First of All, Pray: Blog
Bringing Biblical Truths to Daily Life
Pillar #6: Mouth and speech
When I was seeking God concerning my vision back in the end of 2019, He presented me with six principles, or Pillars, to hold prominently in my heart as I pursued Him throughout 2020. Each Pillar has been stabilizing to me, and together they have brought greater insight as I’ve navigated the first two months of this new decade.
Pillar #5 concerns mind and thoughts. As Isaiah 26:3 states, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” The more we guard our minds and steady our thoughts with God’s Word, the greater our peace will be.
Pillar #6 is similar in nature, and concerns our mouths and our speech. Your mouth—or as the apostle James says, your tongue—is like a rudder of a ship and can influence the course of your life. And if you’re like me, someone who enjoys talking, you’ve probably found that your unguarded mouth can get you into some fairly uncomfortable—and avoidable
—predicaments.
On the other hand, like Proverbs 21:23 declares, “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”
Much has been taught, mistaught, applied, and misapplied concerning words and speech—i.e., our “confession”—in the last forty or fifty years in the American church. As a result, great schisms have developed between believers, causing mistrust and suspicion, judgment and criticism. It’s not my goal to solve such long-standing divisions; but I do want to bring attention to a precious biblical concept, Pillar #6, which I find is helping to restore my vision.
Pillar #6: Mouth and speech
Men shall speak of the power of
Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
They shall eagerly utter the
memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. Psalm 145:6-7
I’ll bet that no one on any part of the “confession” spectrum in the church today could argue with King David about what he wrote concerning the appropriate use of words. In fact, this last Pillar seems to cap off everything God is directing me to focus upon in this new year.
They will speak of the power of Your awesome acts…
I am choosing this year to talk about God’s awesome acts. In prayer, I will remind Him of them. I will also mention them to others. In fact, if I begin to doubt or worry that I won’t make it in any upcoming situation, I’ll rehearse His powerful deeds to myself.
What are His awesome acts? The Bible is loaded with examples; and I know that I have personally experienced some nearly unbelievable, jaw-dropping answers to prayer and deliverances from danger. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have as well. All that King David is saying here is this: Don’t stuff what you know about God in the vault of your soul.
…And I will tell of Your greatness.
Once again, you’re called upon to speak up! Tell God, tell others, and tell yourself about His greatness. What comprises that greatness of God? Truth is, anything you know about His character is part of His greatness. His kindness, His justice, His power, His willingness to listen, His vastness, His creative ability, the fact that He came to earth in the person of Jesus to take on our sin debt and make us His own…all of this and so much more make up the amazing greatness of God. It’s my desire to daily tell someone something concerning His greatness. He deserves it.
They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness…
There’s no shyness or hesitation here. Think about it. How has God shown His goodness to you? You have the right—and indeed, the privilege—to share it. I mean, we see ads daily that eagerly declare the “magnificence” of skin lotions, hemorrhoid creams, breakfast cereals, weight-loss programs, and even ED products! Why should we, then, hem and haw, fighting with our nerves, when we recount something wonderful God has done in our lives?
… And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
When your favorite team scores a goal, makes a touchdown, or clears the bases with a grand slam, what do you do? Quietly patty cake with your hands and try to keep it down so you don’t offend someone? I rather doubt it!
By the same token, what do you do when God comes through for you in a big way? He answers a prayer; He heals you of a serious disease; He miraculously rescues you from a deadly accident or a violently crazed individual. As much as I love cheering on my home team for athletic feats and victories, how much more thunderous attention should I pour out upon my God for His righteous deeds on my behalf?
I believe it’s time—wherever you fall as a believer on the “confession” spectrum—to give your mouth to fearlessly speak of the power of His awesome acts, to tell of His greatness, to eagerly utter the memory of His abundant goodness, and to shout joyfully of His righteousness.
The Lord deserves to be honored with our words; the world around us deserves to hear how great He really is.
Lord, keep us mindful of this proper use of our mouths, and forgive those of us who have neglected this vital aspect of knowing You.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
Pillar 5: Mind and thoughts
2020. It’s been here a little more than a month and a half. I’ve been seeking clear vision from the Lord, and He gave me some direction on Christmas Day. As I was reading in Psalms, it dawned on me that He was setting forth certain principles—Pillars—for me to embrace daily this year as I prayed and went about my life.
