KEEP PRAYING IN SPITE OF IT

KEEP PRAYING IN SPITE OF IT

I Samuel 12:23

“Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you . . .”

Do we think of Samuel as a man of prayer? This is today’s question. As I ponder this, I am reminded of his mother, Hannah. It was to her answered prayer that the LORD caused the baby Samuel to be born. In spite of all the difficulties to conceive, Hannah gave birth to this future prophet, priest, and judge of Israel. What a testimony to a woman of prayer! What a prayer-example for Samuel!

Samuel’s continual communication to the LORD God is evident as we read of his life. Since he was a child in the tabernacle, God spoke to Samuel. In fact, He spoke to him at such a young age, that Samuel did not realize it was the LORD HIMSELF. From that time on, Samuel prayed. God answered. and Samuel obeyed.

Here in this verse, Judge Samuel declared that it would be a sin for him if he did not pray for the Israelites. Have you ever considered it a sin if you did not pray for those you love? Sometimes we become so busy in our own world of rush and bustle, that we forget to pray for those we love. Other days, we are over-burdened for a loved one so we can’t accomplish much of anything else.

Perhaps we should use Samuel as a model for our prayer life. He was a bold man. He may not have been in the natural, but God gave him boldness about which most of us know nothing. In the preceding chapter, Samuel reviewed Israel’s history to the faithfulness of God from the time of Moses and Aaron, to Sisera and Jerubbaal (Gideon), and Jephthah. He then reminded the people that it was they who wanted a king–not God. In spite of this, God would be faithful to them as long as they were faithful to God!

In answer to Samuel’s prayer, God sent thunder and rain. It caused Israel to see the power of God in their midst. (It reminds us of Elijah–yet to be born.) The people were deathly afraid! Samuel prayed. They regretted their desire for a King. It was then that Samuel assured them that the LORD would not forsake them as long as they honored Him.

Sad to say, soon Saul would take matters into his own hands and make a sacrifice on an altar that he had built for the occasion. This displeased God. Samuel was angry. As we learn more about this new king, it appears that Saul was a man of the flesh. He seemed to be a wilful man, an impatient man, an impulsive man, and an angry man.

When it came to King Saul, it is evident that Samuel had his prayer-life cut out for him. Some of us pray for our children who fail miserably in their Christian walk. But we pray on in spite of it. Sometimes they make ungodly and unwise decisions like Saul when he ruled that no one should eat until evening. I personally think it was unwise and wrong for Saul to bring the Ark of God into the battle (Chapter 14). Yet, in spite of all this foolishness, Samuel still prayed and God still answered. (ysw)

“SONGS OF DELIVERANCE”

(Psalm 32:7c)

“Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”

Have you ever found yourself singing a certain hymn as you moved about your daily task?

Of has a song been “singing” in your mind all night long?

Be thankful; for this is of the Lord, and according to His Word.

He hides us in Himself.

His preserves us by His power and gives release by “songs of deliverance.”

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

Yvonne S. Waite

No One Understands Like Jesus

THE FAITHFUL EVERLASTING ARMS — Deuteronomy 33:27

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. . .”

This verse became real to me during a time of surgery. Immediately after the operation, I was in extreme pain. The illness had been taken care of, but the patient was suffering. I remember “coming to” in the recovery room and saying, “I feel like someone cut my stomach with a knife.” The nurse agreed. She said, “Someone has.”

The following days were days of pain and counting the hours before the next medication. Then, deciding that the pain was better than the dreams the medicine gave me, my doctor took the medication away. I WAS GLAD! The worst was over.

Sadly, in that frail condition, I discovered that I could not pray! I had never had this experience before. Though I am not a “Praying Elijah” nor a “Steadfast Paul,” I do pray. I discovered that it was then that others prayed for me. It was such a comfort knowing this!

I was too sick. I was too tired. All I could do was lie in my hospital bed and “lean.” As I did this, I had a strange peace and comfort flood my soul. I realized that I was leaning on the Everlasting Arms of my wise Heavenly Father. The ETERNAL GOD was my ‘refuge.” His arms were “underneath me.” They were supporting me. They were strong. They were always there!

