My Daily Pause

Month: November 2011

  • 2 Kings 6:24 – 7:20 – How Does God’s Providence Work?

    2 Kings 6:24 – 7:20 – How Does God’s Providence Work?

    1 But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.”2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” – 2 Kings 7:1-2 ESV

    Our Lord has asked us to pray for what we need Matthew 7:7, and Paul tell us God is very generous to those who remember to call upon him (Romans 10:12).

    Have you ever felt like he doesn’t hear you? Better yet, have you ever realized a prayer was answered in a way you hadn’t planned?

    Here are just a couple of things about prayer we can observe in our Bibles:

    • There are three ways a prayer can be answered. Yes. No. Wait.
    • The answer may not always be a in neat package.
    • God expects us to trust him.

    Read how God provided food for his people in an extraordinary way (2 Kings 6:24-7:20) and then meditate today about how God has impacted you when least expected.

  • Proverbs 4:10-19 – Hold On To Wisdom

    Proverbs 4:10-19 – Hold On To Wisdom

     10 My child, listen and accept what I say.
    Then you will have a long life.
    11 I am guiding you in the way of wisdom,
    and I am leading you on the right path.
    12 Nothing will hold you back;
    you will not be overwhelmed.
    13 Always remember what you have been taught,
    and don’t let go of it.
    Keep all that you have learned;
    it is the most important thing in life.
    14 Don’t follow the ways of the wicked;
    don’t do what evil people do.
    15 Avoid their ways, and don’t follow them.
    Stay away from them and keep on going,
    16 because they cannot sleep until they do evil.
    They cannot rest until they harm someone.
    17 They feast on wickedness and cruelty
    as if they were eating bread and drinking wine.

    18 The way of the good person is like the light of dawn,
    growing brighter and brighter until full daylight.
    19 But the wicked walk around in the dark;
    they can’t even see what makes them stumble.     – Proverbs 4:10-19 NCV

    Chapter 4 begins with the father’s advice to Seek Wisdom and he continues on to advise his son to be diligent to retain it.

    Staying on the good and righteous way is contrasted with the pitfalls of being caught out on the dark paths. If you have ever been caught in the trap of one of the “major” sins you will have firsthand knowledge of the difficulty of repenting and putting it out of your life.

    In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus shows us the difficulty God’s word (the seed) has growing in those who are not receptive (rocky, shallow and thorny ground), but how bountiful it grows in those who are (good soil).

    The object then, is to tend to the good soil in our heart and soul by seeking wisdom through study and practice.

  • Proverbs 2:12-15 – Delivered From Evil

    Proverbs 2:12-15 – Delivered From Evil

     12 It will keep you from the wicked,
    from those whose words are bad,
    13 who don’t do what is right
    but what is evil.
    14 They enjoy doing wrong
    and are happy to do what is crooked and evil.
    15 What they do is wrong,
    and their ways are dishonest.     – Proverbs 2:12-15 NCV

    Proverbs 2 lists five fruits of wisdom. This third paragraph is about the evil that God’s word will deliver one from.

    Read about the first fruit, Finding God, here.

    Read about the second fruit, The Rewards of Wisdom here.

    Have you ever noticed that places where sinful things happen are usually in the dark? People have a built in desire to hide when they are doing something wrong. To associate with these things then is to avoid the light and to eventually enjoy them (v14).

    Paul reminds us to cast off the darkness (Romans 13:12 – and yes, that means not to associate with it) and gives us a few examples of things that occur in the dark (Romans 13:13)

    Christians are expected to avoid being in sinful situations. Those who accept God’s wisdom are insulated from desire to sin (v12).