This is the Rise...

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

This weekend was our annual women's conference at church; it's always the weekend after Labor Day but this year, being as how Labor Day was Sept. 1, it just feels like it came REALLY EARLY.

Like, I wasn't ready.  I'm still stuck somewhere in June, I think.

And this year was different. We partnered with Krista Smith and her B.I.G. Ladies' Club ministry for a conference titled 'This is the Rise'... and we were challenged to 'rise up' like Deborah.  

It inspired me, a bit, to think about Deborah.  We kinda get the idea that Deborah appeared under the palm tree and began dispensing wisdom to Israel, and shortly called Barak to go after Sisera and defeat him...mostly because that story happens completely in Judges 4, and she sings about it in Judges 5.  But, here's what hit me over the weekend....

The Israelites had been oppressed by the Canaanite king Jabin, and his captain Sisera for 20 years when they cried out to God for help (Judges 4:3).  My first reaction was... why did they endure it for 20 years before they asked for help? ...but that's not really part of the story.

Except that we read that Deborah was leading Israel at that time, and she 'held court' under the 'Palm of Deborah' (Judges 4:4).

Here's the thing...we don't know how long Deborah had been meeting folks under that palm tree.  In fact, what I heard in my spirit when I was thinking about it was, "It wasn't known as 'the Palm of Deborah' when she first went there."

When did Deborah 'rise up'? (Judges 5:7)  At what point in those 20 years did she first sit under a palm tree?

I may actually write a story about it sometime...but my thought processes took me to a young lady who was desperate to get some time with her God, and who, at some point, took a short walk away from the everyday setting and sat down under a random  palm tree and poured her heart out to God and was refreshed.  So maybe the next day, or maybe three or four days later, she went back.  And went back again.  And, eventually, this became her regular practice.  

She was regularly communing with God.

Eventually, folks noticed this.  And maybe, one day, one of her neighbors timidly interrupted Deborah's seeking time to ask her to pray for her.  And Deborah did...and got an answer for her.

Which was an accurate word for her situation and told the neighbor that God saw her and heard her.  She told another neighbor, who also came to Deborah with a problem, and who also got a word from God...and...word spread, and eventually the palm tree was designated as Deborah's and people were coming regularly; tribal leaders consulted with her.

She was leading Israel.

This whole process probably took years.  YEARS.  She was likely a grandmother by this time.

But when the people cried out for help, Deborah was positioned to hear from God and give instruction to defeat the enemy.  She didn't just pop up in charge of things; it was a culmination of small moments of obedience over a Very Long Time.

This was  my take away from the weekend; I must become more consistent with those small moments.    True confession: I have been coasting for some time.  I repent.  I need to just go to the palm tree... and keep going.

Beginner artwork inspired by Deborah's sojourns under the palm tree....

Completed the challenge....

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The last two years, our youth pastor has kind of low-key challenged the kids to start off the year by doing the 30-Day Shred. No, it's not a diet plan...it's a plan to read the ENTIRE BIBLE in 30 days.

This year, I happened to remember that on January 1.  So I decided I'd give it a go and downloaded the guide.  And I also gave myself a slightly different goal...read the entire Bible in January, which gave me an extra day,  lol.

We had a major conference at church in the middle of the month, too, so that kind of blocked out 3 whole days.  And when you're reading 42 chapters a day, missing several days like that throws a real wrench in the works. 

Fortunately, one of my talents is that I am a fast reader, so I had that going for me.  And I started off by doing 50 chapters a day instead of 42, just to get a bit of a running start to carry me through the conference days.

Then I got involved in a sewing project and completely missed reading the day before the conference.  Never even thought of it.  So I was a bit behind, despite having read extra earlier, when the conference actually started.

I was reading mostly from my NIV 84 study Bible; it's very familiar, which made it easy to push my reading pace; I was mostly reading words I can almost quote.

But I did have some doctors appointments this month, so whilst I was waiting at the Dr I opened up the Blue Letter Bible app on my phone and read from the NLT, just to see how that translation went.  I was in Ezekiel for part of that reading...and the NLT puts the measurements in feet and inches instead of cubits, which I really appreciated.

Finished Revelation 22 about an hour ago.

It was an interesting exercise.  The idea is to just get the 50,000 foot view, not to do in-depth study.  I kept wanting to stop and dig and...couldn't.  Nope.  Keep reading.

I was surprised at the relentless bombardment of judgement in the prophets as I read through.  It has never really struck me that way before, studying through them at a slower pace.  But pushing through 60 chapters or more a day (I was trying to catch up after the conference) it really hammered in.  I would get mixed up...was the particular judgement against Israel or Judah?  Or was it Egypt, Syria, Damascus, Edom, Babylon....?  There was the occasional relief of 'I will preserve a remnant' and 'I will give you a heart of flesh instead of your heart of stone' type verses, but mostly what I saw is...God is serious about consequences.  

Part of me thinks it would be easier for someone who is well acquainted with the scripture to finish, since that person would be covering familiar territory, but, on the other hand, speed reading through the Bible in a month does kinda take the intimidation factor out of it.  

And I think I want to get a NLT to read and compare, lol.  A new Bible to ponder and mark up always peels back layers of assumptions, especially if it's a translation I haven't read much.

I don't know if I will do it again next year.  Right now...I kinda think it's a one and done.  I prefer a slower pace, as y'all know from the slow plodding study of 'heart/hearts', lol.

But it was a good challenge and I'm glad I did it.

Faithful Fridays Two: Numbers

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Numbers could also be called 'The Book of Complaining' because, once Israel left Sinai, the complaints just started rolling on.  The biggest complaint, of course, was the complaint that ten of the spies brought back to the people at Kadesh Barnea...that the people of Canaan were too numerous, too strong, too well-fortified and there was no way they were going to be able to conquer them to possess the land, as God had promised.

But two guys didn't see it that way, and their response to the complaining is my pick for this week:

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.  If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.  Only do not rebel against the LORD.  And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up.  Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us.  Do not be afraid of them."   (Numbers 14:6-9, NIV84)

But their fellow countrymen would not hear them, and, in fact, threatened to stone them.

