Speak and Ask From the Heart

Ask of the LORD and He will provide. The thing is, that ask should be from the heart and not from the head. This morning I am reminded of this again as I read in the book of 1 Samuel.

“¹³Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard.” and “²⁰And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked for him from the Lord.’” – 1 Samuel 1:13 & 20 (ESV)

Hannah asked of the LORD from her heart and the He granted her ask. What a great God we have that He grants even the greatest of asks, for a child.

But, that ask was not for Hannah directly and was from the heart, and therefore the LORD was listening and granted the ask. When you review the rest of the passage we find that Hannah was asking for a child, yes, but she in her ask, she was also giving the child to the LORD, not just a gesture, but fully and completely to the LORD.

“¹¹And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’” and “²⁷For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. ²⁸Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” – 1 Samuel 1:11 & 27-28 (ESV)

Hannah asked for the child from the LORD with her heart and promised that when granted she would give the child to the LORD. This devotion to the LORD and not selfish ask is an example to me to do the same when asking of the LORD. I have to ask with my heart and with the intent to honor the LORD with the results of the LORD’s granting of my ask.

Where are your asks of the LORD coming from? Are they for your own selfish gain? What if you were to ask from the heart and devote to the LORD?

Devote to All the Family

“¹⁶But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.’” – Ruth 1:16 (ESV)

Here we find Ruth declaring her full devotion to Naomi. It seems like this would be the easy and normal thing, to devote yourself to someone fully. But, the context of the devotion is even more telling. Ruth was the daughter-in-law to Naomi and her husband had died, as had the husband of Naomi and the other daughter-in-law Orpah. There was nothing keeping them all together as the custom was for the daughter-in-law to return to their family, and Orpah did. Ruth however, overcame the custom and the peer pressure and remained devoted to Naomi.

This is the devotion we are to have to one another. My wife and I are in our 50s at this point in our lives. We love one another and are devoted to one another. If something were to happen to me, I would not expect Lori to devote herself to my mother or family as she has those of her own and I am sure that she would not expect that of me either. But, the love we have for one another is not just for one another. We love our families as our families and Lori’s mother is mine and my mother is hers. We are devoted to one another’s families as we are to our own.

The same is the case in our lives with Christ. We are a son and daughter of Christ and are devoted to Him and our extended Christian family as we are to one another. I will go where the Father sends me and Lori will do the same. When it comes to our relationship with Christ, Ruth does put it best in verse 16 above.

What does your devotion look like? Are you committed for the short while? What if your were fully devote to one another and to the LORD as Ruth describes in verse 16 above?

Who will You Choose to Serve

What is at the top of your priority list? Monitory wealth, health, fun, family, God, work? What is it that when listed out, falls at the top of the list? This is what you serve. It is a misconception that you can have it both ways. We are only able to serve one and that would be the one at the top of the list.

“²⁴No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

Notice in the title of this post I have mentioned the idea of choosing. Yes, you and I have the ability to choose what is at the top of the list of priorities to serve. The list I mentioned is just a short one and is not all inclusive, but serves to show that there are lots of competing priorities in our lives. It is up to us to choose the one that is at the top of the list.

“¹⁵And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

Here Joshua is speaking with the people of Israel and advising them of service. They have come in contact with a number of gods over their time and lineage. He is not telling them they “have” to follow the LORD. He is advising that they do have free will to choose. But, their choice should be made and they should not be uncommitted to one or the other, while providing for them his choice to serve the LORD.

We likewise have the choice. The LORD provided us with free will. He allowed for you and me to choose from all of those competing priorities in our lives. Where they are important, they all cannot be the most important thing, for if they are all of the same importance then none of them are of importance at all. There must be that one that is found at the top of the list that we will ultimately serve regardless of the other priorities that come up.

I choose to serve the LORD and will rely on Him for all. Yes, I will continue to have other things that are on my list, but regardless of what those are, they fall 2^nd and below to my service to the LORD. I know that my service to the LORD will lead to that grand inheritance in heaven and that what He has for me in this world comes as a result of my service to Him.

What do you choose? Are you looking at all of your priorities and placing one at the top of the list? What if you were to choose to serve the LORD first and foremost and placed all the rest of your priorities 2^nd and below on the list?

Even Late in the Game, There is More to Do

I have long believed that one should give everything they have at all times. In sports, even in a blowout, both teams should give 100% all the way to the final bell. It might be with the third team players, but those third team players should be give 100%.

This was the LORD’s approach with his work as well. Noah was around 500 yrs old when he started building the ark. Abraham was 100 yrs old when Isaac was born. Moses was 80 yrs old when he was called by God. And Joshua was old as the LORD indicated to Him there was more to do.

“¹Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.” – Joshua 13:1 (ESV)

The LORD will continue calling on us regardless of our age or season in this world. I find myself at this point to be in my 50s. Where I am not old by the standards of the age, I am not young either. But, the LORD is not through with me. I have more work to do that I am not even aware of at this point. I even have plenty of time to do the work (the LORD may have 100 more years in store for me). The thing is that no matter where I am in the game, I have to continue working as the LORD has more for me to accomplish. I have to give 100% to the final bell.

