God Can Restore Us When We Are Broken

1 Chronicles 9:1-4 -  All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.  Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.  Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were:  Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.

 

The people of Judah were punished for their unfaithfulness to God…but just like it was prophesied in Jeremiah…they were allowed to return to their homeland after about 70 years.  They left the land of their captivity…wiser from the lessons God taught them while he had their attention….while they couldn’t run from his discipline. 

 

They returned to a broken Jerusalem…torn down by the wars that captured their families.  It must have been a bittersweet walk back into town…their hearts full of joy and gladness for their release….but reality seeping into their souls as they saw the destruction of their homes …and the devastation of the temple. 

 

They had to rebuild their lives on an old foundation…scared by war and the memory of how they had left God out of their lives. If they were to survive...they had to quickly put the past behind them…and focus on the work that needed to be done. They had to focus on the present…make plans for how they were to replace the important things they would need to survive.

 

A huge number of Levites returned with them….and divided the tasks of rebuilding the temple…so that people could worship God once again. They reestablished the temple according to the rules Moses had written down…focusing the people’s hearts and minds and souls back on the one thing that would help them get through this hard time.

 

It reminds me once again of how broken our lives are from the tragedies God allows in our lives.  Every day I read about a new one God has allowed somewhere in the world. And whether the hardship was caused by our own decisions…or allowed in our life to teach us something God needed us to know… we simply can’t stay broken.  We must rebuild the brokenness ….focus on God…and allow him to show us the new blueprint for rebuilding what he needs to be there to use us to build his kingdom.

 

I can tell you from experience that the rebuilding process is not easy…or fast.  God’s been twisting my mind and heart and soul into new understandings of who he is and what he needs from me for 4 years now.  It is a daily process…one day at a time…one Bible lesson a day….and I if I continue to put him first…this will continue for the rest of my life.

 

Father…thank you for this story of rebuilding…and restoration.  Help me to always remember that you are working on changing me into what you need me to be …so you can use me to spread the truth of your gospel.  Help me to never listen to satan …when he tries to remind me of my scars…and tell me I can’t do what you have called me to do.  Give me courage …and wisdom of the scriptures you open up to my heart every day…so that I can quote them when he tries to deceive me. Help me focus on you father…so that I can always draw on your strength and power to achieve exactly what you put me here on Earth to do. Amen.

Divorce is Not The End Of Blessings

1 Chronicles 8:8-13 -  Sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.  By his wife Hodesh he had Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,  Jeuz, Sakia and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of families.  By Hushim he had Abitub and Elpaal.  The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its surrounding villages),  and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of families of those living in Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.

 

The tribe of Benjamin must have been important….for the genealogy of this tribe takes an entire chapter. Tucked away in the names of the Benjamites are the names of Bela…his first born…Saul…the first king of Israel…and his unselfish son Jonathan…who recognized God’s calling on David’s life…and gave up his right to the throne. But there is also a woman’s name tucked away in this chapter…who must have hurt from the stresses of divorce…but was still used of God to bring children into the world that achieved great things.

 

The word divorce hit my heart as soon as I read it…I kept trying to ignore it…but God kept bringing my attention to these verses. Other verses in the Bible tell us how wrong it is…how much God hates it…but these verses simply list it as something that happened…God neither condoning nor approving of Shaharaim’s actions.

 

It is complicated….what divorce does to the soul of a woman.  God allows it…for reasons unknown…just like he allowed it for Hushim.  God hates it…and hates the way it destroys the lives of families…models for children that love can be disposable.  I hate every day that I made the decision to give up on my first marriage of thirty years… knowing deep in my heart that God was very disappointed in me the day I drove away from that marriage.

 

But this scripture reminds me that God’s love overcomes the hurt of divorce…even blesses us despite the actions we take that cause ourselves such deep hurt.  Hushim was even listed in the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin…her children important enough to be named in this great book.  That means my life is important to God despite the choice I made to divorce….the future can still hold great promises…my life can still have meaning and purpose.

 

The trick is to accept what you did…ask God to forgive you…forgive anyone who hurt you…then move on with your life.  You must also ask God to repair the damage you did to your family…help them to forgive you for walking out on the commitment you made to their father…and then trust God to work a plan to heal all involved. God doesn’t hold grudges…that is what us humans do best.  God forgives and forgets…and builds around us a new life…that he can use to help others come to know his great love.

 

Thank you father that you love me in spite of the wrong choices I have made in life.  Thank you for this story that reminds me that Life did not stop the day I signed divorced papers.  Thank you for your forgiveness that allows you to build me into a new person….that can forgive and love in ways she never knew were possible.  Help me to always remember that you are working a plan to heal the damage I did to my children… and that one day you will make them into something great. Give me a new dose of courage and faith to wait on you to work your love into their lives. Amen.

