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When I Need Some Help: Thoughts from 2 Samuel 10

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 10

And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.

2 Samuel 10:11 ESV

How often do I try to do it on my own, refusing to ask for help from others? Sometimes I need help physically – carrying something, reaching something up high, opening a jar. Sometimes I need help emotionally – someone to listen to me or give me a hug or speak an encouraging word to lift me up or a stern word to snap me out of a pity party. Sometimes I need help spiritually – someone to pray for me or give me wise counsel or point me to an applicable passage of Scripture. But I’m afraid that all too often I want to do it myself like my daughter is famous for saying a few too many times.

Like Galatians 6:2-3 tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (ESV)

Heavenly Father, I need Your help, Your guidance and strength, your encouragement and chastisement. But, Father, I also need help from others, the body of Christ here on earth. I need others to be eyes and ears for me. I need others to be hands and feet for me. I need others to speak truth to me. Please, Father, help me to be humble and to ask for help when I’m in need. Place me in a great company of fellow workers who labor together side by side for Your kingdom and glory. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Brought to the King’s Table like one of the King’s Sons: Thoughts from the life of Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 9.

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 9.

I’ve loved the story of Mephibosheth since I very first read it. I hope you will love it, too.

“And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

And he said, “I am your servant.”

And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”

Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”

The king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”

Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!”

And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”

And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.”

2 Samuel 9:1-10a

It reminds me of my 2024 Word of the Year, “ENOUGH” and the refrain of Dayenu, a traditional Passover song, “it would have been enough.” Click here to read the full lyrics.

  • If David had allowed Mephibosheth to continue living in Israel, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had given Mephibosheth a daily allotment of bread to eat, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had given Mephibosheth a small plot of his land, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had given Mephibosheth a single servant, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had allowed Mephibosheth to eat at his table once a year, Dayenu, it would have been enough.

What a picture this is of what Jesus has done for us!

Jesus has given us more than a meager portion of bread and a scant cup of water. He has given us the living bread of His Word and the living water of His Spirit. He has prepared a bountiful table before us. He has filled our cups to overflowing.

Jesus has given us more than a corner in a godforsaken land. He has brought us to His own banqueting table and spread His banner of love over us. He has even gone to prepare a place for us in the glories of eternal heaven.

Jesus has given us more than a mere human servant. He has given up His own life for us. He Himself has washed our feet, laying down His own life in our place. He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to walk with us as our ever-present counselor and comforter.

Jesus has made us more than His slaves. By His own blood, He has made us His friends and His children. He has invited us to live in His home and to eat at His table forever and ever.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God;”

1 John 3:1a ESV

Have you received this gift? If not, what are you waiting for?

If so, who does God want you to share it with?

The gift of salvation is the gift that keeps on giving. Our Father’s table is large enough to fit people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Let’s go out to the streets and bring them in to join us at this feast.

A Prayer of Gratitude from 2 Samuel 7

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 7-8

I love using scripture as a starting point for my prayers. Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, Who am I, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far? You saw me when I was running far and fast away from You, and You drew me to You. And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord God. Nothing is impossible for You. No heart is too hard for You. No one is too far from Your reach. You know my heart and You have brought me to know Yours. You are indeed great! There is none like You. There is no God besides You. You are not like idols made up in human minds or fashioned with human hands. You are eternal. You are infinite. You are almighty. I pray that Your people Israel would confess Messiah Jesus and be saved. I pray that You would open the eyes of each Jewish person living in Israel and around the globe. May Your Name be magnified forever, saying, “The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,” and God over all creation, and Jesus Christ is Your Only Begotten Son and the Only Savior of the world. O Lord God, You are God and Your Words are true. Please bless my home. Bless my husband. Bless my children. Bless my parents and my siblings, my aunts and uncles and cousins. Bless my church. Bless my city and state and nation. Bless us that we might glorify Your Name as we humble ourselves before Your almighty throne. Use us, Your people, Your servants, to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do all that You have commanded. It is in the Name of Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen.

Angry with Man and with God: Thoughts from 2 Samuel 6.

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 6.

Have you ever been mad at someone, not just for a few minutes, but for hours or days? Have you ever allowed your anger to stew like a 8-pound chuck roast left in a crockpot to bubble all day, causing a seed of bitterness to take root deep in your heart?

How did that effect your relationship with that person? How was your attitude toward them? Did that bitterness ever make it hard for you to think kind thoughts or speak kind words about them?

