Author: astherainandsnow

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

Joshua had just succeeded Moses, and like his predecessor at the beginning of a new, divine campaign, he is met by a strange vision and is told to remove his sandals, he is on holy ground. Surely Joshua, as his long-time assistant, knew of Moses’ experience, and had received directly from the Lord his commissioning to lead Israel into Canaan and conquer it, but my heart skips a beat at God’s personal attention to Joshua here. It’s as though He is waving His hand in front of his eyes and saying, ‘Look at me. I’ve chosen you to be on My side and be the captain of all I will accomplish here. I’ve made the marvelous way before you through the Jordan, and will continue to go before you. Don’t get distracted by the work, though it is a great one; be consumed with Me. Don’t ask Me to be on your side; stay on Mine. Never forget this is My campaign and will be My victory. I am holy.’ (Exodus 3:1-5)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God would visibly show up as a warrior every time we embark on a daunting unknown, a formidable endeavor, a risky defense? Is He teaching here that He is in charge and wherever He meets with us, and calls us to be, He is present and therefore we are on holy ground? Mustn’t I remove my sandals, surrender whatever habits and practices I’m accustomed to, the tools and equipment and talents I think necessary, the wise strategies I’ve developed, to His higher, holier enabling? Instead of asking Him to sidle up to me and bless my plans, shouldn’t I be aligning myself with His?

I love how God arrested Joshua at his point of embarking. Joshua took a moment to look up- whether at Jericho’s looming walls or to the heavens in prayer, we do not know, but the LORD met him at his gaze. It takes a deliberate pausing, physically, of mind’s racing, of heart’s passion, of runaway fear, to behold the Lord and take in His word for me. Will I look up when the Jerichos are before me?

Oh mighty and holy Commander, fix my attention and focus on Thee. Keep me on Your holy ground, shoeless for Your adorning, hands lifted in dependence, whenever You call, wherever You lead. (Psalm 134:2)

“The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.”’ And Joshua said, ‘Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you… Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.’ So the people set out… to pass over the Jordan… and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away… Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.” Joshua 3:7-8,10-11,13-17

There are times we’re called to act, and times we’re called to stand. God established Joshua as the one who would lead Israel into the promised land by instructing him how the marvelous entrance would take place. The priests who transported the ark, representing God’s presence, were to step first into the raging river, then plant their feet and hold as the waters also stood upstream, by God’s mighty hand, and the people passed by across the river bed.

Sometimes when we move, we miss the glory of the Lord. While He equips us for battle and often commands us to act deliberately, there are also times He says, get ready, take the first step, then stand firmly in my promise and watch what I will do. (Exodus 14:13; 2 Chronicles 20:15,17)

Are there instances where am I trying to help God, where I am pushing ahead on my way when He’s clearly led me to a certain place but is saying, let me now take the reins? It takes a setting aside of our fear at not being in control, but by standing in faith we prove His might and care over and over. It takes trained discernment and keen listening to know when to step forward, armed for battle or advancing, and when the next step is to stand in the brink of God’s great activity and hold on to Him. It might be that He says prepare, educate yourself, then step into prayer and trust Me to change the heart, raise the conversation, orchestrate the next steps. Watch Me divide the impossible Sea. He is always faithful to be present, faithful to lead.

LORD, You lead Your people to make for Yourself a glorious name. Keep me still and watchful before You, standing firm in faith, so I know how to follow. (Isaiah 63:14; 1 Corinthians 16:13)

“I bow my knees before the Father,.. that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19

I recently read a piece on the depth of prayer modeled in the Scriptures compared with what we tend to pray for. There is a place to ask God to meet practical and urgent needs, for healing and protection, but what would change if we were to pray with Paul’s heart for the deeper things? It is easy to see the specific answers of a passed exam, a benign diagnosis, safe passage, but it also does something profound for us when we seek adjustments of mindset, changes in affections, quelled rebellion, needed spiritual discernment, increased fruit of the Spirit like patience and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Clouds make for more spectacular vistas than clear blue does. I think of a clear day’s prayers as those that scratch the surface. Just as clouds in the sky make for a richer, more layered glory, life-clouds– challenges and longings and tragedies– drive us to more significant searching, to grow in many-faceted understanding of God’s character and ways, to fortify our faith and trust in His supernatural intervention, to develop godly attributes. Is this our desire?

