quick post this morn...looking over my notes for first kings...when i read this in the summer, i jotted out two verses and stuck them on my frig (still there): first kings 8:57-58...
"may the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our Fathers." (italics mine)
reading further into the context of chapter eight again, i came across the following: "and may these words of mine, with which i have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people israel, as each day requires, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else..." (italics mine again). i love solomon's prayer. he is bold to ask that his prayer would "be near to the Lord...day and night"!! and the prayer is perfect. we know this prayer is in line with the will of God, because he is asking that their cause would be maintained for the glory of God, "that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God." what stood out to me the most is this phrase: as each day requires.
if i pray that God would maintain the "cause of His servant" and if my purposes in life are to make Him famous...and i pray this specific to the day (as each day requires)...He will be faithful to answer and to keep my prayer close. i believe this.
in light of my yesterdays...(the most recent yesterday/very tear-filled yesterday especially ;) )...each day, i pray that He will provide what each day requires...for His glory.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
back to reading and writing. :) first samuel.
well, it is now almost mid-september, and i began this post in early july. ahh,well *my personal thoughts below still ring true.* :) maybe crazy, but i still want to attempt to read through revelation by december 31. notes may be more condensed and maybe a bit less researched (as i started out, i really wanted to include thoughts from teaching texts that i am studying but this time around and for the fall and early winter, it will probly be a quick read and more of overview and highlights). my desire is to go through the bible again next year and the next and the next...so more depth will come, i'm sure. second timothy 3:16 says, "all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." and hebrews 4:12 breathes life: "the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." the bible changes us from the inside-out and reaches deep to the core/"the thoughts and intentions of the heart"...we need to be looking into it...digesting it...consuming it...
it is life.
so, here are my thoughts from july and completed this morning:
--personal thoughts--
hi, friends! ahhh...good to be writing. :) i just reread my last few posts and confess to you, my plans were kind of a big fail. good plans/to be graciously modified again. it's all good. if i didn't believe in second chances, i definitely would not have attempted to blog-write through my bible-reading in a year. :) so...i haven't caught up yet/not even close, but will begin blogging again. :) today, first samuel, and after i post thoughts through esther (last book of history)...i will let youversion re-age my plan (or whatever it does) to put me on track to still finish in 2012. i'm a couple months behind at this point, so it could end up being good chunks of the Word daily but i'm up for it if you are! :) thank you so so sooo much for sticking with me. :)
oh...catching myself back up to this, i just took the time to reread many of the thoughts i had written from joshua through may 4...i'm so very blown away by God's faithfulness. is this personal to you, friends, as it is to me??? if He is faithful to israel, He is faithful. and if He is faithful, then He is faithful to me. let's consider first samuel....
--old testament understanding--
first samuel starts off, of course, with the story of samuel...hannah, his mother, and his dedication at the temple. her song in chapter 2 speaks of hannah's faith. i love how she refers to God as a rock, a reminder to me of charlie hall's song: my brightness. His love is like a rock when i'm spinning. hannah's life was barren. literally...until the Lord blessed her with samuel, and she saw Him as her rock. 1:2 reads, "there is no one holy like the Lord. indeed, there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God." and He blesses...as with children in her story (she had five more)!
we are introduced to the wickedness of eli's sons in chapter 2, and eli's faith is evident through the record of his death in chapter 4. in these important chapters, note the required reverence for the ark of God and detriment of those who neglected that. so incredible that the philistine's god, dagon, fell on its face before the ark of the Lord! and the story of the return of the ark after having been captured is fascinating (when the cows walked with it toward beth-shemesh and to the levites). chapter 7 records israel's deliverance from the philistines and samuel's faithful leadership and ministry. note that deliverance followed the people's return to the Lord (7:4).
chapter eight records the israelites' demand for a king and warning follows.
