As the rain and snow

“On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.  When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.  Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, ‘Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.’  But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’  For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’  And they did so, and had them all sit down.  And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.  And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.” Luke 9:10-17

The apostles had just recounted all they had done with their vested authority, proclaiming the kingdom of God and healing diseases. But as the day wore on, possibility had lost ground to desolate, miraculous power to dearth. Energy for the supernatural got sleepy in their minds and the monochromatic practical loomed large: the crowds were hungry and there was no food and it was time to leave. How could these zealous disciples change their tune from excitement over miracles to the problem of impossibility so quickly? Jesus’s words challenged their thinking and engaged them in higher work once again. He had them participate so they knew there was no end, no waning, of His power. (Luke 9:1-6)

As our days wear away, how does our outlook change? Do vision, zeal, hope, or expectation wane? Do early possibilities with faith slip to probable failures and fear? Does exhaustion drown enthusiasm or accomplishment swallow adrenaline?

After a successful campaign or meaningful God-given victory, do we fall away from vital dependence on our Lord? Have we experienced the high of an infusion of divine energy and wisdom for a particular cause, then after its conclusion feared we could not perform? Have we known with personal intimacy God’s outpouring of love and care, yet later fallen to self-pity?

The Lord’s strength is limitless, His goodness never failing, His faithfulness eternal. His mercies are fresh for every morning, and evening. As days wear away, we need not. A consistent life of vibrant faith maintains vigor and trust through every hour. What triggers lapses in expectancy from God, and how will we retrain our mindset to remain anticipative of His bountiful, amazing grace? (Psalm 36:5; Lamentations 3:22-23)

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.” ~Thomas O. Chisholm (1923)

Father, teach me the steadiness You exemplify. Keep me consistent in vigor and holy expectancy, that You be magnified in every moment.

“There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;  and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;  and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body…  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be?  There are many parts, yet one body…

“But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,  that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.  And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7,11-15,17-20, 24b-28

God is a master planner and builder. He knows what is needed for every family, church, task, and season. His plans for us are good and His ways are good. When we acknowledge our and others’ gifting, accept the measure and assignment appointed to each, and trust His arrangement in the body, we can contribute within His framework toward exciting, lasting work. (Psalm 119:68; Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 4:11-16)

Why doesn’t he get it? Why does she act that way? Why don’t they think like I do? The questions we ask in conflict or misunderstand betray a shallow grasp of the Church as a whole. The Creator of the individual is also the Composer of the Body. He crafts with exquisite expertise and wisdom, building His church so it can function with health and fruitfulness.

Do I get frustrated at another’s ignorance or inability to see my way? Am I prone to impatience and criticism with those on my team and lose sight of the One whom we serve? Where am I provincial in my thinking, my loving, allowing favoritism or preference to determine my interest in and care of others in the Body? How honest am I in admitting weaknesses so I can grow, and how can I encourage the needed strengths of others? If we all focus on common goals and submit to God’s ordering, we can together accomplish much. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Lord, help me employ Your grace-apportioned gifts gratefully, humbly, and zealously toward Your ends and glory. (Romans 12:3)

“Then Job answered [Bildad]:

“He stretches out the north over the void
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them.
He covers the face of the full moon…
Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
    and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

“God understands the way to [wisdom],
    and he knows its place.”

“Then Job answered the Lord and said:

‘Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
    I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
    twice, but I will proceed no further…

‘I know that you can do all things,
    and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
“Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?”
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
“Hear, and I will speak;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.”
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
    but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
    and repent in dust and ashes.’” Job 26:1,7-9,14; 28:23; 40:3-5; 42:1-6

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim…  And one called to another:

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!..’

“I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips..; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!'” Isaiah 6:1-3,5

Many prayers in scripture are examples of rich communion with God. The give and take reveals much about both parties. In the secret place, it is the silences, the watching, beholding, listening, that truly transforms. Job’s humble, righteous approach unveils facets of his Lord he could not have known other than through long contemplation and honest vulnerability. What he knew, he held, but what he learned in listening broadened wide his understanding and enriched his spirit. When the Almighty spoke, he listened, and was changed. Isaiah was likewise smitten in spirit and compelled to surrender at his overwhelming vision of God’s glory and the power of His voice. (Job 38-39; 41:11; Isaiah 6:6-8)

In prayer, we often approach God with words. While we might express some praise and thanksgiving, we’re mostly concerned with telling, explaining, and asking. As in many conversations of give and take, there is an appropriate time to be quiet and yield the floor. Consider prayer as God’s turn to talk.

