Author: astherainandsnow

“When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.’ But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, ‘Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?’ They said to Joshua, ‘We are your servants.’ And Joshua said to them, ‘Who are you? And where do you come from?’ They said to him, ‘From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did… So… Come now, make a covenant with us. Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.’ So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. At the end of three days.., they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them.” Joshua 9:3-9,11-16

Deception wears a variety of costumes, but they all come from the devil’s closet. In this case, words and looks played the biggest part, and accompanying manipulated emotions swayed the gullible audience. The more convincing the false script and props, the less reason to consult with the Director. The enemy knows how to touch our weak places, and does it with wily craft, always with the intent to veer us astray.

What do external deceptions look like, and how do they influence our thinking and actions? Narratives convince by carefully chosen examples and statistics, but may lack context, or complete or complementary facts. It is vital we thoughtfully consider all angles and consult with the Lord before making decisions. Enticing appeals allure our senses by promising fulfillment, fancy, and freedom. We must take care to hone the long view, and be prudent to eschew the temporal for the lasting. (Hebrews 11:25)

We can also deceive ourselves by yielding to self-appointed desires or looking for affirmation only of what we want to be true, while refusing truth that corrects, hurts, or requires transformation. Giving in to any deceit can leave Gibeonite consequences for a lifetime, but Jesus stands ready to help and redeem. (Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 16:1-4; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12,16)

Lord, keep me stable in Your word, and steady on Your straight path. Help me defeat the enemy’s deceit with all its enticements by treasuring Your wisdom above all.

“Your hands have made and fashioned me;
    give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
    because I have hoped in your word.
I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,
    and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
Let your steadfast love comfort me
    according to your promise to your servant.
Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
    for your law is my delight…
Let those who fear you turn to me,
    that they may know your testimonies…

My soul longs for your salvation;
    I hope in your word.
My eyes long for your promise;
    I ask, ‘When will you comfort me?..’

If your law had not been my delight,
    I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
    for by them you have given me life.” Psalm 119:73-77,79,81-82,92-93

“We… have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone… on our behalf.” Hebrews 6:18-20

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

When other believers observe not an easy life, but an afflicted life that has hoped in the Lord’s steadfast love, and been held peaceful in His comfort, they have cause to rejoice. It is not how happy we are in our circumstances, but how strong is our faith when life is difficult that determines the influence our witness can have on their perception of Him. When we are weary of isolation, strapped for financial means, brokenhearted over rebellious children, grieved over a broken world, into these dark places the truth of God’s promises shines. As we cling to this sure hope, the light seeps out and softens the furrowed brow, relaxes wrangling hands, and our smile on God’s sufficiency becomes contagious. ‘If they can hope, I can hope.’

How does the psalmist kindle his hope? He continually turns his thoughts to true truths: God designed and made him. God is faithful and loves steadfastly while He deals with him and measures his afflictions. God is merciful and gives comfort through His word. God’s word gives wisdom and life, therefore he chooses to delight and hope in Him. He finds in his Savior an anchor for his soul, and therefore cannot be moved by his life circumstances.

In whom, or what, am I putting my hope today? What difference does the anchor of God’s word make in my afflictions? There is great peace and joy in believing that who God is and what He has said is true. If we desire to be calm and steady in every affliction, we must long first for God in His word, and there fix our security with undeviating determination. Those around us who suffer will notice the Lord’s countenance of peace upon us, and be drawn to its benediction. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Lord, no matter what comes, keep me hoping in Your word, that others take notice of You, and rejoice.

“Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison… Though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised to give her whatever she might ask... She said, ‘Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.’ And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he… sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter… And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and told Jesus. Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. Crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick… Jesus said, ‘Give them something to eat…’

“He made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side… And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray… The boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves. And he came to them, walking on the sea.” Matthew 14:3-14,16,22-25

In the middle of grief, it is the sense of bereavement that chokes the heart. No more, never again, never will be. A deafening silence, a suffocating void, a palpable absence. Sometimes shock punctuates it with additional horror and cruelty. Jesus’s godly cousin had been unconscionably murdered, yet He found little space to process it and quiet His soul. Overcome or not, needs pressed, and He continued to give. His loss fueled others’ gain.

