July 31 – Punishment or Love? (Job 37)

“He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water His earth and show His love.”(Job 37:13)

IN WORD:
Elihu’s observation in Job 37:13 is perceptive. The clouds God brings into our lives could be judgment. They could also be mercy. Either way, our focus during trials needs to be less about God’s intent than our response.
Often, God’s actions have diverse effects on people. His presence can be soothing for one and extremely uncomfortable for another, depending on the prior relationship. His blessings can prompt the gratitude of one or cultivate the corruption of another. Again, it all depends on the prior relationship we have with our Creator. So it is with our trials. In some people, trials illustrate that their worship is genuine and draw them deeper into God. In others, trials drive them away. They will have nothing to do with a God who lets them suffer.
In adversity, that middle ground of indifference is taken away. When World War II ended, some people walked away from concentration camps with deeper faith, and some walked away with none.. What was the difference? Their prior relationship with God probably had something to do with it. The adversity only highlighted the difference between the genuine and the false. It removed the illusion of lukewarm faith, driving people either to hot or cold extremes.

IN DEED:
God will bring clouds into your life. Perhaps they are hovering now. Will they be your punishment? Or will they refresh you and show you His love? The answer may be less a matter of His intent than of your response. It all depends on how you choose to see them.
Let the clouds of adversity drive you into God’s presence. Let them stir a passion in your heart to know Him more deeply and to worship Him more authentically. Do not flee from them. Let them linger long enough to see His mercy fall from heaven in the end.

“God tries our faith so that we may try His faithfulness.”
-Anonymous-

July 30 – Implicit Trust (Job 13:13-19)

IN WORD:
When faith can look death in the face and say that God is good, it is true faith. It was not contingent on miracles and blessings, and it was not uprooted by trials. When Satan’s savagery intimidates and wounds, the truly faithful heart can say that God is faithful. It does not let superficial evidence impugn the steadfast character of the loving God.
This does not mean, however, that those with faith cannot ask questions. We cannot ask accusing questions — that would be sin — but we can ask God to show us His ways. We can ask if our pain is the result of our own sin or of some other divine purpose. We can ask God to show up in our trial and use it to reveal Himself in a deeper way.
Job certainly did. His great statement of faith — “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” — was a preface to another declaration: “I will surely defend my ways to his face.” In other words, Job committed to hang on to faith regardless, but in the meantime he was going to ask some questions. Faith does not imply ignorance. It allows us to discover God.
A story is told of a doctor in the jungle who was forced to do surgery on his young son without anesthesia. Would the son look at his father’s scalpel with horror or with trust? That would depend on the relationship. In this story, though the pain was excruciating, the son lay still in compliant trust. He knew who his father was, and he knew his father’s love.

IN DEED:
Do you? Can you look at the Father’s scalpel with an implicit trust that He knows what He’s doing? Are you certain of the love that is behind your trial? Even if He appears to slay you, will you still trust in Him? Genuine faith will always come to that point. It may ask a lot of “whys” in the meantime, but it knows that the answers, whatever they are, are not going to destroy the faith. That is certain. Regardless of our crisis, God is trustworthy.

“Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.”
-Thomas Benton Brooks-

July 29 – In Your Trials (Job 1)

“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
(Job 1:22)

IN WORD:
When adversity strikes, our true spiritual maturity comes to the surface. Many of us can play the game of godliness, appearing to be mature while undisciplined attitudes rage within. But when adversity hits, all is exposed. Our true feeling about God come out in the questions we ask and the actions we take.
Job was a genuine saint. His faith surpassed that of all others of his time. Crisis came, and Job guarded his thoughts and his words. He did not sin by accusing God of doing him wrong.
Can we say the same? Often, when we’re in a crisis, we ask God, “Why are you doing this to me?” Sometimes it’s an honest question, but often it has undertones of accusation in it. We’re just sure we don’t deserve the trials that have come upon us, unaware that often trials have nothing to do with what we do or do not deserve. Our trials can be, as they were in Job’s case, an opportunity to demonstrate the validity of our worship. They can develop our character and help us grow closer to God. When we assume that our trial is an unfair judgment or repayment from God, we expose our true feelings about ourselves. It means we were in a quid pro quo relationship with Him based on rights rather than grace.

