Moments of Quiet Truth

     "Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?' And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.      There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, 'If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD your healer.'       Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped by the water." ...

     A bide, remain, make yourself at home with God. These concepts have seemed so vague, so nebulous, so far out of reach or the realm of possibility that I, like so many, have passed over them, in despair that they will never be my reality. And, yet, there is this insatiable hunger, this insatiable hope that these things could be my reality. I feel like I was handed most, but not all of the puzzle pieces in my training of what a 'relationship' with God needs to look like for this to indeed be a reality for me.       The invitation of Jesus to abide, as it is found in John 15, was set in the context, in the sermons I heard growing up, of obedience. If I obey, then I can prove my love to Jesus. If I obey, then I have earned a spot at the Table. If I obey, then I have earned the privilege of abiding. I think I had it grossly backwards. We don't abide because we've obeyed. We obey because we are abiding.       This truth wasn't em...

   I've been reading my way through Genesis and will be starting Exodus today. This is the result of the realization that I must have a daily time in the Word with my God in order to live rightly. Being married has brought my need for daily relationship with the Lord into sharp relief. Many things need to be done throughout the days, but this one thing must take precedent, priority, come first. I'm realizing this in a new way, seeing it through new lenses. "I could not do without Thee, O Savior of the lost" (song - "I Could Not Do Without Thee).      I asked the Lord to open my heart this morning to His word and His word to my heart. He brought into the forefront of my reading comprehension the reality of the gift of words of prophecy. When God speaks, powerful things happen. To stand in His presence and to hear His thoughts invokes a sense of awe.       In Genesis 48-49, Israel is very quickly coming to the end of his time on earth and God u...

" For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,   the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings ."   Micah 6:6     I'm realizing that in my defense of doctrinal truth, as I understand it, I might in actuality be treating symptoms rather than the illness of insecurity. Am I so concerned that if I don't defend doctrine, that it will fall apart without me? What needs to be held to and what needs to be let go of? I have a strong sense of justice - a gift from above - but how do I feel about mercy? Forgiveness? Steadfast love in the face of rejection? of difference?      Being able to rightly handle the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) is what I should strive for, but how well do I know the Author of that Word? I should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in me (1 Peter 3:15), but what is my motive for doing so? Is it to prove my understanding correct? To prove that I'm right? To defend God? Do I need to defend the Lion of the tribe of Juda...

" Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him, the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.' This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them." John 10:1-6 "The voice of the LORD is over the waters;   the glory of God thunders,   the LORD, over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful;  the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;   the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes the Lebanon to skip like a calf,   and Sirion like ...

"Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.' Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' Martha said to him, ' I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. ' Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? ' She said to him,' Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world. " John 11:17-27    ...

In your presence there is fullness of joy,  At your right hand there are pleasure forevermore. Psalm 16:11      I've found that journaling is a very healthy way for me to process. I can talk through things and come to come to a better understanding of things, but journaling is more personal and more helpful. It's another, more concrete way for me to process with God what I'm thinking and feeling. He gives revelation as I work through things on paper.      I was sitting outside earlier this week journaling with God and the Lord showed me something that I had not seen before or taken seriously when I did. I realized that I had refused to take God seriously when He said that He saw me, loved me and accepted me because I didn't think He was that interested in me personally. He seemed distant, uninterested, indifferent to me. I thought He only valued me as I was in good relationship with my parents, pastors, or other friends.  I realized that...