Week 37 Devotions

September 10 - - One of God’s timeless promises was expressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Keep on looking and you will find......(for) everyone who seeks, finds” (Matthew 7:7&8). That promise appears at other places in scripture, and at other times in history (Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:11-14). The Hebrew writer identifies this persistent pursuit to know God more deeply as a vital part of the definition of faith. “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). God gave to Daniel very unusual abilities that in part, were a reward for Daniel’s diligent pursuit to know God more deeply. When Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, he refused to defile himself by eating food and drinking wine given to him by King Nebuchadnezzar (1:8). Daniel’s faith and convictions were formed long before he was exiled to Babylon. So, when the temptations came to compromise those convictions far away from home, Daniel refused to do so. Daniel was given the ability to interpret dreams from God, that no one else could understand (2:16-19,45-48; 4:4-9,19, 24-26). When King Darius later conquered Babylon, he elevated Daniel to an even higher responsibility within his government. “Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his responsibilities, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize him for. He was faithful and honest (6:4&5). King Darius was later tricked into issuing a decree forbidding the worship of any god, but himself. Daniel refused to obey the edict. But, Daniel quietly continued to kneel down in his upstairs room with it’s windows open toward Jerusalem and pray three times a day, giving thanks to God (6:10). Daniel and God were tight. Consequently, God gave to Daniel, abilities and visions that God gave to no one else (10:2-19). What was true for Daniel is also true for us. We should not seek God simply so we can have abilities, dreams, or visions that no one else has. Our motive for seeking God would be wrong and selfish and God will not honor selfish motivations (James 4:3). But, God knows when we are seeking Him with a pure heart. And His promise still holds true today: “Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 4:31). The wicked cannot understand the things of God. Their minds are blinded by Satan because he does not want people to see the truth that will set them free to really enjoy life (II Corinthians 4:4; John 8:44,32; 10:10). “The wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it (God’s Word and prophecy) means” (Daniel 12:10). And those who are “wise” according to God’s Word, have been promised they “will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever” (12:3). So, let us be about the task of seeking God and pointing as many people as possible to Him. September 13 - - Human beings are constantly trying to prepare for the future without including the Lord into their equation. Even though Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), and even though the apostle Paul said, “I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (Philippians 4:13), more often than not, we plan our lives as though the only one we can depend upon is ourselves and not the Lord. As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, the Lord specifically spoke through Moses that when Israel cried out for a king, “the king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself, and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt’” (Deuteronomy 17:16). And yet, we see Israel disregarding God’s commands time and again. Through the prophet, Isaiah, God said, “Destruction is certain for those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel......God will rise against those who are wicked, and He will crush their allies, too. For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord clenches His fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those who are trying to help. They will all fall down and die together” (Isaiah 31:1-3). No man and no nation can ever stand against the power and the fury of the Lord. “The horses are prepared for battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31). Even though God would often allow Israel’s enemies to conquer her for a season, those enemies would eventually be judged by God, as well. The city of Tyre had built it’s defenses and in human terms, the city was impenetrable. But, no city can withstand the power of the Lord and the Lord promised Tyre’s destruction (Zechariah 9:2-4). “The Lord will rescue His people, just as a shepherd rescues His sheep” (Zech.9:16). “The pride of Assyria will be crushed, and the rule of Egypt will end. I will make my people strong in my power, and they will go wherever they wish by my authority. I, the Lord, have spoken” (10:12). “I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will blind the horses of her enemies” (12:4). “The Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David.....For my plan is to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (12:8&9). Why is it that we foolishly try to live in the weakness of our own strength? Why is it that we fail to see how strong we are when we place our confidence and our trust in the Lord instead of in ourselves? Is history not a brilliant enough teacher? Is our own experience not sufficient for us to know the truth? Why must we make the same mistakes over and over again? May the Lord give us the wisdom to totally place our confidence in Him, and not in ourselves.