Now look with me at the rest of today’s verse. It is a call to war! It says that HE–the LORD God–WILL THRUST OUT THE ENEMY BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Under the leadership of Joshua, God was pushing them into battle. Life is a battle!

Anything worth having is gained by a price. “The Promised Land” was not given to Israel on a silver platter. They had to fight for every inch of it. They had to push out the people who had taken over the land in their 430 years of absence in Egypt. God said, “Destroy them!”

In verse 25, the Israelites were reminded that “As thy days so shall thy strength be.” Notice that the pronoun is singular. Moses was talking to each individual person–each one who would take a sword and conquer Canaan. What a reassurance for each individual to know that his or her strength would be renewed every day. They could depend on the LORD God. THE EVERLASTING ARMS WOULD NOT FAIL! (ysw)

*BEVERLY’S MINISTRY CONTINUED

(*Beverly was brain injured at birth.)

Beverly had serious surgery today. (1977)

She was near death several times.

GOD SPARED HER!

Our pastor said that God had a ministry for her to do here on earth.

I had not realized that she had a ministry. (GGS)

　

　

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

Yvonne S. Waite

MOSES AT WIT’S END — Numbers 11

“And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted they servant? . . . that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?”

Moses had “had it”! Here he was the leader of a bunch of people that did not want to be led. To top

it off, Moses had not wanted the job to begin with. He had been perfectly happy out there in the desert with Zipporah and the sheep.

So he followed the Lord. So he made a fool of himself in front of Pharaoh who very well may have been his step brother. So he had commanded the Israelites, in a mighty band, marching out of Egypt. He obeyed God. He took command of an indifferent people. He had faith. He had met God in the burning bush. His people had not!

He’d been to the mountain for the giving of the Law. He’d disciplined his followers and his brother after the golden calf debacle. The tabernacle had been built. All was ready for a forward march, and now Moses hears complaining from the very ones he is trying to help. Food complaints are often heard–even in our day. These wilderness wanderers were no different. The mixed multitude within their midst had stirred them up. The food of Egypt was what they were used to. They wanted flesh to eat. They wanted fish and leeks and cucumbers. Their mouths watered for the melons, irrigated by the Nile river. They longed for the onions and garlic they used to store in their kitchens.

Moses needed help. He’d begged Hobab, his father-in-law, to stay with him. The man was a Midianite who knew the territory like the back of his hand. He was a leader in his own right. But the man did not want to stay. He had his own life and his own family. (Each of us has to know our place in life.)

Every man cried and complained in his own tent. The camp was upset, to say the least. After the umpteenth time of hearing the people weep, the Bible says in verse 10, “the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly.” Moses was upset, too! He, too began to cry out to the LORD, “Why have you afflicted me, LORD? WHY have I not found favor in Thy sight?” Moses was at “wit’s end”! He could not understand WHY God had laid such a burden on him. The burden was the ungrateful, complaining people!

Have you ever been in such a predicament? Have you ever felt that your “cup” was too full of trouble. Have you ever run to your room and said to God, “I QUIT! This work you have called me to do is just too much!” Have you ever felt unappreciated no matter how hard you try to do right? I know you have. I have, and you are no different than I. So the LORD in his compassionate heart helped Moses.

Seventy men were gathered to help their depressed leader. Seventy men, who could prophesy, were appointed to draw along side of Moses and to be his helpers on life’s journey. Take heart, dear Christian. When things are rough and you are at the end of your rope, have a little talk with God in Jesus’ name. You’ll be surprised what help can come to you. (ysw)

Leviticus 23 — REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

 

 

 

 

“And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.”

 

 

 

     There are many events in the life of a nation that must be remembered. Here in the United States we have slogans that jump our memories to past battles or historic events such as “Remember Pearl Harbor”and “Remember the Alamo.” Most recently it is three simple numbers: “9-11″! I am sure if we thought about it, we could come up with many of them.

