Tag: trust

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Lent, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Pursuit of the Kingdom

Posted on by

based on the Love God Greatly Study, Lent – A Season of Drawing Close to God / w4d2

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: Luke 12:13-34 / SOAP: verses 29-30

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 

Luke 12:29-30 NLT

I find the fact that God already knows our needs and every detail of our situations in life quite comforting and encouraging. However, I confess that I still often find myself struggling with worry. The latest/current example is a situation with my mom, who – (for reasons like physical health, dementia, loneliness, and because the house had outgrown her) – needed to move into an assisted living community.

Prayer for wisdom and direction as well as grace and peace in the wait was a daily habit.

Money and availability at the “right place” were an immediate factor but God gave me a glimmer of hope that it was financially doable so we paid the deposit to put her name on a waiting list. Weeks turned into months and months into nearly a year. In the early stages I would call occasionally to gage the ‘hope’ factor of a space opening up – which was kind of silly since the waiting list was long and we weren’t at the top and the unknown factors of how and when a room would open were near to impossible for the director to even know. Yet, maybe if I kept calling she would realize the urgency and somehow put mom ahead of the others. Yes, I know how that sounds but it’s where I was in the moment and I’d like to say it stopped there but it didn’t. No, my mind went so far as jealousy over those who were getting in ahead of her! I’m not proud of these thoughts but I share them because today’s Scripture reminded me just how much I looked like the man in the parable. Concern for my mom had turned into worry and excessive planning and even envious thoughts for something that was completely out of my control.

Early on in the process, probably before the deposit was made, I began to pray every day as I drove by the road to the assisted living facility that God would create an opening and that we would get the call. However, as I realized what the desperate desire and worry were doing to my mind I gave it over to the Father and began praying:

“Father, when the time is right for mother and if it is Your will for her to move – will You please open a door to the room You want her to have.”

This was more than a prayer it was a daily exercise of faith in the God who knew not just my mother’s needs but mine and it was the daily reminder (multiple times a day, as the facility is on my way to and from work and nearly anywhere else I would be going) that He was in complete and perfect control. There was so much comfort and worship that came from the prayer. There was growth and there was peace and grace; and without a shadow of a doubt I can say that He used every day, week, and month of those prayers to make what had become a tense relationship between mom and I one that was covered with grace and peace and even more and more moments of sweet memories and laughter. Perhaps, even more importantly (and the underlying reason of sharing this story) there was renewed strength and prayer and focus on the Kingdom work of praying for the lost and getting His message out daily.

As the months stretched closer to a year and mom’s forgetfulness, daytime needs, and loneliness became more of a factor – it was apparent that she needed help sooner than later so I began looking into in-home care. After research and an interview with a trusted caregiver recommended by a friend – I was preparing to call and confirm the details of days and times when my phone rang. I recognized the number, it was the number I called so many times to ask if there was a room open yet. I answered to hear the words: “MaryEllen, your mom’s room is ready!” –

Elation, shock, and nervousness tumbled together allowing the enemy to create some pretty rocky emotions, questions and doubts. Again, I found myself looking like the man from today’s parable. Was there really enough money and what could I do to make sure there was and … “STOP, peace be still!” God was quick to send me the message – “Child, you prayed faithfully for me to open this door if it was my will and when your mom’s room was available. Are you really going to shut the door in my face or question my will and preparation for your mother? Be still and know that I am Your God!”

From that point on the door was flung open and I was walking through it – timid yet bold – calm yet nervous, concerned BUT turning every ounce of worry back to Him with the new daily prayer that He would prepare mother’s heart and mind for the move from her home of more than thirty years, the last place she was with my father and brothers. This wasn’t going to be easy and there are no guarantees of her money lasting as long as her days – but this one thing I knew – God was in complete control and He opened the door – my job was simply to walk through it in faith and keep my eyes on Him.

When my eyes were on my mom’s situation – her health, her inability to walk, her forgetfulness, her loneliness, her obstinance, her money, … worry was high and tensions were great between us. Yet, when my eyes were on God and His power, His timing, His will, and goodness through all of my life … when grace and peace became my prayer tensions were lessened, faith was strengthened, and Kingdom work was pursued – ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD!

