Today’s Reading: Isaiah 31–35, Psalm 102

At times God’s plan for me may include adversity to teach me or guide me. Sometimes the adversity is the result of my own mistakes but He doesn’t leave me to experience my consequences alone. He doesn’t abandon me in my TIME IN BETWEEN. He stays with me and is my teacher. I hear His voice, “This is the way you should go.” During the hard times, I can rest in Him.

Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock. The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds HE gave them. – Isaiah 30:23-26

And so, in the TIME IN BETWEEN, I can wait. I can trust and rest in the knowledge that God is good and that God is present and that God is coming!

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord!
Make it a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”

A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?”

“Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people.
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” – Isaiah 40:3-8

I can wait on God knowing that He is coming! He is my deliverer and my Lord, in whom I trust and for whom I wait. Anything else I could reach out to or cling to will fade away because nothing else is eternal. The word of my God stands forever and He is coming!!!

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. – Isaiah 40:10-11

The Lord is coming. And so, like Mary, we watch and we wait. We watch, knowing God is aware and has a plan. We wait, knowing God’s timing is always perfect.

Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching. – Matthew 27:59-61

O my God, who lives forever, we call on you this morning. We recognize that you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heaven with your hands. Knowing this, we put our trust in you for everything going on in our lives. You remain forever; you have always been and will always be [Psalm 102]. On you we wait, trusting you to move in your perfect time and in your perfect way.

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 27–30, Psalm 71

What must it have been like for the followers of Jesus the day after His crucifixion? He told them He would be back, that He would rise from the dead, but they did not understand. Their emotions were mixed with sorrow and fear. Some, like Peter, must have felt strong regret over their lack of faith in the difficulties of the day before. This day between the crucifixion and the resurrection, the period of waiting to see what God will do next, waiting for God’s help. Have you been in this place before – in this TIME IN BETWEEN? Are you, even now, waiting to see what God will do next?

In Isaiah, we see the Israelites in a similar holding pattern. They knew God was upset with them for their consistent flopping between faithfulness and fickleness. They knew they were about to experience the consequences of their generational choices. They could look back and see the many ways in which God had rescued them and they could look forward to the coming destruction the prophets were describing. In the meantime, in the TIME IN BETWEEN, they waited for God’s help.

In their impatience, God’s people looked again to their enemies for rescue instead of looking to their God. These enemies were receiving their own message from the prophets foretelling the wrath of God they were about to experience. Because they chose to battle God’s people, destruction and punishment would be in their future. Yet Israel foolishly looked to Egypt for rescue, begging them for a supply of horses for their army (2 Kings 18:24). But God desired for them to call upon His name and look to Him for help in the midst of trouble.

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses riding into battle.’…

So the Lord must wait for you to COME TO HIM so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. – Isaiah 30:15-16a, 18

How often do I get impatient waiting on God and try to make things happen through another source or my own strength? I need to stop reaching out to “Egypt” and come to God with a willingness to WAIT for his help…in his time…his way.

He will be gracious if you ASK for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink,
HE WILL STILL BE WITH YOU to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images.
You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them “Good riddance!” – Isaiah 30:19-22

It is time to throw out MY plans and MY idols — all of the things in my life that I have made more important than waiting on God. It’s time to throw them out and say, “Good riddance! I choose God!”

Lord, I come to you for protection; save me and rescue me. Turn your ear to listen to me and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide, for you are my rock and my fortress. You alone are my hope and I trust in you. From my mother’s womb you have cared for me so I choose to praise you always — in every circumstance. My enemies jump in to take advantage of my weak moments, but I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more. I choose to constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do for me. Who can compare to you, O God? [Psalm 71]

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 17–26

Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you. You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you. – Isaiah 17:10a

One of the biggest problems with the nation of Israel was their tendency to rely on anything and everyone except the God who had shown them His provision time and time again. God had been faithful but His people insisted on keeping their eyes on earthly sources of protection and provision.

Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt! They will say, “If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.” – Isaiah 20:5-6

What happens when people disappoint us; what happens when our earthly sources are depleted? God has given us the freedom to choose and we find ourselves turning to other people for comfort or wisdom. God has shown His great love for us, but we rely on earthly governments to protect us and human relationships to fill our needs.

You run to the armory for your weapons.
You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem.
You store up water in the lower pool.
You survey houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls.
Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool.
But you never ask for help from the One who did all this.
You never considered the One who planned this long ago. – Isaiah 22:8b-11

My heart longs to experience everything God is preparing for those who put their trust in Him. Thank you, Father, for the reminder this morning that you and you alone can meet my every need. I thank you for the perfect peace you give when we fix our thoughts on you!

