Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.” Most people are familiar with Jeremiah 29:11 and how God has good plans for us, to give us a hope and a future. But, the ones after it aren’t as widely quoted, and yet they are such great promises! How often are you in the middle of a crisis, clinging to God’s promise that somehow it’ll turn out for good, but you feel so alone and like God’s gone off on vacation or is ignoring you? I know I’ve been there. But these verses remind me that when I pray He WILL listen. When I truly seek Him, I WILL find Him. I love that He uses “will” instead of “can” in these verses. The word “will” means it’s a definite thing. “Can” would mean it’s possible, but might not happen. So what about those times when I’m praying and it doesn’t seem like He’s listening? Or when I feel like I’ve been seeking and seeking and not finding? I’m not God, so I can’t give you the definitive answer, but here’s my theory: He is listening. Sometimes the things I ask for in my prayers aren’t good for me, so He withholds them. I feel like he’s not listening because I’m not getting what I want. For example, I want out of this financial situation I’m in. I’ve been praying about it, but it hasn’t gone away. I believe it’s because God is using it to work on some areas of my life (letting go of my need to control things, having self-control in my spending, trust, etc.). I’ve been here for quite some time because these lessons aren’t easy for me. However, on the other side, I know that the result in my life will be good and make the future better. I also know that God is here, even when I can’t feel Him. Barlowgirl does a song called “I Believe in Love” that has this chorus: I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining I believe in love even when I don’t feel it And I believe in God even when He is silent And I, I believe. The whole song speaks to this topic, and it’s a great song. So, we know God has good plans for us, but don’t forget that He promises to be there when we seek Him and promises to listen when we pray. Even when it doesn’t seem like it.
Joshua 14:12So I’m asking you to give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the Anakites living there in great walled cities. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said. This is Caleb speaking. He and Joshua were the only two scouts to encourage the Israelites to take the Promised Land, but when they refused he and Joshua were told that they would be the only two men left who would be able to enter the Promised Land after wandering in the Sinai Desert for 40 years. So, Caleb was 85 years old when he finally got the land that he was promised! I love that this 85-year-old man, who was still well and active according to the Bible, is all ready to charge in and conquer – after all this time, he still believed God’s promise to give the Israelites the land. He knows that the Anakites are giants and have huge walled cities, but he is confident in the power of God to help him remove them from the land. So, on faith he asks for the land he was promised, trusting that God will help him to subdue it so he can actually live there peacefully. So, perhaps when we know that God has called us to do something and it’s too big to be done on our own, we should go in anyway to claim our promised reward, trusting that God will conquer the giants before us as we move forward in faith. For example, God has called us to tithe our income back to Him. Right now, that means our budget is incredibly tight and sometimes it seems impossible to be able to make the ends meet. But, God has promised to provide, and so we tithe first, not always knowing how things will work together. And God does conquer the giants each month.
Isaiah 62:6-7…I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the Lord day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. Give the Lord no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. Isaiah is telling the people to pray diligently until God fulfills his promises regarding Jerusalem. This principle holds true for prayer in general, I think. Those who pray are like watchmen. They guard the city, our lives, by diligently checking for weaknesses and spotting the enemy while he is still far off. Prayer does this because it gives God a chance to show us areas that we need to work on, and we may be able to spot attacks from satan before they arrive, thereby giving us time to prepare. Prayer is so important and it is often neglected (yes, even by me). Isaiah says to take no rest in praying. I’d imagine that you can sleep, but what he’s saying is to keep going and not give up. It’s easy to think that God isn’t listening or isn’t going to answer and then quit praying. We probably quit praying too soon. If He’s promised it, maybe He’s just waiting for us to be truly faithful in praying for its fulfillment. I wonder how often we quit praying right before God is about to act. It’s like the parable that Jesus told about the poor woman who pretty much harassed the court official until he heard her case and granted her justice. The squeaky wheel philosophy holds some truth. Is God able to answer our prayers after the first time? Yes. Isn’t he paying attention to our prayers? Yes. Is He teaching us faithfulness and patience and diligence by holding back His hand? Maybe. Does He want us to come to Him for everything, and trust Him for His answer? I believe so. God doesn’t sleep or ignore us when we pray. There’s a purpose behind the time when we wait for His hand to move. So we should be like watchmen keeping our eyes peeled for areas in our lives where there is weakness and potential for invasion, as well as for attacks from our enemy. And we must pray continually and often, not giving up when it seems like it will never happen. That part is really hard. But, if the watchmen get tired of watching then the enemy can sneak in and attack, and if the prayer warriors get tired of standing and fighting and praying then the enemy gathers its strength. Don’t give up. Stand strong, stand firm, and stand diligently. Don’t let God rest until His promises are yours. (photo credit: http://christsassembly.com/watchman.jpg)
Isaiah 56: 6I will also bless the Gentiles who commit themselves to the Lord and serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who have accepted his covenant. I’ve often wondered how we know that the promises of the Bible apply to all believers and not just to the Israeli people. And here in Isaiah God talks about how He will bless the Gentiles, too. I am not a child of Abraham – not by nationality or bloodline. But, by adoption, because God has chosen to bless Gentiles too, I am part of God’s special, chosen people. Therefore, the promises of God apply to me as well. That’s really nice to know!