IN DEED:
Adversity tells us a lot about what we really believe. Perhaps that’s why God allows it to strike us from time to time. It answers the questions we need to have answered. It displays the accurate measure of our growth and the true nature of our relationship with God.
How do you react when you’re in a crisis? Is your first impulse to charge God with unfairness? Go back to the Cross and remember that His righteous judgment against us would have been fair. God gave us grace instead. The crisis means something else. Worship God in the midst of it, and let Him use your trials to draw you closer to Him.

“It is trial that proves one thing weak and another strong.”
-Henry Ward Beecher-

July 28 – Weak Strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

“If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!”
(Proverbs 24:10)

IN WORD:
Paul struggled with a thorn in the flesh. Three times he asked God to remove it, but the now-familiar answer was clear: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul heard straight from God’s mouth how to persevere in a trial. It is God’s strength that carries us through.
Jesus assured us that we would have trouble in this world (John 16:33). How negligent would our Father be if He knew this and did not prepare us for the tough times! We are not designed to cruise through this life with ease. We are built for endurance by the God who has planned an eternity for us. He knows trouble will come. He simply must prepare us to handle it in grace and His strength.
Newly manufactured products are often given a stress test. An extreme amount of pressure is applied to them — more than they will experience in regular use — so that their strength can be verified. God does the same for us, as painful as it is. But there’s a difference. He’s not testing us for our strength. He is testing us for our inclination to depend upon His strength. His power is the only power that can carry us through.
We would agree with the above proverb. We do falter in times of trouble, and our strength is small. But we have learned a secret. Small strength allows room for God’s power. It sends us in search of a Sustainer and a Deliverer, and there is no more worthwhile search. We will find Him if we are under no illusions about our own self-sufficiency.

IN DEED:
Are you going through a trial? It is more than a lesson in tolerance. It is for your endurance and it is a lesson in dependence. Know your weakness. Know your potential for faltering. Then know the power of your God. Blessed is the person who can say, “How small is my strength!” With the knowledge that there is a greater strength available. And blessed is the Giver of sufficient grace. Where we are weak, He is strong.

“When a man has no strength, if he leans on God, he becomes powerful.” -D.L. Moody-

July 27 – When God Tarries (1 Samuel 13:5-15)

“I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me. . .’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
(1 Samuel 13:12)

IN WORD:
Saul was vastly outmanned and out-armed, surrounded by vengeful Philistines. He waited for Samuel to come and make the offerings that would secure the Lord’s favor. But Samuel tarried. We don’t know why; we just know that the longer he delayed, the more desperate Saul became. The moment Samuel was officially late, Saul acted. He made the offering himself. He wasn’t a priest and had no authority; but someone had to do it. Israel was at stake.
Have you ever prayed desperately for God’s help, only to see the deadline pass with no reply? God sometimes tests us this way. Providence is slow in coming and we take matters into our own hands. We don’t mean to be disobedient; we just assume God hasn’t answered our prayers and wants us to help ourselves. He doesn’t. He’s waiting to see what’s more important to us: our obedience or our survival.
Would God really give us that difficult a test? Just ask Abraham, Esther, or Peter. And don’t forget Saul. Our obedience will be tested, usually in smaller degrees. But it always comes down to this: When things are really desperate, when our whole lives seem to depend on the next step, what will we do? Take it upon ourselves to intervene or continue to trust God?

IN DEED:
Life is filled with these little acts of impatience. We pray, but we don’t wait long enough for the answer. Like Samuel, God tarries too long. Our deadlines pass — not God’s, just ours. We think He has left us out to dry, that perhaps our prayers were not on target enough. But it’s our timetable that is not on target. The Bible is abundant and emphatic in its commands four us to “wait on God.”
Saul’s impatience cost him his throne. Like him, we don’t live in a waiting society. But God’s Kingdom is exactly that. He will try us to see how long we wait for Him. Hang on to faith; the answer will come, and it’s never too late.

