Author: astherainandsnow

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb… 

“She turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?.. Mary.’ She turned and said..,’Rabboni!’.. 

“On the evening.., the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ He showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you… Receive the Holy Spirit.’

“Now Thomas… said, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark.., and my hand into his side, I will never believe.’

“Eight days later,.. Thomas was with the [disciples]. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!..’

“These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:1,14-16,19-22,24-28,31

The last the disciples knew was that Jesus had been crucified and sealed in a tomb. Stunned, saddened, they wrestled to understand the shock of these harrowing days. In asking Mary whom she was seeking at the empty tomb, Jesus invited her to know her Friend as much more than He’d been: the risen Savior who would impart resurrection power. To the fearful disciples His shocking presence brought otherworldly peace that would abide with them by His Spirit, security for this life and the next. For doubting Thomas His scars brought the personal proof needed to nurture his nascent faith. Jesus was alive, and appeared as promise of His changed but ongoing presence and lasting fruit.

Jesus appears personally and lovingly to meet our greatest needs. His presence is real, potent, whether or not we recognize its form or manner. In despair, doubt, or dearth, Jesus intrudes with renewed life and stokes faith. He vitally meets the downcast and lifts us above and out of each.

What causes our heads and hearts to hang? In what situations do we doubt the Lord’s goodness, His care, His power? Where have we questioned whether He is even near and knowing? Would we ask the mighty God to make Himself clear, and that His presence in the living word will transform our outlook? What despair needs His calming assurance that He knows what is best and walks the vale with us? What fears need His serene invasion and promise of an everlasting Comforter? What doubts will we bring to His pierced hands and riven side for plunging beneath His love-blood unto solid belief? (Psalm 90:1-2; Isaiah 50:4; Lamentations 3:22-23; John 14:16; 21:4-22)

Jesus’s aliveness today is present help and life-giving. In Him we can live and move and have being in great fullness. Would we welcome His glorious presence to dispel darkness today? (Acts 17:28; Revelation 21:3-7)

Lord, help me gratefully walk and grow in the power of Your very present life, to Your praise..

“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    ‘I shall never be moved.’
By your favor, O Lord,
    you made my mountain stand strong…

 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.” Psalm 30:1-7a,11-12

David’s mention of being drawn up is a vivid picture of the help of God. Surrounded by foes, consumed with depression and fear, nagged by seen and unseen battles all around, he proclaims that God has drawn him up. Up out of doubt to certainty, up out of anguish to the place of healing, up out of brokenness to restoration, up out of despair to hope. His response is praise, his acknowledgment that with weeping in the dark is the promise of joy in the morning. All these troubles are temporary when taken up to the Lord God who hears and helps.

Drawn up, we’re able to sense closeness to the God of heaven. Drawn up, we make distance between ourselves and worldly pressures and troubles. Drawn up, we gain broader perspective on the harsh and hustle of daily life. Drawn up, we catch fresh breath of holy air. The place of need and sorrow is real, but from above we can shed the sackcloth and begin to sing.

Are we disturbed by foes and negative speak? What problems snarl and keep us awake? What cares trip up our feet and keep us unsteady? What news glooms our hearts and sets us fretting? Seeking the Lord’s favor and claiming His help, we can stand strong. (Psalm 112:6-8; Philippians 4:6-8)

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Tho’ some may dwell where these abound,
My pray’r, my aim is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height,
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till Heav’n I’ve found,
Lord, lead me on to higher ground.

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s table land;
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” ~Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1898)

Father, draw me up in deeper faith and higher joy, to Your honor and praise.

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

“For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in your faithfulness.

I do not sit with men of falsehood,
    nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I hate the assembly of evildoers,
    and I will not sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence
    and go around your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
    and telling all your wondrous deeds.

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells…

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
    in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.” Psalm 1:1-4; 26:3-8,11-12

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20

The psalmists, themselves penning inspired words from God, highlight the supremacy of God’s word as the rule for life. A rhythm of fruitfulness is set by walking in faithfulness, the assembly of His people around His altar is the company of praise. Posture and place, including the company kept, matter.

