OUR GREAT TEACHER
Today's reading: Job 35-36

"Look, God is all powerful. Who is a teacher like him?" Job 35:22 NLT

Oh, the lessons God has taught us.

Oh, the circumstances He allows into our lives in order that we might learn more of Him--or of ourselves.

Oh, the opportunities He provides to expose the real us.

We've all been provided chances to choose between two really good things. Multiple choice quizzes, one might call them.

We've walked through times when His love and plans are very evident, like seeing a rainbow and being reminded of His promises. We've also searched high and low in the dark to see Him at all.

We've all been tested by true/false questions--is it really You, Lord? Determining the voice of truth is part of our learning process.

We've had our faith tested. And tried. And stretched.

We've experienced situations where we pass with flying colors, and others where we fail miserably.

Who is a Teacher like Him?

BROKEN
Psalm 51-53

"The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17 NLT

I believe I get the gist of this verse.

It's about the heart attitude.

It's less to do with what's 'thrown on the fire' than the down-deep desire to give back to Him.

The problem is, brokenness hurts.

It hurts deeply.

Pain is not what most of us sign-up for, rather we dodge it like the plague.

But it's what is required.

It's the hurt that comes when we submit what we want for all He has. It's the cuts we receive from gathering up the shards of broken dreams. It's the iinconvenience of changed plans. It's the deep-seated hurt of embarrassment when we've been wrong--and corrected. It's the discomfort of finding out we don't know best or everything.

But we have hope as we willingly step in to brokenness...

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, he rescues those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18 NLT

USING MY ENEMY
Today's reading: 2 Samuel 5-9

"David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David's servants and brought him tribute money." 2 Samuel 8:2 NLT

Imagine your enemy working for you!

Think of the heights you could reach if your enemy were a step stool instead of an obstacle.

Ponder him 'footing the bill' for the basis of your miraculous testimony.

The assurance you'd have.

The confidence you'd exude.

The faith walk you'd enjoy.

The people you'd influence.

The depths of your relationship with your Victor.

God did not send His Son to die on the cross for us to live anemic mediocre lives. His offering on the terrible, beautiful cross was complete, thorough and powerful. His gift to us is not dependent upon the enemy, because our enemy was defeated when He rose from the grave!

You are victorious, does your enemy know it?

NOT A MATTER OF WILL HE
Today's reading: Exodus 17-20

"Moses named the place Massah--the place of testing--and Meribah--the place of arguing--because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, Is the Lord going to take care of us or not? Exodus 17:7 NLT

I have to tell you, I've never questioned whether or not the Lord would help me--He promises to do it, so I believe He will. My assurance is not based on me being so deserving or so Christ-like. It's not  because I think myself something special in His eyes, although He says I am.

But I get where the Israelites might have had that question.

Kind of.

I mean they had seen some miraculous things.

They had tasted some God-sent food.

They had watched as their enemy was defeated.

The question usually floating around in my mind doesn't have to do with 'if' He will help me.

To be brutally honest, it's more like, Will I let Him help me?  

IS IT A RELIEF?
Today's reading: 2 Corinthians 4-5

"If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing." 2 Corinthians 4:3 NLT

Upon first reading of this verse, I let out a sigh of relief.  After all, it does say in the second half of the verse...it is a sign they are perishing.

Blame.

Accountability.

A release from duty.

Then a whisper in my heart told me to read it again.

If the Good News we preach...that stopped me dead in my tracks.

It's one thing to say it's a personal preference to accept or reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it's another thing to say, with a truth-filled heart, I have preached that Gospel to all I could.

Am I sharing when I can? Where I can? How I can? The unadulterated, or un-edited, version of it?

I don't think as Christians we can breathe a sigh of relief until we hear those words, Welcome in my good and faithful servant.  

IF ONLY
Today's reading: Mark 13-14

"...Just say what God tells you to..." Mark 13:11 NLT

Jesus is talking to His disciples.

He's telling them that when they go out to to tell the world the Good News, to tell them everything and only what God leads them to say.

He promises the words will be provided.

If only I waited for His leading.

If only I only said what He tells me to.

If only my opinion and thoughts were overridden by His Good News.