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. – Isaiah 26:3-4

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them…
You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.
You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat…
You silence the roar of foreign nations…
In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
He will swallow up death forever!
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. – Isaiah 25:1,4-8

Your promises are true every morning. Thank you, Lord, for faithfully meeting us again with the truth found in your word. Today we join Isaiah in praying the words found in chapter 26:

But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep or rough.
You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
All night long I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek for God. – Isaiah 26:7-9a

Hear the noise on the mountains!
Listen, as the vast armies march!
It is the noise and shouting of many nations.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together.
They come from distant countries, from beyond the farthest horizons.
They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger.
With them he will destroy the whole land. – Isaiah 13:4-5

God used Isaiah to inform His people that they would go through a time of punishment for all their years of unfaithfulness. He would use their enemies to carry out the consequences of their disobedience. But He also let them know that He would eventually punish those nations for their harsh treatment of His children. He would gather together his army from all across the universe to disperse his judgment on the pagan nations who were lording their power over His people.

Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive. – Isaiah 13:22b

Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies. – Isaiah 14:2b

Now the Lord says, “Within three years, counting each day, the glory of Moab will be ended. From its great population, only a few of his people will be left alive.” – Isaiah 16:14

Even in the midst of His anger and disappointment in the repeated disloyalty of the children of Israel, God showed Himself to be their Great Protector. Yes, they would have to suffer the consequences of their selfish choices and deliberate sins, but He promised the day would come when they would be restored and their enemies would be defeated.

IN THE MIDST OF THEIR PAIN, HE GAVE THEM HOPE!

Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!
For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.
He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet. – Psalm 47:1-3

It was your right hand and strong arm
and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
for you loved them.
You are my King and my God.
You command victories for Israel.
Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.
I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.
You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
you disgrace those who hate us.
O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name. – Psalm 44:3b-8

Father God, may the truths we find in your scripture confirm to us how good you are. May your character be clearly seen, even while we are struggling to understand what is going on around us. May we learn to trust you through the difficult times and fully believe that you are our Great Protector and our Faithful Friend. Thanks for reminding us that the same God who loves us enough to get our attention when we have strayed is the One who will pull our enemies off of us and stand us back on our feet. With your right hand and your strong arm, as well as the blinding light from your face, you will help us because you love us. Thank you for that kind of grace! Amen.

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 18; Isaiah 9-12; 2 Chronicles 29-31; Psalm 100

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. – Psalm 100:4-5

Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, was 25 years old when he became the next king of Judah. He behaved in ways that were pleasing to the Lord, removing pagan shrines and also breaking the bronze serpent to which God’s people were offering sacrifices (2 Kings 18:1-4). He repaired the Temple and reopened its doors, calling his country to return to the Lord in submission.

“For if you return to the Lord, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.” – 2 Chronicles 30:9

THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL.

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and remained faithful in everything he did, carefully obeying all the commands the Lord had given Moses. Hezekiah brought back the celebration of Passover and required his people to tithe so they would devote themselves fully to the Law of the Lord (2 Chron. 31:4). And here’s the good part – So the Lord was with him and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did (2 Kings 18:7).

In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God WHOLEHEARTEDLY. As a result, he was very successful. – 2 Chron. 31:20-21

Oh the blessings God bestows on those who faithfully obey Him! He longs to generously pour out His love on His people when they follow Him in obedience. Do you recognize the many ways in which God is blessing your obedience?

THE EVIDENCE THAT GOD CARES FOR YOU IS ALL AROUND. DO YOU SEE IT?

“Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care – but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” – Isaiah 1:3

I wonder how often I fail to recognize God’s blessings in my life – His care for me. This morning I long to wrap my mind around how incredible God is toward me DAILY! My prayer is that the death of Christ and His resurrection continues to get our attention; that we are able to recognize God’s favor and His care and that our hearts will respond in sincere thanksgiving toward our Creator, Provider and Friend.

“I will praise you, O Lord!
You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me.
See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my song, he has given me victory.” – Isaiah 12:1-2

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. – Isaiah 25:1

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal rock…
For those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough.
You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;
Our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
All night long I search for you;
In the morning I earnestly seek for God. – Isaiah 26:3-4,7-9a

I love that last verse. It describes how I wake up in the morning – with a longing to hear from God. He is so faithful to meet us when we turn to Him!