Pillar 1: Walk in the fear that is due the Lord
Pillar 2: Ask God to teach me concerning my daily priorities and then follow through
Pillar 3: Request that He bring gladness to me proportional to the days I’ve experienced affliction and sorrow
Pillar 4: Ask for favor from God and for Him to establish the work of my hands
This brings me to Pillars 5 and 6. They fit together beautifully and are perhaps the simplest of the six pillars; however, both require a high level of diligence, discipline, self-restraint, and self-awareness on my part—and yours. After this long break (I’ve been preparing my house for a new feline roommate who moved in on Valentine’s Day!), I should have Pillar #6 ready to go sometime next week.
Pillar #5: Mind and thoughts
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Psalm 145:5
What you think about is huge. Your thoughts affect your mood; your mood can color your attitude; your attitude will affect how you see your life; and how you view everything will influence the entire course of your life. We’ve all observed this principle in others; it’s just as true for our own lives as well. Thinking, as Psalm 145:5 declares, on the glorious splendor of God’s majesty and on all His wonderful works will safeguard your mind.
That said, I’m not a big fan of “mind over matter” teachings. Oh, I’ve seen it work, even in my own life before I became a Christian. However, here’s my qualm: although there may be something to the concept of mind over matter, who gets the credit? It goes to the “man with the mind”—or in my case, to the “girl with the gall”! Focus is on Self; Self becomes Amazing in its own eyes; and soon all thoughts of the Creator Himself tend to fade away with the grandeur of “My Amazing Ability” or “My Magnificent Mind”.
Although many Scriptures exist which highlight the proper use of your mind, the primary emphasis is NOT on you, the thinker! Instead, biblical focus is directed to the underlying reason for taking charge over your thoughts in the first place—to obey God, to bring Him glory, and to allow Him to be center of your world—not developing your mental ability to manipulate matter!
What I’m talking about is a partnership of sorts between you and the Lord. You discover what He says in the Word about your responsibility regarding your thoughts, and in turn you begin to allow those truths to redirect what you think about and even how to think about everything going on in your life and mind. Throughout your life you will be His junior partner in this endeavor—tutored, taught, and instructed by His Word and His Spirit.
This is the best mentoring situation you could ever ask for. He’s a Mentor who certainly will correct you—not with the back of His hand across your face or a bludgeoning blow to your back—but with patience, firmness, clarity…and love.
Here are some of His instructions, truths, and prayers to pray about the use of your mind:
…You understand my thought from afar. Psalm 139:2b
- Whether you love Him, hate Him, believe in Him, or view Him as an imaginary creation of weaker minds—He knows and understands every thought that’s ever crossed your mind.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24
- YOU give the Lord greater access not only to search your mind, but also to help bring order and peace to all those piled up thoughts.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
- It is of utmost importance for you to be careful about what lingers in your thought life because it will eventually determine your actions, affections, and pursuits.
- I’ve heard it said, “You cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” This is also true concerning thoughts—they pop up in your mind out of the blue, but you have the right and authority to evict them.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans12:2
- You are responsible for what you allow yourself to think. This verse lets you know how to help yourself—your mind can be transformed bit by bit as you spend time in the Word of God.
- The more you direct your thoughts to what’s in the Bible, the more it will speak to you. You may be minding your own business, talking to someone, and BAM! A Scripture will pop up inside of you and redirect your conversation or give you an “Aha moment”—and suddenly you’ll have an answer to some pressing issue. Most of the Bible readers I know have experienced this more than a few times.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
- God’s Word is alive. You can read Shakespeare, Maya Angelou, Tolstoy, or Dr. Seuss, but no matter how classic, beautiful, gripping, or entertaining any of those writers may be, their words do not contain life. God’s Word does.
- The words of the Bible are sharp—even surgical—in their precision and force.