Oh, I know it's not going to make everyone love me. I am well aware that what He would have me say is not what everyone wants to hear. I am also smart enough to know that everything He asks me to say will be what I'm wanting to.

But it's still my best bet.

And yours, too.

AGAIN AND AGAIN
Today's reading: Jeremiah 22-26

"Again and again, the Lord has sent you his prophets, but you have not listened or even tried to hear." Jeremiah 25:4 NLT

When I think of all the opportunities I have had to hear God...

-Mornings in this prayer chair.

-Sitting in the pew.

-Over the radio.

-From the mouths and hearts of godly friends.

-In the quiet of the night.

-In the thunder and lightning of the storm.

-In the beauty of His creation.

-In the dark valleys.

God speaks to me again and again about what He wants me to do, or quit doing.

He has given me chance after chance to hear Him.

He provides me with His words, His guidance, His direction--do I listen? Am I even trying to hear?

WHEN HE DOESN'T
Today's reading: Job 33-34

"Yes, God often does these things for people." Job 33:29 NLT

Job's friend refers, in this section of Scripture, to all the things God can do.

He can speak in dreams and visions.

He can scare people out of their sins and onto a godly path.

He changes minds and keeps folks away from prideful choices.

God disciplines.

God heals.

God hears and restores.

But to reiterate what Job was hearing, God often does these things for people.

But He doesn't always do these for people.

Some of us are still waiting on Him to act.

Some of us are praying the same prayer we've been praying for years.

Some of us weary from long nights He has yet to rescue us from.

Some of us are desperately wanting to hear a clear and concise word from Him.

Some of us are wrestling with what He can do and why He isn't doing it.

It's a tough part of faith.

He can, but will He? He is able, but will it bring Him glory? He promises, but when will it happen? He might, or He might not?

MY OWN EYES
Today's reading: Psalm 48-50

"We had heard of the city's glory, but now we have seen it ourselves--the city of the Lord Almighty. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever." Psalm 48:8 NLT

I am imagining Jerusalem in it's prime. I'm attempting to picture in my mind what it might have looked like to a gal from out of town who had heard, but never seen it...

The Temple bustling with people. The courtyards filled with the noises of the sacrifices. The streets crowded with folks determined to worship the Lord--in the way He asked them to. The families having made long journeys. The priests dressed in God's finest, the bells on their hems tinkling as they walked.

I can just see in my mind's eye the beauty of the Temple and of David's palace. The columns. The gold. The tapestries. The intricate carvings. The hewn stone blocks making up the foundation.

It's more beautiful than I'd ever imagined. It's grander than they could ever explain. It's more encompassing than they could have described.

The descriptions I'd heard seem lean and pale in comparison to the real thing.

It's more than I'd imagined.

Just like God.

He has been revealed to me in such ways that I'm overwhelmed. What I'd heard about Him seems like a poor description of who He really is. He is more, much more, than I'd ever dreamed.

Folks have attempted to describe His goodness to me--but until I tasted it, I never knew the depths.

I've been taught from childhood that He loves me--but until His love was all I had, I never grasped its capacity.

I'd been told His salvation offered freedom--but until I felt the chains fall off my heart and saw the cell door of my heart and life open, I never would have believed how wonderful it would be.

His mercy and grace have been referred to me as amazing--but to have experienced it time and time again, amazing seems like such an inadequate word.
 
I'm praying you see God in a new and personal way today!

WHAT TO DO
Today's reading: 2 Samuel 1-4

"After this, David asked the Lord, Should I move back to Judah? And the Lord replied, Yes. Then David asked, Which town should I go to? And the Lord replied, Hebron." 2 Samuel 2:1 NLT

I'm waiting on a few answers from God.

I have a friend who has asked, and asked, and asked for His direction, and is waiting for His response.

Maybe you are hanging on by a thread yourself, and are just waiting to see what it is He wants you to do.

Very seldom does God answer as quickly as He did for David.

We're needing to hear from Him, and seemingly He remains quiet.

Should we go or stay?

Fight for it or let it lay?

Should we speak up or be still?

Yes or no, Lord?

Jump in with both feet or hang back just a little while longer?

Do it now or wait?

Go after it or let it go?

We are all needing to hear from God in regards to something. We're desperately wanting to follow His lead. We're desiring, with all our hearts, to do what He wants us to do.

