Tag: LGG

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Importance of Prayer, The Importance of Prayer

Praise the Name of the Lord

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The Importance of Prayer – A Love God Greatly Study, w1d4
Read Psalm 145 and SOAP Psalm 145:2-3

2I will praise you every day;
    yes, I will praise you forever.
3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
    No one can measure his greatness.

Psalm 145:2-3

For me, soaping this passage might look like the following –

Scripture: 2I will praise you every day;
    yes, I will praise you forever.
3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
    No one can measure his greatness. Psalm 145:2-3

Observation: 1. David makes it personal. He isn’t simply leading others to praise God – He is declaring his personal heart felt adoration for His God. 2. David is committed, pledging to praise God every day – forever. 3. David declares the Lord to be great and worthy of praise. 4. David is certain that no one can measure God’s greatness.

Application: If I am to emulate David, who was a ‘man after God’s own heart, I should seek to praise God forever and ever. I will declare His greatness, remember that He is “most” worthy of praise, and not allow anyone a greater place or tribute in my life – not because I’ve been told that He is great or because other people are praising Him but because I personally know that so great is He, His greatness cannot be measured.

Prayer: Father, thank you for David’s reminder that you are great and most worthy of praise. Help me to praise you throughout every day of my life, forever and forever. – Amen!

My SOAP

SOAPing Scripture is a beautiful and helpful technique of studying and understanding God’s Word. However, it is important, when doing so, to allow yourself the time and the joy of mining for other treasure. Or, as I like to say, to chase some ‘scripture squirrels’. So, naturally when my study for today – The Importance of Prayer by Love God Greatly – called for me to read Psalm 145 and SOAP only verses 2-3 – I ended up chasing down some squirrels.

As we discovered yesterday, praising God makes for a great time of worshipful prayer. This Psalm of David is an excellent example. He begins by lifting up, or exalting, the Lord in verse 1 and is still praising Him in verse 21. David declares in his own singular praise – I will exalt you, my God and King, and I will praise your name. Keep reading though and you will see that his praise leads to more praise, followed by an invitation or the expressed hope (4) for others to continue the praise – “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.” Watch, then, as he purposes to meditate on some of the most beautiful characteristics and works of our God. According to David, when we think of God’s majestic, glorious splendor and His wonderful miracles we will proclaim His greatness. And because praise is contagious God’s awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue not just his own; David will proclaim God’s greatness, yet not just His greatness toward David, but an extensive resume’ of God’s character and previous works.

  •  He keeps His promises;
  •  He is gracious in all He does.
  • The Lord helps the fallen
  •  He lifts those bent beneath their loads.
  •  He gives them their food as they need it.
  • He satisfies the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
  • The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
  • He is filled with kindness.
  • The Lord is close to all who call on him,
  •  He grants the desires of those who fear him;
  • He hears their cries for help and rescues them.
  • The Lord protects all those who love him
  •  He destroys the wicked.

Look back with me to verses 5-13, and note that by proclaiming some simple yet profound truths of God, like His greatness and the fact that He is worthy of praise, David’s Psalm turns from the singular ‘I will’ statements to declaring that ‘everyone will’ and ‘they will’.

Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness.

Psalm 145:7

David knows what it is to benefit from or to see the Lord’s mercy and compassion or to experience His goodness. He knows how his own heart responds in praise to these things and surmises, based on his own experience, that because the Lord is merciful and compassionate and because the Lord is good to everyone, that His faithful followers will also cry out in praise. He says, they will speak of the Glory of God’s kingdom, they will tell about His mighty deeds and give examples of His power and talk about the majesty and glory of His reign.

… your faithful followers will praise you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;
    they will give examples of your power.
12 They will tell about your mighty deeds
    and about the majesty and glory of your reign.

Psalm 145:10b-12

David ends the Psalm with the same declaration that he opened with, the pledge that “I will praise the Lord.” He then entreats everyone on earth to do the same. May we follow David in this most worthy quest. May our eyes and hearts and minds be opened to see, to hear, and to experience God – and then may we respond with praise – not just silent or whispered praises to Him but bold and confident praise that will testify to His goodness, His mercies, His grace, love, and magnificent works. May our praise ignite more praise both in us and in all those who hear or see what He is doing.

I will praise the Lord,
    and may everyone on earth bless his holy name
    forever and ever.

