Day 75 – When your picture perfect world is falling apart, instead of drawing conclusions, draw your strength from the Lord.

1 Samuel 30:6 “And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 30 – 2 Samuel 1

What is seen isn’t always what is. I’m a very honest person, probably a little to honest….a little blunt. But what I say, I mean, even when it comes to myself. So when I say behind my smile and Joyful Spirit there is an aching and worn-out body, I mean it. It’s a cycle I’ve dealt with for years, and I don’t like to bother anyone with it, including doctors. For a time it was wake up, eat, exhaustion, nausea, eat, nausea, exhaustion! More recently it’s been exhaustion, constant dizziness (like living on a rocking ship), headaches every time I run, and loss of vision. I’ve had faithful friends, a fed up husband, and a protective mom try and help or even get me to the doctor themselves. But I’ve been stubborn and tried to live with it. As I told the doctor recently, I just didn’t have time to deal with it, so I tried to fix it myself, and she laughed and said, “well at least you’re honest.” But in my physical weariness, I go to the Lord for Strength.

My body may never be fully better, I may never have the energy I desire, the doctors may never fully figure out what’s going on, but I will smile. I will be joyful because I pray!

I find, during lent, during days of fasting, He gives me the energy to get up. I give thanks to Him for the sun rising, the birds singing, and life moving forward. I thank Him for His Will being done. Am I better, no, but I have been strengthened.

In the same way He strengthens the trees with beautiful blossoms after a hard Winter or Summer Storm, He will strengthen us. David finds himself among the storms as well. His wives and the families of his people have been taken captive. His followers are angry and after his life, but David seeks the Lord and He is strengthened. In this strength, David is able to save those taken. Sometimes our life is draining, what is seen in the picture may not be what really is. Yet, in these times we can Draw our Strength from the Lord, and the smile on our face can be real in the trial. For The Joy of the Lord is our Strength.

Day 74 – Like a loving Mother or Father to their son or daughter, there are consequences to everything we do.

Today’s reading is from 1 Samuel 27:1-29:11.

1 Samuel 28:17 “The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.”

Now I have to pre-warn you, from Day 1, I have never thought my child can do no wrong. To be honest, I defer in the opposite direction, and my children know that I will side with every teacher and show them another side to the situation with a friend. This is because, like me, my children are sinners born into a sinful world, and as I continue in my sanctification, I’m going to help them in theirs as well. Whenever they do something wrong, I explain the wrong, look for the right consequence which is different in every situation, and make them apologize even if they think it’s unfair. (Let’s get this straight right now, life just isn’t always fair.) Once my child recognizes their wrong, whether they like it or not, I wipe off their tears, take them in my arms and remind them that I love them. I only do this because I want them to become a reflection of Christ to this world….loving, kind, respectful, and a good friend.

God does this exact same thing with us. He reprimands us for our wrong and wipes off our embarrassment and shame and says, “I love you, for you are a child of mine, and I want the world to know it.” Saul had this same experience with God, but couldn’t figure out why God would do this to him. And Samuel said, well if you had listened to the Lord this wouldn’t have happened. Be ready for the consequences of the decisions you make and know the Lord reprimands you because He loves you enough to have His Son die on the cross for your sins.

Day 73 – We can only control our own decisions.

Todays Reading: 1 Samuel 22 – 26

1 Samuel 24:12 “May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.”

King Saul, out of jealousy, was going to pursue David no matter if there was a good reason or not. However, David would continually choose to take the high road and honor his King. More than once David had the chance to kill Saul and take over the throne that was promised to him, but each time the opportunity arose, David knew the Lord would take care of the situation and would let the opportunity pass.

David couldn’t control or even change Saul’s decisions, but he could control his own.

Often, when we deal with children, especially my own, they always want to defend the bad decision they made with what the “other” person did. But over and over again, I tell my children as well as other youth that I love, we can’t change the other person or their decisions, but we can decide in advance to make good decisions and choices for ourselves.

Even as adults want to be able to say, “Well this person did this, so I decided it was alright to do that,” but God asks us to treat others as we would like to be treated, not as they have treated us.