EVERY GOOD AND WONDERFUL THING IN MY LIFE IS A GIFT FROM GOD!

Oh Lord, thank you so much for your tender care of me. When I am scared or lonely, you comfort me. When I am happy, it is because you have filled me with your joy. As I start a new day, I trust in you for what is ahead. You are my eternal rock and I long to fix my thoughts on you and stay there. The road ahead is unknown but I believe the way will not be steep or rough, for you will smooth out the path ahead for me. Glory to God in the Highest! Praise His Name!!!

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. – Psalm 100:1-3

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 3-8; Psalm 39

King Ahaz and the people were trembling with fear and the Lord sent Isaiah to them. He had this message for the king: Stop worrying. Stand firm. You do not need to fear the fierce anger of other nations. But unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm (Isaiah 7:2-9).

God said: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want – as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.” – Isaiah 7:11-16

DO YOU NEED A SIGN FROM GOD?

Do you need confirmation that your God is trustworthy and wants to restore you? Are you trembling with fear and in need of faith so that God can help you stand firm against what you are facing? Look – the sign you are seeking is in His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is risen; He is risen indeed.

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” – Isaiah 2:3b

Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.
He is the One you should fear.
He is the One who should make you tremble.
He will keep you safe…

I will wait for the Lord…I will put my hope in him. – Isaiah 8:13-14a,17

May that be our testimony today, no matter what we are facing — that we will wait for the Lord and place our hope fully in Him.

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered – how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
Rescue me from my rebellion…– Psalm 39:4-8a

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. – Psalm 62:5-6

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 27-28, Isaiah 1-2

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 16 years. He did NOT do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done…Because of all this, the Lord his God allowed the king of Aram to defeat Ahaz and to exile large numbers of his people to Damascus. The armies of the king of Israel also defeated Ahaz and inflicted many casualties on his army…At that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria for help…Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord. – 2 Chronicles 28:1,5,16,22

BUT SHOULDN’T PEOPLE ASK GOD FOR GUIDANCE?
Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings! – Isaiah 8:19b-20a

Ahaz was still a young man when he became king of Judah, so naturally he looked to others for help. But why not look to the One who held the plan? Why not trust in God for rescue? It was during this time in Judah’s history that God called the prophet Isaiah to speak His message loud and clear: You CAN depend on God and it is foolishness to trust in anything or anyone else but God!

Don’t put your trust in mere humans.
They are as frail as breath. What good are they? – Isaiah 2:22

The horrible time that Judah was experiencing was a consequence of their sin. They needed the reminder that we serve a God who is able to break the power of sin and help us survive the mess we have made. When we look around and trouble surrounds us, when all we can see is the result of bad decisions and sinful actions, we can know that OUR GOD IS THERE TO GUIDE US OUT OF THE PREDICAMENT WE FIND OURSELVES IN. The secret is to surrender and trust in God so that we can experience the grace that rescues God’s people from the consequences of their sins.

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
If you will only obey me…” – Isaiah 1:18-19a

WHY DO WE PUT OUR TRUST IN HUMANS.

God’s grace and mercy are calling out to us. He is eager to wash us clean and restore our relationship with Him. So what keeps us from running back into His arms? Why do we turn to other people or to other solutions for help when our Creator and loving Father is beckoning us? Is it pride? Do we struggle to find the humility needed to repent of our sins?

Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled.
Only the Lord will be exalted on the day of judgment.
For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning.
He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted…
Human pride will be humbled and human arrogance will be brought down.
Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment. – Isaiah 2:11-12,17

Today’s Reading: Amos

Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. – Amos 3:7

God used MANY prophets during the days of the kings to warn His people of what was ahead, an attempt to draw them out of their sin and back to Him. Amos was one of those men, only he would not have considered himself a prophet. Amos was simply a shepherd with a heart open to doing anything God asked him to do, even if he felt unqualified.

“I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore fig trees. But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’” – Amos 7:14-15

I’M JUST A SHEPHERD WITH A WILLING HEART

I love how Amos was just minding his own business, doing his own thing, when God called him away to do His work and Amos responding with a willing heart. This is in direct contrast to what was happening among God’s people at that time.

The behavior of God’s people could be narrowed down to three words – arrogance, selfishness, and pretense. They put their own selfish desires for luxury before the needs of others around them. They were abusive and oppressive to those who had less than they did – the weak, the needy, and the poor. They ignored the needs of others and filled their hunger for earthly possessions. Because of this, God’s judgment was going to fall HARD on these people.

