A Stilled and Quieted Heart…

 He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). 

Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul . . . my soul is with me like a weaned child” (Psalm 31:2).

Beloved believer…this blessedness is yours daily as you trust Him through the darkness of this life and glory in His good and acceptable and perfect will.  God has promised that He WILL complete that good work He began in us. He is in the process even right now of conforming each of us who believe into the image of His Son.  Some day we will awake both in His presence and in His likeness. In the meantime…

Tried faith is precious faith. 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,—1 Peter 1:6-7

Father…no matter what it takes this is what I want. When you have tried me, I want to come forth as gold.  Still and quiet my soul!  Make me as a weaned child before You. I want to come up out of this wilderness leaning on You, my Beloved. 

Oh Lord, thank you for the trials you bring us because it is in them that we learn to live by feeding on Your faithfulness. It is in our trouble that our own insufficiency is laid bare.   It is in our griefs that we learn to trust You. It is here that we truly see that You and You alone do this good work in us.  By Your Spirit today help us not to waver at Your precious promises through unbelief. Strengthen us in faith that we might give You glory even in the midst of our darkness and heartbreak.  Give us steadfast hearts.  Remind us in all that we read, see and hear that You are good and do good. Your paths for us are righteous and truth. Teach us to say with Eli, it is the Lord, let Him do as seems good to Him. 

Your grace, Father, is sufficient. We have no reason to doubt. You are able to make us stand despite the powers of darkness or the misjudgments of people. Today we commit ourselves to You who judges righteously. May Your beauty be revealed in our brokenness. 

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;—Psalm 37:3-7

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?

Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.—Psalm 94:16-19

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'—Isaiah 41:10

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!—Psalm 84:11-12

Learning to Lean…

"Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.—Deuteronomy 8:1-3

Beloved…The ultimate purpose of all that God does in the lives of us, as believers, is to teach us to continually depend on and place our trust in Him. Why?  Because His goal is to conform us into the image of His Son, Jesus, who, during His sojourn here on earth, depended completely on His Father in heaven. My Jesus always did the will of Him who sent Him.  I don’t know about you, but I learn this lesson way too slowly. I am so grateful that despite my failings and thickheadedness, He has promised that someday I WILL see His face in righteousness and I SHALL be satisfied when I awake in His likeness.

I love the Spirit’s words here:

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna 

He brings each of us upon whom He has placed His seal into the wilderness.  I like to think of it as the wilderness of the Son of His love, because despite how things might look or feel to us, our God goes before us and is with us in each and every one of our wanderings.  He never leaves any of His children alone…EVER.  He keeps the tears we shed in His bottle. It is here in the desert experiences that He humbles us and tests us so that WE can know what is in our hearts. 

Beloved…It is in the variegated trials and difficulties of this life that He gets our attention. It is in trouble that we begin to crave the Bread of His Word.  It is in the difficulties that we begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness.  It is in the storms that He speaks to us and teaches us to live by faith and not by sight. It is here that He breaks us down so He can heal us.  It is here that we learn to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of our God.  

First Peter tells us that tried and tested faith is precious.  We know it is real! 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,—1 Peter 1:4-6

We are changed as we learn to look to Him in and for all things. 

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 Corinthians 3:18

I will close with this question asked by the daughters of Jerusalem…

Who is this coming up from the wilderness,

Leaning upon her beloved?—Song of Songs 8:5

Jon Courson says it best….Who is it that comes out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved?  It’s us. We are delivered from the wilderness of this world by leaning upon our beloved—Jesus Christ.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.—Psalm 34:5

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

"God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble."

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.—1 Peter 5:5-6

The Father’s Heart - Jeremiah 36

 Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, thatthis word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”--Jeremiah 36:1-3

Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him.  And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.  Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words.  Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.--Jeremiah 22-26

Do you hear the Father's heart for His children in the first three verses of Jeremiah 36.  His heart so wants them to turn from their sin and come to Him.  This brings tears to my eyes.  The Lord is so ever ready to forgive.  He just wants to hear you say, "I am sorry," and turn so your sin does not destroy you and put you into an eternity without Him.  God had Jeremiah write all that He had spoken to His people over the last 22 years in the hopes that Judah would hear and repent.  God truly gives us every opportunity to turn and come to Him. .  He does everything and anything He can short of violating our free will to bring us into a relationship with Him.  He gives us warning after warning and even put stumbling blocks in our paths to prevent us from sinning more egregiously.