- God’s Word divides between soul and spirit; in other words, the simple act of reading, studying, or meditating on the Bible gives you discernment between “Is it just me?” and “This is from God.” I’ve experienced this surgical “division” between soul and spirit many times by spending time reading God’s Word; perplexing choices I was facing have become suddenly clear due to the working of His Word inside of me.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8
- What you think about affects everything in your life. The more you delve into all the horrible things you see and meditate on how awful you’re being treated, the more intense those feelings become. As a result, you can’t see God’s solutions sitting right in front of your face while pain, anger, or hopelessness tightens around you like a spectral straight-jacket.
- When you recognize that poisonous thoughts are starting to camp out in your mind, you have the right—and authority—to take them prisoner. Ask the Lord to give you HIS thoughts about what you’re thinking; pull out your Bible and start reading—out loud if you can. He will help you.
- Choose daily to be aware of your thoughts and inner monologue. As soon as you catch yourself thinking negatively about something or someone, jump in and chase that stream of consciousness with God’s Word.
Pillar #5 is simple—just pay attention to your thought life and replace any negative flow with God’s Word. Neglecting to take account of your thoughts can produce disastrous results for your life, your joy, and your walk with God; however, simply taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ will not only honor God, but will also facilitate His peace and stability in your life—and clear up your vision.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
The year of clear vision, Pillar #4: God’s favor and establishing the works of our hands
On Christmas Day I was seeking God concerning 2020, the year of clear vision. As I read the Psalms, six principles came across my radar. I had a hunch that these were exactly what I needed to embrace in my pursuit of clear vision, and after further prayer, I committed to keeping these “pillars” before my eyes all year long.
Pillar #4 (a): God’s favor
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us…Psalm 90:17a
I will not be shy this year about asking God to pour out His favor upon me every day. Without His favor, I may go through the motions—work, pray, write, study, counsel, give—but nothing of substance will be built up or stored to my account. Why not? Because of what I’m leaning on—my own abilities.
On the other hand, when I ask for the Lord’s favor to rest upon me, I am acknowledging that my own abilities are not enough; I need Him. I need His favor.
As you may remember, Pillar #1 also touched on favor from God: The Lord takes pleasure in [favors] those who fear Him (Psalm 147:11). Are you recognizing your need for God’s favor? Then camp out in the fear of the Lord. It pleases Him and will cause His favor to come upon your life.
Pillar #4 (b): God establishes for you the works of your hands
…establish the work of our hands
for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands…Psalm 90:17b
Humans are creative. We do things. We make things. We think, sing, run, talk, serve, dream, solve problems, and ponder about new ways to approach everyday issues. Bottom line—we all work one way or another. And most of us can admit that at some point we have felt like a mouse on a treadmill, constantly running, doing, working, but getting nowhere fast.
Solomon lamented the futility of the human condition when he wrote, Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?(Ecclesiastes 1:2b-4).
Remember, there was a time in Solomon’s life when he was in limbo—he knew God was real, but he wasn’t living for Him at all. He had stepped away from his earlier fear of the Lord. The result? The heavy oppression of futility rested upon him despite his fabulous wealth, women, and accomplishments.
It’s my observation that a large percentage of the human race (with and without Solomon’s advantages) are living daily lives of futility, feeling absolutely worthless. But no matter how much failure, oppression or plain old existential nothingness any one of us have faced in life, it doesn’t have to remain that way. Psalm 90 shines a light through the darkness of futility.
You can ask for favor from God. He gives you permission to do just that. Then ask Him to establish the work of your hands—to cause lasting, eternal impact through your work—however that may look in your life. And realize that in God’s economy, the quietest, most obscure person can have an enormously profound impact on multitudes of lives just for the asking: Lord, Establish the work of my hands for me—yes, establish the work of my hands.
An amazing truth about allowing God to establish for you the work of your hands is this: you may never know until eternity just how very impactful your life has been.
And remember this: The dark season of vanity in Solomon’s life had nothing to do with bad luck or tough breaks. He entered his season of futility when he set aside his fear of God and allowed life’s distractions to distort his vision.
But as for you, determine that this year you will fear the Lord. Ask Him daily for His favor to rest upon your life, and dare to trust Him to establish—making eternally fruitful—the work of your hands.
