Author: astherainandsnow

“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called?

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 9:14-17,21-24; 11:33-36

There is a majesty in Paul’s cogent reasoning and explaining of supernatural inexplicables. He traces the mercy of God as His loving gift, and like glistening diamonds against black cloth, God’s glorious provision against the justice we deserve. Instead of our owning rights to life and salvation, he proves we deserve nothing but death, ‘but God.’ Instead of our arguing to justify ourselves and determine who deserves what, he silences us to consider the patience and power of God, all orchestrated for His glory. We cannot know His mind, but we can trust it.

The saving ways of God are mysterious, an inerrant blend of justice and mercy. We cannot comprehend every aspect, but we know they are perfect because He is perfect. His grace is wide, His majesty great, His providence sure. Who are we to question and bicker and chafe at His sovereignty? We are meant not to take His place, but to humble ourselves before His power and trust His love. Almighty God not only has the right to do what He has purposed from the beginning, but He will rightly bring it about to the praise of His glory. (Psalm 18:30)

Paul himself, master of intellect and word, concludes his contemplation of God’s sovereignty by breaking into worshipful song. It is the only human response. The more he considers Him, and the inexpressible gift of His irresistible affection unto our salvation, he cannot help but be amazed, open his hands, and offer Him all honor forever. Shall we do the same? Rather than dismissing what we do not understand, would we take time to think about it, and worship because we cannot understand?

Oh good Father, elevate my thinking to the point of asking, ‘what shall I say?’ Quiet me in reverent submission, then open my mouth to praise You for Your sovereignty and grace forever.

“Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.” Genesis 39:1-4

“A man… called his servants and entrusted to them his property,.. to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more… Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” Matthew 25:14-16,19-21

When entrusted with much, Joseph set to work. An unjustly sold slave, he accepted his stewardship of Potiphar’s possessions, resources, and family as an assignment from his Lord, rolled up his robe sleeves, and handled all with diligent care and industry.  He didn’t chafe or fret or laze, he didn’t spend time looking over his shoulder; his eyes and hands focused on his tasks because his heart was fixed on his real Master. And Potiphar noticed, and was pleased. Joseph’s faithfulness won him favor, esteem, and more responsibility. (Ephesians 6:6)

How about us? With what has God entrusted me? What opportunities to work, and serve, has He assigned, and how wholeheartedly have I accepted them? Do I complain at unjust treatment, try to finagle position and manipulate according to my preferences, neglect the more challenging or menial duties? Or do I accept what He gives with willing hands and eager feet, welcoming even challenges with zeal because I am serving the King? When watching us as stewards of talents and material goods He has given, of His people and world, what does our Master see? (Romans 12:6-11,16)

When I go about my days, whose approval spurs me on? Whose “well done” do I crave?Do I care more about how I look or measure up to peers, what my neighbors and colleagues think, or that I am doing what my unseen Master has asked of me with excellence, integrity, in a way that pleases Him?

Good Master, it is You I ultimately serve. Over all You have put me in charge, keep me awake, faithful, wholly attentive to work as Your steward with sincerity of heart, to the multiplication of Your bounty and magnification of Your glory. (Mark 13:34-35; Colossians 3:22-24)

“Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin… 300,000 choice men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield. He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, ‘O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.’ And Amaziah said to the man of God, ‘But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?’ The man of God answered, ‘The Lord is able to give you much more than this.’ Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again… Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 men of Seir…

“After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, ‘Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?’ But as he was speaking, the king said to him, ‘Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?’ So the prophet stopped, but said, ‘I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.’” 2 Chronicles 25:5-11,14-16

King Amaziah prepared for war in his own wisdom, but when confronted by a man of God, was willing to heed his counsel and take courage in God’s promised ability. But once he tasted royal victory, his appetite for self-indulgence became all-consuming. How quickly he set aside God, whose strategy and power had won his conquest, for gods of men.

