Author: astherainandsnow

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people despise me and not believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have done among them? I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.’

“But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Then the Egyptians will hear of it,.. and will tell the inhabitants of this land. They’ve heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people… You are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them… Now if you kill this people.., then the nations… will say, “It is because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land…” Now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised… Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love…’

“The Lord said, ‘I’ve pardoned, according to your word. But… none who’ve seen my glory and signs… and yet put me to the test… and not obeyed my voice, shall see the land… None who despised me shall see it. But Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land… Now,.. set out for the wilderness.’

“‘How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me?.. Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness,.. not one shall come into the land except Caleb and Joshua. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey,.. shall know the land you have rejected… Your children shall be in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness.'” Numbers 14:11-17,19-25,27-31,33

It was true. The inhabitants of Canaan were formidable, yet God had determined that the Israelites would settle there. Rejecting God’s plan through their lack of faith, all the spies and the adult Israelites alive at the time of crossing the Red Sea would die before entering the land- a harsh consequence for those who saw the enemy as larger than God. They foolishly allowed the enemy’s perceived threat to supersede God’s promises, and would miss out on their fulfillment. Moses had better vision, and prayed the Lord would continue with his people so His reputation would be upheld, and His honor magnified.

As we daily deal with the enemy of our souls, we can choose to arm ourselves with the better vision of who God is and what He is doing. Rather than hanging our heads in dread or fear, we can set our sights on His worth and glory. Instead of despising God’s invisible assurances by grumbling and worry, we can fix our hope in His promises and ultimate good purposes, and be strong and courageous to stand at every struggle with the enemy. Will we? (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Do we regularly recount the works and deeds of the Lord, particularly those that personally affect us or are in direct answer to prayer? How else will we fill our sights with His greatness, beauty, and might? Do we see how this magnification of the Lord and His goodness fuels our faith, and eternal far-sightedness clears our vista to hope? The next time we are prone to a spirit of doubt and woe, will we choose instead to prove the Lord’s greatness and give Him pleasure?

Lord, help me daily remember You are the greatest of all, and Your promises and power can always be trusted.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel…

“Moses sent them… and said, “Go up into the hill country, and see… whether the people are strong or weak,.. few or many, and whether the land… is good or bad,.. and whether the land is rich or poor… Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land…’

“So they went up… into the Negeb and came to Hebron… The descendants of Anak were there… And they… cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and carried it on a pole between two of them; they also some pomegranates and figs… 

“At the end of forty days they returned.., [and said], ‘The land… flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit…’

“Caleb… said, ‘Let’s go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’ The men who had gone with him said, ‘We’re not able to go up against the people, for they’re stronger than we are.’ So they brought… a bad report.., saying, ‘The land… devours its inhabitants, and all the people are of great height… We seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers…’

“All the congregation… wept that night [and] grumbled against Moses.., ‘Would that we had died in Egypt! Or… this wilderness!.. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?'” Numbers 13:1-2a,17-23,25,27,30-14:3

For Eve, the enemy was too attractive. Where Saul’s army had cowered before Goliath, David viewed God’s honor and power as greater than any giant. Jehoshaphat turned from the cruel horde of Canaanites to trust the Lord. Here, on the edge of the promised land, the untested, frightened spies saw Canaan’s occupants as simply too big, and anticipated certain humiliation and defeat, where Caleb and Joshua alone saw and wanted to seize God’s greater promise. (Genesis 3:1-6; 1 Samuel 17:1-11,24,32-51; Numbers 14:6-11; 2 Chronicles 20:12-17)

We face many enemies every day, internal and external. Attacks on our faith, our marital fidelity, our determination for good and honesty at work. The press of depression, discouragement, and doubt can be relentless. But with every onslaught, every swipe to head or heart, we decide where to set our vision. It is true that the One in us, the ever-conquering Savior, is greater than this one who is in the world! It is true that He is on our side, and nothing can separate us from His tenacious love or snatch us from His hand! Will we cower in fear before the enemy, or gladly, confidently say, let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome? (John 10:10,28-29; Romans 8:31-39; 1 John 4:4)

Yes, the enemy is big. He is wiley and ferocious and plots only for evil and destruction. But God is greater, bigger, more mighty, and marvelous! Where will we focus? Will we fixate on every giant, doubt, fetish, and temptation rather than putting our eyes on Him? Where has our vision blurred with over-concern with the devil and too little a concern for the Lord? When will we allow the mighty Lord to clear and fill it with a holy, victorious view of Him? (1 Peter 5:8)

Father, give me a sober view of the enemy and an honest, hopeful vision of You, the Greatest One.