Is Sadness Dominating Your Life?

1 Chronicles 7:20-23 -  The descendants of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,  Zabad his son and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to seize their livestock.  Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days, and his relatives came to comfort him.  Then he lay with his wife again, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family.

 

The long genealogy lists continue…this chapter seemingly concentrated on the military strength of the six tribes discussed.  But tucked away …in the lists of the sons of Ephraim…is the sad story of Ezer and Elead.  These two brothers went to raid the cattle of the neighboring city of Gath…and never returned.  They were killed outright by the men they tried to steal from.

 

We are not given their motives for what today would be labeled simple theft…so one can only guess. One commentary mentioned that the men living in Gath were Philistines… so maybe they felt the cattle were simple spoils of war David had failed to retrieve.  One commentator said that it was common practice for the Israelites to plunder the neighboring cities that were weaker for what they needed...especially if they were not worshipers of God.

 

The bottom line is God did not allow them to take the cattle…he allowed others to take their lives. Perhaps as an example that raiding other towns for what they needed was not Godly…and that they should have ask God to provide what they needed. This family mourned the loss for a long time.  God even tried to bless them with another child…but they chose to name him Beriah….and continue the sadness they felt.  They mourned the loss …letting the sadness dominate their lives.

 

Here’s the thing that troubles me about this story.  I understand the sadness part…losing a loved one is hard. I lost a husband after one month of marriage….not a day goes by that I don’t think about him…and what we could be doing if he were still alive. Losing two sons at one time must have been unbearable.  But…why would you stay sad when God tries to bless you with a new future? Didn’t he give us Jeremiah 29:11 to claim so that we could work our way out of that sadness….learn the lesson he needed to teach us by allowing the tragedy…and become stronger and better Christians for him to use.

 

I choose to claim that promise he gave me…to know …that I know…that I know...that despite the sadness I feel each moment from what he took away….he still has a future full of hope in store for me. He has plans to bless me with something new…even better than he took from me.  God wants my life to be full of praise and happiness for what he is currently doing in my life…not full of regret and sadness over what happened in my past. 

 

Father…thank you for this story that reminds me not to live in the sadness of the past…but to claim the promises you give me for my future. I praise you …and I thank you for allowing me the time I had with Mitchell…and for the closer relationship his loss has given me to you.  Help me to always remember that you promised to bless me with good things…and that my future is always going to be better than my past. Wipe away any tears that still fall in remembrance of that great love…and turn them into a well of strength and courage for tomorrow. Amen.

Thank You God For Music

1 Chronicles 6:31-32 -  These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there.  They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

 

This chapter lists the Levite names that held the honor of caring for the temple of God.  They took care of it….stood at the altars of God to offer their sacrifices…and some of them were even trained by King David to minister to the people with music. Perhaps King David remembered the days he spent caring for the sheep…and he calmed them with his lyre.

 

The importance of music to worship is mentioned throughout the Bible…like in Hebrews 2:12….where it says… “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”  And one of my favorites is Psalm 95:5….. “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”

 

Music calms us…like the music David played to his sheep…or the music he was asked to play to King Saul when he lost control.  Music expresses our happiness and gratefulness to God….just like Miriam…in Exodus 15… who danced before God and sang to express her excitement. Music expresses the highest praise we can give to our God…and if we don’t sing ….Luke 19:40 Jesus told the people gathered to listen to him preach ….“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

 

I for one am so grateful that David placed such a great emphasis on music.  I can put a Christian CD in my player…or turn on K-LOVE…and feel an instant boost in my spirit.  I can listen to the music in my worship service …close my eyes…and feel the presence of God descend into the room. I am always transformed by its soothing…or its exciting strands of praise.  It sure elevates my job as choir member to something much more important than I thought.

 

Thank you God for David’s love of music…and thank you for giving him the wisdom to include its use in the church service.  Help me to appreciate its beauty beyond something just to listen too….to  always appreciate its ability to calm…to always see its power to bring the spirit of God into the place where I am worshiping. Amen.

Is Your Love For God Consistent?

1 Chronicles 5:20 and 25-26 -  They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him….

But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.  So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

 

The tribes of Ruben…Gad….and the half tribe of Manasseh…had banded together on the east bank of the Jordan River.  They had requested that this piece of land be divided between them….seeing it would be a great place for them to herd their sheep. But the land was not without habitation and so these men found themselves fighting against great groups of people to keep their inheritance.

 

When they called out to God to help them…he simply went into battle with them and gave them victory. They divided the abundant loot and spoils of war among them…and praised him for his mighty power to help them in battle. The trust they had in God…and the heart to ask for his help increased their territories and enlarged their pocketbooks.

