Grains of Sand

Pixabay I once asked my pastor why it seemed as though my prayers hit the ceiling and bounced back at me without ever reaching heaven. He reminded me that unconfessed sin creates a barrier that needs to be removed so that communion is restored between the Creator and His creation. As I read the verse for today, I was reminded of his words. Isaiah writes: “Y our iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear .” (59:2) The expression of the prophet reminded me of a series of messages I prepared recently for a ladies’ retreat and of a revision of that series that I am going to start today. In the first session we talk about seeking first God’s “face” rather than always looking for His “hand.” In other words, desiring God Himself more than we desire His gifts. As I reviewed yesterday I was reminded that when the Scriptures speak of God’s “face” they are referring to His presence, to that intimacy of relationship that we ne...

Pixabay, Public Domain In 1921, the Women’s Missionary Society of his church presented my father with a devotional book. In his later years he read from it every day. The reading for September 26, the day in 1991 when my dad died, the Scripture verse on which the devotional was based was Psalm 23:4: “ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me .” My father was alone in a hospital bed when he died—at least that was the regret I felt when I first learned the details of his passing. But later, after being divinely directed to check the devotional book dad always read, I was reminded again that, though no human being might have been with him, the Great Shepherd had been there to personally escort him through the valley. It was a huge comfort to me to remember that Truth. Whether the valleys of our lives be those of hardship, sorrow, illness, danger, or even death itself, what a wonderful blessing it is to know that our Shepher...

Google Images The story of Samson is one of the most mysterious, inexplicable tales of God’s actions in the lives of men found in the Scriptures. It doesn’t take long before we understand that none of those in and through whom God chose to work, was perfect. And oftentimes we forget that the stories we ready of His actions are as much about those upon whom God’s judgment was to fall as they are about the instruments God used to deliver that judgment. Samson, who had been dedicated to the service of the Lord before his birth (Judges 13:7, 14), was God’s man to punish the Philistines for their acts of oppression against Israel: “ The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol ” (13:24, 25). We are hard put to understand some of the seemingly wrong things that Samson did. He was arrogant and disobedient. But the Lord did not leave him until the vow...

When everything was completed and all the instructions had been given, Moses and the Hebrew people gathered to experience God. “ Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle ” (Exodus 40:34, 35, NIV). God was pleased. The presence of His glory was proof of that, a glory so evident that there was room for nothing and for no one else. So it is when God’s glory fills our lives. There is room for nothing and for no one else when God has complete possession.

“ When you pass through waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze ” —Isaiah 43:2, NIV. It’s not that any of us would like to test this promise but, truth is, there are times when we do feel overwhelmed as though by flood waters. There are moments when the “heat of the day” seems more than we can bear. Then God comes along to tell us that though we might be up to our necks in water, we won’t go under; though we may feel the heat and smell burning in the air, we will not be consumed. I always think of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when I read this verse. You’ll remember them from the Book of Daniel in the Bible. These three men refused to bow down and worship a statute erected to honour the King of Babylon. They were God-followers and would not worship anyone other than God Almighty. For their disobedience the king prepar...

“ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you ” —Psalm 139:17, 18, NIV. Psalm 139 is one of those psalms that we can wrap ourselves in just as we would wrap ourselves in a warm, fuzzy blanket. For the believer the thought that God knows everything there is to know about us, that there is no place where we can go where He isn’t present, that He not only knew us before we were born, but formed us and has counted out our days,   is beyond just comfort. Though I have improved in this area over the years, I still don’t talk to many people about my innermost thoughts and feelings. But God knows them all. As a single, and something of an aberration in society because of the work I do, I am often alone. But God is always wherever I am. There was a time when I didn’t like my “look” and there are still times when I am not happy with the way I am. But God ma...

Both yesterday and today, I encountered a couple of passages in my reading that ignited the flames of desire in me. Yesterday I read 2 Chronicles 4-6 and today I continued with chapters 7-9. All of these describe the celebrations and ceremonies that went on as King Solomon dedicated the temple he had built for the Lord. In yesterday's reading I came upon 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14. The musicians have launched themselves full-tilt into worship. As the singers raise their voices toward heaven, the writer records: " Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God ." Then a little further on, after Solomon offers a wonderful prayer to God, the Scriptures record: " When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the te...

I had just gotten into my reading this morning when I was stopped dead in my mental tracks by this little verse: " And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple " —1 Kings 8:11, NIV. The scene: The newly finished temple just prior to Solomon's dedication celebration. The ark of the covenant had just been brought into the Most Holy Place and as the priests withdrew, the Lord descended in the form of a cloud. When was the last time God was so obviously present with us? When was the last time the spiritual leaders of my church couldn't function for no other reason than God had come and taken their place? I don't remember such a time, but I want to, dear Lord, how I want to. If I had been Solomon what would I have done? The people are standing there watching the descent of the cloud. Their spiritual leaders are rendered useless by the presence of God in His temple. Solomon speaks—and in his pr...

Do you want to know what the scariest verse in the Bible is? Nope, it isn't the one about hellfire and brimstone, though that is definitely scary. Every time I read the story of Samson, this little phrase jumps out at me and pins me to the the wall: " …he did not know that the Lord had left him " —Judges 16:20b. Mind you, some people might wonder why God hung around Samson up until his "Delilah-moment" anyway. I'm guessing that up until this moment, Samson's actions, as strange as some of them might have been, were part of God's program for the Philistines. But caving in to Delilah and breaking his vows as a Nazarite, was "over the top." God wasn't taken by surprise by what Samson did in telling Delilah the secret of his strength, but that act caused a reaction that none of the other weird and wonderful acts of Samson did not cause. God left Samson. But as if that wasn't scary enough, Samson didn't even notice that the Spirit of...

We look forward with eager anticipation to what this new year will bring. We hope for the best, but understand that in the midst of all those blessings will come sorrow and pain. Despite our resolutions to the contrary, we will be disappointed in ourselves and in others. No matter how pristine tomorrow's page will be, it will soon be smudged. We will do our best, with God's help, to keep those smudges to a minimum and we will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord just that little bit more during the year that is about to dawn. Today's verse reminds me that there will dawn a day that will mark, not a new year, but an eternity of years. Unlike tomorrow, this new year of years will be greeted without that lingering shadow of reality that hangs over my shoulder as I anticipate 2010. Here's what John says about that year of years: " He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things h...

Welcome to Word-Filled Wednesday. This week Lori is doing us the honour of hosting. You can find her and links to other pictures and Scriptures at All You Have to Give . Check it out. My dear aunt Esther just turned 98. She spent this birthday in the hospital after suffering a stroke last Thursday. The picture reminds me that though we might not be able to hold on to her for long, the Lord will hold on to her forever. Isaiah 46:4 says: " Even in your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you ."