Author: astherainandsnow

“The king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent…’ 

“That same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ‘Go, tell my servant David, “Would you build me a house to dwell in?  I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling…  And I have been with you wherever you went… And I will make for you a great name… [I] will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…  And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”’ In accordance with all these words, and… all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come…  Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears… And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.'” 2 Samuel 7:2,4-6,9,11-13,16-19a,22,28-29

David had great aspirations for the Lord, and the Lord had higher, more far-reaching ones for David. Young in royal duties and eager in faith, David wanted to construct a house for worship of the Lord. But God’s plans imparted a different vision of far greater and eternal importance. David imagined a physical house when the Lord promised eternal progeny- first a son who would build the temple, then a line that would carry the Christ into the world. (Matthew 1:6-16)

When we love the Lord, we can make great plans for Him borne of enthusiasm to express gratitude or to exalt His name. Knowing our heart intent, He is honored by these desires. But often our impulses, however good, are just that- impulses birthed in our minds without inquiring of Him. God’s higher ways are always best, superseding our ambitions as divine over the flesh, everlasting over temporary. (1 Kings 8:18-19; Isaiah 55:8-9; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Matthew 17:1-5)

Where has the Lord aborted or changed direction on what we thought were lofty ideas? Is our drive greater to accomplish what we want, or to discern and fulfill what He wants? How practiced are we in seeking God’s will before we prepare schedules and set plans in motion? How can we better align ourselves with His highest good?

Lord, enfold my desire to build into Your eternal, marvelous plans, for Your glory.

“Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Attend to me, and answer me;
    I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
because of the noise of the enemy,
    because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
    and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and horror overwhelms me.
And I say, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest…
I would hurry to find a shelter
    from the raging wind and tempest…’

But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
    I utter my complaint and moan,
    and he hears my voice.
He redeems my soul in safety
    from the battle that I wage,
    for many are arrayed against me.
God will give ear and humble them,
    he who is enthroned from of old.

Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved…
But I will trust in you.” Psalm 55:1-6,8,12-14,16-19a,22,23c

David’s troubles were great and unrelenting. Violence, betrayal of friends, numberless agonies of soul pressed hard until a song of lament issued forth. If only he could escape the constant friction, fly far from the pain… So he poured out his heart to the only One who could hear and understand and hold his tears. (Psalm 55:9-15)

It is natural, in the midst of seemingly endless pain and strife, to wonder how we can live with joy or hope, above the fray. We want to flee, to remove ourselves from the weight of pressure, taunts, and terrors that constantly threaten to undo us. Our soul’s answer isn’t in escape, or the eradication of trials, but in where we fix our trust. The only balm is on the wings of Christ who bears us up. (Psalm 56:3-4; Isaiah 40:28-31; Romans 8:31-34)

What legitimate causes have we to moan in complaint today? Are we suffering spiritual oppression at work or within our families or friend groups? Is there a physical pain or condition that gnaws with fear about the future? Have we been deceived, betrayed, hurt by someone close to us? Would we fly to Jesus? Would we take our burdens to Him and rest on His everlasting arms? Our God is for us and will sustain us to the end! (Deuteronomy 33:27)

“You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
    in the day when I call.
    This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?..

I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
    in the light of life.” Psalm 56:8-13

Lord, may I constantly fly to You so I pulse with Your life and proclaim Your graces and glory.

“Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:3-9

The Jewish exiles had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, and poured themselves into settling in, planting their land and building their personal homes. But much of their effort was fruitless. The Lord called them to consider their ways, and the condition of His ruined house, and rebuild for Him. Though they were stirred in Spirit, rebuilding the temple to its former glory became overwhelming. The prophet’s word to them was to set aside focusing on themselves, trusting their own strength, fainting in the work because it seemed impossible, languishing in the past and memories of former glory and what-ifs, and immerse themselves presently in the Lord. This was their job, and His work. He was their sufficiency and would be their success. If they kept on for Him they would see Him glorified. (Haggai 1:2-14)

The size and difficulty of any task can render it challenging, frustrating, and sometimes too much to handle. Reviving or remaking something that was lost can drain us of enthusiasm when vision is swallowed by what we think was the greater grandeur of what has passed. Misplaced priorities and misdirected effort can leave us feeling fruitless, that all our work is a waste of time.

