2 Samuel 17:14 - Understanding the ways of the Lord

Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.

Ahithophel had been an advisor to King David and now he was advisor to Davis's son, who was trying to overthrow David. His advice was given after praying to God. In this case God was using Ahithophel as a part of a bigger plan to return David to the throne. From the outside it looked like Ahithophel had failed and he killed himself. We never know the bigger plan. Our job is to always rely on God and cling to his hand even when it seems we have made the biggest mistake of our life or had a huge tragedy occur. God can use all things to his glory.

Lord, thank you for using us, and even what we see as failure, to your glory. Please help us to continue to rely on you even when it seems the worst has happened. Amen

Proverbs 11:12 - Unoffendable and merciful

Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,
     but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

Be unoffendable and merciful because I am a sinner. This is a lesson God has been working on teaching on me. And last night I blew it. I said something mean to my next door neighbor. I suppose I thought I had "righteous indignation", but truly, there is never a reason to be mean. Just this weekend I heard a speaker talk about this very subject. Most people know their sin and already feel guilty about it. Pointing it out to them does not help. Even if they don't recognize their problem, me being mean to them about it isn't going to help the situation at all. How likely are they to make any changes because I was mean?

Lord, thank you for offering me unlimited mercy, Please forgive me for deriding my neighbor. Amen.

Psalm 132:11a - Promises

The Lord swore an oath to David,
     a sure oath he will not revoke:

Psalm 132 is about a promise David made to God and a promise God made in return, This is something I am going to have to study on more, I believe God has made us many promises in the bible, but I'm not sure about promises beyond that. Have you ever felt like God asked you to do something specific with a promise of something if you complete your task?

Lord, thank you for being so faithful. Please help us to understand you and your will. Amen.

Psalm 119:103 - Sweet!

How sweet are your words to my taste,
     sweeter than honey to my mouth!

If you are like me and you have a sweet tooth, then this scripture speaks to you. This section of Psalm 119 concentrates on the benefits of the word. The word gives us understanding, wisdom, insight and helps us to avoid evil paths. The word is something we come to crave. We feel it's benefits and see it working in our lives the more we study.

Lord, thank you for your word. Please help us to crave your word like sweets. Amen.

Psalm 119:32 - Understanding

I run in the path of your commands,
     for you have broadened my understanding.

It is one thing to obey a law, it is another to understand the law.  This section of Psalm 119 is about understanding the law. I see this as a bit of a prophecy to Jesus and his teachings. Jesus moves beyond the law by helping us to live our lives by the principals behind the laws, not the laws themselves. Living by Jesus' teachings is not black or white, it is living by two main things: Love God, Love People.

Lord, thank you for helping us to understand you through your law. Please help us to live our lives running in the path or your commands. Amen.

Psalm 111:10 - Wisdom and understanding

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
     all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
     To him belongs eternal praise.

So many people are seeking. They want wisdom and understanding but search for it in all the wrong places. Fear of the Lord and obedience to Him are the keys. Non-Christians may feel like Christians act like they know it all and have it all figured out. Well, we are on the path to wisdom and understanding because of our relationship to God, so we may actually have some things figured out. I don't think God wants us to act superior or have a closed mind, but we do have clarity not attained by many. When we share our wisdom and understanding, it is not to belittle, but to offer it to you.

Lord, Thank you for wisdom and understanding. Please help us to fear you, follow your precepts, and share this with others. Amen.

Psalm 53:2 - Look for the seekers

God looks down from heaven
     on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
     any who seek God.

Do you ever get fed up with the sins of the world? Do you wonder if there are any good people out there? Apparently David felt this way frequently. We need to look for those who understand and seek God.

Lord, thank you for looking for those of us who seek you. Please help us to understand and remain faithful. Amen.

Exodus 34:1 - Who wrote the second set of tablets?

The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

The story of the Ten Commandments is one of the most well known Bible stories of them all. God gives Moses the tablets and commandments (then he gives him a set of laws called by some the Law of Moses). When Moses comes back down the mountain, he sees the Israelites worshiping an idol and he breaks the tablets. (One thing I read said this symbolizes the breaking of the law by the people.) Then God has him go back up the mountain for a second set. OK, the weird thing is for some reason I thought Moses had to chisel out the commandments on the second sent of stones. After this reading of the story, I realized Moses had to chisel out the tablets, but God wrote the second set.

Lord, thank you for the new things we learn every day from your word. Please help us to be open to your teaching. Amen

Click here for a video of this post.

Exodus 31:3-5 - God's artists

And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.

In this passage, God highlights some of the artists he has chosen. I love that it is not just artistic abilities mentioned but also this artist has been filled with the Spirit of God, wisdom, and understanding. As an artist, you know how much hard work goes into your work. Sometimes it is hard to remember you have a special ability. We often think, "Anyone could do it, it just takes time." But the truth is God has given the artist their special ability.

Lord, thank you for giving us special talents and abilities. Please help us to use those for you. Amen.

Click here to see a video of this post.

Luke 24:45

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Everyday I pray that God will speak to me and tell me what he wants me to know. I read a passage and underline the things that pop out to me. I go back ang reread the underlined parts if something doesn't just pop out at me as the thing I need to learn that day.

Lord, please open my mind so that I can understand the Scriptures. Amen.