We're just waiting on His answer.

An answer He promises to reveal.

An answer that will showcase His love for us, His power over our situations, His abilities and His having heard our requests.

CONFUSED
Today's reading: Exodus 13-16

"Tell the people to march toward Pi-hahiroth between Migdod and the sea. Camp there along the shore, opposite Baal-rephon. Then Pharoah will think, Those Israelites are confused. They are trapped between the wilderness and the sea!" Exodus 14:2 NLT

Maybe your peace is leaving the world scratching it's head. You should be worried, they shout.

Maybe your joy is considered arrogant or misplaced. Your world is turning upside-down, they assure you.

Maybe the strength you're determined to draw from seems far-fetched. You cannot in a million years do that, they scoff.

Maybe the testimony you share is beyond belief. There is no way, they mock.

Maybe your determination to remain righteous seems very old-fashioned. No one lives like that anymore.

And yet as we walk with the Lord, there will be seasons where what He asks us to do, where He asks us to go, how He asks us to behave, what He asks us to believe and who He asks us to speak to seem confusing to the world.

That's okay--as with the Israelites, these hard-to-understand things are only a backdrop for a miracle the world is about to see occur!

A LETTER
Today's reading: 2 Corinthians 1-3

"Clearly, you are a letter from Christ prepared by us. It is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on stone, but on human hearts." 2 Corinthians 3:3 NLT

We're letters.

We're letters written to the world.

We're letters written to the world about our God.

We're letters written to the world about our God read on a daily basis.

We're letters written to the world about our God ready on a daily basis by others who need to know Him.

FRONT AND CENTER
Today's reading: Mark 11-12

"He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting, Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" Mark 11:9 NLT

Did you notice where the Bible says Jesus was?

In the center.

Not ceremonally placed at the beginning.

Not dragging behind, tacked on to the end of the parade.

But in the center.

Smack dab in the center.

Centrally located so all those seeking Him were orbiting around Him.

Makes me re-think where it is He is in my own life right now.

Am I making sure He is in the center of all I do?

Or am I just throwing Him in on Sunday to 'start my week off right'?

Or tacking Him on somewhere during the week, like an accessory or a second thought?

Am I striving to place all things in priority after and around Him?

YOU KNOW
Today's reading: Jeremiah 17-21

"Lord, you know all about..." Jeremiah 18:23 NLT

Spiritually Jeremiah was discouraged.

Physically Jeremiah was spent.

Emotionally Jeremiah was frayed.

Mentally Jeremiah was exhausted.

He was trying, with all that he had in him, to do God's work. He was saying what God spoke to His heart. He was attempting to lead God's people back to God.

But things weren't going well for him. Things weren't going well at all.

So he begins one of his many prayers...

Lord, you know all about it.

He went on listing the offenses against him. He made suggestions to God about how to correct the situation. He reiterated the fact that he was in it for the long haul. He praised God for who He was and all he had done.

But the beginning of the prayer is what strikes me as the most powerful...reminding himself that God was in all of it, aware of all of it.

I need that reminder some days more than others.

 

NOT ALWAYS
Today's reading: Job 31-32

"But sometimes the elders are not wise. Sometimes the aged do not understand justice." Job 32:9 NLT

I am not in the habit of agreeing with Job's friends.

I will admit they made some good points in their sympathetic attempts to console, but their advice was wrongly timed. They should have kept their mouths shut in regards to several issues. They over-stepped their purpose.

I guess I'm a lot like them.  Been there, done that.

But in noticing this verse, I get what Elihu is saying.

He's telling Job, and his other three friends, that no one is perfect.

A title doesn't give wisdom.

A diploma doesn't give wisdom.

An office doesn't give wisdom.

An age doesn't give wisdom.

I think what it's saying to me this morning is this...No one is perfect.

Now I'm not stating that as an excuse to be used, but a fact to be wrestled with.

I cannot expect perfection from others--no matter who they are or the role they have.

I should not set myself up for a let-down when I'm propping another up on a pedestal.

I wouldn't be wise to think someone is 'above that'.

People will let us down. Job's friends are sparkling examples of that truth. The best can fall. The most godly can mis-speak and falter. The leaders can make poor decisions that affect many.