Psalm 145:21

Me, from the inside out

Reflection: What is something you can praise the Lord for today? I invite you to be the spark and leave a comment below.

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Worship Filled Praise

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The Importance of Prayer, w1d3

Read Jeremiah 10:6-7

6Lord, there is no one like you!
For you are great, and your name is full of power.
7 Who would not fear you, O King of nations?
That title belongs to you alone!
Among all the wise people of the earth
and in all the kingdoms of the world,
there is no one like you.

Jeremiah 10:6-7

To ‘revere’ is to feel deep respect or admiration for (something or someone). Our prayers are often the way we express our deep respect and admiration for God, which is what Jeremiah was doing here. Read it again, listen as He declares, “There is no one like You … You are great … Your name is full of power.” He questions, “Who would not fear You? He then addresses Him as the “King of the nations” and declares He alone is worthy of the title! Then Jeremiah’s praise crescendos with His final declaration, “Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like You.” What a beautiful prayer for us to borrow from the Scriptures, a wonderful example of ‘revering’ God and attributing the highest of wisdom to Him. – Me from the Insideout 💗

“Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like You.”

Jeremiah 10:7

I believe to fully comprehend and appreciate these two verse, we first need to read the words of God to Israel in verses 1-5, where Israel is warned that idolatry brings destruction:

Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Do not act like the other nations,
    who try to read their future in the stars.
Do not be afraid of their predictions,
    even though other nations are terrified by them.
3 Their ways are futile and foolish.
    They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
4 They decorate it with gold and silver
    and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
    so it won’t fall over.
5 Their gods are like
    helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
    and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
    for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

Jeremiah 10:1-5 NLT

In these five verses you find that the people of the other nations make their own gods, they dress them and prop them up so they will not fall over. Our God, however, not only talked to His people, we’ve also read how He was heard by Adam and Eve walking in the garden in the cool of the evening. — But the gods of the other nations cannot speak and have to be carried because they cannot walk. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” It’s quite easy to boast of our God’s power, might, goodness, love and all the other namable qualities – but our “boasting” means nothing unless we truly understand the truth that there is NO ONE like Him.

Making it personal

We must get to know God for who He is in order to worship Him as He deserves. Likewise we must be aware that all other gods pale in comparison to Him. I believe when we do this our prayers will flow with worship-filled praises like we read here by Jeremiah.

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, there is no god like You. There is no one like you in heaven or on earth. For, as the prophet wrote, You are great, and Your name is full of power. Who is there that would not fear You, O King of nations? That title belongs only to You! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, we can not say it enough – there is no on like You! Help us to spend so much time with You that we realize, like Jeremiah, that all else pales in comparison to You – and may our lips flow with the praise that You alone are due. – In the powerful name of Jesus! – Amen –

Don’t forget to visit https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/ for today’s LGG Blog Post

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study, The Importance of Prayer

Boldly Approaching God

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The Importance of Prayer, w1d2

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-16; SOAP: Hebrews 4:16

14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Today’s Observation:

There are many key words in these verses. We are SOAPing verse 16 but verses 14 and 15 have some words that help make sense of verse 16, such as, “high priest” (Jesus), “weaknesses (tendency to sin),” and “without sin” (sinless) . In a nutshell, this verse is a reminder that Jesus, who was without sin, is our Great High Priest who understands our weaknesses. He understands them because He has “faced all of the same testings we do – with one big difference – He never sinned. How do these truths affect our boldness? Because, we will not pray to or draw near to God if we do not have confidence in Jesus, we will certainly not approach God’s throne with boldness, if we do not know and trust the sinless character of our Great High Priest. Again, simply put, we will not request something we don’t deserve [grace] or ask that a punishment, that we do deserve, be withheld [mercy] when we do not understand God’s character, which is full of mercy, abundant in grace, and abounding in love. Boldness typically comes from confidence and confidence comes with trust and trust is built through relationship and established over time . However, when we know the God who sits on the throne and Jesus, the Great High Priest, and when we know our weaknesses, compared to His sinless life – His desire, hope, and invitation is that we will boldly, draw near to Him and find, as promised, His mercy and grace.

