So I posted part 1 of God of the impossible a few days ago, taking a look at the Israelites journey out of Egypt to the Red Sea, focusing on the fact that our impossible circumstances have the opportunity to bring glory to God…if we let them. You see, it’s our choice to invite God in or try to deal with them on our own. The Israelites were backed into a corner, literally stuck between a rock and a hard place, that is the Red Sea & the approaching Egyptian army. The people cried out to God & Moses. But I want to take a look at what happened next. Exodus 14:13-14 “And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Take heart, your impossible circumstances are possible with God! Again and again in the Bible we see the reality that God fights for us. Deuteronomy 1:30 “The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.” Deuteronomy 3:22 “You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.” And here in Exodus 14:14 “The LORD will fight for you.” And He did just that. Picture it…Pharaoh and all his army and chariots, and officers were approaching the Israelites. They were close enough that the Israelites looked up and saw them approaching, which means the armies had the Israelites in their sights as well. There was no where to run and they knew it. They cried out and God heard their cry. His response through Moses was fear not, stand firm where you are, don’t do anything, be silent and watch as I deliver you. You’ll never again see the Egyptians that you see now…watch as I the LORD fight for you.

As we see what happens next, I can only imagine the Israelites standing in awe of God. The next 24 hours held deliverance from their impossible circumstance and they were able to witness it with their very eyes! They saw God’s supernatural ability to overcome working in their favor! God truly fought for them. We see this threefold: we see God’s protection, provision and power.

We see God’s Protection over the Israelites. “Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.” – Exodus 14:19-20. Whether the Israelites realized it or not, this was God’s miraculous protection, shielding them against the impending attack of the enemy. The presence of God that was leading them moved from before them to behind them. The presence of God shifted from guide to guardian so that one never came near the other all night. I can only imagine the times that God has supernaturally brought his protection to us. Some we may recognize and many more we may never know about. He is our shield, our protector.

You see, we have a REAL enemy. This isn’t an enemy that we can see with our physical eyes. This isn’t a tangible enemy that we can capture and defeat. This is an enemy that can only be defeated by God, and in fact has been. I love what the Bible, Jesus says in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” You see, Jesus understood the reality of the spiritual world. He understood that there is a real and present enemy whose sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy! But He also says, I came that they may have life, and not just life….abundant life!!! What does that mean? Abundant Life? Many of us think Abundant life means living life to it’s fullest…and that’s part it of, but there’s so much more. Abundant Life means victory. Abundant life means freedom. Abundant life means reaping God’s blessings. Abundant life means intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. Abundant life means living your life to the fullest that God has designed for you. Abundant life means inhabiting the promises of God, the promised land!

Not only do we see God’s Protection, but we see God’s Provision. “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” – Exodus 14:21-22. We see here that God literally did that. He is the creator of all things, he is able to control the winds. All things are possible for God because He is God! Just as God made provision for the Israelites in their impossible circumstance, know this: he has already made provision for yours. Whatever it may be, he already knows and he has prepared provision beyond anything you can imagine. This an old hymn that I grew up with: God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way for me. He will be my guide. Hold me closely to His side. With love and strength for each new day, He will make a way, He will make a way!

I can think of many times in my life that God miraculously provided because He IS able! Can you imagine the Israelites watching the waters part before their eyes, rising to be walls of water to the right and left, so that they could walk through on dry ground? Wow! That would be one of those awestruck moments. Jaw dropping! Yeah, God said he would do it, but oh my….he really did! And the waters remained long enough for 2 million people and their flocks and herds to walk through on dry ground. God miraculously provided a way for the Israelites and He will for you too!

So we see God’s protection, His Provision and lastly God’s Power! “The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” – Exodus 14:23-31.

I love that…the Egyptians began to flee from before Israel for the recognized the mighty hand of God at work on behalf of the Israelites…and they were no match for God! As if parting the red sea so they could walk through on dry ground wasn’t enough, God fulfilled what he promised through Moses: the word tells us that not one of them remained. He not only protected them through the night, provided a way for them through the sea, but also showed his great and mighty power over the Egyptian army by annihilating every last one when he released the walls of water to confuse and overwhelm the Egyptians.

