“The People of God saw the great power that God had used against their Enemies, in order to rescue them, so they had great awe and reverence for Him, and they believed in Him.” – Ex 14:31

The truth surrounding their current circumstances didn’t involve kicking back and soaking up the sun while singing endless praises about their good, easy, problem-free, blessed life.  Instead, their present reality found them pursued by their enemies who were quickly gaining speed.  The gap between them was closing.  They were unarmed, out-numbered, with no seeming way forward.

If they gaze back at their oncoming Enemies, they feel desperate.  If they gaze at their own limited abilities, they feel despair.  If they gaze at the roadblocks ahead of them, they feel disillusioned.  Sound familiar?  But, IF they gaze at the One who is greater than their Enemies, whose abilities far exceed their own, who can overcome all roadblocks and continually goes before them, then they will know hope and joy and rest and find great delight in Him.  The same is true for us today! :)

"Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?  You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds You." - Ps 89:8

Ground your prayers in God's promises and in His Word. Know how they (your prayers) fit in w/God's character, salvation & goals for the world. - reflections from T.Keller's "Th Songs of Jesus"

It's the same way Jesus approached His Father (Mt 6:9-13). It's also how He defeated the Enemy (Mt 4:1-11)😊

Recently had a conversation with a young college student who was sharing a variety of struggles in life.  I had asked, "have you been talking with God about those things?"  And received the response, "i'm pretty sure God's mad at me." My heart broke and I immediately began to share with this sweet student the true message about God and how He really feels about him.

I reminded him that God specifically came to seek out all those who have tried living life their own way, on their own terms, and find it has only left them empty & hurting. It's the picture of the Prodigal Father, who, no matter how reckless we've been, continually stands out on His front porch, day after day, as the good, perfect, loving Father, always looking a long way off for His child, hoping today's the day he's coming back home, trading in the old life that's left him empty for real life that is good - full of joy, hope, adventure, etc...

So, sweet friends, God's  NOT mad at you at all. Instead you are loved with an everlasting love by a good, good Father who loves extravagantly, longs to share all He is with you and wants to give you good gifts.❤️ 

​But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” - Mt 4:4

He's the Giver & Sustainer of life.  And He's enough for today. When tomorrow comes, He will be enough then too.

So, Father, give us THIS day our daily bread, as we walk through today with You, w/hearts & minds that recognize every interaction not as interruptions but as Your divine appts❤️

“We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jesus, as LOVE in action (willing the good of another) and LIGHT to a darkened (broken & hurting) world, You alone are the Answer.
And so we too will live lives reflecting yours - lives defined by LOVE in action (willing the good of other), LIGHT in dark places (lighting up the darkness - exposing evil and its lies), and always relying on You - PRAYING to the One who loves perfectly, who mourns when we mourn, who is for us (ALL of us) and is out for our good, who can heal and restore, who came to bind up the brokenhearted and is working even now to make everything new. We humbly seek your powerful Presence and healing hand. You, a God of mercy, full of grace, promise to one day wipe away every tear and right every wrong and so we ask for your help and lean on your strength to carry us forward, as we walk with You through these horrible tragedies. Amen ​

​Today we will teach our littles about "Following God's Directions."  As I pondered our Big Idea for the morning I did what I always do and asked the question, "why?"  Why "follow God's directions"?  What would cause us (and our littles) to want to "follow God's directions?"  Why does it even matter?

The short version is: because ONLY God's ways are good, and right, and best!

Here's the long version, that got me there:

As we remember the deeds of our God and His many miracles; considering all His works and meditating on them all, we see a God whose ways are holy; a God who performs miracles and displays His power among us; a God who, with His mighty arm, redeems His people.

What difference does knowing this truth make? Am I taking it seriously? If I forget this, how will that affect me? Have I forgotten it? Am I living in light of this? (love these questions from Timothy Keller in "The Songs of Jesus")

When we ponder these truths we begin to still our own hearts and minds which suggest our circumstances are hopeless.  Instead we begin to rest in the truth that if a God with power like this loves us then what are we afraid of?  And when our hearts believe afresh we are able to face every situation.  Finally, consider the cross, because God often works His gracious purposes out in our lives through what looks like defeat to us.

