Pastor Mary Haley

Figuratively, what negatively gets under your skin? We all have things that irritate, bother, or annoy us. Sometimes those things are worries that won’t leave our minds or feelings we just cannot shake off so we obsess about them. Now, let me ask what positively gets under your skin? For example, what deeply affects your feelings or grows on you causing you in time to treasure it? Well, faith must get under your skin—irritate your conscience or give you an amazing experience with God—because only then will you actually faithfully practice what you say you believe.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul reminds the early Christians in Rome—as well as his readers throughout the many generations—that all the world is guilty of sin before God, but God is faithful. Humanity is condemned by its own actions, because God gave us his standard of living; his commands of love. Therefore, since we cannot stop the existence of sin [unbelief], we need a Savior who knows how to guide us into righteous living.

God is faithful to forgive when we seek to live surrendered to the Lordship of Christ; but, we must NEVER take grace for granted. We will all give an account to God for how we have used this life he has given us. There is no excuse for practicing sin when we belong to the Lord as his covenant people. Traditions can’t save us. Church attendance can’t save us. Attending worship and listening to the Word of God is valuable, but our faith must be put into practice and demonstrate our allegiance to Christ and his work of salvation. This is what pleases God (Heb. 11:6).

Romans 3:1-8 NLT God Remains Faithful
1Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? 2 Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.
3 True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? 4 Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,
“You will be proved right in what you say,
    and you will win your case in court.”

5 “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) 6 Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? 7 “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” 8 And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned

Prayer: Lord, we pray for our lives to reflect your beautiful presence and reputation. Forgive us when we make excuses for sin rather than confess it and leave it behind. Holy Spirit, help us practice righteousness by running away from sinful and selfish living and into your faithful and loving arms. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In our relationship with the Lord, we are being taught all the time about two realities: 1) God has no limitations, so we must stop confining him by our human thinking; and 2) As human beings, we are loaded with limitations and we must ‘come to the end of ourselves.’ We cannot save ourselves even though people try to face life in their own human understanding and strength daily! (Job 40:14). In light of this human inclination brought about by sin, people will wrestle with God until worn out! But, that is part of God’s plan too; we must come to the end of ourselves! Jesus says it this way, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mat. 16:24).

We like to make sense of life; it’s part of our comfort zone. However, we will never be able to encompass the thoughts, ways, and plans of God through human analytics. It does not matter how much we try to analyze things or try to explain them, we are lost in our understanding of life without the Creator who is Life itself. Therefore, we must learn to humbly follow the Spirit of God into the Truth and learn to understand as the Lord releases his Wisdom into us.

In our passage today, Job is coming to the end of his argument with God. He is humble and exhausted, so he puts his hand over his mouth, sits down, and listens to his Maker. Job realizes to move forward with God, he must relinquish self-control, surrender his limited understanding of God, and trust divine Wisdom to spiritually guide him into an environment of grace and a meaningful life. Because God loves Job so much, he speaks the Truth to him in order to set him up for success. Basically, Job learns life is about God and not him. Let’s take just a peak at God’s response to Job.

Job 40:6-14 NLT
The Lord Challenges Job Again
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 
“Brace yourself like a man,
    because I have some questions for you,
    and you must answer them.
8 
“Will you discredit my justice
    and condemn me just to prove you are right?
9 
Are you as strong as God?
    Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 
All right, put on your glory and splendor,
    your honor and majesty.
11 
Give vent to your anger.
    Let it overflow against the proud.
12 
Humiliate the proud with a glance;
    walk on the wicked where they stand.
13 
Bury them in the dust.
    Imprison them in the world of the dead.
14 
Then even I would praise you,
    for your own strength would save you.

Prayer: Lord, we get weary trying to make sense of life; so, help us dig deeper in faith and ask for the grace to trust your guidance and plan. Thank you for this lesson from Job, because we must also come to the end of ourselves if we are going to walk with you in this life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I have this inner quickening in my soul that “time” for repentance is soon coming to an end—God’s plan is closer to being fulfilled with each passing day. Humanity must repent from sin [unbelief] and turn to God for salvation. We presently have a divine delay provided by what Scripture refers to as a time of grace. We are witnessing the goodness of God providing a Way to salvation in real time. A time to graciously and willfully respond to Jesus; because the time for salvation he offers will someday cease to exist.