We all face impossible circumstances. The good news is that God is God of the impossible. He specializes in the miraculous, in the supernatural! In fact, he loves to do it because it brings glory to His name! We serve God who will fight for us, who will deliver us to victory, who makes our impossible circumstances possible! Despair will try to cast you down, keeping you from standing. Fear will tell you to retreat, run away. Impatience will tell you to do something now. Presumption will tell you to jump into the Red Sea before it is parted. But God would have us to stand, and watch His supernatural victory as he delivers us from our impossible situations!

What impossible circumstances face you today? What circumstances make you feel cornered, with no escape? What circumstances are rising up to overwhelm you? And what will be your response? Will you respond to your circumstance with fear, and retreat? Or will you call upon God and implore to see HIM move in your life, fight on your behalf, and bring victory that can only be attributed to Him and to His Glory? We all want to see God’s miracles in our lives, we want to see God bring hope to our despair, healing to our brokenness, and restoration to our relationships and ultimately deliverance from our circumstances.

I have long been captivated by the story of the Israelites journey to the promised land. The Israelites were in slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt. God sent Moses to Free the Israelites from the hand of Pharaoh, from bondage, and to bring them out of Egypt and into the promised land. We see the hand of God at work on behalf of the Israelites time and again. So much so that Pharaoh sent them out with his blessing, and the word says the Lord gave them favor with the Egyptians so that they plundered them of their gold and silver jewelry and clothing. You see God not only freed them from slavery, but sent them out with riches and provision for their journey. The Israelites had traveled as far as the Red Sea when God stopped them at this body of water. At that same time Pharaoh realized what he had done; he just set free 2 million slaves! He immediately mobilized his army to pursue them. Exodus 14:6,9 tells us that “Pharaoh took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.” In those days a chariot consisted of 2 men, and with officers over them all that meant 3 men per chariot. So in 600 chariots he sent 1800 of his special forces, the elite of his army. But as if that wasn’t enough, pharaoh also sent all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over tho as well, and his horsemen and his full army. He was serious about his pursuit and pursued them with great intent steal, kill & destroy the promises of God over the Israelites.

Exodus 14:10 tells us “When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly.” Pharaoh and all his army and chariots, and officers were pursuing the Israelites with great force and intent. They were close enough that the Israelites looked up and saw them approaching, which means this vast and powerful army had the Israelites in their sights as well. What lay ahead of the Israelites was an impossible circumstance. They were physically cornered by those that were seeking their destruction. They had nowhere to run, no where to flee. Behind them was the sea and in front of them was this large and intimidating approaching army. There was no way of escape except the way they had come in, and the Egyptian army had that covered. It’s no wonder that when they looked up and saw all of Pharaoh’s army coming after them, they feared greatly. I don’t fault the Israelites for this; I think if we were honest with ourselves, we all would have that same response.

Let’s admit it, we all face impossible circumstances at many points in our life. For some those might be financial: the impending loss of a job, the foreclosure of a home, the loss of a business, the inability to pay the bills or put food on the table no matter how hard we try; for others maybe they’re relational: a struggling marriage, a broken friendship, a family in utter disarray. Maybe I haven’t mentioned yours, but God knows. We’ve all been there, somehow, somewhere, and the truth is we will be again. It’s inevitable. It’s life. But there is Good News Here: Your impossible circumstances have the opportunity to bring glory to God…if you let them!

That’s right, I said the if word. It’s our choice as to whether we allow God the opportunity in our impossible circumstances. It’s our choice to call out to him, cry out to him in our distress. It’s our choice to believe Him, trust Him, follow Him even when our eyes can’t see his deliverance. I love this: the Israelites not only had God’s appointed man, Moses, as their leader, but God himself was leading the Israelites with a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day. There was absolutely no denying the fact that God had been with them, and was with them, leading them on a journey out of Egypt, across the desert and into the promised land. This army was coming after them with the intent of destruction, bringing them back to slavery. But Moses was still there, leading them…and God was still there, physically present with them in the pillar of fire and the cloud, guiding their every step. His presence had not left them, though it was now harder to focus on that fact in their present reality, overwhelmed by their impossible circumstance.

