Today’s reading is 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18, Acts 28:1-31, Psalm 9:1-12, Proverbs 19:1-3.

Today, I am still thinking about the story of Hezekiah we read last week.  You remember the one, don’t you?  Hezekiah is listed among the “good” kings–and there weren’t very many of those.  He was a king of Judah, during the time of the divided kingdom.  This is what scripture says about him.

⁵ Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. ⁶ He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. ⁷ And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

                                                                                                2 Kings 18:5-7

But, just because you are good does not mean you escape the difficulties of the world or the discipline of the Lord.  Good is not perfect.  Good is truly not good enough.  That is why we need Jesus and His finished work in order to please God, in order to be all that we were created to be, and in order to ultimately spend our eternity in heaven.  Jesus lets us tap into His perfection.  What love!  What grace!

Even still, we are not home yet.  The major spiritual life and death issues are no longer a problem for us when we decide to trust and follow the Lord.  However, we still live in a fallen world.  We still live in a broken reality of heartache, trouble, sickness, disease, and physical death.  Our “goodness” does not change that.  I believe wholeheartedly that God can and often does physically heal us.  He is the Great Physician.  He may use modern medicine.  I am married to a doctor, and believe that this is my husband’s ministry.  I believe God uses him to heal.  But sometimes, modern medicine can’t do for us what we desire.  And in those cases, I truly believe that God can miraculously heal.  I have seen it in my own family. Such was the case in the story of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah was told he was going to die.  He was told to get his affairs in order.  He was told that his earthly hopes and dreams and desires were going to end—and very soon.  And what did Hezekiah do?  He turned his face to the wall.

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³ “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

                                                                                                2 Kings 20:1-3

He turned his face to the wall to block out all distractions, all speculations, all opinions, all gossip, all words from others.  He turned his face to the wall so that all was blocked out and he was alone, face to face with his God.  He turned his face to the wall as an act of faith, as a display of his trust in God alone.  He did not seek the advice, opinion, or even comfort of others.  He went straight to the Lord.  And God heard.  And God healed.  Hezekiah was given 15 extra years to live.  And he was promised peace in those years.

I think it is important to point out that Hezekiah did eventually die–fifteen years later.  God numbers our days, as well as the hair on our head.  I have seen God miraculously heal, and I have seen people die despite my fervent prayers.  Even if He does not answer as we ask, as we desire, He is still a good God, a good Father.  He still heals, and the ultimate healing for a believer is eternal life.  And whether he heals physically or not, we still turn our face to the wall, seeking Him alone, trusting in Him alone.

I have never had a life-threatening illness.  But there have been many times I turned my face to the wall.  There have been many seasons of worry and fear and poor prognosis of various situations in my life.  There have been many times that I have turned my face to the wall, knowing that my help could only come from the Lord–that if a situation would turn out well, it would only do so through the help and strength of the Lord.  There have been many times that I declared aloud, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Mark 10:27

Do you have an overwhelming situation?  Do you have a struggle, an addiction, a broken relationship, a broken heart?  Are you sick or angry or bitter or afraid?  If so, turn your face to the wall.  Trust only in God.  Turn only to Him.  Block out everything else and seek Him and His comfort.  Seek Him and live—live peacefully, confidently, and powerfully.

Those who trust in the Lord will not be disappointed.  (Isaiah 49:23)

Today’s reading is 2 Kings 13:1-14:29, Acts 18:23-19:12, Psalm 146:1-10, Proverbs 18:2-3.

Hello, Friends!  I’m back!  Yes, I am alive, and yes, I have continued our daily reading.  So many good accounts we have read, and at the same time, so many confusing stories!  I have learned a lot, have been reminded of a lot, but for some reason have not been able to write it down.  Please pray for me about that.  But today, as I was reading, I began to find some words to write about the truth I was reading.  I hope it makes sense to you, as it did to me.

Today’s reading finds us in the continued spot of a divided kingdom.  What was once called Israel has now been divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah.  Why were they divided?  The struggle between the tribes go back to the beginning of the creation of the tribes.  Think about the conflict the brothers witnessed growing up, as their mothers, Rachel and Leah, fought for the affection of their father, Jacob.  This conflict was passed down from generation to generations.