Hebrews 10 warns us:  

"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Reading on in Jeremiah 36, we see an example of someone who thinks he knows better than God.  Who truly as it says in Hebrews trampled the Son of God underfoot, the Spirit of God underfoot and burned the Word of God. Fighting against God is so stupid.  The king reviled God's word  as evidenced by his cutting it with a knife and then burning it in the hearth by his feet.  Some people just decide based on no reading nor any evidence to despise the word of God and spend their life doing just that.  Maybe the king thought by destroying the word he could keep it from coming to pass.  There is no escape from His word.  God's word will come to pass.  Check out all the prophecies that already have.  Check out especially the prophecies about Jesus...the Bible was written by someone outside of time...it is a supernatural book.  What He has said He is going to do.  You may not believe it...you may ignore it or even trample it underfoot but you will not win...The king tried...but God's word still came to pass. It is now too late for the King to turn...but it is not too late for you. 

Jesus spoke about hell more than He spoke of heaven.  Most of us know the truth...we know the Gospel.  We, however, continue despite that knowledge in our own stubborn, sin filled ways...fighting against God all the way.  I know I did it for years until God in His graciousness and kindness to me in Christ Jesus brought me to a point where I could literally not go on without Him.  Pride once picked up is a very hard thing to put down.  Our Lord brought mine crashing down on my head.  It got my attention like nothing else did...and you know...I will be eternallygrateful to Him. Don't be eternally sorry...put down your pride...go to Him NOW...no matter what condition you are in...God doesn't care...confess your sin and need...He is looking for an excuse to be gracious to you. 

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” --John 3:14-21

But My Kindness Shall Not Depart From You…

 For the mountains shall depart

And the hills be removed,

But My kindness shall not depart from you,

Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”

Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.—Isaiah 54:10

But my kindness shall not depart from you.   Beloved…These are gloriously comforting words filled with His mercy, filled with His grace to help, and filled with His self-sacrificing love.  Our God condescends in His majesty to be kind to us. Our lives and our circumstances change daily, but God does not. His word stands forever, and His promises to us are sure. We who believe are His now and forever. Protected and covered.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the LORD.—Isaiah 54:17

Not only will His kindness not depart from us, but Psalm 103 tells us that it is GREAT TOWARD US! 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him— Psalm 103:11

His lovingkindness…

His favor…

His goodness…

His faithfulness…

His steadfast love…

❤️❤️❤️

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!—Psalm 84:11-12

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.—Psalm 23:6

On Declaring His Lovingkindness in the Morning and His Faithfulness at Night…

 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,

And Your faithfulness every night,—Psalm 92:1-2

Today as I read these verses the prophet Daniel came to mind because Scripture tells me that when Daniel wanted to do something he purposed in his heart ahead of time to do it.

Similarly, I want to be intentional with giving thanks to God, with praising Him, with declaring His lovingkindness in the morning and speaking the testimony of His faithfulness to me at night. How perfect to begin each day by being reminded and assured of His love and end the day by looking back on His faithfulness. 

Here is the thing…The Spirit of God tells us to do these things not because God needs our praise, but because doing this helps us because it encourages our faith.  As I regale my God (and my own heart) with the specifics of His love and faithfulness toward me that day,  I create what I call a rainbow path behind me that serves to bolster me and keep me from falling (and fearing) when my faith inevitably falters in times of testing.  In short, I need the reminders!  

Beloved…It is good to praise and give thanks.  It is good to declare His lovingkindness each morning and His faithfulness at night.

Father, Your lovingkindness is always before my eyes!  Your graces toward me are steadfast and sure and as numerous as the the sand on the seashore.  By Your Spirit who lives within me, help me to see them and offer to You a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for each one.  Looking at me as I go about my day, causes my heart to sink and lose perspective...Help me to instead, look to You and remember your continual gifts of grace.  

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.—John 1:16

Praise the LORD!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?

Who can declare all His praise?—Psalm 106:1-2

Refrain Your Voice From Weeping and Your Eyes From Tears…

 15 Thus says the LORD:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more."

16 Thus says the LORD:

"Refrain your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tears;

For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,

And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

17 There is hope in your future, says the LORD,

That your children shall come back to their own border.

18 "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself:

'You have chastised me, and I was chastised,

Like an untrained bull;

Restore me, and I will return,

For You are the LORD my God.