Be honest, how often do we do that? We are walking along in life, being led by God as He lights our path before us, and then a circumstance rises up against us and we get tunnel vision. Our focus narrows to our circumstance and we no longer see the big picture, the truth that God is still with us to light the path before us; we only see our impossible circumstance. We become overwhelmed by our circumstance, but we must not forget that God is with us, we still have the indwelling presence of God with us at all times and even in those impossible circumstances of life.

What is your first instinct when confronted with impossible circumstances? Who do you run to with your problems? Who do you look to? So often we look to others first before we look to God when we get into those impossible circumstances. We forget that, just as God was physically present with the Israelites, so also He has given us His very Spirit to dwell within us. He’s always right there, always with us. Let’s be truthful, our first instinct is to run to those closest to us and let it all out. We get the Eyore syndrome. Woe is me, life is hard. We busy ourselves thinking about our circumstances, so much so that we become anxious at the thoughts of impending doom that overwhelm our minds; we try everything we know to fix it on our own. But here’s the reality…we aren’t our own Savior, we aren’t God. We need to put Him in His rightful place and admit that we can’t do ANYTHING to make our impossible circumstances work in our favor. It’s just not possible ~ that’s why they’re called impossible circumstances.

There’s the quote that I hear a lot: “Don’t tell God how big your mountains are, tell your mountains how big your God is!” But, I want to tweak it a bit… “Don’t tell others how big your mountains are, tell your mountains how big your God is!” You see, we do need to call out to the Lord. When we are faced with impossible circumstances, that should be our FIRST response. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us “Do not be anxious about anything (I’d say the Israelites were anxious), but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You see, if we call out to God first, then our anxiety should subside because we know that He is God and bigger than our circumstances. We submit it to Him in prayer, and in exchange we receive His peace that surpasses all understanding to guard our heart and mind. It might not make sense to have peace in the midst of impossibilities, but it is possible with God! And the beauty of that is our hearts and minds are guarded. Our thought life and our emotions are guarded against going out of control within the impossible circumstance because we have submitted it to God! Our tunnel vision disappears and we are able to see the fact that God is with us even in the midst of our impossible circumstances!

I love how the Bible has continuity when it comes to seeking God and finding Him, to seeking His wisdom and receiving it. Matthew (7:7-8) tells us “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” James (1:5-6) tells us “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” Proverbs (8:17) tells us “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Jeremiah (29:13) tells us “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” 2 Chronicles (7:14) tells us “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Deuteronomy (4:29) tells us “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 1 chronicles (28:9) If you seek him, he will be found by you.”

When in times of pain or trouble, our response to these nuggets of wisdom in the bible should be simply stated, “My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

That’s exactly what i was doing a few years back. Out of that seeking, a song was birthed in my heart that I titled I Will Wait. I wrote it at a time in my life when I was seeking to know the God’s direction for my next steps. I was in a time of worship, asking God for His direction and proclaiming that when he spoke, I would listen and obey. My husband jokes with me about this song. He calls it my Battle Cry Song. He says it reminds him of a song that Aimee Semple McPherson would have wrote. And when I think about it, yes, it is a battle cry song. I was in the middle of extreme spiritual warfare. I felt like the Israelites in the desert, who had been delivered from physical bondage, but were waiting to get into the promised land. That wasn’t an easy time. They were in a holding pattern of sorts. The promise was awaiting them, but there were battles to be fought and won before they could inhabit the promised land.

My circumstances at that time in my life seemed bleak, to say the least. I was managing the 2 Curves that we owned, commuting daily between the two (one in lafayette, one in fairfield), working 60+ hours a week between the two clubs, all while volunteering a minimum of 15 hours at our church in various roles every week. I was growing tired and weary as one business was flourishing from the ground up, and the other was struggling to stay above water…and sinking fast. I was being drained in every manner – financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I knew something needed to change, but first I had to hear from the Lord. My question seemed ongoing as I waited and waited and waited for the answer. I knew what answer I wanted, and when I wanted it…but I also knew that I couldn’t move ahead without God’s blessing to do so. I didn’t want to step outside of His will for my life. Thus this song was birthed in my heart.