In times of imminent need, we can readily appeal to the Almighty, or at least take His help or spiritual advice. If we are desperate, and His solutions meet our urgency, we rally to trust His power and ability and relish the victory. But how quickly God’s glory dims in the false shine of our own pomp. How soon we can forget the One and ones who came alongside to assist, protect, encourage, and strengthen, and begin to amass our own trinkets of remembrance and conquest. The adrenaline of heady success pumps foolish pride through our veins, leading to compromise and misaligned devotion.

Where have I cried for help, then become intoxicated with the power given? Do I heed godly counsel only when it pleases me, but shun it when I can’t have my own way? Any false god, even that of my own control and passions, will bring ruin to fellowship and peace.

Father, may I be whole-hearted in my seeking and heeding, and always give all glory to You for Your magnificent supply.

“Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.’ And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, ‘If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.’ And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving that power had gone out from him, turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my garments?’ …The woman came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’

“There came from the ruler’s house some who said, ‘Your daughter is dead.’ Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ …He took the child’s father and mother and [the disciples] who were with him and went in where the child was. He said to her, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ And immediately the girl got up.” Mark 5:22-30,33-36,40-42

The ruler comes first, a tidy, reputable, cleanly robed winner in the world, humbly begging Jesus for the life of his daughter. Next presses a woman, a sickly, unclean, outcast loser in the world, also desperate for the Great Healer. Both believe, both win with Jesus. This important lesson plays out vividly before His followers then and now.

Neither Jairus nor the woman came claiming rights; each came desperately clinging only to the claims of Jesus and His power. How about me? Do I think I’ve lived and look pretty clean, am officially winsome and deserving reward? No position, possession, or apparel will merit soul healing. Have I lived ostracized, a stranger to importance, righteousness, and public favor? Would I press through the crowd of doubt, regret, shameful memories, and nagging bitterness I have held too long, and touch Jesus’s cloak? He alone heals, cleanses, gives satisfaction and peace. His power infuses life we find in no one or nothing else.

In smug self importance, is there anyone I deem a loser, beyond the scope of Jesus’s healing? Do I ever think my crisply starched “everything’s fine” uniform should win me special treatment? No matter our past, upbringing, or worldly decorations, humility in faith is the only mark of a winner with Jesus. He alone quickens our faith, and crowns us winners by His grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Lord, help me see everyone as You do, equally in need of Your saving grace. May I live faithfully and encourage others to faith in the One Who died for us all. (Galatians 2:20)

“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:

Empty words and recitation of listed needs come from a shallow understanding of prayer, and minds caught in default fear, fretting, and performance. Jesus breaks into these meaningless habits and rote thinking with a fresh model for focus and order. He wants to be known, and calls us away from the crowd of public opinion and spiritual ‘experts’ to learn directly from Him how to pray so we will. It begins with worship.

When we approach Almighty God with an overflowing wheelbarrow of needs that we have contrived according to what we deem urgent or necessary, and dump the pile between us, the heap sits stale and blocks our view of the Holy One. We ask over and over the same requests like much song song, and fail to listen or consider new avenues of faith or work the Lord may be designing. We recite written or pre-made prayers like lines in a script, and wonder why we leave unfilled. What would happen if we came instead with empty, open hands, bowed knees, expectant and adoring hearts?

Would we first hallow the Lord Himself? Are we consumed with the Ruler and Master of all, His splendor, greatness, limitless power, glorious excellencies, infinite characteristics? Exalting His name will set our hearts aright, do away with triteness, capture our passion with eternity, and steer us with divine perspective.

Once I have claimed ‘my’ Father by faith, my prayer is God-focused until I’ve yielded to His will. Then turning to self, I bring my needs, confess my sins, and commit to fidelity, assuming His supernatural protection and strength. There are no empty words when our requests align with submission to His plans and methods. There is no worry, no anxiety, when His righteous kingdom is desired and sought. All our cares are swallowed in His superintendence of my life.

What names and attributes of my King will I extol and allow to penetrate my consciousness and desires, and shape my requests?