Man was made to stand on two feet and to walk and work productively. Many are the warnings in Scripture against idleness. One can amble among sinners, busybodies, and hypocrites, and slouch sedentarily with scoffers, gossips, and complainers, or walk in step with the Spirit in wisdom and integrity. To walk Christ’s cadence along His paths is always the better choice. (Genesis 2:7-9,15; Galatians 5:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13; 1 Timothy 5:13)

What is our spiritual posture? Are we complacent to sit and consort with scoffers and evildoers, or do we stand and serve courageously with the righteous? If we do not keep attuned and active in the word, we naturally settle into comfy malaise, sloth, and the contagion of corruption of idleness. What practices will we implement to get in stride with God’s word, and pursue fruitfulness?

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
forth to the mighty conflict,
in this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve him
against unnumbered foes;
let courage rise with danger,
and strength to strength oppose.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in His strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next the victor’s song.
To him who over-cometh
a crown of life shall be;
they with the King of Glory
shall reign eternally.” ~George Duffield (1858)

Lord, make me bold to stand and walk with You.

“Now Moses… led his flock… and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet not consumed.  Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’  Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

“Then the Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,  and I have come down to deliver them… and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land flowing with milk and honey… Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people… out of Egypt.’  But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘But I will be with you…’

“Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’  God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I am has sent me to you.”’ Exodus 3:1-8,10-14

Moses was confounded by the entrance of God into his mundane routine. The Lord waited to see his first inquiring move, then spoke. Though eager to interact, Moses was reticent to accept God’s command because he was consumed with unknowns, inadequacies, and fear. God’s answer to every reluctance and doubt was, ‘I am.’ Who was Moses? A murderer. But God, He calls and redeems. Who was Moses? A reluctant stutterer. But the Lord, He gives purpose and enables. (Exodus 2:11-12; 4:10-13)

Sometimes we get stuck in ‘I am who I am, weak and unable.’ But God retorts with, ‘I am who I am, sufficient and mighty. I have bigger plans for you that you can’t conceive. I’m sending you on a new errand. I will be with you. Start to live in Me, not you.’ What grandeur the Lord opens wide we can fail to enter because we’re afraid to step forward in faith.

How and in what areas are we self-consumed? With ambitions, belongings, busyness, family? The past, regrets, shame, unfulfilled dreams? We might constantly measure ourselves against others and come up short on looks, energy, popularity, success. Anything that takes precedence over the burning bush, that causes resistance to removing our sandals rather than embracing a new call from God, will impede spiritual progress.

What inadequacies and insecurities occupy our attention? How can we think not less of ourselves, but of ourselves less, and more of God? The greater He is in us, the more we can effect for His kingdom. (John 3:30)

Less of me, more of Thee, to Your glory, Lord.

“All the people said to Samuel, ‘Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.’  And Samuel said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.  And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver…  For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.  Moreover, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and right way.  Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.'” 1 Samuel 12:19-25

The Israelites had rejected God’s lordship by insisting on a king as the surrounding nations had. They’d been warned, and now that they had their way, they were warned again. The prophet Samuel repeatedly reminded them who God was, what He’d done for them, and to serve Him only. Their fickle faith had invited consequences, yet would not negate God’s faithfulness. (1 Samuel 8:4-20; 12:14-18)

And so it goes with us. The Lord is constant in love and care, and we flit about following fleeting wants and pleasures. He stands stable as benevolent Sovereign and we idolize lesser, transient gods. He is upright, holy, and wholly other, and we choose to be like others of the world. Willfully disregarding consequent mayhem, we are driven by selfishness until we’re beggars for mercy.

Our Lord abounds in mercy. Again and again He calls. He convicts. He comes to offer forgiveness and a renewed heart. His Spirit brings to mind His words and sparks fresh faith. And He constantly prays for us. (Ezekiel 36:26; Zechariah 1:3; Luke 22:32; John 14:26; 17:11-17)

What causes our grace-bought hearts to stray? Where have we exchanged God’s loving lordship for the tyranny of performance or attempted perfection? What good things have we elevated to ultimate things? When will we bring our stubbornness, idols, pride, to the cross? When will we ask Jesus to apply His mercy and free us to serve Him faithfully with all our heart? (Hebrews 4:15-16)

“What love could remember no wrongs we have done 
Omniscient, all knowing, He counts not their sum 
Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore 
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

What patience would wait as we constantly roam 
What Father, so tender, is calling us home 
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor 
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

What riches of kindness He lavished on us 
His blood was the payment, His life was the cost 
We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford 
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

Praise the Lord, His mercy is more 
Stronger than darkness, new every morn 
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more” ~ Matt Boswell, Matt Papa (2020)

Lord, help me live vitally in Your mercy, to Your praise.