Keep in mind, I am not predicting a timeline, I am simply reminding us all that God is not bound by our ideas of time and eternity is forever. In my spirit, I know we must be ready. Therefore, we must get our hearts [souls] right before Almighty God and cling to his grace every single day. Something that I have always known is God’s thoughts are very different, but when Jesus says, “You must be ready all the time for the Son of Man will come when least expected,” we can stand there—on solid ground—and know that is the Truth (Mat. 24:44). Jesus gives the example of some folks not being ready to meet him, “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left,” so, again that is the Truth upon which we can solidly stand (Mat. 24:40-41). Therefore, whenever the time of Christ’s return for his chosen is decided by the Father, we must be dressed in Christ’s righteousness and ready (Mat. 24:36).

In our passage today, Peter picks up the banner of Truth to remind readers that on earth some things are clearly stated in Scripture and are absolutely certain even when other things remain vague and uncertain. It is certain that sin is real, the penalty of death is sure, the ability to live in righteousness is available, witnessing in God’s strength is the believer’s commission, heaven and hell are real places, every human being will stand before Almighty God and give an account for his or her life, and the resurrection into eternal life with God will happen for those who respond in faith to the work of Jesus. For the things that remain uncertain like the exact time of Christ’s return or what it will look like at his coming is never worth an argument. He is coming and, if we are wise, we will think according to eternity and just live and prioritize each day out of that beautiful and certain Gift as we love God and one another.

2 Peter 3:8-13 NLT
8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for getting to us the things you want us to know and boldly proclaim. There are no guessing games when it comes to what you have already revealed in your Word about life. If we are honest, we know what is most important—the need for humanity to have a relationship with you. So, fill us with the Spirit, produce righteous fruit in our lives, build our faith strong, take us out into the world with purpose to share the Truth, and empower us to be your representatives of love each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yesterday, was a time of celebration for us at Connect2Christ Church; we celebrated 15 years of ministry exalting Christ and sharing his love in our midst and in our community. In many ways, leading up to the celebration was a challenging time for me. The week continued, as in earlier weeks, with a broken AC; we had to trust the Lord. Many loved ones were ill or hospitalized and other loved ones were traveling, simply away, or still up north for the season. We were missing so many beautiful family members; we had to trust the Lord. Then, there was the murder of our spiritual brother, Charlie Kirk. Every believer felt the grieving of the Spirit and the tremendous loss for the spiritual Family; still, we had to trust the Lord and continue moving forward.

We needed Jesus to lift our souls! The ability to rejoice in the midst of any kind of loss or suffering is a mark of genuine discipleship and spiritual maturity. God is good and he always seems to bring his goodness to us even if it is out of the things we suffer or things that put pressure on our faith. During these times, we need our attention lifted to the things that are eternal; the promises of our glorious God who is pure selfless Love. We must trust the Lord.

In our passage today, Luke shares several parables of Jesus. Today, we will read about a lost sheep and a lost coin. We may be tempted to read the passage and think about what is lost and certainly we should, but the parable ends with heaven’s focus on what is “found.” Think about it. Jesus came to earth to find his lost children and save them. As I looked around the room and shared, yesterday, I was filled with such joy and gratitude. I believe the angels in heaven rejoiced with us, as well. Jesus found us and connected all of our lives with his!

Now, we must turn, as his messengers of the gospel, and seek to tell others who are spiritually lost about our amazing Savior. Jesus redeems us, sanctifies us, delivers us, holds us, heals us, comforts us, and he wants to do the same for every living human being in the world. Take time to praise God for finding you; he sought you out to save you and lift you from a sin-filled selfish-living world and place you in a Family where he can take care of you. Now, take time to pray for the lost who need Jesus; he will send you to tell someone about him. Tell the world that Jesus lives and longs to love them!

Luke 15:1-10 NLT

Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Prayer: Lord, we praise you, today, for finding us in our lostness and saving us from the emptiness of this self-serving, ungrateful, and unrighteous world. Thank you for placing us in a spiritual family to be loved by you and one another. You take care of us through the family and we are so grateful. Our gratitude cannot remain within, Lord, so help us to share your love and compassion with others. Send us to share the gospel and grow your spiritual Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I have had very little time to read or watch the news the past few days, but what I did see late Wednesday evening was heart-wrenching; so disturbingly evil. Of course I am referring to the murder of Charlie Kirk.  Sin [rebellion against God who is Love)] can make human beings so hateful; so condescending and threatened by anything that challenges the idols people want to worship. When the Voice of Truth is released through a willing host, the enemy gets busy trying to silence it.  I saw this quote yesterday and it screamed truth to me, “People don’t really want your opinion; they want their opinion coming out of your mouth.” The only opinion, judgment and Truth that actually matters is God’s—His standard.

