Obadiah; Psalm 82-83 A great injustice has happened in our family.  Suffice it to say that someone I love is being neglected and abused — and I live too far away to do much about it with my own two hands. Ah, but I am a daughter of the King, the One who holds this whole world in His hands.  No battle is too big for him!  He is a just Lord.  My prayer is that He.Will.Move. Today I read the book of Obadiah (a warning to Edom that it would be crushed and utterly destroyed) and Psalm 82 and … Continue reading Praying away injustice

2 Chronicles 19-23 What do you do when you hit rock bottom?  When a mountain of trouble stands piled in your path? King Jehoshaphat faced a mountain of trouble in the form of a vast horde of enemy soldiers already on the way to defeat Judah.  When he learned of the trouble, Jehoshaphat immediately turned to the Lord for answers.  He ordered a nation-wide fast, and then he went to inquire of the Lord.  He prayed, reminding God of all that He had done for them, and then he prayed: 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to … Continue reading Not my battle

1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18 King Ahab could not hide from the Lord’s plan for the end of his life.  His idolatrous “prophets” told him to go to war against Ramoth Gilead.  Jehoshophat, King of Judah, visited him, and Ahab asked if Judah would join forces with him to fight Ramoth Gildead. Jehoshophat’s advice was to seek advice from a prophet of the LORD.  There was only one such prophet in Ahab’s lands, and Ahab did not make it a practice to listen to him.  Why would he listen to his idol-loving prophets and abandon the words from the … Continue reading Avoiding the yes-men

1 Kings 17-21 Well, I missed a reading/blogging day yesterday due to a daughter mini-crisis.  She’s eleven…so it doesn’t take much to create a dramatic production!  All is well now, and the Lord is making her into HIS young woman right before my eyes.  What a privilege it is to see… Tonight I’m combining yesterday’s readings with today’s readings.  One of the boldest stories I’ve ever read in the Bible centers around the prophet Elijah and his confrontation with the 450 “priests” who served Baal. Elijah was the last prophet of God left; Ahab’s wife Jezebel was having prophets killed … Continue reading The ultimate challenge

1 Kings 15-16; 2 Chronicles 17 These two readings showcase the stark difference between the kings of Judah and the kings of Israel.  Those of Judah chose to follow the Lord and were rewarded with peace and prosperity.  Those of Israel were each worse than any king who had gone before.  As a consequence, they were murdered, had very short reigns, and were at war all the time. This reminds me of an earlier verse I read when the people of Israel were given a choice: to follow the Lord and receive blessings to a thousand generations, or to turn … Continue reading Wanting to be like Judah