God Almighty, I revere and esteem You above all I can conjure on my own. Refresh my prayer time to bring You glory and avail much in line with Your good and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2; James 5:16)

“There came a messenger to Job and said, ‘The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ There came another and said, ‘The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them…’ [And] another said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword,’ [and] another said, ‘Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead.’ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

“So Satan… struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’ But he said to her,.. ‘Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Job 1:14-22; 2:7-10

Job, strafed with pellet fire loss of livelihood, employees, resources, and all ten of his children, bereft in a way that asphyxiates our comprehension, bowed before his LORD, blessed His name, and did not sin. His whole body was then attacked with miserable sores and excruciating pain, and his wife, his only family left, spewed vitriol, said he’d be better off dead and should curse God; yet, Job did not sin. In all this– inexpressible loss, grief, anguish, hurt, being forsaken by his life partner- Job saw fit to bless his LORD.

As unimaginable as his pain is Job’s ability to receive and endure all this without moaning in self-pity, blame, trepidation, or lashing out in anger. He was “the greatest of all the people of the east,” a man of great wealth and esteem whose loss could have destroyed him, but his treasure, his security, his joy and confidence, were with his God. The secret to his right doing was his right heart that feared the Almighty and worshiped Him. (Job 1:1-5)

When I am jarred by a sudden death, choked by loss of resources, when my career is interrupted, my health is attacked, my feelings are hurt by a loved one, what is my reaction? If indeed the LORD gives and takes away, is not all this His right? He is always worthy to be praised.

Lord, I entrust my all this to You this day, for Your preserving, handling, and taking away if You see fit. Keep me from sin, ever blessing Your name.

“The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’ …[He] made a woman and brought her to the man. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

“Now the serpent… said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”‘ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die… your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’  ^.…And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Genesis 2:8-9,16-18,22,25; 3:1-10,21

Eden was perfect and self-consciousness non-existent until desire got disordered. When Eve decided every delight God had given was not enough, she bit into the notion she could have more. Sin produced shame and distance that only God could reach and blood could cover.

The animal killed to clothe Adam and Eve envisaged our Savior’s blood. Jesus came to carry our sin on Calvary and cleanse us from it. When once we’ve changed our shame clothes for His robe of righteousness, we are free forever to exult in His finished work. (Isaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Behind what fig leaves of control or perfection am I hiding? What actions or attitudes do I try to conceal from those I love, from God? What shame eats at my peace, tangles with my sleep, weighs down my heart, pollutes my relationships, keeps me from prayer?

Would I instead come out from shame’s thicket, and live in the light and freedom of forgiveness? God has washed me white as snow, removed my sin as far as east is from west, remembers my sin no more, and I bear no stain. These are truths to wear with joy. (Psalm 32:1; 103:10-12; Isaiah 1:18; 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34)

Holy Savior, may I remember daily I am donned in Your glorious dress, and live accordingly.

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘…Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:1-2,4

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” Job 42:2,5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

Blessed: made holy; consecrated. Endowed with divine favor and protection. Old English blēdsian, blētsian, based on blōd ‘blood’ (i.e. originally perhaps ‘mark or consecrate with blood’). The meaning was influenced by its being used to translate Latin benedicere ‘to praise, worship’, and later by association with bliss.

There is something palpable, thickly arresting and indescribably distinct, about those who mourn. A newborn but too-small baby, a college-bound son, a college freshman, a thriving soon-to-be-college-graduate daughter, gone, never to breathe again on earth, never to be seen again this side of heaven. A marriage that spanned decades of children and celebrations and shared heartache and memories, irreparably torn apart. A home built with love and adorned with years of living, burned to the ground. Where is the balm in this undefinable loss? Blessed are those who mourn?

