Author: astherainandsnow

“When he came to Jerusalem to meet [David], the king said to him, ‘Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?’ He answered, ‘O king, my servant deceived me, for [I] said to him, “I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may go with the king.” For your servant is lame… But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you…’ And [David] said, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’ And Mephibosheth said, ‘Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.'” 2 Samuel 19:25-27,29-30

“Two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One said, ‘This woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child… On the third day.., [she] also gave birth. And we were alone… This woman’s son died in the night… And she arose and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked closely.., behold, he was not [my] child.’ But the other woman said, ‘No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours…’

“The king said, ‘Bring me a sword… Divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.’  The woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, ‘Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.’ But the other said, ‘He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.’ Then the king answered, ‘Give the living child to the first woman..; she is his mother.’” 1 Kings 3:5-9; 16-22,24-27

We can twist and finagle with positioning and words, but true motives are revealed by actions. For Mephibosheth, material goods and security meant nothing compared with his beloved king ruling from his rightful throne. For Solomon, needed wisdom for Israel took precedence over personal fame and wealth. For the young mother, her child’s very life, not her possessing him, proved her love. They all chose for good, not themselves. (1 Kings 3:5-9)

The world urges us to opt for personal gain over greater good, self over others. ‘You deserve; choose security, benefit, and pleasure.’ But we know such ends are hollow, based on no certainty of what the future holds. To triumph over selfishness we must relinquish our wants to the Lord and allow Him to turn our near-sightedness into a long view, beyond ourselves. The Lord says think forward, love Him and others as ourselves, and seek first His kingdom. This view is not welcomed or promoted in our culture, but it honors our Lord. It will be misunderstood and even criticized, but it is right. (Matthew 6:33; Mark 12:30-31; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 13:5,7-8)

Where do we give lip service to genuine care for others, yet make choices that put ourselves first? Are we really willing to forgo a pleasure or purchase for the sake of another? When do we purport to uphold truth, but deceive with ‘fibs’ in order to ‘look good,’ or to forward our own agenda? Do we say we value justice, but in reality want it for those despicable others, but only mercy for ourselves? (Romans 14:7,13-15; 1 Corinthians 8:9)

Spirit, have sway in the deepest recesses of my heart, over my impulses and consequent choices, so Life All About Me becomes Life All About Thee. (Psalm 139:23-24)

“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us… But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also…

“This benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-5,7,10-12

God does not need us to do what He does. He who owns the cattle on a thousand hills can send daily manna to the hungry. But by His design and for our good, He includes us in His provision for His people. His teaching us both the give and take of supply enfolds us in a divine union with the church and a wide chorus of praise. It massages our hearts to health, exercises faith muscles to strength, and stretches our compassion to broader influence. (Exodus 16:4; Psalm 50:10; 68:10)

It is God who inspires with holy passion, and He who receives the glory when we deliberately act on that passion. He stokes and tweaks our desire, takes what we offer, and multiplies it to meet needs and garner thanksgiving and praise. (John 6:5-11; 2 Corinthians 9:6-13a)

When we see all that abounds from the yielded heart, why would we not beg for the favor of participating in the Almighty’s work? What should keep us from looking for every opportunity to be a part of His supernatural activity, to contribute effectively, to participate in prayer and share our bounty of resources and time?

Much bounty flows from shared generosity, showering on everyone involved- giver, receiver, observer, and Owner of it all- heightened joy and awe of God.

For what will we beg God the favor of doing or giving today? How might He fill my open, empty hands with goods, or my mouth with blessing, for others? Would I take time in prayer to ask Him to sharpen my sensitivities to better stewardship? What busy and clutter can I clear away from before my eyes so I can clearly see needs around me? Would I prepare myself to respond when prompted to His appropriate action?

And when He gives the privilege of serving Him, will I gladly turn His favor to praise?

Good Father, hone my readiness and zeal into prompt, generous action on behalf of Your church and kingdom purposes. (2 Corinthians 9:2-3)

“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,

‘In a favorable time I listened to you,
    and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’

“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,  but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;  by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed;  as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

When God’s grace gripped Paul’s heart and intellect, it gripped him completely and forever. The tenacious Pharisee and persecutor of Christians was transformed by grace, and determined never to waste this priceless gift. Not only did he invest time and sweat, prayers and tears for His kingdom’s sake, but he received all God brought to him not in vain, but as a stewardship.