And I’ll bet that as you pursue this course, your vision will grow ever clearer.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
The year of clear vision, Pillar #3: Gladness instead of affliction
The year of 2020 is upon us. I have heard several interesting and uplifting things about this new year which are worth pondering. But for me, my Number One focus is clear vision. I found six principles from the Psalms that I intend to set as pillars for the coming year as I embrace all the healing, clarity, and restoration that God has for me in 2020.
Pillar #3: Gladness instead of affliction
Make us glad according to the days
You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil. Psalm
90:15
Psalm 90 was written by Moses, a man who had seen a lifetime of affliction. Instead of resigning himself to endless years of heavy oppression and painful suffering, however, he requested God for gladness—and not just for an hour or a day of gladness. He asked God to grant him gladness in exact proportion to all the misery he had lived through. That’s a lot of gladness!
Most of us have experienced trials, difficulties, disappointments, and setbacks in our lives. I have. And I realized as I was praying about these things that a great vision-strangler is the tendency to embrace low expectations. Getting used to so much disappointment and pain can start to squeeze the vision right out of you.
“But what if God doesn’t want things to change?”
Look at Moses! He knew that much of the affliction his nation ran into on their forty-year journey came as a result of their own disobedience, yet he dared to ask for gladness anyway—abundant gladness—despite their track record of self-inflicted misery and suffering.
I believe God is challenging me—and many of you, too—to refuse to live any longer under the dictates of low expectations. Has life been tough? Then look up! Do what Moses did; ask God for gladness—so much gladness that it will outweigh all the oppression you’ve experienced.
Here’s how I’m praying concerning Pillar #3:
“Lord, I want to thank You that You love me and care for me, and I ask you very simply, please bring gladness and fruitfulness to my life in proportion to all the seasons where I’ve been hurt, disappointed, bereaved, distraught, and dismayed. Thank You for walking with me today; I lean on You gladly and receive Your overwhelming peace and joy which will cause everything else to pale in comparison. Your Word says You cause all things to work together for my good—even the bad stuff—because I love You and I’m called according to Your purpose. I dare to believe, like it says in the book of Joel, that You will restore to me all that the locust has eaten…and, like Job, You will bless my latter days more than my earlier ones.”
Pillar #3, trusting God for gladness instead of continued troubles, will take faith. However, I am willing to resist the pressure of low expectations, allowing my vision to clear, as I simply fix my eyes on the One who is worthy of my trust.
How about you?
Dorothy
© 2019, Dorothy Frick
The year of clear vision, Pillar #2: Teach me to number my days
2020. For me it’s a no-brainer. I need clear vision; God has pre-ordained this year to be called 2020; therefore, I am determined to embrace His focus for my life. I believe this pleases Him.
On Christmas Day I was drawn to six concepts in the Psalms. I realized that if I cooperated with the Lord and fixed my heart to pray for His grace to walk in these principles, then my vision would be enhanced, not diminished. I decided to call these principles Pillars—supports for clear vision. Pillar #1 was the Fear of the Lord.
Pillar #2: Teach me to number my days
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
One of the greatest vision-chokers may very well be the one-two team of Complacency and Carelessness. Other synonyms for these “illustrious” vision-stranglers might be dillydallying; dawdling; fiddling around; puttering; goofing off (my favorite term); and my mom’s personal favorite when describing me as a kid getting anything done: piddling around.
Now you Type A personalities may need a little goof off time now and then to give your body and mind some time to unwind. However, for us “piddlers”, the very human tendency to sigh “Que sera, sera…whatever will be will be…” as we flip the remote or link onto the next click-bait may be the very thing that is hindering us from running our race with any level of endurance.
That’s why this verse grabbed my attention. The Lord never put all the responsibility for the direction of your life on YOU! Teach us to number our days! He’s willing to teach you how to effectively order your time day by day, stringing week to week, month to month, and year to year…for the asking.
I believe that if I will daily ask the Lord to teach me how to number my days and order my steps (see Psalm 37:23), then wisdom will come. God is pleased to teach us life skills—especially those skills which enhance and advance His vision and purpose for our lives. And bonus—you and I will not only increase in wisdom, but we will also have more divine appointments along the way!
But beware—there’s another vision-choker that comes with insidious stealth—the voice of distraction! First Corinthians 14:10 states, There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without meaning (King James 2000 Bible). I don’t know about you, but I have found that distractions come in many voices. Urgency; insistence; demands; pettiness; fear; silliness; you name it—each one has a distinct voice. How do you wade through the voices of distraction?
Lord, teach me to number my days that I may present to You a heart of wisdom. Talk to God. Pour out your request first thing each morning before the voices start hammering for your attention. Wisdom will come. You will discern that proper route to take; you will also discern which routes to delay or to avoid altogether.
Vision can get crimped by pressure piling up from every direction. That’s what actually causes glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness—pressure on the optic nerve resulting in the death of individual vision nerve cells. That’s why I plan to rise up every morning before the pressures of life start screaming for attention and simply ask the Lord to number my days. Then, when all is said and done, by His mighty grace I will be able to present to Him a heart of wisdom.
Pillar #2 for 2020, the year of clear vision, is to ask the Lord to teach you to number your days. Pillar #3 will be coming soon.
Dorothy
© 2019, Dorothy Frick
Pillar #1 in the year of clear vision: The fear of the Lord
The older I get, the more I realize that things once clearly centered in my field of sight have become a little fuzzy. I’ve been praying, as many of you have been, about this new year and decade ahead, seeking God as to what my focus should be as I enter 2020. Then it dawned on me that sharper, clearer vision is something that I not only desire but also desperately need.
How convenient—in light of my deepest need—that the upcoming year is 2020! I have been crying out for clearer vision; and now the very name of the year will inspire me daily—I have indeed entered the year of clear vision.
On Christmas Day I read through some Psalms and found six scriptural pillars which will prepare and empower me to walk with clear vision in 2020. You’re welcome to claim these for yourself as well. Today’s post concerns the first Pillar.
Pillar #1: The fear of the Lord
Who understands the power of Your
anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? Psalm
90:11
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy. Psalm 147:11
“But that stuff about God’s fury and the fear due Him—it’s so…negative!” you may be thinking. Actually, it’s quite the contrary! Grab a concordance and run the references on the fear of the Lord, and you will find an amazing catalog of treasures that follow the sincere fear and reverence for God: knowledge, wisdom, favor, and length of days, to name a few.
But what is the fear of the Lord? It’s certainly not paranoia; neither is it anxious terror or dread. It is simply the open recognition that God is the Author and Creator of all things; He is the One who determined that YOU would win the egg/sperm lottery; He’s the One who has always been a silent presence in your life; and He is the One to whom you are ultimately accountable. If you seek to live your life according to this understanding, then there’s a good chance you have the fear of the Lord.
How do I intend to ramp up the fear of God in my own life? I plan to daily remind myself that Jesus is Lord and I am not. I will be asking Him every day to help me make decisions based on His Word, His purpose, His leading, and His kindness; and I will ask Him to intervene—to tweak my conscience—when I start to move into selfishness, thoughtlessness, cowardly fear of people’s opinions, or when I wander upon any of the other hundreds of landmines that may be laying in wait to shatter my vision, my effectiveness…or even my life.
The fear of the Lord is not a bad thing at all. I find it comforting to read that He takes pleasure in those who fear Him—He doesn’t shoot at our feet to make us dance like the cartoon character Yosemite Sam did to Bugs Bunny. Instead, the fear of the Lord is linked forever in Psalm 147:11 with an expectant hope in His mercy.
So, Pillar #1 for 2020, the year of clear vision, is to walk in the fear of the Lord. Pillar #2 is coming soon.
Dorothy
© 2019, Dorothy Frick
Faithful, joyful, and triumphant
“O come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant
Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him born the King of angels;
O come let us adore him Christ the Lord.” (Attributed to John Francis Wade, 1751.)
This company, from every land, language, and race, spans both history and the globe. This company—the faithful, the joyful, and the triumphant—is your company. If you have made Jesus your Lord, you are counted among them.