     So it is with no surprise that God wanted His people never to forget certain events of their national life. He knew that many of the happenings in their wilderness journey were traumatic– starting with the Passover experience. Who could forget that? But some would.

     Those who were born in the wilderness and in future years would only have the accounts of such experiences told and re-told to them by their parents and grandparents. They would not have first-hand knowledge. Even though some children may think it is boring for grandparents to re-tell their lives and how it was in “the olden days,” it is important for children to listen and remember.

     That is why in today’s reading, we see that the Israelites were to be instructed to observe seven memorial feasts every year. They were the following:

 

 

The Feast of the Passover,

The Feast of Unleavened Bread,

The Feast of First fruits,

The Feast of Pentecost,

The Feast of Trumpets,

The Feast of Atonement,

The Feast of Tabernacles.

With every feast there were sacrifices for sin and praise. Re-read this day’s reading and ponder all of those meanings and instructions. (ysw)

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“THE FAINT”

“He giveth power to the faint
and to them that have no might, he increaseth strength.”

 

What a marvelous specific promise for such as I,
who am pressed above measure
and have little might, even for daily tasks.
I have experienced His strength
as His strength is exchanged for my weakness. (GGS)
(Isaiah 40:29)

  

 

 

      

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.  (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

 

Yvonne S. Waite

 

 

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

Leviticus 23:44

“And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.”

There are many events in the life of a nation that must be remembered. Here in the United States we have slogans that jump our memories to past battles or historic events such as “Remember Pearl Harbor”and “Remember the Alamo.” Most recently it is three simple numbers: “9-11″! I am sure if we thought about it, we could come up with many of them.

So it is with no surprise that God wanted His people never to forget certain events of their national life. He knew that many of the happenings in their wilderness journey were traumatic– starting with the Passover experience. Who could forget that? But some would.

Those who were born in the wilderness and in future years would only have the accounts of such experiences told and re-told to them by their parents and grandparents. They would not have first-hand knowledge. Even though some children may think it is boring for grandparents to re-tell their lives and how it was in “the olden days,” it is important for children to listen and remember.

That is why in today’s reading, we see that the Israelites were to be instructed to observe seven memorial feasts every year. They were the following:

The Feast of the Passover,

The Feast of Unleavened Bread,

The Feast of First fruits,

The Feast of Pentecost,

The Feast of Trumpets,

The Feast of Atonement,

The Feast of Tabernacles.

With every feast there were sacrifices for sin and praise. Re-read this day’s reading and ponder all of those meanings and instructions. (ysw)

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“THE FAINT”
(Isaiah 40:29)

“He giveth power to the faint
and to them that have no might, he increaseth strength.”
What a marvelous specific promise for such as I,
who am pressed above measure
and have little might, even for daily tasks.
I have experienced His strength
as His strength is exchanged for my weakness. (GGS)

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

Yvonne S. Waite

My Daily Blessing from My Daily Bible Reading

“What man . . . of the house of Israel that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp . . . or out of the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle . . . to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle . . . blood shall be imputed unto that man . . . that man shall be cut off from among his people “

Evidently some of the Israelites were secretly offering an ox, a lamb, or a goat to idols, heathen deities, away from the proper God-approved place of offerings at the Tabernacle. This verse implies that it was happening on a regular basis. Behind the backs of the faithful, blood sacrifices were made “in the camp” and “out of the camp” to idols and false deities. The influence of the gods of Egypt and the ways of the heathen had rubbed off on some of the people whom God looked upon as His chosen.

Verse 7 implies that those disobedient Israelites were sacrificing unto devils to whom they had spiritually prostituted themselves. Some had cut and tattooed themselves for the dead. They had cut their beards in heathen styles. They had sought after “peeping wizards.” They had looked to enchantments and observed times. They were mean to strangers within their midst. They had cheated in business dealings with weights and measures. They had sacrificed their children to Molech and had committed adultery with their neighbors’ mates, as well as homosexual and bestial sexual activities.