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
    let me not be put to shame…

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
Remember not… my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,.. O Lord!

Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

For your name’s sake, O Lord,
    pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Who is the man who fears the Lord?
    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose…
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord…

Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.” Psalm 25:1-2a,4-12,14-15,20-21

David lifts his soul to the Lord, his source, hope, and help. He wants for much and spells that out: no shame for his life, clarity on God’s path and way, His truth and teaching and guarding of soul and integrity. For all these he earnestly yearns, and is patient- for God’s answers he is content to wait. Waiting for answers, he has learned, is waiting on his Lord. The longer he waits, the more he meditates and communes, all to enriching a deeper trust relationship.

In the flesh, we are very good at wanting, but not so much with waiting. The Lord works in and through our longings and needs and asking to conform us to His image. He knows what He is doing, though we think we know better. According to us, our paths should be instantly clear and we should be able to work and do according to our timetable, no obstacles. According to Him, time elapsed between prayer and fulfillment works to convict of sin, humble us, teach us to fear Him and to deepen our friendship. We demand the immediate and temporal, He is interested in the lasting and eternal.

What is it that we want most? Are plans and accomplishments more important than to know Christ better? How much do we value purity, patience, the ability to hear His voice and sense His Spirit’s nudging? What kind of progress matters most? Reading through David’s psalm as a personal prayer helps us to lift our souls and sights to the One who hears, knows, and is always working to sanctify. We can trust His designs and timing.

“Before I move
Before I speak
Perfect wisdom I will seek
And I will wait
As long as it takes
I will wait on the Lord.” ~Twila Paris (1990)

Lord, help me love and keep Your word as I want and wait, and with lifted soul, lift You high. (Psalm 27:14)

“Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God… 

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation…

“For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many… If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1-2,8-11,15,17

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” “If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:11,31-32

Paul never ceased to be amazed at the riches he’d received by grace from his Savior. As his fluid writing illustrates, he could go on and on about all Jesus had done and continued to do for Him. His life aim was to declare the whole gospel, not only unto salvation but to produce a thriving, fruitful life in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3-12)

We might be grateful for Jesus’s death for our sins, and rightly so. Yet that is not all that should fill our marveling hearts. The Lord intends we delight in and take advantage of the ‘much more’ His death produced. If it is true we’ve been justified, the door has been opened to a wealth of visible and invisible riches. Salvation, peace, access by faith into grace, full reconciliation, union with Christ in resurrection reality and power. Life, and all things.

Can we help but be captivated by and responsive to His eternal riches and promises? The Holy Spirit pouring love into arid hearts. multiplied purposefulness. Victory over pesky besetting sins. Peace that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds from fear and anxiety. Eternal security, abounding hope. His Spirit’s comfort, counsel, advocacy, and deposit for future inheritance. Joy, patience, self-control. (Luke 6:38; John 14:16,26; Romans 5:5; 15:13; 2 Corinthians 1:20-22; Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 4:6-7)

How do our lives demonstrate the much more of salvation? Would others describe us with nouns or verbs when describing our faith? What love, what encouragement, what beauty, vitality, forgiveness, service, or generosity flow from our lives to exhibit the ‘more than we can imagine’ of Jesus? How will we tap into the riches of salvation in new, vibrant fruitfulness? (Philippians 3:20-21)

Lord, may I flourish in and with Your bounty, to Your constant praise.

