In the coming week (week 5), we will look at what it means to be “Women of Joy and Praise”. We will build on knowing that God loves, sees, and cherishes women, and continue to focus on the fact that faith and prayer play a huge part in our surrender and sacrifice that is required of those who follow Jesus.
Our focus/memory verse is found in Psalm 34:1 – I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. It’s a lovely example of the praises we will read in the stories we read this week as we continue our journey through the word, discovering “God’s heart for His daughters”.
This Week’s Challenge from the team at Love God Greatly:
Who in your life have you seen fight for joy and praise God in the midst of hard times? Make a point this week to encourage her and share what you have seen in her life and how it has impacted you.
The women we’ve studied this week revealed stories and lives of surrender in the face of many different situations. Mary, a virgin, surrendered to the unexpected and unbelievable news that she was pregnant. Abigail and Esther both faced incredible danger and possible death and yet with eyes on God they showed us both courage and humility in the way they responded to their specific challenges. While Moses’ mother and the poor widow shared vastly different stories they both revealed not only courage but great faith in God and selfless love. There is much that can be learned from these beautiful stories. They are worthy of reading to ourselves, our children, or our grandchildren many times throughout the year. Lest we forget how God works miracles and blesses those who, by faith, follow Him even though it may mean danger or sacrificing their desires for His.
Trusting God isn’t always easy. He allows things in and around us that don’t make sense and that often cause us to wonder where He is. However, as we see through each of these women and those we have studied before them – He is faithful, loving, protective, kind, compassionate, understanding, and purposeful in His care for us.
Consider these stories and their truths often so that you do not grow weary and lose heart. Fix your eyes on Him and not the circumstances of Your life and surrender, even as Christ did in the garden, saying, “Not my will but yours be done”, or as Mary said to Gabriel, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me according to your word”.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28 NLT
If you missed any of this week’s devotions from me you’ll find them at this link
If you missed any of the Love God Greatly Blogs for week 4 you’ll find them at these links:
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say.
1 Samuel 25:23-24 NLT
Observations:
What we know about Abigail:
Abigail was married to Nabal, an wealthy and evil man (2-3)
She was both wise and beautiful (3)
She was respected and trusted by their servants do what was right and wise (14-17)
Time and again she acted quickly and with wisdom (18-20, 23, 36-37 and 42)
When she spoke with David, she spoke with the LORD God as her perspective (26-31)
She knew right from wrong and sought forgiveness for her husband’s actions and encouraged David to do what was right in the sight of the LORD (28-31)
How Then Should We Live?
We would be wise to follow Abigail’s example and keep God as our perspective in all things. By her conversation with David it appears to be that having a godly perspective helped Abigail not panic when danger was near, she sought forgiveness when necessary, and spoke with wisdom and respect. Act quickly but not rash.
Prayer Response:
Father, the story of Abigail is beautifully inspired though she was the wife a a wicked man she kept You in mind. You gave her wisdom and strength where it would have been easy to run and hide or to berate her husband. You showed her your favor and used her humility and courage in a mighty way. May I live surrendered. – In the power of Your Spririt –
Your Turn:
What’s your take away from Abigail’s story?
Reflection Questions:
What stood out to you the most Abigail’s response to David?
How do you think her hospitality and courage influenced David’s response to her and her family?
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38 NLT
My Observations:
Who was Mary?
Mary was a virgin from Nazareth, a town also known as Galilee. She was engaged to a man by the name of Joseph who was a descendant of David. She was favored by God, chosen to bear the Messiah, God’s only Son. She was guaranteed a healthy, safe delivery, and a “Holy” child – which eased her fears.
The Angel’s Visit:
An angel, named Gabriel, who was sent by God, came to Mary, greeting her as one who was favored and one whom the LORD was with. He encouraged her to not be afraid and asked her to listen to the message he had brought. As if being greeted by an angel wasn’t shocking enough, try learning from the angel that you’re going to have a baby boy – talk about a unique gender reveal! The angel gave her all of the details, even what to name the baby, whose the baby really was, how great the baby would be, and how His future would turn out.