What does God having His turn look and sound like? It takes being quiet, and still, and concentrating. Take in His beauty, His majesty, His invisible but evident power. Exhale preconceptions and pining to take in His Spirit’s cleansing, energizing, and inspiration. Take His promises as our own, in faith at their inestimable worth.

When will we take time to listen? Would we exercise self-control in quieting our list to listen and take in the splendor of His words and work? What will we yield and do to practice genuine, life-changing communion with the Almighty?

Father, help me keep my unholy lips closed, and my eyes and ears open to You above all.

“Today also my complaint is bitter;
    my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
    that I might come even to his seat!
I would lay my case before him
    and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know what he would answer me
    and understand what he would say to me.
Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
    No; he would pay attention to me…
    and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
    and backward, but I do not perceive him;
on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
    he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
But he knows the way that I take;
    when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
My foot has held fast to his steps;
    I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
    I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
    What he desires, that he does.
For he will complete what he appoints for me,
    and many such things are in his mind.
Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
    when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
    the Almighty has terrified me;
yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
    nor because thick darkness covers my face.” Job 23:2-6,7b-17

Job has suffered with unspeakable circumstances and pain, even now under his friend’s accusations of broad, callous evil. His bitter complaint echoes his inner misery, yet is wholly turned Godward because he knows his God. Though he cannot understand his present trials, nor feel any comfort, nor the hope of relief, He trusts the Almighty knows his agonies and is achieving redemptive purposes by them. To whom else would he go? He claims God’s omniscience, immutability, sovereignty, and goodness, and is sustained. (Job 12:13; 13:15; 16:19-20; 19:25; 22:1, 5-11; Psalm 73:23-26)

In much of our lives we will not know all the reasons behind hardship. Calamities happen, people sting, health declines, and relationships change. Caught under the heavy hand of the difficulties, we cry out, but often don’t even know what to ask for or what relief would look like. But when we know Christ, we can know His nearness, His abiding presence as a palpable comfort in distress. Flesh and heart and dreams may fail, but He is our hope and strength. The gift He gives in these times is the knowledge of Him, not the whys and hows.

Where are we presently weighed down, beaten up, or drained out? Have we come to the end, where no prescription or manipulation works, and all we can do is trust the all-knowing One? This is exactly His design, His invitation to trust who He is more than what He will do. Admitting our helplessness against His faithfulness and power will transform our perspective.

“Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!” ~Robert Grant (1833)

Invisible Lord, help me trust implicitly that You are near and in control.

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets…

“I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.  And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great…  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:22-23,27-36

Jesus sets up reality for His new disciples: Life will not be easy. In fact, as they stand for Him, they’ll be persecuted, excluded, reviled, spurned. But this hatred pointed toward them will instigate His supernatural work and blessing, and offer many opportunities for them to pray and love and extend mercy that they wouldn’t otherwise experience. These will be significant in their growth and testimony.

No one wants to expect certain conflict. Wouldn’t we all prefer congenial and easy? But not only is the Christian walk a rough one fraught with dissension and difficulty, it’s the way of promised blessing exactly because of that. In having enemies we learn to pray for them, as targets of hatred we learn to love as Christ loves. Kindness and generosity shine and are magnified against vitriol and greed. Good trumps evil. (Romans 12:14-21; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 3:9,13-17; 4:12-13)

While it may be counterintuitive to welcome opposition, what if, when faced with antagonism or threats, we sought the Lord and how we might serve and love the instigators as His hands and heart? What would change in our attitudes, and possibly situations, if we devoted ourselves to praying for them, and practically blessing them? If done with pure motive, out of obedience and love for Christ, even if we immediately suffer, we would know His favor and deep benediction in an intimate, lasting way.

Are we willing to try? Are we willing to bring these painful issues to our loving God and ask Him to use them for eternal good? To work in and out of us what is pleasing to Him? To develop in us Christ-like character and naturally holy responses? To help us persevere in the pressure and be transformed, to His glory? (Hebrews 13:21)

Lord, may I willingly welcome the sufferings You endured on my behalf, and glorify You in how I handle them for the benefit of others.