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

Be wise and plan well – but plan with God. Lay down the worry and let God direct your steps, your thoughts, and prayers. Remind yourself daily that God is in complete and perfect control. The Word of God is your armor and prayer is a powerful weapon – use them. Above all these things – “Pursue the Kingdom,”1 remembering that “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“

If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others—then He will take care of our business as He promised—and if that’s the arrangement, where is worrying?

gotquestions.org / seek first the kingdom
PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

God, You are holy and good and I adore You. Your ways are good and right and Your presence is encouraging. You turn worry into worship and fear into peace and concerns into prayer – and You continually amaze me! Keep us always in pursuit of Your glorious Kingdom and will. Guard us from worry and from the enemy who seeks to steal and kill and destroy. Help us to stand strong in You through prayer and time in Your Word – a light for our path and a lamp to guide our feet and the priorities of this life. We are utterly dependent on You because we know that You are in control of today and all of our tomorrows. Father, we seek Your love, and will, and presence that enable us to walk obediently… We seek Your priorities Father… the boldness to share the good news of the Gospel… and the salvation of others are the treasures we seek – guard our earthly concerns from turning to worries, help our hearts to lay down the concerns and faithfully follow after You and all the treasures of Heaven.2 – In Jesus’ Name – Amen

THE MORE WE KNOW
Journey inspired worship
Posted in From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Trusting In His Goodness and Help

Posted on by

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and earth. Psalm121:2

There is a bend in the river at the end of the road where I live. It is a beautiful and calming sight to me when I leave home for the day and again when I return. However, when such a bend appears in my life – and I cannot see around it or through its murky waters there is not calm but doubt and fear that meet my eyes and plague my mind.

On yet another morning of realizing my need of the Father’s comfort, peace, and clarity – He met me early with these words of King David, perfect comfort and encouragement for the life choice before me now about where mom will live, a choice weighed down with its fears and doubts. One minute the path seems clear and certain and the next I’m trying to see around the river’s bend – and when I can’t – doubts come and the storm waters surge and rise around me. The ebb and flow are tiring – I’m growing frustrated with myself – but I keep moving forward believing that God opened this door, that for nearly a year I prayed He would open – “if it was His will and when it was His perfect time for my mom”.

When I think I’m going under
Part the waters, Lord
When I feel the waves around me
Calm the sea
When I cry for help, oh, hear me Lord
And hold out Your hand
Touch my life
Still the raging storm in me

Selah / Part the Waters Lord

I remember not just the prayer that I prayed -but the assurance or our faith and prayers in Jesus’ name that we find in 1 John 5:14-15,… “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him..” Believing God answers the prayers of His people – I fight the “what if” questions and I press forward through the open door. I seek His face, His strength, His guidance and His peace. I seek God’s help in every way – for I know as the Psalmist did: “My help comes from God, the Maker of Heaven and earth – the One who sees and knows and cares and stays forever with me. He is the God who loves not just me but my mother. He alone sees around the river’s bend, the beginning and the end, and He alone is my trustworthy provider and protecter, my reliable wisdom and guide. He is my hope in the surging waters of doubts and fears.

For I have tasted and seen the goodness of my God and I choose to trust in Him – today and always! 🦋

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

Beyond What We See

Posted on by

based on the LGG Study, Set Apart, living a life for God’s glory / w3d3

SCRIPTURE: PROVERBS 3:5-6 / SOAP VERSES 5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

This passage is what I like to call an ‘if this – then that’ passage. In other words, Solomon lays out instructions that when followed lead to a particular outcome. In this case trusting in the Lord with our whole heart, no reservations … depending on God rather than the way things look to be … and seeking God in the big things of life as well as the minute details will lead to a clear and godly path even when the way seems filled with mountains, valleys, catastrophes, and detours along the way.

The point here is not to be mindless or naïve. Rather, we need to recognize our own limitations. Just because we’re in over our heads does not mean God is no longer in control.