I must be careful in placing trust in broken vessels...and I would hope others would allow me the same consideration.

AWESOME GOD
Today's reading: Psalm 45-47

"For the Lord Most High is awesome..." Psalm 47:2 NLT

I don't use the word 'awesome' very often.

It seems to be overused.

It seems to become attached to things that are very nice or very interesting, but not necessarily spectacular or jaw-dropping.

I thought I'd look up it's definition...

awesome-adjective, causing feelings of expressive awe, inspiring awe, terrific, extraordinary.

awe-noun, an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime.

If we use the word 'awesome' for anything other than God or God's characteristics, should it be used for anything else?  Does it diminish it's definition? Does it lower His value? Does it lessen the impact of the word itself?

The Lord Most High is awesome--and if He is, then nothing else could be.

No comparison.

A LITTLE TOO CLOSE
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 26-31

"But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then my those involved be cursed by the Lord. For you have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord's people and worship as I should." 1 Kings 26:19 NLT

David, as great as he was, as close to God's heart as it's been stated he was, as anointed as he was, knew he had to make sure the battles he involved himself in were from God--and not from man.

It's a lesson I have to take to heart.

Because I get my feelings hurt.

I am offended.

I feel snubbed and overlooked.

I don't get my way.

But to take up a cause? To know doctrinal truths are being overlooked? To see harm being done to the Kingdom and its impact on the world? To allow something, anything, to distract me during worship?

I have to ask myself, is it You, Lord, or it it a human scheme? Is it Holy Spirit conviction, or is it my puffed up pride? Is what I'm feeling from You, or is it me getting in the way?

BLESS THEM
Today's reading: Exodus 9-12

"Pharoah sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. Leave us! he cried. Go away, all of you! Go and serve the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, and be gone. Go, but give me a blessing as you leave." Exodus 12:31 NLT

Pharoah hadn't seen God's people as anything but slave labor.

Pharoah wasn't able to view Yahweh as anything more than another god.

Pharoah didn't know, or refused to believe, the promises held for the Israelites.

Pharoah couldn't bow to the power of another Leader. It wasn't in him to give in.

Pharoah didn't want any part of this God the millions served...until.

Until he had lost his prized possession. Until his nerves had been frayed by the frogs, the gnats, the boils, the bloody water. Until the Death Angel flew low over his kingdom.

Then he wanted what all un-believers, ridiculers and mockers want--a blessing.

They want what they see God giving us.

They seek the favor they see He gives to our lives.

They desire to be heard by the Creator.

They just want it through us.  They don't want it personally. They prefer it not to be direct. They don't want the strings they think are attached. They want it all--and still want to do things their way.

For now.

COME TO YOUR SENSES
Today's reading: 1 Corinthians 15-16

"Come to your senses and stop sinning..." 1 Corinthians 15:34 NLT

It is sensible, isn't it?

It's a matter of common sense, as much as it is a spiritual matter.

It's a matter of common decency, as much as it is a 'church-y' thing.

It's a matter of using the brain God gave you.

It's a matter of stopping the cycle of pain and distress that sins brings about.

It's a matter of living with an inside that is at peace.

It is a matter of common sense, don't you agree?  

A VISUAL
Today's reading: Mark 9-10

"Then a cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Mark 9:7 NLT

I need visuals like that.

I need to know that God's speaking to me.

I need, with no doubt or question, to be certain when God speaks to me.

A cloud would do.

A voice would work very nicely.

A billboard would be alright.

A text or email would be okay, too.

I just want to know without a doubt that He is speaking to me.

Then I want to obey.

All right, friends--maybe the 'obey' part is harder.

NOW
Today's reading: Jeremiah 12-16

"So now I will show them my power and might, says the Lord. At last they will know that I am the Lord." Jeremiah 16:21 NLT

I know the love the Lord has for me.

But what experience, trial or blessing would have to occur in order for me to know the depths of His love for me?

I know the mercy God has shown me.

But what might have to happen in my life that would clue me in to the expanse of His mercy?

I know the grace God has gifted me with.

But what opportunities to pass that same grace on might I endure in order to grasp the immensity of His grace?

