Hope Unswervingly

  Jehoshaphat, King of Judah. That is quite a name. He is one of a long list of kings in the old testament. Unlike some of those kings, he has quite a long list of good accomplishments to his credit. When I am thrown a curve ball in life, the piece of Jehoshaphat’s story in 2 Chronicles 20 is full of things I need to remember. With Jehoshaphat as our teacher, let’s see what we can learn. Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 Jehoshaphat was about to be overwhelmed. The armies of three different people groups were gathering to fight against him. It was a vast number of opposing soldiers, and they were already very close when the king learned of it. That is when Jehoshaphat made the first great decision of this crisis: He sought the Lord in his fear. In fact, it says that he RESOLVED to seek the Lord. It seems this wasn’t his automatic response – he was probably shaking in his boots and wanted to panic and run—but with an act of will, he chose to seek God’s perspective on this situation. ...

Read Psalm 25, especially focusing on verses 16-22. David closes this Psalm with heartfelt words, speaking all the things He needs from God at this time. This is exactly what God wants of us. We have declared our trust and are living it out by keeping our eyes on God. Now ask. Speak to God from the depths of your being and tell Him what you long for. I often find that when I’m hurting the most, words don’t come very easily. However, reading the Psalms as prayers often express exactly what I’m feeling. Verses 16-22 give a wonderful example if you don’t know where to start. I am alone. (v. 16) Our distress can leave us in a dark and empty place, feeling like there is absolutely no one to whom we can turn. Acknowledge this feeling and remember that God does not EVER leave us alone. Bring me out of my sufferings. (v. 17) We’ve already mentioned that the Christian life does not prevent suffering, but that God always provides a way through it. Look to Him for the solution. Take away ...

Read Psalm 25:1-5 Psalm 25 is a prayer of one who waits for the Lord. If we break it down, we will see a basic pattern for prayer that will help us to pray effectively in times of waiting, much like the Lord’s Prayer teaches us a pattern to use in our daily prayer time. David starts out by declaring his dependence on God. Verses 1-5 state that he trusts God and turns to Him for what he’s waiting for. That kind of trust will not disappoint, but misplaced trust will cause problems. On top of this basic declaration of trust, David pleads for understanding and guidance to teach him along the way. Putting these verses in more blunt language of today, it might read “Lord, I know I can trust you. Don’t prove me wrong.” This is an excellent place to start our prayers. When we declare our faith in God, even when we don’t feel it so completely, we put our focus in the right place. The solution to our problem or situation will not come from somewhere else; it will come from God. God wants t...

Read Daniel 10 to get the full story, but today we will focus on just the first few verses. As you read, take note of how Daniel prepared himself to hear from God, and also notice the important messages given to him when the information was revealed. The book of Daniel is packed full of wonderful accounts of God’s power manifest in Daniel’s life – the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, the handwriting on the wall. There’s plenty there to study and learn. This time I want to focus on a lesser known account in chapter 10, which gives us a glimpse into the spiritual realm. The first thing I noticed is how committed Daniel is to his prayer. In verses 2 and 3 we read about his sacrificial approach and focus on seeking God.   He describes himself as “mourning.” The definition of the original word here indicates lamenting, or walking with head downcast.  When we find ourselves in this condition, we need to follow Daniel’s example and go directly to seeking God. And his isn’t a...

Read 1 Kings 18 My last two devotions have given us a glimpse into Elijah’s life, and we continue there today. My favorite part of this account is the last part of chapter 18, when we see Elijah’s faith in God as he continues to wait. We see the first glimpse of this in verse 41. After the demonstration of God’s power and the elimination of the prophets of Baal, Elijah confidently says to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.” Let me point out, there were still no clouds in the sky (we’ll hear about this in a minute). It was not really thundering or lightning. But Elijah’s faith in God’s promise was unwavering. He knew what God had said, and he had enough life experience with God to know that He was trustworthy.   It is not faith in the outcome that we need, but faith in the God who holds the outcome in His hands. Because of this faith, Elijah could hear the rainstorm before it was there. At this point, he assumes that posture of worship we h...

Read 1 Kings 18 Chapter 18 tells the detailed story of the dramatic demonstration Elijah used to remind the people who is the One True God. There is much rich content in this story, but instead of looking at too many details here, I want to focus on the end result and on one simple act Elijah did when it was over. In the contest between Baal and God, Elijah’s ultimate goal was to turn the people’s hearts back to worshiping God (verse 37). When the people saw the fire on the very wet wood, stones, dust, and even in the trench around the altar, “They fell face down and said, ‘Yahweh, He is God!’” This is the turning point in the story because God had promised the rain would come when the people’s hearts changed. We see this attitude of worship in Elijah too, as he is still waiting for that promised rain. “Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel.” And what did he do there? “He bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees.” Elijah assumed this humble posture of wo...