“In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry reached his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations of the mountains trembled,
    because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth…
He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him…
Out of the brightness before him
    hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice…
He sent out his arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me…
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he delighted in me…

By you I can run against a troop,
    by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God—his way is perfect;
    the word of the Lord proves true;
    he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

For who is God, but the Lord?
    And who is a rock, except our God?—
the God who equipped me with strength…
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
    and set me secure on the heights.
He trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand supported me,
    your gentleness made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet did not slip…
For you equipped me with strength for the battle…

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be the God of my salvation.” Psalm 18:6-19,29-36,39a,46

David is overcome with thanksgiving to his Lord who delivered him from his enemies, including King Saul whom he served. Threatened, hunted, anxious, overwhelmed, he cried to the One who understood and moved heaven and earth to come to his aid. To this one driven to flee on the heights, the Lord condescended. To him steeped in darkness of soul He flashed light. For him hidden away in fear and trembling He made a wide place. There was no rock like his God. (1 Samuel 2:2)

Are we so thankful for Jesus who rescued us? Condescending to bring light to us distressed by sin and condemnation, He rebuked the enemy at Calvary to save us. Presently He meets us in the broad place of mercy and trains and shields us in ongoing battle. (Hebrews 4:16)

What is our present anguish? Have we cried to our Savior and marveled at His deliverance, even when it is not as we expected? Can we trace His gracious rescue from despair, fear, or hurt, and exalted Him? None compares with the Lord who loves to delight and is strong to save. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Lord my Rock, keep me coming to, trusting, and praising You.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions…

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done…  Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:16-26a,28,32

Paul makes the two opposing ways of life clear: righteousness and reward or dishonor and wrath. Neither just happens, but is the result of a spiral of choices, either to believe and walk by faith or to yield to idolatry and lust. The Lord offers both allowance and grace. Decisions matter. (Romans 2:2,4-6)

Most habits and disciplines, good and bad, are developed over a gradual progression. Since Eden, the pull to veer awry has been strong. If we’re vigilant, we’ll notice the first slip, the first entertaining of a foreign voice, the first dip into sloth, or taste of temptation. The moment of recognition and Spirit-conviction is the time to turn about-face and proceed in a new direction.

The enemy does all he can to impede our progress of faith and to heighten our inclination to sin. What have we allowed to take primacy in our lives that deters us from Christ and His Word? What spiritual discipline have we let slip because of inattentiveness, apathy, or lethargy? What ideas, entertainment, even legal practices did we used to eschew and now justify accepting, even condoning? How will we take care to guard our heart and ways from being given over to the flesh? The Lord’s grace and help are always available. While faith may be a strenuous upward climb, its path is far better than the tenuous slippery slope away from the Lord. (Proverbs 4:23; Hebrews 4:15–16)

Father, keep me on Your good path, and energize me to obey with steadfastness, zeal, and joy, to Your glory.

“All the elders of Israel… came to Samuel and said.., ‘Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.^‘ But the thing displeased Samuel… And Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you…’

“So Samuel told… the people, ‘The king who will reign over you… will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. He will appoint… commanders of thousands and fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest… He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and vineyards and give it to his officers and servants. He will take… your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

“But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. They said, ‘No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.’” 1 Samuel 8:5-8,10-12,14-20

The people of Israel wearied of a king they could not see. Sensing Samuel’s impending death, they compared themselves with the heathen nations around them whose gods they served, and pined to be like them. Deceived by false security, they whined for a king who would physically fight their battles. The Lord let them have their way. They would one day see their folly of trusting fallible man over a covenant God.

It takes commitment and fortitude to know the Almighty and obey His commands. It takes faith to worship the Unseen Immortal and trust Him to lead in conquest and vanquish our enemies. It takes a long view to handle with patience the broil of now and press of peers. Rich rewards are deep relationship with the Divine and eternal security of soul. (Psalm 119:7-11; 1 Timothy 1:17)

But shortsightedness skews perspective and plays on what we think we need. Immediate ease and social standing preempt long term stability and peace. The tangible is valued more than promises, present pressure a tyrant against future hope and steady obedience. We choose what we want now over what is supreme.

Which lifestyle do we espouse and desire? Are we more focused on the urgent than realities of the future? Do we settle in fog rather than expectancy of what lies beyond? What foolish decisions and habits will we confess and set aside for the wisdom of consistent abiding and sure hope?

My King, please expose foolish desires, correct perspective, and secure joyful hope in You.