listen for God – Be Still…

Job 10:1-22 – Why, God?

Read Job 10:1-22

Job’s plea to God continues to seek answers as well as deliverance. So far, God has been silent. In desperation, Job finds himself stuck in darkness. yet he never turns away from God.

Job asks some very direct questions. For instance, Job asks God, “What do you gain by oppressing me?” Despite his lament, Job has the capacity to think the purpose of his pain must benefit someone, maybe even God himself. That’s an interesting query, don’t you think? Continue reading “Job 10:1-22 – Why, God?”

2 Chronicles 20:1-37 – God’s Victory

Read 1 Chronicles 20:1-37

How can you read a passage like this and not be changed? What I mean by that is how life-changing it is to see God at work. Reading accounts of God’s mighty intervention in the lives of his people is both encouraging and uplifting.

It’s easy for us to get caught up in our routines and start taking our blessings for granted. At some point, we are likely to hit a wall or be tempted or be ridiculed for our faithful living. How quickly our perfect existence can be marred by the unexpected attack.

1 Chronicles 14:1-17 – God Did It!

Read 1 Chronicles 14:1-17

How many times in your life have you exclaimed, “God did it!” David wasn’t afraid to give credit to God because God had provided answered prayer. This time David didn’t rush ahead without asking God first.

When presented with a problem, David sought the Lord’s advice. This happened twice, and while the victorious outcome was the same, the path to get there was different. David listened to God. There’s a lot of wisdom there. David was a witness to the fact that God did do it!

Ezra 1:5-11 – When God Stirs

Read Ezra 1:5-11

Those returning from exile to rebuild the temple will not be empty-handed. God continues to stir the people into action. Cyrus, the Persian king, was certainly doing his part to help facilitate the good will called for in his proclamation from our last reading. Isn’t it something that God knew Cyrus by name before he was even born when the prophet, Isaiah, spoke of this moment in history? (See Isaiah 44:28)

God orchestrates this whole process. How does that make you feel? One minute the people are living their normal lives and the next some are packing up to move back to their homeland. When I think about seventy years, that’s a long time to get comfortable in the land of exile. Those being stirred by God in today’s reading have likely never even seen Jerusalem.

Mark 1:35-39 – Quiet Time

Read Mark 1:35-39

I love what Jesus models for us here. No matter how busy and “in demand” Jesus was, he made it a priority to spend time in prayer. Alone. If Jesus needed that quiet time to recharge and reconnect with his Father, how much more do we need such connection? I’m so glad you’re reading this right now, quietly spending time with God and making him a priority!

The distracted disciples were missing out on their own quiet time. Did you sense the urgency in the disciples’ search for Jesus? It was like they felt pressured to satisfy everyone else’s desire to see Jesus. They were so busy trying to manage “everyone,” they didn’t notice Jesus’ need for prayer.