Paul put to eternal use the ministry God gave him. He worked tirelessly to finish his race a victor. The difficulties he endured seem to be taken in stride, an integral part of the course he ran, obstacles he overcame with his Lord’s enabling and for the furtherance of His gospel. Grace had consumed Paul, and Paul was consumed with grace’s mission. Nothing he endeavored was in vain, but fueled by God’s purpose. (2 Timothy 4:7)

The grace extended to us was costly to Jesus. He took our punishment so we no longer are hampered, and gave His life so we could live for Him. This immeasurably valuable grace that saves and grants spiritual gifts is to be infused into all our thinking about and behavior toward others, our service in church and community, our involvements and conversations at work and in our neighborhoods. Do we value it appropriately, and integrate it in our efforts? (Romans 12:3-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24)

Are we handling God’s grace with gratitude and intention, or casually and in vain? How do we waste the days and hours and opportunities allotted to us for giving and proclaiming God’s grace to others? What will we do to change this habit, and more deliberately take advantage of conversations and chances to serve? In what instances do we give way to emotion and take the Lord’s name or honor in vain, diminishing Him before loved ones, or an unbelieving world? Would we quickly confess, and determine to revere Him instead? (Exodus 20:7; Numbers 20:12)

“A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
Oh, may it all my pow’rs engage
To do my Master’s will!

Help me to watch and pray,
And still on Thee rely,
Oh, let me not my trust betray,
But press to realms on high.” ~Charles Wesley (1762)

Amen.

“About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James with the sword, and… proceeded to arrest Peter also. He put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him,.. but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

“Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his hands. The angel said to him, ‘Dress yourself and put on your sandals… Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out.., and immediately the angel left him.  

“When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod…’ He went to the house of Mary,.. where many were gathered together praying.” Acts 12:1-11a,12b

The early church was growing in numbers and power, but so was sentiment against it. New converts meant increasing suspicion among government and religious leaders, and consequent persecution. None of this was lost on our sovereign God. He was working all things- even death and imprisonment and the prayers of His people- for the ultimate good purpose of all who loved Him. (Romans 8:28)

We do know not know why the Lord takes some young and others later in life. We wouldn’t order the desperation or injustice we encounter. We cannot fathom God’s broad and mysterious and sometimes painful ways. But even when we do not understand, we can trust His intentions and believe He is actively fulfilling His purpose. He appoints the number of our days, our place and pattern of service to Him, and whether it means martyrdom, public teaching, serving tables, or praying behind the scenes, we are called to follow Him. (John 21:18-21; Acts 17:26)

Following may lead to prison- literally, for those under oppressive regimes, or figuratively, for those condemned or constrained at work, or among friends or family. Our faith may imprison us loneliness, or being misunderstood. But in these places, as we pray, we learn contentment, and God’s faithfulness and sufficiency. We trust Him for deliverance, discernment, strength, and hope. God uses it all to accomplish in us and others what He desires. (Philippians 4:11-13)

In my hard place, from what does He intend to unshackle me? What is He teaching about His trustworthiness, or expectant prayer? How can I follow Him more closely to join in His work?

Lord, you have set me apart for specific work, in this specific time. Fill me with your Spirit to fulfill that call, and to encourage others to do the same, for the building up of Your kingdom and the magnifying of Your glory. (Acts 13:2-5)

“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:7-12

Before the sun had risen, before any shadow crept into the day, rays appeared spraying up from the eastern horizon. Piercing and eradicating the dark in an indeterminable instant. Sublime. All-encompassing. Reaching as wide as angles allow, they spread their arms and shouted their message that all is held, and covered. There is not an iota of space untouched by God’s light and influence and radiant love.

Nothing is hidden from His notice or involvement. We burn with no desire He does not understand, expend no effort He does not measure, struggle with no temptation He has not felt, and languish in any failure He has not overcome. Our God is limitless in compassion, grace, and power toward His own. He bursts forth in perfect light to uncover the recesses of our heart secrets, and perfect timing to meet our soul needs. He knows all that lies before us, and is sufficient for our journey. (Isaiah 53:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 12:9; Hebrews 4:15-16)

As we live weighted under hard circumstances, would we consider poking our heads above them, where the sun rays warm and enlighten and the air is free? Would we escape the frenzied treadmill of earthly duties, and take seriously God’s admonition to rest, and His example to get away alone with him? It may not be possible to extricate ourselves from very real responsibilities and limitations of poor health or ongoing societal conflict, but the Lord’s light can reach every hidden place and restore supernaturally in the moments we do have. (Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:31)

What areas of our thought and practical life do we withhold from God’s penetrating rays? Do we give lip service to surrender, but fret with fears about our health, the welfare and choices of loved ones, or security for the future? Worry has no place in Christ’s embrace. Have we compartmentalized certain areas we want to keep control of, claiming we know best when it comes to scheduling, finances, and entertainment? Pride does not get along with humility, vulnerability, and dependence. If we truly believe that Jesus’s light is the life of men, we would trust Him enough to expose all of ourselves to its penetrating power. (John 1:4)

Lord, nothing is concealed from the reach of Your light, and one day all will be exposed and rectified. So shine that You uncover my sin, purify my heart, light my way, and reflect Your beauties abroad in this dark world. (Psalm 36:9; 119:105; Luke 8:17; 1 Corinthians 4:5)

“‘Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone… I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:16-20

The Lord does not dismiss or cancel His own when we wander. He has His eye on us when we suffer exile as a consequence of sin. He remains our sanctuary in every place we are scattered, His door open to our seeking, return, and trust. He is present in our inward prisons. He is the great Rescuer, Remaker, and Redeemer.

