We're taking a trip chronologically through the Bible this year.
I lift my eyes up to the mountains, to the clouds, to the warm sun.
My help comes from the Lord who created all of these things.
He does not let me stumble. He never sleeps – he is always caring for me.
The Lord watches over me – I can feel his presence. He is standing right behind me, not letting anything harm me.
My Lord watches over my life – protecting me.
He watches me day and night, today and tomorrow….forevermore.
Thank you, Abba Father.
Our bad choices.
Our rationalizations.
Our blind spots.
How do we react when we realize that we’ve been foolish?
One of King David’s redeeming qualities was his ability to admit his foolishness and genuinely repent. He sometimes had trouble seeing his sin because he was lost in his own head – focused on his own plans. So we read that God brought people into David’s life to help him see his bad decisions.
When David finally realized his foolishness, he was always repentant. And we see God forgiving David over and over….and over.
Just like God forgives us- over and over…..and over.
Dear Abba Father, Please help us to be quick to recognize our sin and foolishness and quickly repent from those choices. We know that repenting means to turn away, to stop doing what we’re doing. We need your strength for that, dear Father. And perseverance. We are looking for wisdom and insight like it as silver, dear God. We are searching for understanding and knowledge like it was hidden treasure. We know all wisdom and understanding comes from you and you generously give it to us when we ask. We are asking now. Thank you. In the awesome name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
“My Child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…”
We are just starting the journey of memorizing Proverbs 2 together and I’m trying something new. I’ve added an audio file below of me sharing what I’ve memorized so far. It’s not perfect, but it’s close. Hopefully we can encourage each other as develop this habit of writing God’s words upon our hearts and minds. I also included James 1 if you’re still working on finalizing that.
Do you feel a ‘frizz’ of anticipation as we begin to store up within us these significant words from God about 
wisdom?
What is God going to reveal to us on this journey through Proverbs 2?
I am confident that we will have more wisdom when we’ve etched these words on our minds. That’s what God is promising us – if we memorize his words, turning our ears and applying our hearts – we will find understanding and wisdom and knowledge and insight.
Amen, let it be so, dear Father.
Audio file – click the square on the left to get it started:
We’ve been hearing a lot from God about wisdom lately, haven’t we? James 1 was full of directions to us regarding wisdom.
And now, in 1 Samuel, we read the story about a wise woman who saves a city. How does she do that?
She was wise in her approach to Joab, she didn’t let emotions get in the way, and she had a good suggestion which she was willing to follow-through.
She speaks truth into the situation. Joab is going to ‘take down’ the city in order to get one man. The wise women spoke to Joab, reminding him that this was a peaceful city with a strong history of faithfulness to Israel.
And Joab agrees to just take the man and leave the city alone.
Just like that.
A wise woman speaking truth saved the lives of the people living in that city.
Please give us wisdom, Abba Father.
There are so many thoughts and feelings fighting within me, dear God.
There are problems and situations rising up all around me!
I find myself often thinking that you aren’t in control of this. That you aren’t going to work this one out for my good.
But I know, dear Lord, that you protect me.
I know that your power within me can lift my head up high so I can see you.
So I can focus on you.
When I call out to you, you always answer.
I can sleep at night because you are with me.
I have no fear because I know that you love me and give me strength.
Deliver me from all the things that distract my attention away from you.
As a wave of other people’s voices washes over me, dear God, help me to hear only yours.
I know you will deliver me, God.
You have proved your faithfulness to me.
May your blessing be on us, your people.
Thank you, Abba Father.
We’re not done memorizing scriptures. God has made this extremely clear to me as I have been praying about whether to continue the sword fighting classes or not. The answer was a resounding ‘don’t stop’. So then I started praying about what to memorize and had thought I was going to memorize a part of Isaiah that I love. 
But God said, “Proverbs 2 – more about wisdom.”
So, we’re memorizing Proverbs 2 🙂 God promises he will help us. I know of 6 people who are memorizing it with us so that will be awesome! Proverbs 2 starts off with one God’s many commands to us to memorize scripture. Here we go:
‘My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you..’
Yes, Abba Father.
