“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 (NLT) The heart of this ministry is to inspire a love for God’s Word and encourage the discipline of daily Bible reading and SOAP journaling. These are a few of our SOAP notes from today’s reading. We encourage you to read and journal on your own first, then join us in conversation about what God revealed to YOU today. Click HERE to go directly to the daily reading if you wish.
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Deliverance | Marisa Hartman
S~ From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Psalm 3:8 (NIV)
O~ David is on the run from his own son, Absalom. His friends abandoned him when Absalom led a rebellion against him. People even told David that he had done so much wrong that even God wouldn’t help him. As David sits reflecting on his situation, he knows where his help comes from; even when those around him doubt.
A~ Maybe you feel like you’re on the run like David was. Your son probably didn’t lead a rebellion against you, but the desire to just run away isn’t foreign. Marriage is hard, parenting can be a struggle, the workplace can be cruel, and it’s easy to feel beat down. The desire to escape the stress seems like a natural response. It is for me. I strongly dislike dealing with strong negative feelings. Early on in my life, I learned it was easier (and safer) to just be the good, quiet one. I became an expert feeling stuffer and now, in my 40s am learning to un-stuff. My very wise counselor once said, “you cannot heal what you do not feel.” Un-stuffing all of the years and years of feelings is exhausting work. It’s painful, emotional, but well worth it work. If I knew then what David knew deep within himself when he wrote this Psalm my life would have been so much easier. When we cry out to God, He is there. He’s been there for me through all of my life’s up and downs, but I never fully grasped the depth of how much He longed to deliver me. In verse 7, David calls out to God. The Message version of verse 7 says, “Up, God! My God, help me! Slap their faces, First this cheek, then the other, Your fist hard in their teeth!”
This makes me giggle. David is begging God to literally beat his enemies. I love how real he is when he speaks to God. The cool thing is, I can be that real with Him too. When I’m overwhelmed and feel like running, I can tell God all about it. When I’m mad, or hurt, or bummed out I can bring my real feelings with my real words to God. He wants to hear me. He wants to deliver me. All I have to do is talk to Him genuinely, openly, and often. My help comes from the Lord. Guess what… yours can too.
P~ God thank you for delivering Your people and blessing us beyond that. I am so glad to have a relationship with You where I feel like I can bring anything to You and it’s okay. Thank you for helping me walk through the yuckiness I’ve hidden away for too long. Thank you for calming my running feet and planting me firmly in Your love. I am immensely grateful for the people You have sent to hold my hand and point me back to Your truth and Your love. I will no longer doubt where my help comes from. You are and will always be my deliverer. Amen
Forever His | Joni Tyner
S~ This is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. John 6:39 (NIV)
O~ This scripture is in red, Jesus is teaching to the crowd. In this scripture, He is telling the crowds that God gives him chosen people and that once they are His, they will not be lost. My Bible also gives the reference of Philippians 1:6, “that God began the good work within you, and will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.“
A~ I haven’t been to Bible college or ever had formal teaching about the Bible. I’m a currently a student that is imperfectly reading and understanding my Bible. What I’m getting from this scripture is that God chooses who are His children and He will protect them on their journey of faith. I love the verse from Philippians—this is a life – long process!! I have personally learned life lessons through reading and studying, through watching other people make mistakes—and from mistakes I have made. Trust me, I don’t like what it feels like to do the wrong thing—I absolutely want to learn and grow from my mistakes. I am so grateful that Jesus didn’t give up on me when I wasn’t always faithful to Him. He wooed me back and continues to pursue the hearts of those He has chosen. I don’t understand all doctrine, but I do trust the One what says this to be true.
P~ Dear Lord, thank you for this promise. It gives me hope!!! I ask for discernment about what my part is in other people’s stories. I don’t want to enable bad choices but I also don’t want to control them and force behavior they are not yet committed to. I want to be a cheerleader and encourager of Your work. I ask for fresh faith and patience as I remember this is Your work and their story. Thank you for relentless pursuing my heart to read Your word.
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