“And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.  It was the third hour…  And the inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’  And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.  And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,  save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour… And Jesus uttered a loud cry [and] said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit and breathed his last.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!'” Mark 15:24-33,37-39; John 19:30

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17

“[After he had risen] he said to them,.. ‘Whoever believes… will be saved.'” Mark 16:16

Soldiers and crowds derided the condemned Jesus, flapping around their cruel mocking, coarsely claiming He couldn’t save. What their sin-stained, hate-filled eyes failed to see was that in deliberately not saving Himself from death He was saving them unto life. His willing crucifixion made the way for the salvation of all who would believe; He yielded His spirit to convey the Holy Spirit. He was the One in true control, with a purpose far higher than they dared know. He understood what true saving meant, and required. (John 16:7; Romans 10:9-13; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

Unless the Spirit gives sight, we are destined to limited spiritual vision, even blindness. Our emotions get caught up in crowd stir and run amok. Our understanding is shaped by the world mantras around us, what media insists is important, what preferences our senses stoke and desire. Unless we’re immersed in biblical truth as our filter for all that is and transpires, we will never see as God sees nor know as He knows. Do we grasp what being saved means?

What is true is that because Jesus willingly endured the cross, all who call on His name, on the crucified, buried, resurrected, glorified Jesus, will be saved. Saved from eternal separation from Him, saved from slavery to sin and the entanglement of a worldly mindset. Saved from present anxiety and a hopeless future. We must recognize we cannot save ourselves and trust His work on our behalf. Have we, and are we living the difference?

If we still condemn, are shamed by Christ’s death, or are striving ourselves, we must check our pride. Only when we by faith receive His grace are we saved forever. (Romans 1:16; Ephesians 2:8-9)

Lord, develop in me the mind of Christ to discern, to discard what is for naught and grasp Your view of all things important.

“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,  and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.  Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.  And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’  And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’  And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.  They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,  and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:1-11

Jesus was always intentional, and on one occasion had a very specific lesson to impress upon a very specific person. He taught the pressing crowds from Simon Peter’s boat, then zeroed in on the disciple himself. A proficient teacher with masterful ways, He used truth, illustration, and real life application to bring Peter to a deeper knowledge of His Christ and understanding of his call. Sometimes we need broken nets to get us to unclench our fists from what we think we know to open wide our hands to receive the far more that God wants us to know.

At times we learn simply hearing the word of God. His spirit drives it home to genuine understanding. Other times we need to experience failure to recognize His grace, or weakness to see His power. We might need to surrender self effort to allow His work to be done. Always, the Lord will dethrone us, and give us opportunity to enthrone him, if we are earnest in our learning.

If we would be taught, are we willing to listen? When are we taking time to soak in God’s word directly, not just others’ commentaries or opinions? How willing are we to acknowledge needs and inabilities, and trust God for how He will use them for good? How quick are we to obey His commands, even if we deem them futile or impossible? When God meets us, and does His astonishing work, do we take credit ourselves or fall on our knees in gratitude? What is God calling us to leave behind in order to follow Him with greater zeal and abandon?

Father, help me come to You with no preconceived ideas, willing to let You break my nets to teach me new truths about You, to Your glory and praise.

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
    and he who testifies for me is on high.
My friends scorn me;
    my eye pours out tears to God,
that he would argue the case of a man with God,
    as a son of man does with his neighbor…

“He has put my brothers far from me,
    and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
My relatives have failed me,
    my close friends have forgotten me.
The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
    I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
    I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
My breath is strange to my wife,
    and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
Even young children despise me;
    when I rise they talk against me.
All my intimate friends abhor me,
    and those whom I loved have turned against me…
I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I shall see God.” Job 16:19-21; 19:13-19,25-26

“I am continually with you;
    you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever…

For me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    that I may tell of all your works.” Psalm 73:23-26,28

“If God is for us, who can be against us?..  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” Romans 8:31,33-34

Job suffered in a myriad of indescribable ways, losing family, possessions, health, and friends. Deep misery and grief drove him to deeper knowledge of his God. Where friends castigated and peppered him with aloof opinions, the Lord heard him with wide mercy, sustaining power, and purpose. In excruciating pain Job knew who was the true witness of his heart, lover of his soul, advocate, and constant companion.

When hopes and bodies fail, we have the Lord. When loved ones are taken or friends abandon us, when circumstances turn sour or threatening, when loneliness, fear, or despair looms, God is on our side. When sins wage war against the flesh, our Advocate prays and defends. He hears our complaint, He translates pleading and tears we bring to hope. He never fails or forsakes His own. (Deuteronomy 31:6; 1 John 2:1)

What causes us to faint? What are our complaints? What pain, dearth, betrayal, or unmet longing can we bring to Jesus? Would we enumerate our difficulties and sorrows against the greatness and grace of the Lord, they would be swallowed up and we would not be consumed. He is our witness before the Father! He ever pleads on our behalf! Indeed, He is our strength and portion forever- ever present, sufficient, good. With whom will we share this good news? (Hebrews 7:25)

Thank You, Lord, for Your abiding friendship and advocacy. May I trust and love and praise You forever.