Now, how about your feelings toward God? Have you ever been mad at God for days or weeks? Have you ever felt like He didn’t treat you or a loved one the way He should’ve? Did you ever let that anger plant a seed, no matter how small, of contempt toward God?

How did that effect your relationship with or your attitude toward God? Did it make it hard for you to meet with Him or submit to His commands?

In my life, I’ve noticed that often my bitterness
toward a person is intimately tied to
my disappointment with God.

Maybe a friend, a parent, a sibling or even a spouse has hurt you deeply. They’ve let you down. They’ve attacked you and disappointed you. They’ve done you wrong. Maybe it’s substance abuse or pornography. Maybe it’s lying and deceit. Maybe it’s an emotional or physical affair. Maybe it’s a lack of regard for your thoughts and feelings.

How has that relationship with a human being effected your relationship with God?

How have your feelings toward a person effected your feelings toward God?

In today’s passage in 2 Samuel 6, we read about Michal, King Saul’s daughter and David’s first wife, who despised David in her heart when she witnessed his joy before the Lord. Michal had been hurt again and again by David, a man she had loved. David had taken other wives and then had allowed her to be sent away, only to be brought back after she’d married another man. I don’t know that Michal ever trusted in God. In fact, Michal may have been a pagan idol-worshipper, but we do know that it grieved her deeply to see David dancing with reckless abandon in the presence of God and all the house of Israel. Click here to read through an overview of Michal’s life in the scriptures.

Thinking through Michal’s response to David’s joyful worship, I asked myself these two questions:

  1. When have my feelings of disappointment toward a fellow human being resulted in me treating them with disdain and contempt rather than love and forgiveness?
  2. When have my feelings of disappointment with my Heavenly Father resulted in me turning my back on Him rather than turning my face toward His open arms?

Heavenly Father, Your ways are certainly not our ways. You are always holy and righteous and good, and we are not. You have told us what You require of us, yet we have disobeyed You again and again. We have shunned Your scriptures. We have mocked Your Words and Your workers. We have treated Your Creation and Your commands with contempt. We have blamed You for circumstances that we have brought upon ourselves. We have turned our backs to You instead of our faces. Please, Father, forgive us. Remove the root of bitterness from our hearts, bitterness toward our fellow sinful man and bitterness toward You, our perfect Father. Renew a right spirit in us. Give us a new heart, a new mind, and a new soul. Strengthen us to love others as You have loved us. Help us to love You, our Lord and God, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help us to cast all our cares upon You and to trust that You care for us. Help us to fully believe that You are at work, working all things together for good for those who love You and have been called according to Your purposes, bringing beauty out of the ashes of our lives. In the Name of Jesus Christ who died in my place I pray. Amen.

Coming out of the Closet. Thoughts on Gender Identity from 2 Samuel 5.

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 5

Today as I asked God what I should write about in today’s blog post, I couldn’t shake the thought that I was supposed to write on the topic of genders. So, in fearful obedience, here it goes.

Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, the thought that there were anything beyond two genders never even entered my mind. My sister and I were girls. My mom was a girl. My dad was a boy. My cat, Bandit, who I’d adopted off the streets as a stray was a boy, too. I always wished that my mom and dad would have another baby, a boy, so I could have a little brother to play with and boss around. My world was made up of two genders: boys and girls, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, men and women, males and females.

Though I wasn’t a Christian and though I believed that the world and everything in it had evolved through a series of random events, it was still clear to my rational , scientific brain that everything that reproduced was either a male or a female. Roosters and hens, bucks and does, worker bees and queen bees, males and females.

In today’s chapter, 2 Samuel 5, verse 13 says, “And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.” David was a male, and every single one of David’s concubines and wives were female. All of David’s sons were male, and all of David’s daughters were female.

My dad and my cat both had operations that prevented them from fathering babies, but they were still male. In fact, my dad could have grown his hair long, and worn a mini skirt, heels and a stuffed bra, and it wouldn’t make him female. He could even have changed his name to something more neutral or feminine, and left my mom for a guy, but my dad would still have been a male. Why? Because that’s how he was born. Dare I say, that’s how he was made by His Creator? When my father was knit together in his mother’s womb, he received an x chromosome from his mom and a y chromosome from his dad, and he was born a boy.

This issue is especially personal for me for a whole myriad of reasons. I won’t go into all of them here but one of them is this: when my sister and I were young, my parents usually kept our hair cut short and dressed us in very simple gender neutral clothing. I liked climbing trees and getting dirty. I didn’t like playing with Barbies. My best friend most years was a boy. But did those things make me a boy? No. They didn’t. I was a girl, whether I liked it or not. That’s how I was born. That’s how I was made by my Creator. When I was knit together in my mother’s womb, I received an x chromosome from my mom and an x chromosome from my dad, and I was born a girl.