 

But when they forgot God…and let the foreign Gods of the nations they had destroyed seep back into their daily routines….God raised up nations to capture them.  The captivity brought harsh judgment upon their choices to abandon God…and worship the false Gods of other nations.  God had to prove to them that he was still in control…and that they had abandoned the one God that could help them.

 

It is a lesson to me that our love for God needs to be consistent.  We can’t love him on Sunday…and leave him at the back door when we exit….so we can do whatever we want the rest of the week. We are supposed to carry God’s love with us out that door…even lock it up tight in our heart…so it can help us make godly decisions every moment of every day. 

 

The world is just like the land the tribes of Rueben….Gad…and half of Manasseh faced.  Satan has placed a trap at every corner…especially designed to draw our hearts way from the one person who can help us overcome anything.  If we remember the words that God gave to Moses in Deuteronomy 4:29….. “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”  …that trap satan set for us will be recognized….and we will make a choice for God...and  escape his judgment on our bad choices.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder that you want to be my God 24/7.  Help me to be consistent in my offering of love for you…not just when it is convenient …or when other people are looking. Show me how to carry your love in my heart all the time…and lock its truths in my soul to use when satan sets a trap meant to pull me away from you.  Build in me a trust that can not be separated by anything that satan can tempt me with. Amen.

Do You Pray Like Jabez?

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 - Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

 

The genealogy lesson continues into the fourth chapter….but hidden in its 9^th and 10^th verses is one powerful story.  It’s odd …the pattern is broken…of mother names and father names…connected to their children. This name is listed…not because of who he is…but because of the circumstances of his birth…and the powerful prayer he uttered to break the curse put on him by his name.

 

His mother…unnamed…had a difficult time delivering this child…so she named him Jabez...child of pain.  And so his name carried into his life the sorrow his mother felt at his birth…well into his adulthood.  But Jabez simply did not accept the label of his name.  Instead...he called out to God to change his circumstances…he called out to God to not just stop the pain that had followed him from his birth…he asked God to transform his life into something greater.

 

His simple prayer ask God for 4 things…blessings on his life ….greater territory to do greater things….protection from harm….and for God to touch his life with his own hand…so that his life would be forever transformed into something new. Maybe he was deemed more honorable than his brothers…because he saw the potential of his life if he included God.

 

God gave us a similar promise in Philippians 4:12-13…..through Paul’s insights of God’s empowering love…. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

 

It is a reminder to me that I am never as strong as God can make me until I embrace the promise he made…and pray for his strength.  Like Jabez…I must know …that I know …that I know …that God can change any circumstance that I find myself in…IF…I take the time to pray for his power.  I must speak the powerful words of Jabez over where I am…so God can release his strength to change me into what he wants me to be.

 

Father… I thank you for this great man Jabez…and I thank you for including his simple prayer in your Bible.  Bless me father as you blessed him…and enlarge the vision you have given me to do your work.  Let your hands be with me daily as I try to understand the vast wisdom in your word….and write down the way you would have me to apply it to my life.  Keep me far away from evil…so that your blessings to me can be shared with all those around me.  Help me to never forget that your power can give me the strength to do anything….even transform the bad in my life to good.  Amen.

What Are You Doing With Your Life?

1 Chronicles 3:1-4 -  These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;  the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;  the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.  These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years…

 

The third chapter of 1 Chronicles begins the long list of names that proves the line of David finally produced a Messiah.   Nineteen sons are eventually listed in the first nine verses….each wife listed with her sons. And tagged on to the list ….is a statement that David had more children by his concubines…but none were important enough to be listed as his heirs.

 

It is also interesting to see that the oldest child of David did not become king when David became too old to rule the kingdom.  He passed the honor to the fourth son born to him…once he reestablished the capital of Israel in Jerusalem.  Solomon….whose heart was most like his father…was given the honor …breaking the traditions that called for the eldest in a family to receive the highest honor and blessings.

 

Perhaps this is a reminder that the order of our birth… is not as important as what we do with our life.  Solomon was the one son of David who asked for wisdom…instead of glory and wealth and power.  And God honored that request…and made Solomon one of the greatest kings of Israel.

 

Makes me wonder if I am doing enough with my own life….am I aligned with God’s will and purpose….do my actions and thoughts each day help build a better world and lead others to the truths of the Bible?  If I am honest…I have to say I simply am not there yet…hard as I might try. That selfish nature born into my flesh wins more than the love God has planted in my heart…and satan tricks me daily. I guess I had better try a little harder….to make my life count for something. 

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that my life needs to count.  Help me this morning to search out your will and purpose …so that I can make the days I have left on this earth mean more than the days that I have used up being self-centered and lazy.  Give me a new passion to work harder  for you…calling on you for strength when the old nature tries to trick me into giving up.  Amen.