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“The high mountain crags are a refuge for the hyrax”  Psalm 104:18

The hyrax is a helpless little badger-like animal that lives off of plants in the Middle East. They are known to appear as if they are chewing their cud like a cow. I personally think they are nervously fidgeting their faces while attempting to survive in the wilderness. One of my sons was like that. I recall his first year of organized baseball. He was always a fidgety little guy. He would stand out in right field chewing on his sleeves and ball glove. I literally had to replace leather and restring that glove after games.

So when we feel nervous, worried or fearful, think of today’s verse that refers to the crags and rocks as a refuge for the fidgety hyrax. Larger animals and people hate climbing through those jagged areas. Safety for the little hyrax is found in those rocks. They are wise enough to know that this type of terrain has been provided for them to take advantage of.

In Proverbs 30 it says,“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise… hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags”. Are we wise enough to know where our true refuge is? Are we attempting to find relief in the wrong places of pleasure? Is our place of protection really a false security in another person, group, or activity?

Like the hyrax, we have a refuge from pressures, busyness, and enemies. God wants us to be wise and take refuge and find our security in Him.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, worries, pressures, busyness, and stress surround me. Show me how to get my security in You. Prod me when I get fidgety and too busy to pray. Remind me to sit by Your side to hash out all that I am going through. Thank You that You long to take care of me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Obey your earthly masters with respect. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does”  Ephesians 6:5-8

I feel like today’s verse can relate to how we deal with our bosses, coaches, parents, teachers, or anyone we work under. Many times we won’t put our heart into our tasks and labor because we don’t like the person over us. “He doesn’t deserve my best efforts”, is our rationale.

The truth is that we really aren’t playing or working for them, we are doing it for God. He does deserve our best. I know basketball players who don’t want to win because of how poorly they are treated. There are others who find ways to slack off on their responsibilities because they don’t want their boss to look good.

Whatever the case, our real boss isn’t that person. Our ultimate boss is the Lord Himself. This focus can change our whole perspective. We actually can enjoy work in spite of the earthly boss or coach. A peace can fill our insides as we continue to forgive that person for being unfair, a jerk, a power-hungry, or just because we don’t like being told what to do.

The clincher to this passage from the bible is that it promises that the Lord will reward us for our efforts. It is a battle worth entering.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to forgive anyone over me. I want to work for You. Thank You that my efforts will be noticed and rewarded. Remind me to confess and start over when I fail in this struggle. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God”  Genesis 6:9 (NIV)

When Noah was living his pre-ark, normal daily life, he “walked with God”. He did that even when pretty much everyone else wasn’t. As a matter of fact, they weren’t even close, which is why God wanted to do the “Great Start Over” and wipe them all out.

All the people were living for pleasure, lust, greed, hate, sexual perversion, selfish ambition… Yet Noah walked with God. He had no accountability partner, bible study group, Christian counselor, Sunday school class, Pastor of Arking, or any other support in his quest to walk with God.

I guess the everyone-else-is-doing-it excuse gets all shot to heck with the life of Noah.

“Walking with” anyone infers a relationship, a comfort of being together, an intimate communication while moving through the daily routine.

Walking with God is a chance to hang out with the Creator of the universe that just so happens to long to weave into our lives.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, teach me to walk with You as I go through the pressures of life. Give me an intimate communication with You. Guide me, comfort me, strengthen me, especially when it seems, like Noah, that I am all alone in my journey. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”  Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

I was challenged one time to make a “hate list”. List all the people I don’t like and pray to God to move in my heart. I did it, and after several days I started to look at those people with some compassion. Somehow I found my heart in a forgiving mode (and thinking about the massive amount that He has forgiven me, makes it a whole lot easier).

Not only did it help my relationships, it also gave me a feeling of peace and freedom. I was actually a little surprised that God moved through my prayers. However, I noticed that the hardest people to forgive were those who I knew didn’t like me.

When I read today’s verse, I thought about that challenge and how Jesus forgave all those people who hated Him, lied about Him, made fun of Him, gossiped about Him, and even beat Him. To have ‘the same attitude of Christ’ would have to be an act of God.

This “hate list” thing can give God a chance to become real to us because there is no way to conjure up this type of forgiveness on our own.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, remind me to allow You to move in my heart with forgiving others. Thank You for the personal growth, inner-peace and freedom that will follow. I can’t do this, You have to. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”  Psalm 91:1 (NIV)

When I got a new bike for Father’s Day, I started riding it for exercise. There were some days of intense summer heat, but I stayed committed to “pedaling off the pounds” (actually, all this new exercise just made me hungrier. I think I even gained weight).

Most of my trail was directly under the heat rays of the brutal sun. But there was a stretch that I always looked forward to. It was about 100 yards of shade provided by a large line of trees.

That stretch of shade was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read today’s verse. Even though I was exercising actively, I was still ‘resting’ in the shadows of those trees. If we dwell in an active relationship with God, attempting to walk with Him, then the Almighty can supply us with rest, relief, protection, and help from the intense heat of daily pressures.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to walk with You so I can experience Your relief, the ‘shadow of the Almighty’. Thank You that I can call on You for a break from the heat. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory”  Psalm 118:14 (NLT)

God can be our strength. If we ask we certainly can be empowered to accomplish something, or be molded into a ‘better someone’. But better yet, if we know who God is we are assured of His care, love, forgiveness, acceptance, and victory; all of which He passionately longs for us to attain and understand.