Today’s Application: Making it Personal

Have you ever had one of those moments when you drive a very familiar path to a very familiar destination – such as home to work or work to home – but when you arrive you wonder how? Like you don’t really remember anything from point A to point B. You safely went through the routine drive but you can’t remember seeing the river that you love to look at or if there was a beautifully painted sky along the way. I have done it often, and as I began journaling some thoughts of application on today’s passage- I was prodded to question if I am guilty of this in prayer. For instance, “when I pray do I even consider Jesus, the one who bridges the gap? Am I consciously aware of Him who made it possible for me to even approach God in prayer or am I just going through the routine of praying? I don’t want to deflect from the message of coming boldly before God’s throne, which is the writer’s point, but it made me wonder just how often I begin praying – approaching God’s throne, without even considering Jesus – not that I don’t consider Him within the context of the prayer – and close the prayer in His name – but it struck me in reading these verses today, that the only way to truly approach God with such boldness is to be consciously aware of Jesus from beginning to end. To remember how He taught us [His disciples] to pray … “Our Father, in Heaven, hallowed be Your name”, is a reminder that we are coming before a holy God. and can only do so through Jesus, our Redeemer, who sits at the Father’s right hand pleading for us, (Romans 8:34). This conviction/question/realization that came to mind isn’t necessarily that I need to change the words that I pray and certainly not that I need to pray the same words every time, but that when I pray – it should never be just a routine prayer, instead it should flow out of a conscious awareness of being in conversation with God. It should never be just an awareness of my needs and requests but of God’s (Father, Son, and Spirit) presence, His promises, His Word, His provisions, His teachings, His guidance, His will, His perfection, His goodness … holiness … trustworthiness … and all that we know Him to be. Without such an awareness I wonder if we will ever have the bold confidence that Hebrew’s teaches.

So how about you? When you pray, do you pray boldly? Do you trust Jesus, your High Priest, to intercede on your behalf according to His understanding of who you are. weaknesses and all? Do you draw near to God with boldness, believing that Jesus was tempted in every way like you have been but remained sinless and having offered Himself up on your behalf is there interceding for you now? If not, ask yourself what’s holding you back. Ask God to give you a fuller understanding of these truths and to help you hold firmly to what you believe.

Today’s Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, thank You for the reminder of why I can come boldly before Your throne. How often do I just run into Your presence without thought to the privilege and the reason I can stand before You! Help me to not aimlessly nor without thought enter into Your presence. For surely, when I am purposeful to consider Your gift of Christ -I will come boldly as You have invited. Thank You for Your promise of grace and mercy – and for the confidence such knowledge gives me!

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study, The Importance of Prayer

Devoted to Prayer

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The Importance of Prayer, A love God Greatly study – w1d1
Today’s Reading: Acts 2:42-47; SOAP: Acts 2:42

Welcome to Week 1, Day 1 of The newest study by Love God Greatly – “The Importance of Prayer”. Join me here M-F for commentary, links, and a place to grow in your faith and understanding of the importance of prayer in the life of a believer.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

According to one of the definitions I found for the word ‘devoted’, verse 42 could read – “the believers were given over to the Apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” However, there was another definition for the word devoted that I truly love in regard to prayer. The definition is ‘very loving or loyal’, and when used in verse 42 would enhance the previous reading something like this – “The believers were devoted to Christ and given over, out of love and loyalty for Christ, to the Apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

What a beautiful picture and basis for prayer – that we, as the followers of Christ, would be moved to pray, not only when we are in need, but out of loyalty to and love for Christ. We only have to read the rest of the passage to see the benefit of their devotion. As they gave themselves over to the teaching and the fellowship, and to the breaking of bread and the prayers, Luke writes that “awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” They were dwelling in harmony with one another and caring for the needs of others, meeting together in the temple, “praising God and having favor with all the people.” And here’s perhaps the richest of the benefits – “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Certainly this is great reason to consider prayer and fellowship with believers vital to the work of God through us.

“The believers were devoted to Christ and given over, out of love and loyalty for Christ, to the Apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Acts 2:42 my paraphrase
Reflections: Making it Personal

The early Christians devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

  • How do you think these four actions influenced their daily lives?
  • How can we live like this today?
Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, help me to faithfully live devoted to Jesus – to His teachings, doing life with other believers, and to prayer. In this You will be glorified.

Don’t forget to check out today’s blog from the Love God Greatly Team

https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/
Posted in Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study, The God Who Restores

PRAISE THE LORD!