That's a minority opinion.  And they might have been stoned for it, had the glory of God not appeared at that moment at the Tent of Meeting.

But...the challenge to me from this verse is that Joshua and Caleb did not back down from their minority opinion.  They stood up in front of everyone and proclaimed it.

I kind of tuck my minority opinions into a safe place and not make a show of them.  Keeping the peace and all that.

God vindicated Caleb and Joshua...and he made them a promise that they alone out of their entire generation would actually survive and live on their inheritance in the promised land.

I find myself wondering if there were others who secretly agreed with them but went along with the noise of the crowd instead of showing support for the minority opinion.  

IF there were...they died with the rest.  In that case, not speaking up was the same as agreeing with the majority.

Ouch.

Friday Faithfuls Two: Exodus

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Week two on this little fly through the Bible looking for a verse that resonates; today the verse that caught my attention was Ex. 20:18

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain covered with smoke, they trembled with fear.  They stayed at a distance,

We kind of forget that, in the narrative of the Exodus, there was a moment when God descended upon the mountain and spoke to all the people, not just Moses.

And it completely freaked them out.

Because they, individually and corporately, did not have a relationship with this being who was manifesting himself in their very presence.  They didn't know or understand his heart for them.  They begged Moses to speak to God on their behalf... "Do not have God speak to us or we will die." (Ex. 20:19).

They were not comfortable with a personal God.    And they refused to hear him speak to them in person.  

It's a difficult thing to have to face that which you'd rather not believe is true.  This guy Moses did stuff, and he pulled them out of Egypt, but I don't think the people truly believed that it was the Lord of Hosts who was calling the shots.  You can see this in their behavior during the years in the wilderness...they gave Moses all kinds of grief, often accusing him of being the decision maker who brought them out into the wilderness on a wild goose chase (I am extreme paraphrasing here).  But...the thunder and lightning and trumpets and that voice...  that was undeniable.  And they couldn't handle it.

So they deputized Moses to hear and report, rather than stand up and listen for themselves.  And, down the road, it became easy to believe Moses wasn't reporting accurately.  They had someone to blame.

But if God spoke directly to them...they couldn't blame anyone but themselves.

Now, they weren't allowed on the mountain itself, but God's instructions were to keep them from coming into the holy darkness.  They were welcome to come up to the boundary he set, so they could hear him clearly.  But they stayed at a distance; the connotation is that they stayed as far away as they could...instead of coming as close as they could. And it only took them about 6 weeks to forget they'd heard the voice of God at all.

This really resonates today; how many times do God's people forget that they heard his voice?  At a conference, in a church service, even in the prayer closet...we hear God, we see him move and six weeks later we're right back where we were.   We forget.  We hang back, as far away as we dare instead of as close as we can.  

I know I'm guilty; a browse through an old journal reminds me of things I heard that I still haven't walked out because...I forgot.  I didn't press in.  Sometimes I'm even amazed that I heard what I recorded.  That was fantastic...why didn't I grab it and make it part of me?

I was afraid.  I didn't want to be responsible.  I didn't want to give up...whatever it was that I might have to give up to walk in that revelation. 

And that wasn't at all where I thought I'd end up when I picked that verse but here we are.  I think I need to do some pondering.  And probably some repenting.

Friday Faithfuls Two: Genesis

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Several years ago (Ok, I started in 2010), I did a series in which I picked one verse/ passage from each book of the Bible and had a quick little devo/ discussion on it...Faithful Friday Faves

For some strange reason (maybe I feel overwhelmed? LOL) I got the urge to do it again.  But I *will* give myself the condition that I can't choose any verse that I picked the first go-round.  This is not going to be any sort of attempt to find the key verse in the book, or something that is my all-time favorite...just whatever verse stands out to me in the week.

This is  a kind of 'Bible Study Lite', I admit...but it was a fun and rather thought provoking thing ten years ago...I don't think it's a bad idea to do a skim though once in a decade, lol.

Anyway, we'll start with Genesis tonight...

Here's what caught my eye as I skimmed through:

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it."  (Gen. 28:16 NIV84).

This has always struck me as a sad verse.  What a great missed opportunity...to have been in the very presence of the Lord, and be so consumed with life's...issues...that there is no awareness at all of the Lord's proximity.

But how often have I been in the presence of God, and been unaware?  How many church services have I been physically in, but mentally elsewhere, while the Word and the Presence moved among others there?    How many days have I gone without taking even a few moments to sit in His Presence because I was so busy?  How many times has God been there to commune, to comfort, to guide...and I wasn't even aware?

More than I care to admit.  Probably more than I even know. 

Ouch.

Current Reading Feb 2017

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi 

Friday being the one day I try to get something posted, I'll give you the best I have right now...which happens to be the books I'm reading at any available time.

Starting at the lower right, The Power of Humility by R.T. Kendall is required reading for everyone in the worship department at church.  We're discussing it at choir practice, as are the other arts ministries.

Humility is not a popular subject, but, wow this book is good.  I'm about halfway through chapter 5, as I took it with me to a couple of dr appointments this week and read in the waiting room.  Chapter 4 was on wisdom, and it was an eye opener, to say the least, to see the connection between wisdom and humility so clearly laid out.

The second book,  The Complete Book of Discipleship by Bill Hull, is from Navigators and it's the textbook for my current class in the online Master's program.  It is rich.  It's also dovetailing nicely with the choir study, since...surprise...humility is a key part of discipleship.

In other words, my paradigms are getting punched one-two, left-right.

The cover on the discipleship book is curling badly; I couldn't get it to lay flat for the picture.  My Bible was laying on the table, too, so I used it to anchor the cover on the paperback and then realized that yes, it belongs in the picture, too.

I'm still plugging along on the 3 + 1 reading, although I did get a bit behind on the trip to Indiana for my dad's birthday last weekend.  But I have so far finished all the writings of John (Gospel, Epistles and Revelation) and I'm heading into Matthew.  I'm 1/3 of the way through Psalms and I'm well into Leviticus for the Old Testament.  This is a relatively new Bible,  so I've got my 4 color pen to hand and I'm marking as I go, which keeps me paying attention to what I'm reading so I don't fall into just skimming through.