Who is this company of the faithful? Who are these joyful and triumphant? Do the lyrics refer to men and women from the past who because of their unique, comfortable time in history were able to live victorious Christian lives? Is this the company to whom the carol refers?
Indeed, in the last days difficult times will arise. Men will be lovers of self and haters of good, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. The Lord warned us of this ahead of time. But you, Christian—you are called faithful. You are called joyful. You are called triumphant. This is who you are. This will never change—despite the spin culture puts on your deeply held, Bible-based beliefs.
You are faithful because of the Lord’s faithfulness to you. Therefore, your ability to be faithful does not rest upon circumstances or the rise or fall of the popularity of the gospel. You can remain faithful because you know He will never fail you nor forsake you. You will be able to stay faithful throughout the rest of your days because He will never let you down. Let this truth build great strength within you.
You are joyful because His joy—one of the fruits of the Spirit—is planted deep within you. This joy, like God’s Word, is imperishable. It cannot be stolen from you. Whether you feel it or not, joy is there inside of you, waiting to be cultivated and nourished through your sacrifice of praise to God. As you sow thanksgiving to Him, the crop of joy will increase and abound, and sooner or later it will overflow in your life. The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is your strength. God’s joy will lift you above every subtlety, scheme, and snare that Satan can concoct. God’s joy, when acted upon, will transform your tests into testimonies—whether the culture believes it or not.
You are triumphant because of Jesus’ triumph over sin, death, and hell. You have been ransomed from the domination of the devil and have been transferred into the safety and soundness of the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Because Jesus has crushed the serpent’s head, you, too, can tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm you. Because Jesus rendered powerless him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—you are now free from slavery to the fear of death. Of this you can be confident: God will always lead you in triumph in Christ and will manifest through you the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
Will the knowledge of Him always be warmly embraced? If the prophecy concerning the turbulent last days in 2 Timothy 3 is any indication, the answer to that is no. However, take it from those faithful, joyful, and triumphant souls who have gone before you: Your victory is not based on the behaviors, opinions, or applause of the age in which you live. You are triumphant. It’s a done deal in Christ. So walk in it with the confidence that comes from above.
Don’t allow this generation or your circumstances to tell you who you are. You are the faithful. You are the joyful. You are the triumphant. And you unashamedly adore Christ the Lord.
Dorothy
Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould… Romans 12:2, J.B. Phillips
© 2015 and updated, 2019, Dorothy Frick
Therefore I have hope
Are you dealing with stress beyond your limit right now? Maybe a bad diagnosis, or harsh words from someone from whom you expected compassion? Maybe long-standing pain or a sense of rejection or isolation? Maybe the stress of not knowing how you are going to make it?
Despite the beauty of the Christmas season, some of you are facing what may feel like insurmountable odds and pressure beyond your ability to handle.
Like some of you, I found this beautiful time of year colliding with some intense pressures in my life. Although I have chosen not to dim the Christmas lights or stop the carols of the season, the cloak of sadness and hopelessness has been present, attempting to wrap me in despair and shield me against hope.
But God!
To those of you in a similar situation, no matter how all-encompassing the hopelessness may feel, press on. Your feelings may not change; but you are building strength into your spiritual muscles as you resist the pressure to give up and despair….and the God whom you have served is not ignorant or unaware of your situation.
And then early this morning, as I was slogging around the house praying, I heard a short phrase on the inside of me: “Therefore I have hope.” I knew God was sending His Word to deliver me. I searched…and there it was, in the middle of Lamentations 3.
“This I recall to my mind,
THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE.
“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
“They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE in Him.”
“The Lord is GOOD to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:21-25
If you are in a place of desperation, RECEIVE your HOPE. THIS is why the Baby was born over 2000 years ago! THIS is why the angels rejoiced over the field where the shepherds herded their flocks. THIS is why the magi traveled by camel over hundreds of miles…to SEE, to BEHOLD, and to TOUCH the Desire of nations–the very Son of God.
And THAT is why I am sharing with you. YOU are the reason that God sent His Son, the Babe of Bethlehem and the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief. May the Light of the World fill YOU with a girding power of hope in your inner man, and may you live to tell of the great things God has done for you.
God bless you.