To know sadness in loss is to have known fullness, holy longing, deep love. To be deprived of something or someone treasured is to empathize with the grief of others, to understand in a small way the gift the Father gave in His beloved son. And to know these passions brings us into fellowship with our Savior who was well acquainted with grief, who suffered giving His life for us. (Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 3:17; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 1:5-6)

The Lord tenderly, graciously manipulates the tool of grief in our lives to rework any coldness or self-protectiveness into warm compassion, to shape our hearts to relate and respond generously to those around us. He is a marvelous God who transforms opposites to exemplify His glorious redemption of the soul.

What loss in our lives might God intend to turn to another’s gain? What can we learn from those in different and hard circumstances, and how can we relate and minister with true empathy?

Blessed be You, my Man of Sorrows, Father of mercies, God of all comfort. Have Your way with every grief to make me more like Thee.

“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?’ And he said, ‘No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, ‘What does my lord say to his servant?’ And the commander of the Lord‘s army said to Joshua, ‘Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” Joshua 5:13-15

Oh, we are so prone to thinking our way is best! Superior, smart, enlightened. This scene, early in Joshua’s tenure as Israel’s commander in conquering the promised land, turns our whole way of thinking upside down and inside out. The Israelites have crossed the Jordan, been circumcised in their special identification as God’s own in this foreign place, celebrated the Passover, begun to eat the fruit of the land instead of their daily heaven-dropped manna, and are eager to begin their conquest against the cowering Canaanites. It is a natural curiosity for Joshua to wonder who this armed man was, but God intends to set right his whole perspective. This would not be an “us versus them” occupation, but was all to be God’s operation. (Joshua 5:1-12)

Maybe spurred by natural protections, and perhaps by an inflated view of our own expertise or outlook, it is easy to see life as a battle for my rights, a venue to accomplish my plans, or a venture for my way.  I am master of the universe, and everything and everyone serves at my command, for my purposes, to help me achieve my ends. ‘Lord, please bless them.’

While we do not see a particular pride in Joshua, and he had served years alongside the humble Moses, we observe that the Lord wanted him to be sure from the beginning that this settling in the land would be His doing, not Joshua’s. And He was to be regarded, from day one, as holy- something Joshua’s predecessor had failed to do. ‘Remember, Joshua, where I have you now, and where I will lead you, are holy ground.’ (Exodus 3:4-5; Numbers 20:12; Proverbs 16:9)

How do I view my agenda, my place, my opportunities? Do I, by my very determinations and actions, seize ownership of my days and resources, to treat and employ as I choose, and ask simply for God’s blessing and favor on my efforts? Or do I hold open my hands and calendar and say, ‘Lord, You have given this day and these talents. My home, work, and ministries are holy ground. I rejoice in You and what You have provided and will reveal. Enlist me as Your soldier, lead me in such a way that Your kingdom purposes are advanced, and that all see You exalted’? (Psalm 118:24)

Lord, keep me prostrate on Your holy ground of every day. Help me hear what You say to Your servant, and arise to walk in Your paths. (Psalm 32:8)

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you,” and “On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”’ Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.” Matthew 4:1-11

Immediately after His baptism by His cousin John, having received the audible blessing of God His Father’s approval, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the furnace of the wilderness. He was tempted as we are, yet keeping His focus, thinking, and responses a notch higher than the natural and earthly, He remained without sin. (1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 2:17-18; 1 Peter 2:21-24)

Forty days hungry, wouldn’t fresh bread be welcome? Ah, there is spiritual bread that satisfies far more deeply. Humbled in His low position and isolation, wouldn’t He like to show off against and over natural forces like gravity? Ah, but testing God’s created power is testing God Himself, and that is forbidden in His word. How about taking all the world’s kingdoms and glory now (as if the devil could proffer them)? No, Jesus came humbly to serve and worship the King of kings; it was not yet time to be glorified. In all things and every way, Jesus lived a notch above where natural man does. His was an eternal, divine perspective with accompanying determination. (Philippians 2:5-11)

With the muddle of worldliness all around, temptations to take and relish and swagger, it can be a challenge, and takes deliberate effort, to poke our heads up above the chatter to breathe heavenly air, to take in the clear skies of true truth, to catch the vastness of eternal vistas. But God calls us to this higher thinking and living. (Colossians 3:1-2)

Living a notch higher compels us to lay up treasure in heaven, rather than on earth, to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness instead of fretting anxiously over what we eat and drink and wear. Will we choose to do as Jesus did? (Matthew 6:19-20, 25-33)

Father, when I am tempted, cause me to cling to the higher notches in Your word and the steadfastness of my Savior. Thank You that He has won the ultimate victory over Satan so I can do the same today.