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.” -St. Augustine-

July 26 – Deeper By the Day (1 Chronicles 29:14-19)

“I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.”(1 Chronicles 29:17)

IN WORD:
So many people think biblical faith is about changing our behavior. Many of the Pharisees and experts of the Law in Jesus’ day were convinced that religion was an outward expression only. Our culture often makes the same mistake. Rules & regulations are substituted for a genuine change of heart. All the while, God points us back into His Word. There is nothing in it — nothing at all — to encourage a righteousness that is skin-deep.
Isn’t it easy for us to get caught in that trap? We know the truth, that the gospel is about getting a new heart. But we look for the outward evidence of our new heart — as we should — and allow that evidence to become the substance of our faith — which we shouldn’t. The outward works of righteousness are only the by-product of the inward work of faith. They must be a very intentional by-product, as we train ourselves to put feet on our faith. But they are by-products nonetheless. There is no requirement of God for our behavior that is not to begin down in the depths of our spirit.
God desires truth in our inmost parts. Do we? God wants to plant His wisdom deep within. Do we? Perhaps we have failed to realize the radical nature of the gospel. Perhaps we have sought guidance for our behavior without first seeking a change in our character. Perhaps we have wanted easy words to follow rather than a traumatic Word that changes us.

IN DEED:
God will not let us be content with that. His Spirit will continue to hound us as lovingly as He can hound; He will not stop His work in us until it has penetrated our core. He will not settle for appearances.
Do you settle for appearances? Are you content with superficial acts of faith while a sinful heart fights and wins the battle deep within? Adopt God’s desires. Never cease your prayers for change until the change runs deep. Always let God take you deeper than the day before.

“Spiritual growth consists most in the growth of the root, which is out of sight.” -Matthew Henry-

July 25 – A Matter of the Heart (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”(1 Samuel 16:7)

IN WORD:
David had 7 brothers. He was the youngest, and all the others looked stronger and abler than he did. Samuel the priest was a godly man, but he looked at the 8 sons of Jesse as everyone else did — with human eyes. He anticipated the anointing of God with earthly measurements, a mistake no one can afford to make but that everyone does. Samuel learned a divine principle on that day of selecting the new king: He learned that God’s anointing doesn’t follow human standards. It is held secret in His unfathomable wisdom until He is ready to reveal it.
Think of what that means in our churches. We define the anointing of God on a preacher by how well he relates to people and preaches a sermon. We define the anointing of God on a ministry by how impressive it has made its reputation. We define the anointing of God on each other by how we dress, how we part our hair, how socially smooth we are, or how talented and knowledgeable we appear to be. And all the while, the wisdom of God is peering into each person’s heart, looking beyond talent, appearance, gifts, intellect, resources, and everything else. Character is the key. Obedience and submission are the cornerstones of His anointing. He will bless people we least expect Him to bless and shelve people we least expect Him to shelve, all because He’s looking in places we can barely see.

IN DEED:
That doesn’t mean that gifts, talents, intellect, resources, and even appearance are irrelevant. It simply means that not one of those things can fulfill the will of God in a person if the heart is not right.
That should say 2 profound things to us: (1) We can’t judge people by the standards we normally use, and (2) we can’t be disciples based on the gifts we think He has given us. In both cases, popular opinion is irrelevant. The piercing eye of God is not fooled. The quality of anyone’s discipleship, at all times, depends on the condition of the heart.

“The first and great work of a Christian is about his heart.”
-Jonathan Edwards-

July 24 – The Raging River (Joshua 3:9-17)

“When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.”
(Joshua 3:14-15)

IN WORD:
Have you ever wondered why God chose a harvest time for the Israelites to cross the Jordan into the Promised land? The Jordan is a less-than-formidable barrier for much of the year, and 40 years of wandering would have provided ample opportunity for them to cross at a more convenient time. But no, Moses’ death and the Israelite’s arrival on the eastern bank of the river took them to their boundary at exactly its highest moment. Why?
God wants us to follow His wisdom — His guidance, His timing, His purposes. But we often let our circumstances dictate the path we take. The circumstances are formidable? Then we go another direction. The situation is an easy one? Then we follow the path of least resistance. Those whose lives are guided by this dynamic are following the ways of the world. The ways of God will lead us to the Jordan at its highest level. He will promise us deliverance in our darkest moments. He will provide for our needs most abundantly in a barren land. He will be for us a God of the impossible.