In each case, blessedness comes in acquaintance with the Man of Sorrows as He walks alongside through the valley of holy ground, however long and dark. Those who mourn know the comfort of Jesus in a way that those who have not will ever know. There is an abiding, an invisible companionship, a common knowing, a shared suffering, a sacred bliss that blesses the deep recesses of the soul in inexplicable but salient ways. (Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 53:3-5)

Mourners hold a unique, and strangely enviable, identity. In the darkest caverns of grief, they discover the crystalline facets of grace jewels hidden only there. Theirs are the blossoms in the desert, theirs the songs in the night, theirs the benediction of tangible comforts from the God of all comfort. (Psalm 42:6-8; Isaiah 35:1-2)

Mourning soul, you are blessed. Nest in, rest in, this place of divine anointing. You are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, with the power and assurance of His resurrection. One day, there will be no more sorrow, suffering, or tears, and until that day, you are enveloped in arms that were spread wide on a cross for you, to give you this very hope. His nail-scarred hands anoint your bowed head, and hold your tears. (John 19:17-18; Philippians 3:8-10; Revelation 21:3-4)

Merciful God, make Yourself known to those who mourn. Bless their sadness with Your celestial song, their emptiness with Your fulness, their loss with Your inextricable life.

“‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days’… Then Esther [said], ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.’”

…”On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews… Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, ‘If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?’” Esther 4:11,15-16; 8:1,3-6

At the news of imminent doom for her people, Esther’s initial boldness in approaching King Ahasuerus was fueled by the earnest prayers of the saints on her behalf. It increased as the king extended his scepter, his receptivity to her request led from one feast to another, and she was able to expose, at just the providential time, the wicked Haman’s sinister plot. Once the king recognized Haman’s hatred for the Jews and his plans for violence against them, he had him hung. But there was still an edict that needed to be overturned in order to save the Jewish people, and Esther knew she had to step up again. (Esther 5-7)

Every time we step out in bold confidence in the Lord, He strengthens faith muscles that then yearn to be exercised again. He gives us opportunity to develop a lifestyle of trusting Him and His wise leading by supplying us the courage and will moment by moment, day by day. (Philippians 2:13)

With whom, or in what situations, am I lacking boldness to stand down, or to speak up? Where is God calling me to step out in faith- in a relationship, ministry, personal habit, or at work- believing He is sufficient and in control of every result?

“Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er,
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more.”  ~Louisa M. R. Stead (1850-1917)

Father, fix my eyes on You over any risk. Grant me holy boldness to trust You more.

“Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus… And Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying… He took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them…

“And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”  Acts 19:1,4-6,9-12,17-20

As Paul took the word of God into Ephesus, its power proved life-changing for those who received it. The Holy Spirit ignited new communication and spreading of the gospel. Minds were persuaded, life directions altered, bodies restored as a fantastic sign of new and vibrant faith. Worship was enhanced through a deeper reverence for Almighty God, and the word brought humbling, sobering conviction that compelled honest confession, forever foregoing of evil practices, the destruction of instruments of wickedness, the irretrievable surrender of earthly valuables. (Hebrews 4:12)

When God’s word increases and prevails, its effects are unstoppable and transformative. God’s truth penetrates our minds to rectify wrong thinking, our spirits to embolden prayer, our hearts to set them ablaze in love and holy affection. God’s word topples our shrines to self and belongings and worldliness, and breaks open the way for fresh life direction, an eternal perspective, new employment of time, refined stewardship of resources and talents. When we continue in the word, it heals our spiritual infirmities, loosens our grip on things that once satisfied and frees us to embrace what lasts forever. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

As we are exposed to the word, what effect is it having? Are we merely gaining knowledge that puffs up, that we parade and discuss in our closed comfort circles, or are we being significantly equipped for works of love and mercy and service that profit others and glorify God? What changes have we made over the last month in expenditures of time or money, in recreation, relationships, prayer focus and investment, because of what the word has taught us? Where will we apply it to make a difference? Where will we yield anew to its power? (1 Corinthians 13:1-2)

Lord, prevail mightily in me! Cause Your word to have its way with my attention and affections, my wisdom and my worship, that Your marvelous name be extolled.