is not an active position, but rather passive and even a sign of relaxation. God has not changed and continues to fight our battles.
It is not that we are off the hook and can spend our time chillin doing whatever we want to do…rather He is asking us to sit under His authority and effort toward surrender to His will. It seems like that would be easy, but it takes a lot of practice.
The biggest factor in my experience is believing and trusting that God only wants what is best for me. This includes hard things, disappointment, sadness and pain…not because the experience is a delight, but because the results are priceless. It is always about the results for God. He is single minded in making me more like Jesus. And that is what I want too…
“Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline and teach from your law… But the Lord is my refuge; my God is the rock of my protection.”
Psalms 94:12, 22 CSB
Discipline is a blessing because it helps us to see more clearly and guides us to see things from the right perspective. He will protect us and offer the right way to look at any problem. Lord help me to see as You see!
“Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; Lord, they walk in the light from your face. They rejoice in your name all day long, and they are exalted by your righteousness. My hand will always be with him, and my arm will strengthen him.
If his sons abandon my instruction and do not live by my ordinances, if they dishonor my statutes and do not keep my commands, then I will call their rebellion to account with the rod, their iniquity with blows. But I will not withdraw my faithful love from him or betray my faithfulness.”
Psalms 89:15-16, 21, 30-33 CSB
This psalm was written about David and the kings of Israel, but since God is unchanging, it tells us how God is toward us too!
Following Jesus leads to joy, peace and blessing…it always has. If we ignore Him, God finds a way to get our attention…sometimes it is with trials, but most often, He allows us to experience the natural consequences of our choices. Emotional suffering, loneliness, frustration, anxiety and depression…that is what the discipline of God often looks like.
Lord, help me to follow You and experience your faithful love. Let my life be flavored by your peace, contentment and delight in You!
“Therefore, the Lord heard and became furious; then fire broke out against Jacob, and anger flared up against Israel because they did not believe God or rely on his salvation. Despite all this, they kept sinning and did not believe his wondrous works. But they rebelliously tested the Most High God, for they did not keep his decrees.”
Psalms 78:21-22, 32, 56 CSB
This is a really long Psalm telling of the whole history of Gods people. It tells the good, the bad and the ugly. These verses jumped off the page at me because each time something good happened it was followed by turning from God. The blessing in their life were the trigger for them to stop following God because they felt like things were good without Him. They forgot that God was the author of the blessing, and believed instead that they were themselves the reason life was good.
This cycle repeats over and over through the story of Israel, the Bible and now even in our lives.
Lord, don’t let me be foolish enough to believe that anything good is because of me. You are the giver of good gifts, and desire to bless me as I follow You! Following my own plan has always brought destruction and suffering after going down that path for awhile. Keep me sober minded to recognize your truth, and make me more like You!
“Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God! Sing about the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. The whole earth will worship you and sing praise to you. They will sing praise to your name.” Selah
For you, God, tested us; you refined us as silver is refined. You lured us into a trap; you placed burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us out to abundance.”
Psalms 66:1-2, 4, 10-12 CSB
I love how David is reminding Gods people that they should worship God, not only for being amazing but also for the discipline they have received. The testing was painful and was surely challenging to endure, but it produced an abundance of blessing.
That is my experience as well. God brings us into hard times intentionally so that we would see the foolishness of our ways and turn to Him. The end result is that we get rid of the garbage that is holding us back from true joy and contentment. And that is a sweet place to live and worship God!!
”And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who settle down comfortably, who say to themselves: The Lord will do nothing — good or bad. Their wealth will become plunder and their houses a ruin. They will build houses but never live in them, plant vineyards but never drink their wine. Their silver and their gold will be unable to rescue them on the day of the Lord’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of his jealousy, for he will make a complete, yes, a horrifying end of all the inhabitants of the earth.“
Zephaniah 1:12-13, 18 CSB
Zephaniah was a prophet in the time of King Josiah who became king as a boy. The priests found the scriptures while cleaning out the Temple and Josiah turned the whole country back to following God. This must have been written prior to them returning to God because Zephaniah is going on and on about how God will punish them for rejecting Gods path.
Gods people have slowly turned away from following Him, to the point they don’t think that He will ever do anything, good or bad. They are acting like He doesn’t exist. They feel safe because they have a home and food and even some good times. But God is not stopped by these things, in fact it just makes their destruction more devastating.
Lord, help me not trust in my paycheck, or good health. Let me not find comfort in my possessions or even my service to you. Help me to rest only in you, in who you are and how you have transformed me. All of those physical things are fleeting…but my identity in you is forever. You are amazing to love me, help me to love you and serve you with every thought, action and conversation!
”House of Jacob, should it be asked, “Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these the things he does?” Don’t my words bring good to the one who walks uprightly?
Get up and leave, for this is not your place of rest because defilement brings destruction — a grievous destruction!“
Micah 2:7, 10 CSB
In this chapter Micah is pouring judgment onto people who oppress His people. As they are hearing of the punishment God brings, they are accusing God of not giving them enough time to change. It’s like they say, “I was going to do that tomorrow, just chill”…but Gods response is “my judgments are to bring blessing on the good…but that is not who you are…you are just doing whatever you want and you bring destruction on yourself”.
God help me to see when I am blind to my own actions. Give me wisdom to understand when I am rejecting you. Allow me to recognize when I pursue my own desires and pretend that “I will change that tomorrow”.
Help me to be changed by Your Spirit, because I can’t do it on my own!
”They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant...“
Hosea 4:13 CSB
https://bible.com/bible/1713/hos.4.CSB
I love the beauty of nature, the peace and sense of smallness. This entire passage is about doing what feels good, what feeds our desires and is short term delightful. Those are the things I naturally want to do because it’s easy, and gives me a quick sense of happiness. God what you know is the end result of this short term pleasure seeking is destruction.
Thank you for the warnings, I know you want joy, peace and delight to be my experience. I also know that only comes long term from knowing You! God, give me the wisdom to follow you and reject the fleeting pleasures of sin. Make my delight be in knowing You more. May this be obvious to the people closest to me so that they can follow you and experience your peace, joy and comfort even in the middle of challenging circumstances!