IN DEED:
Do not let the currents of your circumstances dictate the direction you’ll take. That’s. God’s domain. His voice is to speak more loudly to us than the boundaries that box us in. We must learn to see Him as the un-constrained God, the God who is not limited by the gaping need of our situation or the restrictiveness of our circumstances.
Why does God work this way? Maybe simply because it brings Him greater glory. When we take only humanly possible steps, we give our humanity the credit. God alone can be praised for overcoming an impossibility. Miracles point to Him. Expect them. Ask for them. Never let the raging river drown out His voice.

“Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.” -Corrie Ten Boom-

July 23 – What If…? (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”(Hebrews 11:1)

IN WORD:
You’ve prayed and tried to muster up faith. You’ve been through difficulties and tried to cultivate hope. You’ve read headlines and tried to maintain confidence. All the while, you’ve struggled with doubts. You’ve wondered if God will really come through, if trials really will be resolved, if circumstances really will work together for good. You’ve questioned God.
The human mind is filled with “what ifs.” “What if I’m interpreting God’s promises wrong?” “What if the Bible is mistaken?” What if my prayers aren’t answered?” “What if I’m not really saved?” Honest doubts nag at us, and they are relentless. Many of our “what ifs” are strategically suggested by the enemy of God; many of them are the natural thinking of a fallen flesh. Either way, we are restless within until we are able to rest in God.
That’s part of the reason for prayer — extended, persistent, worshipful prayer. It brings us from a place of doubt to a place of faith. Once we’re there, God can answer according to His Word. The time we spend crying out to God is not so much to convince Him as to convince us that He can and He will meet us in our needs. Our worship reminds us of who He is. And knowing who He is will nurture faith like nothing else.

IN DEED:
When you are faced with “what ifs,” how do you respond? Do you cultivate them, thinking of variable upon variable until everything that could possibly go wrong fills your mind? That is not the way of faith. God calls us into the kind of worship that will soak our minds in His unfailing power and love. Wisdom begins with a knowledge of who God is, and wisdom is often a prerequisite to faith. We cannot approach God in belief unless we have first determined that His will toward us is good. Only then can we be certain of what we do not see. Only then can we take hold of His promises. Only then will He reward those who earnestly seek Him.

“Faith is the sight of the inward eye.” -Alexander Maclaren-

July 22 – Satisfied Longings (Psalm 112)
“The longings of the wicked will come to nothing.”
(Psalm 112:10)

IN WORD:
Most of us don’t consider ourselves wicked. Neither do we consider ourselves righteous. No, as we perceive ourselves, we fall somewhere in between. We read of magnificent promises for the full Godward life and think of ourselves as below them. And we read of the ominous warnings to the wicked and think of ourselves as above them. Yet, the Bible doesn’t give us much information about a mediocre spirituality. It is always classifying people as either godly or ungodly, good or evil, holy or profane, saved or lost. In the Word, there is no middle ground.
Maybe that’s comforting for those who are sure they aren’t wicked or alarming for those who are sure they aren’t righteous. For those of us who know our own tendency to default to the sinful nature when we’re not specifically inspired otherwise, this verse drives us toward God’s righteousness. We don’t want this promise fulfilled in our lives. We want our longings to be good ones, validated by God Himself.
How can we be sure that our longings are godly? We can examine their source. What needs do they spring from? What purpose will they fulfill? If they exist to satisfy our own insecurities and plans, we need to reconsider them. They should spring from a love of God and His Word. When they do, they will be fulfilled. God has promised.

IN DEED:
Everyone has longings. Most of them are morally neutral. The real question we should have about them is where they come from.
God has assured us in His Word that desires coming out of a self-centered, amoral heart will be utterly frustrated. They will never be fulfilled in any lasting sense, because there is a fundamental principle in this universe: God’s heart rules.
Is your heart in line with God’s? Do you love Him? Do you love His Word, His will, and His ways? Then it’s certain: Your longings will be satisfied.

“O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our whole heart.” -St. Anselm-