Bibleref.com/Proverbs 3:5

With such a favorable outcome this should be an easy set of instructions but I would venture to say we all know it isn’t. Like you, I’m sure, I can think of untold examples throughout my lifetime but the one that came to mind first was the birth of my second daughter. Despite a few hitches and ultimate c-section the delivery went well and baby girl was declared to be healthy. However, later that morning when I had been returned to my room from the surgical-delivery room and they laid her in my lap and i peeled back the blanket to count fingers and toes my heart dropped. I had not been told that her feet were crippled so I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. My heart dropped, the tears pooled in my eyes, the fear and sorrow invaded my mind and planted quick seeds of doubt that my little girl would never be able to walk or run and play. I judged with my eyes, I definitely leaned on my own understanding and the conclusions were not good.

However, in the ensuing minutes, hours, and days to come God surrounded me with people who pointed my mind back to Him and with those who could answer questions and a specialist who in less than 24 hours had molded one foot that seemed to have no heal, straighten the other that seemed beyond hope or repair, and put them both in cast. This was a process that happened over and over for the days – then weeks – then months to come. Each time the cast would come off I would see glimpses and eventually miraculous revelations of what God was doing. What I had seen when I unwrapped her that first day gave no hope of what I saw on day ninety when we moved from cast to brace on one foot and from possible surgeries to no surgeries on either foot.

What I had seen that first day was devastating and offered no hope or reason to trust God but He saw the bigger picture and He fixed my eyes on Him and kept me from leaning on my own understandings. He made straight the path that seemed to only have a troubling end. God has used this story in my life and in my daughter’s as a point of reference and reminder that He is in perfect control and works all things together for the good of those who trust Him and have fixed their thoughts on Him. – This example is not to say that just because we trust God every scary or undesirable situation works out to a wonderful and beautiful outcome that we imagine to be better, but – it is without question evidence that trusting God with and in all situations leads to a path that He has faithfully directed – and i better than anything we can ask or even imagine.

WISDOM FROM THE JOURNEY

Because our emotions cannot be trusted, our circumstances must not dictate who we trust in or how we choose the way we will go. However, we can always trust God and His direction despite the worst of circumstances.

REFLECTION ON THE JOURNEY

In what areas of your life can you release fear or control and, instead, trust in the Lord?

THE MORE WE KNOW

Christ wants His followers to be set apart from the world, making godly choices and living godly lives

Be sure and read today’s Love God Greatly blog for more insight on today’s passage

Posted in Advent, Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Promised Messiah

Waiting Without Doubting

Posted on by

Based on The Promised Messiah, a Love God Greatly Advent Study

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:20

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:20

If someone made you a promise, how long would you have to wait before you began to doubt their promise? One day, three days, or forty … a year, two, ten… how long before you gave up hoping and believing that what they had promised would ever be realized? We live in a cultural of quick and easy gratification. It’s often referred to as a “fast-food mentality” – referring to the quick and easy method of placing an order for your food and driving off with it in five minutes or less. There is no question that the convenience is nice but it has fostered impatience and often a demanding time-table for everything in life. However, when it comes to God’s timeline we must be careful with our expectations. We must learn from those who have gone before us – from the garden to John’s last words of the revelation God’s promises are not always realized quickly. While He created the world in seven days He was not always so quick in His actions. There were often decades of waiting for children that had been promised or for a shepherd boy to become a king, there were centuries of waiting for the promised Messiah’s birth and we are still waiting for His promised return. The good news is – not only has He demonstrated that we can trust Him, but His Word declares that all of His promises are “Yes!”. We can trust that each and every promise will one day come true and that God’s timing is always perfect and for a good reason, whether we understand it or not. Borrowing from a line in the LGG devotional for today that I found most encouraging, I pass on to you these words, “We may be waiting longer than we’d like for some things, but we can be confident that all His promises are “Yes,” and we can say “Amen” and give glory to God when we see them fulfilled.” To this, my heart responds with the Psalmist, “wait patiently for the Lord.”

Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14
Response To The Word

Father, thank You that all of Your promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus! Thank You for the reminder from Your Word that we can trust You without question or doubt and please help us to wait patiently, knowing that Your timing and reasons in all things are perfect – to Your glory and honor amen and amen.

Reflection for the Journey

Are there promises you are waiting to see God fulfill? What are they and how does this passage help you to wait patiently?