At last--

ANCHORED DOWN
Today's reading: Job 29-30

"For God has cut the cords of my tent. He has humbled me, so they have thrown off all restraint." Job 30:11 NLT

I've done some research in these early morning hours.

I've Google-d, Biblehub-bed and cross referenced.

I've found one word that has stopped me in my tracks.

It sums my feelings up.

It defines what I couldn't put into words...

When I attempted to understand the cut tent cords, a few of my reference sites mentioned the word, 'tether'.

That's it.

Sometimes I feel, as Job articulated, like the tether holding me down has been cut--and my whole life is just flapping in the dusty desert winds like the flaps of a tent in a windstorm. It feels as if all I have inside me (inside the walls of my tent) are being exposed to the world, to the elements, to the opinions of others. It feels as if things are topsy-turvy, upside-down and inside out.

I feel un-tethered.

And yet I know, I am anchored down. I know, like Job knew, God's love keeps me held tightly to Him. I know, despite how I feel, despite the flapping of my tent and the sand being blown into everything I own--that God has not allowed me to be drawn away from Him. 

DAY AND NIGHT
Today's reading: Psalm 42-44

"By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life." Psalm 42:8 NIV

I believe we all see God's love for us during the day.

In the faces of loved ones. By the way He decorates the world with beauty. In feeling our pulse and drawing breath into our lungs. By playing roles in the miracles He does on a daily basis.

At night, it's always a little harder to see.

Our vision is limited. Our focus is less clear. What we can see is decreased. Scary things lurk when the sun is hidden from our sight.

Things are usually a little harder to deal with when it's dark.

Satan knows that.

Satan fills our mind, rattles our faith and brings forth accusations and doubts more often as we're trying to sleep than anytime during the day.

But, as this verse tells us, we can have His song in our heart.

We praise Him whether we can see Him or not.

We can remind satan, and ourselves, of the mighty God we serve.

We can pull those Bible verses from memory-you do have a few memorized for such occasions, don't you?

Even at night. Especially at night. Most certainly at night. 

GOLIATH'S SWORD
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 21-25

I'm sure you remember the account of David and Goliath. I'm almost positive you recall how it was one small shepherd boy (and God) against a giant. I'm going out on a limb here and believing you might have even sang songs as a child about David's sling and five little stones.

But did you know this...

"David asked Ahimelech, Do you have a spear or a sword? The king's business was so urgent that I didn't even have time to grab a weapon! I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, the priest replied. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here. There is nothing like it! David replied, Give it to me." 1 Samuel 21:8-9 NLT

Did you know David had the opportunity to re-use the giant's sword? To take it in his hands once again? To use for good what had been intended for evil?

Maybe you're being given the same opportunity.

Quite possibly you are at a place in your Christian walk where what satan hung over your head at one point, is something that you are being able to use for God now.

Your testimony, perhaps. Your past. Wrong choices you have made, but have repented of--and turned away from.

There's a very good chance that what kept you embarrassed, ashamed and afraid to share is exactly what God is allowing you to use in reaching another soul for Him.

Maybe you are encouraging another. Maybe you are able to provide insight or advice no one else in your church can give. Maybe you can console someone at a deeper level because you have walked in the very same shoes, or carried the exact same sword.

Maybe you're being enabled, by your Heavenly Father, to pick up Goliath's sword and use it to serve Him!  

NOW
Today's reading: Exodus 5-8

"Now you will see what I will do..." Exodus 6:1 NLT

In this passage God is speaking to Moses.

A worried, fretful, question-filled Moses.

The same Moses who was called by God, for God's purposes, in a special only-God-could-do-it way.

And he is complaining to God that he isn't seeing the progress he thought he should be seeing.

I have a good percentage of Moses in me.

I question God.

I remind Him of the situation.

I provided page after page of ideas for Him to consider.

I suggest to Him ways that His glory might most effectively be revealed.

I sit on the edge of my seat waiting for Him to say, Go ahead and take over Malinda, you've got this, girlfriend!

I think my timing is more appropriate than His in most cases.

And I hear at times God speaking to me the same words He spoke to Moses,

Now, in My time and in My way, you will see what I will do!

WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE
Today's reading: Luke 23-24

It's 2:30 in the morning, and I'm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as my grandmother would call it.

