January 4 – Day 4 – Genesis 14-16; Mark 4 Day 279 – Nahum 1-3; John 4

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 279-Nahum 1-3; John 4 summary!]

One of the most important truths we learn from Abram is when God makes a promise don’t take matters into your own hands. God promised Abram He would give him a son, but Abram and Sarai decided God was taking too long, so they took matters into their own hands. Sarai gave Abram her maidservant, Hagar, so “they” would be able to have a son. In truth, Hagar’s son would be Abram’s son, but that son would not be the child God promised him. We will see as we read in the days ahead that Hagar’s son, Ishmael, became a challenge and a problem, for Abram and Sarai. That could have been avoided had they only waited for God’s timing instead of insisting on moving in their own.

How many times have you been impatient with God’s timing in your life? I know it has been far too often for me. I have never had such a specific promise from God as Abram and Sarai, but I remember when Nancy and I were praying for God to give us a child, a period that lasted for nearly a decade, so many times I thought God had forgotten us. In much smaller matters, I push my will thinking it is God who is challenging me to step forward in faith. The question becomes, “How do we know when God is speaking to us, and when it is our own desire?” Henry Blackaby offers a great response to that question in his book Experiencing God. Blackaby tells us God speaks to us in four primary ways: 1) through His written word–the Bible; 2) through prayer; 3) through circumstances; and 4) through other believers.

Let’s look a little closer at each way.  When we read the Bible we find principles and promises that speak clearly to us. I’m not talking about a “name it and claim it” theology, where we find a verse that says what we want to hear or have and claim it as a promise from God. Rather, I mean when Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, God will add everything we need to our lives, that as we put God first, He will provide our daily needs.

God speaks to us through prayer in many ways. In my experience, God has spoken audibly to me only a couple of times, but He often speaks in my Spirit when I pray. The temptation is always to speak to myself and call it God, but my discernment process involves being certain the “answer” I receive is consistent with God’s revealed will in the Bible. After all, God will never tell us something that isn’t consistent with what He has already said in His word.

God speaks through our circumstances. For example, I have often prayed God would use our home effectively for His purposes. Since Abby and Emmy moved out of the house several years ago, we have had a big house all to ourselves. We have hosted a couple of short-term house guests over the years, but in August 2017, when Pastor Joe Tung from Canada e-mailed me and told me their church had three teenaged girls who needed a home, I immediately sensed this was God answering my prayer. Of course, with such a major decision, Nancy and I needed to discern together that God was, indeed, calling us to become parents again.  The opportunity to serve Him through parenting Teresa, Yukina, and Yumiko has been His voice speaking clearly through circumstances.

Finally, God sometimes speaks through other believers. When I was seventeen, and had accepted an appointment to West Point, I had one last opportunity to preach in my home church in Gipsy, PA. After the service, a close family friend, Shyrl Spicher looked me in the eyes and said, “I think you missed your calling.” She didn’t know, that I knew God was calling me to be a pastor, but I was doing everything I could to avoid that call in my life. Her words echoed in my mind and heart for years. I knew God was speaking through her, and ultimately, I responded to that call.

In each of our lives, we can do our will or God’s will. God’s will is always better for us! I pray we will take the time to listen for and to God’s voice in whatever manner He speaks to us today.

In Mark 4, we come to the first extended teaching passage in the Gospel. Mark introduces us to a number of parables about the Kingdom of God–the topic of most of His parables. He also tells us why He teaches in parables. The chapter closes out with Jesus calming a storm. Once again, we see Mark’s focus on action, and not just any action, but Jesus’ action of transforming this world into His Kingdom!

Day 279 – Nahum 1-3; John 4

The prophet Nahum’s message, which we turn to today came about a century after Jonah preached to Nineveh and saw the people repent. This time the Ninevites would not repent and they and their nation, the Assyrians, would fall. God had used the Assyrians to judge Israel, the northern Kingdom in 722 BC. Now, in the early 600’s BC the Assyrians would fall to the Babylonians. As we have seen throughout the prophetic writings, the LORD used pagan nations to judge Israel and Judah and one another. After all, He is the LORD of history.

Nahum 1 tells Nineveh she will fall. We are reminded the LORD is slow to bring forth judgment, and righteous in His acts, but He will not avoid judging those who do evil, who worship idols. The idols will be broken and the people will be brought to account. The end of chapter one tells Jacob they will rejoice at the good news. The good news for them is the judgment of the Assyrians, personified by Nineveh.

Nahum 2 continues with more words of judgment for Nineveh, and more words of comfort for Judah. It might be hard for us to see how the destruction of a city and a nation are “good news” for another, but we can all think of societies throughout history that needed to be stopped, and the world was better off when they were. Thus, the LORD calls Nineveh to account, and the people of Judah would rejoice.

Nahum 3 concludes with a final pronouncement of judgment against Nineveh and Assyria. The LORD compares the nation to a prostitute, and “she” will be humiliated in her destruction. She will be like Egypt who suffered the same fate. She will be destroyed and scattered. The LORD’s concern goes far beyond the people of Israel and Judah. He concerns Himself with all people. We see that in its fullness when Jesus comes to the earth. While He carried out His entire ministry in Israel, His death on the cross was for the entire world, and His redemption is available to every person who will receive it.

As we return to John 4, we revisit Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. While she had been married five times, and was living with a man who wasn’t her husband, a life far beyond scandalous in those days, while she belonged to the hated (by the Jews) nation of Samaria, Jesus received her, asked for her help, and ultimately offered her and the people of her village redemption. This shows us the truth of the final statement in the concluding summary of Nahum. Jesus’ love is for people of every nation. His death paid the penalty for every human sin. His redemption is available to every person who will trust Him personally as the Messiah, and receive the new life He came to give!

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