I will wait patiently
I will wait for You to speak
I will stand here in this place
Lord come reveal to me Your grace

I will hear and obey
I will proclaim this is the day
When I will go wherever You lead
Lord come reveal Your will to me

I can remember, on many occasions, singing those words with all my heart, sobbing before the Lord out of pure anguish at my circumstances and utter determination to remain steadfast until He said to move no matter how much harder my circumstances became. It was pure will and the awesome knowledge that God had a plan and purpose in it all that sustained me during that time. Eventually, the Lord answered, and I was able to take my next steps forward into the blessing he had prepared for me. Since that time the Lord has used this song as encouragement in my life time and again.

Whatever you’re going through, wherever you’re at with God, whatever circumstances rise up against you to overwhelm and discourage you…remember that God is sovereign. He has a plan and purpose for your life; one that will be so much better than all you could ask or imagine. He will give you direction. All you need to do is seek him, ask him, and wait for His answer with the expectancy that yes, he will answer you, and the determination that your answer will be simply put: yes Lord!

Today has been a day that the Lord has been speaking. I have heard his voice in my spirit loud and clear. It is for freedom that he has set me free! He has freed me from every bondage and stronghold that would rise up against the knowledge and truth of God in my life. It’s already been done, yet I MUST CHOOSE TO WALK IN IT!

From the worship this morning to the message brought by Pastor Brian to the introduction of breaking free by Beth Moore to the Psalm 44 that I read in my daily devotions…one thing is clear…God is speaking to me about freedom!

The Lord has identified a stronghold in my life, namely resentment. The details i will leave between me and God. Needless to say, I have been allowing a bondage in my life, and thus a stronghold for the enemy of my soul. The bondage has hindered me from the fullness to which God has called me, and the stronghold is in my thought process. I have thought myself a failure, worthless, empty, unable or unworthy to contribute to the co-pastor role that I have been given. I have allowed myself to be isolated, to return again and again to the destructive thought patterns that don’t align with what God has to say about me and my situations. I have allowed those thoughts to exalt themselves above the truth and knowledge of God, above what God has to say about me and believes for me.

No more! No more will I bow to the enemy of my soul! No more will I allow fear and self- doubt to control me. No more will I accept what the enemy or others say about me as truth. No more will I allow defeat. Instead, I will rise! I will rise in the freedom that has been purchased for me by my Lord Jesus Christ. I will rise in the confidence that God has given me. I will rise to the calling upon my life. I will rise to the level Jesus is beckoning me. I will rise, because I am FREE!

Scripture:
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.” – Exodus 10:1-2

Observation
Moses had already been given a promise of deliverance out of egypt. God called Moses for this very purpose. He sent him into Egypt to approach pharaoh about letting the Israelites go free (they were slaves). We’re talking about 600,000+ able bodied men, not including women and children (12:37). Moses did just as the Lord instructed again and again- making request before pharaoh & performing miracles, then sending plagues; yet the Lord kept hardening pharaohs heart. 7 times he had gone before pharaoh and 7 plagues had been sent, yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened again.
I love what the Lord says to Moses here. Basically he says your journey is going to be a testimony to your sons and your grandsons of my handiwork. Moses already had the promise of deliverance. I’m sure he wondered why God kept hardening pharaohs heart. But this was the key: It wasn’t just about the destination, but the journey as well! Moses would be able to tell of this awesome journey to his kids and grandkids, and they would believe in the Lord. God’s namesake would live on, His glory would be revealed.

