Jon bought a new GPS this weekend. (His old one fell off its mount one too many times.) It came with a tiny instruction pamphlet, so it’s geared for you to learn on the fly from the unit itself. It includes all the typical information- distance to destination and turn-by-turn directions. One of the features lets you know about accidents in time for you reroute and avoid getting stuck.

God left us a GPS system years ago. It features route calculation -

“This is the way, walk in it…” Isaiah 30:21

turn by turn directions,

Like – In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths… Proverbs 3:6

even helps you get back on track if you miss a turn.

I thought about my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies. Psalm 119:59

It gives alerts for all sorts of dangers, and specific directions on how to avoid them.

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil.

Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on. Proverbs 4:14-15

It also works best if you just jump in and start using it.

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You. Psalm 63:1

As you study this week, watch for the “directions” God gives. (Go here… Do this… Don’t do this…) This morning I read John 4. Jesus instructs us to live busy. There is much work to do.

Related posts:

1. Study Tip: Repeat, Repeat
2. STT: Doubt Defense
3. Study Tip: Make It Personal

I get to lead a Bible study group and we’ve been doing a leisurely study of the Psalms. Yesterday morning, we came to Psalm 88. Now, I have one of my characters say, “There’s always hope at the end of a psalm.” That’s not the case with this one. The writer pours out his heart- he’s sick, abandoned by family and friends, ignored by God, miserable in soul and spirit, and despairing of life itself. And that’s it. There’s no rousing ‘but God is my refuge’ ending. In fact, the last word is ‘darkness’. God never speaks. The psalmist walks away just as depressed as when he started.

But there is hope and comfort in that psalm. Here are some things I took away from it.

It is not uncommon to feel this kind of anguish. And that longing for God to hear, to intervene, is a sign of genuine faith. You won’t long for a God you don’t trust in.

There are times when prayer is like that. We leave our knees with no answer, no resolution. Sometimes, we get sweet peace and relief as quickly the words leave our hearts… and sometimes we don’t.  In both situations, God is still God. He still loves us and still hears us. He doesn’t have to explain Himself to us though. He is GOD.

Then sometimes, I think God doesn’t answer because our judgment is so messed up we wouldn’t listen anyway. Maybe the psalmist was wrong about being abandoned and ignored. Maybe God’s answer was something like “You’re upset. I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. Calm down. Get some rest, and then we’ll talk.”

God is always at work. He will never leave leave us or forsake us. He’ll never abandon us or leave us to fend for ourselves. Regardless of our circumstances, our feelings, or our thoughts.

We’ve examined several reasons for studying Scripture. By far, the most significant reasons is what we learn about God from His word.

In Psalm 36, verses 5-6 outline a few of God’s attributes.

• Mercy vast as the heavens
• Faithfulness beyond the clouds
• Righteousness like mountains
• Justice deep as the sea

All of these are poetic images used to convey the idea that God is limitless. He is infinite. That’s one of the simplest ways to distinguish God from the rest of us. I am constantly aware of my limitations. I get tired, irritated. I fail in my dealings with others, withholding mercy at times, crossing a line from justice to vindictiveness on other occasions. I know my righteousness doesn’t measure up to a dirt clod, much less a mountain.

Thankfully, the psalm goes one more step and includes God’s precious unfailing love, and as an outworking of that He offers shelter and provides for us, satisfying the deep longings of our souls.

Sometimes, in my quest for intimacy with God, I lose sight of His uniqueness, His God-ness, of everything that makes Him God alone. It’s good to be reminded regularly, because it is in recognizing that separate-ness of God that I begin to grasp how wondrous, how beyond description, His desire for a relationship with me truly is.

[This is an updated repost. And I'm a day late besides. I sent a query to a publisher and he asked to see the full manuscript, so I've been preparing it. Thanks for understanding!]

