September 12 – The Lord Is There

“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” – Genesis 28:15  (NASB)

After his trickery and snatching the blessing Isaac intended for Esau, Jacob had to flee for his life. It is Jacob who woke up from a dream of seeing angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven named the spot El-Bethel because it was where he met God. God affirmed for him the promises and covenant already given to Abraham and Isaac. It was through Ezekiel who described the gates of the New Jerusalem and the city spoke these last words of his prophecy, “And the name of the city from that time on shall be, Yahweh shammah “The LORD Is There.”” (Ezekiel 48:30-35) This name of the LORD expresses a blessed promise and truth about Him: the LORD delights to be wherever His people are. God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. When they sinned, God instituted sacrifices so that relationships could be partly restored. Ezekiel prophesied a lot about God’s glorious presence with His people. Jesus promises that we would experience His presence wherever we go as His disciples (Matthew 28:20). The heavenly Jerusalem will be marked by the presence of God dwelling with His people as He has always promised.

197

April 29 – Who Will Not Be There

“Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” – Psalm 37:10-11 (NASB)

We continue with the promises in Psalm 37 ⸺there are many. Fretting, as we learned yesterday in the previous verses, is nothing more than being sorely irritated. We used to say an irritated person was ‘vexed,’ but like ‘fret’ we don’t use these good words much anymore. Today we have further reasons for avoiding irritation from worry. Summed up, they amount to a twofold assertion: the wicked or evil doers will be gone. The verse says ‘yet a little while.’ We might think otherwise but we’re on God’s time which is not bound by earth time. There is a point in time when all evildoers shall be no more. They simply will not be here. If we were to look for them, they would not be found. No detective will be able to expose what is not. This may be long after we are gone from this earth but it is a promise from God that we can take and believe as absolute truth. Those who humbly trust God’s words and obey His instructions have a different outcome ⸺abundant prosperity. It is part of our “reserved in heaven” inheritance. It is a promise that will bring us Godly delight.

199

May 8 – Rejecting is Risky

“Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.”  - Numbers 14:30-31 (NIV)

The promises we consider, most days are promises which encourage and affirm how much God loves us and helps us to live according to His Word.  But there are promises which the Lord God makes in the Bible which have severe and harsh consequences.  The children of Israel, led by Moses from Egypt to receive the Law from God were promised life and land in Canaan.  However, 10 of the 12 who spied out the land became frightened, faithless, and fickle.  They turned all the company of the people against going into the land God had promised.  As a consequence, God promised something else.  That generation would wander around the wilderness until all were dead and buried.  The land was then promised to their children, the next generation after the faithless who had feared their children would die if they entered the land.  Joshua and Caleb the 2 faithful spies were also promised blessings the land.  When we know what God wants of us, His children, being fearful and faithless and refusing his commands and help is a risky business.  God expects us to believe and to follow and as we do, will receive the blessings He promised.  

-198-

April 16 – Waiting With a Heart of Courage

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!  Wait for the Lord;  be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”  Psalm 27:13-14  (ESV)

We can have the same confidence and believe the same way that David did when he wrote this song.  We are serving the same Lord and He is as good to us as He was to David.  He watched over His people in those days and He watches over us who are living today.  Therefore we can have this same confidence in His care for each of us today.  We may not see immediately or quickly the answer to our prayers for help and we may need to look forward for the Lord to act in His perfect time.  These are the times when we may need to wait for the Lord to demonstrate His goodness and His love. Having confidence and believing in His will is a part of living by faith and living that way is what God is looking for in our lives.  God will never fail us.  We can always expect Him to demonstrate His love and concern for us.  

# # #

November 11

“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.” Psalm 44:3 (NIV)

What a wonderful difference it makes to have a God in heaven who loves us. His love has always been a determining factor in His actions toward His people. This verse reminds us of that. It was God who did it. He brought the people of Israel into the land by His power. Why did He do it? It was because He loved them. It was not because they were perfect or because they never grumbled or complained. But He loved them and had a glorious purpose for them. That is why He did for them what they couldn’t do for themselves. And their God is our God! He will do for us what we are unable to do on our own. He loves us!