EXPAND TO READ: DEUTERONOMY 2 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 7): I was really hit hard by this verse. At first it didn’t hit me in this way, but as soon as I read “the Lord your God has been with you this past 40 years” I realized You were speaking to me through this verse. I am exactly 40 years old and I have lived a life with struggle, but I have never lacked my needs. I have worked hard and You have always provided for me and my family, even in my youth when my parents divorced when I was really young and my mom had to take on multiple jobs just to support us. There has been so much turmoil and hardship in my life, but the one thing I have never lacked were my needs such as water, food, shelter, and at least enough money to pay all my bills and such. The reason I have this here as a sin confession is because I never truly saw it this way until I read this verse. I never truly thanked You for always watching over my journey in this life and ensuring I never lacked anything I needed. Please forgive me for my selfishness, Father, in thinking that I was doing this alone. Forgive me for my selfishness in never truly thanking You for literally everything in my 40-year life. Thank You for always being there with me even if I was stubborn and disobedient. Thank You for always ensuring my needs were met, even if I did not show gratitude towards You in the moment. Thank You, Father!
PROMISE (verse 31): This was a promise to Your people that was coming to fruition. You promised them their own land, but there was a lengthy journey that had to take place before the promise could be fulfilled. This journey included many tests of their faith along the way, which they had to pass for the promise to be fulfilled. Eventually, they did make it to the place You had promised them and You spoke to Moses that You had begun to give them the land and now they just needed to take possession of it. This reminds me that not all promises, like that of Jesus being our salvation, come with zero strings attached. Many promises which You give us actually require us to pass a test of obedience first, typically through some type of action steps on our side of things. This doesn’t mean You don’t fulfill Your promises, as You have proven many times that You do. What this means is that with some of Your promises You don’t want to just give that huge reward out to just anyone, so You want us to earn the blessing of a promise fulfilled, in a sense. Help me to live my life in a way that I am faithful and obedient to You, Father, so that any promises You make to me I am able to truly earn along the way.
ATTITUDE (verse 7): I have to go back to this verse for my attitude journal today, Father. Such a simple verse that doesn’t even have anything to do with me, but at the same time has everything to do with me. I am so grateful for all You have done for me, but I am horrible at embracing and living in an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude towards You, towards my wife, towards my children, and towards those around me. I don’t know why I am horrible at this, even though I know I’ve gotten better lately. Help me to learn how to live in an attitude of gratitude Your way, Father, so that as I walk this life I can relay Your Spirit of gratitude towards others by default instead of trying to force it in a sense. Help me to truly embrace an attitude of gratitude in my heart, Father, so that I am always defaulting to that when speaking to others, especially You and my family.
COMMAND (verses 13, 24): I find this interesting that once again You are repeating Yourself with the same two words. These two words are related to something You had promised someone but are requiring them to take action on first. The words You use again are “get up.” This isn’t necessarily always the physical act of getting up like the lame man by the well. What it means is that You require us to take literal action on something in order to bring a promise or goal to fruition. If the Jews wanted their land, they’d need to “get up” to search for it and then take it. If the man who sat next to the well for years wanted to walk, he needed to “get up” and walk. Help me to “get up” more in my life than I have been, Father, so that as I mature in my faith I will also begin to know and take action on the things You want from me and expect of me.
EXAMPLE (verses 1-2): I find this interesting because it alludes to God’s timing on the things in my life. Moses writes that they had been walking around the hill country of Seir for many days, then he hears from You that they had been travelling the hill country long enough and that it’s time to turn north. God knew exactly where they needed to go, when they needed to go there, and at what pace they needed to get there. God also knew the heart of man and our frequent impatience and control issues, so You didn’t reveal this to them at first. I like that You withhold so much from me, Father, because I know I wouldn’t be able to truly handle the entire story without putting some type of my own control and impatience into the mix. I know I would screw up Your master plan if I was given the entire script. Thank You for holding back, Father, and only revealing to me what needs to be revealed based on Your divine timing.
*DAILY NOTE: Another day in the Old Testament and another amazing story on this journey which Moses is taking Your people on by Your direct guidance. I am grateful for the conviction You spoke to me through verse 7 here. I know it wasn’t written directly about me, but I feel it was written directly to me at least for today. There are so many struggles I’ve had in my life, yet the basic needs in a first-world country like the US were always met. Yeah, I had it quite rough as a kid and didn’t have pretty much any of the “niceties” many of my friends had, but I was always fed, I always had clothes to wear, I always had a home to live in, and I always had a bed to sleep in. Was my life perfect by any stretch of the imagination? Definitely not, but I am truly grateful for You getting me through all of the turmoil and always being there for me, Father, even when I wasn’t looking for You. Thank You for today’s amazing quiet time, Father, and for the convictions, wisdom, and joy You’ve placed on my heart today through this chapter.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
Comments