Currently viewing the tag: "Scripture Meditation"
When Andy and I were dating, I coined a term to describe my insecurity. Whenever I was anxious or afraid about something—which, please understand, was OFTEN—I’d say, “I feel shifty.”
Not shifty, as in, tricky or deceptive (like the word actually means). But shifty, as in, shaky. As though the earth beneath me wasn’t solid, and things were unstable and unsure. Shifty!
Poor Andy hated that word. “I feel shifty,” I’d complain, and his eyes would glaze over slightly as he tried to figure out what I meant, and even more, what he could do about it. Around the time we got married, I quit saying “shifty,” because really, what could be more unattractive to a man than a whiny, insecure woman? I stopped saying it because Andy disliked it…but inwardly…I still felt shifty.
And I still do. In many areas, I’m shiftier than ever! But, the shiftiness is leading me to a sure foundation. Peter, whose nickname, incidentally, meant “rock,” knew the importance of building life on the Rock, Jesus Christ. In one of Peter’s letters, he quoted the prophet Isaiah, who foretold the coming of the Rock this way:
Therefore the Lord God said: “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes in me will be unshakable.” (Isaiah 28:16 HCSB)
This week, I printed that verse, framed it, and put it on my desk. I’m working to memorize it now, and more importantly to come to know Christ as my precious cornerstone. So if you see me, will you please ask me to say Isaiah 28:16? I need the practice. And, if you catch me acting a little shifty, please remind me of the Rock!
A prayer from a shifty woman: Lord, what if this is the year I trust You as a sure foundation? What a rich life that would be! Oh, find me among the ones who believe, God. Move me from shifty to unshakable, and be my very Rock. Amen.
“The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63)
August and December are birthday months in our home. I’m the lone ranger with a May birthday, but Nathan and Molly celebrate in August, and Anne and Andy celebrate in December. With Jesus.
Yesterday, on Molly’s big day, we somehow got on the subject of “birthday verses”—picking a Bible chapter and verse that correspond with a birthday month and day. For instance, Molly’s birthday is 8/6, so we looked for scriptures in chapter 8, and verse 6.
The point of a birthday verse is to find something meaningful, such as Nathan’s verse in Romans 8:1—“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” That’s a great truth! But secretly, I also like the random verses…the funny ones that make me laugh.
Like this one, for my birthday: “A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside” (Mark 5:11). Or perhaps February 23, in 2 Kings, for a special man in your life: “…Go on up, you baldhead!”
I’m just glad Molly wasn’t born on August 8. That Song of Solomon verse could make things awkward.
Some people also have a “life verse”—a certain scripture that means a lot to them. The phrase “life verse” stresses me out, though, because, hey! No pressure! But this verse has to encompass your entire LIFE!
“Life verse” is one of those Christianese phrases that Jesus didn’t go around discussing with his friends. That said, my life verse—my favorite verse, because God has spoken to me through it so many times over the years—is Deuteronomy 31:8. “The Lord himself goes before and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
I’m so glad to have the entire Word of God, embodied and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It’s fun to pick out random verses for a laugh, but I’m thankful that, when taken as a whole and as it’s intended, God’s word is living, and active, and God-breathed, and LIFE.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal LIFE. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:67-69).
God, by Your Word, You rescue and heal and restore and set free. Breathe on me! Breathe Your Word into my heart and mind until I know You completely. Truly, everything You say is a “life verse,” because You alone have the words of life. Amen.
When Anne was a preschooler, I helped her call my parents to recite a Bible verse she’d learned. Mom and Dad weren’t home, though, so Anne left her verse on their voicemail.
Turns out, they had rushed to the hospital, to the bedside of a close friend whose sudden illness brought him very close to death. They arrived home late that night, scared for their friend and brokenhearted. They played their messages, and heard Anne’s little voice say,
“And hope does not disappoint, because God has poured out his love into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5).
Hope does not disappoint.—Mom said it was just what they needed to hear that night.
Hope does not disappoint! It doesn’t disappoint my friend who just buried her mother. Now heaven isn’t just a hope…it’s an address!
Hope will not disappoint a family I’m watching walk through unimaginable grief. At the bottom of all their shock and pain, they’ll find a solid, foundational, lasting hope, “because God has poured out His love into their hearts.”
And hope won’t disappoint me, either, when I’m too scared to breathe and too terrified to trust. “Hope” in Anne’s verse means, “an expectation of what is sure.” This word in Greek is most often used in a positive sense, as in, an expectation of something good. “Disappoint” (in Greek) means, “to dishonor, to shame, to disgrace, to put into utter confusion.” Anne’s verse says, in other words, that I can expect something good from the Lord—I can be sure of His goodness—and I won’t be ashamed.
