Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Obtain

David heard,

believed, acted

upon God’s word

promise settled

in his heart.

Reign of Israel

built on victorious

seen, battles ahead

secured

by covenant.

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     What immediate promise are you waiting upon the Lord for?

2.     Are you at peace with it or anxiously watching?

3.     If you have anxiety, what is the primary cause—from sources outside of you giving advice or within your own heart with worry challenging you?

4.     How do you seek His counsel while you are waiting and working towards your ‘house’?

Share: What scripture verse sustains you in hope?

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

2 Samuel 7:11, “from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.”

God made a covenant with David and David took Him at His word.

David didn’t understand why or how or when all the promises would be fulfilled but he gave his return pledge in trust. Regardless of his own abilities or lack of, regardless of immediate confirmation or not; he trusted in God’s word over his own inadequacy. He began to live into the promise as completed.

David waited in faith and action.

Why then with so many stories of God’s faithfulness do we continue to struggle with His promises to us: to give counsel and wisdom, strength and compassion, hope and a future.

We often wait in timidity.

Perhaps we’ve had so many promises broken to us in our lives, or broken our own to others, that we see them as feeble words lacking conviction until proven. Or we’ve broken our own commitments to God so dramatically we can’t even imagine we still have a trust relationship left.

When we put our-self at the center of expectations we are left with dry dust.  Somewhere along the way we reverse our words with God’s promises and are left empty-handed. Instead, like David, we can only obtain promises when we put God’s words at the center of our lives and live into them—with faith—in our own ‘houses’—ourselves where the Lord abides in us and we in Him.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 73: 23-24

“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand.

With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Motives

Plans laid.

New government

brought anticipation

hope rippled

through population

no longer considered

an oddity

but a real nation

king and all.

Presumed God agreed

best plan for justice

gambled away heart for assimilation.

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     What does administering justice look like to you?

2.     Why does justice need to be combined with righteousness?

3.     What could the look like publicly today?

4.     What could it look like privately in families?

Share: From whom have you experienced God’s way of lovingkindness blended with truth?

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

1 Samuel 12:14, “If you will fear the Lord and serve him and heed his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well; but if you will not heed….”

Samuel administered justice under God’s guidance. It was a personal relationship, which Samuel then extended to the people. Trustful—honest—loving—kind—accountable.

Even as the people insisted Samuel replace himself by asking God to give then a king, they openly announced that he had never defrauded them or oppressed them. His administration of justice was in reality not the issue. Israel wanted to be like the other nations, wanted to be under a king. Perhaps wanted less personal scrutiny, less accountability. Like a toddler turns his back on a parent in the mistaken assumption they cannot see what his is doing.

Still loving, Samuel gave the warning. Without God’s voice present justice could be compromised, all might not be well. And they dismissed his concerns. The underlying motives took priority.

Sometimes I wonder how often we too bow to our own personal desires, personally and publicly, over the Lord’s commands and cloak it all under progress. Pretend—ignore—avoid—the hint of wrong motives.

Please keep reminding us Lord, that only in Your words can a real relationship grow into honest justice. Only by Your power can we become truly personal to one another in truth.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 89:14

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne;

Lovingkindness and truth go before Thee.”

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Follow

Deborah listened and foretold

Balak obeyed and followed

gathered Israel’s warriors.

God’s answer to their prayers

victory came through

obedience, willing hearts

searching for relationship

a return  to holy reign.

One by one choosing, as Jael

drove the wooden peg, her

opportunity to serve call.