“It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

When prayer goes deep, vision is elevated, our expectation is broader, our thinking is more cogent. We worship and serve an infinite, indescribable God Who longs to do in and for us beyond our imagining, and to sanctify even our prayers, unto His beautiful honor. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Colossians 1:9-12

Father, drive me down on my knees deeper into Your truths and character as I pray. Inform my thinking and take control of my hopes and wants, that they reflect what You want for me and those for whom I pray. As You work in response, may Your magnificent glory be revealed, relished, and proclaimed.

“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land… And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated… And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” Deuteronomy 34:1,4-7,10-12

What an example is Moses to us! As he breathed, he was faithful to God’s people, and to close his days he pronounced truth and blessing over them, giving his best. After all the years he had led likely two million Israelites through the hot wilderness, when the LORD told him his time to die was near, he didn’t throw in the towel, didn’t complain it was now “his” time, he deserved better, or a break. No, he kept on climbing, continued conversing with the LORD, and obeyed, to the end. His vision of God’s land for God’s people was as strong as ever, and with lusty vigor, he ascended Mount Nebo to behold it across the Jordan, then peacefully rested in his beloved Lord. A life well-lived, a life worth of emulation.

When we are weary, feeling the wear of demands, requests, responsibilities, needs before us that we do not know how to meet, have we allowed these pressures to dim our vision of what really matters? Do we spend vigor on what does not last, or have eternal value, and wonder why we am sapped of energy necessary for the priorities the Lord has made clear? Certainly Moses grew tired his long days of journeying, settling conflicts, listening to incessant whining; yet, his vigor for the eternal, for communion with his God, was unabated. His secret store of strength came from an inner life fueled by his Sovereign, an eternal perspective that never wavered because of circumstances or emotion. Would that we can do the same!

Lord on high, as You daily bid me rise, may I shine, redeem the time, and be spent for Thee. Sanctify my sight, infuse me with Your zeal and vigor from age to age. You are the LORD, the Giver of every breath, and my times are in Your hands. (Job 12:10; Psalm 31:15; Isaiah 60:1-2,5,15,16; Ephesians 5:16)

“Moses said to [all Israel], ‘I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, “You shall not go over this Jordan.” The Lord your God himself will go over before you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.’ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land… It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.'” Deuteronomy 31:1-3,6-8

Moses gave the best encouragement: truth that didn’t focus on him, but on the able, faithful God Who would lead the Israelites into their promised land. ‘Don’t weep for me; be strong, count on our great God! He will do everything He said He would!’ He told them all, then he told Joshua personally in front of them, displaying a great vote of confidence for the LORD and His assigned successor-leader. How encouraging to Joshua this must have been, a blessing rooted in the very word of God!

‘En-couragement.’ ‘Put courage in.’ We do this for others by reminding them of the truthworthiness of Scriptures, what is unshakeable and true about Who Almighty God is, how He works, and what He has promised He will do. Am I taking every opportunity to speak courage into those I love and come into contact with, those who confide about struggles and heartache and need? Am I familiar enough with the scriptures that I have a ready word? Does my life show how I am trusting Him in my dark places, that God’s word has proven true for me?

Even though Joshua had been prepared, after the death of Moses his mentor, reality of his absence sank in. The LORD, to illustrate He would indeed be with him, appeared and spoke His encouragement again, one-on-one. “[He] said to Joshua, Moses’ assistant, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them…Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses… Be strong and courageous…Be strong and very courageous… This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it…Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’” (Joshua 1:1-3,5-9)

And God does the same for us today. Through His divine word, He washes His encouragement over and into us, reminding us that He is ever with us, is for us, and will never fail us. (Romans 8:31,38-39; Hebrews 13:5)

Lord, You continually encourage me with Your true word. Keep me faithful to do the same for others. (Psalm 19:9)

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.  It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it… I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days.” Deuteronomy 30:11-16,19-20

