Intercede for Others

There are times when we there is a need for intercession. I am not always able to speak for myself in situations. An example is in the court of law, I am not a lawyer and would need someone to intercede with the court on my behalf.

With the LORD the same is needed in some situations. There are those that may not know that they are in need of help from the LORD. As such, Christians have a responsibility to help them out through intercession. Abraham understood this as the LORD was going to bring destruction to Sodom. The city was corrupt in many ways and God was going to deal with it with total destruction. Abraham began speaking with the LORD on their behalf.

“²²So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. ²³Then Abraham drew near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?’” – Genesis 18:22-24 (ESV)

Now, Abraham was being a bit selfish in his request as Lot, his grandson, was in the city of Sodom. But, even with that fact, Abraham started big asking for the LORD to spare the city if 50 were found to be righteous. And, the LORD agreed. And so Abraham kept with the negotiating and took things down to 10 righteous to save the city from destruction and the LORD agreed to the terms.

Now, the LORD knew that there were not 10 righteous in the city, yet He was willing to negotiate with Abraham because He knew his heart. Abraham knew Lot was there and I believe that although Lot was of the family of Abraham, there was no guarantee that the LORD found him righteous and Abraham was taking a flier to get some relief for them. Lot did not know what was coming and Abraham was interceding on his behalf.

There is another thing that I see here. The LORD listens to our requests and does as we ask, when it comes from our heart. In the complete passage, Genesis 18:22-33, God does not deny the request of Abraham. He listens to his heart and allows for the negotiation to take place. Here we find the dynamic of asking and you shall receive. Abraham asked and the LORD granted. It was the prayer of Abraham in intercession for the people of Sodom and the LORD listened.

I have to remember that my prayer is not just for me. I will need to intercede for others to gain, even when they are not even knowing or aware of their need. I am to come to the LORD with my open heart for others and ask the LORD for reprieve in specific ways.

When you pray, what are your prayers? Are you praying for your own wants and needs? What if you were to take the approach of intercession for others from your heart, knowing that God is listening and will grant your request?

Nothing is Too Big for God

Did you know that there is nothing impossible or too big for God? I keep having to remind myself that whatever God want to happen, will happen. We see miracles in the world all the time, and some of them may be explained through science (even though God controls it all even the science). And a good amount of miracles we come across are chalked up as luck (even though it is not luck and is all part of God’s plan).

“¹⁵And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’ ¹⁷Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’” – Genesis 17:15-17 (ESV)

Yes, you read that right, Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 yrs old and they were to have a child together. Another miracle that only God can make happen. Luck could not be, and the science does not add up. Only God could do such a thing as this.

Notice that even the man that followed God’s direction to leave his home and traverse to a land he did not know. The man that trusted God to lead him and trusted where he was being led was taken aback that God would give him a son by His wife that had not been able to do so for all these years. Abraham was astonished.

But, nothing is too big for God. If God wants it to happen, it will happen. Abraham is not out of bounds to be skeptical and when I look at myself, I see a lot of the same in me around this area. Abraham was not disobedient to God’s Word, but he worked to understand. His ability to have a conversation with God allowed him to get to the bottom of things and trust that God would do as He said.

In this world as in heaven, God’s will be done. We may not recognize that it is His doing, but it is. The science may work to explain some things away (remember God controls the science), and things may be counted as lucky (remember everything is of God’s planning). But ultimately God will do what God will do and nothing is too big for Him.

What is/has gone on in your life? Are you attributing those to the science or to luck? What if you looked at them as God done, knowing that nothing is too big for God?

There are Actions Required on Our End

I am continuing my study of the word “will” and am allowing God to lead me to what it is He would have me learn. This morning He has placed on my heart that I have actions to demonstrate my alignment and obedience with Him.

In Genesis, God made a covenant with Abraham to make him the “father of a multitude of nations”. God promised to make Abraham great and that great would extend into his immediate family and beyond.

“⁴’Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.’” – Genesis 17:4-6 (ESV)

All of this was provided by God to the man who He was pleased with. God took big action in the covenant with Abraham as we would expect Him to do. But, what about the other side of the covenant. After all, a covenant is an agreement between two or more.