“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” … 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:31-33, 35 NLT
Oddly enough Gabriel even told her about Elizabeth, her cousin, being six months pregnant with a son. Perhaps this is what sparked Mary’s visit to Elizabeth that we read about last week.
Mary’s Response:
We could jump right to verse 38 and see Mary’s ultimate and “beautifully surrendered” response. However, in doing so we would miss some crucial and equally beautiful responses from the minute the angel appeared.
Mary didn’t run from the angel but she received him and entertained his greeting and announcement, which is obvious from Luke’s description that reads: “Mary was greatly troubled by [Gabriel’s] words” and [she] began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting”. When the angel asked her to listen, she obviously did so – because when he was done speaking, she asked Gabriel a question. Mary said to the angel:
“How will this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”
Luke 1:34 NLT
Following Gabriel’s enlightening reply, Mary gives her final response – which is one of beautiful surrender, acknowledging both her awareness of what is happening and her surrender to the LORD who is bringing it about. It’s worth reading again:
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
Luke 1:38
How Then Should We Live?
While we will never receive the message that Mary received from Gabriel, we should always be prepared and willing to hear from God and, like Mary, we should consider what He says. We should not be afraid – remembering that if He’s asking us to do something then He has already prepared us for it. We should live positioned and ready to be used by God. After listening to what He asks of us we should, respectfully, ask any questions we might have and surrender in faithful obedience.
Prayer Response:
Father, How great and wonderful are Your ways. How amazing and powerful are Your acts. I marvel at Your work to position Mary and to use her in such an unexpected and marvelous way. I stand in awe of her beautiful surrender and pray that I, and those who have read or heard this lesson, might always be prepared and never turn away from what You call us to do. – In His name and strength and for Your glory – Amen!
Your Turn:
So, what’s your take-away from today’s passage?
Refection Questions:
What does Mary’s response teach us about her?
How would you have responded if you had been in her shoes?
4 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” John 4:14-15
My Observations:
Crucial to this encounter with the Samaritan woman is the word “whoever”. It is equally important to understand the importance of who Jesus was speaking to –
She was a woman and a Samaritan. He had five husbands and was living with one who was not her husband; because of her lifestyle she was a known outcast and considered ‘unclean’. Jesus’ ongoing answers and conversation seem to soften her attitude and many others are brought to meet Him.
your turn:
What’s your take away from the story of the Samaritan woman?
How then Shall We Live?
Jesus clearly asked water from this woman to engage her in conversation and offer her the living water he has to offer. From my understanding He did so at great risk to His reputation – considering, not only that she was a woman but her lifestyle and the fact that she was a Samaritan. In what He did He set the example of how we are to live as His witnesses.
Don’t be afraid to reach the “outcast” with the love of Jesus
Make “whoever” a part of our conversation with the ‘thirsty’
Give the word out like cups of cold water to those who are thirsty (in need of ‘eternal life’)
Tell others what we know about Jesus and where they can find Him
My Prayer Response:
Father, thank You for the examples of Jesus. Help us to live and love like Him. When we open our mouths fill us with the words that will help those who are “thirsty” receive the gift of eternal life. Help us to ‘see’ those who are seeking more and to engage with them regardless of how they respond, regardless of their status in life, and regardless of what others think.
She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
MY OBSERVATIONS:
Wow! How can one small passage pack such an amazing message? From the obvious to the somewhat obscure, this familiar passage held so much that jumped off the page as though I had never read it before in my life.
helpful background details
Anna was a prophetess (verse 36), which means she was a woman who proclaimed God’s WORD – speaking everything God gave her to speak – and boy, did He give her a lot to speak on this day.
As verse 36 tells us, Anna was the “daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher“, meaning she was a descendant of Jacob.
