Week 10: Psalm 77:12(7-20)

Hey gang!  This week we are going to be moving on Psalm 77; sticking with the meditation theme for one more week.  The entire Psalm is outstanding, but verse 12 is the verse that has to do with meditation.

Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious, Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah. Then I said, "It is my grief, That the right hand of the Most High has changed." I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. You have by Your power redeemed Your people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were in anguish; The deeps also trembled. The clouds poured out water; The skies gave forth a sound; Your arrows flashed here and there. The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea And Your paths in the mighty waters, And Your footprints may not be known. You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(Psalms 77:7-20)

Kind of a cool little personal story behind this verse:  A few weeks ago, we had a meeting with some of the friends joining us on these promises and decided to move on Joshua 1:8-9, then Psalm 119, then Psalm 77:12.  That was the order that I had presented them to the group, so that was the order we decided to move on them.

Then on February 25, while we were moving on Joshua 1:8-9, the Lord gave me the verse from Jeremiah 32:27, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for me?"  I really felt like God was telling me that something big was going to happen - maybe not even to me, but to someone moving on these promises.

It was a good kick in the pants to stop "praying like a sissy" and start trusting in the Lord to deliver!  I mean, come on!  He's God...NOTHING is too difficult for Him!  So for the rest of that week and into the next week meditating on Psalm 119, Jana and I pressed in and prayed hard.  We asked for the impossible.

And to date...nothing has happened.  In fact, last week I had a particularly bad week.  There have been "mountains" in my life that I have been praying to move and they all seemed to come crashing down on me last Wednesday.  I actually made the comment to Jana, "I know what David meant when he said, 'My eyes fail with longing for Your word, while I say, "When will You comfort me?"'  I have been looking for God's answer to this prayer for so long, I just physically don't know that I can look for it anymore."

"Ummm...Jeremy," you're probably thinking, "not the kind of thing you want to post to get people to join your group."  I know, it doesn't exactly inspire does it?  But that's because the story isn't finished!

I have to be honest, we chose these verses to move on because they all had to do with meditation.  I really didn't study all of them in depth before I picked them.  I read through the verses, but generally I don't read the context of the verses until a few days before we move on them...primarily so I can write this blog.

God knows His word though (duh!), and I believe that He laid out this plan and my circumstances perfectly for this exact moment.  Reaching a point of brokenness is no fun, but it can also be the most beautiful thing in the world.  When you reach the point when you can't solve the problem on your own, when you have exhausted all avenues and there is only one road left to take - total and utter dependence on God - that is when things can finally start to move.  You can't give up though.  You have to press in, even when your eyes fail looking for God to come to the rescue.

That's why I love Psalm 77 so much, and that's why I love that God designed it to come this week; the perfect time for me (and hopefully you as well).  Psalm 77 is all about pressing in.  The writer is filled with the same questions I have been asking this past week:

"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"

But look at what the author does when these questions threaten to destroy his faith.  When doubt begins to attack and strangle out the hope that is ours. 

Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

 The same is true today.  We serve the same God who parted the sea for Moses and Aaron.  The same God who brought down the walls of Jericho.  The same God who slew Goliath.  I don't know if we don't believe those stories, or if we just don't believe that they happen anymore, but we serve that same GOD! 

I don't know that you'll be in a situation where you literally need a sea parted so you can walk through it, but I know that God can do it.  I don't know that you or I will literally need to break down the walls of a fortified city or kill a giant threatening our nation, but I know that God can still do it!

It doesn't matter what you need as long as you know who you need.  When fear and doubt start to creep in and replace peace and hope, meditate on God's past works and mighty deeds.  He is the same God!  He hasn't gotten weak in His old age...in fact, He doesn't age!

So press in!  Remember God's miracles of long ago, meditate on them, and apply them to your life!  When you reach the point when your eyes fail looking for God's promise, remembering His faithfulness in the past will fuel your hope and give you the faith to push on.

"not one word has failed of all His good promise..."
1 Kings 8:56
 

Week 9:Psalm 119

Happy Sunday everyone!  Time for our weekly Promise to Move On!

We're going to be sticking with the meditation theme for this week, this time drawing on Psalm 119.  I'm going to approach this blog a little differently.  Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the entire Bible and I don't think it is any coincidence that the chapter is about the deep love the author has for God's Word.

The chapter also happens to mention meditation 8 times.  So instead of writing about all of the verses, I'm going to leave the interpreting of each of these verses between the Holy Spirit and YOU as you meditate on these verses throughout the week.  Pick one of the verses that sticks out to you, or, read them all, let them soak in, and then pick a completely different verse to meditate on.  Last week I spent the entire week meditating on Jeremiah 32:27, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"  I spent some time meditating on Joshua 1:8-9, but the majority of the time the Lord wanted me to spend on this verse from Jeremiah.

