Leviathan

Sunday, January 30, 2011 (4:39 a.m.)

Holy God,

Blessed Lord. Good morning. I love You. What would You have me learn this morning?

I LOVE when I ask and You answer!

Leviathan.

Absolutely brand new to me. Never do I remember having heard nor read of Leviathan. Thank You Lord. What an incredibly good God You are. Thank You!

(8:19 a.m.)

Having read some and then slept some more, here I am for more learning of Your power. Your love. Your grace.

Much earlier our Bible had opened to a picture of the prophet Isaiah holding a scroll. In bold print under the caption are these words, “The LORD Can Be Trusted”. I had just asked You what You would have me learn and there I was getting to read of Your perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Your ‘shalom’.

Thank You Lord. In reading in both The Learning Bible (CEV) and The Life Recovery Bible (TLB) I have sidebars and recovery commentary notes to help me understand more than I would on my own.

The more I read the more I want to know! “Perfect peace: The kind of inner peace that comes from confidence in God’s promise.” Mm God. Teach me more!

“Leviathan (Isaiah 27:1) is the sea monster of chaos God conquered at the time of creation. In the Bible, it often symbolizes evil. Victory over this monster can stand for God’s power over all creation or for defeat of His enemies, especially Egypt.”

Excited to learn more, I turn to the various verses where Leviathan is mentioned. The sidebars and extra articles are where I find myself reading even more. For Genesis 1:21, “giant sea monsters: This refers to Leviathan or Rahab, familiar monsters in Canaanite mythology. Sometimes the opponents of God and God’s people are described as sea monsters. Here the sea monster is important simply as a part of God’s good creation.”

As I turn to the references mentioned in Job (3:8; 41:1, 5, 12) and read the accompanying notes, I find so much more than I ever imagined! But more still is the description of Your power.

It’s YOU who can calm the monsters of our lives! YOU who can be trusted to destroy our enemies and the holds they have on us, whatever they are. YOU “will vanquish these creatures that live in the depths of our life.” Thank You Lord. Thank You for Your power. Your strength. Your love. Have YOUR way with us this day. I love You. Amen.

(416 words ~ 9:16 a.m.)

W.I.S.H.

Saturday, January 29, 2011 (8:06 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

I like waking up thinking of You. Especially with wonders, ideas and songs. Following the ‘yellow brick road’ cadence, I immediately heard myself thinking “Wonders, ideas and songs, oh my!”

Putting an ‘h’ at the end and spelling out “wish” I wondered [again! J] what Your Word has to say about wishing.

Right then a completely different song came to mind. ♫Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’…♫

You DO want us to hope and pray. Those things I know. Speak to me this morning Lord about what You want me to know concerning wishes.

No sooner asked than done! For over an hour I’ve tried finding what You could possibly want me looking at and it wasn’t until I asked that I received! Thank You Lord!

1 Corinthians 7:39 and 2 Corinthians 10:17 both point to the same verse. “As the Scriptures (Jeremiah 9:24) say, “The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done.’”

Turning to Jeremiah, Lord, once again I get to read of the underlying hope that is found in this book. How I thank You for his continued faithfulness to You.

Reading primarily in the Contemporary English Version this morning I find myself clinging to Your every word. Especially the verse (24) cited above, as well as the one immediately preceding it. “The Lord says: Don’t brag about your wisdom or strength or wealth. If you feel you must brag, then have enough sense to brag about worshiping me, the Lord. What I like best is showing kindness, justice, and mercy to everyone on earth.”

Oh most dear and blessed Lord that is indeed my W.I.S.H., my prayer, this day! Let me worship You in all Your glory!

The New Living Translation presents this verse thusly, “But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Thank You for speaking Lord! To Your prophet. To Your people. To the generations to come. How I love You Lord and ask that I may truly know You. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(394 words ~ 10:16 a.m.)

love

Friday, January 28, 2011 (2:34 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

This is definitely an early morning wake-up call. I’m not at all sure what it’s about, but thank You! Thank You for loving me. Thank You for creating me. Thank You for creating me to love You in return.

Maybe that’s it. Do You want to teach me more about love today? That would be nice. Seems like a good day for it. I’m in! Let’s do this.

Really Lord? The book of Esther? Okay…

(7:17 a.m.)

