God masters every circumstance

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post in the archives, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog. As you read, I encourage you to record any reflections or comments you may have. The devotions written here are just the first utterance of a conversation.

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will

Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27
Devotions: Ps 22, 42, 43, 95, 137:1-6; 141, 143, 144; Exod 9:13-35, 10:21-11:8; 2 Cor 4:1-18, Mk 10:32-52

My God, why do I feel so forsaken by You? I am languishing, unable to sleep, hating myself and failing in every way that matters. Yet, I know You love me and have not forsaken me. Stay near, Lord; I am poured out like water, weak as a kitten, surrounded by angry dogs, punctured by hatred and malice. So stay near me, Lord! Let me testify to Your goodness in the congregation. Let all the earth bow to our God, and let us proclaim His goodness and mercy to every generation. Lord, I long for You like a thirsty stag in a barren desert. I’ve lived with sharp regret, and my soul is depressed. Why cast down, my soul? Hope in God, for He has not changed. Let Your depth call to my deepest levels, Lord, and reawaken my faith. Praise God, and thank Him! Lord, vindicate me; I take refuge in You alone. Let Your light and truth find and guide me home, my Help and my God! Let God’s people praise Him in song; sing to the Rock of our salvation! YHWH is a great God, and a great high King above all gods. He holds the universe in His hands, for He made it. Let us, His flock, kneel before our Master. Return to Me, says God, and I will bless you! It’s hard to sing in such a forbidding place, but let my heart not forget my God, and let God requite me against my enemies. Set a guard, Lord, over my eyes and my mouth; keep my heart from evil. Let me accept Your discipline and the rebukes of godly people, and I will keep my attention focused on You, Lord God. Let the wicked fall into their own traps, and let me escape! Hear and answer my pleas, Lord; let me hear of Your favor; teach me my way, and deliver me from all enemies. Let Your Spirit guide me on a level path, to Your name’s glory, for I am Your servant. Blessed is YHWH, my Rock and Savior, Who trains my hands for battle. I am a passing breath, You are eternal, and I will sing a new song to You, Who gives victory to the feeble. Bless my children and grandchildren. Happy are all people whose God is YHWH!

YHWH told Moses: ‘Get up early and go to Pharaoh. Tell him this: “YHWH, God of the Hebrews, says ‘Let My people go that they may serve Me.’ By now I could have destroyed you and your land and your people, but I have let you survive to show My power across the earth. You continue to exalt yourself against Me and My people. So tomorrow, I will cause a very heavy hail to fall on Egypt; I warn you: get your domestic animals and servants under cover, lest they die.”’ Some who overheard heeded YHWH’s words, and others did not. YHWH directed Moses to stretch forth his hand, and God sent terrible thunder and hail. The storm struck down everything that was in the open throughout Egypt, but spared Goshen, where the Israelites lived and where no hail fell. Pharaoh admitted he had sinned, and asked Moses to entreat YHWH to end the devastation. He said, ‘I will let you go and you shall stay no longer.’ So Moses told Pharaoh he would entreat YHWH, and the storm would end; but he concluded, ‘I know that you do not yet fear YHWH God!’ When Pharaoh saw that the storm had ended, he sinned again, hardening his heart and did not let Israel go. YHWH continued to send Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh—a plague of locusts was threatened and carried out; again Pharaoh seemed to relent, begged Moses to ask YHWH to stop the plague, and promised to release Israel. And YHWH drove the locusts away. But God also hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the children of Israel go. The next plague was total, tangible darkness for three days—except in Goshen where Israel lived. Pharaoh tried to bargain, promising to let the people, but not their livestock, go into the wilderness to serve YHWH. Moses refused, and Pharaoh would not let them go. Pharaoh told Moses to leave him, never to see his face again, under penalty of death. Moses agreed: ‘As you say, I will not see your face again.’ And YHWH counseled with Moses: ‘Yet one more plague I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt, and he will drive you out completely. Tell everyone to ask their Egyptian neighbors for silver and gold jewelry.’ And God laid favor upon His people, so that the Egyptians gave generously, and they admired Moses as a great man, both Pharaoh’s courtiers and the Egyptian people. Moses declared God’s will: ‘About midnight, I will go forth in Egypt, and all the firstborn of the land, human and animal, will die, from Pharaoh’s first child to the newborn lamb or calf. There will be a great outcry in Egypt. No harm will come to the people or the flocks of the Israelites, so all may know that YHWH distinguishes between Egyptians and Israel. And all your servants will bow before me and beg us to leave.’ ‘And then,’ Moses concluded, ‘We will go out.’ Pharaoh continued to refuse to let Moses and the people go.

Since we have a ministry from God, we will not lose heart. We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways; we refuse to tamper with God’s word, and by openly declaring the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. If our gospel is veiled, it is so only for those who are perishing, blinded by the god of this world, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of the Messiah. We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus the Messiah and Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. The same God Who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus the Messiah. We have this priceless treasure in vessels of clay, to demonstrate that the transcendent power is God’s, not our own. We are afflicted in every way, yet not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, yet not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. While we live, we are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the indestructible life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. Yes: death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. Since we share the same Spirit of faith that caused one to write, ‘I believed and so I spoke,’ we too believe and testify, knowing that He Who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Him, and bring us with you into His presence. All this is for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people, it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart! Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day! These slight, momentary afflictions being used to prepare use for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison; we look not to visible things, but to unseen realities; for the things seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Jesus and His party were on the road, Jesus in the lead; His closest companions were amazed, and those who followed behind them were afraid. Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them: ‘Look: we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him, spit on Him, scourge Him and kill Him. And after three days, He will rise.’ James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came forward to Jesus, saying ‘Teacher, we want You to grant whatever we ask of You.’ He said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ They answered, ‘Grant us to sit at Your right and left in Your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink, or undergo the baptism with which I Am baptized?’ They said, ‘Yes, we are able!’ Jesus said, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and experience the same baptism with which I Am baptized; but to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant; it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’ When the other ten apostles heard about this, they were indignant toward James and John. And Jesus called them together, and told them: ‘You know that those supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them. But it should not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.’ They came to Jericho, and as they were leaving the city, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, heard the crowd passing by. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was leading the crowd, he began to cry out: ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many rebuked him and told Bartimaeus to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ They called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; rise, He is calling you.’ Throwing off his mantle, the blind man ran to Jesus, Who said to him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ ‘Master,’ the blind man said, ‘let me receive my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.+