Wednesday in our Bible Study of Matthew 13, we noted how the soil of human hearts [responses to God’s message] can be very different from person to person and the same day we witness the Truth.  Two hearts [soil] and two responses to the authority of Almighty God.  Whether or not a person realizes murder is against the commands of God, everyone knows murder is against the law of this nation.  

So, ignorance is not a reason for killing another person.  Rather, it’s sin in the minds of those who refuse to listen to the Truth and be healed by God’s love:

“For the hearts of these people are hardened,
    and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
    so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and let me heal them” (Mat 13:15).

Prayer:  Lord, we pray for our hearts, as well as the hearts of human beings around the globe to be softened and welcoming to the truth of your love found only in Jesus the Christ. We pray for all of Charlie’s family, as well as his inner circle of friends.  Cover them with peace and be the Comforter they all need.  Send the refreshment of the Spirit to be their strength in this challenging time.  Call your children to be blessings to this family; to spill your healing love over them. Have mercy on the soul of the murderer. Bring justice, Lord, and turn what the enemy meant for harm and use it for good. We cast our eyes upon you, Lord.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

On September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorist based in Afghanistan [15 from Saudi Arabia, 2 UAE, 1 Lebanon, 1 Egypt] from al-Qaeda [Islamic extremists] hijacked four commercial airplanes and sent a message of death and destruction killing 2,977 people from ninety nations. Al-Qaeda sees the United States as an obstacle to their desire for global order under Islamic authority.  These extremist see hate and violence as acceptable to achieve their goal.  May, by the mercy of Almighty God, this country never become so deeply deceived.  Today, please remember the atrocities of 9/11, pray for the destruction of evil and for the grace of God to lead this country and this world in the Truth of God’s love.

In our passage today, David sings about the spiritually lost and lawless state of humanity; it is universal—something we share in common.  When a person or group can commit heinous crimes and somehow spiritually justify such acts in their minds, evil and lawlessness is actually lord of the heart. Jesus was sent to guide us into a proper understanding of God, because throughout time humanity has lived ignorantly of his love and righteous standard. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).  

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy! He is “slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). Humanity was originally formed in God’s image, but we love the darkness that leads to lawlessness —violating God’s standard. Yet, if God himself has offered us his mercy, how can we claim to know him and act so unrighteous? 

No amount of good deeds can save a soul or ensure eternal life.  We must accept the cleansing and redeeming blood of Jesus that was spilled for our sakes.  Only then will grace cover us, love fill us, and wisdom provide us with a proper understanding of God.  This all flows from the goodness of God.  However, let’s be very certain that one day evil and lawlessness will fall before the Lord, give an account to divine authority, and spend eternity without God and where their lawless hearts took them (Ro 14:12).

Psalm 14 NLT A psalm of David.

1 

Only fools say in their hearts,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
    not one of them does good!

2 

The Lord looks down from heaven
    on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
    if anyone seeks God.

3 

But no, all have turned away;
    all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
    not a single one!

4 

Will those who do evil never learn?
    They eat up my people like bread
    and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.

5 

Terror will grip them,
    for God is with those who obey him.

6 

The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
    but the Lord will protect his people.

7 

Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
    When the Lord restores his people,
    Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

Prayer:  Lord, we pause today to reflect upon our country’s experience twenty-four years ago when we suffered from acts of evil and lawlessness.  Have mercy on sinful humanity and forgive us for not bowing to the Love you offer in your Son.  We ask for grace to cover people, love to fill every heart thereby casting down hate-driven evil, and for wisdom to provide us with a true understanding of your heart so we will not allow evil rule of our lives.  Please heal hearts and restore them in the Truth.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Scripture is inspired by God and has been given to minister the truth to our lives. The Word helps us understand God’s righteous standards—how the Lord must be loved and how we love others (2 Tim 3:16). Although God gave us the Ten Commandments, striving to observe them was never going to be the way to salvation. It is impossible to obey them perfectly even if we think we are doing a pretty good job. God wants every human being to know the only way to salvation is dependence upon Him by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9).