But being a bit behind on the Bible reading and definitely behind where I want to be on the schoolwork, I'm pushing to catch up.  Other things that I want to do are, well, not getting done.

But it's just for a season...right?

Dangers of 'Strange Fire'

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Years ago, when I was teaching Sunday School in the denominational church we were in for years, I had their 'contemporary' curriculum (I later switched to the Bible Book curriculum...for various reasons).  One of the most frustrating lessons I've had in all the teaching of teens I've done in my life was a lesson on the Prodigal Son.  The central message I was to communicate to the kids from that passage, according to the curriculum, was 'Patience and understanding can help resolve family conflicts.'

I. Could. Not. Believe. It.

For one thing, the resolution of the family conflicts came only when the sons (hopefully...we don't know about the older one) repented of their error and returned to the Father.  HIS patience and understanding allowed that; but, on the part of the sons, it took humility and submission.

They could have patiently waited all their lives and the Father would not have changed his standards to suit theirs.

That's an important concept to grasp.

God the Father has standards.  His standards do not change with the attitude of His people.  His standards do not change according to the numbers of folks that follow them.

Scripture is full of examples.  Cain is the first, bringing an unacceptable offering.  We don't know exactly why it was unacceptable, but he did...or would've, if he'd thought about it.  But he was convinced that God should accept him on his terms...and lashed out at his brother when God did not.

Mostly, though, this week I've been thinking about 'strange fire' (King James, NASB; 'strange and unholy' - AMP; 'unauthorized' - NIV).  As a kid, reading the stories about 'strange fire' in Lev. 9 and the Israelite leaders who died for offering unauthorized incense in Numbers 16, I thought it was rather extreme to die for something as simple as a smouldering dish.

I didn't understand what it represented.

Both examples reflect the same principle:  humans do not set the standards.  God does.

The account in Leviticus is especially poignant,   as it is a devastating loss at the peak of what should have been a huge celebration.  The Tabernacle was assembled, the altars and the priests consecrated, the burnt offerings assembled on the altar, and

Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar.  And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. - Lev. 9:24, NIV 84

Now, Leviticus is generally thought of as a collection rules and regulations;  this little narrative of consecration, celebration and loss gets overlooked.  But that bit is important.  Y'all, this is something I didn't catch for years...the original fire on the altar was ignited by flame from the very presence of God.  That ain't no flint-and-steel spark...it was holy fire from the start.

And one of the duties of the Levites was to insure that the fire never went out.  They carried coals in censers when they traveled, and used those coals to rekindle the sacrificial fires whenever they stopped.

They always had God's fire, and it was God's fire that made the offerings holy.

What Aaron's two older sons, Nadab and Abihu, did was to take fire from another source...a fire that God had not kindled...and put it in their censers and used it to offer the incense.

It was strange fire of man's own kindling.  Worship based on human effort.  It looked no different than the fire God ignited; did it really matter?

So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. -  Lev. 10:2

Apparently it mattered.

'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'  Lev. 10:3

Aaron and his remaining sons were not even allowed to mourn their dead, as they were consecrated to God and had an obligation to maintain their ceremonial cleanliness and remain in their position.  That's how serious the offense was before God.

I want to emphasize something here...that fire did not look or behave any different than the holy fire.  The only difference was that it had been kindled by men instead of God.

The episode in Numbers was a question of authority.  I've written a bit about it before, and if you're curious as to the truly trivial thing that set it all off, click through.  But there were three guys...one of the Levites, and a couple of Reubenites, who had had enough of Moses and Aaron running the show and wanted them to share the authority.  They had 250 other Israelite leaders...who were not consecrated priests...who stood up with those three and said that they should be able to lead the people alongside Moses and Aaron.  So Moses told them all they'd have a little test...they'd all offer incense and they would see whose offering God accepted.

The narrative doesn't say whether the 250 guys used their own fire or whether they took some coals from the altar; given the other details, I rather think they just got some wherever they could, but perhaps they remembered Nadab and Abihu and collected coals from the altar.

However, the men themselves were unauthorized and unconsecrated.  They were not the ones God had selected, and they had not gone through the sanctification process.

They  were claiming to be just as holy and just as anointed and just as authoritative as the folks who WERE authorized to perform those duties.  Now, they had a position in the assembly; they were leaders of their clans and tribes...council members.  They had a measure of authority.  But they were not satisfied to serve where they were authorized; they wanted the ability to speak for God and declare what the nation would do.

Because, you see, in their hearts they thought Moses and Aaron were making it all up,  and not hearing from God at all.  And they believed they could figure out what God would want as good as Moses and Aaron could.  Their fire didn't look any different.

But Moses and Aaron really did hear from God.  Moses and Aaron really were authorized to speak in God's name.  And when it was put to the test, the ground swallowed the three guys who had instigated the whole mess and  fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.  (Num 16:35)

The self-appointed people had no authority.  Authority matters.

There is authority and instruction that comes from God.  And there is a pseudo authority and instruction that comes from the hearts of humans.  It takes wisdom and discernment to tell the difference, because on the surface it looks the same.

So be careful.  Be wise.  Look behind the pretty, fragrant offering and see where it came from.  Is it something God has declared?  Or is it some person's idea of what ought to make God happy?

A little celebrating, a little looking ahead...

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I know I've been a bit scarce in these parts...we had kind of a major event over the weekend: My Sweet Babboo hit the big Six-Zero.

I am SO not believing that...just doesn't seem possible... (I freely acknowledge that I make the Worlds Ugliest Cakes, but they taste good...)

But, his parents came to see us, our youngsters joined us for dinner...except for the Flute Player, who is in Mobile with Rock Masters Commission doing a fall outreach...anyway, it's been busy and, while I have been thinking a bit about where I'm going next on the blog, I didn't get much chance to sit down and write anything.