Back in the ’80s, when I was teenager, it was shameful to admit that you had homosexual desires. A person was said to “come out of the closet” when they confessed to homosexual tendencies. Now here we are in the “roaring 2020s,” and it’s shameful to stand up for Biblical gender identities, but today I’m taking a stand. I refuse to hide in the closet, ashamed of the Bible’s very clear teaching that God gave David sons and daughters. David’s sons were boys and his daughters were girls. God created them male and female just like He’s been doing from the beginning of time and to say anything else is a lie, a lie that hurts both the Creator and the creature.

Will you join me in prayer?

Heavenly Father, I come to You with the deepest gratitude for making me to be me. Thank You for making me a girl and granting me the gift of being a mom. Thank You for giving me sons and daughters. I pray that You will encourage the people of this generation to love You as their Creator by accepting themselves for how they’ve been made – their hair color and skin color, their height and their gender. You don’t make junk. We do. We take what You have made and we ruin it, hurting others and hurting ourselves. And hurting You in the process. Forgive us, Lord. I pray that You will also encourage the people of this generation to stand up for what they know is true, what the Scriptures so clearly state, that You are the Creator and that You create male or female. Help us not to be ashamed of the gospel and not to be ashamed of the truth of Your Word. Please, Father, help us to defend our faith with gentleness, respect, and humility, for the glory of Your Name and the good of Your creation. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

No Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 3-4

Reading today’s passage about the murders of both Abner and Ish-Bosheth, I was reminded of Ezekiel 33:11.

“As I live, declares the Lord GOD,
I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked, but that the wicked
turn from his way and live.”

Ezekiel 33:11a ESV

1 and 2 Samuel are both so full of sin and death, jealousy and deceit, immorality and corruption. I have sometimes found myself cheering for whoever is the bad guy of that chapter to “get what he deserves,” forgetting that I’m just as bad as him. Without the Holy Spirit constraining me, that would be me. Apart from God’s grace, I’m just as selfish, just as cruel, just as spiteful as any of them. So, today, I want to reflect on God’s mercy and pray that I could be merciful toward others as He has been to me.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your grace and mercy, poured out for me on the cross, and continuing to flow over me day after day. My sins are beyond number. I deserve death more than Abner and Ish-Bosheth. I deserve Your judgement as much as Joab and Rechab and Baanah did. Each of those men were selfish sinners, and so am I. Help me daily trust Your hand of judgment rather than trying to take vengeance into my own hands. You are perfectly just and I am not. Help me to be grateful for Your grace and not to take pleasure when the people in our world today get what their sin deserves. The wages of sin is death, but Your gracious gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank You, Father. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Inquiring of the Lord: Thoughts from 2 Samuel 2

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 2

Even now in my fifth decade of life, I’m still learning every day. I’m definitely still learning about history and science, but I’m also still learning to be a better human. One thing I’m actively trying to learn is to ask questions. Maybe that sounds like an odd thing to need to learn, but in my sinful nature I find myself prone to pride and to talking more than listening.

I’m not only learning to ask questions when I’m with my family, friends, or strangers, but I’m also learning to ask questions of God. I want to be like David who inquired of the Lord, “’Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?’ And the LORD said to him, ‘Go up.’ David said, ‘To which shall I go up?’ And he said, ‘To Hebron.’” (2 Samuel 2:1)

  • Father, What do You want me to do today?
  • Spirit, What does this verse mean?
  • Lord, What should I say right now?
  • Spirit, How can I apply this passage to my life?
  • Father, What do You want me to write about from this passage?

I want to be a better asker and a better listener. I want to heed the inspired words of James 1:5.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 1:5 ESV

Heavenly Father, thank You for always being faithful to give wisdom and guidance when I come to You humbly in need. Help me to learn to ask, and help me to learn to listen. And, then, Father, help me to obey. I fear sometimes I don’t ask because I don’t want to obey. Forgive me and change me. I want to be more like Jesus who faithfully asked and listened and obeyed. I love You, Lord. You are worthy to be obeyed. Grow my faith. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Seek Ye First

A New Year – 2024 – He is Enough. 2 Samuel 1.