Going Further

Check out today’s LGG Blog Post for more insight

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Thanksgiving

Asking for Help

Posted on by

Happy Monday Friends! Let’s look to the Lord for the help we need today💜 For we know that God will hear us when we pray and we can be confident that just as He saved us from our sins He will rescue us from our troubles or walk with us through them.

Today’s Verse comes from Micah 7:7 which says:

I

It seems like everyday (sometimes every hour or minute) has something that we need help with – something we are crying out to God for. Whether it is health … provision … wisdom … strength … peace … or a myriad of other needs that arise – God is able. Whether it is us or someone else we know that is in need, God tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us, (1 Peter 5:7). From the least to the greatest of the cares He has invited us to bring them all to Him. So what is it you need to look to God for today? He’s ready and always listening – so let Him know and then wait confidently for His help.

  • What about this verse can you thank God for today?
  • How can I pray for you? Share a request in the comments or private message me at my email or facebook account –
    • mryelnb@aol.com (please put prayer in the subject line
    • @facebook/ MaryEllen Black
  • How have you seen God answer recently? Give Him praise and let it be a reminder that you can trust Him and a catalyst to continue looking to Him for help.

You are loved and prayed for 💕💜

-Me from the insideout 🦋

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Trusting the God of the Impossible

Posted on by

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

I’ve had some twist and turns lately that have caused me to remember these words from Proverbs chapter three. Words that instruct the child of God to trust in Him with their whole heart and warn against leaning on their own-human understandings. This isn’t always easy. Life comes with detours and road blocks and catastrophes that range from cracks in the road to canyons that engulf.

I’ve run into a bit of this unexpected rough terrain in recent months. It’s terrain that led to the emergency room and follow-up tests and procedures and complications leading to more test and procedures. So far the medical end of it seems to be ok but can’t, or I’m told shouldn’t be left unchecked. However the billing and insurance side of the roadmap have proved to be canyons or perhaps, better stated, insurmountable mountains. Yet this one thing I know and have faithfully been reminded of – both by God’s Word and the remembrance of His provision in the past: When the way seems insurmountable or the road impassable – even then – God can make a way.

It would be easy to panic, and trust me, the phrases – “there’s no way” and “how in the world” have rolled off my tongue or at the very least through my mind with every bill and every reminder from the insurance company “not covered!” BUT GOD‘s Spirit whispers the sweeter reminder: “Nothing is impossible with God” and “God will make a way where there seems to be no way … rivers in the desert you will see … “. Yes, He’s been faithful to provide a Savior for our unbelievable deliverance from sin and death – but we can also trust Him to provide for our physical needs as well – even the seemingly impossible ones! Why am I so sure? Because, I know He cares for me! (1 Peter 5:7) … Because I know He holds the future … because I know what He has already done for me … and because I know His promises of eternal life and a straight path when the way seems impossible – are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.

The wisdom of today’s verse is not just an encouragement but a divine promise. In submitting our ways—our decisions, dreams, and dilemmas—to God, we are promised not just any path, but a straight one.

OurDailyVerse.com / on Proverbs 3:5-6

Is it any wonder this treasured hymn of my heart came flooding through my mind and spilling out in tears as I finished this blog – may it speak volumes to your soul as well. – Me, from the Inside-out 🦋

Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion?
My constant Friend is he; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.

Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For his eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on his goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path he leadeth, But one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me. [Refrain]

His Eye Is On The Sparrow / Author: Civilla D. Martin (1905)
Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Wholehearted Engagement

Posted on by

based on the LGG Study, From Broken to Restored, w1d1

Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 1:1-11 / SOAP: Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the Lord and do what is right.
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity.
4 Then you will take delight in the Lord,
and he will answer your prayers.
5 Commit your future to the Lord.
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.

Psalm 37:3-5

I love the profound yet simplistic passages like this. David, the Psalmist, uses the if this, then that process, which is very much how my brain works. He gives us four directives:

  1. Trust
  2.  Obey
  3.  Live, or as it means here – Abide ( which is defined by bibleref.com as – more than merely existing or surviving . It is wholehearted engagement! ) This wholehearted engagement most likely looks like what Moses taught in Deuteronomy 6:5 and what Jesus Himself said summed up all of the commandments in Luke 10:27, namely – “You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.”
  4.  The fourth and final directive is, “Commit your future to the LORD.”