Yet, when the Lord issues any call, He has already prepared for its doing and completing. He presents us with opportunity to take on fresh vitality, a vision for His plan, and to rely on His abiding, enabling, inspiring Spirit in the process. He empowers us by that Spirit to imagination, energy, and zeal that bring Him glory. (Isaiah 43:19; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Where am I stuck in the past, in resisting change that naturally occurs, or in preference over a new but necessary service or task God has asked me to do? Where am I flagging in the Lord’s kingdom work due to tired vision, apathy, or fear of the unknown? How willing am I to step in and press on, even when I cannot see results or may never enjoy the finished product? No matter my feelings of resistance or dismay, would I set them aside to trust God’s strength tand bring Him the glory He deserves? (Philippians 3:13-14; Revelation 3:2)

My Lord and Master, keep me awake and strong to attend with rigor and to complete the works You have for me.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort…

“We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-7,8b-10; 12:7-10

Jesus the God-man is the perfect match for those He created. Made for relationship with Him and to reflect His glorious image, man finds completion and fulfillment of divine purpose in Him alone. Every lack He meets with sufficiency. In suffering, comfort; in want, supply; in weakness, strength; in sorrow, balm; in lack, wisdom; in division, reconciliation; in brokenness, healing; in despair, hope; in anxiety, peace; in uncertainty, guarantee; in loneliness, presence. The greatest match is Jesus’s life for my certain death, by ransom for impossible debt. (Isaiah 43:7; John 14:16-17; Philippians 4:6-7,19; James 1:5)

Often we go about life assuming self-sufficiency, realizing only when challenges loom that we are no match for them alone. Our God kindly arranges circumstances to drive us o His promises and open arms. He matches our every need with grace and abundance.

What areas of life are we withholding from the Lord? Do we depend on Him in certain places of need, but keep others to ourselves out of pride or shame? Do we merely talk about believing and trusting Him, yet doubt His supply? Do we close ourselves off to sanctification or change because we coddle sin, or prefer to nurse resentment and blame and remain as a martyr in a miserable status quo? He is ready to meet us!

Father, teach me to take Your yoke and live fully for Your notice and honor. (Matthew 11:28-30)

“Hear this, all peoples!
    Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding…
    I will solve my riddle to music…

Why should I fear in times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
Truly no man can ransom another,
    or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
that he should live on forever
    and never see the pit.

For he sees that even the wise die;
    the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and leave their wealth to others.
Their graves are their homes forever,
    their dwelling places to all generations,
    though they called lands by their own names.
Man in his pomp will not remain…

This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
    yet after them people approve of their boasts.
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
    death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright shall rule over them in the morning…
But God will ransom my soul..,
    for he will receive me. 

Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
    when the glory of his house increases.
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
    his glory will not go down after him.
For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed—
    and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
    who will never again see light.
Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” Psalm 49:1-3,5-20

The psalmists ponder in song many aspects of and responses to riches. Admitting to tempted fear of the rich because of the influence they wield, often by cheating or oppression, they contemplate with an eternal perspective and put to rest these concerns. Pomp, things, and earthly glory do not last, and neither rich nor poor, wise nor foolish, can take anything to the afterlife. The need for ransom at death is the great equalizer for all mankind. All will face the Lord as bereft sinners, and no earthly wealth suffices for redemption. Only God can ransom a soul, through His Son, Jesus. (Psalm 73:3-19; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:27; 10:10-14)

Looking here and there makes for a distracted heart. There will always be someone in easier circumstances, who shines brighter and looks happier. But the Lord would strum our heart strings with His grace to fix our eternal treasure with Him, so we know and can sing of true contentment.

Where am I unsettled over another’s wealth, success, or apparent ease? For what good gifts, including salvation, can I thank my Lord this day? How will I assure, and rejoice in, my heavenly inheritance? (James 1:17; 1 Peter 1:3-7)

“Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’ns Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.” ~Irish, 8th century

Lord, keep me thinking rightly about true treasure, that my confidence and joy remain in You alone.

“Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.” Psalm 51:1-15

The wide blanket of mercy had fallen on King David. It had inflicted the misery of mental and physical agony to cause him to know his ugly evil sin. It convinced him that his sin was an affront to the Lord and His holiness, uprightness, and truth. It convicted him with guilt that cried out for its loving embrace and cleansing. It filled him with the hope of restoration. Only a merciful God could do so much with mercy. (Psalm 32:1-5)

How much do we know of the mercy of God? According to His mercy, He extends mercy. It defines both His character and interactions with His beloved children. Do we recognize its reach into our lives? If we are saved, we have been enveloped by its wide strong arms. But constant mind buzz and activity easily take us far from a keen awareness of mercy through our hours: insight that cautions and inspires, conscience that pokes and directs, nearness that fortifies and comforts.

It is God’s mercy that stings when we begin to go astray, and warms the heart toward the needy. It is mercy that warns of harsh consequences, convicts of guilt, and soothes with forgiveness. Are we seeking it from the One whose nature is mercy, bringing every care under its cover? Do we see it, feel it, welcome its activity? Are we grateful that mercy goes before us, works on us, upholds us, and follows us all our days? If so, would we open our lips and declare God’s praise? Marveling at the mercy of God and its wide reach in our every day brings security, confidence, and joyful praise. (Lamentations 3:22-23; Psalm 23:6)

My Lord, keep me aware of, dependent on, and thankful for Your daily mercies to me, and help me extend bountiful mercy to others in Your name.

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭33‬

“You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:37-39

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 14:27; 16:33

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

Jesus taught and the Scriptures emphasize repeatedly that the God of peace sent His Son into the world to bring peace into the chaos and confusion of life by making peace with our souls. What Christ achieved on the cross reconciling ruined sinners to their Holy God has its peace-bringing effect in personal anxieties, relationships, decisions, and cultural tumult. Those at peace with Him are held in peace in the world and its fury. (Job 22:21; Isaiah 9:6; 48:18; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 1:16-20)

Our lives are fraught with many a storm and conundrum. At home and work, in the wrangling of our minds and pick and parlance of interactions, the Lord is present, speaking peace. Christ’s grace penetrates disordered affections and broken relationships, brings solace into storms of grief and hurt and fear. How are these truths meaningful for us?

In what net of confusion are we currently entangled- a big decision, conflicting diagnoses, uncertain career or financial future, rocky communication with a loved one? What are we doing to seek and implement God’s way of peace? How can we better learn and trust His promises? Where can we serve as peacemaker for others? Staying our minds on Jesus ensures other-worldly peace. (Matthew 5:9)

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

“When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
‘It is well, it is well with my soul.’

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul.

It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.” ~Horatio Spafford (1873)

Lord, in life’s chaos and confusion, rule and be exalted as my Prince of Peace.

“That very day two of them were… talking about all these things that had happened. While they were discussing, Jesus himself drew near and went with them…  He said, ‘What is this conversation you are holding with each other as you walk?’ They stood still, looking sad… Cleopas answered, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’ He said, ‘What things?’ And they said, ‘Concerning Jesus.., a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up… to death, and crucified him. We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel… Some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,.. did not find his body, [and] came back saying that they had seen angels, who said he was alive…’ He said, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and the Prophets, he interpreted to them in the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

“They drew near to the village… He went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them.  And… they recognized him. He vanished… They said, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, open[ing] to us the Scriptures?’ They rose and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” Luke 24:13-15,17-23,25-35

The risen Lord’s entry into an ordinary conversation revealed much about people as clueless and Him as patient instructor. His followers, dull to His repeated promise to be crucified, then rise again, now failed to recognize Him alive. His probing, abiding, gentle guiding, and breaking bread led them to awakening faith. (Matthew 16:21; 20:17-19)

How prevalent is talk about all the things that happen and ignorance to true meaning. A constant riot of information and strategically-chosen narrative buzzes and bubbles over airways and screens, catching us and every emotion in its clamor. So we talk. We discuss. We opine. And so often we miss Jesus in the midst.