God will judge and have the final say; He will avenge what needs to be avenged, so we don’t need to retaliate. We must choose to love, even our enemies. We need to be kind, respectful, show mercy, and walk humbly with our God, so that we reflect Christ to a broken world. Then the “others” instead of fighting back will say, “What makes you so different? I want what you have.”

So, watch what YOU do and what YOU say because many “others” are watching you too, and maybe just maybe they will change their choice because of the witness you are.

Day 72 – True friendships are worth fighting for.

Todays Reading: 1 Samuel 17 – 21

1 Samuel 18:1 “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

Saul had a son named Jonathan, the next in line for the throne. But Jonathan met David, and the 2 of them bonded in the deepest form of a relationship, a friendship built on unconditional love for one another. Even as Saul begins to have a full jealous hatred toward David, Jonathan held tightly to his loyalty toward his friend. He went against the wishes of his father to save the life of his friend.

Friendships in general are delicate.

They are built by the bond of one heart to another, not the bond of blood. Some friends may move, some friends may pass to young, some may have hiccups along the road of life, some may drift apart, but no matter what if you have a true friend your relationship will survive whatever life throws at it. You may not always be as close for seasons of your life, but you know that you will be able to count on that friend when in a time of need.

My friends honestly mean the world to me, and I’m willing to fight for a friendship on the fringe. Don’t let hurt words, miscommunications, or misunderstandings come in between you and a true friend. A friendship is worth the fight, and Jesus is our great example. He is our greatest friend, and he laid down His life for us.

John 15:13, 17 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

Day 71 – God has such High Hopes for each one of us.

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 14:1-16:23.

1 Samuel 15:35 “And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.”

Not often in Biblical history do we hear that God regrets what He has done, actually for the first 7 days He said everything He created was good. But twice in the Bible God’s says He regrets what He has done. The first time we see is during Noah’s time and God regretted making man on this earth, hence the flood. The second time is where we find ourselves today, God regretted anointing Saul as King. In both of these situations selfishness brings God’s regret. The people of Noah’s time were found to be so evil because of their selfish sin, and Saul was found to be selfish with his time. But this time instead of wiping the entire earth clean of His creation, God goes on a search for someone after His own heart. And this man was David.

David, too, would have his problems because he was human, but he was found to be different because he sought after the Lord. When he was wrong he repented, so God never regretted this decision; the decision to choose the humble over the haughty.

God gives each of us many choices and many paths to take, and we don’t always choose the right way. However, if we turn from our wrong decision, we will never give Him reason to regret making us the way He did. We aren’t all created to be leaders and we aren’t all created to be followers, but we are all given the ability to lead a God honoring life. So, honor God by leading well, loving well, and learning well, and His high hopes in us will lead to success.

Day 70 – Lord, Give me a heart that always seeks after you like a burning fire all through my soul.

Today’s reading; 1 Samuel 11:1-13:23.

1 Samuel 13:13-14 “And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

My prayers each morning are always diverse, yet keeping the same pattern. Always giving thanks, then asking for forgiveness, then I try to remember every need that I have heard or seen. One thing that always makes my prayers is that God allows me to love Him more and more each and everyday and that His Holy Spirit be like a burning fire deep in my soul.

As Samuel was preparing his departure from this earth into his heavenly home, he asks the people if he has ever done anything against the Lord or them. The Israelites joined together in agreement that Samuel was always faithful, so Samuel asked of them to do this likewise and follow the Lord with all their heart.

Sometimes it’s just hard!

Even Saul found how hard it was in the very beginning of his reign. He was told to wait on Samuel for all the offerings, but his impatience overruled his faithfulness.

Waiting on the Lord when you want what you want right then and there is difficult. But when you decide in your heart to love Him and desire Him over your own selfish desires, asking him to be that Burning Fire always igniting your soul, then no matter what you come across your obedience will be to the Lord. And that fire down deep in your soul will Shine out for all the world to see!

Day 69 – Our Hope for the Future will never be found in human hands but in the Lord alone.

Todays Reading: 1 Samuel 8 – 10

1 Samuel 8:6-9 “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

When the people of Israel asked for a King from Samuel, Samuel thought they had abandoned him, no longer trusting in his guidance. But God told him that it wasn’t him they had abandoned but the LORD. They were seeking out someone with flesh and blood that would solve all of their problems as a nation instead of following the authority of the Lord.

