Advent | Forever King

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. -Luke 1:32-33 NIV

What was it like for Mary to hear these words? How could she ever imagine that she would give birth to a king that would reign forever. And what kind of a kingdom would he reign over? Would he be a king who would overthrow Roman rule? Over the next nine months she must have wondered about these words told to her by the angel. And how her mind must have returned to his words when she witnessed the guards nailing her baby boy to the cross. What joy she must have had when she witnessed her son rise from the dead and ascend to rule over a kingdom that will never end.

... this devotion is part of an ongoing Advent series.
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The Still Heart

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. [Psalm 46:10-11 NKJV]

The context of this passage is God's deliverance of Israel over the army of Sennacherib. It is reported in 2Kings that 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were killed in their sleep by an angel. Regardless of how one reads the text, there is a sense of awe in the deliverance. God is able to protect us from harm.

Yet, in reality, sometimes bad things happen to us even when we pray for deliverance. It is why the admonition to "be still" can be so challenging in times of trouble. The words remind me again that trusting God is an exercise in letting go of the things that we simply cannot control.

Lord, when trials come our way, help us to let go of our trust in our abilities.

... this devotion is part of a series about King David.
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Spiritual Disability

You have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.
You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.
You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.
You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.
You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us. [Psalm 44:9-14]

With all due respect to David ... he was a great, yet flawed, leader ... these are the words of a spiritually disabled person. One who wrongly sees the disability in their lives as something foisted upon them by God. These do not really understand that the sovereignty of God is in accord with the character of God.

Spiritual disability often occurs when we value the reasonings of our mind more than the those of our hearts. When we choose to troubleshoot our disability rather than trust in the Lord as we experience them. Sometimes the loud voice of our mind can deafen the quiet voice of our heart.

I do not want be spiritually disabled Lord. Open the eyes and ears of my heart that I might sense you today.

... this devotion is part of a series about King David.
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The Strong Heart

You are the God of my strength [Psalm 43:2 NASB]

Interesting how David writes that the Lord is the God of "my" strength. Other translations render the word strength as stronghold, refuge or safe haven. The sense is that God has given each believer an inner place of strength, a stronghold, to run to in times when assaults come from every angle.

Jesus speaks of how the believer is clothed with power from on high when the Holy Spirit comes. It reminds me of how much power we each have at our disposal. Power to resist temptation. Power to influence our family and friends. Power to love as God loves, from a heart that is spiritually strong.

Thank you Lord for the gift of a strong heart.

... this devotion is part of a series about King David.
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The Heart is a Spiritual Oasis

I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? [Psalm 42:2aNLT]

Imagine yourself lost in a desert storm. The wind ceases. Visibility returns. The sun shines brightly. You thirst and take a drink of water from your canteen. You walk. Water becomes scarce. Your canteen runs empty. You are lost. Empty. Thirsty. Then in the distance appears an oasis. Hope arises.

Such is the thirst a believer has as it longs for God to appear. Such is the imagery that David projects as he speaks of thirsting for God. The picture is of a person who has come to the end of living a thirsty life. A person who knows there it something that can satisfy their thirsty heart. Such a one was I.

Jesus tells us that in time of thirst we need look no further than our new heart. He says:
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” [John 7:37-38 NLT]
The heart is like a well in an oasis. Spiritual waters, living waters, flow from it and quench our soul. The challenge is sometimes to find our heart in the middle of a desert storm. To endure the winds. Let the sand settle. Calm ourselves. Listen to the voice of our heart, the well that quenches our spiritual thirst.

Come Holy Spiirit. We thirst. We believe. Teach us to tap into the living waters of our heart.

... this devotion is part of a series about King David.
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The Helping Heart

How blessed is he who considers the helpless; [Psalms 41:1a NASB]

There is an unbiblical cliché out there that indicates that God helps those who help themselves. As with most half truths, there is a part of it that rings true. One has to be open to new ideas. Humble enough to admit they are wrong. And willing to accept help from people and places that seem uncomfortable.

Even so, there is something that seems so wrong about that cliché. Something demeaning and condescending. The 'help themselves' phrase comes across as a cop out as it blames the one needing help and releases the criticizer from responsibility. In reality God only helps them who are helpless.

Helping the helpless embraces such a nobility of heart. It is often not logical. I can always think of reasons not to help. It may sometimes seem foolish. Yet there is something that cries out from out hearts that says yes to those needing "our" help. In truth God normally helps the helpless through us.

Open our eyes Lord that we may see those who need your help. Mobilize us to help the helpless.

... this devotion is part of a series about King David.
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The Willing Heart

I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. [Psalm 40:8 NRSV]

It is hard to think of the will of God and not remember the image of Jesus sweating drops of blood in the garden. So often the will of God goes against everything that we want and hope for. In the garden Jesus was confronted with an image of his death and prayed that he would not have to endure such pain. Yet as he prayed he offered up his will to the will of his Father. It is such an inspiring image of what it means to embrace God's will in our heart when our brain is screaming against it.

Asking for God's will to be done sometimes requires a strength of heart similar to that of Jesus in the garden. A surrender of my will to his at a very deep level. One month before my first wife passed away, after praying daily for her healing, I found myself praying and releasing my beautiful bride into the will of God. It was the hardest prayer that I had ever prayed. Maybe that is the way God's will often is. Maybe trust is only trust when it involves an acceptance of extremely difficult circumstances?

Help me Lord to listen to my willing heart. Even when it is really hard to do.

... this devotion is part of a series about King David.
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