And, truth be told, we've got some things gonna happen on the next two weekends as well...hey, sixty is a pretty major birthday...so I'm looking at busy still to come.

But I'm thinking.  I'd really like to do a Friday study again...haven't for quite some time.  And, while I'd really like to do something related to the season; I also have got a hankering to do a study on David...the good, the bad, the ugly, the noble.

I'm planning to do the Elijah House School of Prayer Ministry course offered at church in Jan- April; there's a TON of work to do...reading, listening to teaching tapes, answering questions...and I've about decided that if I'm going to do it, this may be my best chance, since I'm not actively teaching at the moment.

So I'm sorta thinking of saving David until after Elijah house, since I don't think I can say everything I'd want to say between now and the first EH class.  Which means I could do some kind of Thanksgiving/Advent something.

Maybe a look at the 7 Hebrew words for 'praise'?  We've covered that quite a bit at church over the years, but I would kind of like to dig into it to refresh my own memory...and 7 weeks would just about finish out the year...

Hm....

Verse 13 - Numbers 6:24 - 26 (and a little rabbit chasing...)

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

One of the things I'm discovering on this 26 verse journey is that sometimes there is an obvious and direct line to the verse I choose; sometimes that path is considerably convoluted and vague.

Today's verse came after a series of subtle nudges and prods, which I'm not even going to try to recount.

And it is a very familiar passage; our pastor pronounces this over our congregation almost every week.  So it's not going to be a stretch to really memorize it...mostly just matching the reference with the passage.

Here's the passage:

The LORD bless and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace - Numbers 6:24-26, NIV 84

As I said, it's very familiar, but I wanted to make sure I have it learned.  But...the next verse really caught my eye:

So they [the priests] will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

I was riveted by the concept that the priests put the Lord's name on the people  with  this blessing...and that it was the Lord's name that was the blessing/carried the blessing.

NOTE:  That was pretty much where I planned to stop.  But somehow I wandered down a rabbit trail...you can follow it with me if you like...


Standard translation practice is that the all-caps LORD (Strong's 3068) is used to translate the Hebrew unpronounced Name of God, which is often rendered as Jehovah or Yahweh in English and means self existent or eternal one.

A quick skim of Zhodiates,  paying attention to the little numbers, shows that the first time word 3068  appears in the text is Genesis 2:4   - This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.  When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens --   ( I'm switching over to KJV, because this is from Zhodiates...)


LORD is used as the active subject of a sentence several times in the following chapters, but we see that Abram ...built an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.  (Gen. 12:8) 

For Abram to have called upon the name of the LORD,  that name had to have been revealed to him at some point prior to the altar.  Perhaps when he was first called to leave his father's house in 12:1 - Now the LORD had said unto Abram....?

We first see God's declaration identifying Himself as the LORD in  Gen 15:7 - I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees...   which exactly identifies the One who sent Moses  in Exodus 3: 15 -  ...say to the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God  of Jacob, hath sent me to you:  this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."

This is the name that the priests were to place on the people; and they carried both His name and His blessing; His name was in the blessing.

  

Facing Fear

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I intended to write a little essay today about real-life home decorating/design and how the world sets us up to be unsatisfied with our environment, but before I could even begin to put it together I found that Beth Moore had blogged an assignment for her readers.

This is real Bible-study homework and my plans to gripe about false standards flew out the window and I decided to dig in and see what 'Mama Beth'  had laid out for us.  We're actually supposed to answer in the comments section, so I will likely edit today's post to respond properly instead of linking back, but I thought I'd share the process here...and as I read through I realize I may be biting off way more than I'm comfortable chewing anywhere other than in my journal...but, well, it's about being transparent and getting out of the comfort zone, right?

Deep breath and a little prayer...God, use this to break and heal what needs breaking and healing in me...

1. Please go to a website like Bible Gateway or to your Bible software if you have it and look up Isaiah 30:15-18. Please read it thoroughly in 3 different translations. In your response to this first exercise, please tell me what 3 translations you read then copy and paste the one that spoke the most blatantly to you. (In your answer you will have the abbreviations to three translations and then the full text in one of them. Make sense?)

I cheated a bit; having a plethora of translations available on my shelf rather than go online.   I decided to look up the passage in my ESV, and also my Parallel Bible, where I paid particular attention to the NIV and the Amplified.  I have to say, the one that spoke most deeply to me was, of course, the Amplified:

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,  In returning to Me and resting in Me you shall be saved; in quietness and in (trusting) confidence shall be your strength.  

And you would not, But you said, No!  We will speed our own course on horses!  Therefore you shall speed [in flight from your enemies].  You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]!  Therefore shall they who pursue you be swift, so swift that One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.

And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits  -- expectant, looking and longing -- to be gracious to you, and therefore He lifts Himself up that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you; for the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed -- happy, fortunate [to be envied] are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him  [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy and His matchless, unbroken companionship].

2. Look up the word “threat” in any good English dictionary and write the full definition. After you write the definition, please share how it hits you and how you feel most threatened in this season, if at all. Keep in mind that nothing trips the switch on our insecurity like feeling threatened. Be careful as always in this community not to over-share by telling things about other people who wouldn’t necessarily appreciate it.

Threat: 1) An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, evil, or punishment on a person or thing.  2) An indication of impending danger or harm  3) A person, thing, or idea regarded as a possible danger; a menace (American Heritage, 1971)

I have a recurring dream, that I have mentioned before in a random questions response, in which I find myself paralyzed by a fear of heights.It's a crazy thing, but I have gradually come to see this as an expression of the fear of aging...not a fear of death, mind you, but a fear of the loss and change that comes with the passage of time.  That fear has gripped me in odd moments over the past year and a half or so;  sometimes there has been an event that triggered it; sometimes it was just the possibility of such an event. Sometimes it just seemed to come from nowhere.  There are some scenarios that I am just not prepared for in a practical sense, let alone emotional. I know that life is an uncertain thing.  I also know that, unless Jesus comes to get us, the loss and change, in some fashion, is inevitable; I suppose now that I'm past 50, the reality of that is starting to soak in. It's the primary reason I selected Is. 41:13 for my first SSMT verse.