I believe they even drank the blood of their sacrifices as many heathen do today. All this spiritual unfaithfulness was abominable to the LORD! God said that the life of the flesh was in the blood (Leviticus 17:11, 14). These people were degrading the blood of the animals as they degraded themselves in heathen worship.

They did not see the big picture that some day in the future the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, would sacrifice His holy blood to redeem their souls. All such animal sacrifice were to be brought to the door of the tabernacle. If they refused to do so, they would be cut off from among God’s people.

You and I sit back and think “How could they do such evil? How could they disregard the words of the LORD?” They appeared to have no fear of Him! The answer lies within you and me. Some of us are the very same. We have His Words in our Scripture; yet we, too, often ignore what we read. We go our merry way and think no one knows what we are doing outside the camp of believers and away from those who walk godly. (ysw)

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“GOD IS GREATER THAN ANY MAN”
(Job 33:12)

“Why dost thou strive against Him, for He giveth not account of His matters”
Why doth the clay say to the Potter, “WHY”?
A Sovereign God does not need to explain
though He often does. (GGS)

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

Yvonne S. Waite

Cursing Not Tolerated – Leviticus 5:1

 

 

CURSING NOT TOLERATED

Leviticus 5:1

“And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing,  and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it,  if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.”

     In today’s world, a person can not go out into that world without hearing the Lord’s name taken in vain. It is sad that people have become so corrupt in their thought and talk life! Have you noticed that cursing and swearing has become the “norm” today?

     Today’s little children say, “O, my God!” for any excitement or infraction large or small. The television is full of curing and swearing. Some news commentators use gutter language as if it were pure. They cannot express a thought politely. Somehow they feel bad language gets their points across better. Does it?

     People on buses, in the stores, on the street have dirty mouths. Parents teach their children filthy talk by their bad examples. Bad words punctuate every conversation. Jesus’ name is maligned. Hell is cursed on most anyone or thing. The “f” word is as common to some as rain falling on a rainy day. People’s body parts are verbally thrown around with no care of offense.

     Folk from other countries, who are learning English in America, punctuate their words with God’s name. They and our children know no better. It is what they hear. They learn by the examples of those around them and on the radio and TV.

     In this verse, a soul who heard a swear word was as guilty as the person cursing. The hearer was defiled by the word. He became guilty of a trespass and had to go to the tabernacle to offer a sacrifice on the burnt altar. Can you imagine today, if we were under the law, the crowd of trespassers that would gather daily for such forgiveness?

     Oh, that people in our generation would have such tender ears that cursing would not be tolerated by them or around them. (ysw)

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“HE THAT REFRAINETH HIS LIPS IS WISE”

(Proverbs 10:19; 11:13; 13:3)

 

 

  (GGS)

 

 

 

 

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.  (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

Yvonne S. Waite

 

 

The Tabernacle Was Completed — Exodus 40:3

“And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar. . .So Moses finished the work.”

Try to visualize the wonder of the day–the day that Moses’ Tabernacle was completed! All the hangings were in place that surrounded the area. Within that compound was placed every piece of furniture according to God’s specifications. All was ready for worship: the BRONZE ALTAR for sacrifices, the LAVER for washing, the LAMP for illumination, the ALTAR OF INCENSE for prayer, the HOLY VEIL for separating the HOLY PLACE from the HOLY OF HOLIES, and the ARK OF THE COVENANT covered by the MERCY SEAT for communion, forgiveness, and acceptance by God. What an exciting and humble day!

Think of all the work that the wilderness-wandering people did to bring that tabernacle to completeness. Remember all the hours of building, sewing, painting, and working with fine metals. The skill and patience worked together in it all!