Many times we have heard it said that a friend, mentor, or parent is someone’s strength. How? Basically that person is getting all those previous things listed. Kinda an intimate moral support. When God becomes that friend and mentor, it’s many times more powerful in effecting our lives.

But what does it mean to be our song? It is a result of knowing Him and tapping into His strength. It is the result of the emotional and cognitive realization that He has life victories and eternal salvation in store for us.

Think of a favorite song. It is filled with meaningful words along with a rhythm or beat that is pleasing to our feelings and inner being. For Him to become our song, we must take the time to ponder and meditate on Him, His attributes, blessings, and resources. Truly knowing and experiencing God will touch those same feelings and inner-being.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, remind me to make the time to dwell on You and Your desires for me. Be my strength and be my song. Thank You that in Your time, victories will come my way. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”  Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

“I keep doing the right thing, and don’t even get noticed”. “I never talk poorly about them, yet they get away with making me look bad”. “I keep my relationships with girls clean and respectful, but they would rather be with the ‘bad’ guys”. “I don’t cheat on my tests, which causes me to get weaker grades then all those who do cheat”.

“IT’S JUST NOT FAIR!” “I give up.”

Many times we can get tired of  ‘doing good’. It may seem like others are enjoying themselves more, or acquiring more as they live a life of unclean pleasures or unethical practices. But God tells us in today’s verse, not to throw in the towel. Or not to take on the mentality of; “I’m frustrated. Why isn’t God blessing? So I’m just going to join in the apparent fun”.

There was a young lady that I had the privilege of coaching and teaching. This high school gal was truly dedicated to doing what is right in God’s eyes. This intimidated many of the guys, yet they respected and looked up to her.

One day her father approached me. He told me that Julie never gets asked to Homecoming or Prom events, and it breaks his heart. He even chuckled as he told me that he didn’t know where her high standards came from. He just didn’t know how to comfort her.

Julie experienced a lot of hurt, but never threw in the towel. Years later I recall sitting at her wedding. Her dad told me that this guy was perfect for her. The joy on her face continues to this day (not typical in our culture).

God promises a harvest of blessings if we hang in there, and not give up.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I need Your strength to not give up or give in. I want Your harvest. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul”  Job 10:1 (NIV)

When I was growing up, my parents had an ‘interesting’ relationship. I saw hints that they loved each other, but I knew for a fact that they also hated each other. The only time I can remember them not barking at each other was when they were either asleep or when they found something to mutually complain about.

I was thoroughly trained in the art of complaining at a young age. Not only was it acceptable, it was expected.

It wasn’t until I gave my heart to Christ that I started to slowly change. I came to the realization that complaining was discouraged by God because it was detrimental to my inner well being and my relationships. So then I complained about people who complained. I needed spiritual surgery to fight this complaining disease that was eating me up.

I saw God start to get it under control until, of course,  when things in my life would legitimately go bad. It’s like we feel we have “free rein” to complain when we are in those sour times. We “speak out in the bitterness of the soul”.

Look around this week and watch all the complaining that goes on at work, sporting events, school, home, on TV, with friends, social media… And when we catch ourselves complaining, allow God to do surgery. Ask Him to carve out the complaining malignancy that can make us bitter emotionally, socially, spiritually, and mentally.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, when I complain, remind me to admit it and quit it. I am depending on You to change me. I don’t want to be balled up in bitterness. Set me free to experience life and relationships to the fullest. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well”  Matthew 6:33 (New Century Version)

Starting in verse 6:23, Jesus is giving the people some healthy perspective on living by faith. He is addressing everyone’s basic daily needs; clothes (our stuff), and food (our survival).

Jesus is telling us that the Father will intervene in meeting these needs if we start to focus more on placing ourselves under His leadership (‘kingdom’), working on doing right, looking to help others, and not being consumed with just meeting our own needs. If we direct time and effort into seeking God and His perspective, we are saying to Him, “I believe, and I’m banking on You to take care of me”. Seeking God is basically opening the door for Him to step in to our personal world of physical, mental, emotional, and social needs.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, as I work responsibly to take care of my basic needs, give me opportunities to help others and spend some time learning more about You, because I want to experience You stepping in and helping my needs get met. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves ME… I will love him and show Myself to him”  John 14:21 (NIV)

Our goal isn’t just “sin management“. We shouldn’t be walking around just figuring out ways to avoid sin. Those wrongful actions, thoughts, and words will happened. We then confess and start over. That is what we should do, but that can’t be our focus.

An athlete can enter a game with the attitude of not making a mistake, but he won’t score. A salesman can work all week trying not to be forward or offensive, but he won’t make many sales. A student can go to school and not talk at all. They won’t get a detention, but they won’t make friends with peers or teachers.

Our goal in all these cases should be to learn how to be more effective as we strive to get better. Not sit in a bunker hoping to not mess up anything.

God wants us to learn from Him, “have His commands“. Attempt to do what is right, “obey them“. He wants us to set our focus on living an exciting life while attempting to grow and develop. Taking some chances. Striving to reach the potential that God can fuel us to be and do.

If we do this, He promises to “show Himself ” to us. Our efforts need to go toward knowing Him. Then true fulfillment happens. Sin just gets in the way of that goal. Merely confess and move on to great achievements!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want You to be real to me. Help me to focus on knowing You, doing right, and helping others, so that my heart’s eye can see You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.