3. What does “fleeing” tend to look like in your life? In other words, how are you most prone to flee? And, are you in fleeing mode right now?

This is a hard question...I suppose 'fleeing' is actually getting so busy with stuff that I just can't pay attention to the thing that is intimidating me. Actually, a friend pointed this out to me a number of years ago...that I use 'busy' as 'avoidance'... when I was even less obligated than I am now.  Judging by the amount of 'stuff' I have to which I seem to be obligated, I must really be in serious fleeing mode.  Not good.  Question for myself:  How can I reduce my commitments so that I can take care of ...whatever it is that I am actively avoiding?

4. Compare or contrast the Isaiah text (30:15-18)  to 1 Peter 5:8-9.

I suppose the most meaningful comparison would be to match translations, so here's 1 Peter 5: 8 - 9 in the Amplified:

Be well-balanced -- temperate, sober-minded; be vigilant and cautious at all times, for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.  Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset], -- rooted, established, strong, immovable and determined -- knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

Whoa.  The text that comes to mind to me for 1 Peter 5:8 is the NIV, which starts off  'Be self-controlled'.  But how pertinent to me at the moment is the Amplified's  phrasing, 'Be well-balanced'?

If I'm trusting God completely with EVERYTHING, then I am not leaving  my spiritual center of gravity; I am balanced.  Trying to take care of it myself would mean leaving the place of trust -- the place of balance -- whether it's because I'm running away from something or trying to fix something that is out of my control.

I don't need to react to the perceived threat of the enemy's roaring; I need to pay attention so that I know God's direction through the struggles that are common to all of us.

5. One of my translations this morning for this text was The Message. Here it is on the card I wrote out.

Do you perchance need to hear the words “settle down!” as much as I do? If so, why?

Oh yeah.  And I perceive that this is going to be a continual settling down...over and over again, focusing on Him and not on what is trying to make me flee.

6. Finish your assignment with any particular personal insight you gained from it and, most of all, what you discern God is saying to you through it.

I saw that most of the things that cause me to want to flee -- whether it means picking up and running away or just getting so busy that I don't deal with what needs to be dealt with -- are threats.  Not actual impending harm...just threats.  I'm reminded of a 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' series in which the villain turned out to be a really teeny, insignificant individual who intimidated folks by the size of his shadow.

It is the shadow that is threatening me.  Not an actual reality...just a shadow.  

Yes, though I walk through the  [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil; for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. -- Ps 23: 4, AMP

If you stop fleeing from something...that means you turn around and face it.

But I am not facing it alone.

An Unmarked Bible

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

In a rather unusual sequence of events, I have become the owner of 3 new Bibles in about the last 6 weeks.

One was given to me, one was purchased on something of a lark (it was $5), and one was a replacement for the old warhorse Bible in the upper right that has been my go-to study companion for the past 27 1/2 years but has, due to ignorance on my part for the first ten years or so, deteriorated to the point that I needed to retire it with honors.

I may talk later about my thoughts on the translations, as they are all different (the study Bibles are 1984 NIVs, the very small Bible is a 2011 NIV and the one in the lower right is a 2001 ESV), but for now I thought I'd just talk a bit about having three unmarked texts before me.

A Bible, for me, isn't just a nice read on a rainy day; it is a feast to consume and digest.  I've written before about the marking system I use to highlight and emphasize as I read and study; it is one revelation after another preserved for future reference.  All four Bibles are open to my favorite verse - Romans 12:2 - and you can see how the years of study have transformed my old Bible, while the new ones are, by and large, waiting for the notation of whatever new - or renewed - revelation comes as I study them (I noticed that I have already  marked Romans 12:2 in the little Bible).

I am carrying the new study Bible to teach from; it is awkward as I'm not yet familiar with its quirks and text patterns, and the notches on the sides of the pages are something I'm going to have to get used to handling, and it's NOT marked so I have to rely on my memory of text references instead of cheating by  looking for the passage by its marking, but it is the text that our lesson material is based on so it is the better choice for the classroom.

And it is such a quality volume; leather cover, fine paper...and, believe it or not, it smells fabulous.  I even passed it around in class tonight so my junior high girls could experience the fragrance.

But  it is the unmarked path through the Word that is intriguing;  I have learned from past study that a slight difference in wording may open up a new aspect of a passage that I had not seen before.  Or simply because I have not marked the verse in one way, I may see it slightly differently.  Either way, I am anticipating some rich study time as I blaze the trails ahead.

Translation Transition

It was a college graduation gift from my previous church, gettin' close to 30 years ago.

I put it in a cover which, as it turned out, was not a good idea.  The handle on the spine put stress on the binding and the stitching and, well, it began to break down.

It started coming apart at the first section join and I managed to get it more or less repaired with glue and packing tape. But then the second join started to split; when it got to this point, I tried to repair it again.

Unfortunately the glue spread a little bit and the center margin is stuck together...covering the last letter on each line. And that section is a little off kilter -- crooked-- from the rest of the volume. Sadness.

It's a Scofield NIV, which I have used and loved and marked and nearly memorized the page location of almost every favorite verse.

But it's obviously time to retire this volume and begin the process again.  I put a replacement Scofield NIV on my Christmas list.

However,  I had to run to the local Christian Bookseller last week to get a DVD for our sleepover, and when I checked out the clerk pointed out to me that they had small NIV's on special for $5.  I thought, '$5!  That'll be a great thing to get and carry around when I don't want to lug the Big Bible!' (I have a stupidphone, so no icloud versions are available to me...).  Anyway, I got a cute little purple NIV and immediately began marking it as I read.

Only...somehow, as I read, the text seemed a pinch odd.  I just thought I was mixing up translations in my head; I use several different ones at different times, which pretty much means any verse I quote is some mishmash of KJV/NIV/NKJV/NASB.  Anyway, I didn't check to see *why* it seemed odd; I just went with it.