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 1

Before reading 2 Samuel 1, I took some time to review and reflect on 1 Samuel – the life and death of the prophet-priest-judge Samuel and the life and death of the first king of Israel, Saul. I was reminded again of how fleeting life is and how brief both the joys and the trials of life really are. When I find myself smack in the middle of the latest disaster, it’s hard to remember that this too shall pass, but today I’m reminded that it will. Someday every one of my tears will be wiped away. Someday all my questions will be answered and my faith will be as sight. Someday I will sit at the feet of Jesus and everything will be made right. Someday there will be no more goodbyes.

The first day of a new year is a time both to reflect back on the previous year and to look forward to what the new year has in store. In this looking back and looking forward, I want to remind myself (and you) of all that is unchanging – God’s Word, His love for His people, and man’s need for forgiveness. I pray that in 2024 my heart would stay focused on these truths so that my life would reflect the eternal wisdom of God rather than the temporal wisdom of man. He is enough. His grace is enough. Whatever He has prepared for me, it is enough and it is good.

Heavenly Father, Turn my eyes upon Jesus. Help me to look fully in His wonderful face, so that the things of this earth will grow dim in the light of His glory and grace. Help me to remember that Your grace is sufficient for me, that the things of earth are all passing away, that in Christ I have been granted life eternal and abundant. Help me to fix my eyes on You, on Your love, on Your mercy and power and wisdom. I pray for love to cover a multitude of sins – sins of my own and sins of others. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Come Unto Jesus – Keith, Kristyn Getty, Laura Story
Turn Your Eyes – Sovereign Grace Music
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

A Prayer for my Children from Colossians 2

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Colossians 2

On Monday I’ll be beginning the second year of my Read Through the Bible in 2 Years plan. Get more information here. I hope you’ll join me!

This week we have a teenage international student staying with us while his school is on Christmas break. When I invited everyone to pray after reading our chapter in Colossians, he commented that he didn’t know how to pray. I remember what that felt like when I began my life in Christ as a new believer almost 30 years ago. I encouraged him to talk simply and honestly to God about whatever he’s thankful for as well as what he needs.

On that note, Colossians is a great place to learn to pray. I’m praying for my children, but you might be praying for yourself, your husband, your future husband, or someone else. I hope these words would help bend your heart and life toward God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for each of the children that You have given me as well as their spouses and children. Each of them is a gift from Your good hands. I pray that their hearts will be encouraged and knit together in love with one another and with You. I pray that they may reach all the riches of the full assurance of faith through the understanding and knowledge of Jesus Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Protect them from those who want to deceive and confuse them with worldly philosophy and plausible arguments. Give them insight through Your Holy Spirit and through Your written Word. Please, Father, be with them while we are apart and put strong Christians into their lives. Help them to walk faithfully in Christ, being rooted and built up in Him, established in their faith as they have been taught, with hearts full of thanksgiving. Grow their faith in Jesus Christ who is the head of all things and the head of the church and in whom the whole fullness of deity dwells. I pray that they would put off their fleshly desires and put on Christ, being clothed in His righteousness and made alive with Him. Help them to hold fast to Jesus from whom the whole body is nourished and knit together that they might grow wise and strong in heart, mind, and body. For the glory of God and the building up of the body we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Prayer for my Children from Colossians 1

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Colossians 1

I’m so sorry for my absence. This Christmas break I have been enjoying sweet time with my daughter being home from college – in addition to five days spent with my two little granddaughters and the rest of my family. Blogging was the easiest thing to leave out of my schedule, but I have to admit that I miss it. Writing ministers to my own soul, and I hope that it ministers to yours, too.

On Monday I’ll be beginning the second year of my Read Through the Bible in 2 Years plan. Get more information here. I hope you’ll join me!

This week our family got to read through Colossians together. It has always been one of my favorite books of the Bible. Do you ever pray Scripture? Colossians is a great place to start.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for sending the Lord Jesus Christ for us. I thank You for the sure and certain hope that is laid up for us in heaven by faith in Him. I thank You for drawing my children to faith; this faith is a gift and I pray that You would strengthen it and give it roots and wings. I pray that each of my children will be filled with the knowledge of Your will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they might walk in a manner worthy of You, Lord, living lives that are fully pleasing to You, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in their knowledge of You. Help them to study your word each and every day, that they know You better that they would love You more. May they be strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with hearts full of joy and gratitude for Your saving grace. If any of them have not yet fully trusted in You for salvation, I pray that You would deliver them from Satan’s domain of darkness and place them securely in the kingdom of Your Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Strengthen them to continue in the faith, staple and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which they have heard from my own lips and from the pages of scripture. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.