Have you ever been to a church building dedication? Recall with me, the financial and personal sacrifice that went into that project! Think about it! Such a glorious day! The actual completion of the building and seeing the beautiful sanctuary come to pass was overwhelming. Remember? So, too, we can put ourselves back in the book of Exodus. We can feel the excitement and euphoria of the Israelites on that day. As they viewed the beauty of their work and saw it all in place, they knew that Moses had finished the work! It was then and only then that “THE CLOUD covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” (ysw)

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“MY STRENGTH”
“BLESSED BE THE LORD MY STRENGTH”
(Psalm 144:1)

Many days I begin with no human energy for the hard tasks ahead.
What shall I do? I must go on and on!
At the end of the day, I look back and I see that
He has performed that which concerneth me.
He has been My Strength and My Song.
He not only strengthened me, but He is personally my energy and strength. (GGS)

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

Yvonne S. Waite

BRONZE THE ENDURING METAL — Exodus 38:29

“And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.”  

     Of all the metals mentioned that were used in the building of the wilderness tabernacle or its furnishings, the most durable, in my opinion, was the metal called “bronze.” There must be a reason. Evidently bronze (or brass) is able to stand the stress and strain of hard use and abuse.

     We have some light fixtures in our house that are made of brass. I really never noticed them until my mother, who appreciated lovely things, pointed them out to me. Our house numbers at the front door are of brass. None of these brass beauties are ever polished by me. They are serviceable and strong. They have stood in their place for over eighty years as a part of our house.

     Brass is a functional metal. It is strong and can stand the strains of life about it. Bronze was the substance of which the grate of the altar was made. Upon that grate heavy animals would be place and burned for the sin of the Israelites.
     If the grate could talk, it might cry out in pain–but grates don’t talk. If the grate could see, if would have seen flesh and blood, fat and bones placed upon it for sacrifice.

     All those sacrifices looked forward to the death of Jesus Christ for the atonement of people’s sin. I think of the brazen serpent and how it was held high before the snake-bitten Israelites. That was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ lifted high on the cross for the sin of the world.

     The brazen altar spoke to the people, too. It spoke of the terrible death and the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross. He was judged for the unsaved souls. I am so glad that He became sin for us, aren’t you? He bore the judgment so I would not have to do so. (ysw)
“LORD IS IT I?”
Help me , myself to see–while I am looking at others,
Thou Lord, art looking at me? (GGS)

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,
Yvonne S. Waite

IS PUTTING STAMPS ON ENVELOPES THE LORD’S WORK? — Exodus 36:1-2

“Then wrought (worked) Bezaleel and Aholiab, and ever wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding for the service of the sanctuary. . .”

Sometimes we think that there is only one way to serve the LORD. We postulate that pulpit-preaching, Bible-teaching, and solo-singing are the exclusive methods of serving God. How wrong we are! I remember a little boy who went with his mother to her church to do “the Lord’s work.” They put stamps on envelopes! The puzzled boy looked at the stamps. Then he looked at his mother and said, “Is putting stamps on envelopes ‘the Lord’s work?’”

Reflect on BEZALEEL. If you recall, his father’s name was URI and his grandfather was a man named HUR. Remember Hur was the man, along with Aaron, who held up Moses hands during the battle with the Amaliekites.

BEZALEEL, with AHOLIAB, were skilled craftsmen! It makes us wonder what their relatives crafted, besides bricks, in the land of Egypt during the four-hundred-year-captivity. Weren’t the pyramids over-laid with gold? To fashion something in gold was no problem to them! They knew how to work with their minds and hands to create furniture, not only for function, but also for beauty.

All their skill and talent was used by God in building the tabernacle and its contents. God had a plan. These men, along with other gifted men and women, followed God’s pattern to built a place for sacrifice and worship.

As we read about these talented artists, carpenters, and seamstresses, we can see that our service to God may come in many different packages. Let us not forget to use those gifts for Him! (ysw)

“HE THAT IS MASTERED BY CHRIST
IS THE MASTER OF EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE”

Does the circumstance press hard against you?
It is the Potter’s hand! Do not push it away!
It is shaping you into a vessel of beauty and usefulness for Eternity.
Your mastery will come, not by arresting its progress, but by enduring its discipline
(Psalm 4:6; Psalm 27:5; Psalm 50:15)
(GGS –original author unknown).

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Under God’s Care,

Yvonne S. Waite