Hope does not disappoint.—Lord, that’s just what I needed to hear today! Let me rest in expectation of what is sure. Let me rely on Your goodness, because of the love You’ve poured out into my heart. Amen.
“Oh, no, Belle! Get inside before the birds attack you!”
My new suet birdfeeder—the one I’d hung so happily because it promised to save me the mess of sweeping birdseed off the back patio—had melted in the 100-degree temperature. It dripped, quite disgustingly, all over the unsuspecting basset hound napping just beneath it.
I’m not sure why it never occurred to me that suet plus sunshine equals liquid fat. It was rather like David in Psalm 23. I anointed my dog’s head with oil. And birdseed.
Some days are like that. One minute, you’re snoozing in the sunshine, and the next, you’re covered in fat, waiting for birds to peck your face.
Such days shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. Jesus himself promised they’d come. “In this world, you will have trouble,” he told his disciples. “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Days like this will come…but take heart! Or take courage, be of good cheer, be courageous, other versions say. In Greek, “take heart” is “tharseite,” which means, “be bolstered within.” It’s the same word that Jesus used when he took a late night stroll across the lake, and his friends took him for a ghost. “Be bolstered within!” he said. “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50)
Lord, how comforting that you tie the command to “be bolstered within” directly to Yourself! I can take heart, because You have overcome. I can have courage, because it is You. Thank You that, on days like this, I can be bolstered within, because You are in me. Amen.
Scripture for Days Like This (Click to download.)
Previous Lessons from a Basset Hound:
- Lesson 1: Obedience
- Lesson 2: Perseverance
- Lesson 3: Love
- Lesson 4: Hope
- Lesson 5: Smelling Like Poo
- Lesson 6: Tweet!
- Lesson 7: Reward
- Lesson 8: Wisdom
- Lesson 9: New
- Lesson 10: Friendship
- Lesson 11: Being Stung
- Lesson 12: Acceptance
- Lesson 13: Rest
- Lesson 14: Joy
- Lesson 15: Compassion
- Lesson 16: Sabbath
- Lesson 17: Eye Contact
- Lesson 18: Imagination
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
-Casting Crowns, “The Voice of Truth”
My favorite part of Belle the basset hound isn’t her droll expressions or lazy temperament. It certainly isn’t her smells and slobber. It’s her imaginary thoughts—the things we pretend Belle would say—the made-up dialogue between Belle and our family.
For instance, when I say, “Belle, get in your bed,” one of the kids responds in what we imagine to be Belle’s voice—a cross between Eeyore the donkey and Doug in Up—“I don’t actually want to right now so I will just stay right here.”
“Belle, do you want a treat?” is answered with something like, “Yes, please, I would like one of those very much, and how about if you just give me the whole jar but please leave it open because I don’t have thumbs.”
I confess, I sometimes carry on entire conversations with Belle, even when no one else is home. I don’t mean I talk to her. I talk with her. Just today, Belle mentioned that she hadn’t had breakfast yet, and I told her that I’d been very busy and to stop complaining, and she said she was sorry and asked me to forgive her.
Occasionally, Nathan points out that Belle isn’t, in fact, talking. “She probably doesn’t even think that, Mom,” or, “What if her voice is completely different than that?” And yet, despite his call back to reality, the imaginary dialogue continues. In fact, the longer I play Belle’s voice in my head, the more real it becomes. I’ve given this dog an entire personality and thought life—even motives and ambitions!—that can’t possibly be true.
Pretend conversations are harmless enough when it comes to basset hounds, I suppose, but sadly, I have an over-active imagination in more important areas, too. I replay the voices of doubt and fear and shame repeatedly in my head until I believe them. I make up other people’s thoughts—their motives and ambitions—that probably aren’t even true. I mistrust and obsess, based on scenarios that come from my very own head. And as with Belle, the longer I listen to my own imagination, the more real it becomes.
Time for a call back to reality! Time to make my thoughts obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), and to think about whatever is true. (Philippians 4:8) Oh, Lord, enough with pretend thoughts and vain imaginations. Let Yours be the only voice I hear. “I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.” Amen.
Previous Lessons from a Basset Hound:
- Lesson 1: Obedience
- Lesson 2: Perseverance
- Lesson 3: Love
- Lesson 4: Hope
- Lesson 5: Smelling Like Poo
- Lesson 6: Tweet!