When verse 38 says, “At that moment”, it is referring to the time Mary and Joseph had come to the Temple to present Jesus to the LORD; setting Him apart to the LORD was fulfilling the law’s requirement for every firstborn male.
Anna
Anna spent her life at the Temple. She worshiped God through fasting and praying both night and day, clearly she was devoted to God. In 2022, my Pastor preached on ‘worship’ as part of a series titled “The 7 Habits of Deeply Spiritual People”. The first, and what I believe he called the core habit, is “worship”. He shared several definitions of worship, including:
“giving or showing someone their worth“
“the outpouring of a soul because we’re at rest with God“
“the occupation of the heart with God Himself”
and “a conscious passion to glorify God in everything because He alone is deserving”
Pastor Lemming made the point that this type of worship only happens when we see God for who He really is. Clearly, Anna saw God for who He really was, and because she did, she was able to see Jesus, even as a young child, for who He really was – the long-awaited Messiah! It was her surrender that fueled her awareness of who He was, which in turn fueled her mission to “speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem”.
Essential to Anna’s story and her worship is that she was a prayer warrior. She’s actually a great example of what Paul instructed the Colossians to be like in Colossians 4:2, when he said: “Be devoted to prayer.”
Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.
Colossians 4:2
Note again Anna’s reaction in verse 38, “At that moment, [Anna] came up to [Mary and Joseph, and Jesus] to give thanks to God and to speak about the child, [Jesus], to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” With a heart beautifully surrendered to God, Anna was positioned to see and be a part of God’s presence and work.
How Then Should We Live?
Surely we are to live beautifully surrendered like Anna, daily worshiping God. We may not be at the physical “temple” night and day as she was, but what hit me as I was reading and digesting the passage were the words of Paul to the Corinthians that – we, our physical bodies, are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and was given to us by God. We are meant to worship God – showing Him His worth, recognizing His vast superiority, having a conscious passion to glorify Him in everything – “night and day”, just like Anna.
We are meant to proclaim Jesus just like Anna, for Jesus is the Gospel message, the very message that Paul said is the “power of God for salvation”.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16 NET
We are to be devoted to prayer as she was; it should not be something we only do in the morning and evening or when we have a desperate need. We are meant to pray “without ceasing”, staying alert to the opportunities and needs throughout the day to call on or cry out praises to Him on our own behalf or for others.
Prayer Response
Father – what beautiful words and instruction from a Scripture passage so familiar and yet somehow so new. Help us to live like Anna – devoted to You in every way – worshiping You night and day, fixed on You, unceasing in prayer, and unashamed to proclaim Jesus! ~ In the name of Jesus, so let it be ~
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
Mark 5:34 NLT
My Observations:
The verse we are focusing on today starts with, “He said to her …” but you have to read the passage to see the fuller picture of why He said it. Her face to face encounter with Jesus happened because “she heard about Jesus”. What she heard she must have believed because she acted on her faith and by Jesus’ own words – “her faith made her well”.
Don’t miss that her faith had a focus point. While I’m sure as I can be that she had not forgotten her disease and how sick she was – the picture painted with the words of Mark show us that her focus was on Jesus and His power to heal – “If only I touch His clothes, I will be healed”. Because of her internal FAITH she reached out and touched his clothes, perhaps just the hem of His garment, but this was enough to cause healing power to flow from Jesus to her. They both felt it and were brought face to face as Jesus looked for the one who had reached out to Him. Bowed before Him in fear and trembling she unfolds her story to Him and He pronounces her healed and sends her on in peace. Her life forever changed.
THE BIG PICTURE
There are certain people in my life that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt would do anything in the world to help me if I was stranded somewhere or had a need of any kind. However, despite the deepest trust I have in them, they will not help me if I don’t make the need known to them. This is why I believe it’s important to note that the woman in today’s story acted on her faith. She didn’t simply hear about Jesus and believe shut her eyes and wish He would heal her disease. She believed enough to press in close and reach out and touch His garment. She had internal faith that became an external action and it changed her life.