If God’s mercy is withholding what we do deserve, and His grace is giving us what we do not deserve, then these benevolent attributes are best seen, understood, and experienced when we go astray. To pray for loved ones to comprehend God’s grace is to ask for the bittersweet- a heart in the far country stricken by its own unworthiness, yet captivated by the worthiness and lavish love of Christ. It is the prodigal who is irresistibly drawn by his Savior, the unfaithful bride who tastes the sweetness of reconciliation with her bridegroom. It is God’s nature to visit us in our ruin and do what He does best. (Hosea 3; Luke 15:11-24; John 1:14,16)

When God in His mercy turns stone hearts to flesh, He revolutionizes us all inside and over. He kneads out impurities in our impulses, intensions, and desires. He softens us toward the unlovable, dissolves long-held bitterness, and transforms destructive habits. We want to put away detestable reading material and entertainment, to get rid of divisiveness and empty distractions, to remove false lovers from our affections. The Lord strives with His people with holy purpose and faithfulness.

Where have I wandered in rebellion, shrugged off discipline, or ignored biblical instruction? Has my heart grown cold and calloused with impatience, rudeness, pride, boasting, resentment? Where do I need fresh vitality in my spiritual life? Am I in a rut of habit, with no depth, no real scrabble of application, no wrestling in prayer for God to convict and change me? When the Lord changes us, He supplies what we need to walk with Him. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7; 2 Corinthians 9:8)

Father, gather me daily to You, and conform my heart to Yours. May I serve and obey in Your Spirit, so all may know I am Your child.

“I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
Even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
 Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
    will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

I will also praise you with the harp
    for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre…
My lips will shout for joy,
    when I sing praises to you;
    my soul also, which you have redeemed.
And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long.” Psalm 71:14-24a

The Lord God has a good, solid record, long and consistent. His deeds are numberless, His strength and power inexhaustible, His character faithful. And what He has done in the past we can count on Him to do again and again and again. (Psalm 40:5; 147:5)

Beginning the morning with praise and thanksgiving fills our minds with the gracious, immutable God. Recounting His works, recording His wonders, listing answers to prayer, and singing His attributes settle us in contentment and serenity, and prepare us with expectancy for the day ahead. We are reminded and ready, buoyed by His goodness, and buttressed against any oncoming storm.

But when we take our focus off of Him, and allow challenges and problems to blur our spiritual vision, we regress to worry and complaint. We fret with busyness and fail to pray. We make plans that disregard Him, and muster up flesh strength. We set up new idols and take back our trust. We absorb fear and trouble from the media, and neglect His good news. We whine and grumble rather than rehearsing His greatness to ourselves and others. The enemy delights in blinding our vision and sullying our witness.

Why is it we get into impossible situations and think He won’t meet us there? Why do we doubt He’s made a way of escape from temptation, or a path of redemption in a broken relationship? He does not change! His promises still stand and His plans can’t be thwarted. His deeds are ongoing, and His attributes are infinite. He always finishes what He’s begun, and proves faithful over and over. Will we today implement this refrain? (Job 42:2; Psalm 33:10-11; Lamentations 3:22-23; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 1:6)

“‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, 
and to take him at his word; 
just to rest upon his promise, 
and to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ 
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! 
How I’ve proved him o’er and o’er! 
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 
O for grace to trust him more!” ~Louisa M. R. Stead (1882)

Father, may my living and praise be as constant as You, so You are magnified.

.

“The king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. And David said, ‘I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me. So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father… But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, ‘Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?’ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away. When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, ‘Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.’

“When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, [they] sent and hired the Syrians- foot soldiers and… men. When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array…

“When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians.  The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites… ‘Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.’ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.” 2 Samuel 10:1-10,12-14

David and his military leaders behaved in stark contrast to their pagan counterparts. They displayed the vivid disparity between God’s people and those who live for other gods. Our perception of others, our values, and our life strategies differ according to whom we perceive as in charge. Self-rule elicits very different results from outlook and days that are surrendered to Christ. One suspects the worst, one expects the best. One demeans, the other shows deference. One wants to ruin, the other strategizes for what is right. One fights for self preservation, the other for God’s honor. One bullies in his own strength, the other leaves all results to God.

Pride breeds a myopic view that can blur our perspective of the broader good. Motives turned inward sully our manners toward others, while generous care for those in our workplace, community, and world informs gracious choices. It is vital we compare ourselves to and align with the Lord, not those around us. His is a high and holy standard, and remaining fixed on Him yields godly thinking and impulse. (Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 3:3-7)

Is greed, favoritism, or the smack of superiority coloring my assessment of others? Are my aims set for the good of self, or many?