--and...at this point, i'm realizing the lengthiness of this book/and books to follow. i will not try to touch on every chapter or recorded event, but summarize and hit highlights.--
saul was chosen as king. ammonites were defeated, and saul gave God credit, "the Lord accomplished deliverance in israel." (11:13). samuel was recognized as faithful and respected. chapter 12 records when samuel prayed for thunder and rain, and thunder and rain followed! (12:18) samuel pleaded with the people, "only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you" (12:24). we see constant warfare during saul's reign (14:47). jonathan, his son, was introduced in chapters 13 and 14. then...saul was disobedient, and samuel grieved (chapter 15). chapter 16 records david's anointing by samuel. note 16:7, "'do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature...God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" so sorry for the reference, but this reminds me of marvel's captain america. :) chosen for his heart. and david displayed his heart when his faith in God fed bravery to stand up to goliath in chapter 17. all for the glory of God (see the very end of v. 46, "all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.") narrative of saul, david, and jonathan follows in consecutive chapters. the animosity of saul toward david was intense, and david ran from him for his life. twice, david had opportunity to kill saul and spared his life. honorable. (see 24:10 and 26:9). david's heart for israel was intense. he fought for israel...risking his life over and over and over. chapter 30 records his victory over the amalekites. i love the end of verse 6...it is inspiration: "David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." and to conclude first samuel, chapter 31 records the death of saul and his sons.
happy day, friends. bless you...
it is life.
so, here are my thoughts from july and completed this morning:
--personal thoughts--
hi, friends! ahhh...good to be writing. :) i just reread my last few posts and confess to you, my plans were kind of a big fail. good plans/to be graciously modified again. it's all good. if i didn't believe in second chances, i definitely would not have attempted to blog-write through my bible-reading in a year. :) so...i haven't caught up yet/not even close, but will begin blogging again. :) today, first samuel, and after i post thoughts through esther (last book of history)...i will let youversion re-age my plan (or whatever it does) to put me on track to still finish in 2012. i'm a couple months behind at this point, so it could end up being good chunks of the Word daily but i'm up for it if you are! :) thank you so so sooo much for sticking with me. :)
oh...catching myself back up to this, i just took the time to reread many of the thoughts i had written from joshua through may 4...i'm so very blown away by God's faithfulness. is this personal to you, friends, as it is to me??? if He is faithful to israel, He is faithful. and if He is faithful, then He is faithful to me. let's consider first samuel....
--old testament understanding--
first samuel starts off, of course, with the story of samuel...hannah, his mother, and his dedication at the temple. her song in chapter 2 speaks of hannah's faith. i love how she refers to God as a rock, a reminder to me of charlie hall's song: my brightness. His love is like a rock when i'm spinning. hannah's life was barren. literally...until the Lord blessed her with samuel, and she saw Him as her rock. 1:2 reads, "there is no one holy like the Lord. indeed, there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God." and He blesses...as with children in her story (she had five more)!
we are introduced to the wickedness of eli's sons in chapter 2, and eli's faith is evident through the record of his death in chapter 4. in these important chapters, note the required reverence for the ark of God and detriment of those who neglected that. so incredible that the philistine's god, dagon, fell on its face before the ark of the Lord! and the story of the return of the ark after having been captured is fascinating (when the cows walked with it toward beth-shemesh and to the levites). chapter 7 records israel's deliverance from the philistines and samuel's faithful leadership and ministry. note that deliverance followed the people's return to the Lord (7:4).
chapter eight records the israelites' demand for a king and warning follows.
--and...at this point, i'm realizing the lengthiness of this book/and books to follow. i will not try to touch on every chapter or recorded event, but summarize and hit highlights.--
saul was chosen as king. ammonites were defeated, and saul gave God credit, "the Lord accomplished deliverance in israel." (11:13). samuel was recognized as faithful and respected. chapter 12 records when samuel prayed for thunder and rain, and thunder and rain followed! (12:18) samuel pleaded with the people, "only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you" (12:24). we see constant warfare during saul's reign (14:47). jonathan, his son, was introduced in chapters 13 and 14. then...saul was disobedient, and samuel grieved (chapter 15). chapter 16 records david's anointing by samuel. note 16:7, "'do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature...God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" so sorry for the reference, but this reminds me of marvel's captain america. :) chosen for his heart. and david displayed his heart when his faith in God fed bravery to stand up to goliath in chapter 17. all for the glory of God (see the very end of v. 46, "all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.") narrative of saul, david, and jonathan follows in consecutive chapters. the animosity of saul toward david was intense, and david ran from him for his life. twice, david had opportunity to kill saul and spared his life. honorable. (see 24:10 and 26:9). david's heart for israel was intense. he fought for israel...risking his life over and over and over. chapter 30 records his victory over the amalekites. i love the end of verse 6...it is inspiration: "David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." and to conclude first samuel, chapter 31 records the death of saul and his sons.
happy day, friends. bless you...
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