Romans 4:19-25 –  Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about 100 years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.  ²⁰ He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.  ²¹ He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. ²² So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.  ²³ But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, ²⁴ but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  ²⁵ He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.

As I listened to the howling wind and rain beating against my window, I continued my praying and reading.  I had a sense of calm knowing the promise and provision of God (Psalm 91).  I was reminded of Paul’s description of Abraham in Romans 4:19-25.  He trusted God.

Abraham considered his age, his physical ability, and Sarah’s.  Considered indicates he evaluated it.  He saw the impossibility in the natural.  God said, ‘You will have a natural-born son.’  The conditions said, “No, you won’t.”

Verse 20 makes a powerful and revelatory statement.  “YET, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, AND being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to do.”

Abraham’s heart was totally God’s.  He trusted God.  That changed his outlook, and he was empowered to look beyond or through the problem to the promise.  He looked from the now to the then.  He did not waver!  We waver!

Abraham did not ignore the problem.   He did not minimize the problem.   It was real, and denial would have led to deception and a loss of confidence in God, and upon fulfillment of the promise, failure to fully give God credit.   It was impossible for him and Sarah, BUT GOD could, and he believed God would.

Romans 5:1-5 is vital.    Justified by grace, we have peace with God.   Tried or proven faith stands.  Abraham’s physical limitations tested His confidence in God’s integrity.  The test developed character.   Character established hope.   Hope banished fear, doubt, and the shame of failure!

God’s promises are certain.  However, we must never forget that He demands our whole heart and obedience.  He’s not our candy store or supermarket.  He is our God and blesses us so that we are transformed and vessels for His purposes.  We can’t live in the flesh and expect to enjoy the benefits of the Spirit.

Read Romans 6 and meditate on it.   A change on the inside produces a change on the outside.  Faith leads to righteousness.  How we live testifies to who we are.  The benefit of salvation is sanctification, which leads to eternal life.    Who are we?

Lord, help us to hear Your voice and reject all negative voices!

Psalm 86:11 – “Teach me Your way, O Yahweh; I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the Hebrew word (Yachad) gripped my heart.   In simplicity, it means “togetherness.”   However, it is more than a loosely linked camaraderie.  It is making one so blended that there is no distinction.  It is the preventative against double-mindedness.

Psalm 86:11 – “Teach me Your way (singular), O Yahweh; I will walk in Your truth…”   The Way of God is a revelation of who God is His character!   The Psalmist says, “If You expose to my heart, Your character THEN or as a result I will serve You with my all.  Let me know, You and my heart will totally belong to You.”

Then (Yachad) enters the picture.  “Unite (Yachad) my heart to fear (reverence) Your name.” LORD, enable me to know You so that I become ONE with You, and my life will express who You are!  I will become a living letter from you to the world and the church.

In verses 12-13, he says, “I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify Your name FOREVER.  For (because) Your lovingkindness (chesed) toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from Sheol below.”

God revealed His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.   God’s character united (Yachad) Moses to Him and His purpose.   God’s power was the focus of the people.

Today, there is a tendency to focus on the power of God rather than the person of God.   If we become united with the person, the power is present when needed.   The person (character) of God unites and transforms, the power of God awes, but is soon forgotten as the heart craves the desires of the flesh.

LORD, Unite (Yachad), our hearts!

Psalm 69:1-3  – “Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life. ² I have sunk in deep clay, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.  ³ I am weary with my calling out; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I heard, “Troubled Waters.”  What could that mean?  Was it a warning?  Was it a call to intercession?  What was the message?

As I read Psalm 69, the message of verses 1-3 caught my attention.   “Save me, O God.”  Many have been the occasions I have cried those words.  Help was my passionate plea.  There have been times when I said, “LORD, it’s me again.  I’ve messed up again.  I need help again.”

The Psalmist continued, “FOR or because the waters have threatened my life.”   Waters?  Usually, water refers to people in Scripture.  But it can easily be trouble.  Sometimes, trouble comes through people.

“I have come into DEEP CLAY, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.”   Deep Clay?  Based on the verbiage and connections, I suggest this is a stronghold of the mind (thought patterns) that make life unstable and uncertain.  The flood of trouble is upon me, and I see no way out.

In verse 3, he says, “I am weary with my calling out; my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.”   The troubles of life have become so overwhelming that hopelessness is his constant companion.  He has cried out so much that he has become hoarse, which suggests that his desperation resulted in yelling at God!    HELP!  HELP!  HELP!  I’ve been there!