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The God Who Restores, w4d2
TODAY’S READING: 1 SAMUEL 2:1-10; PSALM 113

Today’s SOAP: Psalm 113:1-2

Praise the Lord!
Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord
now and forever. Psalm 113:1-2

OBSERVATIONS: PRAISE THE LORD!
  • Praise is the theme
  • God is the object of the praise
  • Even His Name is worthy of Praise
  • Praise Him NOW and FOREVER
APPLICATION:

PRAISE THE LORD was going to be my single response here – but as I began typing my observations it occurred to me that, for me, the application might just need to be a question (and answer) response.

  • Is praising God the theme of my life? (Not like it should be. I do praise Him and often but I also realize that often when answers I’ve prayed for come – my praise is often a quick word rather than a lavish response of praise
  • Is God the object of my praise? (Certainly! That should be the answer, right? However, if I’m truly honest in the evaluation of myself – I fear I sometimes get much more caught up in the answer than with the God who heard my petition and answered me.)
  • What does it mean that “His name is worthy of praise? (God’s acts are definitely worthy of praise. Consider the list the Psalmist gave: “He raises the poor from the dirt, lifts up the needy from the garbage pile and seats him with the prices of his people. He makes the barren woman a happy mother of children.” But even if He did none of those things He is worthy of our praise! – He is Creator God, seated on a ‘high throne’, where He has to look down just to see the sky and earth. His name is above every other name – there is no one like Him in heaven or on earth!
  • Is my praise contingent on circumstances and time? (Surely I will praise Him when I am forevermore with Him. But what about the now and all the days between now and then? Oh it’s easy to praise Him when things are going well. It’s easy to praise Him when I am focused on the fact that He alone is God – but what about those times in the “here and now and all the unknown ‘more’ days that follow here on earth, with all of their unforeseen storms and struggles of life? When things aren’t so good or my mind spirals to fear or other emotions that hinder praise – will I still praise Him? When the waiting for His return gets harder, will I still praise Him? – In all honesty, I think and pray I will, or at least it is what He has been faithfully teaching me to do for many many years now. May I faithfully do so to His glory 💜
  • The bottom line is this – If we have chosen to follow-Christ and live as a child of God we should be serving the Lord – denying ourselves daily, taking up our cross and following where He leads us and doing His work while He’s gone. – May the words of this commentary be encouragement and inspiration: “Make your job [ministry] in the church an act of praise, doing it with [joy] and reverence to God Honor Him by the quality of your work and the attitude of service you bring.” (borrowed from the NIV New Life Application Bible)
PRAYER: RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD

Father, You are worthy of praise – Your Name alone deserves and ignites praise! The work of Your hands and the depth of Your love – even more so! As the Psalmist said, “Who can compare to You?”. And of course, the answer is none. Not even one Father! You are sovereign over all! There is nothing You cannot do. Your love and power and goodness are matchless! I praise You oh LORD, my God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!💜❤️💙 Now and forever, Father – may I be quick and faithful to praise You – even as fervently as I pray! And this to Your Glory and honor – Amen!

TODAY’S REFLECTION:
  • What are you praising God for today?

Me: I’m praising Him for His peace, that passes all
understanding, in the midst of the storms and waves of live
right now that sometimes cause me to be overwhelmed.

– I’m praising Him for His helping me to get caught up on a
few things that were leaving me feeling overwhelmed and
trusting Him to continue to help me get completely caught
up.

– I’m praising Him for my mother’s birthday, celebrating her
83rd year of life!

Posted in Advent, Bible study, LGG Study, The God Who Restores

Examining Your Heart

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A Love God Greatly Devotion from The God Who Restores, p 116

This devotion was written by the Love God Greatly Team as part of their 2022 Advent Study, The God Who Restores. It is a beautifully written ‘commentary’ on Micah 5:4; and great encouragement to the beginning of the final week before Christmas. May it be a blessing to lead you away from the hustle and bustle of the seasonal celebrations and rituals of Christmas; and may it spark a light that will draw your attention to the redemptive love, peace, mercy, joy and hope that God intended HIS gift of the Messiah to be.

borrowed from Love God Greatly, The God Who Restores p. 116 – Advent 2022
Posted in Advent, From the Insideout, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The God Who Restores

THE KING WILL COME

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The God Who Restores, w4d1
TODAY’S READING: MICAH 5:2-4
Today’s SOAP: Micah 5:4

And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.