Covenant: “1: a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement 2a: a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action” – Merriam-Webster Online

So for the covenant to be active, there is action needed from both sides, and God had laid out His part. There is the obvious action from Abraham to seek and follow the LORD always, but there was also action to demonstrate understanding and obedience.

“¹⁰This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹²He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,” — Genesis 17:10-12 (ESV)

And there is the action, circumcision. And not just for the future generations, but of Abraham and all in his house at the time. The LORD required bold action from Abraham to demonstrate he was all in with his side of the covenant with the LORD.

We have actions we are required to take in our relationship with the LORD. I have to remember this as there is a part of me that prays and waits for the LORD to fulfill. When in a lot, if not most of my requests, there is action needed on my end to demonstrate my obedience to Him. I may not be asked to circumcise those in my house, but there is action, bold action required of me.

What is your view of your relationship with the LORD? Are you of the mindset that God is there to do all the work at your request? What if you were to take bold action as a demonstration of obedience to Him and to fulfill you end of the agreement?

We Submit to God’s Will

It is hard. Submitting to God’s will that is. There are times when it is very difficult to see His will as it is obscured by the circumstances of the moment. Let’s take Hagar for instance.

“⁶But Abram said to Sarai, ‘Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.’ Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.” – Genesis 16:6 (ESV)

Hagar was a servant of Sarai and at the direction of Sarai, became the wife of Abram. They conceived a child and Sarai was none to happy, even though that was the plan in the first place. Hagar was in a difficult position and as such decided to flee the scene as she was unable to see just what the blessing and will of God was to be. Hagar had submitted to authority of her master and was put in a position that she was not necessarily prepared to handle.

That is when Hagar met up with the angel of the LORD and her eyes were opened to His will. The angel of the LORD let her know that where the times were going to be difficult, big plans for her and her child were to come. Hagar was to return to Sarai and Abram, give birth to the child and watch as he would be the beginning of a great number of descendants.

“⁹The angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Return to your mistress and submit to her.’ ¹⁰The angel of the Lord also said to her, ‘I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.’” – Genesis 16:9-10 (ESV)

The situation had gotten in the way of Hagar seeing the will of the LORD. She submitted to the will of her master, but had not found the way to submit to her ultimate master, the LORD. Once she found herself alone with her thoughts, the angel of the LORD came to her and she was able to see the will of the LORD and found it to be wonderful, even if it would take time to play out.

I have to remember that I must submit to the LORD. He is my Father and master and His will is to be done. For me to be opened to His will, I have to be alone with my thought and allow the angel of the LORD to come to me and open my eyes to the LORD’s will. And then I will submit to His will to carry it out regardless of the time it takes.

What is you view on the LORD’s will? Are you willing to submit to His will, or are you even able to identify it? What if you were to find some alone time and allow the angel of the LORD to come to you and open your eyes to His will and then you submit to it more than you have submitted to your masters in this world?

The LORD Will Make You

Patience is a virtue as noted by William Langland in his poem “Piers Plowman”. And this is certainly true when following the LORD. The LORD says in His word that He will do or it will be given, but He does not indicate when. As with Abram and the LORD telling him to leave his home and that he would be made great.

“¹Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ²And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” – Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)

The LORD told Abram to go and that at some point he would be made great. No mention of when, no mention of anything additional that was needed, just go and do. And so he did.

“⁴So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” – Genesis 12:4 (ESV)

Notice even here the age of Abram at the time. He had lived a pretty full life, reaching the age of 75 (at least by today’s life expectancy). Yet, he obeyed the LORD and went. He trusted that what the LORD was telling him was indeed what He was going to do. He was not concerned with the timing of things, only that the LORD was going to do that which He promised.

Do we trust and obey as Abram did? I wonder every day if I really do. I think about my Bible Study and the learning of God’s Word and the impact that it has on my life. I wonder if I am doing all that I am supposed to do as I have not seen great and overt reward from the LORD to this point. I wonder if I ever will experience the reward the LORD promises. Then, I think about the promise.

The LORD has promised eternity and glory in heaven. I am not there yet. I will be. And when I get there, I will be rewarded with all that He has promised. He promised and He will deliver. The LORD will make me into what He has promised, I have to remember the promise and that everything is in His time and not my own. Patience is a virtue and with the LORD, I have to remember that patience and know that I may not receive right now, but I will be made by the LORD in His time.