“The people of Israel came into the wilderness of Zin… And Miriam died there…

“Now there was no water for the congregation. They assembled themselves together against Moses. The people quarreled, ‘Would that we had perished..! Why have you made us come up out of Egypt?..’ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Take the staff,.. and tell the rock to yield its water…

“Then Moses… said to them, ‘Hear, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ And Moses struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly… And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.’ 

“Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom: ‘Please let us pass through your land.’ But Edom said, ‘You shall not pass through…’ and came out against them with a large army and a strong force… so Israel turned away.

“And they… came to Mount Hor. The Lord said.., ‘Let Aaron be gathered to his people… Strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron shall be gathered to his people and shall die.’ Moses did as the Lord commanded… And Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. And… all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.” Numbers 20:1-3,6-8,10-12,14,17-18,20,22-23,26-29

The wilderness. Death of his sister, incessant quarreling and accusation from the nation he led, an agonizingly harsh consequence for justified anger, unjust refusal of passage, and death of his brother and spokesperson. Long weeping. Blow upon blow brought Moses to the end of himself. A man of weakness whom God was making strong, he was molded through much pain, setback, aggravation, and harsh discipline. God intended that every prop or sign of human success would be replaced by an exquisite friendship and unshakable faith. He would become the man who endured as seeing him who is invisible, who knew that he knew that God was for him and could absolutely be trusted. (Psalm 56:8-11; Hebrews 11:27; 12:5-11)

We have all been familiar with harsh seasons of life, wildernesses of soul. Whether having made it through, presently enduring, or being prepared for a future drought or storm, we all meet with times where there seems no end to trouble. Pocked with loss and grief, discord and unfairness, accusations, weariness, and consequences that seem too harsh for the crime, we can reach a point of desperation. It is there that the Lord can be to us most near, and real. When all human props are removed, friends are absent, hope is dim, the Lord is large and strong. (Psalm 27:10; 30:5; Jeremiah 31:20; 1 Peter 5:10)

Are there present disappointments or losses that sting deep, even devastate? In what self-made props have we been trusting to give support, identity, or purpose? How might these reveal inordinate confidence or misdirected dependence? Will we ask God for faith to see seasons of drought as times for determination to look to His promises and take hold of His unseen? How has He proved Himself our sole Support? How would we like Him to reorder and establish our faith anew?

Lord, fulfill Your purposes for me as I take refuge in You alone and make melody to Your praise. (Psalm 57:1-3,7)

“You have rejected your people,
    the house of Jacob,
because… their land is filled with idols;
    they bow down to the work of their hands,
    to what their own fingers have made.
So man is humbled,
    and each one is brought low—..
Enter into the rock
    and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the Lord,
    and from the splendor of his majesty.
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
    and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

“For the Lord of hosts has a day
    against all that is proud and lofty,
    against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;..
The haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
    and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
    and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
The idols shall utterly pass away.
And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
    and the holes of the ground,
from before the terror of the Lord,
    and from the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to terrify the earth.

“In that day mankind will cast away
    their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,..
to enter the caverns of the rocks
    and the clefts of the cliffs,
from before the terror of the Lord,
    and from the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to terrify the earth.
Stop regarding man
    in whose nostrils is breath,
    for of what account is he?” Isaiah 2:6,8-12,17-22

The day of the Lord will be a day of revealing and reckoning, God come down to man, man before God for accounting. And the Lord will put man in his rightful place. Anyone who has thought himself something when he is nothing, who has exalted himself above the worthy Sovereign, will be laid low. The very majesty of the Lord will fill the heavens, while prideful man will cower. The ones who now lift high themselves will be reduced by the truly lofty One. Only the humble will, by God’s grace, be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

How confused disordered people get about the status and stature of things! Without God in His rightful position, we put many ambitions, things, people, and dreams on pedestals. We make little gods out of careers, children, and experiences, and center ourselves in the lowlands of existence by failing to consider above and beyond to the eternal. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

In what areas do I possess too lofty a view of myself? Who takes the highest place in my thoughts and determinations? Are there people with whom I act superior, and secretly want to put them in their place? Do I think because of a certain stature or position or privilege, I should be esteemed? When will I take time to get on my knees before the One who is high and lifted up, and acknowledge my humble position before Him? How could a right view of myself, and genuine worship of the supreme God, enhance and benefit my relationships with my fellow man? (Romans 12:3)

Father, consume me with the lofty beauty and power that define You, and may I never share your glory with another or any thing. (Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 42:8)

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  As it is written,

“’He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever.’

