that they may know the mystery

Colossians 2.2-3 (NIV)

one of Paul's statements of purpose

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

prevailing purpose

Proverbs 19.20-21 (MSG)

Differences between our plans and God's purpose

Take good counsel and accept correction—
that's the way to live wisely and well.

We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
but God's purpose prevails.

a man of peace and rest

I Chronicles 22.6-12

David wanted to build the temple, but it wasn't to be

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: 'You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

"Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God.

now strengthen my hands

Nehemiah 6.9-15

Nehemiah prays in the midst of his troublemakers

They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed."
But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."

One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, "Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you."

But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!" I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

to meet this threat

Nehemiah 4.4-9

Nehemiah prays in the midst of his troublemakers

Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

let your ear be attentive

Nehemiah 1.5-11, ESV
One of Nehemiah's Prayers

And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

That they should seek God

Acts 17:26-28, ESV
(God’s design that we seek Him)

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for
“In him we live and move and have our being;” as even some of your own poets have said, “For we are indeed his offspring.”

That you may live

Amos 5:14, ESV
(The Lord is with us when we seek good instead of evil)

Seek good, and not evil,
   that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you,
   as you have said.

His purpose for me

Psalm 138:1-8, ESV
(God will fulfill his purpose)

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
   before the gods I sing your praise;

I bow down toward your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
   your name and your word.

On the day I called, you answered me;
   my strength of soul you increased.

All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
   for great is the glory of the LORD.

For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
   but the haughty he knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
   and your right hand delivers me.

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
   your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands.

How much more

Matthew 7:7-11, ESV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

This is the primary reading for Lent, Week Three. If you have comments, reflections, or insights from your work, either inspired by the meditations in the guide or on your own, please share them in the comments for this post.

Again, you can stay with this reading for the full week, or move on to one or more of the supplemental selections we will be posting.

link: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Instructions for those who mourn

James 4:7-10, ESV

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Child, arise

Luke 8:49-56, ESV

While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more." But Jesus on hearing this answered him, "Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well." And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

For I will not contend forever

Isaiah 57:15-19, ESV

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
"I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
For I will not contend forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
and the breath of life that I made.
Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry,
I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near," says the LORD,
"and I will heal him.

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth

Asking God for Light and Truth in the Midst of Mourning

Psalm 43, ESV

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?

Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Healing Life's Wounds

How God Rescued David from the Pit.

This is the primary reading for Lent, Week Two. If you have comments, reflections, or insights from your work, either inspired by the meditations in the guide or on your own, please share them in the comments for this post.

Again, you can stay with this reading for the full week, or move on to one or more of the supplemental selections we will be posting.

Psalm 30, ESV

Joy Comes with the Morning.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
   and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
   and you have healed me.
O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
   you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
   and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
   and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
   but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,
   “I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O LORD,
   you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
   I was dismayed.

To you, O LORD, I cry,
   and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
“What profit is there in my death,
   if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
   Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
   O LORD, be my helper!”

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
   you have loosed my sackcloth
   and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
   O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

link: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Remember the wondrous works that he has done

Psalm 105:1–10, ESV

Account of the crossing of the sea with emphasis on God’s role

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
   make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;
   tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;
   let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Seek the LORD and his strength;
   seek his presence continually!

Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
   children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

He is the LORD our God;
   his judgments are in all the earth.

He remembers his covenant forever,
   the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

the covenant that he made with Abraham,
   his sworn promise to Isaac,

which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
   to Israel as an everlasting covenant. 

Link. From The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Waters

Exodus 15:20-27, ESV

Miriam’s song of victory

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them:

    “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

Who is like you, O LORD?

Exodus 15:1-13, ESV

Song of victory sung by Moses and the Israelites

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,

“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

The LORD is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

The LORD is a man of war;
    the LORD is his name.

“Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
    and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

The floods covered them;
    they went down into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power,
    your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.

In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
    you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.

At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
    the floods stood up in a heap;
    the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.

The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
    I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
    I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’

You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;
    they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

“Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?
    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

You stretched out your right hand;
    the earth swallowed them.

“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
    you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

This shall be the sign for you

Exodus 3:1-12, ESV

God calls Moses from the burning bush

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

a light for the nations

Isaiah 49:6-12, ESV

God’s purposes for Israel—light to the Gentiles!

He says:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
      to raise up the tribes of Jacob
      and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,
      that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Thus says the LORD,
      the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,

to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
      the servant of rulers:

“Kings shall see and arise;
      princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;

because of the LORD, who is faithful,
      the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Thus says the Lord:

“In a time of favor I have answered you;
      in a day of salvation I have helped you;

I will keep you and give you
      as a covenant to the people,

to establish the land,
      to apportion the desolate heritages,

saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
      to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’

They shall feed along the ways;
      on all bare heights shall be their pasture;

they shall not hunger or thirst,
      neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,

for he who has pity on them will lead them,
      and by springs of water will guide them.

And I will make all my mountains a road,
      and my highways shall be raised up.

Behold, these shall come from afar,
      and behold, these from the north and from the west,
      and these from the land of Syene.”

a future and a hope

Jeremiah 29:11-13/God gave purpose to Israel.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Link. From The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Fear not, stand firm

This passage is the primary focus for the weekly meditation. Feel free to return to it each day this week, or move on to the supplemental passages that we will post later.

Exodus 14:10-16, 19-22 ESV

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. . . .

Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

As you practice a meditative reading of this scripture passage, please feel free to share in the comments what God is revealing to you.

Link. From The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Ash Wednesday 2009

Welcome, or welcome back!

This year we will be posting readings from the Bible for us to read and reflect on together. We will be using the ESV translation this year. The series begins on Sunday. Use the tools from Jan Johnson or others as you read, meditate, and soak in the scriptures. Then come here and share any insights or thoughts or comments—or questions—that you have.

See you Sunday.

(If you would like a reflection to begin the season of Lent, consider this one, from David Mills, on the blog for First Things.)