Internal faith is powerful and when it’s acted on it’s life changing – especially if the focus of the faith is Jesus!
Me-from the Inside-out 2022
How Then Should We Live?
Believe, live, and act like this woman. We should live by faith not by sight, making sure our focus is on Jesus, not the problem. Reach out to Jesus, press into Him, with fear and trembling bow before Him. Tell Him the whole story and wait for His response – it may be healing or provision, or perhaps it will be comfort or renewed strength. It may look like what we imagined or something a bit different than we hoped for but His answer will always be the best answer and the right answer. We must remember, as with this woman, it is our faith that moves the heart of Jesus. Paul said that God, through the power that is working in us, can do immeasurably more than we ask or even imagine, and both Matthew and Mark wrote in their Gospels how all things are possible with God. Perhaps the first place we should start is by asking ourselves – do I believe these truths – So much so, that even touching the hem of His garment would make a difference?
20 Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think,
Ephesians 3:20
My Prayer Response:
Father, every day I pray – thanking You, petitioning You, crying out to You on behalf of others as well as myself. I confess it is easy to pray, because I love talking to/with You, but I am reminded by this passage that I sometimes pray absentmindedly. Or, I pray small prayers when You are a very big God. Help me to pray big prayers, to be alert when I pray, to pray with my focus, not on my need or problems, but on You, Your Son, and Your Spirit – through whom all blessings flow. Help me to not only live a life of faith but to pray in faith believing that You can do abundantly more than I ask or even imagine. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
We really need to look at the full picture to understand and appreciate what took place and what it means for us as Gentile believers.
The Woman
Though she was a Canaanite, the woman recognized Jesus for who He was, one who could have mercy on her, the Lord, the Son of David. (22)
She had a demon-possessed daughter.(22)
Even though Jesus did not answer her at first, even though the disciples begged Him to “send her away”, and even though Jesus finally told her “He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”(23-24) – She came and bowed down before Him, acknowledged Him again as Lord and again asked for help (25)
In rebuttal to Jesus’ response, one that could have been taken as offensively rude, she doesn’t rile at Him in anger but acknowledges His position as “master”. (27)
The Disciples:
Granted, among the crowds of people following Jesus, vying for His attention, pressing in for healing or some other miracle – being a disciple couldn’t have been easy. In this particular situation the woman had obviously gotten on their last nerve as they begged for Jesus to send her away. (23)
Jesus:
Jesus went from not responding to the women’s request, to a statement about why He was there, then to making the shocking statement that was less than flattering, and finally to commending her and acting on the woman’s “great faith”.
Note: Some have made the argument that Jesus was rude in not responding and others would argue that His comment about the ‘dogs’ was uncalled for – but the greater argument can and should be made that He was looking to see if the woman was a sincere believer or not since she was a Canaanite. A helpful commentary on this matter can be found at this Bible Reference link – https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/15/Matthew-15-26.html
What we must remember when Scripture raises questions like this - is who we know Jesus to be. He God in human form, there was no sin in Him - so He would never be rude or disrespectful to anyone and His reasons for everything He says and does will always be perfect and for the Father's glory. To believe less than this is to question the very foundation of our belief in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. - Me, from-the-insideout
How Then Should We Live?
It’s easy to approach God and ask for needs or health or even desires … but it’s the believing and persisting that is often missing. However, we are encouraged to be devoted to prayer, to pray without ceasing, to approach the throne of God boldly and with confidence, to keep on asking – to keep on seeking – and to keep on knocking … so even though she may have seemed annoying to the disciples – we must not take this to mean we should do any less. However, what struck me more than her persistence was the fact that her focus wasn’t on her daughter at the moment but squarely on Jesus, who He was, and what He could do. For this reason, I believe, a profitable take-away or application would be to pray believing, persist in praying, and focus on the Master rather than the request. I learned a long time ago – with many reminders since – that when we focus on our request we lose sight of Jesus and, like Peter on the water, our faith begins to sink beneath the waves of our desire.