GOD IS PLEASED WITH HUMILITY, NOT ARROGANCE

This should be of significance for those of us who have been blessed with so much. God was clear in Amos’ prophecies that He was done with the arrogance of a nation who felt they were better than others. He was going to punish this selfish generation who put their own needs ahead of the needs of others. He was bringing judgment on those who continued to go through the motions of worship and the rituals of sacrifice but who were not living a lifestyle of sacrifice and worship.

God did not choose judgment before first drawing His people to Himself, but they would not listen.

“I brought hunger…but still you would not return to me…
I kept rain from falling when your crops needed it the most…but still you would not return to me…
I struck your farms and vineyards…but still you would not return to me…
I sent plagues…but still you would not return to me…
I destroyed some of your cities…but still you would not return to me…
THEREFORE I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced.
Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!” – Amos 4:6-12

God cannot be manipulated; He determines how people can come to him. Attending church regularly, paying tithe and going through the rituals of being a believer are not substitutes for a genuine heart.

GOD IS LOOKING FOR A GENUINE HEART

“I hate all of your show and pretense – the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” – Amos 5:21-24

“You sing trivial songs to the sound of a harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David. You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.” – Amos 6:5-7

GOD DECLARED – THE PARTY’S OVER!

God’s people had a false notion of privilege. They continued to live a life of self-indulgence and spoke of how they were looking forward to the day of the Lord but they did not realize the Lord was coming not to absolve their sinfulness but to punish them. They believed the covenant God had made with His people allowed them to live as they pleased, even if that looked like arrogance, selfishness and pretense. But God required righteous living. They lived as if God owed them salvation and eternal life because of a decision made a long time ago. But God does not ignore sin (7:8).

“Come back to me and live!…
Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!
Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.
Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice.
Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.” – Amos 5:4b,14-15

Lord, forgive us for our moments of arrogance when we think too much of ourselves and too little of others. Forgive us for living comfortably with all you have blessed us with while others around us are in need. Forgive us for our attitudes of privilege and expectations of rewards because of a decision we made a long time ago. Open our eyes and call us out of our own agendas for today. We desire to respond to your call on our lives and do whatever you are asking us to do. Thank you for being a God who loves us enough to draw us to yourself. Thank you for your love and for your justice. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Jonah

God used many prophets during the reign of kings over Israel and Judah, sending some of his prophets even to the enemy nations to preach repentance. Some prophets went willingly and some struggled to reflect God’s mercy toward sinners. One of those struggling prophets was Jonah.

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. – Jonah 1:1-3

WHY DO WE THINK WE CAN OUTRUN GOD?

How is it that we think we know what is best? He creates this perfect plan for our lives and we whine, complain and argue that there is a better way. We expect God’s plan to look one way and then there is what seems to be a change of plans and we rebel. We were content doing what He had asked us to do, where He had asked us to do it, but now He is moving us to a new place or in a new direction. We hope to escape from what He is asking us to do but God pursues us because He loves us!

But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. – Jonah 1:4

WHILE WE ARE RUNNING, GOD IS INTERVENING.

God stood between Jonah and Jonah’s alternative plan. He got his attention — not in a quiet whisper but with a violent storm. After trying everything else, the crew on the ship threw Jonah overboard at his suggestion, for they knew Jonah was running from the Lord. God had a plan, God intervened in Jonah’s life, and now God had a way to get Jonah back on track. Granted this was probably not the way Jonah would have chosen, but he was the one who was on a side track from the Lord’s will and this new plan was a consequence of Jonah’s own willful disobedience.

Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. – Jonah 1:17

Jonah recognized God’s intervention and prayed from inside the belly of the fish. Jonah was still not where he wanted to be and still not in a comfortable place in life, yet he knew God was at work and thanked Him for hearing his cry for help. He promised God that he would once more look toward God’s holy temple instead of running the opposite direction.

The Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. As Jonah promised, he obediently went to Ninevah and preached a message of judgment on the city. The people, including their king, started fasting and putting on burlap to show how sorry they were for their sins. God again changed the plan on Jonah. He forgave the people of Ninevah and did not destroy the city.

WHY DO WE WHINE, COMPLAIN & ARGUE WITH GOD IN OUR ANGER?

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” – Jonah 4:1-4

Once again, Jonah whined and complained and even argued with God, because he was not happy with God’s plan. He was more consumed with how this change in plans made him look and more disappointed that the people would not be punished than he was thankful for God’s redemption. He went outside of the city and sat under the shade of a plant to pout, but God sent a worm and the plant died, which angered Jonah. God asked him a very direct question, a question we should all consider:

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” – Jonah 4:9-11

WHILE WE ARE FEELING SORRY FOR OURSELVES, GOD’S HEART IS RESPONDING TO THE LOST.