Lord, purify the deepest part of me to effect godly behavior that reflects You in every way. (Psalm 19:13-14)

“In [the heavens] he has set a tent for the sun,
    which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” Psalm 19:4-6

“The Mighty One, God the Lord,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
    God shines forth.

 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
    before him is a devouring fire,
    around him a mighty tempest.
He calls to the heavens above
    and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’
The heavens declare his righteousness,
    for God himself is judge!..

The world and its fullness are mine.” Psalm 50:1-6,12b

There’s much beauty and comfort in the regularity of each day. We know in the dark that it is coming, we order our lives by the rhythms of nature and 24-hour cycles. The earth’s spinning and sun’s course, majestic as they are, are often simply a dependable backdrop to our hectic lives.

But not so to God. Each hour is purposeful, each morning a brilliant reminder of His faithfulness and a gift of promise and hope, each course of the sun a display of His ordered, exquisite glory. If God is supernaturally orchestrating behind and above our scenes, His glorious will and providence encompass all we endeavor. As we get caught up in minutiae and the finite, we can trust His sovereignty in the magnificent and everlasting.

In the hum and frenzy of our earthly business, do we lift our heads to take note we are in God’s chamber? In the cacophony of opinion and persuasion, do we hear His clarion summons? When prospects appear bleak, or decisions are unjust, or ugly rudeness abounds, do we take time to marvel at God’s beauty?

Knowing that God’s panoptic view of our lives encompasses His glory and perfection, might we see each day differently? Not as mine, but His? How can I magnify His glory in my hours? How can I run my course with vigor and fruitfulness? (2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1-2)

“God, all nature sings Thy glory, and Thy works proclaim Thy might;
Ordered vastness in the heavens, ordered course of day and night;
Beauty in the changing seasons, beauty in the storming sea;
All the changing moods of nature praise the changeless Trinity.

“Clearer still we see Thy hand in man whom Thou hast made for Thee;
Ruler of creation’s glory, image of Thy majesty.
Music, art, the fruitful garden, all the labor of his days,
Are the calling of his Maker to the harvest feast of praise.

God of glory, power, mercy, all creation praises Thee;
We, Thy creatures, would adore Thee now and through eternity.
Saved to magnify Thy goodness, grant us strength to do Thy will;
With our acts as with our voices Thy commandments to fulfill.” ~David Clowney (1960)

Mighty Creator, catch me up in Your eternal rhythms, and keep me marveling at Your overarching majesty. May all I do and say reflect Your beauty and divine glory.

“David arose and went with all the people… to bring up the ark of God… Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart,.. and Ahio went before the ark.

“David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah… And David was afraid of the Lord that day…

“David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing… David danced before the Lord with all his might… with shouting and the sound of the horn.

“As the ark of the Lord came into the city, Michal [his wife] the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. They brought in the ark and set it in its place… David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord… and blessed the people in the name of the Lord…

“David returned to bless his household. But Michal came out to meet David and said, ‘How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!’ And David said to Michal,.. ‘I will celebrate before the Lord.'” 2 Samuel 6:6:2a,3,5-9a,12b,14-18,20-21

The emotions in this account are potent- thick and varied, measured and impulsive, hot and cold. David swings from glee to anger to fear to calm back to joy and then stern resolve. His wife Michal stews in disgust and loathing (from jealousy?) that manifest in fiery sarcasm and vitriol. Only God is not capricious or reactionary, but steady and calmly benevolent. His anger is righteous and controlled, His holiness upheld.

Emotions are a magnificent and many-faceted gift from God, enabling us to experience life with pathos, intensity, and meaning. They enrich our relationships and interactions with the world and with our Savior. But they can also wreak havoc with our psyche, disrupt reason, pollute vision, ignite suspicion, threaten friendships, ingrain grudges, and instantaneously ruin the best of situations.

In a day when feelings often trump reason, allowing our emotions free rein is a dangerous habit. Aligning them with the Holy Spirit and tethering them to solid truth- about ourselves, others, and our circumstances- will keep them in check and channeled in the right direction. They should not drive our behavior, but enhance it, not unsettle our security, but affirm it.

When God rules our emotions, He touches the deepest initial heart reactions and attitudes, as well as our verbal and non-verbal expressions. What pride and self-asserted rights trigger our feeling ‘put upon,’ and spouting off in irritability, frustration, or rage? Where are we allowing godless jealousy, impatience, insolence, or snarkiness to divide relationships? What personal swings of emotion need the Lord’s overriding control and calm?

Father, please dictate, steady, and channel my emotions in Your perfect, righteous character. May their expression magnify Your beauty and holiness. (Psalm 19:13-14; 55:1-3)