King David was able to unite the tribes for a short season, which was a reflection of the One to come through his lineage.  As we experience conflict among our “brothers”, both in our genetic family and in our spiritual family, only Jesus can bring unity.  Unity is a valuable attribute in the eyes of the Lord.  In His farewell prayer, known as His High Priestly prayer, Jesus asked very specific things.  Go back and read the prayer in John 17.

Here is the summary:  Jesus prayed knowing the hour had come.  He prayed that He would glorify the Father and that the Father would glorify the Son–that His completed work on earth would fulfill the purpose for which it was established—to bring glory to the Trinity.  Then, He turned His attention to the true believers.  He acknowledged that they belonged to the Lord, He asked that God would keep them from the evil one, He asked that they be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word, He asked that they be sent out as witnesses into the world.  And He asked one more very important thing:

Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 

                                                                        John 17:11

In verses 20-23, He reiterates and extends this prayer to us, the future generations:

²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 

Why should we be unified?  So that the world may know that God sent Jesus to prove His love for the world.  The division of Christian brothers and sisters will hinder this truth going forth.  The enemy loves to divide, for if he can divide us believers, he can conqueror.  But we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.  (Romans 8:37) As we fight for our unity in Christ, we will be MORE than conquerors.

What does this have to do with today’s text?  As previously stated, the people of God were divided between two kingdoms.  They were not unified.  There were legitimate reasons for this, but it is sad nonetheless.  What I noticed in the passage today was that when King Jehoash of Israel humbled himself to pay respect to the dying prophet, Elisha, Elisha prophesied victory of the king’s enemies.  But the victory was not in relation to victory over his brothers, but victory over the real enemy.

¹⁵ Elisha told him, “Get a bow and some arrows.” And the king did as he was told.¹⁶ Elisha told him, “Put your hand on the bow,” and Elisha laid his own hands on the king’s hands.

¹⁷ Then he commanded, “Open that eastern window,” and he opened it. Then he said, “Shoot!” So he shot an arrow. Elisha proclaimed, “This is the Lord’s arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek.”

What is my point?  We need to discern who our real enemy is.  We often live in conflict and misunderstanding among our brothers and sisters.  We think they are the enemy.  But the Word of God tells us the truth about that in Ephesians 6:

¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we^[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.^[e] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.^[f] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.^[g]

We must fight for our unity so that the world will know the truth about the love of God through Jesus, His Son.  We must fight the enemy, but realize that our enemy is not the “flesh and blood” of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Today, let’s fight for unity.  Let’s let the little things go.  Let’s resist bitterness and misunderstanding.  Let’s find unity so that we may effectively spread the truth of God’s love for the world.

Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 20:14-21:22, Acts 1:1-26, Psalm 121:1-8, and Proverbs 16:18.

Today we see David in battle with an old, familiar enemy.  Did you know that Goliath had a brother?  Yes, he did.  And David and his men had to come against him in battle once again.  That family of giants were quite the thorn in David’s side.  You would think that his victory over Goliath—you know, the one that made him famous in his youth, the one that displayed his faith in God, the one that thrust him into a position of honor and eventually to the position of king—would be enough.  You would think that God would have protected him from having to face that enemy again.  But He didn’t.  And we really don’t have any ground to stand on to argue the whys.  He is God and we are not.  Here is the passage to which I am referring.

¹⁵ Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted. ¹⁶ Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants^[d]; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds,^[e] and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him. ¹⁷ But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?”

¹⁸ After this, there was another battle against the Philistines at Gob. As they fought, Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of the giants.

¹⁹ During another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair^[f] from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath.^[g] The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam!

²⁰ In another battle with the Philistines at Gath, they encountered a huge man^[h]with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also a descendant of the giants. ²¹ But when he defied and taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimea.^[i]

²² These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.

We see that David is not quite the young, invincible man he was when he first encountered Goliath.  He was just healing from an extremely difficult, devastating and stressful situation.  He had been on the run, his son had betrayed him, then died, and he had to win back the loyalty of the tribe of Judah—his own tribe.  Things had not been easy for David.  And yet, the battles still raged.  He still had enemies to overcome—enemies that he perhaps thought were already taken care of.  But there were still four giants in the family of Goliath, his brother being one of them.