How much are you giving to the final bell? Do you find yourself letting up as you get older? What if you took the approach that there is always more to accomplish in God’s plan and that He is not through with you just yet?

The LORD is with Me Just as He was with Those Before Me

This morning I am reminded that the LORD is with me. Not just with me, but with me as He was with those that came before me. I am take back to the night that 3 men of the church came to the home of Lori and I. We sat in the living room talking and they conducted an interview of Lori and me for the role of deacon of the church. These men were deacons themselves and, of age, they were of a generation before me. Lori and I were taken aback at the thought of us being deacons for the church. We were not of a “right old age”. We did not see ourselves as spectacularly known members of the community. We were ordinary children of God doing the work He had for us when it was presented to us. But God had a plan for us.

“⁵No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.” – Joshua 1:5 (ESV)

You see, God would be with us as He was with those who came to our home. God knew the status of our heart and that we were ready to begin His work in the church. And He knew that we were mature in Him even when we did not know it ourselves. He had prepared us for this time and was with us the whole time. The deacons before us were wise and tested. They were, in some cases the same men from when I was a bed baby in the church. I had learned from them and had demonstrated to them through my actions, that I and we were servants of the LORD. We were not doing so for our own gain, but for the good of the church.

The LORD was using Lori and I in ways that we were not even aware at the time. So the LORD made it so that we would be leaders in role and not just action for Him. He brought us to the role He had for us and at the time when was good for He, the church, and us. The LORD would be with us from before that time, during that time, and into today.

As for today, the LORD is still with us. Lori is the reliable servant in the children’s department at our church. I am now the generation before those in my discipleship group. We are those of before, demonstrating the LORD being with that the LORD will be with those who come after us.

It is quite something to see and experience that Lori and I are now those who are preparing those who come after us. Where I do not see us as being the mature brother and sister in Christ, I do see where those that come after us will look to us for guidance as they grow in Christ themselves. It is now our role to let them know that the LORD will be with them just as He is with us.

What are your thoughts on your station in the LORD? Are you wondering if the LORD is or will be with you? What if you took it upon you that the LORD will be with you just as He is/was with those that came before you?

The LORD Provides Leaders

Yes, the LORD will provide the leaders of the church and elsewhere.

“¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” – Deuteronomy 18:18 (ESV)

The people of Israel had Moses to lead them out of Egypt. As his time grew to an end, the LORD let known that He would provide leadership for them afterward. This leader would come from the people and he would speak the Word of the LORD as Moses did.

This demonstrates that God has a plan for us and will provide what we need, when we need. In this case the need would be leadership. God chose the next leader for the people prior to the need for him to take over. This would allow for the smooth and efficient transition from Moses to the next and it would all be as he LORD had intended.

I have experienced this myself a number of years ago. I was a member of the pastor search committee in our church. As committee members, we had reviewed all the applicants and even went to visit one at his current church. After offering to position, he turned us down. We continued to pray that God would provide the right pastor for his church and we kept coming back to the one. So we contacted him and he accepted. This was the man provided by God for our church when we needed him.

The LORD does not just provide for our physical needs. He provides for all of our needs. His provision even extends into the people needed in our lives.

When was the last time someone was provided for you? Are you even aware that the LORD will provide even the right people? What if you gave yourself fully to the LORD with the knowledge that He will provide all that you need when you need, even the people you need?

We are Chosen

Chosen as the people of God.

“⁶For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” – Deuteronomy 7:6 (ESV)

Here we see the designation of chosen to the Israelite people. They were chosen to receive the promised land and were blessed beyond what they could imagine.

“¹³He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.” – Deuteronomy 7:13 (ESV)

As the chosen of the LORD, there was bounty given. And the people would experience great. The journey to this point was long and hard and those who were rescued from Egypt gave way to their families to come to experience the promised land. But, as the chosen people, the Israelite people would receive the LORD’s bounty.

And we are God’s chosen people as well. We all have the opportunity to accept Christ as our savior and when we do, we are added as heirs in heaven.

“¹³For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” – Romans 10:13 (ESV)

And yes, we ALL have the opportunity. We are chosen by God to receive His gift of salvation and we will receive His bounty. We have to reach out and ask for the gift and then not only are we given it, but we have to receive it. In other words I have to be sincere and treasure the gift of salvation and devote myself to the LORD in return.

When I do accept the gift of salvation and devote myself to the LORD, as the Israelite people were instructed, I will receive the gift fully. It will be demonstrated that I have been chosen by the LORD as His and my reward will be great.

We are chosen to be the people of God. We do however have to accept the gift of salvation for that to be demonstrated to the world. Wholly and fully we are to accept Him and devote ourselves to Him, and we are rewarded.

What is your thought on being chosen? Are you know that you are chosen? What if you looked at it from the perspective that you are chosen, but you do have to ask for salvation, and then receive the gift fully to demonstrate that you are chosen?

