“But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.  See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.  Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chron 20:10-12)

 The passage you just read picks up a couple of chapters after the passage Patrick talked about yesterday’s TOTD (11/8) concerning King Asa.  Today’s chapter is dealing with King Jehoshaphat and his being overwhelmed with the impending battle that Judah was facing against insurmountable odds.  Jehoshaphat faced this overwhelming situation by offering a prayer to God; an earnest heart felt prayer: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

 “Our eyes are on you.”  Admist the anxiety of the situation, Jehoshaphat remained steadfast in his prayer to the Lord.  He remained focused.  Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel and he prophesied before the whole assembly. 

 ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.  Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.  You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’” (2 Chron 20:15-17)

 Oh, the power of prayer and keeping our eyes always on our God.  Keep our eyes on the him.

 Lord, may I always keep my eyes on you.  May I never forget, that the battle is not mine, but yours.  May I not be afraid.  May I not be discouraged.  You will be with me.”

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Col 1:15)

     > Jesus, you are the son of the living God, may I always see you at work in my life.

 “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” (Col 1:16)

     > You rule over all created things, yet you are loving enough to care for my life.

 “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:17)

     > Be first in my life, directing my every step, and comforting me when I am down.

 “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Col 1:18)

     > Be first in my life, may I not put anything else in my life before you.

 “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,” (Col 1:9)

     > Just as the Father was pleased to dwell in you, may you also dwell in me.

 “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. ” (Col 1:20)

     > Jesus, even though I have failed you, you have saved me.

     > Your sacrifice has set me free.

     > The gift of your life has set me free.

     > I am free.

     > I am free.

“At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”  “No one sir,” she said.  “Neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared.  “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:9-11)

 How many times have we done something wrong that deserved punishment?  How many times have we done something wrong before our God?  Think about that for a few minutes…  Take a few minutes to consider what the wedge that is keeping you apart from God; not having that close personal relationship.  What is it?

Pride?  Idolatry? Anger? Lust?

 Now, think about this…

 Jesus comes before you and is standing with you all alone.  Nobody else is around.  Just you and him standing in front of each other.  Then he asks:

“Has no one condemed you?”

“Neither do I condem you.”

“Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 The creator of the universe, the King of Kings, the Messiah, and our Lord comes before you and says “neither do I condem you.”

 Lord, thank you for the amazing grace and forgiveness you have extended to me.  Open my heart.  Fill my life.

 “And what does the Lord require of you?   To act justly and to love mercy  And walk humbly with you God.” (Micah 6:8)

“Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”  The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”  Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.  “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”  Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.” (Matthew 20:30- 34) 
 
This portion of Matthew certainly reveals to us one of Jesus’ many glorious miracles.  This one does have some special things to consider as we stop and reflect on what God does in our life every day.
 
Being blind, these two men were the down-trodden, the outcast of society.  They were marginalized at best.  How did they know Jesus was coming?  How did they know who he was?  Had they met him before?  Had others told them about Jesus?  They called out to Jesus in faith.  Against the rebuke of the crowd, the outcast of society reached out to the teacher, the Holy One of God.  What hope was there of any response?  Would he even turn his head to acknowledge them?
 
Not only did he acknowledge them; he stopped and called to them.  The creator of the universe stopped, turned and approached the blind men.  How is it that the King of Kings would stop, acknowledge, and speak to them?  How is it that the Lord of Hosts had compassion on them?  How is it that the Annointed One would touch their lives so they could see the truth?
 
Seems to be an unlikely situation.  What hope did they have anyway?  Unlikely, yes. 
 
Unlikely, not really, he stops and approaches you every day.  The Holy One of God, the Creator of the universe, the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts, the Annointed One stops and approaches you each day and asks “What do you want me to do for you?”.
 
Call out.
Be open.

“…be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  (Matthew 5:48)

 “The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God.”  (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, 9/20)

 How easy it is for us to separate our spiritual life and our everyday “non-spiritual” life; compartmentalizing each piece into its own nice neat package.  But that is so not how God wants us to live.  Everything we do this day, however big or small, however liked or disliked by you, we do for God.  Whatever it might be.  Think about the most mundane thing you did today, God was with you in that moment, right by your side.  Everything he has given us in this life, and what we do with it, is for his glory.