My Prayer Response:
Father, in our praying help us stay focused on You and not on our requests/needs or desires. Help us to pray believing and persistently – knowing You are able. May we not waiver in our faith for in this You are glorified and we are blessed.
You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
Luke 1:45
My Observations:
The Back Story
To truly appreciate and rightly observe this one verse I believe it is best to read the entire passage. When we do this we read how Zechariah and Elizabeth were without children at a very old age. They had prayed for a child but none had been born to them because, as the Scripture says: “Elizabeth was barren”. That is, until their prayer had been heard and she became pregnant in her old age. While Zechariah doubted the incredible announcement, Elizabeth immediately believed and praised God for what He had done.
Elizabeth Understood
Perhaps because Elizabeth had herself received and believed the announcement of her own miracle baby she understood all the more how special Mary’s situation was and just how difficult it would have been for her to believe.
How Then Should We Live?
We should live believing that absolutely “nothing is impossible with God”. When we hear or see Him in action we would be wise to believe and not doubt. We would be equally wise to follow Elizabeth’s example and encourage others when we see the Lord working in their lives or when we see them expressing their faith in God!
My Prayer Response:
Father, help me to keep my eyes open to the faith of others and to be a voice of encouragement to those whose faith is evident both in times of plenty and times when the promised, the desired, or the needed seems impossible. Help me to be quick not only to believe but to encourage others with the evident truth that NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU! In Jesus’ Name let me be an encourager. – AMEN!
26 So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, look, here is your son!” 27 He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very time the disciple took her into his own home.
John 19:26-67 NET
My Observations:
In the Throes of Agonizing Death
How sweet is this scene’s depiction of the Savior’s intimate care for His mother even in the throes of a horrendous death. The beauty of the reality that His love for ‘all’ did not negate His love and care for her as an individual. Also, something that stood out to me this time was the trust He had and placed in this disciple and how well-placed it was.
From that very time the disciple took her into his own home.
John 19:27
How Then Should We Live?
Let’s factor in what we know from this passage first. While God so loved the world and offered salvation to ‘whosoever” believes – what we see here is Christ loving not just a collective group of believers but we see Him tenderly revealing His very personal love for His mother. Jesus’ position as God the Son, did not interfere with His earthly position or emotions as Mary’s son – or for that matter our friend (John 15:14-15) or brother (Hebrews 2:11; Romans 8:29). Knowing these descriptions from Scripture coupled with how we see Him treat Mary – tells me, that because we belong to Jesus’ family, we can TRUST His love for us is equally personal and that He will treat us not just as another believer but as dearly beloved.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers
Romans 8:29 ESV
We also don’t want to miss the other factor, which is that He entrusted His mother, Mary, to one of His disciples. I’ve read and heard this passage many times, yet this time the words jumped off the page at me. I found myself immediately wondering if He sees me as a trustworthy disciple, one He can confidently trust to do His work in His absence. I believe Paul’s letter to Timothy, concerning the character of a person who serves Christ, explains how to be such a disciple and what this trusted disciple might be like when he made the following statement about an approved worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed. (I’ll tell you right now, I have a lot to work on and sure am glad He equipped us with His Spirit so that we have the hope of reaching this goal.)
15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer, ... “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.” 20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Timothy 2:15-26
My Prayer Response
Father, oh the beauty of Your Son and the larger than life or anything we can understand GIFT He is. He who loved us all enough to GIVE His life for our sins, and be on earth suffering rather than in Heaven – He also showed us that His love is personal and now we live with this HOPE and JOY that He is looking out for us too, and that He will entrust others to us as He sees the need when He knows us to be faithful. Father, let me be found faithful and true – hands and feet and a light and voice for You. In Jesus’ Name and power.
My Worship Response
I recently used this one but it is the one that kept playing through my head as I wrote this devotional. https://youtu.be/r6U8O_WnPZY(this song does not belong to me but is by David Aslesen and found on the above Youtube link)
Me From the Inside Out 