Isaiah 41: 9-10, 13, 16b, 17For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand… I am holding you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.”… And the joy of the Lord will fill you to overflowing. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel…. When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never forsake them. I know that’s a lot to read and it’s a bit all over the place, but the messages here are so sweet. 1. I am chosen by God. He will not throw me away! The Almighty Infinite Creator of the Universe and all the incredibly, beautiful things in it, has chosen me. Out of all these things, He thinks I am the best! He won’t toss me away. He loves me passionately and I am exactly what He wanted! 2. There are so many bad things going on these days. I hate watching the news because it’s so depressing with people hurting each other, rape, murder, child abuse. My heart hurts, and I wish I could hide. I fear for myself sometimes and for my children. With the economy and our finances the way they are, I fear for our ability to provide. If I were to sit down and think about it, I could think of so many things to be afraid of. BUT, God says not to fear. No worries. He is bigger than any problem, more powerful than any criminal, more resourceful than any economy, and certainly smarter than anyone in power or “control” today! I loved reading these verses because they are such a beautiful reminder that I am not alone, that I have a strong, protective God who is watching out for me. 3. This was pretty cool – it isn’t until the people are thirsty, and not just a little thirsty – parched, that God comes to help them. I think that sometimes I search half-heartedly for what I want, but that’s not good enough. Getting what I need then can give me the impression that I can do it myself. Searching for water and finding small puddles to mitigate my thirst puffs me up because then I think, “hey, I found water. I can do this!” God waits until I am parched, there is no water to be found. I can’t do it on my own. I can’t provide for myself. I realize I am well and truly stuck. THEN, I am ready to understand that only God can do what I need him to do. God steps in and reminds me that He won’t forsake me or leave me to die. But He will wait until I stop trying to fix the world myself. For example, John and I are in a tough financial place right now. We’re tithing and trying to be as obedient as we can be. And God promises to provide, to bless us, and to help us… so why aren’t things getting easier? Why aren’t the boys healthier? Why is there sometimes more month than money? And, I think, to some great degree, we aren’t parched. We’re tired and exhausted (literally, some days), but there have been small puddles in the desert. We have hope, but we’re not parched yet. When we are, when our tongues are sticking to the roof of our mouth, when there is nowhere left to turn, the God will come. He will answer. He will not forsake us. Maybe that time is close. I sure hope so. And until then, we cling to the promise that He will keep His words and that He will not leave us or forsake us, that He will bring blessings. He will open then a river in the desert, and a spring where there was no water before. Yeah God!
Numbers 23: 19God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not human, that he should change him mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Those are rhetorical questions. But how awesome is the truth they emphasize! These are words from God, spoken by a prophet. They are not words made up by someone. Think about what they truly say: God never speaks and fails to act. If He says it, it will happen. He will never make a promise and fail to carry it out. All those 7,000 promises in the Bible… yeah, He’s not lying about them. If He promises it, it will happen. I have a hard time remembering these things. But, God is not like me. He isn’t human. He doesn’t lie – He IS truth. He doesn’t go back on his promises like we do. He knows the future, so he knows how it will all work out. He is constant and can be depended upon. How awesome is that?! (Small side note about the rest of Balaam’s story: the king asks Balaam two more times to curse “just some of these people” after the first blessing. Each time Balaam delivers another blessing instead of a curse. You’d think this king would learn faster. Finally, he says, “Listen, if you aren’t going to curse them, at least don’t bless them!” Silly people, we just don’t learn!)
Romans 3:3 … but just because some of them broke their promises, does that mean God will break his promises? Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is true. Wow, this hit home a couple of days ago when I meant to post this, but the last part hit home today after a not-so-comfortable conversation with a person I thought I could trust… God Hunt Truth: God is TRUE. The very nature of God is truth, and the nature of truth is the inability to lie, the antithesis, of lies. No matter how faithless I am, no matter how many promises I break, I cannot alter the nature and being of God. he will remain God and He will still be true. Our God is not a man made God who is fickle and full of human folly. He is perfectly powerful, absolutely perfect, and eternally faithful and true. I am not big enough, important enough, or powerful enough to change the very nature of God. Therefore, He remains.