“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” Matthew 9:9-13

Matthew the tax collector loved a deal, and relished figuring how he could skim a bit more to pad his wallet, to enjoy just a bit more out of life. Yes, Matthew loved money,.. until he loved Jesus. Then everything changed. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

This fine-life-but-questionable-reputation man rose up out of who he was to follow Jesus. His new Master had a different identity, and therefore altered his. He was the only gospel writer who identified himself as Matthew ‘the tax collector,’ because he never stopped marveling at what Jesus had done for him; the others knew him as a changed, sold-out-to-Jesus apostle. Matthew re-set his table from one that ‘got’ at the booth to one that ‘gave’ at his home. His impulse to promote himself and swindle crowds became a drive to promote Jesus to save his companions, to introduce them to the new freedom he enjoyed with Christ-transformed affection. And while the snobbish and blinded Pharisees criticized, Matthew was humbled and aware of his sin, forever changed. (Mark 3:16-18; Luke 6:13-16)

When Christ’s voice penetrates us, His word has its way in reworking our outlook, our affections, our priorities. Our new Leader and Lord changes what we see and seek. He anoints with transforming power the areas of ugliness in us that need His beauty, of blindness that need His revelation, of dark attitudes that need His light, grace, and love.

How has the Lord’s call from darkness to light changed me? How is my identity in Christ distinct from the world’s perception of me? Where are certain pulls and loves toward self-satisfaction becoming new and growing passions for my Savior and for others? How has the Lord turned my focus inside out, raising me above where I once wallowed? Where do I still need remaking?

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.”  ~John Newton (1779)

Those whom the Son sets free are free, and changed, indeed. What evidence do I exhibit that I am a follower of Jesus? (John 8:36)

Loving Lord, may I follow You up out of any selfish orientation to be bound by Your heavenly priorities. Please reorient any wayward affections. Transform any allure of glitz or glory to a whole-hearted passion to see You glorified, known, and loved.

“Joshua sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho.’ And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.  And it was told to the king of Jericho, ‘Men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.’ Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, ‘Bring out the men who have come to you…’ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them.

“Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said, ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan… And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house,.. and deliver our lives from death.’ And the men said to her, ‘Our life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.’ Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall.” Joshua 2:1-4,8-15

Rahab knew men, a lot of them. She knew their cunning, their urges, their ugly dealings. She was experienced in danger. But she was also coming to know the God of men, and He was changing her life orientation. Risks she’d taken to provide for food would now become risks propelled by faith. She would no longer trust her wiles, but God’s ways. As the Israelite spies instructed, she tied a scarlet cord in her window as proof of her faith in His trustworthiness.

What we know of God determines our willingness to step out with Him. The Scriptures teach much that can instruct and develop our faith– are we taking advantage of its knowledge, or do we fill our time listening to the drone of man, even ‘thought leaders,’ instead of His voice?

Have we faith enough to believe and fear the God of heaven more than the men of earth?  Is our faith informed enough to believe God’s sure promises are stronger than the threats of men? How willing are we to risk our lives for His good plans rather than worry for our lives in the heat of pressure that opposes them? What scarlet cords of belief or behavior identify me as my Lord’s? What risks of reputation or repudiation will I boldly take in order to offer salvation to others?

Lord, fix my help and hope in You alone. May I risk courageously for the faith You give, that it grow large, and You be glorified. (Psalm 124:1-5,8)

“ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” “In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations… No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” Hebrews 11:8-10; Romans 4:18,20-21

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” John 14:1-4

As I paddled across the ruffled green water this morning, up poked a sea turtle head like a periscope, surveying her wide home and very surprised to see an unwelcome visitor in her domain just a foot away. She was in her element, but I, an alien, had interrupted her early reverie, so she tucked her head and flippered beneath my board and away. Having seen recent tracks from a fresh nest on shore, I marveled at this fascinating creature.