I ask for a pure heart, O God!
A heart that is focused on you.
Keep me close to your side and grow your spirit within me.
Bring back the joy I felt when I first asked you to save me.
Give me a faithful heart so I remain very near to you.
Then I will tell others about your saving grace.
I will share the truth you have revealed to me.
Please lift the burden of my guilt from me, O God.
Help me live in your grace and I will sing of your goodness forever.
When I open my mouth, Lord, let it be to praise you.
I know you don’t want me to just ‘show up’ at church because it’s the right thing to do.
I know you don’t want me to give money to the church just because it’s the right thing to do.
I know you don’t want me to read the Bible just so I can check it off of my reading plan for the year.
You want my heart to be broken open,
repentant,
humbled,
willing to be filled with truth by you,
my joy renewed by your grace.
Thank you, Abba Father.
It bothered David that he was now living in a palace while the ark of the covenant of the Lord was in a tent.
When David told Nathan the prophet what he was worried about, Nathan told David that he should do something about it. It was on David’s mind and Nathan reminded David that God was with him.
If this conversation happened today, it might sound something like this:
David: Nathan, I can’t stop thinking about the ark of the Lord sitting over there in that tent while I sit in this big palace. It’s really bugging me.
Nathan: Why do you think that’s bugging you, David? You know how God is always talking to you. Do you think this is God telling you to fix this situation? If so, you better do something about it.
As we read God’s word today, Nathan is saying the same thing to us. God is always trying to talk to us. His Spirit lives within all of us who believe. When we are being ‘bugged’ by thoughts, we need to meditate on God’s word to us. We need to figure out what God is telling us to do and then do it!
The more we listen, the louder God’s voice becomes.
Thank you, Abba Father.
Do you feel the power of the Holy Spirit living within you?
What does this power feel like?
We read in 2 Samuel that David and his army took over Jerusalem. Because God was with David, David became more and more powerful. David was obedient and, as a result of that obedience, God was able to fulfill his plan for David and establish him as king.
Isn’t that what we want? Not to be king :). But don’t we want God to be able to use us for his purposes? We want God’s dreams for us to come true.
I had the opportunity to visit the City of David in Jerusalem last year. (pictures) It’s very hard to try to describe what it felt like to stand within the ruins of David’s palace, looking down over the rooftops of Jerusalem.
Knowing that my God was David’s God.
The Alpha and Omega.
The Beginning and the End.
God was with David in Jerusalem. God’s power was in David, helping him to obediently fulfilled his purpose on earth. When David was done, our Father God brought him home.
God was also with me in Jerusalem. The power of his Holy Spirit lives within me, helping me to fulfill my purpose. I’m still here because I’m not done yet. When my time is up, he will bring me home to be with him.
Thank you, Abba Father.
We can spend a lot of time thinking about and worrying about our next step.
The next step for our career.
The next step for our marriage.
The next step for our children.
The next step as we grow older.
Our next steps can often seem like they are in a fog – unclear, hard to see.
I’m one of those people who like challenges. I like trying new things. So thinking about my next steps excites me, motivates me. But that doesn’t make them any clearer.
David shows us in 2 Samuel what to do at times like these. David inquired of the Lord. He asked God if the next step he was planning to take – going to a town in Judah- was the right one. And God said, “Go.”
Then David asked for more details – which town was he supposed to go to? And God said, “Hebron.”
So David went.
At this point, David could be 100% sure he was where God wanted him to be. With that assurance came the knowledge that God would be protecting him and blessing him in Hebron.
We can have this assurance as well – that we’re right where God wants us, covered by his love and protection. We just need to ask. God will answer.
James 1 teaches us to believe that God will answer. We need to have no doubts about this. God promises that he will give us generous amounts of wisdom in every situation…..if we ask him and believe.
The answers may not be what we want to hear. David might not have wanted to go to Hebron. But he went. He obeyed. A wise choice.
David believed that God would guide his steps. And God did.
God promised he will do the same for us. One of my favorite verses about this is Proverbs 3: 5&6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
We claim that promise, dear Father. Thank you.
Come with me on a Journey through the Bible 