So here are all the verses from Psalm 119:

• Psalms 119:15 I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.
• Psalms 119:23 Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
• Psalms 119:27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders.
• Psalms 119:48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.
• Psalms 119:78 May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts.
• Psalms 119:97 O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
• Psalms 119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
• Psalms 119:148 My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.

And as an added little bonus, here are all the verses from Psalm 119 about God's promises:

• Psalms 119:38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.
• Psalms 119:76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
• Psalms 119:140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
• Psalms 119:154 Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.
• Psalms 119:162 I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.
• Psalms 119:170 May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.

And as a super-duper added bonus, here are some verses that I thought were pretty cool:

• Psalms 119:18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
• Psalms 119:31 I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!
• Psalms 119:46 I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed.
• Psalms 119:58 I sought Your favor with all my heart; Be gracious to me according to Your word.
• Psalms 119:120 My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.
• Psalms 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
• Psalms 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.
• Psalms 119:151 You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.
• Psalms 119:175 Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

I absolutely love that last verse!  Never forget, the entire reason that we are doing this promise moving, the entire reason that we even exist is to praise God.  Let your life be a living testimony to that truth this week as we move on His promises and meditate on His Word!

If you would like to join us, please feel free to contact anyone in the group.  We have started a Facebook page to keep plugged in, pray for one another and help keep each other moving on God's promises.  Even if you just want to be added so you know what promise we are moving on right away.  We try to get this blog out ASAP, but with life and everything sometimes we are good to get anything out at all.  Becoming part of the Facebook group just assures that if we don't get the blog out, you are still in the loop.

Have a great week moving with Jesus!

God bless!

No Complication in Meditation

Before I begin the content section of this blog, I would like to thank Jeremy for asking me to submit a guest post.  I am extremely thankful for the initiative toward spiritual depth and maturity that I see in Jeremy and Jana and all those who are on the "Promises to Move On" journey. Thankful to be growing right along with you!!

I have been asked to blog about meditation. The word "meditation" can conjure up all kinds of images, emotions, and defenses.  However, the practice of meditation is quite simple and quite biblical.  David meditated on God's law day and night.  Elijah listened for God's still small voice.  Even Jesus withdrew from everything and everyone to get alone with His Father.  

In a crazy and harried world that seems to never slow down, detachment and Sabbath are vital.  Our minds need to be at peace.  However, meditation is not just about detachment from the world.  That is more the premise of Eastern meditation. (In my best low meditative tone-  Hummmmmm)  Biblical meditation goes beyond detachment to attachment to our Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  It is a place where our relationship goes deeper and our connection stronger.

Time spent alone with someone is relatively important in getting to know them.  In the dating process, couples spend time alone to grow in intimacy and establish a love that is beyond infatuation.  This takes time.  Not many people decide to get married after the first date, or get engaged after a couple dates.  There are exceptions to this of course (Mike and Patsy), but to establish a foundation that will stand through sickness and health, better and worse, richer and poorer, an intimacy must be formed and that takes intentional time together.

The same is true with meditation.  The driving motive behind meditation can not be duty or obligation.  That doesn't lead to love.  That leads to slavery.  The motive is love, desire for intimacy, wanting to know our God deeper and better. To learn to recognize his voice and stay in a place of praying without ceasing.  To hear and obey.  To walk and talk with Jesus.  This can be a reality, but this type of relationship takes time to form.

I can't teach you how to meditate, but I can tell you that it won't be natural or easy at first.  To find quiet anywhere, especially in our souls, is a challenge.  But if you will work at this, it will become a lifeline for you.  To detach from the craziness and unrest of the world and attach to Jesus is a great tool to have an abundant and victorious life.  

I would like to challenge you to set aside time every day and go to the same physical place with your Bible and meditate.  This is not a time to read large portions of Scripture.  Read something and dwell on it.  Let it get into you.  Write it on a 3 x 5 card.  Keep it with you.  Ask Father what He wants to show you in that passage, or parable, or word.  Then wait.  Listen. Write down what He is saying.  Put your name in the passage.  Make the Word personal to you.

The passage this week we are moving on is a great place to start. Joshua 1:8-9 is the perfect "proff text" for meditation.  Take time to let it get in you.  Here is an example of how to make it personal to you:

Amanda, study this Book of Instruction continually. (wait. listen.) Amanda, meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. (wait. listen. stop there if you need to. that's a lot to take in.)  Only then will I prosper and succeed in all I do. (wow. wait. listen.)  