He is among us, knowing our angst. Interpreting His word through events. Proclaiming peace that’s elusive in the world. Actively advocating for us against the deceptive enemy. Loving and not letting go. And we trudge through hours and days, muddling in turmoil and decisions and difficulties, dull to His promises and presence. (Luke 24:36; John 14:27; Romans 8:31-39)

What would change in our attitudes, decision framework, overall outlook, if we acknowledged His providence and invited Him into our reasoning, deliberating, and choosing? What can we turn off or avoid in order to trace His hand, voice, and perspective? How will we intentionally align ‘all the things that happen’ with the living, redeeming Christ and His word? Ongoing communion with the Holy One clears our thinking to interpret true wisdom and purify emotions.

Lord Jesus, sharpen any dull affections or determinations in me so my eyes and heart are open to understand and proclaim Your good news.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-14:1

In teaching on the spiritual gifts being vital to the health and growth of the Body, Paul elevates the importance of love in and through and over all. The exercising of spiritual gifts unifies and build up the body, and love gives lasting substance to each. Every member of the Body is important and his gifts needed for proper functioning, yet these are temporary while love is supreme and abides always. (1 Corinthians 12:7,24-27; 14:3-4)

In the grind and urgencies of life, we can consider many fleeting things and issues as of utmost priority. What things are partial and temporary we allow to take whole and absolute importance and full attention. There is no eternal perspective when the immediate occupies our vision and ‘now’ trumps the ‘not yet.’

But there is a more excellent way to go about kingdom living. All that is partial should be done with full gusto for the Lord and His church, yet seen as subservient to lasting love. The gifts we exercise are to convey a deeper love and farther hope than what anyone now sees. We wholeheartedly serve God’s people as we can and with the knowledge we have with an eye for all He will one day fully redeem and perfect. It is Christ we serve, and His ultimate motives should permeate all we do. (Romans 12:5-8; Colossians 3:17)

Do we go about our work partially, or with abandon? Do we settle for half-hearted effort in service, or knowledge in decision-making, or investment in relationships? If the Lord will one day complete and fully reveal what we now see dimly, how are we building toward a glorious reveal?

How can we exercise our gifts with deeper love, increasing patience, humility, truth, and endurance? How can our love for others spur them to greater faith and hope? We do not in this life know the full effects of what we give, but we can trust that the Lord will complete all He’s begun in and through us. When we see Him and are fully known, He will receive the glory. (Philippians 1:6)

Father, help me exercise my gifts with love that serves others and honors You.

“When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam… and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.”’ Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, ‘The Lord is righteous.’ When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, [he said] to Shemaiah: ‘They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.’

“So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made, and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard… And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom…

“Rehoboam reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem… And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 12:1-11,14

So much potential. David, the godly warrior king, had been his grandfather, and wise Solomon his father. Faithful, dedicated priests served beside him. Yet Rehoboam abandoned the faith of his fathers, turned from the Lord and His law, and lost out forever. Though he briefly humbled himself and by God’s mercy was spared full destruction, his choices brought great loss to the temple, to Judah, and to his legacy. His life is summarized in a few poignant words: he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.

Heart priorities always determine life direction. Sinners all, we make poor choices and do things we regret, often leaving hurt and harm in our wake. When our bent is for anything but the Lord’s honor, to serve anything other than His will and anyone other than Him, we always opt for self. We abandon His law because we prefer our own, and choose faithfulness to what we please over faithfulness to God. Only threats to personal reputation or loss bring any semblance of regret.

But when we are the Lord’s, the Spirit’s conviction pokes the heart, turns it tender, and we genuinely repent of errant ways. We despise our sin and do not require the sting of consequence to humble ourselves before the Holy One. A redeemed heart has no desire to continue in willful sin. (1 John 3:6-9)

How firm is our faith? Are we more motivated to serve self, or the Lord? Where have we grown casual about sin, regretting only when it stings? What will we do to reestablish our life kingdom under God’s benevolent headship?

Lord, may I daily set my heart to seek, obey, and honor You.