 So, you think  “being perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” sounds tough.  You bet!  That’s just the point.  You can’t do it. There is no way for us to do it.  We can only do it in God’s grace; through his working in our life – our everyday life, not just in our prayer time or our God time, but in the everyday.

 It is in walking with him, each moment of every day, that we will be touched by his love for us; his intense love that will consume our life.  Just think about how the Creator of the universe so wants to come into your life and take it so beyond your wildest imagination. “The true expression of Christian charater is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness.” (Chambers)

 Thank you God, for your burning love for me.  May I open my heart to you in the practical, everyday details of life; touching my life in ways that I cannot even imagine.

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30)

 It is not me who is ‘doing’ the ‘doing’.  It is because of him.  It is Christ living within me that is giving to all and providing the fountain of water springing up within – with all righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

May I be open to your working through me.

 “Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 1:14)

“Each morning everyone gathered as much manna as he needed.”  (Exodus 16:21)

 Every day, God provides for all of our needs.  Just as he fed the Israelites for forty years as they fled Egypt, our very existence depends on the never ending will of the Lord and his provision for our life.  We have the opportunity to exist today because God has willed it for our lives. 

 Our dependence on the Lord is not to be an occasional or an only-as-needed thing.  We are to depend on him each hour of every day.  We are to pray for our “daily bread” (Matt 6:11), and that is what the Lord gives us.  He gives us exactly what we need, when we need it. “Your strength will equal your days.” (Deut 33:25).

 Father, thank you for providing for my every need yesterday.  Thank you for supporting and directing me through my day today.  Thank you for helping me to see clearly all that you give me and recognize how you are at work; providing for my very existence tomorrow.

 “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock.  Trust in him at all times.”  (Psalm 62:7-8)

“If you make an altar of stone for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it.” (Exodus 20:25)

 God’s altar was to be constructed of uncut stones without having been worked by human hands; without human effort.  Our effort does nothing to contribute to our salvation; it is totally God’s doing.  It is his unconditional gift to each and every one of us.  How easy it is for us to believe the notion that there is something we can do to affect that end result of our salvation.  It is God’s gift to us.  If it had anything to do with our effort, it would not have been a gift. 

 As soon as we put forth the effort to “dress the stones” in our relationship with God, we open the doors to many things: the ways of the world, a prideful heart, idolatry, boasting, control, fear, irreverence, or unbelief.   We each have our own things.  You can go ahead and add to the list.  What more can we add to the life of Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross and said “it is finished”? (John 19:29)

 Pack up your tools.  Don’t try to chisel at your relationship with God.  His saving grace, unconditional love, and perfect word are there for us.  They are all we need.

 “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” (Romans 9:16)

“Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” (Genesis 21:6)

Consider for a moment were Sarah was at this point in her life.  God had just fulfilled his promise to Sarah and Abraham to provide the heir through which their descendents would be as “numerous as grains of sand”.

Before this, all was beyond hope for them.  That part of the promise or covenant with God appeared to be unattainable.

With Sarah, conceiving and giving birth to their son Isaac in their old age; the impossible became possible.  Sarah was absolutely dumbfounded.  Her only response was to laugh in amazment.

All that God had done for them was beyond their own doing.  It was a gift totally from God.

Now, consider how God has worked in your life.  You have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe and have been granted eternal salvation through none of your own doing. A gift, freely given without reservation.

What can our response be but utter amazment, or joy, even laughter.  God loves you and cares for you.  He is faithful and committed to that personal relationship with you.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8)

Why don’t you just laugh out loud from time to time.  Others will laugh with you.  LOL…

“I know that my Redeemer lives,
And that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25)

I know for most of us, the hardships of Job are well known.  He lost absolutely everything in his life except for his wife, his three friends, and his relationship with God.

What I have always found so pivotal in Job’s story is the staunchness of his relationship with God.  He knew that his God, his Redeemer, was very much a part of his life and nothing would come become between him and God.

He could not fully understand why all the things that did happen to him, but his faith and singularity of purpose in his relationship with God allowed him to know that his Redeer, in fact, does live, and he will stand upon the earth in relationship with him.

Father, may I know beyond all doubt that you are my Redeemer and the Lord of my life.  May I stand firm and resolve to not waiver in my devotion to you amidst the difficulties and challenges of my life.