But this Sunday, I was using it in class and my only student that morning commented that what I was reading did not match what she had in her NIV.  I stopped then and looked carefully and...she was right.  There was nothing to indicate that the NIV I had was not what I was expecting, until I dug into the preface and found that there was a revision in 2011, reflecting the changes in language usage since 1984

Now, there's nothing wrong with that; the whole point of the NIV is to put the Bible into current language...  and the language has changed a bit in 30 years.  But I would've liked a little clue that this was a revision (I suppose it could have been on the shrink wrap packaging somewhere; if so, I missed it). The literature I use for my girls classes is based on the 1984 edition; the 'fill in the blanks' and word searches and crossword puzzles are quite tricky with anything else.

.*Can* I get a 1984 edition Scofield anymore? Or should I just go and get an ereader, which will probably not cost that much more than a full grain leather Bible?

No.  I want a Bible I can hold and mark... ;-)

Do the Impossible

Sometimes, a little phrase will set off a whole line of reflection...

This morning, I sat down with my journal and opened it up to just see what I would hear and record.  The previous entry caught my attention, and I read it over before I began today's listening.  It was a note from a message I'd heard that contained an application of the miracle at the temple in which Jesus healed the guy with the withered hand.

Suddenly, the phrase stretch out your hand jumped out at me, and I realized that Jesus was continually asking people to do things they could not do.  The man with the withered hand was one such individual; so were the multiple paralytics that he told to get up and walk; so were the lepers, who were instructed to go into the city and show themselves to the priests; so was Peter, when instructed to climb out of the boat and walk on the water.

He simply spoke to them and told them what to do.  He didn't call down the power of God, or prophesy loudly or even anoint them with oil. He looked at them and instructed them and that was it. He did nothing at all to give them any reason to think anything had changed.  Then it was up to each of them to do what He said or not.

Every one of those individuals could've looked at Jesus and said something like, 'Are you kidding?  What do you mean, get up and walk (or stretch out my hand or climb out of the boat or go into the town)!  I can't do that!'

The rich young ruler had that response.  Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor and spend his life following Jesus...and the young fellow went away sad, because he believed he could not do that.

And who knows how many others Jesus spoke to in a similar fashion, who rolled their eyes at Him and refused to try the thing He told them to do, whose stories are not recorded?

But we do see the people who did not let their limitations define the actions of God in their lives.  Who began moving in the instructed manner and who found that, as they undertook what He told them to do, they had the ability to do it.

What is God telling me to do that my natural inclination is to respond, 'I can't do that! '?  
How can I learn to respond by trying instead of by denying?

Ezra Postscript

I've re-read Friday's post a couple of times since I wrote it, and, you know, something occurred to me that I decided I had to share.

All along, I've just thought it was really cool that God gave the Jews favor with the Persian kings who let them go back and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, but, well, some little links connected in my head and suddenly I saw something.

In the research Darius ordered to determine whether or not the Jews had been authorized to rebuild the temple, he no doubt discovered some other things that had happened in that same time frame...
such as, one of the high administrators in the kingdom being sentenced to death on trumped-up charges, who miraculously survived a night cooped up with hungry lions ( the 'Darius' in Daniel's story was Darius the Mede, who was a predecessor of Darius I, who issued the orders for the construction of the temple to resume).

It's no wonder, then, that Darius I instructs the folks to aid the Jews however necessary so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons. (Ez. 6:10)

See, God's protection of Daniel wasn't just for Daniel's sake...it also caused the Persians to fear and respect the God of Israel enough to expect that prayers offered to Him on their behalf would be beneficial, so they ordered the construction and completion of the temple.

Like ripples in a pond, God's deliverance of Daniel became part of His restoration of His people.

I *love* seeing how all those Bible stories that we learned as kids...as just self-contained stories...actually all fit together!

Long winded answer....

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I promised Jessica that I'd expound a bit on some thoughts I posted in Hard Questions last week; specifically, about 'not loving our lives to the death' being one of the weapons in the hands of believers.

That thought came from Revelations 12:
Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (verses 10-11, NIV)

Three things are required for us to overcome the enemy -- the blood of Jesus, the word of testimony, and not allowing the fear of death to cause us to recant either one.

There are times when God allows the enemy to take the life of those who truly follow God and put their trust in Him. Job's children come to mind first...all ten of them. David's son, for whom he prayed and fasted, died (I don't think that was a punishment, but I'll save the reasons why for another day). In Hebrews 11, we are reminded of Others [who] were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated -- the world was not worthy of them. (vs. 35b- 38a, NIV).

There were times in Jesus' ministry when he healed every sick person; there were times when he healed only a few...or even just one... among many. Sometimes it was because of the lack of faith in the people; but other times he healed where no faith was evident (the cripple by the pool of Bethesda comes to mind).

Yet, the Bible seems to teach us that we are to pray for and expect miraculous healings on a regular basis. So how can we account for what appears to be a discrepancy?

I'm going to be honest here and admit that I am shaking in my shoes now because I've realized I have jumped in way over my head. But I am not going to back out and not post...so bear with me. I'm just writing as someone who struggles with the same questions; I'm not trying to be authoritative, just share what I'm hanging onto when life doesn't make sense.

The first thing I have to remind myself of is that there is a much, much bigger picture than what I see. One of my favorite illustrations is to talk about a style of painting called pointillism, in which small, seemingly random dots of color are applied to a canvas to make a picture(actually, this is the way images on your computer screen are displayed, as well...those dots are called 'pixels'). If you stand where you can see the entire painting, it all works together and is something your brain can interpret as an image. However, if you just look at a tiny piece of the canvas, all you see is...a mess of color. It doesn't resolve into any kind of image. It doesn't make sense. If all the dots in that small piece tried to arrange themselves into some order that made sense to them, it would not work with the whole picture. In the same way, God sees Everything...the end from the beginning. He knows what has to happen at A to affect B so that C is positioned years later to cause D to take place. Yet we, as the little dots, keep insisting that what happens in our bit of the picture makes sense to us.