The alram's gone off. The shower's done. The hair is in as good a shape as it ever gets. The make-up is applied. The guys are rousted from their slumber. The coffee has perked.

We're ready to greet the sunrise with our church family.

We're ready to celebrate this glorious day.

We're ready to be reminded that the Tomb is empty.

We're ready to sing 'He Arose', because that's exactly what He did!

The sun is still hours from coming up, but the anticipation is there.

The grave could not keep Him, dear friends! 

EASTER SATURDAY
Today's reading: Luke 23-24

"But early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared." Luke 24:1 NLT

I don't know about you, but I have a whole list of things to get done this Easter Saturday.

Company is coming and there are preparations I must attend to...vacuuming that must be done, dusting that needs to be tackled and food that needs cooked/baked/sampled.

Yes, it's going to be a busy day.

But before I begin, God has brought this to mind...

Good Friday is a day of special praise services, cross-carrying events and many other scheduled church activities.

Easter Sunday is chocked-full of sunrise services, special cantatas and over-the-top attendance for Sunday morning worship service.

But Easter Saturday?

Sure there's the occasional Easter egg hunt or family gathering, but what about Easter Saturday?

Wouldn't it have been the day that Christ spent in the tomb--the day He spent victorious, but no one yet knew--the day before our Hope was birthed through His resurrection?

Easter Saturday should be a day of exuberant expectation and cannot-sit-still excitement for what's coming. It should have us chatting with the unsaved about the promise fulfilled by our Savior.

You see, the women walking to the tomb that Sunday morning didn't know what we know now. Had they known, their Easter Saturday would have been spent in a much different manner!

TWO VERSES
Today's reading: Jeremiah 7-11

"While you were doing these wicked things, say the Lord, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer." Jeremiah 7:13 NLT

"But my people would not listen to me. They kept on doing whatever they wanted following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward." Jeremiah 7:24 NLT

Two verses, Lord?

One wasn't enough for me to chew on, think over, meditate upon?

Twice you bring to my attention areas where I am sorely missing the mark You set for me as a standard?

I hear You. You have my attention. You have my deepest apologies and most heart-felt regret as I stand before You and admit these verses convict me.

Convict me deeply.

I hear You speak so loudly and clearly on so many occasions. I hear You repeat warnings. I feel the gentle nudges You give me to go in the right direction. I feel the discomfort in my heart as I go against the leading of the Holy Spirit.

So, yes, these verses are for me. Specifically. Personally. Intimately. With all the loving discipline You provide, for me.

JOB'S LECTERN
Today's reading: Job 27-28

"I will teach you about God's power..." Job 27:11 NLT

In studying Job, we can learn a lot of things.

We learn about Job's patience.

We learn about Job's faithfulness.

We learn about Job's courage.

We learn about Job's deep-seated commitment.

We learn about Job's ability to deal with loneliness amidst friends.

We learn about tough times, rough patches and dark days.

But what Job wants us to see is God.

Full and lifted up. Magnified. The Author and Finisher of his faith. The One who has enabled. A Mighty Fortress and Strongtower. His only Hope.

That's what Job wants us to learn as he stands before us in his lectern attempting to teach us anything of importance.

LORD, DON'T HOLD BACK
Today's reading: Psalm 39-41

"Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me. My only hope is in your unfailing love and faithfulness. For troubles surround me-too many to count! They pile up so high I can't see my way out. They are more numerous than the hairs on my head, I have lost all my courage." Psalm 40:11-12 NLT

God,

I've got to be brutally honest with You--I'm afraid of some of the things looming ahead of me.

The things You've asked me to do. The situations I have no control over. The situations You're asking me to shine Your light into. The stands You're asking me to take. The opportunities You're giving me to wait on.

I don't know where to begin. I don't think I have the courage to do them all. Fear tells me I won't do any of them well. Public opinion leads me to believe my efforts won't even matter. Doubt refers to my track record.

I feel surrounded.

I feel trapped.

I feel inadequate.

I feel discouraged.

So please, please--oh, please, don't hold back Your tender mercies from me! I need all You have. I need to feel you closer to me than ever. I need to see You with new eyes. I need to know You are with me, guiding my every step.

My only hope is in You.

So be it, Lord.

Your striving servant, Malinda