What is your view of being made by God? Are you impatient with what you are to receive? What if you remembered the promise of the LORD and remained patient for His actions to make you?

God Will Remember

Have you ever taken the action to tie a piece of string in a bow to your finger to remember something. This string is a reminder that there is something to remember. Do you know or remember that God created a bow to remember?

“¹³I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” – Genesis 9:13-16 (ESV)

God destroyed the earth and everything on it through the flood. And then, He made a covenant with Noah that He would not do it again. And as a reminder, the LORD put the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of the covenant He made with Noah, so that when He would see it, He would remember.

We need reminders to keep us grounded and back on track. God placed the rainbow in the sky to remind Himself and we should have reminders as well. It is easy for us to forget things as we get distracted by all that is going on. It is these distractions that the evil one is counting on. It is up to us with the help of the LORD to get rid of the distractions and stay on task for the LORD.

I have to, as I do in the mornings, devote myself to time with God so that I can learn from Him. I must dedicate myself to the time with Him to ensure that I do not forget Him. I need the constant reminder of His power and glory in my life and the life of the world. Days like this morning and remembering the covenant God made with Noah and the rainbow reminder are anchors to keep me with the LORD all the day.

The LORD has a reminder of the destruction He rained on the world and that He has promised not to do again. We need reminders as well. One of those is to make time to be in the Word of God to study and learn of the ways He is working for our good.

What is your thought on reminders? Are you hoping that you will just remember things? What if, like the LORD, you used reminders of the LORD’s work to keep you tracking in His Will?

God Will Provide All That We Need

It is one thing to know that God will provide, it is something else to see it demonstrated. This morning I continue my study on the word “will” and was brought to the passage of “Noah and the Flood” (the title in my ESV Bible). Here is the passage of Noah and his charge from God to be the survivor of the LORD’s destruction of the earth and all that is on it.

“¹³And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth ¹⁴Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.’” – Genesis 6:13-14 (ESV)

God told Noah to build an ark for himself. If Noah is building an ark for himself, that would stand to reason that Noah would survive the destruction. So as I have read and written, God was going to reset and Noah would be the starting point. Noah had found favor with God and he would be spared.

Where this is nice that God tasked Noah with building an ark for his survival, and it does demonstrate God’s provision, it is bigger and more detailed. You see, God provides “all” that we will need. Where there may be times that He gives us the overarching theme of what we are to do and then we are to work it out on our own, God will, when the need is there, provide all the details as He does with Noah here.

“¹⁵This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. ¹⁶Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.” – Genesis 6:15-16 (ESV)

God gives Noah the blueprints to follow in the building of the ark. All of the details are provided and not just the grand plan in this instance. As we go on in the passage, the LORD gives more detail as to what to include in the ark and what purpose it all has. And God guides Noah through the entire process. All the way to when to enter the ark, when the rains would come, and for how long they would be.

I struggle with the plans the LORD has for me in that I am not always sure where to begin, how to proceed, and how things will end. This morning I have been reminded that not being sure is okay. God will provide what I need when I need it and if the details are required, He will provide it all.

What are your thought on God’s provision? Do you expect that you will always have to figure things out? What if you approached God’s provision with the understanding that He will provide all that is needed in each instance?

We May Need a Reset

One of the first things that is done when something is not working as planned is to reset or restart the thing. Whether it is restarting a computer, unplugging and plugging back in the appliance, taking a mulligan on the golf course, or maybe just walking away for a moment to clear the mind. Each of these are ways to reset that may be needed to get things going again. Even God had a moment of needing a reset.

“⁶And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” – Genesis 6:6-7 (ESV)

I know what you might be thinking, as I was thinking the same, did God make a mistake by creating man? NO, He did not as God does not make mistakes. As we have free will, we will continually sin and make mistakes and that makes the LORD sad. In this instance, there was way too much sin in the world and God knew that the only way to rid of it all was to start over. The plan and creation did not change, God was just so sorrowful that resetting was the only way to rid of the sin of the time.

Just like resetting or restarting something in our lives, the LORD would reset things through extreme discipline, wiping out all of man and beast. But, as we read in verses 8 and 9, the LORD would start over with a partner in this world, Noah.