Psalm 73 brought comfort and hope to my heart.  The Psalmist confessed that he had looked at others and assumed they were treated better by God than he was.  Then in verses 16-17, the light came on.   In Psalm 71:14-15, we see a pathway to victory.   Wait on or before God in praise (maybe a sacrifice of praise).  Let that praise grow in intensity and frequency.   Rehearse in your mind Who God Is and All He Has Done!

Psalm 77:2 – “In the day of my distress I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; my soul refused to be comforted.”   My focus is God, not trouble or man.    I refuse to allow false ease to prevail but am determined to press into His presence and be set free!   If life’s waters are troubled, take heart, the one who speaks to the wind is with us!

Lord, help us to move from the Deep Clay of Life to the Solid Rock of Jesus!

Psalm 63:3-4 – “Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself, my lips will praise you.  ⁴ For this reason I will praise you while I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was encouraged beyond measure and convicted deeply.  The declaration of Psalm 63:3-4 caused me to stop and reflect on the truth therein.

“Because Your lovingkindness (chesed) is better than life, my lips shall laud You. Thus, will I bless You as long as I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name.”

Lovingkindness?  That is a captivating word.  The word sounds refreshing and mysterious.   It is the Hebrew “chesed” – Mercy!   But it is more than mercy.   It is an extravagant act of divine kindness motivated by agape!  It is arresting mercy that penetrates all darkness and dispels all fear and doubt.  It contains the motivation of the gospel (restoration).

If embraced and understood, it defines grace!  It consumes and becomes more important than life itself because it reveals God’s heart!  From it flows spontaneous praise!

In verse 6, the Psalmist gives a pathway to perpetual peace and revelation.  “When I remember (call to the forefront of the consciousness or mind) You on my bed, I meditate on YOU (not God’s acts but God) in the night watches.”

At the conclusion of the day, after all the busyness and chaos we bring to the forefront of our consciousness, GOD! 

• The Living God whose Chesed is better than life itself!   
• The Living god whose mercy is beyond limit.   
• The Living God, whose love surrounds us and elevates us into His presence, is our focus as we drift off to sleep.

It allows our spirit to meditate on GOD!   Imagine going to bed every night with the last conscious thought, the person of God!  Imagine the incredible downloads that could come as we sleep in Him and awaken to the conscious reality of His incredible lovingkindness (mercy).  How could we do anything but praise Him with overflowing gratitude?  How could our lives not be a witness and testimony of love?

Psalm 65:4 is becoming a go-to passage of encouragement for me.  “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You that he would dwell in Your courts.  We will be satisfied with the Goodness of Your House, Your Holy Temple.”    Wow!   We are chosen, brought near to come in and reside in Him, living completely satisfied lives!  What a promise and place!  My cry is, “Make it so, LORD.  Make it so.”

LORD, help us to embrace Your Lovingkindness and be Transformed!

Psalm 51:10-13 – “Create for me a pure heart, O God.  Renew a resolute spirit within me.  ¹¹ Do not reject me.  Do not take your holy Spirit away from me.  ¹² Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance. Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey.  ¹³ Then I will teach rebels  Your merciful ways, and sinners will turn to you.”

As I prayed, read, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was challenged.   Psalm 51 reveals why God could call David a man after His own heart.  In verses 2-4, David recognized his depravity, repented, and desired renewal.   Being pure-hearted was a driving force in David’s life.

In verses 10-13, we see the heart of God expressed in David.  He desired cleansing, renewal, the embrace of the Holy Spirit, and restoration (identifying his recognition of his failures).   He cried to God to mold him into that man who pleased God and could be used by God.   He asked to be sustained by a willing (obedient) spirit and expressed the prime desire of discipleship.

In Psalm 55:2, the directive to cast our burdens on the Lord was declared by Jesus in the Gospels.  Obedience is impossible without trust.  Trust is impossible without knowledge.  If we do not know God, we cannot trust Him.  If we do not trust Him, we will not explicitly obey Him.

I believe it was Corrie ten Boom who said, “We can trust an uncertain future to a certain God.”   If we know God’s ways, we know God’s heart and His eternality, enabling us to not only trust Him but also expect and anticipate His fulfillment of His promises.

Do we know Him or just know about Him?  That is revealed in our level of trust.  Our level of trust is expressed in our expectations.

Father, help us to give our entire being to You and watch You transform the Uncertain into Certainty.