I am going to stop at verse 8.  The challenge this week is to meditate on these verses every day. Find time alone in a quiet place and allow Father to speak to YOU through His Word.

Blessings!

Week 7:Psalm 25:9

"He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way."

Psalm 25:9

 

Happy Monday everyone!  We are going to stick with the humility promise for one more week with Psalm 25:9.  I really like this promise.  I think that too many times, we Christians don't realize all that we have in the death and resurrection of Christ.  Romans 8:11 says, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."  Hillsong sings a song called "You Are Here (The Same Power)" that sums it up with this line: "The same power that conquered the grave lives in me, lives in me."

 

This promise is one that gets overlooked too often.  Christianity isn't easy.  There are hard teachings and moral questions that tend to fall in "grey areas" for some people.  The different answers to these questions are what have led to all of the different denominations that we have today.  How should we be baptized?  How should we take communion?  How should we worship?  These are just a few of the surface questions that have caused separation in the body of Christ.  So who has the right answers?

 

Loaded question...I know.  Jesus Christ has the right answers.  He has all of the right answers.  He has the only right answers.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  In a world that is slowly trying to get rid of the concept of universal truth, trying to convince us all that "truth" is a matter of personal opinion or preference, there is still a voice of reason.  It is the same voice that spoke all of us into being, and He is still speaking.

 

That's what makes this promise so alluring.  Those who humble themselves before the Lord will be taught His way.  God Almighty Himself will teach us what is right if we will humble ourselves before Him and acknowledge that His way is indeed the right way - the only way.  That's all we have to do and He will teach us.  John 14:26 tells us, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."  I can promise you're not going to get any better education than that!

 

I want to add a little challenge to the end of this.  We started a group on Facebook for this little challenge and I shared this challenge with them last week.  I share it with you now because it ties in perfectly with Psalm 25.  In verse 12 this theme of being taught is extended, "Who is the man who fears the Lord?  He will instruct him in the way he should choose."

 

I set out last week to learn how to fear the Lord.  Job 13:11 says, "Will not His majesty terrify you, and the dread of Him fall on you?"  I realized that I had never been terrified in God's presence.  Tenth Avenue North has a song called "Hallelujah" that opens with this line, "At first I was afraid, but not because of fear.  But the Holy of Holies was drawing me near."  I wanted that.  It sounds like a crazy thing to want, doesn't it?  I want to be terrified.  That's how deep I wanted to be in God's presence though.

 

And He did it for me.  I was painfully aware of how great He is and how I am not.  The combination of all that God is plus all that I am not creates an atmosphere of complete awe.  It creates the perfect environment for humility and even terror.  I am going to ask the Lord to do it again this week.  I would challenge you to try it too.  Hit your knees and invite the Lord to humble you, even to the point of terror.  Then move on His promise that He will reveal His way to you.

 

What are you waiting for?  Get MOVING!

Week 6: 2 Chronicles 7:14

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14

 

This is kind of the verse that started this whole promise moving thing.  I talked in our first post, Introducing The Promises, about how this whole thing was spurred on by a quote I received in a text message during National Community Church's experiLENT.  For the 40 days of Lent, we were to meditate on humbling ourselves before God at 7:14 every day, with this verse as the focus.  So while it wasn't this exact verse that ruffled me out of my comfort zone, in a round about way it was the catalyst.

 

I don't have a whole lot to write about here.  It's pretty much an extension of what I posted last week about 1 Peter 5:6-7.  Humble yourself before God.  Realize that He is God and you are not.  Obey Him.  Listen to Him.  Let Him have everything.  Humbling yourself means that you give up even the things that you are best at. 

 

For a great example of humility I like to look at John the Baptist.  He knew His role.  More importantly, He knew the role of the One who came after him.  He knew that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.  He knew that He was not.  It is no coincidence that all four Gospels record John's statement that he was not even worthy to remove Christ's sandals...the job of a servant!  One of my favorite passages is found in John 3 when John's followers question him about the fact that Jesus is now baptizing more people than John.  John's answer?  "He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3:30-31).

 

He wasn't upset that the Lord wasn't using him as much as He used to.  He wasn't angry that his name wasn't being nominated for saint-hood or placed on a certificate of achievement.  He knew his role and he knew the role of Jesus Christ as Lord of his life.  That's humility.

 

So hit your knees with us this week and pray to the Lord.  Spend time this week completely losing yourself in adoration of the God of the Universe.  Give Him everything you have to give Him...even the things "you don't need help with". 