God knows every heart; he knows the idols we have made and he knows the weaknesses that seek to destroy our worship of Him. He asks us to follow him into a better more righteous place in his presence. We all make mistakes, but we must allow the Living Word of God to correct us and send us in a better direction. God is the Truth.

A wise person said, “More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying them.”

In our passage today, Jesus encounters a wealthy religious leader. This person has the wrong idea about eternal salvation; so, to clarify the point Jesus tells him to sell all his possession and give the money to the poor. It is a test, because Jesus already knows the leader depends on his wealth (idol) rather than God. When the man leaves his conversation with Jesus, he knows the truth of his own heart, as well.

Eternal life is connected to knowing the Lord can provide for our every need. We must trust and depend upon his love for us. Do you know? It’s a test…

Luke 18:18-30 NLT The Rich Man
18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’”

21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.
24 When Jesus saw this,[b] he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

26 Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
27 He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”

28 Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.”

29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”

Prayer: Lord, you know our hearts and you know our needs. Help us to confess our mistakes when we make them, as well as ask for the help we truly need. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we pray our lives will reflect more of the divine nature. You alone deserve our worship, Lord. We trust you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

From the time I was very young, I always wanted to emulate my mother.  She was kind, loving, and giving.  People around her knew…and I knew…she was the real deal and the same every day.  As I grew older, I realized she simply wanted a heart after Jesus—to pursue and emulate the loving character of the Lord. Truly, that should be the heart of every believer. 

In our passage today, David makes a similar commitment. As a leader and with the Lord’s help, he wants to live in integrity, justice, and righteousness. If he is going to be successful, he knows it means he must surround himself with people who also desire to “live a blameless life.” How will he seek to accomplish this lifestyle of worship—of the King’s rule?  He tells us he must avoid living separated from the standards God has set for his covenant people. 

If David is going to live a blameless life, he will need to guard his eyes, avoid dishonesty, run from evil, stay away from people who slander others, reject pride, and refuse to associate with deceivers and liars.  I was thinking about how important all of these areas are if we truly desire to emulate the Lord’s nature and character.  To live a blameless life is to be a worshiper of the Lord.

Would you ever find Jesus: watching pornography or filthy movies, taking advantage of others, speaking in a way that dishonors the reputation of another person, or trying to manipulate anyone?  I will answer for you—NO. Christ lives in you and those actions are not under the King’s rule.  That is the rule of the flesh.  So, if we are allowing the Spirit to transform us into the image of Christ, none of these things should have dominion in our lives.  To avoid falling prey to the temptations of Satan, we must desire God more than anything else. 

Psalm 101 A psalm of David.

1 

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
    I will praise you with songs.

2 

I will be careful to live a blameless life—
    when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
    in my own home.

3 

I will refuse to look at
    anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
    I will have nothing to do with them.

4 

I will reject perverse ideas
    and stay away from every evil.

5 

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
    I will not endure conceit and pride.

6 

I will search for faithful people
    to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
    will be allowed to serve me.

7 

I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
    and liars will not stay in my presence.

8 

My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
    and free the city of the Lord from their grip.

Prayer:  Lord, there is absolutely no way we can live a lifestyle of worship without your supernatural help.  From our passage today, we know some of the things we should avoid if we are pursuing a blameless life as your son or daughter.  We take time to praise you for the grace that guides us into your holy character.  As well, we thank you for the forgiveness you offer in our failures. Holy Spirit, please continue your work of producing godliness in us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Recently, we became aware that a wall—a supporting structure at our house—needed to be reinforced in order to stabilize the weight distribution of the roof.  It wasn’t until all of the drywall was removed that we were aware of this need.  So, I am very grateful for this revelation, because we can now take measures to place a vertical structure [pillar] and cross beams of wood to rebuild a very strong wall of support.  

In our passage today, Paul refers to the Church [covenant people] as the “pillar and foundation of the truth.” In other words, the church is the body where the truth is supported, elevated, as well as modeled by God’s people.  Paul reveals the heart of the gospel, when he teaches about the humanity and the divinity of Christ.  Jesus lived a perfect life and modeled godliness while on earth.  Therefore, godliness should never be something hidden; Christ should always be exalted and release through the lives of believers in order to bring glory to God.  Only when we follow and obey the Lord, can we learn to live a godly life that pleases our Father.