These directives are summed-up in verse 5, repeating where he started in verse 3 – “Trust in the LORD.” It is worth noting that unless you trust the LORD, the second, third, and fourth directives are unlikely to be done. When we trust – all the rest will follow, and we will find ourselves delighting in the LORD and seeing Him working in our lives.

The Psalmist says when we choose to live like this, not only will we take delight in the LORD, but that the LORD will answer our prayers and act on our behalf. What great motivation to trust and obey, to wholeheartedly engage as a faithful follower of Christ, and to commit our future to the LORD.

Prayer / Response to God’s Word

Father, You are worthy of our trust and obedience . We want to more than merely exist or survive – we desire to be wholeheartedly engaged with You and in Your work. Help us to faithfully abide in Your Son and find our delight in You.

Going Further

Be sure and check out today’s Love God Greatly Blog Post

Let’s Worship
Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Contentment in God or …?

Posted on by

based on the LGG Study, Enduring Hope / w4d3

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10 / SOAP – 1:15-16

But Hannah replied, “Not so, my lord! I am a woman under a great deal of stress. I haven’t drunk wine or beer. But I have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman. It’s just that, to this point, I have spoken from my deep pain and anguish.”

1 Samuel 1:15-16

If you’ve known me long, heard me teach, or read many of my blogs you have likely heard or read my story of being childless for the first eight years of marriage. It is tempting to apologize for the repetitiveness, but I don’t, for it is the testimony of God’s work in my life. It was a time when He revealed my lack of contentment in Him. My desire for a child had become so much greater than my desire for God that my trust and hope in Him were barely visible at times. I was hurt when I saw or heard about others who were pregnant; and I was disappointed, even angry, with God every month when I realized, yet again, that I wasn’t pregnant.

In the beginning, I would cry out to God in prayer – much like Hannah, but as the years went on I would “act out”, so to speak. I would chase after other things that I believed could satisfy – for somewhere in my mind I had traded hope in God for hope in my circumstances. My hope had been shaken and shaken hard. I was a good “church girl”, so on Sundays and Wednesdays glimpses of faith and hope would shine light into the wilderness I was trapped in. I was miserable, my marriage was on shaky ground, my friends were having babies so my friendships were threatened – some were even ruined, and I found myself just going through the motions of life … until I found myself spilling my anguish out to my mother one afternoon as we sat on the front porch of her home. While we had a good relationship it was not one where we talked about personal issues like this, so trust me when I say it was a God thing, His perfect timing. I whined about not being pregnant and told her how miserable I was in every area of life and she said, something to the effect of – maybe you just need to learn to be content – which was followed up with some Scripture her Pastor had recently shared in a message. Her response perturbed me at first but I listened to her talk, dried my tears and eventually went home – and poured myself out to God like never before. In the days that followed God began working on my heart and mind and changing me from the inside-out. And, much like with Rachel and Leah in our previous post and Hannah from today, God ‘remembered’ me and within a very short time I learned I was pregnant.

… for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

1 Corinthians 4:11-13

In today’s story, Hannah poured herself out before the LORD. She was so caught up in her prayer, she didn’t realize that Eli, the priest, was watching her; nor did Eli realize that Hannah was praying in her mind to God – instead he thought she was drunk and encouraged her to put away her wine. Of course, Hannah replies that she isn’t drunk but rather under a great deal of stress and pouring out her “soul before the LORD.” She doesn’t elaborate on the source of stress but does request that Eli not consider her a wicked woman but rather to understand that she was pouring herself out before the LORD. She wasn’t speaking from drunkenness but rather from deep pain and anguish.

Scripture says that Eli told Hannah to, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the request that you have asked of him.” (1 Samuel 1:17) Following her encounter with Eli and his encouraging blessing, Hannah “went her way and got something to eat. Her face no longer looked sad.” She had been refreshed by the prayer of Eli and the next day her mind and heart were occupied with God in worship before returning home. Scripture tells us that soon after this Hannah learned she was pregnant.

