Author: astherainandsnow

“Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.  And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.  Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” Joshua 21:43-45

I love repeated refrains in hymns that emphasize at the end of each stanza’s ‘story’ the truth it illustrates or supports. “Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou, my God, wouldst die for me?” Throughout Scripture, repeated refrains of God’s good plans fulfilled are sung over and over. The resolution of Israel’s establishment in Canaan was an ‘Amen’ to all God had promised, all He had trained His people for through the Exodus from Egypt and the wanderings in Sinai, all He had instructed and Joshua had obeyed. And this settling in the land foretells the higher and better rest we will know one day, ‘that day,’ when we are with Jesus forever. The God Who calls, promises, and equips brings all to pass. The LORD gave the land, the rest, the enemies into their hands, the fulfillment of His promises.

Reading this passage near the end of Joshua, I cannot help but think of Revelation 21:3-7: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’  And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.'”

Great is Your faithfulness, Lord, unto Your people. Every time You do what You say You will do, You strengthen my faith and anticipation in what will be. What occurs here on earth is a beautiful reflection of all You will one day fulfill. You determine every glorious resolution, and Your constancy and fidelity to Your word inform and encourage me through my present journey. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust You! How I’ve proved You o’er and o’er! It is indeed well with my soul.

When I am on a stand-up board, I prefer to paddle into the wind. I can see the current in triangles of water, anticipate the movement of the waves, maneuver to cross wakes at the best angle for keeping balance. Paddling with the wind, I am often caught unaware by its force from behind, breezing along at a nice clip but shaken by the irregular swells that sneak up and wobble me. It takes more power to advance into the wind, but is actually less difficult, with every stroke directed and purposeful. I am unsettled by what I cannot anticipate or see.

Charging ahead brings a certain rush, especially when we are following a confident, knowledgable leader, or have a clear map and destination. But do we always check on what follows us? Am I aware of the niggling doubts, the past failures, the weight of unknowns that can unsettle me from behind or drag me down?

“The LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” “Fear not, for I am with you. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” “The LORD is on my side as my helper.” Isaiah 52:12; 41:10; Psalm 139:5; 118:7

What comfort there is in knowing that my God not only leads me, but surrounds me, clearing the path as I forge ahead and fending off attack from around and behind. I have only one set of eyes, but His eye is on me and He sees all. He is “the shield round about me and the lifter of my head.” (Psalm 3:3)

Lord, You are above and below me, before and behind me. May I so live, and others see, that Christ be all around me.

“Then Joshua said, ‘You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong. How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?'” Joshua 17:17-18; 18:3

After my father died, I bought his car from the estate. Money changed hands, it was titled in my name; I owned it. Over the following year or so, I kept discovering features I hadn’t known it possessed, and I called it my ‘Holy Spirit car.’ He is ours, indwelling us, holding power and wisdom and insight and ability that we own, yet often do not appropriate.

Taking possession of the Promised Land for Israel required their taking up arms, moving in, and taking over by displacing its inhabitants. For me, appropriating all that is available to me in Christ requires a putting away of selfish intention, old thought- and practice-habits that prevent the exercise of healthy ones, and taking the new land of the fullness of Christ in courageous faith.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:3,7-9,11,13-14

Lord, You train my hands for war. Fit me and fuel me for taking all things that are mine in Christ, and for living what is true. (Psalm 144:1)

I love Joseph. God has imprinted much of his story on my life over the years. In Genesis 41, I am struck when he names his two sons: Manasseh (“For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house”) and Ephraim (“For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”). We know some of his suffering from the Genesis story, but it is a factual accounting, sans complaint. We imagine more physical and emotional suffering than Joseph ever lets on; he remains steadfast and faithful.

In 42:21 his brothers mention “the distress of his soul,” and Psalm 105:17-18 reveals he“was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron.” We know he endured ridicule, cruelty, betrayal, false accusation, imprisonment, yet Joseph does not belabor his hardship. He exalts his God Who was in charge through it all, purifying his mind and renewing his spirit as He bore eternal fruit. Joseph wants his sons to bear witness to the greatness of his God.