- Lesson 7: Reward
- Lesson 8: Wisdom
- Lesson 9: New
- Lesson 10: Friendship
- Lesson 11: Being Stung
- Lesson 12: Acceptance
- Lesson 13: Rest
- Lesson 14: Joy
- Lesson 15: Compassion
- Lesson 16: Sabbath
- Lesson 17: Eye Contact
I will not be sad to see 2011 go, because frankly, for me, it has been a year of war. Not the wars overseas, and not war in my home, but an all out war in my head. In virtually every aspect of my life—ministry, marriage, motherhood, and even in some areas that don’t begin with M—God’s truth has been fighting Amy’s doubt, on the battlefield of my mind. Some weeks, I’ve called it spiritual attack. Other days, I’ve honestly wondered if I needed a little room with padded walls.
My struggle ultimately comes down to one word: unbelief. Do I believe God is bigger than my fear? Greater than every unknown? The doubts and uncertainties scream loudly, but all the while, He whispers, “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27)
In Luke 1, Mary visited Elizabeth—and an excited, pre-born John the Baptist. Elizabeth praised Mary with this:
“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” (Luke 1:45)
Blessed—happy, fortunate, well off—is the woman who has believed—had faith in, committed herself to, put her trust in—God. Mary believed God. She believed that the crazy things Gabriel foretold would come true. And because she believed, she was blessed.
Like mother, like Son. Years later, after His resurrection, Jesus echoed his Aunt Elizabeth’s words when he spoke to his doubtful friend, Thomas. “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
Oh, to believe like Mary! To have a mind washed with His word and built firmly on His truth. To, as a friend encouraged me recently, “finally give in” in faith, and believe even when I can’t see.
A prayer from an unbeliever: “Lord, I believe! Help me in my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) You’ve given me “divine power to demolish every stronghold,” so help me to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) Give me a believing mind. Make me like Mary, and like her Son, because “blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:45) Amen.
- Download more Truth for a Believing Mind here.
- Like Mother, Like Son – part 1: A Willing Spirit
“All scripture is God-breathed,” Paul wrote, and it’s a good thing, because sometimes, life leaves me breathless. The past few months, I’ve been hanging on to a few passages in particular:
- “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever–do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138:8
- “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
- “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
- “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5
- “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
What say you? What truths from scripture are breathing life into you lately? Leave a verse or two in the comments, and let’s meditate on God’s word as we “catch a breath” from Him.
Sunday afternoon, I typed an entire list of “security scriptures”—several verses about insecurity and fear.
Any guesses on how my week had gone?
My old friends, Fear and Doubt, had come back for a visit. Actually, they seemed rather determined to take up residence. And so, I printed off my list, read it over and over, and kindly asked my unwelcome guests to leave.
When fears press in, I often remember the story of Thomas, Jesus’ friend and disciple who is most famous for his doubts. Not convinced of Christ’s resurrection, Thomas said in essence, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
So, the Lord, who was, in fact, very much alive, graciously showed himself to his friend.
“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Stop doubting and believe.
Stop. Doubting. And. Believe.
Stop doubting, Amy. See my hands, faithfully at work? I provide for you every single day. Reach out your hand and experience my goodness. Your children, your loving husband, your faithful friends are all examples of my good gifts to you.
Stop doubting and believe.
Believe I am enough. Believe I am good. Believe I work for your good. Believe that I love you.
Stop doubting and believe.
I love Thomas’ reaction to the resurrected Lord—to the Christ, who, by conquering death, made it possible for him to stop doubting and believe. Thomas the Doubter became Thomas the Worshiper as he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”
God, help me to trust You. You haven’t given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) How, then, am I insecure?! Why, in light of the cross, do I possibly doubt? Indeed, in light of Your resurrection, let me stop doubting and believe. Let me live in boldness and freedom and awe, my Lord and my God! Amen.
If you can relate, download a copy of my verses list, or add your own Security Scripture in the comments! Security Scriptures
…for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2)
Last week, I got to sit under the teaching of a fantastic Christian leader. During a Q&A session, someone asked, “What concerns you about the next generation of leaders?” His answer was simple, but direct. “Everybody wants to be a rock star.”
So true. So convicting. And so unlike Jesus Christ, who “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant”. (Philippians 2:7) So unlike John the Baptist, who knew that “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) When I fret over declining blog stats…when I work too ambitiously to build the all-important author “platform”…I want my own fame, and not His. I want to be a rock star.
Psalm 138 says what’s most important: “You have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Above all things. Above my ego, above my ambition, even above my calling. God alone is the rock star. God’s name, not mine. God’s word, not mine.
God, be exalted. Raise your name and your word in me, and advance them through me. Let me desire nothing else. You must become greater; I must become less. You alone are above all things! Amen.
Today Andy showed me Eugene Peterson’s translation of Matthew 6:9-13, and we both loved it. The Lord’s prayer is so familiar that we sometimes miss it, but The Message made it fresh to me. Hope it does for you, too.
With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