Since the very beginning of time all nations have sought an earthly authority to lead them. Some of the kings would follow the Lord and some wouldn’t, just as some of our Presidents have followed the Lord and some haven’t. Either way, it isn’t the President, the King, the Prime Minister, or some other earthly authority that will bring us the Hope we are looking for. This alone comes from the Lord and the change we desire comes from the change found within each of our hearts. This change comes that only through Salvation found in Christ.

Kirk Cameron once said in Christianity Today, “Our hope is in the power of God and his gospel working in the hearts of people. But that gospel isn’t just limited to getting you and me out of hell. It is all-inclusive and permeates every aspect of God’s world.” No matter our leader on earth, until His Kingdom comes, we must seek to find hope in individual heart change, not any President, King, or other leader. Our ultimate leader is and will always be Christ.

Day 68 – Let the Work of the Lord declare His Glory.

1 Samuel 6:13 “Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it.”

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 5:1-717.

Years ago, I took a 2 hour bus ride through the mountains of California from Tahoe to Sacramento. Snow was falling down upon the earth from all around us, leaving a blanket of white across all of the landscape. Gods beauty and majesty magnified itself on the slopes, hills, streams, rocks, and trees in my view. It was almost as though you could hear nature rejoicing for the Glory of God was being manifested.

Everything is created to Glorify God, but we don’t always use everything in the way of Glorification.

Sometimes his creations are manipulated or even decimated and cause those around it to be shamed, afraid, or even reprimanded for what they’ve done. When the Philistines took the ark of the Lord, each community they had it rest in would receive his tolls of death. And as they put it before their idol Dagon, the idol fell face first before the ark and eventually broke in pieces. Finally the Philistines had had enough and returned the ark to the Lord, and as soon as the Israelites looked up from their hard work they rejoiced in what they saw…the joy of the Lord.

Day 67 – If only we were all Full of Grace.

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 2:1- 4:22.

1 Samuel 2:1, “And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.”

The name Hannah means favored one, but Hannah felt anything but favored. She finds herself married to a man with another wife as well. Her husband’s other wife had several children, but she had none. However, Hannah’s grace can be viewed beyond her own belief. Even while being picked on by the other wife for her barrenness, Hannah remains humble and faithful. She is adored by her husband, and she adores the Lord. Hannah just wanted to know that God truly favored her by granting her desire to have a child. She vowed to give up the child if only He would bless her with one.

Hannah’s blessing came in the form of a son, Samuel. This little baby would be dedicated to the Lord and one day be called on to be a Priest. Hannah’s grace came as she gifted back the child she had prayed for and God gifted her back 3 sons and 2 daughters in return. Hannah’s grace was found in fulfilling her vow to the Lord. It wasn’t in selfish gain but selfless love.

For years, I’ve been amazed by a woman like Hannah, a woman that made a vow as a young teenager to a military man. She vowed to be his forever, no matter where that called her, and God blessed her in her fulfillment of that vow. She is full of selfless love for those around her, quiet peace for a troubled world, and she has walked with grace into every situation she has encountered. This woman, still living into her late 90’s, is my grandma, Helen Parke.

Oh to be found with such grace, such strength, and such selfless love before the Lord all the days of my life. This I cannot promise, but this I shall vow, that I will always try.

Day 66- Be Joyful in the Awkward.

Today’s reading: Ruth 2 – 1 Samuel 1.

Ruth 3:8, ” At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet.”

Awkward!!! I love awkward moments. These are the things that make my crazy mind laugh. (You don’t want to go in there.) Sometimes, I almost hold my breath to see if anyone else will laugh….possibly it’s only funny to me. However, I have noticed that not everyone is as amused at the awkward as I am.

Just think about Boaz, what he must have thought when he woke with Ruth at his feet. It had to have been awkward. When I wake to Brett’s feet at my face and his face at my feet, I know he’s had a wild night sleep. But Boaz was definitely more noble than myself. He was a little shocked but more impressed by Ruth’s dedication to his family. Boaz made the awkward moment into a blessing. He didn’t want Ruth to be shamed so he even sent her away with a gift.

Next time you find yourself in an awkward moment, laugh a little and let it bring you Joy.