The Good News!

II Samuel 18

My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.

I love this proclamation.

There are times when we need to remind our friends (and ourselves) of the good news that our Lord has delivered us.

If we know Him, we are rescued from death.

If we know Him, we are delivered from despair.

If we know Him, we are saved from sin.

That’s the good news of the message Jesus wants us to hear and believe – that we are rescued, delivered and saved – vindicated!

And all those who rise up against us have no strength to defeat us because we’ve already been established in a fortress and covered and protected by our King.

That’s good news!

Inquiry

II Samuel 5 says   Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”

The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim. The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.

Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon^[d] to Gezer.

I included this long passage in my short devo for a reason.

At first, David asked God if he should attack and God simply said, “Go.” David heard God’s answer, obeyed, and defeated the enemy.

The second time, David asked God, and this time God gave him instructions to wait, to follow his plan, and to listen for a sound – before attacking.  David heard God’s voice, obeyed what he said, and again he defeated the enemy.

The key part to this passage is that David inquired and he listened and heard God’s voice before acting. 

So often we act, suffer a defeat, and then ask why, hoping to hear from God.

When instead, we should inquire, listen, and then act – and experience victory.

Hear It

I Samuel 17:23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.

Remember this story?  Little Shepherd Boy David killed a giant with one little stone. 

Notice a few words above:

The giant was a “champion” among the Philistines, the enemy.

The giant "stepped out" to make himself seen.

The giant shouted his “usual” defiance.

We too have an enemy who rears his head at us often, by showing up in our day to discourage us with destructive thoughts, and by accusing us or throwing condemnation at us, even though he knows we belong to God.

Now notice the last part of the verse, David “heard” it.

He didn’t heed the giant’s words, but he heard them.  And he knew he was well able to slay the giant because he belonged to God.

If the enemy has stepped up and is hurling shouts at you, perk up and hear what he’s saying.  None of it is true!  You belong to HIM, and once you declare it aloud and believe it in your heart –

The giant will fall to the ground.

Not One

Joshua 23:14

You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

I’ve often been disappointed in life, either with unanswered prayers, with the inattentiveness of God, or with his silence.  At least that’s how I viewed certain times and experiences.

Then I’d end up at church or read His word and hear that his promises are true and that he never fails. Never.

So I started thinking, and wound up realizing that when I’m disappointed in an unanswered prayer, it’s only because I’m not getting the answer I want.  When I feel that God is being inattentive to my needs, it’s only that he’s meeting other needs at the time if I’ll just let him complete his work.  And when He’s silent, he’s busy at work perfecting me to look like the image he has in mind for me.

You know those makeovers on television?  The women who are being made over have to disappear, become completely vulnerable to the stylist, and be patient while the stylist does her work – often not allowed to see anything until the work is complete.

God’s promises are true.  He never fails.  And he’s the ultimate transformer of the old into the new…if we just sit still, lie back, and enjoy his very attentive love over us.

Listen Up

Deuteronomy 32:1-3

Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.  Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.  I will proclaim the name of the Lord.  Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

Have you ever looked up at the sky and told everything up there to listen to you? Many people shake their fist in the air when they’re angry, but how often do we lift our hands to declare to the heavens what it is we want to say?

We need to teach that which we have learned to be true (and let it fall like rain)

We need to teach that which we’ve experienced about walking with God (so that it rains like showers on grass)

We need to teach the truths to the next generation (like rain on tender plants).

People can’t hear us if we don’t speak, and they can’t respond if they don’t hear.

Listen up!

Say something!

And say it loud, to where you can be heard, as you voice the greatness of the God you serve.

The Way He Speaks

Numbers 7:89

When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.

Isn’t that interesting?  Can you see Moses inside a tent listening to a voice coming from between two cherubims?

God can speak to us wherever he pleases.  We just have to be able to recognize his voice.

First of all, Moses was in the “tent of meeting” where God’s presence lived.

Secondly, the voice came from above the “atonement cover” where mercy poured.

Thirdly, the voice came from between two cherubims, which were first mentioned in the bible back in Genesis where they guarded the tree of life.

If you have trouble hearing God’s voice or get confused about what you’re hearing, make sure you’re surrounded by his presence, his mercy, and his protection – his word – when you sit down to listen.

There’s great wisdom in tuning our ears to hear his voice in the way he speaks to us, by staying close to where he lives, moves, and breathes.

When we stray too far from any of those places, we’re likely to be confused by the noise around us.

Did You Hear?

Exodus 4:31  And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Yesterday’s verse reminded us that God hears us when we cry out to him, in our pain.

Today’s verse says when the people realized  God was concerned about them, they worshiped.

Isn’t it awesome to find out a friend is concerned about us, when we find a card by our front door, or a gift in the mail, or a voicemail on our phone, just asking how we are and how we’re doing?  It makes our day, doesn’t it?  It makes us want to respond to our friend in like manner, or call her to give thanks.

Our needs concern God, because we belong to him.  We need to hear this and be aware of this and believe it.

When we know that we have a God who is concerned about our needs, who sees us in our misery, we need to respond.

Self-pity isn’t pretty, and it does us no good to wallow in it when we’re in pain.  But what does do us a world of  good is to bow down and worship, even in the middle of our worst pain, because we KNOW that God is concerned.

Concerned enough to keep his promise to be with us and never leave us, to guide us when we don’t understand, and to set us free when we find ourselves trapped once again.