The second thing that I consider is that we have a worldy view of death...as if it were a horrible thing for a believer. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not trying to trivialize it. But, if we really believe, as Paul did, that it is preferable to be away from the body and at home with the Lord, (1 Cor. 5:8), we cannot believe it to be so horrible. Yet we tend to speak and behave as if the worst possible outcome for any scenario would be death. For one who refuses the grace of God, that certainly is true. And, for those bereaved, it is also true, because death is separation. But, for the person who actually steps through death into the presence of God...to go from knowing and understanding so little, to get to 'see face to face...know fully...' (1 Cor 13:12) has to be awesome. If someone has truly accomplished all that God had set for them to do (which may or may not be what we perceive they are to do), how can we be angry if He says, 'Come on home!'?

The third thing I have to remember is that Jesus told us we would have trials and tribulations. He warned us that life would be hard. God guaranteed us we would not understand. But we are promised that He will never leave us, and that all things work together for our good. Not our immediate happiness...our eternal 'good'.

'Not loving life' doesn't just mean being willing to die physically for Christ; it also means not clinging to my personal happiness...my agenda...my image...all that stuff. Dying of humiliation is something I'm familiar with, but I confess I have let the enemy shut me up at times for fear of it. I still care too much about the opinion of other people.

But once that fear of losing one's life -- either literally or figuratively -- is gone, then there literally is nothing the enemy can do to us. How can he defeat people who are not afraid of him?

The blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony will ultimately defeat him.

The Rooster Crowed

I taught the youth (grades 7 - 12) Sunday School class for years and years in our previous church. The curriculum we used, which that denomination has since dropped, was designed to cover the entire Bible in six years. It wasn't terribly even in its approach, and there were things about the way the studies were written that bugged the stew outta me, so instead of using the lesson plans I just used the syllabus...we covered the scripture that was listed for each lesson in its entirety, rather than looking only at the few verses that were termed the 'focal passage'.

Despite the flaws, it was a great idea...kids who grew up in the church got at least a passing acquaintance with the entire Bible in the six years they were in the youth age group. Not something that can be said of too many churches any more, more's the pity.

However, there were a few times each year that the lesson material deviated from the steady journey through the Scripture. One was Easter Sunday, on which we *always* interrupted the study of whatever book we were in and looked at the Resurrection.

Now, I'm just gonna say that no matter how incredible the spiritual truth is, repeating it over and over again creates a risk of losing the awe that it should inspire. So I worked hard to keep the story fresh with each year's telling.

I don't know if I managed to keep the story fresh for the kids, but those gems of revelation kept my awe-meter up.

One year, the revelation that hit me had to do with Peter's betrayal. (You didn't know all that was the *introduction* for today's Bible-studyish post, did you? But hang in there...this is a nugget, not a sermon!)

The way I approached the story was to piece together the events from the different Gospel accounts. And, as I was doing that, a couple of verses in Luke grabbed my attention. The passage is Luke 22:60-61 -
Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord has spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."

I'd come to the conclusion that Jesus was being led from Caiphas' home to the meeting of the Sanhedrin just as the rooster crowed; he was outside at that moment. And he knew exactly where in the crowd Peter was.

Peter, watching as Jesus was pulled/pushed/led in chains out of Caiphas' house, had just denied knowing him for the third time...and the rooster began to crow.

Jesus, already bruised and abused, turned and looked straight at him.
Eye contact. Acknowledgment. Devastation.

This year, especially, I am finding myself startling at the rooster crow. Yesterday's post was an acknowledgment of sorts that I am in denial mode...denying not only myself the time to spend in His presence, but denying His claim to my life...my minutes, as I posted back on New Year's...which is a denial of Him.

And He is looking straight at me.

Cross over that Jordan

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I'm really trying hard to stick to the 'Bible Study Friday' format. I hope soon to have a clear picture of what study to do next, but in the meantime I thought I'd post another outline from the file...seems like every time I pull this one and read it something new occurs to me.


Cross Over the Jordan

Numbers 32:1 - 19

Review of Israel’s history to this point
-left Egypt ~ 42 years earlier
-Crossed the Red Sea; saw God defeat Pharoah’s army on their behalf; ate the manna and the quail, drank the water; heard God’s voice at Sinai
-Stayed at Sinai a year, receiving the Law and the Commandments, making the holy things and dedicating them. They celebrated Passover again, then left the area and headed to Kadesh Barnea.
-Spies returned with evil report, and Israel refused to obey God. God decreed that they would stay in the desert until everyone who was 20 years old or older had died; only Joshua and Caleb would survive the desert and enter the promised land.
-After 40 years of wandering, they began to march toward the Promised Land, going around the southern edge. Edom refused to let them cross their land; Arad, King of the Canaanites in the Negev region, attacked Israel and was defeated; Sihon, King of the Amorites attacked Israel and was defeated; Og, king of Bashan attacked Israel and was defeated. They camped along the Jordan, across from Jerico.
- Balaam advised Moab to seduce them; plague broke out; Moses reviewed the Law and Commandments and the Covenant with the new generation prior to his death.

I.(vs 1 - 5) Reuben and Gad ask to remain on the east side of the Jordan
They saw that the land was good for livestock; they had livestock, so they decided where they were was good enough and they wanted to stay there, saying “Do not make us cross the Jordan:”
-God’s Promised Land was on the other side of the Jordan
-There was adversity between them and the Promised land
-They would rather settle for good enough rather than face adversity and get God’s best

One can never receive God’s promised blessings without first persevering through adversity
Don’t confuse adversity with the consequences of sin:
Satan throws adversity at us to discourage us from persevering
God allows the adversity because it is necessary for maturity (James 1:2-4: “Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith brings out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be people perfectly and fully developed with no defects, lacking in nothing” – AMP)

II. (vs. 6 - 15) Moses’ reaction to their request
-Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here?
(They didn’t reach their current place without the help of the rest of the nation)
-Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the land the Lord has given them?
(It will take the whole nation together to fight the battles and enter into the blessing)
*You didn’t get here without them and they can’t go on without you
-This is what your fathers did (v.8)...here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel...you will be the cause of their destruction”
Disobedience of parents promotes disobedience in children

III. (vs. 16-19) The compromise
- All the fighting men will cross the Jordan with you and fight, then return when the fighting is done.
- We will leave our livestock, women and children in fortified cities here
- We will not have an inheritance on the other side: our inheritance will be on the east side (v. 19)

Doing the bare minimum will secure only inheritance of mediocrity for yourself and for your children

“The lukewarm seldom realize they’re lukewarm; in fact, they’re among the most self-satisfied folks around, thinking everything’s just fine.” - Bill McCartney

If the parents do not pursue the blessings of God, the children cannot inherit them

Hm. I need to think on this today anyway...