The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

1 Samuel 1:19b-20

Response to God’s Word

Father, thank You for allowing us to pour our “souls” out to You. We are a people who need You and You have made it clear from Old Testament to New that we can bring You our fears, our desires like ‘childlessness”, our finances, our concerns, worries, and needs. Help us to trust in You even when we cannot see Your hand. You are a good and faithful father. – Amen!

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

When God Remembers

Posted on by

 based on the Love God Greatly Study, Enduring Hope / w4d2

Today’s Reading: Genesis 29:31-30:24 / SOAP 30:22-24

Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”

Genesis 30:22-24
The Back Story

Jacob’s story with Leah and Rachel is best understood by going back to the day his father, Isaac, sent him on a journey. “You must not marry a Canaanite woman!  Leave immediately for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.  May the Sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation.  May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham so that you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 

After Isaac had spoken these words , he sent Jacob on his way, and Jacob went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. Along the wayJacob falls asleep and has a dream, in which he hears God say, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. And so all the families of the earth may receive blessings through you and through your descendants. I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”

Following this, Jacob made a vow, saying: “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear,  and I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will become my God. Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” Afterwards, Jacob moved on and came to the land of the eastern people.

And So It Began

This is where the ‘today’s story’ begins. For it is here that Jacob met and fell in love with Rachel, It is also here that Jacob was deceived by Laban, his mother’s brother. It is because of that deception that we find the two sisters, Rachel and Leah, both married to Jacob, one loved and the other unloved, one betrayed by her father and the other used in the deception of Jacob. While the events and desires or plans of Jacob’s life had become disrupted by man’s schemes, God was (and is) in perfect and complete control. He was not working only in and for Jacob – but for Leah and Rachel and the children they would bear and when they would bear them

Leah had given Jacob four sons but Rachel was unable to give Jacob children. Jealous of Leah and desperate for children, rather than trust God she schemes and manipulates the situation by giving her servant to Jacob so that she could conceive for her. Perhaps culturally acceptable in that day, this decision and manipulation never ceases to amaze me. However, I’m even more amazed and have learned much from the fact that she gives God the credit and the glory for something she manipulated.

“God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer and given me a son.”

Genesis 30:6

The manipulation and the competitive actions of the sisters continue. Leah longing for Jacob to love her and Rachel longing to give her husband a son. The women seem to be pawns in Laban’s schemes and obviously manipulative themselves, but God did not forget them, (Genesis 30:17 and 22). Because God did not forget them, because He is in complete and perfect control of all things, Leah was able to conceive two more sons and a daughter. Rachel also became pregnant and gave Jacob two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, (Genesis 35:24). Because God’s love and power are seen in His Word I can endure the times of waiting and unfulfilled desires with Hope.

Response to God’s Word

Father, how often in the past have I not been patient for You to answer or trusted that You would answer according to my desires. In my impatience and self-consumed desires I have often pushed ahead and manipulated people and situations to attain my wants and my goals. I look back with regret on many of these things and yet I also see Your power to work all these things together for the good of those who love you, who have been called according to Your purpose. Thank You for the lessons of Scripture and for those You have taught me through life’s experiences. Thank You for forgiveness of sin and for Your perfect and complete control in all things. Thank You for remembering me when I was childless and desperate and for letting me look back now and see how you opened my womb when the time was just as You desired and knew it should be, for both Your will and my benefit, in the years to come! Blessed be Your name and power – O LORD, my God and Father.

Going Deeper

The Back Story

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Made Like Christ

Posted on by
Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 1 The Nature of Hope
Today’s Reading / 1 john 3:1-3 / SOAP 1 john 3:3

Okay ladies, the day hasn’t been bad but it had its fair share of challenges and things to get done – and well – I’m so tired my mind is muddled. I’m borrowing the devo from the LGG journal that made so much more sense of the text than I could have. My favorite part is – “as we wait , we put our hope in Jesus. He has promised to save and sanctify us, and we trust His words. When we make the active choice to put our hope in Him and His saving work in us, we are purified because we are focused on Him. And as we are made more like Christ, we grow in our understanding of God’s character, including His love –

Trust in the key. Without TRUST there is no true hope.

LGG Team Member

And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure).