earth – Page 19 – Praying Pint

4.x. O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Job 5:27 Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear, and know it for your good.”

Job 8:8-10    “For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out.

Psalms 111:2    Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.

Proverbs 2:3-5    yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,  if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,  then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

Psalms 104:24    O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Jeremiah 32:17-19    ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.  You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,  great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.

Psalms 111:7  The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;

This song seems to search out things of God in a way that should move our heart, mind, and soul to humbly bow with raised hands and worship, honor, and glorify Him.

God of creation, There at the start, Before the beginning of time, With no point of reference, You spoke to the dark, And fleshed out the wonder of light

And as You speak A hundred billion galaxies are born In the vapor of Your breath the planets form. If the stars were made to worship so will I

I can see Your heart in everything You’ve made, Every burning star, A signal fire of grace, If creation sings Your praises so will I. God of Your promise, You don’t speak in vain, No syllable empty or void, For once You have spoken, All nature and science Follow the sound of Your voice.

And as You speak A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath. Evolving in pursuit of what You said. If it all reveals Your nature so will I.

I can see Your heart in everything You say, Every painted sky. A canvas of Your grace. If creation still obeys You so will I. So will I. So will I.

If the stars were made to worship so will I. If the mountains bow in reverence so will I. If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I. For if everything exists to lift You high so will I. If the wind goes where You send it so will I. If the rocks cry out in silence so will I. If the sum of all our praises still falls shy, Then we’ll sing again a hundred billion times.

God of salvation You chased down my heart Through all of my failure and pride. On a hill You created The light of the world Abandoned in darkness to die.

And as You speak A hundred billion failures disappear. Where You lost Your life so I could find it here. If You left the grave behind You so will I. I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done. Every part designed in a work of art called love. If You gladly chose surrender so will I.

I can see Your heart Eight billion different ways. Every precious one A child You died to save. If You gave Your life to love them so will I. Like You would again a hundred billion times. But what measure could amount to Your desire. You’re the One who never leaves the one behind

4.w. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

Job 5:17 “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes. At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth. For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.

Psalms 94:12     Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,

Proverbs 3:11-12   My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,  for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Jeremiah 31:18   I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.

Hebrews 12:5-11   And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Revelation 3:19    Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

There is something I have often thought about. When we are going through a rough spell is it a trial to grow us in our reliance on Jesus Christ, discipline to make us aware of our wayward path and bring us to repentance and back to Jesus Christ, or because of our own doing and God allowing us to reap what we have sown. Two of these are holy things of God toward us and one is apart and lonely. Blessed is the one who is disciplined and taught out of His word. Blessed is the man who is reproved by God. Blessed is the man who is restored to a point of humble service, reliance, and obedience to God.

We do well to sure our heart and mind in light of His word to know if we are in a God give a trial, God-given discipline, or reaping what we have sown. Staying in His word each day with a desire to honor and glorify Him will keep our heart and mind open to know and understand which of these we are experiencing.

4.t. Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Job 5:8 “As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.

2 Chronicles 33:12-13    And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.  He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

Psalms 50:15     and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 77:1-2   I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.

Jonah 2:1-7   Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish,  saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.

Psalms 37:5    Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

1 Peter 4:19   Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

What great words of comfort, hope, and confidence. It is easy to read these in our comfort, blessings, and prosperity. It is easy for us to hold true and faithful in times without trials or troubles. These words may come to us while in good times and give us comfort in thinking about “the possibility of trouble landing on my doorstep” and how we would then, in faith, call out to Jesus. However, trouble has a way of sneaking up on us. It hits us from the blindside. It grabs us from behind and tries to choke us out. It does not play fair or give any respect to who we are. Trials and troubles come upon all mankind, good and bad.

We can see from these scriptures that men called out to God in their time of trouble. Trials have a way of humbling the soul before God or driving a hatred deep within. The difference is the condition of the heart, mind, and soul of the person. The heart holds things dear to the soul. If the heart is holding dear to things of this world over the things of God trials will either push them away or draw them closer. When the heart is holding dear to things of this world the study of God’s word and spending daily time in scripture and desiring to hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit’s leading are not anywhere near their heart. Be mindful of this because it very well can be the place where you are close to being and not even know it. Our sinful nature and with Satan’s lies and deception we can slip into this void of darkness unknowingly. Each of us needs brothers and sisters to spur us on to good works, faithful living, God-honoring, reliant, trusting, and obedient lives. When we do this for each other we grow in knowledge and understanding. Our desire for things of God increases. Our hope and faith become more firm. Our lives become beacons of the light of Jesus Christ to those in darkness. Trials and troubles have the possibility to darken our souls. Let us be faithful to each other and hold each other accountable to walk worthy of our calling to the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.

4.r. How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible his ways!

Job 4:12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it. Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice: Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error; how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth. Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it. Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

Romans 11:33   Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Romans 9:20     But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

Ecclesiastes 7:20    Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Jeremiah 17:9   The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Matthew Henry: “Eliphaz relates a vision. When we are communing with our own hearts, and are still, Ps 4:4, then is a time for the Holy Spirit to commune with us. This vision put him into very great fear. Ever since man sinned, it has been terrible to him to receive communications from Heaven, conscious that he can expect no good tidings thence. Sinful man! shall he pretend to be more just, more pure, than God, who being his Maker, is his Lord and Owner? How dreadful, then, the pride and presumption of man! How great the patience of God! Look upon man in his life. The very foundation of that cottage of clay in which man dwells, is in the dust, and it will sink with its own weight. We stand but upon the dust. Some have a higher heap of dust to stand upon than others but still it is the earth that stays us up, and will shortly swallow us up. Man is soon crushed; or if some lingering distemper, which consumes like a moth, be sent to destroy him, he cannot resist it. Shall such a creature pretend to blame the appointments of God? Look upon man in his death. Life is short, and in a little time men are cut off. Beauty, strength, learning, not only cannot secure them from death, but these things die with them; nor shall their pomp, their wealth, or power, continue after them. Shall a weak, sinful, dying creature, pretend to be more just than God, and more pure than his Maker? No: instead of quarrelling with his afflictions, let him wonder that he is out of hell. Can a man be cleansed without his Maker? Will God justify sinful mortals, and clear them from guilt? or will he do so without their having an interest in the righteousness and gracious help of their promised Redeemer, when angels, once ministering spirits before his throne, receive the just recompence of their sins? Notwithstanding the seeming impunity of men for a short time, though living without God in the world, their doom is as certain as that of the fallen angels, and is continually overtaking them. Yet careless sinners note it so little, that they expect not the change, nor are wise to consider their latter end.

4.m. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Job 1:13-22 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Genesis 3:19    By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Psalms 49:17     For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.

Ecclesiastes 5:15     As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.

Ecclesiastes 12:7    and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

1 Timothy 6:7    for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

Lamentations 3:38    Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

Isaiah 45:7    I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Amos 3:6    Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?

Psalms 39:9    I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.

When we limit God’s omnipotence we can only end up, as Kushner did when he wrote: “When bad things happen to good people”. Kushner addresses the conundrum of why, if the universe was created and is governed by a God who is of good and loving nature, there is nonetheless so much suffering and pain in it – essentially, the evidential problem of evil. Kushner seeks to offer comfort to grieving people. His answer to the philosophical problem is that God does his best and is with people in their suffering, but is not fully able to prevent it.

This book was on the Best Seller list for many months. Why was it on the best sellers list? Because when we limit God’s omnipotence, “He could not prevent it”, somehow we can accept what has happened. God loves me and wanted to prevent this tragedy but was unable to stop it from happening. Think about this for a second. God the creator of everything out of nothing(Omnipotent) and who is every present everywhere (Omnipresent) is somehow not omnipotent in what transpires within His creation.

Who can say what is right or wrong, or good or bad with what God purposes and plans? Who can adequately explain the workings of God? God’s word says He loves me unconditionally and that he can do more than I ask and much more than I can imagine. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” “He will never leave you or forsake you” “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways”

Belief in God and salvation through Jesus Christ His Son is clinging to, relying on, and trusting in Him alone no matter what happens. His ways and will are perfect and even if I do not understand them I can trust Him.

Everything in this world is in the hands of the eternal creator. We do have temporary care of what God gives us and at the same time, we must be willing to give it up for His plans and purposes of which will may not fully understand but can fully trust. Job said it well “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

4.f. “They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed”

Nehemiah 9:6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.

“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

“But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

Nehemiah gives an account of Creation and the hand of God choosing Abraham because of his faith and making a covenant with him and his descendants to give them the possession of land from people who were evil and vile. He speaks of their rescue from Egypt and the wondrous works God performed then and in the wilderness. In all of this, Nehemiah recounts their father’s sin in refusing to be mindful of God’s wonders and obey. He also called out the fact that they themselves were no different and had stiffened their neck – they proudly denied serving God and did what was right in their own eyes.

We too must be mindful of our heart and know what is residing in it through the light of God’s word. When our necks stiffen it is not as though we have taken a firm, knowing stand against God, but rather we have chosen to neglect His word, what He has done, what He has promised, and what He will do. In this neglect, our eyes to our heart come to the point of being blind and our ears to our soul become deaf to His leading. We are left with a stiff neck toward the things of God and since He is not the light and the bread of life to our soul we end up doing what is right in our own eyes for the door to our heart, mind, and soul is closed tight through this neglect.

Read God’s word with the intent of gaining godly wisdom and understanding. Read it with eyes expecting to see something new revealed to your heart. Read it with ears desiring to hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit’s leading. Read it with the door to your heart, mind, and soul wide open. When we start to read it with this commitment we will start to understand what it means to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, praise, follow, trust, and obey Jesus Christ.

3.o. When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Ezra 6:19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Proverbs 16:7     When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Proverbs 21:1     The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

Nehemiah 1:11  O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Daniel 4:35     all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

We serve a mighty and awesome God. He is not stopped or limited by anything in creation. He is not limited by the wicked, mean, proud, hateful, or greedy. His will will be done. In Him, we can rest and find peace knowing He can move mountains as well as hearts of men to do His will and accomplish his purpose.

We do not need to fear what seems impossible. We do not need to think all is lost. We do not need to think we have lost the battle. We do not need to think we have no future. All is possible for God. The battles are His alone. Our future is in His steadfast and loving hands. There are no doors closed so tight that God can not open. Honor and glorify Him, lay your burdens at His feet believing in is mighty power, plans, and purpose. Be at peace with His will whatever it may be. Trust “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Wait for His will to be accomplished. Watch for His hand at work and give Him all honor, glory, and praise, for He alone is worthy.

3.j. ‘Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’

Ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Jeremiah 29:10 “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.

Jeremiah 33:7-13 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it. “Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD: “‘Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks. In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD.

The prophecy of Jeremiah spoke the word of God and I doubt there were many remaining in Babylon from Jerusalem who remembered or were alive at the time of capture. Those who did listen and knew the outcome of God’s wrath upon them, and believed what Jeremiah said had to have their heartbroken. They were able to witness this first hand and more than likely die before seeing the restoration of Jerusalem. Some of these parents certainly spoke of Jeremiah’s prophecy to their children to give them hope, strength, and courage. And to those who believed in what God had said, and were alive at the time of this proclamation from Cyrus, this had to be a very glorious blessing to hear and see the hand of God at work. Can you imagine hearing this and knowing it was foretold to you. All you had to do was believe it your eyes would be open to seeing God at work. Obviously, there were those who did not believe and because of this did not see this as God’s doing but rather because of chance and good fortune.

When we read God’s word there are many both blessings and warnings given to us. Promises of His hand of protection, leading, and peace. Likewise, there are words of wrath, anger, and judgment. Just because we might choose to not believe them does not make them less truthful. How would our lives change if we spent time in His word and believed what we read? Would our thoughts and actions be different? Would we see God’s hand at work more clearly? Would we have a more thankful heart and mind? Would things in this world have less influence? Would our eyes remain focused on honoring Him? Would we consider living in light of Him? Would we be more grateful? Would we seek and desire to hear and see Him?

If we spend more time in His word we will certainly be starting at the right place every day. If we seek to be led by His word we will be starting at the right place every day. It is a personal, intentional, daily choice. We should not take this commitment lightly or the benefits from it without a grateful and thankful heart.

Oh God, open our eyes to Your word and lead us on paths that glorify and honor You.

2.w. But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?

2 Chronicles 25:14 After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” But as he was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

2 Chronicles 16:9     For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

2 Chronicles 19:2    But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.

Judges 2:2    and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?

Psalms 96:5    For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

Jeremiah 2:5    Thus says the LORD: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

We can read these verses and say to ourself that clearly, we would not have done as these people did, where they abandoned God and did things and followed after things that were foolish and apart from God. We don’t have to look very far into our thoughts and actions to know we too have the same tendencies, foolish ideas, lack of understanding, lack of wholehearted commitment. We get pulled and pushed aside by the tidal waves of self-interest, self-satisfaction, and self-serving busyness into the ocean of neglect and complacent service to God.

What changed in these people’s heart and mind that they so easily were drawn away? Have you ever cleaned and organized your garage and made a commitment to keep it that way, only to have the same type of mess 4-6 months later? You wonder how did it go from organized to mess? It is not as though you didn’t know what cleaned and organized looked like. It is not as though you intended it to happen or planned to have it happen. You did not set a commitment in your heart to make it happen, but yet it did. So what happened?

The commitment faded. The desire changed. The ability to see the change was lost. Something else replaced that commitment. It is not that we intentionally chose to make the garage a mess again but rather we chose not to keep it in order. The same is true for humbly serving, honoring, following, trusting, and obeying God. It is not that we intentionally chose to keep our heart from Him but rather we chose to give our heart and mind to ourself. Keeping God first closes the door to self. Being mindful of the internal tidal wave of “Self” wants, desires, plans, and thoughts is a good place to start to keep the garage of our heart, mind, and soul clean. Being mindful of this requires us then to take appropriate measures to ensure they stay clean. For the example; you could commit to truly looking at your garage every night before calling it a day. You could commit to not allow yourself to go back inside until it was put back in order. You could commit to never leave your garage when something was out of place. You could take a picture of what organized looked like and then compare each area of organization against that picture to ensure you were not allowing yourself to drift.

You see the same is true with our commitment to humbly serving, honoring, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ. We don’t choose to make our lives a mess. We choose not to keep them in line with God’s word. Herein lies the problem. This intentional choice to “Not” is going to yield every bit as bad results as if we have intentionally chosen to make our lives a mess. The commitment must be firm. Paul said “Stand Firm”. He also said to “take every thought captive.” And, to “put on the full armor of God”.

The picture we can compare our heart, mind, and soul garage too is the word of God. If we commit to comparing every thought, word, and action against this then we will have eyes and ears sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Do not allow drift in your life because you have been neglectful and complacent. We have brothers and sisters in Christ that can help us see drift in our lives when we have no longer found time to spend in His word. Each of us should commit to helping others in this struggle with self and point them always to the worthiness of Jesus Christ and the word of God.

2.c. You did not rely on the Lord your God

2 Chronicles 16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.

We can learn so much from this about God and our natural intents. Here is Asa a man who was wholly true to God and when he needed help he went to man, not God. He trusted in his own wisdom and cunning to overcome the issue at hand and it worked. I doubt he even knew he walked down a path apart from God until the seer spoke to him. It is never good for us to walk apart from God. It is always good to seek God in decisions we are thinking about making.

Look at Asa’s reaction. He was angered, retaliatory, and mean spirited. He did not even seek the Lord for his physical problem. We all have to be mindful of our ability to become neglectful and complacent with our service and honor to God. One day, one decision, one moment away from the presence of God and we can take a path away from Him. Paul told us to be on guard and to put on our whole armor for each day will be a battle with self. We are to renew our mind each day. We are to study His word and be a workman approved by Him. We are to open the door of our heart and mind to Him every single moment of each day. We are to seek and desire Him more and more each day. We are to grow in this knowledge and understanding each day. We are to confess our sins each day. We are to live by faith each day. We are to desire to hear Him speak into our life each day. We are to seek to honor and glorify Jesus each day. We are to deny self each day. We are to forgive each day. We are to be generous each day. We are to keep our eyes focused on Him each day.

Be mindful of how easy it is to trip, slip, and drift away from God. It is never God drifting away. It is always us when we do not keep a daily intentional choice to live to humbly honor, serve, glorify, follow, trust, and obey Him.