March 20, 2022 Verse Of The Day
God’s Ways
John 11:14-15 A Negative Used For Good
So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” John 11:14-15
No one likes to see bad things occur to someone they love. It is painful to see a loved one suffer or to die.
When a loved one is suffering badly and has a great possibility of dying, most people will do whatever they can to prevent the death and alleviate the suffering. All that can be seen is the pain and suffering and that it must be stopped.
Lazarus had been sick and Jesus chose not to go to him. Later Lazarus dies. Jesus was glad He did not go to Lazarus while he was sick, but now goes to him. Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus and prevent death, but was glad that He did not do that. He had something greater in mind.
Humans can only see the here and now, they cannot see the future or even the bigger picture. God is greater than any thing that can come against a person. He can turn around a situation in a moment, but often does not.
The purpose of allowing suffering is to build a person in his faith. Healing a person is a great miracle, but raising one from the dead is even a greater miracle. One builds the faith some, while the other builds it a lot.
There are times God allows a time of pain and suffering to occur to allow a person to draw closer to Him. Believers are to rely completely upon God and trust His way of doing things. As one does this greater things can occur, the dead is raised to life, rather than just another healing.
As you are going through life, there will be times of pain and suffering. As you cry out to God for mercy, do not allow yourself to think that there is only one way to fix the problem. Put your trust in God, His timing and His ways.
God can do things in a greater way than you can imagine. He will do things in a way that will be for your benefit.
Allow Him to build your faith and trust in Him. Believe that God knows what He is doing and will do it in the best way possible.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that you will know you can trust God’s ways of doing things; that your faith in God will grow; and that you will see greater miracles of God being performed.
Zechariah 9:12 Return To Your Fortress
Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. Zechariah 9:12
Fortresses are places of security, safety, and provision. People strive to build all of these things with the ways of the world, bigger houses, careers, bank accounts and more. These things are built up in hopes of a more secure future.
All of these provide a false sense of what people are really desiring. Each of these are temporary and will fade away or can be quickly removed.
Zechariah gives a call to the Israelites to return to their fortress. As they return, they will also be restored with twice as much as they had lost.
Believers are living in a fallen world and have often become prisoners of this world. They can get caught up in what the world sees as important and strive after those things. Rather than looking up to God, they look outward to people and the things of this world.
When Zechariah made this call, he had just prophesied about Jesus coming. Jesus, being God, is the fortress that everyone can run to. He is a firm foundation that everyone can stand upon.
God is a God of hope, salvation, and provision. The world and sin has tried to take away the joy and hope of salvation from believers.
When the believer returns to God, his fortress, he will get twice as much as what was stolen from him restored–twice as much joy, grace, salvation, hope, peace, and provision. These are things that will last for eternity and cannot be taken away.
Jesus has broken the chains of sin and bondage so that every believer can return to the fortress of God to have a hope that lasts for eternity.
Over time you may have allowed the ways of the world trap you into thinking as the world does. You may have allowed yourself to get trapped into seeking all of your needs as the world does.
It is not too late, you can turn around and return to God with all of your heart. Go to the fortress of Jesus and be restored. God is ready and willing to restore all that has been lost and more due to running with the world.
God loves you and is full of mercy and grace. Allow Him to be your fortress in this fallen world as you wait for His return.
I pray today that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that God will be your strong fortress; that you will live by God’s ways of living; and that you will see God restore all that has been lost in following the world’s ways.
Ezekiel 28:17 Pride And Corrupted Wisdom
Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before Kings. Ezekiel 28:17
Looking good will often cause pride in the hearts of many people. They will often begin to compare themselves and how they look compared to other people, causing them to look down upon others. This can occur with both physical looks and the looks of his position in society.
Once a person has pride welling up inside of them because of how they look, their wisdom begins to become corrupt. They begin to think that they are all that and more. Their thoughts are that they know what is best and forget the rest.
Ezekiel brings a judgement against Tyre. The nation had been one of great splendor and glory, but had allowed pride to enter them. All the wisdom they had became corrupted and so God chose to knock them down.
The world, not knowing God at all, will often grab onto physical beauty and allow their thinking to be corrupted. They begin to think that they know what is best, when what they are doing is leading to death and destruction. From the outside it appears to be good, but is not.
Believers must also be careful to not allow pride into their lives. Some do a ministry and it grows very well. Suddenly they allow pride in their lives, thinking that they did it all. Once pride sets in, their thinking and allowing God to work begins to become corrupt. It all becomes about self, not God and others.
One must always know that it is God who is in control and must have the control. Things that go great are because God allowed it so. Keeping the fear of God and following His ways will always be the best and uncorrupted wisdom.
God wants to do great things in and through you while you walk on this earth. As things go well for you, do not allow yourself to begin to think that you are the best thing on this earth. Do not allow pride of self and position to corrupt you.
Keep your focus upon God and His ways to guide you in all that you do. This is true wisdom without pride that God is seeking in every person who follows Him.
I pray today that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that you will know the wisdom of God’s ways; that you lean on God for everything you have and do; that you will put God first in your life; and that you will allow God to remove all pride in you.
Isaiah 26:8 Walking While Waiting
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8
Waiting for someone or something is a thing that most people do not like to do. Everyone wants things right away on their own time.
It is common to see people fidgeting while waiting in a line, or sitting frustrated while waiting to move forward. As they wait, they are thinking about all the things that they could be doing, if they did not have to wait. Often there comes a great anger during this waiting, because the person is no longer in control of the situation and timing of everything.
In Isaiah’s prayer, he tells God that they are waiting for Him, that He is the desire of their hearts. However, as they are waiting, they are also walking in His ways.
Most believers are waiting on God for something. They are waiting on Him to answer some prayer that is upon their heart. This prayer could be for themselves or for someone else, but it is a desire of theirs.
While waiting, just like waiting in a line, many will also get frustrated. They are upset that God is not moving any faster than what He is doing. It is common to see one stop in his tracks to wait for God. Some will stop believing in God, because He did not answer fast enough for their liking.
The true believer in God will not stop, but will continue to walk in His ways. They will live a Jesus did, continuing their mission upon this earth, while they wait for God to answer their prayers.
The desire of their heart is God, so they will live for Him and wait upon Him, not just sitting and doing nothing. They will continue to be active for God.
Focus your heart upon Him and desire God in all that you do. As you are waiting for Him to answer your heart’s prayers, keep walking. Keep being His witness in this world. Continue to live for God and to be His witness in this world.
Do not let and unanswered prayer stop you or distract you from living for God. Keep walking and do not stop. Live for God in every area of your life.
God will show up at the right time and answer your prayer, until then keep walking and waiting.
I pray today that you will seek to know God more; that God will be the full desire of your heart; that God will strengthen you to keep walking in His ways; and that you will work for God as you wait for Him.
Insights From Tom 