Micah 2:4 NET

Observations:

  • Jesus will take His place as the Shepherd of God’s people. (we are the flock the sheep of His pasture – see Psalm 100:3)
  • Jesus will do His work by God’s strength and authority.
  • [We], His people, will live securely because He reigns!

Application:

  • I have a good Shepherd.
  • His strength and authority belong to God.
  • Through Him, I can/will live securely – because Christ and His Kingdom will last forever.

Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, I don’t always understand Your Word – especially the prophecies – but what I do know and trust is Jesus is the Great Shepherd, my Shepherd – who rules and reigns and has made a way for me to live securely and forever with You! – I praise You for these truths in the name of Jesus – Amen!

TODAY’S REFLECTION:
  • How is God calling your heart to Him this week?
    me: In compassion He’s calling me to be still and know/remember that He is God – to keep my eyes on Him and not the circumstances or busyness of life
  • What is He doing in your life that displays His great mercy and love as well as His holiness?
    me: He is giving me strength for each new day and the peace that truly passes all understanding. He is graciously showing me mercy through His patience with me when I mess up, and forgiving me when I sin.
  • Your Turn: I invite you to share your soap and your reflections in the comment section or feel free to email me if you have questions.
Posted in Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, Quiet Time, The God Who Restores

Shout for Joy

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The God Who Restores, A Love God Greatly Study – w3d2
Today’s Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20
SOAP: Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst;
he is a warrior who can deliver.
He takes great delight in you;
he renews you by his love;
he shouts for joy over you.”

Zephaniah 3:17 NET
Observations: The Day of Hope
Are these the things you believe about your God?
  • Do you know that He is in your midst, that He is with you?
  • Do you see Him as a mighty warrior who not only can but has delivered you from the power of sin and death?
  • Do you believe, despite what you know about yourself (and despite what He knows), that your God takes great delights in you?
  • Have you experienced the calming, renewing effect of His love in your life?
  • Can you hear Him rejoicing over you with singing?
Application: It’s all in the attitude

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating … What we believe will steer our attitude. We will either be shouting for joy at what God has promised that is yet to come and rejoicing over what He has already done – or, we will doubt who He is and miss all that He has for us while we wait here on earth – and possibly what He has promised those who belong to Him in the future. We must be intentional, write it down on paper or better yet, put it in the notes section of your phone. When doubt or fears arise and hope dwindles pull it out and read it as a mantra- Perhaps something like this …

God is my God and He is with me, my mighty Savior who takes delight in me, with gladness! I will remind myself often that it is in Him and because of His love that I find a calming peace and a renewal my spirit.

Me, from the inside-out
Prayer:

Father – how great is Your love! You dwell with me – my warrior who has saved me. I am Your daughter and You take great delight in me – even shouting for joy over me with song! I am forever grateful for your word and for Your messages and promises of hoped contained within it! –

Reflections:

What does Zephaniah 3:17 show us about God’s coming restoration? How can you find joy and proclaim His goodness today?

Posted in Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study, The God Who Restores

God Restores

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The God Who Restores, wk3d1; A Love God Greatly Study

Today’s Reading: Psalm 126

Today’s SOAP: Psalm 126:4-6

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:4-6

I have gotten behind on a few things and will be posting a little differently this week, or at least for a few days this week (as time will tell). I trust you will understand and bear with me – I am borrowing devotional writings from the LGG Team provided in the journals and will be posting my SOAP/thoughts on the passage in the comment sections, as I hope you will do too. 😊

INTO THE TEXT – A LOVE GOD GREATLY DEVOTION

w3d1 of The God Who Restores, p90

The people of Israel had seen God’s restoration. They had seen Him restore Zion in such miraculous ways that they believed they were dreaming. They shouted for joy, praising God for the incredible things He accomplished for them. God had brought the people back from exile in Babylon and restored and rebuilt the temple and the city walls in Jerusalem.

This psalm was written after that restoration, when the people of Israel were again waiting for God’s deliverance. They were once again in desperate need of His healing and His intervention and this psalm reminded them of His faithfulness and gave them joy as they looked to what He would do in the future. Though they were still awaiting God’s restoration, they remembered His kindness, compassion, and faithfulness.

This week, we focus on the incredible joy we have in the Lord. After remembering the promise of His return and our great need for Him, we turn our focus to the joy that we already have in him and the fullness of joy we will have when He has restored us.