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:8-11

“[He] is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

The Scriptures, in communicating the nature of God Almighty, speak loudly to His limitlessness, His capacity that is beyond bounds our feeble human minds can comprehend. In this vast earth, there is no need beyond God’s supply, no desperation beyond His ability. No grief beyond His balm, no impossibility beyond His possible. No fear beyond His safety, no confusion beyond His clarity, no chaos beyond His order. There is no rebellion beyond His love, no sin beyond His redemption and forgiveness, no shame beyond His restoration. (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 94:9-10; 139:1-4,7-12; Isaiah 49:15-16)

Compared to God’s infinite, we are bound by finite flesh with limited capacity to grasp His wide edges. We self-impose boundaries on what we think He wants to hear, be involved in, and do for our sake. Yet, Jesus displayed His limitless love by dying for us, and lives to give all things and meet every need. There are no boundaries in what we can bring to Jesus, no limits on His boundless wonderful and might to meet and overcome. With our Lord, we will never be censored, ostracized, held at bay. We have no longing He does not understand, no hurt He has not known, no cry- articulated or not- He does not hear. (Matthew 11:28-29; Romans 8:31-32)

So why do we live on the fringes of His capacity and care? What human drive keeps us from tapping the divine? What concerns, meaningful work, relationships can we entrust to Him anew, and access His limitless power and grace?

“O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!” ~Robert Grant (1833)

Father, draw me up from faithless barricades into Your boundless possibilities.

“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.  And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.  And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.  Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’  And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.  And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’  So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.  Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:1-9

When men gathered and plotted as us and we, they separated from intimacy with their God to become they. What started as a spark of innate ambition ignited into fiery independence from the God who had made them. They planned their methods and plotted to be famous, united against the explicit instruction from the Lord to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.” The Lord will not stand for rebellion, and starting by confusing their speech, confounded their grand plans. (Genesis 1:28)

Pursuing our own plans and depending on our own understanding apart from God never works out well. Any time we dream and manipulate and manage apart from God, we labor in vain and bear the consequences. Yet, when we commit our work to the Lord, following His commands and employing His wisdom, we can be sure our work is not in vain. Which will it be? (Psalm 127:1; Proverbs 16:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:58)

Are there areas in our lives we know God’s clear instructions, yet choose to ignore them in pursuit of preferred entertainment, career ambitions, flesh passions? How often do we make decisions peppered with and driven by “I” instead of conferring with “Him”? Where do I need to turn from self determination to ensure my desires and dreams accommodate the Lord? Will I seek, then obey, His direction?

“Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Robinson (1758)

Lord, may my planning and building align with Your word and honor Your Name.

“A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man was standing there, urging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us…’ Immediately we sought to go.., concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

“So.., we made voyage… to Philippi, a leading city of Macedonia… ¹³ On the Sabbath we went outside the gate to the riverside, where… we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One was Lydia,.. a seller of purple goods… The Lord opened her heart to pay attention… She was baptized, and her household as well…

“As we were going.., we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and… fortune-telling. She followed us, crying, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.’  This she kept doing for many days. Paul… said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

“But… her owners… seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers… [T]hey threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely… He put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,  and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw.., he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ And the jailer… fell down before Paul and Silas… and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…’ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all who were in his house.” Acts 16:9-19,23-32

Paul and Timothy, redirected from Asia and Bithynia to Macedonia, probably anticipated a spiritual harvest among Roman leaders in this leading city. But God had other plans. A seller of purple goods, a slave girl fortune teller, a jailer. None particularly glamorous in the world’s eyes, but everything in His. By the leading and moving of the Holy Spirit, one by one, the Lord opened minds and hearts to His life-giving salvation. Walking step by step in obedience, surrendered and expectant, these men used every opportunity to spread the light of truth. (Acts 15:40-16:8)

When the Spirit takes control of man’s desire and intentions, the gospel breaks forth. Outside the gate. On their way. In prison. Often it is to us in the unlikeliest or least expected places and situations where the Lord goes ahead to prepare souls for faith and eternal life. We see dry fallow ground, He sees faith. Whether these places are of our choosing or not, the Lord calls us to be ready and willing.

Would we pace our steps with His, avoiding or approaching as He directs, focusing one by one on those He’s identified and prepared for salvation? What time are we taking to discern, change course, initiate conversations that lead to life? Whom has God put in front of us, and how will we respond?

Lord give me passion, spiritual eyes, and words that make a difference for those You’re drawing to Yourself.

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.

“I was cupbearer to the king.