Wow! Lord. You never cease to amaze me. NEVER have I looked to Esther to learn more about love. But don’t her words “If I perish, I perish” (4:16b) perfectly exemplify Yours of John 15:13? “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his [in this case HER J] friends.”

This book is filled with intrigue. It reads like a modern day suspense story. A Persian king feeling disrespected by his queen. A minor official in his court who adopted his orphaned family member. A eunuch in charge of the young girls who might become queen. And Esther herself. Beautiful. Wise. Obedient. And ultimately willing to go to her death for the good of her people.

Yes Lord. Teach me to love as only You can. Sacrificially. Wholeheartedly. Well. On this day especially Lord, I ask that You would continue changing my heart, soul, mind and strength that I would love You as You so rightly deserve and others as myself (Mark 12:30-31). Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(262 words ~ 8:29 a.m.)

The Lord's Prayer

Thursday, January 27, 2011 (7:35 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

I love You. I had trouble getting back to sleep much earlier this morning and I started talking to You. The next thing I knew, it was 6:30. There were some really bizarre dreams where I wondered (and even asked You) if I was awake or not.

The two things I remember most before falling asleep again are: repeating the Lord’s Prayer and the emphasis on forgiveness.

(8:35 a.m.)

Lord God, how I love when these predawn encounters take me deeper into Your Word. Never do I remember looking into Your example of prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) as much as just now. How I thank You Lord.

Thank You that there is so much more here than just a group of set words to be mindlessly repeated as a selfish attempt of ‘getting out of jail free’. Lord, Your example is that of mindful devotion. Help me mirror that mindfulness.

Much earlier I asked You to work in, on and through me concerning forgiveness. I believe there is much to be forgiven. I think I have unknowingly carried around senseless, back (and spirit!) breaking bags of unforgiveness for years.

Lord, how I ask You to teach me to better forgive and be forgiving. You have provided far too much joy for me to squander it all in fruitless attempts of score keeping. And far worse, that of useless desires of score-settling.

Beloved God. “Our Father…” As I go into this day with the full intent of letting go of far more physical ‘stuff’ than I have been able to accomplish in my entire life, I ask that You go with me. Go before me to show me the way, behind me to encourage me, beside me to befriend me, above me to watch over me, and within me to give me peace.

I love You so incredibly much Dearest Lord. Thank You for Your love and Your help. Enable me to use it all well. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(334 words ~ 9:13 a.m.)

life

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 (6:49 a.m.)

Most Blessed Lord,

Thank You! Thank You for good sleep. Thank You for beautiful color in the sky. Thank You for hope and faith and love (1Corinthians 13:13). Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your life. Thank You for Your blood and Your body. Thank You for all You have for us to learn, to know, to believe and trust.

Lord. Today I seek to follow You. Teach me more about the life You want me to live. John 10:10 readily comes to mind. And while turning there I am led all over Your Word.

Lord God, so often I think it’s my own distraction that takes me away from my original intents. This morning however I do believe it is You. Looking to learn more about the abundant life You came to give (John 10:10) I was directed to read more about sheep and the separating of goats (Matthew 25:32). From here I went to an article that speaks of the importance of being born again and ends with trusting ourselves to You.

From there I followed the path to “Belief/Faith” and found myself all the way over to reading of Abram’s faith in Genesis 15:6. Lord, life in You is anything but dull! Thank You.

Thank You that along the way there was another article about love and a wonderful sentence that states, “Being loved by God is just a beginning.” It goes on to state how we are to share that love with others. Which is only possible because of You.

Now. Back to Abram. And an answer to something I posed to You yesterday about righteousness. “And Abram believed God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith.” (TLB) Hmm. Glancing to the bottom of the page I read this about being righteous, “This is one of the most important verses in the Old Testament, Abram believed God, and God considered him righteous. In other words, it was Abram’s faith, not his works, that made him righteous before God.”

This little section goes on telling of the importance of trusting You more and our own works less. “We are powerless over the pressures of sin, but God will help us through the toughest temptations if we trust Him.” Oh Dearest Lord thank You for that!

But wait! There’s more. “He will count us righteous because of our trust in Him, not because we are perfect.” Oh most dear and blessed Lord, thank You for coming “so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” Let me live this life You’ve given me with great gusto and zeal Lord. Enable and empower me to be one that truly shares Your faith, hope and love with others. I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(472 words ~ 8:17 a.m.)

dreams

Friday, January 21, 2011 (8:49 a.m.)

Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino #118A

Primm, NV

Blessed Lord,

Good Morning. Hello. I love You. I’ve had two more nights of fairly vivid dreams concerning my mom and places of my childhood. I truly don’t know if You would have me pay any attention to them or not. I confess to You Lord, I don’t understand dreams and their make-ups.

Turning to the end of 1 Samuel (28:6, 15) I read about Saul’s disobedience and rebellion, which led him even further away from You.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 (10:53 a.m.)

Beloved Lord of All Life ~

Oh how I thank You Lord! How I praise and thank Your most Holy name. YOU, the King of all Kings ~ Lord of all Lords. Most Holy of all. Thank YOU!

I’ve been gone from here but not from You. Never can we be away from You (Psalm 139:7). We can run, but we cannot hide. Thank You Lord.

Thank You for Your ever present benevolent hand on our lives. Lord, although I HAVE been absent from the sitting down and studying Your Word each morning, the joyful praises of my heart have still been present.

The dreams of prominent women in my life have continued. As has my wonder of a possible meaning or message behind them. Ah, but that is not my reason for coming before You this morning. No. Lord. I want to thank You wholeheartedly for Your mercy and grace concerning a horrifying car crash shown on television last night. A long time pursuit of an erratic driver through many Southern California streets ended horribly. Thank You Lord for Your merciful hand in preventing death from occurring.

Having prayed hard for the unsuspecting driver I am still in awe of Your protection of her. I know no further details other than she lived. Lord, thank You! How I ask You to ‘bless her and keep her and make Your face to shine upon her. Be gracious to her; turn Your face toward her and give her peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Mm, yes Lord. Even as I pray these words for a person unknown to me, the thoughts and names and faces of others come to mind. Lord, how I ASK You to make me a deeply rooted woman of prayer. Let my greetings and farewells become blessings of You!

Having received the good news of a young woman’s life being spared, the truth of James 5:16b immediately came to mind. “The prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Lord, I must confess I do not feel, nor do I see myself as being anywhere near ‘righteous’. Desperate? Fearful? Concerned? Yes. Yes. And yes. Righteous? What does righteousness even look like Lord? I confess I don’t think it’s me!

Ah but God. You made it so we can be heard by You. Through the blood and suffering of Your precious Son. HE alone is righteous!

The first part of this verse tells us to confess our sins (admit our faults) to one another and pray for each other that we will be healed. That I can do Lord. Because of YOU ~ Your love, Your life, Your truth, Your sacrifice I get to come right here before You singing out my heart’s content ♫My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness♫ Thank You Lord that YOU are in Whom I ‘live and move and have my being’ (Acts 17:28). Not dreams. Not wonders. Or thoughts. YOU Lord! ♫On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; All other is sinking sand All other ground is sinking sand♫

I love You Lord! Thank You. Amen.

(612 words ~ 12:23 p.m.)

?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 (6:13 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Prison? Prisoner? Truth? Justice? Freedom? What exactly do You want to speak with me about this day?

The dream I just had was so vivid. There was so much detail. We were at my grandma’s house. There were many different types of guns which led to a shooting. And my mom was going to take full responsibility. She was setting it all up so that everything pointed to her as having done it. I was going along with it. Until we were alone together in the kitchen and I realized she would be going away and I would never be able to touch her or hold her again. We hugged tightly as I cried and wouldn’t let her go. I kept telling her, “No. Mama. You can’t do this. There has to be another way.”

Lord, I don’t put a lot of stock in finding the meaning of dreams. I’m just wondering if there is something in all this You want me to know today?

Last night as I went to sleep, I thought about looking at Peter’s first letter again this morning. Right now that seems like a good idea.

(7:13 a.m.)

Reading around in Your Word Lord, I still don’t know what You would have me practice today. Is it love? Truth? Sacrifice?

I love You Lord. My thoughts are disjointed. I don’t want to put more emphasis on a dream than I ought. I come to You eager and excited to tell of Your love. Your peace. Your grace. Your joy. Guide me in it all today Blessed Lord.

I love You. I need You. I want You. I thank You. Amen.

(284 words ~ 7:25 a.m.)