In the first phrase of this verse David prays about his prayers. His desire is that his prayers would be like incense to God. In other words, David asks that his prayers would be pleasing to God. As I think about this verse, several questions come to mind: Do I desire that my prayers to be pleasing to God? Does God consider my prayers incense? Am I focused only upon what I desire or upon God’s glory and His will?
Open your Bible to the middle and there you find the hymnbook of God—those inspired songs full of praises and prayers. God inspired the psalms for many reasons, but one important reason is to enhance the worship of His people. A whole book of the Bible was given by God to teach us to praise Him!
A friend and her four-year-old daughter passed by a cemetery where a grave had been freshly dug with a mound of dirt to the side. The daughter said, “Oh look, Mom, someone got out!” At first I laughed, but later I realized the spiritual truth of this story. The obedience of Jesus Christ “got us out.”
I have friends who like to scuba dive. They put on their equipment and plunge into a different world under the sea. The sea isn’t an environment suited to man naturally. However, with the right equipment, it is possible to breathe and explore fascinating things God has created. As these friends scuba dive, they are “in” the sea, but they are certainly not “of” the sea.
We have all been there – had a spiritual high and an outstanding experience with the Lord. Then what happened? We took our eyes off the prize of God’s best for us and find ourselves in a mess.
Do you find as women we take on the sins of the world? We tend to play the game of “What Ifs?” What if I had done this differently? What if I had said that correctly? What if I had been a better person, would someone still have rejected or abused me?
Deborah, labeled as a judge in Old Testament times, helped solve problems. The Bible says people brought their disputes to her and she gave them the answers they needed. She did not do it on her own, she consulted her God in whom she had great faith.
Deborah, servant of God, prophet, judge, wife, sat under a tree to settle disputes for the Israelites. The Bible mentions she “led” Israel.
Hebrews 11, often referred to as the “Faith Chapter,” mentions by name people who chose to display strong faith in God. Interestingly enough the stories of some of the faithful mentioned there came from the book of Judges found in the Old Testament. These people lived years and years before the writing of the book of Hebrews, but God had the writer include their names. God commended them for their faith.
The family is the foundational unit of society. That was God’s plan from the beginning. It was into the family that babies were born, children were instructed in the right and two people, working together, created a place of security and stability.
Authority. The Greek word translated here refers to “power as entrusted, i.e. commission, authority, right, full power.” And, as we know, power is heady stuff. For every good boss, there is one who uses that authority to gain personal advantage. And we deal with “bosses” of all varieties from the person who signs our paycheck to the individual who heads up the committee we have volunteered for. Even anarchists have to have someone in charge.
Two years ago we moved into a nice little house on a nice little street surrounded by empty lots. Today there are nine houses with two more underway. Since we are on a cul-de-sac, the construction of each of these homes has been up close and personal, but also fascinating as we watch the homes take shape. Now, as each neighbor family moves in and gets settled, our little street is coming to life with a great variety or people: tele-commuters, retired folks, parents with babies and young children, natives from the area, people who moved here from another part of the country.
Have you ever noticed that God’s highest and best for us usually involves growth and change, whereas our natural preferences run toward peace and security? Have you also noticed that, though He loves us “with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3) and has “given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3), He doesn’t consult us before He upends our life?
Most of us have seen them—painted performing artists who are creative and entertaining in their perfect stillness—live statues can fool us. Even up close it is difficult to tell whether they are real or not. Children and adults alike are fascinated by their realism.
Rest is essential to bread making. Bread dough needs to rest because we add yeast to it which is a living organism that takes time to rise, rest, and rise again to increase in size.
During the 19th century, personal tragedy led Puritan Hannah Whitall Smith to write several books on suffering. Her out-of-print devotion book, God Is Enough, spoke to my heart a decade ago while crippled by insecurities. It continues to be one of my most treasured books.
“I want Jesus!” shouted my three year-old granddaughter from the back seat of my car. Imagine my surprise and delight. I wanted to shout back, “You may have Him!” Or, “He wants you, too!” But I didn’t.
Our children are stepping into the adult world day by day. Our daughter is finishing college, and our son has just graduated from high school. They are asking big life questions: Where do I go to college? What do I study? Who do I marry? What is my life work? Most recently, our son asked, “What do I need to be a good husband and father?” These are heavy questions that demand wisdom and courage.