Seek the LORD Again

I will disobey the LORD. There, I said it. I have to remind myself daily that this is going to happen. And I am not alone and it has been this way since Adam and Eve in the garden.

This morning I was reminded this form the passage I am in from Deuteronomy. I am in chapter 4 with all of the commands and calls for obedience. I see that the people were given instruction to not worship idols, and if they did, they would be driven across the land and perish. There they would continue to worship idols.

“²⁶I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. ²⁷And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. ²⁸And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.” – Deuteronomy 4:26-28 (ESV)

See that in worshiping idols away from the land they were promised yields nothing for them. These idols do nothing for the people. They are left to doing things on their own and realize that it is the LORD who was providing for them and not the idols they were worshiping. So, they turn back to the LORD.

“²⁹But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice.” – Deuteronomy 4:29-30 (ESV)

The same can be and is available for me. I will disobey the LORD. But, I have the opportunity to turn back to and obey Him. I will sin and yet He is there waiting for me to repent and turn back to Him where He accepts me with open arms.

“³¹For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.” – Deuteronomy 4:31 (ESV)

I have to admit that I will disobey the LORD. I also have to remember that He knows and will wait on me to realize my disobedience and repent and return to Him. I will seek Him again and He is ready for my return.

What are your thoughts on disobeying the LORD? Are you willing to admit it and are you worried you can’t come back from that disobedience? What if you realized that you will disobey and know that you can come back through realizing, repenting, and seeking the LORD once again?

No Stopping God’s Will

The Israelite people were headed to the promised land. They were following the path that the LORD had for them. Nothing was getting in their way or would stop them.

“²¹Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, ²²’Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.’ ²³But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.” – Numbers 21:21-23 (ESV)

Sihon would not let Israel pass through his land. Think about this, they would be on the “highway” which had been established as a trade route. Israel did the decent thing of asking for permission to pass through on that highway and Sihon said no. Now, yes the Israeli group was a rather large one, but, they indicated to stay on the road and even asked. Sihon not only said no, but went out to destroy Israel as well.

This is where we find that the LORD will not be stopped.

“²⁴And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. ²⁵And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.” – Numbers 21:24-25 (ESV)

Sihon came to destroy God’s people and instead was destroyed.

I have to remember that when I am in God’s Will and doing that which He has for me to accomplish, He will not be stopped or defeated. I may not see the end result in the moment as Israel was turned away to take another route. But, stopping God’s Will is not going to happen. God will provide the way to complete the task He has for us whether to go around the obstacle that is presented or, as with the case of the Israelites, He will take us through the obstacle. The ultimate thing to remember is that there is no stopping God’s Will.

What happens when you encounter obstacles? Do you work hard to find a way through them on your own? What if you focused on God’s Will and realized that there is no stopping His Will?

Careful What You Ask for, You Might Just Get It

Isn’t that the point. Asking for something and expect to receive it. I would think so. But, what if I received and was not really as happy about it as I thought I would be.

This is what happened to the Israelite people with the LORD. You see, God provided manna for them to each when they were in need. They were satisfied from a consumption of sustenance perspective. They had even gotten to the point of not just consuming it, but they were making bread cakes with the manna to mix it up as opposed to just eating what was provided. But, as is the case even today, they developed a lack of contentment and began complaining about not having meat to eat.

Aren’t we that way as well. We have what is needed, a house, a car, food, work. And yet, even with all of that, we still want, a bigger/better house, a newer/more expensive car, elegant food, high paying job. We lose our contentment as we desire for things that are “better”. We had found a way to make due with what we had and yet, we continue asking for more.

Well, God heard the people and decided to give them what they ask for.

“¹⁸And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat.’” – Numbers 11:18 (ESV)

And just like that, the people would have what they were asking. The LORD was providing for them as they had requested. And doesn’t that happen for us as well. We ask the LORD and He provides, even to the tune of what we want.

But, the LORD was teaching them a lesson at the same time.

“¹⁹You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, ²⁰but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ‘Why did we come out of Egypt?’” “33While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague.– Numbers 11:19-20 & 33 (ESV)

And there it is. The LORD provides in so much bounty that it would consume them entirely. The people got what they wanted and even more. The more was not expected, but they got it anyway. The LORD provided the meat for them and in true human nature they consumed it to the point of gluttony.

Aren’t we very much the same today. We ask for things from the LORD and He provides and we simply consume without the appreciation for it. We only become gluttonous. We cannot get enough of what we ask and turn away from the LORD in the process.

I have to remember that it is not what I have that makes me who I am. It is being content that what I have is enough. It is okay and encouraged to ask for things from the LORD. He wants us to ask and even tells us to do so. But it is the why we are asking that is important to remember, not the what we are asking. I have to remember that it is about needs and not wants. I have to remember to be content in the provision of the LORD. I have to be careful asking, as I may just get it.

What are you asking for from the LORD? Are you asking out of want and find yourself gluttonous? What if you kept you asks to your needs and when provided, were thankful and generous to others with what you receive?