“O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
    they have defiled your holy temple…
They have given the bodies of your servants
    to the birds of the heavens for food,
    the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
    all around Jerusalem…
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
    mocked and derided by those around us.

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
    Will your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out your anger on the nations
    that do not know you,..
    that do not call upon your name!..
Help us, O God of our salvation,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us,.. for your name’s sake!
Why should the nations say,
    ‘Where is their God?..’
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
    will give thanks to you forever;
    from generation to generation we will recount your praise.”

“O God, do not keep silence..!
For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
    those who hate you have raised their heads.
They lay crafty plans against your people;
    they consult together against your treasured ones.
They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out!..’

O my God, make them like whirling dust,
    like chaff before the wind…
that they may know that you alone,
    whose name is the Lord,
    are the Most High over all the earth.” Psalm 79:1-6,9-10a,13; 83:1-4,13,18

“Though our iniquities testify against us,
    act, O Lord, for your name’s sake…
O you hope of Israel,
    its savior in time of trouble…
You, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
    and we are called by your name;
    do not leave us…

We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,
    and the iniquity of our fathers,
    for we have sinned against you.
Do not spurn us, for your name’s sake;
    do not dishonor your glorious throne;
    remember and do not break your covenant with us.
Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
    Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O Lord our God?
    We set our hope on you,
    for you do all these things.” Jeremiah 14:7-8a,9,20-22

Though his misery and angst are tied to the rebellious, ruthless nations attacking Israel, the Psalmist is concerned mostly with his Lord’s name and honor. God’s reputation, His renown, His identity are what he longs to see upheld, and he pleads accordingly. His petition is less for relief and justice than for God’s name to be glorified. His claim is to God’s mercy and ownership, his plea is that the enemy would recognize His highness.

It’s natural in a self-centered existence to be focused on how I come across, what I am suffering, who is to blame and what retribution they deserve. But when the Lord takes center stage, His glory covers all. Intent on Him, we begin to look for and relish manifestations of His work in our conundrums, His kindnesses and wise purposes that reach beyond present miseries and help us endure.

What place does God’s name and honor hold in our daily concerns? Are we more interested in self-promotion than in seeing the Lord’s name exalted? How differently might we pray if we filled our minds with God’s greatness, power, grace, and glory when we first bow the knee? When we lift high His name, we will see it magnified in every challenge.

Lord, may my thoughts, words, and deeds be consumed with and extol Your name, that You be glorified.

“His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands…  From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field… The Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison… Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” Genesis 39:3,5,21; 40:23

“The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.  The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters…  all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.  The waters prevailed above the mountains… And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.  Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.  He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens… Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.  And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

“But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” Genesis 7:17-8:1

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
    yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Isaiah 49:15-16

Joseph had been mistreated and sold into slavery by his contriving, jealous brothers. He’d been seduced by Potiphar’s wife and falsely accused of succumbing. Now he was in prison where no one with any power to change his situation knew or recalled his righteousness. But God. God’s eye was on persistent, loving, providential watch. Though his brothers did all they could to put him out of their minds, and the restored prisoner forgot him, his Lord remembered. (Genesis 37:18-28; 40:1-4,9-15,20-23)

In the weariness of ministry and work, we might think no one notices all we do. As we change roles or age, we wonder if anyone remembers how we served or what we taught or accomplished. When the focus is on me, self-pity and pride rear their ugly heads, but when we turn to the Lord, we know we are known.

The Lord God always remembers His own. We are in His constant keeping and care; His remembering is active, involved, a dynamic never-forgetting and constant thoughtfulness. Nothing that transpires is a surprise to Him who has dominion over heaven and earth. He promises never to leave or forsake His children. (Exodus 2:23-25; Deuteronomy 31:6; Psalm 139:2-3; Hebrews 6:10)

Where have we slipped into woe-is-me thinking? In what situations do we feel neglected, discarded, forgotten? What comfort and joy is ours when we remember God’s promises and presence!

Father, help me remember You as completely as You remember me, always for good and for Your praise and glory.