Psalm 121-11.24.22
Scripture
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Observation-What does it say?
David is reminding himself about where his help comes from. He goes on to talk about God’s goodness and how He will protect him.
Understanding-What does it mean?
I love this passage because I picture David going through it like so many of us have. When your world is turned upside down and you feel alone and in darkness, where do you turn for help? Where do you turn for confidence and strength? David shares what to do in these tough times. He cries out to God in praise and reminds himself it’s God who has him. I think we forget that God never promised that we’d have a smooth journey, however He did promise to never leave us nor forsake us. God promised to be our strength when we are weak. I believe too many times we lean on our own strength and wonder why we feel lost and alone. Psalm 121 is a great reminder that our strength is from God. We have such an amazing father who wants to be there through not just the good, but the bad as well.
Life Application
Jesus, help me to not rely on my own strength, gifts or talents. Help me to not struggle on my own. I pray I would lean on you and allow you to be the King of my life. May I never forget all you have done and will continue to do because you love and care for me.
-Justin Eaves
Matthew 4-11.23.22
Scripture
Matthew 4:1-4 NIV
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”” “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””
Observation-What does it say?
Immediately after being baptized by John, and receiving the Holy Spirit, with a Voice from Heaven saying, this is my Son whom I am well pleased, (see Matthew 3), Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast and be tempted by Satan. Following that wilderness experience, He was attended by angels and began His ministry.
Understanding-What does it mean?
The ultimate test of complete surrender to God occurs when we are in the wilderness.
Jesus was put to the ultimate test of complete surrender to God during His experience in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. God had to break Jesus down, make Him dependent on Him alone, and test Him before He was able to start His ministry.
Although Jesus was and is God, He was still in a human form and all the needs of a human being (like food) had to be stripped from Him as well as His desires as a human being too (such as being given all the kingdoms of the world-success in life!). Physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally (heart, soul, mind and strength) had to be dependent on God before He could fulfill His calling. The calling God had for His life on earth was to be betrayed, beaten, mocked, regarded with low esteem and to die a criminal’s death as an innocent man.
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” -Isaiah 53:3 NIV
Life Application
In order to find ourselves, we must lose ourselves (Matthew 10:39) and fix our eyes on Jesus.
For those who have ever participated in our times of prayer and fasting at DSC, we understand the feeling of being dependent on the Spirit alone, not on social media, TV, video games, or food. On a personal level, going down to 3 days of water only was the most difficult for me, not so much because of my desire to eat, but because of the physiological effects on my body without food. One of my worse days was on a Sunday morning, with 4 hours left to go before the fast officially ended. I felt weak and dizzy, my heart was beating fast and I would start gagging with nothing coming out. I was calling out to the Lord because I was so tempted to break the fast, but had my husband pray for me. I started sweating and felt better, but then it happened again on our way to church and I still had to be able serve on stage for worship! I called out to the Lord in my physical weakness and at that point, the Holy Spirit told me to take my eyes off of what’s happening around me. Take my eyes off of what my body is feeling and put it on Him. Suddenly, I felt better.
It taught me a lesson about how whenever I feel like breaking or giving up, whether in marriage/family, my calling in ministry, life, etc. and do it the world's way, to take my eyes off of myself and put it back on Him because He is all I need. The calling of a servant requires Him to break us of ourselves first. Are we willing to be broken by and for Him in order to be filled by Him alone? It’s interesting how when I am completely dependent on Him alone, that’s when my marriage/family, calling in ministry and my overall life starts to thrive!
Dear Jesus, I pray that the struggles of the flesh would disappear as we continue to keep our focus on You. I pray that we wouldn’t be overcome by the temptations of the enemy and what the world has to offer as we cleanse our minds with You and Your Word daily. In Your Name we pray, Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
Job 5-11.22.22
Scripture
Job 5:8-9
But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Observation
Job has had everything he ever loved or cared about ripped from him and he is attacked with physical suffering so severe that his friends can hardly recognize him. He refuses to curse or blame God. When his wife tells him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” he responds, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept the good from God, and not trouble?” But he is human and he is in agony and pours out his distress. His friend Eliphaz is not very supportive; sure that Job has sinned somehow and brought this suffering on himself. But, he does offer an important piece of advice: “But if I were you, I would appeal to God ... He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed ...”
Understanding
My God performs miracles that cannot be counted!
Do you need a miracle from God? Are you suffering mentally or physically? Is there something you have given up praying for because you think it will never come to fruition?
My first answer to these questions was, for me personally, everything is good right now. But as I dug deeper, I realized there are things I have given up on – not believing that He will ever answer. But my God performs wonders that cannot be fathomed and miracles that cannot be counted! I need to lay my cause before him.
Life Application
Lord, please forgive me for my unbelief. I lay my cause at Your feet. Help me to trust that even though I can’t see it, You are at work. And help me to be the person that encourages others to lay their cause at Your feet also.
-Debbie Dunn