19 Surely, after my turning, I repented;

And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;

I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated,

Because I bore the reproach of my youth.'

20 Is Ephraim My dear son?

Is he a pleasant child?

For though I spoke against him,

I earnestly remember him still;

Therefore My heart yearns for him;

I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.—Jeremiah 31:15-20

These verses never fail to bring to my mind my Father’s love and mercy for me, His child.  As a parent, I can relate, also.  Truly, we pour our heart into our children and love them as much as we are able in our fallen state.  God was a good Father to Israel...the very best there is...but, tragically, they still went the wrong way.  They rejected Him and rejected His word to them.  And yet in verse 20 He says this.

      Is Ephraim My dear son?

      Is he a pleasant child?

      For though I spoke against him,

      I earnestly remember him still;

      Therefore My heart yearns for him;

      I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.

Beloved, there is no one who understands the pain and suffering of a mom or a dad whose child has turned to his own way like our Lord.  He is our Father.  He hurts and grieves when His children walk away from Him and put themselves in places where He cannot minister to them, bless them, and comfort them with His love.  The Bible from the beginning to the end is about the Father's love, care and wooing of Israel,  His firstborn.  It starts in Genesis, and the final restoration occurs in Revelation. 

It is so good for me to remember that my God KNOWS my heart for my children. He KNOWS MY DESIRES for them. He also understands my yearning for the one I miss daily.  It comforts me to know that He loves her more than I do. My God’s love is perfect, and His desires for her (and for me) are only good.  He died for her so that she could have Him with her always.  As a mom, I love knowing that He is always with her and will never leave her.  That HE WILL complete that good work He began in her and in me.  John 17 tells me that He prays for her. What a comfort this is to my heart.  Jesus prays for both of us.  My prayers and my love can be tainted with my desires for me...His love and His prayers only desire her good, as well as mine.  

All my springs are in you, Father!  Praying this morning for mercy...for both of us.  That forgiveness would reign and restoration occur.  God has no greater desire and joy than to see His children walk in truth and come home at the end of their journey.  

There is hope in your future, says the LORD,

That your children shall come back to their own border.—Jeremiah 31:17

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.—Jeremiah 29:11 

And Yet I am Not Alone…

 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."—John 16:31-33

And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.  It hit me as I read these words of Jesus this morning that He was not only reminding His disciples of the truth, but perhaps in His humanity, He was also reminding Himself.  If Jesus needed the reminder that He was never alone, how much more do I?   How much more do I need to follow Jesus’ example and speak this truth and others to my own heart. In Christ, I am never alone. The God of the universe makes His home with me. 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Never in my lifetime have the lies of this world been louder.  Never in my lifetime has the resulting effects between setting my mind on things above or on the things below been so stark.  Never in my lifetime has it been more obvious to me that true peace will only be found in Him. And thankfully, by God’s grace, never have I sought after it Him more because never have I needed Him more. 

Aside from whatever personal trials I might be facing, the deceit in the world at large makes the ground under me seem very unstable and exacerbates every trial I face. Focusing there for any length of time makes my “walk” wobbly. My balance is thrown and spiritually I begin to sink. These words from Psalm 94 have proved helpful…

If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.—Psalm 94:18-19

My consolation, like the Psalmist, is found in the Lord my God. When my foot slips…when sin, fear and despair begin to overwhelm my heart…when I feel thrown off balance and ready to fall, God’s mercy…His “loyal love” or His “unfailing love,” is there.  His right hand upholds me and He increasingly becomes my strong habitation to which I continually resort. 

The eternal God is your refuge,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

He will thrust out the enemy from before you,

And will say, 'Destroy!'—Deuteronomy 33:27

Beloved…when we acknowledge our own weakness and inability to stand by our own strength, then we can rest in His divine supports and His divine comforts. Today, surrender to Him and allow His consolation to quiet your own anxious heart and give you joy.  He is your firm foundation…He sets your feet upon a rock and He establishes your steps. Matthew Henry says this about verse Psalm 94:19:

The worldʾs comforts give but little delight to the soul when it is hurried with melancholy thoughts; they are songs to a heavy heart. But Godʾs comforts will reach the soul, and not the fancy only, and will bring with them that peace and that pleasure which the smiles of the world cannot give and which the frowns of the world cannot take away.

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.—John 14:1-3

"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.—John 15:9-11