Dorothy
Concerning the grumbling of the Pharisees and a look at Jonah
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-2
For some reason, this scene brings to mind some thoughts I had when reading the book of Jonah recently.
You see, it hit me—Jesus closely related to the prophet Jonah. Of course, Jesus knew He would be buried for three days in the tomb just as Jonah experienced three days in the belly of that humongous fish (see Matthew 12:40). The Lord thought about that eventuality—probably often—and took comfort that as Jonah was vomited out of the fish after three days, He, too, would be blasted back to life by the power of God. I believe He kept His thoughts on Jonah’s deliverance as a faith-builder.
However, Jesus and Jonah had another similarity. Both were called to preach to a volatile, rebellious people. Both knew the chances of rejection were huge and could very likely end in a violent death. Jesus, though, knew that undergoing this kind of tortuous death wasn’t a mere probability; it was fact.
Both men also understood that their obedience could lead to widespread, history-changing repentance and reconciliation to God. Jesus delighted in that end; Jonah, on the other hand, recoiled from it.
Fast-forward to Jesus’ day. Although the educated and religious folk of His time probably scoffed (as I have in the past) at Jonah’s rank disgust at the thought of the repentance and reformation of his foes in disregard to God’s plan, here they had a Man before them who unashamedly preached repentance and life transformation to the non-religious around them.
Did they say to themselves, “Now, here’s a Man—unlike Jonah—who willingly embraces sinners and the dregs of society, and by His preaching, their entire lives are miraculously changed and made whole!”?
No, they grumbled. They had no interest in “sinners”; they had no interest in the transformational intersection of a human with his/her Maker. They could care less about the secret fears, sorrows, or pains of those with whom they were spiritually charged. They were Jonah—yet a Jonah who never turned to offer repentance and hope of God’s forgiveness.
Jesus, like Jonah, preached repentance as the doorway to the kingdom of heaven. He didn’t sugar-coat His message and made no exceptions concerning sin; but He preached repentance out of a heart of love and compassion for those stuck in the quagmire of their lives. And their lives, deemed valuable to this Shepherd, were transformed as they gave Him their hearts.
May you and I see our lives and those around us with the eyes of Jesus, not Jonah—and certainly not with the eyes of the “learned” religious ones of Jesus’ day.
Dorothy
© 2019, Dorothy Frick
Concerning watchers and boxes
It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. Luke 14:1
I don’t think they can help themselves. People bound up with a “religious spirit” seem to be compelled to inspect everyone else’s words, behaviors, worldview, clothing, spirituality, you-name-it—and have no qualms displaying open offense if the object of their inspection deviates in any way from their pre-set, tightly-clenched perspective. In fact, these folks frequently search high and low for even the slightest offense.
If you think your job is to coerce others to toe your line and use snubbery, open put-downs, whisper campaigns, smear blitzes, or even physical force to do so, there’s a good chance you’ve picked up a good old-fashioned religious spirit.
The intended outcome of such “watching” is to squeeze the “watchee” into a box of the watcher’s choosing. I’ll bet most of you reading this have experienced fervent box construction by those who should have been welcoming, warm, and harbors of refuge for you. Their goal? To to silence you; to label you with their own definitions; to force you to conform to an image of their choosing…whether you want to or not.
Such were the Pharisees in Jesus’ time. Only problem was that Jesus didn’t play along. He marched to a different Drummer…the drumbeat of His Father.
You can watch the hand-wringing and scheming of the offended ones who “watched” Jesus throughout the gospels, and every time they set their snare, you can see how unimpressed Jesus was with their traps and faux outrage. In fact, the Father, with whom He maintained constant communion, always gave Jesus words to say and/or unabashed actions that silenced, stymied, or frustrated their best strategies to entrap Him.
You, like Jesus, also have a link up with the Father by which you can access His wisdom and direction every time you encounter the inevitable box-builders in your life. Trust Him to deliver you from those snares; He has a custom-made strategy for every trap; and He will download it to you just for the asking.
However, one thing you must do in your determination to be free of imposed boxes—don’t impose boxes of your own making upon others.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1, NKJV
Dorothy
© 2019, Dorothy Frick