When he first encountered Goliath, he single-handedly defeated him with a slingshot and a stone.  But here we see that in the heat of the battle, David grows weak and exhausted.  He needs help this time.  And help quickly came.  God sent loyal men to help him fight.  And together, David and his warriors killed the family of Goliath.

What is the practical application here?

First of all, we are overcomers.  Scripture is very clear about that.  Sometimes, God will equip us to single-handedly overcome our enemies.  But sometimes, we grow weak and exhausted.  Sometimes, we need to reach out for help, knowing that we are better fighting together than fighting alone.  The enemy of our soul in no gentlemen.  He does not give us a break when we are having a hard time.  He does not show us mercy because we are weak and exhausted.  No, the enemy of our soul may see that as an opportunity to send in four giants, not just one.  But remember, we are overcomers.  God has given us authority, through the shed blood of Jesus, to overcome the enemy everytime.  When we are weak, God will send faithful ones to help us, support us, fight with us, or maybe fight for us when we can’t.  Our job is to accept their help, be honest about our need for help, lay down our self-sufficiency, and thank God for the blessing of fellowship and friendship.

Are you in need?  Reach out for help.  First, reach up to God, then reach out to others.  And remember:  we are overcomers.

Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23, John 18:25-19:22, Psalm 119:113-128, Proverbs 16:10-1.1

My heart goes out to King David.  He had to flee from home because his son, Absalom, betrayed him and led a successful coup.  He has declared himself king and David has had to flee in the night.  Not only has David been betrayed by his son, he has also been betrayed by the people who followed him, including at least one trusted advisor, Ahithophel.

One thing that caught my attention is that God is silent in this passage.  We don’t see him sending a message by way of prophet, nor writing a message on the wall.  We don’t see angels visiting David to assure him all is well.  Does this mean God has left David?  Does this mean God doesn’t care?  No, absolutely not.  God has always been faithful to David, even in His darkest hours, even in His moments of deepest sin.  Isn’t that what faith really is?  According to Hebrews 11:1,

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Let’s look at that verse in several translations and meditate on its truth:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

                                                                                                            NIV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

                                                                                                            RSV

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 

                                                                                                            NLT

Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

                                                                                                            AMP

Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see.

                                                                                                            PHILLIPS

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.

                                                                                                            MSG

The truth is, God is not always loud.  He often works in gentle whispers.  He often works in situations and through other people.  And these times of silence are for the strengthening of our faith.  These are the times we cling to truth because it is true, not because we feel it.  We put our full confidence in the hope of the promises of God because we believe they are true and worthy.

Faith is often fulfilling and joyful and upbeat and fun.  Faith is also silent and difficult and a struggle and may even threaten our core beliefs.  But we must hold on to the promises of God, even in the midst of the struggles.

Yesterday, I noticed which direction David was fleeing.  He was being forced back to the wilderness.  (2 Samuel 15: 23, 28) Back to the place where his ancestors wandered for 40 years.  He was being forced to exit the Promise land.  He walked that direction, weeping as he went, head covered and feet bare as a sign of mourning.  He was not trying to be stoic.  He was not hiding the fact that he was hurt and scared.  And in the midst of that time of grief, we see small evidences of what was unseen; the evidence that God was still there.  A faithful friend, willing to mourn alongside him; a kind servant providing him with practical food and provisions—these were all whisperings of God saying “I am still here.  I have not abandoned you.”  And we can be a part of God’s whisperings to others when we reach out to those in mourning.

There are many other observations and nuggets of truth in today’s passage, but let’s end with this one.  David went to the Mount of Olives, the place where people worshiped God on the way to the wilderness.  It was not an easy journey.  He had to climb to the summit of the Mount of Olives, and this journey was made even more difficult as he carried the great weight of grief.  But he went.  And it was there on the summit that he found the comfort of a faithful friend.  Going just beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, he was further comforted by the servant with practical provisions.

Do you feel you are headed to the wilderness?  Life sometimes forces us in that direction.  Do you feel that God is silent right now?  He is not really.  He has left us His Word as a comfort, His truth as a secure promise.  Go to the summit in the midst of your journey to the wilderness.  Go to worship God.  He is waiting and ready to show you encouragement.