“⁸But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. ⁹These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” – Genesis 6:8-9 (ESV)

I guess you could say that Noah was kind of like the Adam of this new time. He was the man starting point with regard to the reset. He was “righteous” and “blameless”. Noah was regarded as a man in the image of God. As you read and know the story of Noah and the Ark, you see that Noah was the guardian of man and beast for the reset. If not found in the Ark, destruction was sure to be had, and you were wiped out.

I see here that with every reset there is a place or something needed to start. God was resetting and found an anchor to get things started. He found Noah. As noted, Noah was righteous. This gives hope for me. I can choose to take righteous action and God can declare me righteous. If there is another time of needed reset, it could be me that is called on to be a part of that reset.

But, for that to be, I have to do my part and follow God wherever He would have me go, and do whatever He would have me do. God gives us a chance to reset our lives through the acceptance of salvation. Jesus died so we do not have to. We are washed clean thanks to His blood shed for my sake. I get to reset with God.

What is your view on resets? Do you see yourself with the opportunity to reset? What if you were to accept the grace and salvation offered and start over with God as your anchor in your reset?

Discipline Is Not the End

Get in trouble and face discipline. And then get in trouble again and face discipline. At some point we learn and stay away from trouble. But see the pattern here, discipline is not the end of it all. This is something that Cain learned from God after killing his brother Abel.

“¹³Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’ ¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, ‘Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.’” – Genesis 4:13-15 (ESV)

Cain was being disciplined for the act of killing His brother and sinning against God. He was sure that this would be the end and he would surely die soon at the hand of God or some other party. Well, I can say that I would likely be thinking the same thing. I know that even now when I sin, I expect the worst and that things may come to an end.

But what do we see from God, mercy. Was God angry with Cain, sure. Was God right in disciplining Cain for the sin, of course. Was God well within Himself to make this the end of Cain, I believe so. But, God did not make this the end, in fact when you look at verse 15, God went forward with ensuring Cain’s protection that he would continue and bear fruit for the LORD.

I see this morning that sin is not the end. When we are repentant, the LORD will show mercy to us, forgive us, and protect us for His good work. So the discipline is there to strengthen us that we would go forward having learned from the instance and do the work of God.

What is your view of discipline? Do you see it as the end of all things? What if you were to recognize it for the learning and growth opportunity that is provides in your walk with Christ?

The LORD Disciplines All

I am again in the passage from Genesis known as “The Fall”. This is the story of the serpent deceiving the woman to eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and feeding Adam. Where there is a lot to the story, I would focus this morning on the discipline God passes to each of those involved.

“¹⁴The Lord God said to the serpent,…

‘¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.’”

“¹⁶To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,

but he shall rule over you.”

“¹⁷And to Adam he said,

‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

“You shall not eat of it,”

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.’”

— Genesis 3:14a & 15-18 (ESV)

Notice here that all involved in “The Fall” were counted as responsible and were disciplined by God. First, the serpent who started it all was dealt with most harshly. The serpent was separated from man who there was a relationship before. We don’t know the full extent of the relationship, yet there was one as there was with all that were created by God. The positive relationship was removed and the serpent would be forever believed to be evil.

Next there was the woman. She was responsible for being deceived. She made the decision to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. She chose to sin and her discipline was to be more conscious of childbirth and continue to be at odds with her husband who would now be counted as the ruler of the household.

And then there is Adam. When reading the story, it appears as though he might be in the clear as he may not have know where the fruit came from. Except, as noted quickly at the end of verse 6, he was with her at the time. Adam was disciplined to work the ground for his food as opposed to having things handed to him by God. He would now be subject to hard labor and know that it was labor whereas before, it was just work done to manage the garden.

Regardless of the scenario, there is discipline to be had by all. Whether the starter of it (the serpent) the receiver (the woman) or the apparent bystander (Adam). God will discipline all. There are consequences to any and everything that goes on. What I have to remember is that where there are consequences, they are there for me learn and grow in the LORD.

What scenarios have you been in where you are one of the three identified? Are you thinking that somehow you are immune from discipline? What if you were to take on that the LORD will discipline all, and that discipline is for our good?