Apostasy—the refusal to obey or the act of stepping away from the Truth—has always plague humanity. It is throughout the Bible. Jesus himself taught his disciples, in the last days, apostasy will be rampant before his second coming (Mat. 24:10-14).  As well, Jesus taught about false teachers that would dilute the Word of God at the end of the age.  

Satan is a liar and a deceiver; therefore, one of his tactics is to dilute the gospel and offer an imitation of the Truth.  If we know the truth, then we will be able to recognize the world’s lies about any topic.  Jesus modeled the truth so we would know how to live with the things he provides even in this fallen world.  Truly, God is the giver of every good and perfect Gift (Jas. 1:17).

1 Timothy 3:14-4:5 AMP

3:14 I hope to come to you before long, but I am writing these instructions to you 15 in case I am delayed, so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 And great, we confess, is the mystery [the hidden truth] of godliness:

He (Jesus Christ) who was revealed in human flesh,
Was justified and vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.

4:1 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 [misled] by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron [leaving them incapable of ethical functioning], 3 who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from [certain kinds of] foods which God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and have [a clear] knowledge of the truth. 4 For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified [set apart, dedicated to God] by means of the word of God and prayer.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being our support and Truth.  As your covenant people, raise us up so we can exalt your name as the One true God.  Help us reach out to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. As apostasy increases, please keep us flowing in your wisdom and help us live the Truth in your power and grace.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

When anything in our lives—physical things, concepts, or desires—are elevated above the divine principles or our worship of God, those things have become idols.  Loving money and possessions certainly fall into this category, but so do things like power, identity, approval, convenience, pleasure, or an intense focus on entertainment. 

Idolatry has always been the sin of self-destruction, because it is misdirected worship. Sadly, when we make anything or anyone more important in our lives than our love and worship of God, we find ourselves empty, lacking meaning, and distanced from God.  Idolatry has been the downfall of every unrighteous nation, because it failed to place God on the throne as Lord.  

In our passage today, Israel has been entrenched with idolatry.  God sends Jeremiah to tell Israel they must abandon their idols and turn to God.  They refuse and Jeremiah knows it spells disaster for Israel. So, this man of God shares a prayer and places the Lord in His rightful place as his source of strength in his weakness, his fortress [stronghold] in his times of fear and uncertainty, and his refuge of rest when all hell comes against him.  In other words, regardless of what the nation does, Jeremiah honors the Lord.  With God in His rightful place, Jeremiah experiences a sense of inner peace and security even when the nation and world struggle in turmoil. 

These days in which we live are filled with demands, pressures, and challenges of all kinds.  Naturally, we may want to escape and run from it all, but where do we go?  We must be careful because the temptation arrives to idol-medicate rather than God-meditate.  Even excessive busyness can be an idol of escape; we must bow to divine Lordship and ask God for what we need.

The Lord has promised to be our shalom [peace/wholeness]. Down deep beyond our tendency and desire to escape every difficult place, we must hold on to the promises of God to be what we lack. When we worship the Lord, we have the power and grace of heaven as our sustaining resource.  No idol of our making can bring us the peace of God—in fact, idolatry causes humans to wander farther and farther away from God’s glorious presence making us more vulnerable.  We must place our confident trust in our Lord.

Jeremiah 16:19-21 NLT  Jeremiah’s Prayer of Confidence

19 

Lord, you are my strength and fortress,
    my refuge in the day of trouble!
Nations from around the world
    will come to you and say,
“Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage,
    for they worshiped worthless idols.

20 

Can people make their own gods?
    These are not real gods at all!”

21 

The Lord says,
“Now I will show them my power;
    now I will show them my might.
At last they will know and understand
    that I am the Lord.

Prayer:  Lord, you faithfully offer yourself to be the Source of our strength; to be a fortress and refuge when life is overwhelming.  We have read your Word and know the self-destructive work of creating idols that self-medicate to help us cope.  So, we turn and bow before you as our Lord and Shepherd to ask for your power, might, and grace to lead and provide for us the wisdom and strength we need to be victorious.  We worship only you and pray for the nations to do likewise. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.