Obedience is not easy, but it is commanded. Life is not easy, but it is to be lived eagerly, and can be with great gusto and joy and fruitfulness. Discipline is not easy, but is good and produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. Why is it we shirk “commandments,” resist the idea of restriction, or submitting to authority other than our own? What makes us want to write our own rules or live by no rules (which is actually rather directionless and arbitrary)? Because since the garden of Eden, we think, even subconsciously, that we know better than God does what will make us happy– and happiness is our goal, in the flesh. But we must see that our benevolent God imposes commandments for the good of His people, not harm. His intention is to bless, that man’s days be bountiful in giving, relationships, meaning, joy. (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-7; John 10:10; Hebrews 12:5-11)

When pressure to give in or go along with others is insurmountable, when ‘doing the right thing’ is awkward or risky, when temptation to gossip or lust or greed or idolatry or sloth is overpowering, we can obey! God offers a way out! He does not dangle the ‘rule carrot’ impossibly beyond our reach. Jesus, the perfect Savior, died to cleanse us from sin and free us from sin’s power over us. His Spirit indwells to regenerate our passions, refocus our energy, clean our minds and mouths, and reorient our affections until His ways become our default desire. Certainly, while living here on earth, we will struggle with our flesh, but tasting the fruit of obedience makes us want more. Grounded on the Word, we can soar within its borders and freedom. (Romans 7:14-25; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

Lord, thank You for Your accessibility, Your good rules, and the fulness of life. Have Your way in me so I want all You want for me, and gladly, gratefully, obey. (Psalm 16:11)

“I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-19

The sky is wide in Texas. The air is intense hot or biting cold, the wind can be fierce, and storms take on larger-than-life of their own in boom flash and torrent. Streams rush like freight trains after rain, and grackles puncture the large morning quiet with their deafening cacophony. Pecan shells are unforgiving under foot, as the sun is unforgiving from cloudless sky. Plants sharp as blades are strung with gentle jewel drops of rain that glisten in dawn’s light. Every sense is overwhelmed by the measurelessness of all that exists here, but not more so than it is when considering the love of Christ Jesus.

Paul is a man of the world with a mind in the heavenlies. Once God saved him, his spiritual capacity expanded to embrace the church through ages past and future, the magnificent riches of glory in Christ, the measurelessness of Jesus’s love, and the inexplicable power of God to translate understanding of all these things to finite man. His desire to know more, to comprehend, to be filled, expresses itself in extravagant, earnest prayer for the church.

God made us in His image to understand something of dimension, emotion, and a sense of the inexplicable, and He inspired a description of His indescribable love using limitless ‘how’s. There are some things the human mind cannot grasp, but the tingle and taste of infinitude in these words makes us want to—to grasp, to experience, to know this love that knows no bounds. Isn’t all of this temporal life a longing for eternity, our limited knowledge a hungering for full knowledge, and our seeing in a mirror dimly a yearning to see face to face? Shouldn’t these divinely-imposed restraints compel us to wonder at and know the measureless One better? (Ecclesiastes 3:11; 1 Corinthians 13:12)

How will I pray more like Paul, even if to seek his same zeal? What about the magnitude of Christ’s love can I live out and proclaim? When and how am I giving glory to the One Who exceeds imagination and is able to accomplish more than I even know to ask?

Lord, I want to know You. Keep me exploring the depths of Your character and truth, Your vast love and grace. Apply them in and through me so that others can taste and see that You are good-  indescribably, immeasurably, infinitely lovingly good. (Psalm 34:8)

“Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, ‘Keep the whole commandment that I command you today.  And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you… And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.’” Deuteronomy 27:1-3,5-8

On the day, right away. It shall be your number one priority when you enter the land to commemorate it, to commemorate your God, because it is He Who took you there and gave you the land, and Him you must worship and follow and thank and serve. Don’t start exploring, don’t settle, don’t begin to amass new goodies for yourself; first of all, remember God. The stone altar was to be established as a place of worship through sacrifice, offering to God from all He had given. It was a place to celebrate their relationship with Him, the peace between holy God and sinful man because of His mercy to them. This altar was a place of rejoicing and celebration, deep thankfulness at the richness of life with Him; and of eating, a tasty, nourishing feast that signifies how He feeds His people spiritually and supplies for every need. With the words of the law inscribed, it was a place of remembrance, reminding how to live, how to treat the LORD and others, resetting the heart, reviving the soul, renewing the vision.