 

I told my wife last night that I have one goal Monday morning, one prayer that I am asking of God - that He would terrify me with His presence.  Job 13:11 says, "Will not His majesty terrify you, and the dread of Him fall on you?"  It is impossible to be anything but humble when you are faced with that kind of encounter with the Lord.  Tenth Avenue North has an outstanding song titled "Hallelujah", in which the opening lines states, "At first I am afraid, but not because of fear.  But the Holy of Holies is drawing me near."

 

That's what I want.  And I believe that humility will get me there.  Won't you join me?  According to 2 Chronicles 7:14, if we do God will hear us, forgive us and heal us.  What more could you ask for from a Promise Maker Who never fails?

 

MOVE!

God is Faithful! (Week 4 Testimony)

Hello all!

I wanted to share a testimony of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness. Just this past week we moved on the promise from John 15:7 which says, "If you abide in Me and My word abides in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." We took this promise to heart and asked for some specific things this past week!

First of all, as a teacher I have the benefit of snow days and two-hour delays on occasion. I really desired to have a delay on Monday and the Lord provided as I asked. I know it sounds simple and unimportant, but the Lord cares about things big AND small! In addition to that He blessed me with a two-hour delay on Tuesday also! I'm really thankful for the extra hours!

In addition to asking for something small like a two-hour delay, I asked for something a little bigger this past week. My fiance and I are planning to wed on the 23rd of March (next month!!) and we recently put an offer on a house. The original closing date was scheduled for on or before Feb 15. If closing occurred on the 15th, I would not be able to move into the house until March 15th to give the seller a month to move out. That would only give us a week to get things ready before the wedding and we did not like that. We prayed and God provided according to His word!! Instead of closing on the 15th, we asked the Lord to close the house on the first of February (last Friday). He gave us the clearing on Wednesday of last week and the closing happened on none other day than last Friday (the first)! This gives us two extra weeks to set up the house and get me moved in before my wonderful fiance, Liz, joins me after our wedding.

Liz and I are so blessed in how the Lord has moved over the past 6 months or so. He is super faithful and never ceases to bless those who follow Him. Be blessed today knowing the Lord is on your side and as you call upon Him He will answer and provide even greater things than you might imagine. Don't be afraid to ask God for specific things and trust that, according to His word and will, He WILL provide!!

Week 5: 1 Peter 5:6-7

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7

Wow!  What a promise!  We humble ourselves before the Lord and He exalts us!?!  Seems a little backwards doesn’t it?  What exactly do we mean by exalted.  Webster’s Dictionary defines exalt as, “to raise in rank, power or character.” and “to elevate by praise or in estimation : Glorify”  Are you getting how ridiculous this idea is?  And as if that isn’t enough, we also have the promise that we can cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us!

The Lord of all creation.  The Creator of the heavens and the earth. I AM!  Everything that God was and is and is to come is going to exalt us!  Everything that God is and He cares about our anxiety and worries.  It should be the other way around!  We should be the ones exalting Him.  That’s not the promise though.

So what does it mean to humble ourselves before God?  It’s all about your heart.  We have to come to the realization that He is God and we are not.  I like this promise in 1 Peter because it says that God will exalt us “at the proper time”.  I think this is a huge part of being humble before God, realizing that He has everything under control, including the time line of things.  Being humble before God isn’t worrying about how we are going to get our schedules to work or why we aren’t being healed or delivered from something on our time table, but instead giving it all to God because He is worthy of having it all.

Humble is the opposite of proud.  It’s giving everything we have to God – our money, our talents, our relationships – and knowing that He can do it all better than we ever could.  It’s laying all of our trophies down at the feet of Jesus and no longer striving for human accolades, but only for the love of the Father.

Yesterday in church, our worship pastor, Pastor Amanda, talked about why we lift our hands during worship service.  She talked about how it is an outward showing of what is going on inside of our hearts.  The same happens for me when I am humbling myself before God.  I like to get on my knees to pray; not because it’s comfortable…it’s not…and not because God hears me better from that position, but because it is an outward showing of what’s going on in my heart.  There are even times when I become so humbled by God that my knees aren’t low enough and I find myself flat on my face, practically trying to dig a hole in the floor to get low enough before the Almighty.

You don’t have to do those things.  It can be a very good place to start for no other reason than to allow your body to mirror your heart.  Humbling ourselves before God isn’t an act though, it’s a way of life.  Just like abiding in Christ.  And just like the abiding we did last month, I am looking forward to humbling myself under God’s mighty hand until it becomes so natural that I am constantly living in a state of humility before God.

Have a great week MOVING!