May my life be known by my eye for God and not self! Make me fruitful in the land where You have planted me, Lord. May You be my clothing, my song, my story, my countenance. In my heart’s afflictions, my inward struggles, may my “offspring”—what I produce in words, activity, service–call to mind my faithful God above all else. “ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)

Joshua was some leader! In chapter 8, he takes charge of a sobered Israel, tens of thousands of “men of valor,” to defeat the people of Ai– who’d just whooped them because of their sin. His strategy is brilliant, his ability to inspire stellar, his focus steeled on his Captain. Immediately after his masterful plan is successfully executed, he ‘celebrates’ by building an altar to the LORD “and they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law. And afterward he read all the words of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel.” After a spectacular military victory, he takes no credit or glory for himself, but instead, leads his people to laud their God. He’s had the best of humble mentors, Moses, and it is clear God has captured his heart.

While Jesus didn’t lead military endeavors, He certainly led by example in battles of heart, thought, and broken bodies. He skillfully broke through barricades of doubt and suspicion, defeated strongholds of pride, bitter attitude, sin habits, disease, and though He did not win over those who chose to continue in unbelief, He always ministered and taught with wise, redemptive strategy. Humbly, perfectly, He never brought attention to Himself, but served His Father and His will wholeheartedly, for His glory. “ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (John17:4)

“March on, my soul, with might!” “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Judges 5:21; John 16:33

Captain of my soul, in any challenge, You are the Leader worthy to follow. You know my daily battles and the enemy’s wily plots. Guide me as Your soldier in strategy, priorities, bravery, and focus. As I follow You and execute Your plan, whomever I lead or influence, keep me worshiping Thee and holding out Your word of life. To You be all the glory.

“O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands.” Psalm 144:3; 8:3-6

David’s high view and deep knowledge of his God gave him a proper view of himself: insignificant in comparison to the greatness of God, yet exalted, highly esteemed, affectionately loved, graciously redeemed because of the Lord’s bountiful heart and measureless love. “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?  And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord God!  And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. For your servant’s sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.  There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you.  And who is like your people whom God went to redeem?'” 1 Chronicles 17:16-21

Today, we are taught, and our culture impresses us, to think of ourselves often and well, to do and procure whatever makes us happy, satisfied, comfortable, safe; to beware all that stings, offends, endangers, causes discomfort and hurts feelings. Even in a marriage, and in a job, ‘it’s all about me’: How can I be best fulfilled, get ahead, stay within my job description, earn the most, gain recognition? But in God’s heavenly economy, all is turned topsy turvy, and David gets this. His looking up enables him to look within with proper understanding.

In God’s providence, He ordained David to be the youngest of seven sons, a shepherd spending hours among dumb sheep under blazing sun or a galaxy of stars, alone…and He trained David in lofty thinking, early recognition that he was small and God was big. It was his high view of God that gave David his boldness, his strength, and his appeal as a leader. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:8,10)

Lord, keep me asking “Who is God?” that I rightly understand and accept “what is man.” Hone in me a divine perspective, and keep me bowing.

David’s Psalm 143 prayer describes a soul’s thirst. It is based on God’s mercy, faithfulness, and righteousness that he knew well; only there could it be assuaged. He acknowledges his own lack of righteousness, and tells his complaint: “For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. My spirit fails!” Then he recalls and meditates on all God has done since days of old. Praise focusing on Who God is awakens confession when we realize how short we fall, which stirs up gratitude for His lovingkind works. These set the table for expectant asking, and that is what David does next.

“I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O Lord! Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge.Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!” 

In honest desperation, David’s every request is grounded in utter trust in his God and His attributes. Show up! Encourage me! Guide me! Deliver me! Teach me! Lead me! Preserve me! His ‘amen’ is confident submission: “And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.”