Who Am I?

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The First Outline, slightly modified for readability, that I mentioned in Goin' on Record

Who Am I?

Who am I,that I should stand before people and teach?


We all need to learn who we are in Christ, because it is only when we realize who we truly are that we can accomplish what God wants to accomplish through us. I believe there are people here who have heard God call them to a specific task, and your response has been “Who am I? I can’t do that. I have no qualifications and no credibility.” Well, you’re not the first, and neither was I.

Exodus 3:11 – Moses asked the same question of God. God’s answer to Moses is in the first part of verse 12: You are someone I have sent and I will be with you.

Moses’ Objection #1 (3:13 – 14) I don’t have any authority
God’s Answer: He gave Moses His Name – I AM
We have the same authority today: John 14: 13 & 14 we have the Name of Jesus
His Name is not a magic formula
His Name is how we live: see John 15:7

Moses’ Objection #2 (4:1) – I don’t have any credibility
God’s answer: I will give you three signs:
1) miracles
2) healing
3) blood
We are given fruit (Matt 7:20; note context is discussing how to tell false teachers from true teachers) in order to give us credibility

Moses’ Objection #3 (4:10) – I don’t have any ability
God’s answer : (4:12) – I will give you the ability

Moses’ Final Objection (4:13) I don't want to do it -send someone else
God got angry and allowed Moses to take Aaron (4:14 – 18)
Notice: God did not allow Moses the option of not doing what he was told.

Question: What has God told you to do? What objections are you giving Him?

I admit that's pretty sketchy. But it is, after all, just an outline. If I weren't swamped w/costume sewing I'd embellish it out into essay form, but there's Just Not Time today. Hopefully, if someone reading this post is asking God, 'Who am I to do _______?', there's enough there to verify to you that He's got everything you need to accomplish your assignment.
I'm off to sew!

With All My Heart

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

One of my favorite books is Hinds' Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard. I don't remember how long ago someone loaned me a copy with instructions to 'Read this!', but I read it, went out and bought my own copy and read it again. And again. And again.

I still find lessons in that allegory for my life. The current one stems from the little scene in which Much-Afraid sees the road leading to the High Places and runs joyfully along it, only to be surprised by a 90-degree turn that takes her, not towards the High Places she has been promised, but towards the desert. She doesn't understand but, at the Shepherd's assurance that this is indeed the way she must go, she resigns herself to the journey and heads off in the direction of the desert.

It may be a stretch, but this fits the scripture that has been on my heart a lot lately...as I cringe from some aspects of the new job because they aren't what I really feel like I will thrive doing. Not that I don't think I can learn to handle that particular responsibility -- I'd just rather have my teeth drilled. But I didn't plant myself here, so I can only assume that this is, indeed, the way the Shepherd desires me to walk.

I also look at the verse when I regard the pile of costume/volunteer sewing that is occupying my sewing space at the moment, when I have some projects from my own sewing stash that need some attention. It is a service to the community, to folks for whom I am a representative of the body of Christ in some capacity. I didn't ask for that, either, yet here I am. Obviously, the Shepherd is working here, too.

My verse is Colossians 3:23: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (NIV)

If I am serving Him, then I need to give it all my best shot.

Now I'm tempted to go edit today's sewing blog post so it's not quite so whiney. But, on reflection, maybe I'd better leave it as is. Just to prove I really am struggling to do what my heart knows I should do...it ain't easy and I don't always get it.

Psalms 18 Encouragement

Our monthly women's study at church was Tuesday night and involved a look at 'upholding'...and, as part of the study, we were given a list of about 10 verses that mentioned 'upholding', split into groups of 4 - 5 and instructed to read the verses aloud and then discuss them.

I was in a group of ladies I didn't know well, so it was awe inspiring to hear their stories as we discussed the assigned verses. What appeared to be a random assignment...we each took two verses to read and initiate the comments...turned out to be an amazing word to each of us in her own unique season.

The verse that got to me is Ps. 18:35: You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great..

I didn't pre-read it before my turn came, just turned to it and read it cold. I got as far as 'sustains me', and when I read 'you stoop down to make me great' I had an overwhelming sense of the greatness of God and the insignificance of me; yet He was 'stooping down' to lift me up.

And, given the plain unadorned fact that I have been feeling very insignificant of late, I was undone. And completely surprised that I was undone.

Now, I don't think that only means 'great' in a worldly sense, although David was writing it as one who went from a shepherd to a king. So far as this applies to us, God humbled Himself, in the form of Jesus, in order to restore us to a place of authority in His Kingdom.
He is that committed to seeing us take the place He has for us .

He gives me His shield of victory...as if it were my own.
His right hand holds me up...it doesn't matter that I am too weak to fight/persevere/win. His strength never fails.
He comes under me to put me in a high place.

He does this!

Now, how many times have I read Psalms 18? Why had that verse never caught my eye before?

Perhaps it wasn't the season for me to hear that word. Or, perhaps I was so blown away by the rest of Ps. 18 that I just didn't notice.

The notes at the top of the chapter indicate that David sang this psalm 'when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.'

It's a RICH song.

If you're in a tough place today, look up Ps. 18 and read it through slowly. I'm expecting God to use it to encourage more than just me. And if one of the verses speaks to your situation and gives you hope, share it with the rest of us in a comment.

I'm looking forward to seeing how God ministers to others through this little part of His Word!