Application
We live in such a microwave society. We want something and we want it now. We’re promised something, even something unexpected, and we become impatient the moment we know its been promised. We want it now! We don’t enjoy the journey, we simply focus all of our energy and thoughts on the destination. Yet there is something crucial about the journey. Something magical. The journey is where we live. It’s where we breathe. Its where we hurt, we cry, we strive, we grow, we fight, we conquer…it’s where God is at our side, its where He’s shaping us, molding us, preparing us for the promise. It’s where testimony is made! My testimony is more than the fact that I’m a Christian and will be in heaven when I pass from this life. My testimony is found in all the little and big ways that God has met me and shaped my life for His namesake, that others might see (or hear) and believe!

Prayer
Oh God, help me to live life enjoying the journey to the things you’ve promised me instead of becoming impatient for the end result. Mold me and shape me along the way. I yield myself to you that others would see your handiwork in my life and recognize your fingerprint, and give glory to you! Let my life be a testimony of your love and grace.

Scripture: 
But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? – Exodus 3:11

Then Moses answered, But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The Lord did not appear to you. – Exodus 4:1
 
But Moses said to the Lord, Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue. – Exodus 4:10

But he said, Oh, my Lord, please send someone else. – Exodus 4:13

Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? – Exodus 5:22

Observation:
Moses questioned God 4 times before he was sent, and again after he was sent & had spoken to pharaoh. Moses felt completely unqualified to that which God was calling him to. God was calling him to go to the Pharaoh of  Egypt and demand that the israelites (who were slaves at that time) be freed and allowed to leave the land to go to another country. He was insecure in his ability to speak to & in front of others, specifically an influential and I’m sure quite intimidating leader as well as the large group of israelites. He was unsure that the israelites would view him as a leader of any kind, moreover God’s chosen leader. He was afraid of the daunting task at hand (oh lord send someone else). 
And the funny thing is that he questioned yet again in the middle of the journey – why did you ever send me?  (more…)

Scripture:
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him. – Genesis 49:28

Observation
Jacob was literally on his death bed, the father of his children who raised them from birth, loved them and knew them. He was giving the final blessing for each son before he passed. The blessing was according to who they were…a blessing suitable to him. One was a lion, one a ravenous wolf, etc…These blessings were essentially names that describe them…and futures according to those names. (more…)

My daily devotions are something that I love!  I find strength for the day and hear God speak to me through his inspired word, the Bible.  This morning my husband and I went to Starbucks before work to enjoy a time of devotions together.  When we do devotions, we use the SOAP format:  we read Scripture

, write an Observation, Application &  Prayer.  Here’s my SOAP from this morning.

S:  Psalm 105:4 says:

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually

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O:  As a kid, I remember one of my favorite games was Hide and Seek.  The point of this game is that one person hides with the intention of NOT being found and the other person counts to 100 (without peeking) to allow the person to hide, and then begins an urgent and diligent search for the one that hid.  This means opening cupboards, checking beneath beds and behind doors, in the closets…for the hidden one has to be found before the game is over.  The one who is seeking to find the hidden person is doing so with all

diligence.

Just as the kids seek and search for the hidden one, so also we are instructed to seek the Lord, seek His strength, and seek his presence.  This means that we do so with all urgency and diligence.  The great difference between the kids game of “Hide and Seek” and us seeking the Lord is that He will make Himself to be found.  He wants to be found by us!  We see so many references to this in the Bible. One of them is found in Jesus’ words:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

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For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds , and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8

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But you may ask, what does it really mean to seek the Lord?  Seeking the Lord is simple: it’s both a desire and an intentional step of walking in cadence with His will for your life. When we seek the Lord, we seek what it is that He wants for us.  When we seek his strength, it’s because we acknowledge our weakness and inability to do anything in and of ourselves.  When we seek His presence, it’s an intentional choice to live our lives for Christ and die to the struggles and desires of our flesh.

Moreover, Psalm 105:4 ends with the word continually.  We are instructed to do these things on a continual basis.  This means that we don’t make one decision to seek him, seek his strength or presence, but that we make continual decisions to seek for these things and to walk in step with where he is taking us.

A:  What does this mean for my life?  I acknowledge that of late I am worn down by some things that have taken place in my life and ministry.  I acknowledge my weariness and weakness.  Yet I also acknowledge my calling in life and ministry.  I MUST be intentional.  I MUST urgently and diligently search for the Lord, for his strength and for his presence in my life.  Moreover, I MUST choose to walk in cadence with His will for my life – that I would continually walk in the light of His presence.