Oh the heart of a God who loves His creation! Oh the love of a God who would send His Son to die for us! Lord, fill us with this same kind of love for others. Bring us to our knees in prayer for those who are lost. Fill our hearts with your mercy. Get our attention. Forgive us when we whine and complain over your plan because we like our plan better. You are Lord and we have no right to be angry with you when we don’t get our way. Bring our hearts to a point of submission – your will, your way, in your time! We love you, Lord. Amen.

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 10-17; 2 Chronicles 23-26

For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls!
In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and all night by a pillar of fire.
He split open rocks in the wilderness to give them water, as from a gushing spring.
He made streams pour from the rock, making the waters flow down like a river.
Yet they kept sinning against him,…
Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him…
Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer.
But all they gave him was lip service; they lied to him with their tongues.
Their hearts were not loyal to him.
They did not keep his covenant.
Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all…
Again and again they tested God’s patience… – Psalm 78:13-17a,32b-41a

Have you ever known someone you would quickly describe as FICKLE? Do you have a friend, coworker or family member who is quick to change their loyalty, affection or interest? It is difficult to keep up with fickle friends. They speak and live one way today, and seem like a different person wanting different things out of life tomorrow.

The history of God’s people at this time displays their fickle hearts. They would worship God for a time and then go back to their selfish, evil ways. They would turn their hearts to God but not wholeheartedly. They would keep things in their life that would cause them to be distracted and disloyal. This pattern led to the eventual decline and exile of the people of Israel, as well as the destruction of Jerusalem.

Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint Jehu the next king of Israel. The call God had on Jehu’s life was to destroy the family of Ahab. Jehu accomplished what God had commanded him to do, also destroying every trace of Baal worship from Israel except the gold calves at Bethel and Dan.

Jehu did not obey the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with ALL his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. – 2 Kings 10:31

King Jehoahaz did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and experienced the result of God’s anger. He prayed for the Lord’s help and the Lord heard his prayer. The Lord rescued Israel from their enemies and allowed them to live in peace again. BUT they continued to sin during the reign of King Jehoahaz and the next king – Jehoash. So God allowed the king of Aram to oppress Israel.

But the Lord was gracious and merciful to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. He pitied them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. – 2 Kings 13:23

It was during the reign of King Jehoahaz that Israel and Judah once again went to battle against each other – brother against brother. After his death, King Jehoahaz’s son, Jeroboam II, ruled over Israel and King Amaziah’s 16-year-old son, Uzziah, ruled over Judah. Jeroboam II did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord (14:24), but Uzziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. Well, almost. Uzziah did not destroy ALL the pagan shrines, leaving opportunity for the nation to once more sin against God (15:4).

The pattern of unfaithfulness in Israel:
Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, refusing to turn away from sin.
Shallum became the next king of Israel until he was assassinated by Menahem, who also did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
His son, Pekahiah, followed in his father’s evil footsteps and was assassinated by the son of the Commander of his army, Pekah.
Pekah reigned for 20 years, until he was assassinated by Hoshea, who reigned for nine years until he was captured and imprisoned by the king of Assyria.

This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. They sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them safely out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of Pharoah, the king of Egypt…Again and again the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah…But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings. They worship worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. – 2 Kings 17:7-15

Because of their idolatry and rejection of God’s covenant, the Lord swept them away from his presence. He punished them by handing them over to their enemies, banishing Israel from the presence of the Lord. So Israel was exiled from the Promised Land to the land of Assyria (17:23).

God made it clear generation after generation – “Do not worship any other gods or bow before them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them…Do not forget the covenant I made with you, and do not worship other gods. You must worship only the Lord your God. He is the one who will rescue you from all your enemies.” – 2 Kings 17:35b-39

Lord, would you please reveal anything I have kept in my life that is becoming a distraction from serving you with my whole heart? Shine your light on any traces of disloyalty or fickleness in my life. Fill my heart with the strong desire to obey and serve you wholeheartedly. Reveal anything in my life today that has taken priority over my covenant relationship with you. I long to serve you with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind. I long to dwell in your presence and worship you – the God who has brought me out of my Egypt with great strength and a powerful arm. Today, I choose to worship you and only you! I want to be faithful and not fickle. Amen.