Believe. Trust. Obey.

They didn't know who God was. If they did, they wouldn't have said it.

"Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us."*

It's not even possible for God to hate; He only loves. So why did they even think this? Their interpretation was influenced by their unbelief, distrust, and fear.

They didn't believe the giants could be overcome. Because of this, they lost the promise.

Their error? They didn't believe. They didn't obey. They didn't trust the God who had led them so far already (as Moses reminded them).

They lost the promise, and as soon as they heard it, they were repentant. But God would no longer listen. He was among them no longer. He told them not to try to fight the giants, because His power wasn't with them.

They fought anyway. But the victory went to the Amorites, as God had already said. They didn't believe Him - again. (Just shows that they weren't really repentant the first time they said it)

God knows what He's talking about. He knows what is best. The task might look difficult, even life-threatening, but He knows.

Believe Him. Trust Him.

And not only that...

Obey Him (right away).

*Deuteronomy 1:27

Day Three: Special Scriptures

It is heading toward the late end of the day, so this won't be terribly long... but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss today's blessing-blog. :-)

The theme of today is Scriptures that have been a special blessing to me this year. There are only a few main ones that come to mind, that have been the subject of much contemplation and encouragement, although I have been blessed by many others during the studies of this year. This particular chapter that I want to share has been referred to and thought about much over the course of the last several months. It is quite encouraging to me! (I've added in a couple of thoughts, in brackets.)

Isaiah 54 
1. Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate [or single woman] than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

2. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3. For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

5. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. [what a husband!]

6. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

9. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

10. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

11. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

12. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

13. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

14. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

15. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

16. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

What peace, what encouragement this passage provides. God is my Husband; He provides me with children though I have none of my own. He promises that though things at hand seem difficult, He is making something beautiful out of my life. Special thoughts to my heart!

Purpose

I wave my little blue keychain across the keypad to deactivate the alarm. Beep! I step inside the office. A stream of sunshine greets me through the window. Setting my bags on the cabinet next to my desk, I slide my notebook out of its case and snap it into the dock. Power on…

So begins my day.

Every so often, I shiver with excitement as I realize a simple fact: I love my job.

It's an amazing combination of creative graphic design and spiritual encouragement for young people. To the casual observer, it might seem like a regular job, but it's not. Not at all. My work has purpose. I don't work for the sake of climbing any corporate ladder, or enticing people through design to buy needless products. I work for a much higher goal:

Inspiring young people to follow Jesus.

Suddenly, I’m no longer sitting in my chair. I’m kneeling by my bed, agonizing—a frustrated 15-year-old at the end of her rope. A longing inside me burns for something that will satisfy my heart, and change me. Nothing is working. I don’t know what to do.

Then I remember. I reach into my bedside drawer, underneath my Bible, and pull out a purple-tinted magazine. I open it to the middle, the Bible lesson. The title: Conversion and Righteousness by Faith. Could this possibly hold what I’m looking for?

And so began my study of the Young Disciple Bible lessons. Each one encouraged me to dig deeper in the Word, and strengthen my connection with Jesus. On the days I spent time studying in the morning, I actually had peace throughout my day.

The memory fades. I lean back in my chair and smile at the sunshine. I smile at the ways God reached me, and I long to be the means to reach other young people who are searching in the same way. The work I do, the work I love, is this means. God not only fills my desire for purpose, but inspires young people to serve Him. Isn't He amazing?

Absolute willingness

This morning, I read Daniel 3: an amazing story of three young men who stood firm for what they believed in. 

There was no hesitancy on their part, in the decision to honor the one true God. 

They said in verse 16, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.” It wasn’t of question to them!

The part that really stuck out to me, though, was three points brought out in a verse I hadn’t noticed before. 

“Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” 

They were willing to trust God with everything, even this issue. They were willing to even go against the command of an earthly king in order to keep God from being dishonored. And they were willing to give up their very bodies to be burned, all for this cause: 

The honor of God above absolutely anything else.

Those who would rather die than perform a wrong act are the only ones who will be found faithful.*

May we each have this same courage, decision, and integrity today.

*MYP 74