As the rain and snow

“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.

“You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me… Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” “The Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Psalm 139:5,7-10; Isaiah 52:12 

There are times in life when we feel hemmed in by pressure, stressed by demands on us, restricted in movement by unexpected obstacles or unwanted fetters. We struggle to untangle from the cacophony of noise, murmuring, banter, opinion. We need space to think, to move. We want to break free. But God’s hemming in of us is gracious, loving, protective, free. It is a gift for which we should daily be thankful, and in which we can exercise joyful, confident movement.

To know that my Lord goes before me, counseling and teaching the way I should go, and that He is the shield round about me and the lifter of my head, assures me I am secure in Him. Within His wide care I can plumb the depths of His love and the far reaches of His grace. I can search out His wisdom like hidden treasure and tap into the limits of His knowledge and understanding. I can explore His paths of justice and righteousness, and climb high His mount of faithful promise. I can also love with abandon, interact with confidence, boldly spread abroad His truth, reach out in mercy and compassion, give with lavish generosity. In Him I am free to bear rich fruit and serve with gladness. (Psalm 3:3; 32:8; 57:10; 100:2; Proverbs 3:3-5,9-11; Galatians 5:1,22-23; Ephesians 3:18-19; Romans 11:33)

What obligations and responsibilities are squeezing you to the point of breathlessness?  What troubles are choking your sense of calm? Is there a circumstance or sorrow that is ominously closing in and threatening to take you over? Can you see with spiritual eyes that even when present earthly pressures are many, when the world is mercilessly cruel, when winds of sadness blow and storms of doubt and confusion set our equilibrium reeling, we are hemmed in by almighty God? Being surrounded and held by Him, we have a peace that is other-worldly. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Father, thank You for hemming me in all about. Please help me to live and love, to work and serve, to know and honor You with the zeal and abandon You made me to do.

“A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” “We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” “”And I will give him the morning star… Behold, I am coming soon… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end… I, Jesus,.. am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Numbers 24:17; 2 Peter 1:19; Isaiah 60:3; Revelation 2:28; 22:12-13,16

Light was from the beginning created and ordained to distinguish out of chaos light from darkness, morning from night, to identify the Shekinah glory of God’s presence, to expose all that He would make and give to man. Stars were made to determine and rule day and night, to be signs for times and seasons, to give light by which we could see, comprehend, and know the way before us, and to twinkle and shoot in streaks to evoke imagination and wonder, humility and praise. The naming of Jesus our Redeemer and Savior as the bright morning star magnifies Him as the Revealer and Sustainer of all He has made and all that is good, the One Who orders our calendar and all of history, and the Victor before Whom all will one day bow. (Genesis 1:3-4,14-18; 37:9; Job 9:9-10; 38:31-33; Psalm 8:3,4,9; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3)

My Jesus, King from royal lineage, Light of the world, resplendent One Who was and is and is to come, is the poetic Bright Morning Star that sings in each new day. He is the hope of nations, and conclusion of history. He holds a scepter of power, loyalty, and righteousness, He is the One whose spirit rises in my heart to give understanding of the prophetic word, the promises, the sound truth of the holy book.

Because of Him, I live certain, unshaken, not fearing bad news because He holds all authority and righteously reigns. I live in confidence, because He lights the way before me, even if only a step at a time, and knows the way I take. It may be long, it may be hard, but he refines and sanctifies me as gold. I live in dawn’s perpetual hope, because His mercies are new every morning. (Job 23:10; Psalm 112:7; Lamentations 3:22-23; John 8:12; Revelation 1:8)

“Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him…’ And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Matthew 2:1-2,9-10

My Morning Star, cause Your brightness to rise in me. May I steadfastly follow You, and daily worship, offering my treasures of which You are worthy, bowing in humble amazement and surrender, and praise.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… He poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” “That which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Isaiah 53:3-6,12; Matthew 1:20-21

Imagine the announcement to Joseph, then to Mary, that this One they were to raise was the long-expected Jesus, the sorrowful Savior Who would be despised, afflicted, crushed. We know both received the message, Joseph responding in ready obedience, Mary with quiet trust and thankfulness. To bear the holy Son of God was a high calling, a peculiar honor Mary appropriated with praise and pondering. (Luke 1:26-38,46-55; 2:19,51)

This side of Calvary, do I receive His life with the same wonder? What difference does the Man upon the cross make for me each day? Am I taking time to contemplate His grief over sin’s fallout in broken relationships, idolatry, tearing down of people and reputations and institutions, pain of disease, and the love He pours out in response? Do I appreciate the suffering He bore on my behalf? If I am grateful, does it show? Do I thrive as one redeemed, forgiven, healed, or slog along in complaint, defeat, discouragement? He bore sorrow so I can live with joy. He was ruined so I can be whole. He was chastised so I can have peace. His bearing my sin’s burden frees me from the weight of self-focus and pride to live for Him and others. Is my life imprinted with the work of the cross?

“’Man of Sorrows!’ what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
‘Full atonement!’ can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
‘It is finished!’ was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!”  ~Philip P. Bliss (1875)

My Savior, keep me contemplating You on earth, on the cross, and at the right hand of God in glory. Promised One Who perfectly fulfills Your purpose and Whom I will one day see face to face, may my life ever sing hallelujahs. (1 Corinthians 13:9,12; Ephesians 1:20; 1 John 3:2)