Turn Us To Yourself, O LORD!

Read:  Lamentations 4, 5
My Verse:  "Turn us to Yourself, O LORD.
                        and we shall be turned and restored!"
                                                       (Lamentations 5:21 AMP Bible)

This truth we find so very hard to accept.  Even as a child I remember wondering why I had to ask You, LORD God for forgiveness.  I am sure You remember my impertinence with a smile!  I had this favorite hill I would go to.  I'd settle myself on a big rock and  look up into the sky and cry out to You, "WHY"?

Of course, I did ask You "why"  about many things and still do!  But, LORD God, I can only thank You for being persistent with me, not giving up on me and continuing to draw me to You despite my rebellious attitude!   For now I do understand, that without You drawing me to You I would never have come to know You.  You alone enable us to see You for Who You are!  You alone can restore us to right relationship with You!

"No one can come to me 
     unless the Father who sent me draws them to me,
     and I will raise them up at the last day" (John 6:44).

"The LORD appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, 
     Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; 
     therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn you 
     and continued My faithfulness to you" (Jeremiah 31:3).

"Know, recognize and understand therefore that the LORD your God,
     He is God,
     the faithful God,
     Who keeps covenant and steadfast love and mercy
     with those who love Him and keep his commandments,
     to a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:9).

We do need to want to be drawn to You.  We do need to want to repent of our waywardness.  We do need to turn our eyes toward You.  We do need to let You draw us to You but still, it is You that enables us to do all that!

This is one of those most vital truths that I do not understand.  I simply need to trust You on this one LORD God!  You did this so that we would not be proud of our own turning, our own salvation.

"For it is by grace you have been saved,
   through faith - and this is not from yourselves,
   it is the gift of God"  (Ephesians 2:8)

You, LORD God are all wise.  Thank You for Your persistent pursuing of us - of me!

"Delight thyself also in the LORD;
   and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the LORD;
   trust also in Him;
   and He shall bring it to pass

And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light;
   and they judgement as the noonday"  (Psalm 37:4-6).

That is simply beautiful.  Thank You, LORD God for turning me to You!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

New Every Morning!

Reading:  Lamentations   1 -3
My Verse:  "But this I call to mind,
                         and therefore I have hope;
                    The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
                         his mercies never come to an end;
                         they are new every morning;
                         great is your faithfulness.

                     "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
                          "therefore I will hope in Him"  (Lamentations 3:21-24)

LORD God, You have done such a wonderful thing in how You have arranged our days.

Mornings!  Mornings are always new.  Each morning we can look upon with a renewed sense of hope and anticipation in what You have for us that new day.  Even when we are in difficult or dire circumstances we can have renewed hope on a new morning.  Thank You for that!

When teaching I had a student, well several students through the years who forced me to cling to this "new every morning" theme.  They would drain me, by the end of the day with them I was so glad to see them leave.  And yet each new day I would resolve to not let the previous days problems keep me from giving my best for that child.  I would greet that student with, "Good morning.  It is a new day." It was such a challenge but I was always so thankful for the new day and new opportunity to help that child.  I knew, LORD God, that this was of You - it was Your enabling that helped me to have that hope.

Your patience, LORD God, is beyond our understanding.  Just looking around today one can't help but wonder that You allow us to go on.  Had a discussion on this with my son just the other day.  I so often wonder how it is that You allow so many evil individuals to continue to exist, to carry out their cruelty.  And yet, I am so limited in my ability to see the big picture.  I know LORD God that You have Your purposes.  There is a reason behind all that You allow.  Much of it is due to our rebellious hearts.

The verse before my chosen passage says;

"My soul continually remembers it
     and is bowed down within me."  (Lamentation 3:20)

This is speaking of what it is that You, LORD God, are punishing Jerusalem for - their dreadful sin.  You are a holy god and cannot allow us to go on in our dreadful sin.  You will punish in whatever way needed to bring us back to You.  That is always the hope - that we turn back to You!

You could very easily just wipe us out but that is not who You are.  You are a merciful God.  I love Malachi 3:6 - the promise and assurance of it.

"For I am the LORD,
     I do not change'
     that is why you, O sons of Jacob,
    are not consumed."   (Amplified Bible)

That is the amazing wonder of You.  As long as we have breath, there is hope for change, for forgiveness of our sins.

"The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
     to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly
     for the salvation of the LORD"  (Lamentations 3:25-26).

This encourages me as I navigate through this life.
I am encouraged as I pray for loved ones that do not know You.
I am thankful that I can look to You, LORD God, with renewed hope on every new morning!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Living in Delusion!

Reading:  Jeremiah 49 - 52
My Verse:   "Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
                         every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
                         for his images are false,
                         and there is no breath in them.

                     They are worthless, a work of delusion;
                          at the time of their punishment they shall perish" (Jeremiah 51:17-18).

What an indictment on all of mankind who choose to deny You, LORD God!  Denying You leads to stupidity, ignorance and punishment.  We become victims of our own denial - living delusional lives.

The Amplified Bible states "every man has become stupid and brutelike."    It is interesting that the first dictionary definition for "brute" is "a nonhuman creature; beast"  and then "a brutal, insensitive, or crude person."  The third and final definition is "the animal qualities, desires, etc, of humankind."    How dreadful is this!  But, it makes perfect sense!  We are created in Your own image, LORD God.  By denying You we become less like You.  To continue denying You makes us less and less like You becoming more and more like "a nonhuman creature" as we give in to our animal desires.

Our society seems to be increasingly reflecting this brutelike behavior.  It has become more and more popular to be as crude and rude as possible in all walks of life.  Swearing is more and more popular.  Profane words that were once taboo are becoming common even in the media.  Jesse Sheidlower, a linguist wrote  New York Times editorial asking the paper to "undo its awkward and century-old policy of evading profanity . . . "  He stated, "Our society's comfort level with offensive language and content has drastically shifted over the past few decades, but the stance of our news media has barely changed at all."

Most Americans recognize that our society has become more and more rude.  "Nearly 70% questioned in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll said people are ruder than they were 20 - 30 years ago. (usatoday30.usatoday.com

Denying You, LORD God causes us to slowly sink into an abysmal kind of behavior - we allow ourselves to follow the crowd, the popular mode of the day.

Yet, You tell us quite strongly how we are to live.  Your Word, the Bible leaves no question about this.

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,
   but only such a word as is good for edification 
   according to the need of the moment,
   so that it will give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29).

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,
   for the LORD will not leave him unpunished
   who takes His name in vain"  (Exodus 20:6).

And those are just verses on speech, there is so much more on our behavior, how You, LORD God would have us to behave!

Philippians 4:8 is a verse that cannot be confused as to its meaning.  " . . . whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

I especially love Romans 12:2 which tells us not to follow the popular norms of the world.  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

In that great book of Proverbs lies so many wonderful truths.  This particular passage (Proverbs 4) speaks to our need to keep our eyes on You, LORD God.

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
     which shines brighter and brighter until full day.    (how beautiful is that?!!)

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
     they do not know over what they stumble.

My son, be attentive to my words;
     incline your ear to my saying.

Let them not escape from your sight;
     keep them within your heart.

for they are life to those who find them.
     and healing to all their flesh.

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
     for from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you crooked speech,
     and put devious talk far from you.

Let your eyes look directly forward,
     and your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet,
     then all your ways will be sure.

Do  not swerve to the right or to the left;
     turn your foot away from evil."

I do not need to live in delusion.  It is not easy but the struggle to go against the societal norms that stray so far from Your precepts, LORD God is so worth it!  And the wonder is I do not need to do it on my own - You have promised to help me if I ask.  Thank You!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!