Now if the infinite power in the universe is our loving shepherd (Ps 23), then how can we live any other way but fearlessly, trusting fully in His ways as we "follow His directions."

Whom shall I trust more than Him? Myself?  That would be the most foolish thing of all.

God, in light of all this, "we will tell the next generation about Your praiseworthy deeds, Your power, and the wonders You have done...then they too will put their trust in You" (Ps 78:4, 7)  and will long to "follow Your directions."  Open our eyes and stir our hearts to trust every one of your promises so that we can live IN the peace You have for all who know You. And so, with confidence, we can live OUT this peace for all to see. Amen.

[thankful for these entries in Timothy Keller's "Songs of Jesus" based on Psalm 77 & 78 they fit together beautifully as I pondered the idea of "following God's direction."]

"THOUGH WE KNOW GOD, when, in whatever situation or circumstance, we don't glorify Him or give Him thanks our THINKING (minds) becomes futile and our HEARTS become foolish & darkened." - Romans 1:21

The root cause of futile thinking and foolish & darkened hearts?  Romans 1:21 says it begins when we  
-dismiss Truth instead of remembering that there's One who is good, loves us extravagantly & capably holds all things in His hands; 
-forget to acknowledge that God indeed is in control (even in "this"); 
-choose not to trust Him w/our situations & circumstances.

And what, again, is the end result?
When we take God out of the equation, our THINKING becomes unproductive, useless, hopeless ("futile") and our HEARTS become ill-advised, rash, reckless ("foolish") unable to see & recognize truth & light ("darkened").

So what is the way through? 
Acknowledging God - recognizing His place in the situation, elevating Him above the circumstance, remembering He is aware, hasn't been caught off guard, & promises He is working, even in "this" (in other words, "glorifying & thanking Him").

​Friends, "don’t worry about anything (an unproductive mind); instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your HEARTS AND MINDS as you live in Christ Jesus." - Phil 4:6,7 :)

"I have come that they may have life and have it to the full" - Jesus (Jn 10:10)😊 so what's that look like for mankind - created in God's image, given the marvelous responsibility of caring for one another, ourselves (His living temple) & His world, AND blessed w/the free (tho costly) gift of life in His Name!
...more to come:)

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​"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way & the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging...The Lord Almighty is w/us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." -Ps 46:1-3, 7

Father God, our refuge and our strength, we cry out to You! God, You are mighty and You are good, we can recite those words easily b/c our head consents that it is true. 

And yet, it doesn't mean that circumstances won't feel like the "earth beneath our feet is giving away" or that the "mountains around us are falling down upon us."  We indeed have an enemy that means business and intends to smash us to pieces however possible.  And so we come face-to-face w/"roaring & foaming waters" and "quaking mountains".  Hard, doesn't begin to describe those terrible circumstances in life, BUT there are other things that we also know that we proclaim is EVEN truer of our situations!!! And that is that You are still Almighty, You hold all things in your hands, You see us and know us intimately, You are very much aware of every last detail of our lives, and You care w/great passion and love. You are with us and You are for us! You ARE our ever present help, our refuge and our strength!  You go before us, You walk with us and You are our rear guard!  Nothing catches You off guard, nothing is too big or too hard or too difficult for You!  God, we are grateful because on our own they absolutely are just too much!

And so, we cry out to You! In our pain, in our hurting, with all our questions and bewilderment!  God you are our Protector and Defender so we ask for You and your mighty right hand to come to our aid!  Fight for us, keep us nestled firmly under your wing.  Command Satan to stop his attacks and send him fleeing!  Then tend to our hurting hearts, comfort us and draw us near to You. Sing over us songs that soothe our souls. Give rest to the weary. Heal our illnesses. Restore our health. Set us on firm, unshakeable, solid ground. And lead us through in victory, triumphantly trampling evil under Your feet!  Tend to our wounds, nurse us back to full strength, filling us again w/the power of your Spirit!  

Thank you that we can "walk thru the valley of the shadow of death & fear no evil for You are with us, Our Immanuel - comforting & leading us."  We turn to you, hands open, willingly placing ourselves and our life circumstances into your capable hands, relying on You for everything we need in this journey and trusting You thru it all. We love You and thank You for Jesus!  It is in His precious, holy and powerful name we pray Amen!

...Friends, there's One who is "tougher" :)