Scripture:

2 Kings 19:14-15

 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

To Cary or Cast Them?

Something profound about Hezekiah's response, today if we pay attention we will get something powerful.   Hezekiah receives a letter from the King of Assyria boasting how no other nation's god could save them.   This was a distressing letter, an attack from the enemy not only on King Hezekiah, but against his Lord.  

I am reminded of Daniel 9 where Michael the ArchAngel was withheld for a time by the Prince of Persia (demonic forces.) I believe this  was as much a spiritual attack as it was a physical one.

But what do you do when you receive bad news, or an attack from the enemy?  Do you carry it, does it become a weight, a burden, sapping your strength, discouraging you?   Or, are you like Hezekiah in that you have decided to lay out your problem before the Lord, decide the the LORD is your TRUST and your HELP?   Declaring "My God is Able!"

Our God-Shot today is that we are not meant to carry our load, to fight alone, but rather we are meant to cast our troubles on Him, give them to Him.  

7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  ~1 Peter 5:7

Don't get burdened today when things don't go right, don't allow the enemy to discourage, to sap your strength, even resist you, LAY them out before the Lord, He will ANSWER you in the day of your trouble, meet you in your struggle, deliver you from the hand of the enemy.  

We will serve a God "WHO IS ABLE!"

Lord, I pray that those who are burden that they would cast them off, lay them before you surrender what they cannot carry, what you can, what you have the answers to, meet us in our day, in our need, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Isaiah 44:19

No one stops to think,
    no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
    I even baked bread over its coals,
    I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
    Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

Who is Your God?

I think when we read about idolatry in the Word of God, we think: "Well, that is dumb, worshiping a statue or wooden idol, or a golden calf."   But... we overlook the fact that there are modern-day idols; they are just not as blatantly obvious as a wood statue or a golden calf.  See, modern-day idolatry can manifest in seemingly innocent ways, like placing too much importance on material possessions, success, or even relationships, social media, or even yourself.  

Hopefully you caught it like me; the Lord is giving us a powerful truth but almost in a satirical way, pointing out how foolish it is to place our trust in things made by human hands or effort. 

"Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"   Just a moment ago I put some of that same wood in the fire.   That is funny, Lord, but it is also a truth that hits you.  

What have you allowed to:

Take your attention?

Get your worship?

Steal your time?

Our God-Shot today is to examine what we have allowed to have greater importance in our lives than God.  Is it our phones? Do they get the first part of our day? Is it our job? Does it get even greater priority? Is it money? Am I pursuing it so hard there is no room for the Lord in my life?   Is it myself? Am I spending all my time self-focused?   Is it my family and friends? Do they get all my time, and none is left for my relationship with Him?  It is not that most of these are things you can't have in your life; the question is, do they have the bull-share of your life, meaning do they crowd out God? That is the question, the challenge today...

Lord, forgive us for anything we have allowed to steal our attention, to become gods in our lives; help us to put you first in all that we do; let our motives be transformed.  We can rely on you; you are our strength, our trust, our salvation- not things, not money, not position, not people. Let us return our hearts to what matters: you, LORD, you.   In Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Isaiah 43:2-3a 

2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel. 

"Going Through"

If you have lived long enough, you will have already discovered that life comes with its ups and downs, its highs and lows.   Difficult days are just part of life; the unexpected is just that, unexpected. We do not know when it will arrive; we can only be prepared for the "whens" of life.  What we do know is that "WITH" the LORD we will "GO THROUGH" them; we will not be stuck in them.   Rick Warren of Saddleback Church said: "When you are going through hell, you don't stop, you go through, you keep going."   Two great truths we see from today's portion are that the LORD will "BE WITH US" in our dark days, our days of trial, our difficult days, and the second thing is that He will "KEEP" us, that He will not let them "OVERTAKE" us.   

So, today's God-Shot is that you are not alone and that with the presence and the strength of the Lord you will GO THROUGH the dark days, and they will not OVERTAKE you; He will SUPPLY your strength and everything you need to get through.   Today we can take rest in that He is WITH US, He STRENGTHENS US, and that He will KEEP US.

Father, I thank you that there is not a tear that you have not seen, that there is not a difficult day that you have not seen me through, where you have left or abandoned me, there is not a time that you have failed me, even today those who are in difficult days strengthen them, hold them up, see them through the deep waters, in Jesus' name, Amen

Scripture:

Isaiah 38:1-4

1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” 2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

He is Able

What happens when we are faced with trouble, evil days, when things that were not expected happen, when we are in the middle of a storm?   Our knee-jerk reaction  is "what am I going to do?" Panic hits us, fear strikes us, we begin to size up our problem based on our own ability, our own strength, and we decide that we fall short, we are not able, it becomes overwhelming.

But God...

In His hands, everything changes.   Did you know He can add more time to your days (Proverbs 3:2), and here we see He can add more days to your life.  My life, your life, your situation is not determined by circumstances, but rather by the presence of God in it.    God is able to save us, to redeem us from our trouble, from our evil days, from our circumstances.   Hezekiah turned to the Lord and humbled himself before the Lord and cried out, and the Lord heard Him, that is what brings power into your situation.

Our God-Shot today is, don't size your problems up by your ability, your strength; focus on the strength and the power and the ability of your God "who is ABLE."   2 Timothy 1:12  Paul says, "I know the God I serve; He is able."   So today, don't see the size of your problem; see the size of your God, and that will change how you pray, what you see, and what happens next.

Lord, open our eyes to see your great presence, in our need meet us, what seems impossible for us is possible for you, you can hold time back, you can add days to our lives, time to our days, you are able, when we are not, and in your loving kindness, I ask that you would go before us today, conquer the enemy, bring peace in our days, help those struggling to overcome difficulties today, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Isaiah 30:15

"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.' But you were unwilling,"

The Lord is speaking to rebellious people, those who stand on self-reliance, who have taken their own path, and forgotten God. He says these words, "But  you were unwilling."   This phrase is heartbreaking as it reminds us that we reject God with our choices; it is our will it is more than a one-time act; rather, it is a series of choices.   

But in God's grace, He provides the answer to this rebelliousness;  He says it is in "Returning" and "Rest" that you will be saved.  Returning/Repentance, changing your mind, choosing to return to the Lord, in "REST": Ceasing from human striving and anxiety, choosing instead to find peace in God's sovereignty.   Instead of choosing my way, finding rest in His WAY.

Our God-Shot today is:   His Way is Better.   When I find myself even in micro-rebellions, I must remember that it is the little things that drag me away, before I know it I will be far from Him, I must pursue the Lord and mind my distance, mind my attitudes and most of all I must find my REST in HIS WAY.

Lord, I pray for those who find themselves distant from you today, that they would turn, that they would change their mind, that they would find rest in your way, and cease striving to be self-reliant, but be God-Reliant, depending on you, pursuing you, trusting in you, in Jesus' name, Amen!