God has planted in sea turtles amazing homing instincts. Their world for feeding, frolicking, and mating, is the vast sea, but they nest, every 2-4 years, in the sand where they were born. They return as if by divine GPS to deposit up to hundreds of eggs for incubation in the protected warmth. Once hatched, masses of dull silver bodies make their way across the beach by an invisible radar, stretching and pushing with tiny flippers. They instinctually propel themselves toward the water, as if drawn by a magnet, and tossle in its tumble until they right themselves and venture forward in the sea.

How do we behave by instinct? In our rough tumble of interactions and demands, what sets our direction?  When storms of anger, sadness, or disorder arise, where is our default place to nest and rest, and where do we find strength to swim? Returning regularly to Jesus, to enlighten and develop our Spirits, gives us the strength to bear much fruit and venture forward in the broad sea of life. (John 15:5)

Lord God, hone my homing instinct always toward You. Set my sojourning in Your direction. Tune my heart for eternity, hopeful for my heavenly home but energized by its joy in the present. And while here, may I continually plant seeds of love and truth to hatch in faith, in your perfect timing and design, to multiply Your grace and glory in the world. (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Jeremiah 24:7)

“When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'” Matthew 6:6-13

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:7-11

If God knows what we need, why pray, or at least, why keep praying once we’ve expressed that need? Because there is more to praying than getting what we ask for. Jesus denounces meaningless repetition, but then corrects that habit with another habit– of praying privately, reverently, consistently, humbled before the exalted and holy Father, trusting Him with every care to answer and act according to His will and good provision.

This kind of praying opens the door to reveal more and more of our Lord. This kind of asking draws us nearer to His heart. This kind of seeking increases our understanding of His character and ways. This kind of knocking refines, changes, and sanctifies us as God’s Spirit directs and aligns our desires with His. That is God’s intent in our continual going to Him in prayer. He receives worship when we bow, honor when we depend, and glory in all the marvelous ways He answers, and in the process of it all, we change to be better able to reflect Him. (Psalm 37:4; Romans 8:26-27; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

Are there areas of confusion in my life I cannot see clearly, and need divine focus? Are there places I hide from my God, afraid He will not understand or accept, and refuse His healing balm? In what situations am I begging for Him to work my way, and failing to see His hand working His way, invisibly and with perfect timing and accuracy?

What will it take for us to close the door, hide away in the secret place, hallow God’s name, and persist in the sweet communion of prayer until He has finished conversing with us? (Genesis 17:22; 18:22-33)

Good Father, keep me fervently praying for Your will to be done in me, and in Your world. May I not let go until You have had Your way with me. (Genesis 32:26)

“‘The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken… And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.’

“Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’” Deuteronomy 31:3,5-8

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?.. Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus… is at the right hand of God,.. interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?.. I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31,33-35,38-39

Cruel, godless nations, entrenched in the land of promise, posed a formidable opposition to this new leader of Israel. Moses the great would soon die, and upon his installation as successor, Joshua received the best encouragement one could: God would do the work. He would lead, He would be with them, He would destroy. And as Joshua led his people to displace the enemy, he need not fear nor dread nor be dismayed, for God was on their side.

This same God is with us, our Immanuel, Jesus, abiding with us, praying for us always, our Advocate and Defender. We face daily the looming ‘nations’ of temptation, cruel hardship of disease and heartache, strained and broken relationships, destitution. But in all these things, God is for us. In all these things, His love will never leave us. In all these things, He reigns and conquers and comes alongside to direct, protect, help, and comfort. (Matthew 1:23; John 14:16,26; 16:33)

What enemies loom today? What lures to ignore things that need reparation, to dismiss those who need love, to yield to the pull of the world’s glitz, to give in to pride, or fear, or sloth? Would we recognize God’s call to arms, and set forth saturated in His promises, undaunted on His mission? He is greater and stronger than any foe we face. (1 John 4:4)

Lord, keep me ever alert to Your voice, trusting Your might, willing to be and go and do and battle in Your name and power. To You belongs all my trust, and all praise for Your victories.