When I enter the land-gift of each new day, what is my first impulse? Is it a jump start of movement, activity and communication with the world, or to gather stones– of gratitude, of remembering, of praise to gracious, good, upright God Who goes before me into this adventure? Do I gather and hold tight everything I need to tackle my tasks, or first open my fingers to offer my best? Do I write my agenda, or read His? Am I taking time to sup with my hospitable King, to be nourished, to linger, to enjoy His presence and the delights of His word?

Good Father, in Your faithful generosity You give every day. May I receive all You lavish with worship, open hands, a joyful heart, and humble gratitude, and build only what establishes Your truth and reflects Your glory. (Psalm 118:24; Matthew 7:8-9)

“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. And you shall… say, ‘I declare today to the Lord God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us… My father… became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.  And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. Then we cried to the Lord, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.” Deuteronomy 26:1-3,5-11

Before any new endeavor, be it a move, a new job, or heading to college, it helps to be oriented, to know what to expect and what will be expected. Moses is a master (by God’s direction) at preparing the Israelites for entering the promised land, and sets out clear instructions for them. He knows the ‘milk and honey’ will be a welcome blessing after their decades wandering in the desert, perhaps even a temptation to glut or feel self-sufficient pride, so he makes sure they remember where they came from, how God delivered and multiplied them, and that all is from Him. He establishes their required offerings of first fruits and tithes, a visual aid for any day of giving our first and best to the Giver of every good and perfect gift to us. (Deuteronomy 6:10-13; James 1:17)

God alone is deserving of honor and thanksgiving and our best. It is a worthy spiritual discipline to offer Him the first fruits of my time, my physical and mental resources, my energy and abilities. It is good (and brings great joy!) to think on all He has given and done for me, and to respond in loving gratitude by giving back what He owns.

“Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”  ~Isaac Watts (1707)

Gracious LORD, as recipient of Your measureless abundance, may I ever bless You, exalted Ruler from Whose hand comes all honor, wealth, power, and might, and serve You with joyfulness and gladness of heart. (Deuteronomy 28:47; 1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

“Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God… They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.” Psalm 78:1-8,11

God’s people were for centuries the vehicle for His word. The holy scriptures were passed along through writing and telling, and when God beckons us come to partake, to listen and learn, it is not for our benefit alone. His gifts, His truth, are to be passed on. He orders our lives in His sovereign determination as He writes our story, and it is one He intends us to share with others.

I remember vividly a challenging situation with which I wrestled the summer after my first year of college. I journaled about it, pouring out my heart to God, writing as He directed my conscience, my thought process, my reasoning. Eventually He won out. That experience had a significant impact on the trajectory of my life. A quarter century later, one of my own children was struggling with a very similar conundrum, and I was able to share from my journal how personally the Lord had met and helped me, given hope and courage for obedience. It became a pivotal time for my child’s faith. Who knows how posterity may benefit from God’s awesome works for us?

What priority am I making to proclaim God’s wonders to the next generation? How willing am I to take the time, to be vulnerable, to speak (with discernment) not only of famous, happy deeds, but of how He has used mistakes and consequences and heartaches too? Am I telling how He widened the seas of resentment and walked me through forgiveness? Do I teach how He convicts of sin and changes our mindset, dissolves preconceptions, softens hearts toward the brusque and unlovely? Do I model gracious and generous living that puts others first, that looks to fill needs and to extend myself even when it is hard, is inconvenient, or hurts? Am I willing to describe temptation’s pull, and the way out God provides, that the momentary pleasures of sin often leave scars, but the freedom from obedience comes without regret and baggage? (1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 11:25)

Lord, let me ever recount Your glorious deeds, and be faithful to tell others so they will put their hope in You.