P:  Father, I thank you for this reminder of where my strength must come from.  I am nothing without you o God.  I can do nothing without you.  I seek you o Lord.  Strengthen me to stand, that I may continue in the life and ministry to which you have called me.  Help me to walk in cadence with your Spirit, continually.  In Jesus’ mighty name ~ Amen.

My SOAP from Saturday is below.  SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.

S:  John 17:15,18

“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one…As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

O: This Jesus’ prayer to the Father regarding those who are his (his current disciples) and those who will believe upon Him (vs20).  Just as there was purpose in Jesus coming to the world, through He was not of it…so also there is purpose in Him sending us into the world: to be His representatives, displaying His likeness, His love, His power and authority.  He prays to the Father for us, not that we would be taken from the world to which He has sent us, but that God would keep us from the evil one while we are here.  There is a real enemy of our souls; one that is in dominion over this world for now, and he desires to grasp onto us and snatch us from God that we would no longer be a threat to him.  For our enemy knows that Jesus overcame and gives us the power to overcome as well!

There is significance in this:  Jesus prayed this prayer for us.

A: Jesus says He sent me into the world. He has established purpose for my life.  He has placed me exactly where He wants me in time and location.  I am called and appointed, as a child of God, to be His representative to a world in desperate need of a savior, my savior Jesus Christ.  I must live my life with this in mind, this thought always before me.  And I must daily allow God’s inspired God-Breathed Word (2 Tim 3:16-17) to sanctify me through and through, that I would be strengthened in resolve to STAND against the enemy of my soul.

P: Father, thank you for giving me understanding of your scripture.  To know that Jesus prayed for me, to know that you are keeping me from the evil one and sanctifying me through your word – I am humbled.  Father, mold me into the likeness of you son, that the world may see Jesus.

~ Rebecca

As I was in my quiet time with the Lord, I came upon this verse: Psalm 27:8.  The psalmist David writes

You have said, ‘Seek my face.’

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My heart says to you,  ’Your face, Lord, do I seek.’”  (ESV)

Another translation says it this way:

My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’
   And my heart responds, ‘LORD, I am coming.’”   (NLT)

This is the state of a heart that is open to God.  Open to his great love, open to his mercy, open to his discipline, open to his refining, open to his shaping.  This is the state that I desire for my heart at all times.  

So often, we get inundated with the noise of life.  For me, it’s things like twitter, facebook, emails, business, church, etc.  I’ve noticed a trend lately: when I arise in the morning, I find myself checking my emails, facebook and twitter to see what I’ve missed.  When I go to bed at night, again I am checking these applications to make sure I didn’t miss anything throughout the day.  But God would say to me “Come and talk with me; seek my face.”  Don’t get me wrong, I do spend time in His Word on a daily basis.  I even spend time in prayer; yet I need to adjust my priorities.  The first and last thing I do during the day should not reflect a love for this world, rather should be to spend time with the one who loved me first, my Lord and Savior.   

The Psalmist says in verse 4 “One thing have I asked of the Lord

, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”  David had it right: his intent was to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and inquire in his temple.  In the Old Covenant, the temple was the place that housed the glory of the Lord, the shekinah presence.  So David was saying, my desire is to constantly be in the presence of the Lord, to never leave it, to sit in awe of His presence and to seek His counsel at all times.  

What’s so amazing about God is that He wants us to be in His presence at all times, He even invites us to be enter into His presence.  He made available the way for us to have access to Himself by the ransom of His only son Jesus who paid the price for our sins and paved the way to restored relationship with Father God.  It is because of His Great Love for us that Jesus came, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again to defeat death, hell and the grave.  He did this so we could be restored to God and have relationship in His presence.  

So what does all of this mean?  It’s simple:  I resolve to keep God on the throne of my heart.  As He calls to me and says “Seek my face”  my heart will respond “Your face Lord do I seek” and my actions will reflect this heartfelt response.