“In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,.. I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said, ‘Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.’ Then I was very much afraid. I said, ‘Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’ Then the king said to me, ‘What are you requesting?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah,.. that I may rebuild it.’ And the king said.., ‘How long will you be gone..?’ So it pleased the king to send me…

“So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem… I went out by night by the Valley Gate.., and I inspected the walls that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire… And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in… Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.’ And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” Nehemiah 1:11-2:6,11-13,16-18

Nehemiah did not speed through life. This exemplary leader honed godliness and effectiveness in the secret place with his Lord, in prayer and careful contemplation. He was specific in confession, supplication, and inspection, and trusted God to direct, unveil, and undertake for permission and provision as he actively waited on Him. Faith in His superintendence of each step bolstered his faith to take the next. (Nehemiah 5:6-10)

When we take time to discern, in any situation, we can move forward knowing God’s hand is upon us. Concentrate in focused prayer, and thought. Glean what we can from the Scriptures, and someone wiser. The Lord’s measured, clear response to our inquiring is a comfort and a goad.

What is a present pressing conundrum? What fear or unrestraint triggers impulsiveness to act rashly, speak harshly, react ununthoughtfully? What (or who) can help us pause, and ponder, and seek advice? How can we with self-control better respond according to God’s plan? He’ll answer and lead the seeking heart.

Lord, grant me discernment so in every challenge, I act accordingly, for Your glory.

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Psalm 90:1-2

“I the Lord do not change” Malachi 3:6

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is… from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

God the King rules as commander and authority over all time past present future, over young and old, reigning over His kingdom with perfection, goodness, and wisdom. Age to age, in the ebb and flow and upheavals of human history, and in the course of years for every person, He is not altered. Through every shift of change and shadow, God remains immovable, unchanging.

Seasons of life for mankind are marked by constant change, in mental and physical and occupational growth, aptitude and opportunity, place and experience, times of plenty and want, sickness and health, highs and lows. King Solomon understood this well, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.“ (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

As fickle people who prefer to control our environment, we can be upset by changes out of our control. Shocking news, a startling diagnosis, a sudden disappointment, a surprising turn of events at work or home. Any number of situations can topple our carefully-built order and unmoor security and happiness. Turning from turmoil to look up and remember the God of ages recenters our focus and fortifies our bearings.

In unsettling flux, or unknown days ahead, will we find steadiness and certainty in our unchanging Lord? Will we choose to trust Him with the ages and stages of our children and others we love, young and middle-aged and old? He is our constant, He is our stay, in every season. When we trust in Him, we are kept at peace. From age to age, He is the same, faithful to His own and working good in all things. What grounding, what hope, what calm does this afford us today? The One who has been faithful thus far will lead us through every age, and home. (Isaiah 26:3; Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:6-7)

“Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home:

Under the shadow of your throne
Your saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is your arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood
Or Earth received her frame,
From everlasting you are God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in your sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guard while troubles last
And our eternal home.” ~Isaac Watts (1719)

Lord, keep me tethered, trusting, and praising You through every age, to Your glory.

“What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight… 

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Hebrews 11:32–34, 39–12:3

These saints of old took life seriously, driven by a faith in God that was larger than their circumstances or ability. The ‘greater’ that drove them to conquer was faith in One who was inimitably able and ever true to His word. Jesus who founded their faith was working to perfect it upon every act and exercise. Their endurance when harrowed was fueled by hope in the joy to come.

In present life, what is before us becomes our urgent, and huge. We scrape and choose and toil, often in our own effort and limited strength with very limited perspective on the bigger picture. My life, my circle, my day take preeminence because that’s what’s important to me, now. What we learn from this cloud of witnesses is the part that faith and a long view play in every decision we make, every action we undertake.

Life is bigger than my provincial world, yet how I manage what’s appointed just to me has a bearing on wider influence and conquest. What kingdoms of personal habit or management of people or work assignment would the Lord have us take on, and master? What sins is God calling us to conquer? What justice would He have us righteously condone or enforce? What promises would He have us apply to present situations? Where are we weak that He wants to make us strong? What mental and practical tendencies that are foreign to a godly life have set up strongholds, and are encroaching? How would He have us put them to flight? What first step will we by faith take today?

Is living by faith an impossible command? When we think we need to muster our own gumption, it is. But when we realize that even faith is a gift from God, and ask for it, and surrender our will to His working through us, we can by faith do all He puts before us. What need I turn from in order to fix my eyes and faith on the unseen, and begin to think and act victoriously? (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:8–10; Hebrews 13: 20–21)

Lord, arm me with Your truth, and help me conquer kingdoms in my sphere of influence and the world, to your renown and glory.