Lord, keep me aware of how parched I am without You. Slake my soul-thirst with reminders of Your steadfast love and robust love in Your ongoing work on my behalf. I stretch out my hands to You in worship and need.

The call to return in Jeremiah 3 is laced with mercy. “Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD. Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master. Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness.” 

“God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4

Grace gives us what we do not deserve, and mercy withholds from us what we do deserve. God’s wide mercy is spread out in open arms, beckoning us to come, to repent–confess our sins and turn from them to Him. It is His loving mercy that woos us to humble, rigorous, honest self-reflection, that convicts the heart and warms it toward Him, and that turns the taste of rebellion sour and the effort of self-will despicable. The peace that follows is indescribable, a loving and lavish gift from the Bestower of the undeserved.

Behold, I come to You, I return to You, for you are the LORD my God. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; Your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Make all sin repugnant to me, cleanse my rebellion, and redeem the wasted opportunities and the favors I have scattered. “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Jeremiah 3:22; Lamentations 3:22-23; Psalm 51:17,10) Thank You for Your wide mercy.

I love the story of the feeding of the 5000, included in all four gospels. “Only five loaves”–which Jesus multiplies and uses to satisfy thousands. Our God is mighty and can do anything. He can accomplish His plans by any means, and chooses to use His people in order to develop us and bring glory to Himself through our transformation and exercising gifts He has bestowed.

After a long day dealing with grief over the cruel death of his beloved cousin John the Baptist, and healing great crowds of needy people, he calls on His disciples to feed the crowd of about 5000 men, plus women and children. “We have only five loaves here, and two fish.” Then He took what was offered, gave thanks, and had them distribute to the seated crowds; all were satisfied and twelve basketful were left over!

How often do I feel my abilities, resources, knowledge to contribute are limited, insufficient, even unworthy? Jesus invites me simply to open my hands in expectant faith and offer them, turn them over to Him. He does the multiplying, the divine work, and graciously, purposefully includes me in the actual distribution, working alongside my heavenly supervisor. He feeds me, and others, in unimaginable ways so He receives the glory.

Lord, what I see as meager, You see as possibility. What I see as “only,” You see as enough. Unfold my fingers, use me. To You who are able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.” Luke 11:34-35

How could he? After the magnificent crossing of the Jordan and the triumphant taking of Jericho in the Promised land under God’s obvious favor, Joshua 7 recounts how Achan allowed some shiny objects to lure him from God, and Israel suffered the consequences. He’d been a select warrior among the relatively few chosen to take Ai, and knew well the command from Joshua 6:18-20: “Keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest…you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.  But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” But after a defeat at Ai, the death of 36 troops and the disheartening of Israel, the Lord explained to Joshua that Israel had sinned. When confronted, Achan confessed. “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did:  when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

How quickly a look becomes lust becomes a fall! It’s a biblical and human pattern. O be careful little eyes what you see! Tim Keller describes idolatry as “looking at something and saying, in your heart of hearts, ‘If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.’ An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” It is a good thing that becomes an ultimate thing, causing disordered affections in our heart. What is frightening is how effortlessly and insidiously a seemingly innocent look can distort vision and clear thinking. (Genesis 3:6; 2 Samuel 11:2-4; Counterfeit Gods)

While it may be easy for me to look on and say it’s ridiculous to give in to stealing a pretty garment and some money and bring destruction on a whole family and the reputation of your nation, but I must consider my own heart and actions. Whose reputations have I harmed by giving in to loose talk? What glory that is rightfully God’s is stolen by self-promotion? How are loved ones prevented from seeing God’s triumphs by my unwillingness to do the hard thing? To trust His sufficiency? How has deliberate disobedience and selfishness discouraged another’s faith or caused them to stumble?

Good Father, purify my eyes, expose my idolatry. May I desire You above all else, Your word and ways as my chief delight.