When we focus on the joy we have in the Lord, no matter our circumstance, we find hope. We do not ignore our suffering, but we focus on God’s faithfulness and what He promises to do. He promises to restore the world. He promises to return, defeat the enemy, and establish His kingdom on earth. God promises to dwell with us forever and to give us eternal life when we place our faith in Him.

[Since we know] God can keep these incredible promises to us, and [because we know] he can restore the world, surely He can restore our current circumstances. Not only is He powerful enough to intervene, but He cares deeply about the pain and sorrow we face today. He promises to restore all things. Though God’s ways and timing may look different than what we hope for, we can have joy as we anticipate His fulfilled promises and His coming restoration. May we shout for joy, even as we wait for Him.

Written by an LGG Team Member

Today’s Reflection:

  • How have you seen God restore your life or circumstances in the past?
  • What are you asking of Him or waiting for Him to do for you today?
  • How does His past faithfulness give you joy in your present season of waiting?

Want more? Visit https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/

Posted in Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study, The God Who Restores

The Lord Returns

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The God Who Restores, a Love God Greatly Advent Study

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11

Today’s SOAP: Isaiah 40:10-11

9bSay to the towns of Judah,
“[Behold] your God!”
10 Look, the Sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior;
his military power establishes his rule.
Look, his reward is with him;
his prize goes before him.
11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;
he gathers up the lambs with his arm;
he carries them close to his heart;
he leads the ewes along.

Isaiah 40:9b-11
Observations: Behold Your God!

From the first words of this chapter, Isaiah’s message changed from one of coming doom to one of comfort and peace and the coming of the LORD, the God of Israel. The message becomes one of hope and preparation for His return – a message of making a way, removing obstacles, and getting ready to see God’s work. Israel had known hills and valleys and mountain top experiences in their life time – but they were not to let them stand in the way of seeing God and what He would do. -They were to make a way for “all people to see” when His splendor that would one day be revealed (5)

The people of Judah are called to “behold [their] God”. Behold has such a different connotation than glancing or noticing, it is more like gazing or fixing your eyes on something. It was an invitation to take a lingering look, to look intently – as if to study God for who He is and how He is. For instance, as Isaiah points out- God and His Word are eternal and unfailing! He can forever be trusted!

Isaiah doesn’t just present the message/invitation for the people to Behold their God, but he gets specific, pointing out the mightiness and yet the tenderness of God:

  • The LORD our God will come
  • He will come as a victorious warrior
  • He is strong and mighty
  • He comes prepared to reward His people
  • He is like a shepherd
  • He cares for His flock
  • He is tender and protective with the lambs
  • He keeps them close and carefully, knowingly, tenderly leads the vulnerable
Application: So what does this mean for God’s people today?

Of course, this message was first given to the people of “Israel”, – but in light of the fact that we have been adopted into God’s family, as sons and daughters – we too are called to “Behold our God”. To look at Him, gaze upon Him, study His life, know His love, and pour it back out on others. In this there is both comfort and peace. I believe for the full scope and application of this passage we must not miss or hesitate to look at the full message of Isaiah in these eleven verses, namely verses three and four, where we read:

  • Clear a way for the LORD – (in other words, remove the obstacles)
    • level the road
    • elevate the valleys
    • level the mountains and hills
    • where there is rough terrain needs to be a level plain
    • the rugged landscape a wide valley

Why? Because if they don’t, if we don’t, we will miss what God is doing and is going to do.

Finally, we must not be afraid to present our God to others – boldly drawing their attention to who He is – “the Sovereign LORD, coming as a victorious warrior, a powerful ruler, who will reward those who belong to Him”; and also how He is – “A [tender] shepherd, who tends his flock, gathering up the lambs with his arm, carrying them close to his heart, leading the ewes along.”

Is there anything better to occupy a believer’s mind than to focus on God and then pour Him out to others?

Mefromtheinsideout –
Prayer: Response to God’s Word

Father, today’s passage calls us to look to come and behold You – to gaze upon You and see You not only in power and might like a warrior but as a shepherd who tenderly and lovingly leads Your sheep — keeping them close to Your heart and protectively leading those who are vulnerable. I’m so thankful to know You as a God of comfort and peace who will come in power and might! Admittedly, I rely on both.