May 2014 - Daily Thoughts about God

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.” Philippians 2:14 (NLT)

Do you enjoy waking up early? I don’t. I emphasize with the psalmist when he writes: “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.” Psalm 119:147 (NLT)

It’s not that I’m lazy, I’m just not a “morning person”. That’s why I need to continually turn away from the temptation to complain.

Just after the Exodus, when Moses had miraculously led the Israelites out of Egypt, the Israelites sung a song of praise to the Lord for their deliverance. (See Exodus 15.) But just a few days later they encountered hardship and quickly changed their tune. The title of the next section after the Israelite’s song of praise reads “Complaining in the Wilderness,” in my Bible, which is a poignant example the way our hearts can often be fickle.

How can we guard against becoming “complainers in the wilderness”?

Think about the end of Psalm 119:147: “I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.” Throughout the Bible we are constantly reminded to remember what God has done for us. All history is truly “His story” … the story of God’s mighty acts. When we are faced with difficult times, we can reflect upon what God has already done for us, and His promises for the future which we find in His Word, because we know that God is faithful and will fulfill all that He has promised to us, including our own resurrections to eternal life in fellowship with God Himself.

I’m still not a morning person. But I try to remember that when I wake up early, that groggy feeling lasts only a few fleeting moments, and then the rest of the divinely gifted day awaits me. It’s hard to complain about a free gift, and a promise of the ultimate free gift to come.

Question: What has been bothering you lately that you need to bring to God in prayer?

by Darren Hewer

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“In the year that King Uzziah died, [in a vision] I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up… Then I said , “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips…” Then I heard God say, “Who will go for me?”… And I said, “Here I am. Send me.” Isaiah 6 (Amplified Bible)

A group of curious people came to one of Jesus’ followers and basically asked, “Introduce us to Jesus. We want to meet Him, to see Him…” Lyrics to a popular Christian song include these words: “We want to see Jesus lifted high, a banner that flies across the land…”

But I wonder, do we really want to see Jesus? Not the somewhat sanitized artistic renderings of Jesus, but as He is “high and lifted up” on a throne with royal robes that seem to billow through an entire temple? It was in the midst of political turmoil that Isaiah saw the Lord on His throne. Enemies were attacking from outside; religious faithfulness was ebbing on the inside. God was about to ask Isaiah to faithfully follow Him into the arena where God would powerfully speak through him.

But first Isaiah had to see the holy God and his unholy self. God would use Isaiah in powerful ways but he first needed to acknowledge his sinfulness and be touched with God’s powerful cleansing.

Not much has changed today. No matter the country or situation in which you live, God is looking for people who will—in the midst of turmoil—seriously seek Him, acknowledge their need of Him, receive His forgiveness and respond to His call.

Father, I would rather wait until the circumstances are right, or when I feel “ready” to answer your call. Sometimes I’m even afraid to look into your face, to see you on a throne because I don’t feel prepared to answer your call. Help me see you, to hear you, to repent before you, to follow you.

How is God calling you? Into what situation is He asking you to step? How will looking at Him in new ways prepare you for the task?

By Marilyn Ehle

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2014/05/29/me_i-saw-the-lord/

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Month: <span>May 2014</span>

Complaining in the Wilderness

I Saw the Lord