Related posts:

1. God-ness
2. Foul, Festering Foolishness

The last two weeks, we’ve considered reasons WHY studying Scripture is important -

Jesus explained that God’s storehouse of wisdom covered the range of human experiences.

Intimate familiarity with God’s truth will enable us to quickly identify any lies.

Knowledge of Scripture helps us when we face doubt. Doubt is different than unbelief. Unbelief is a conscious, mental decision not to accept. Doubt is more of an emotional reaction, tempered by our presuppositions and past experience. Unbelief says “I won’t believe that.” Doubt says, “I can’t believe that because…”

Doubt surfaces when our faith depends more on what we “feel” than what we “know” is TRUE. Internalizing God’s word, His promises, His demonstrations of faithfulness, inoculates us against doubt. Our feelings change. God doesn’t. Going back to His truth also subtly switches our focus from ourselves back to God.

When doubts creep in, and they will, take that as an invitation to spend some time reviewing God’s promises. The Psalms are a great place to turn. Psalm 18 & Psalm 37 are two of my favorites.

What Scriptures do you turn to when doubts enter your mind?

Related posts:

1. Q: It’s Unbelief, Isn’t It?
2. Study Tip: Repeat, Repeat
3. STT: Now, Then and When

(I was sick the last couple of days, so this is an edited, updated repost. Thanks for understanding!)

In Psalm 11, David begins with an affirmation– I trust God.  Then he goes on- So why do you expect me to run around in circles like the sky is falling?  God knows what’s going on here.  He knows all our true, deep motivations and I trust Him to judge us all.  I’m not worried.

As I’m putting what I hope are the [final] finishing touches on Contingency, I’m seeing how much my characters wrestle with trusting God, Bobbi especially.  She’s a capable, confident woman, and figures she can handle almost everything.  When her husband cheats on her, though, she reaches her limit.  How could God let that happen?  Isn’t He supposed to protect His own?  It causes her to reevaluate the box she had kept God in.

It also led me to some questions of my own. Do I have God in a box that limits His freedom to work in my life, to use me? Do I trust God’s heart- His love for me? Do I trust God to the point of being at complete peace with my situation?  Even if that situation is another rejection or another closed door?

Trusting God is relinquishing control. I like control (even though I’ve proven that I’m not very good at it).

Trusting God is trusting ALL of God. I trust His goodness and His sovereignty. I have a little more trouble with trusting that He delights in me, or that He’ll answer when I call. We’re working on those.

Trusting God takes practice. That means more situations that require trust. Great.

Trusting God is NOT for wimps. If it was easy, God wouldn’t have to encourage us  to do it so often.

What about you? Where has God challenged you to trust Him? In what areas have you grown? Where do you still need a little work?

Related posts:

1. Unboxing Trust
2. Anger Management

Search me O God and know my heart…

Search… Strong’s defines it as examine intimately, or penetrate. God shines His brilliant, all pervasive holiness into all the corners of my heart and mind. That’s unsettling, unnerving. When He does that here’s what He finds

• Hollow motives, times I’ve done what I “should” not because I wanted to, but because I figured I ought to. No joy.
• Failure to follow through, times I’ve known what God’s word says, but I’ve stopped short of full obedience. I skated by. I caved. I wimped out. No power.
• Self-centeredness, greater concern for myself, my comfort, my reputation than for God’s glory. No compassion.
• Despair, that ‘why bother- nothing’s every going to change anyway’ feeling. I give up or stop trying. No faith.

Those are the kinds of things that make me want to slink out of God’s presence. These are the things that Satan points out to me, to mock and accuse and defeat. God, however, redeems.

He knew what He was getting with me, and He declares without wavering, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I sanctified you.” (Jeremiah 1:5) I am chosen, set apart for His purposes. He also knew exactly what was in my heart all along, before the search ever began.

So why make me go through this searching process? To bring me to a place of intimate trust. So that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in spite of all that He finds, He loves me and He will never give up on me.

Related posts:

1. Truth about the Adversary