God Does the Drawing.. Craig Denison Ministries

 

God Does the Drawing

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

The Christmas season is a powerful and unique time of year to remember that Jesus came to make a way for us to be near God. In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus built a bridge between us and God allowing us to have continual, unhindered communion with our Creator. But God can’t force us into nearness with him. Even as believers filled with the Holy Spirit, we can choose to live as if God is still far off. So this Christmas season, may we choose to open our hearts to the living God that we might experience fullness of joy in his loving presence.

Scripture:

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Devotional:

The eyes of God are always set upon us. He looks at us with a smile on his face and love in his heart. Because of who he is—namely his nature of love—he is in constant pursuit of us. His love never relents. His grace is like an ever-flowing river making its way to replenish the earth and those who fill it. The only question that remains is, are we willing to dive in?

1 John 4:19 says in beautiful simplicity, “We love because he first loved us.” If we have one iota of love in our hearts toward God it is because he has loved us first. If we have even an inkling of desire to seek after him, it is because he has sought after us every moment of our lives.

If your desire is to experience God, if you long to live in communion with him, you need look no further than the truth that he is pursuing you. To experience him is simply to let him in. To love him is simply to receive his love. Intimacy with God is as pure and simple as breathing.

In a world filled with complicated doctrines and strenuous programs it’s time for the people of God to rest in the simplicity of God. Abundant life boils down to the truth that God is available. He never leaves us or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). He never turns his heart away from us. But in love he draws us to himself knowing that the absolute best place for us is in his arms.

If you will choose to experience God—to respond to his drawing—know that the Holy Spirit is within you to help you. There is nothing in the way of you knowing the heart of God because God himself couldn’t be any closer. The Holy Spirit can and will reveal how God feels and what God’s saying if you’ll ask. He will give you the eyes to see the Father drawing you close if you’ll open your heart to him. And in response to his drawing he will show you how you can seek him in return.

Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Take time in guided prayer today to respond to the drawing of the Lord by seeking after him with all you are and have.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the heart of God to draw you close to him.

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s heart for you. Pay attention to anything you hear, feel, or see. Trust that God longs to reveal his love to you.

“For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10

3. Respond to the love of God by offering him your heart in return. Tell him that you love him. Tell him what you’re thankful for. Spend time receiving and giving love that you might rest in intimacy with your Creator.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

In The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer wrote, “God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust.” May you yield to the drawing of God today. May you find peace through trusting in his steadfast love. And may you discover more and more ways God has loved you from the first.

Extended Reading: Psalm 27

You’re Never Too Much for God..JODI HARRIS

 You’re Never Too Much for God

JODI HARRIS

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these … will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28b-30 (NKJV)

I’m so angry! I cry out to God. My chest tightens as I clutch the couch pillow.

Anger is the outside armor protecting my tender heart from the rejection I feel beneath. I want to be closer to my loved one, but fear tells me I’m just too much for them.

My lament to God continues: It’s like I’m this rose, but they see me as a cactus. So they give me the attention a cactus requires: not much. But a rose needs more. It needs shade and sun in the right amounts; it has thorns that need navigating, soil that needs nutrients and water, dead branches that need pruning. 

In other words, I realize midprayer, roses are high maintenance, and so am I. Sigh. I can see that. It is a lot.

I am a lot.

As I sit in silence, listening for the Holy Spirit, I envision Him as the One who loves me just as I am. Oh, Lord, help me release my loved one from fulfilling a role that isn’t theirs but Yours.

God brings to mind an image of my yard full of blooming roses bursting with color, planted by previous owners years ago. They’ve never bloomed like this since we’ve lived here … until this spring. I was so taken by them — the pinks, yellows, whites, lavenders, peaches and reds in various shapes and sizes.

God, why this? I wonder. Then I feel Him speak these words tenderly to my heart:

My beloved daughter, look at those roses I have nurtured and brought to full bloom! See how I care for them exactly as they need to flourish. If I can create and nurture a gorgeous garden of roses for you to enjoy, I can nurture you just the same.

Your longing to be valued as you are is only fulfilled in Me. You are never too much for Me! I created you and will nurture you perfectly so you will flourish, but you have to come to Me. You cannot put that burden or role on anyone else. I’m the only One who knows you fully and can meet your needs. Will you let Me?

This gentle voice of God sounds a lot like the one that taught the people on a hillside long ago:

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these … will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30).

Those words from Jesus in Scripture jump off the page and into my heart and life as I experience them firsthand. I am not too much for God. I am deeply valued and loved just as I am.

In the days following, I wander through my yard, soaking in God’s constant reminder that He not only cares for the roses surrounding my home but also the rose inside.

Father God, thank You for the all-around-us reminders You use to speak to us that You are here, loving and nurturing us exactly as we need so we can flourish! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Necessary but Challenging Lesson..Dr. Charles Stanley

 A Necessary but Challenging Lesson

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 27:14

Believers must learn to wait upon Him.

Have you ever wondered why the psalmist coupled the admonition to wait upon God with encouragement to be strong and courageous? The reason is that sometimes delaying is the hardest thing to do.

Modern culture is in such a hurry. Gotta have it now! Gotta do it now! Can't wait! We've been primed to stay in a permanent state of readiness. It takes courage to be still when the world is rushing past. Everything in us hollers, "Go!" while God whispers, "Wait." But people are quick to act, because they are afraid of missing out on something. Believers who buy into that attitude make a move and then hope God will bless them.

God leaves nothing to chance. He does not place a decision before us with the hope that we'll make the right choice. That would be irresponsible and out of character. The Father is more than willing to show His children what to do, because He is personally interested in their welfare. But until the Lord makes clear what is the way forward, we've got to pause and wait.

Waiting upon God is not passive. It is not lazy. It is not an excuse to be careless. In fact, the opposite is true.

When God Says “No” .. Anne Peterson

 When God Says “No” (Psalm 84:11)

By: Anne Peterson

Today’s Bible Verse - For the Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. - Psalm 84:11

God meets our needs. We know this because He calls himself Jehovah Jireh, which means The Lord Will Provide. Paul tells us in Scripture God will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19). But can we talk about something we all find difficult? It’s those times when God says no to us. I’ve had times like that in my life, and I’m sure you have as well.

I had been staying with my brother and his wife, helping them with their brand new son, a beautiful baby boy. I held him, rocked him and loved him at first sight, their first child. After about six days I headed back home to my family, about an hour away. The phone rang.

“Anne, pray! Joseph is all blue. I called 911.”

I paced back and forth, saying over and over, “Not the baby, Lord.”

One hour later I got another call, “He’s gone. They said it was crib death.”

I wrestled with this one for a long time. They never had another child.

Maybe you’ve had God tell you no, even when you pleaded with Him. I confess, I was angry for a long time. But God understood my struggle. It wasn’t the first person we lost, nor would it be the last. In time, I realized I needed to trust God based on who He was, not how many of my prayers He answered. I am a finite being, but God is infinite. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). This was a hard concept for me to grasp, but eventually I realized that God and I are different, and we don’t think alike.

God knows the future, we don’t. He knows the plans He has for us and those plans are to prosper us, not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). The definition of harm is physical injury, especially that which is deliberately inflicted.”

When God says no, He’s not trying to harm us. Does it hurt? Yes. But sickness and death are results of living in this fallen world. One day there will be no more sickness, no more death. But that is when we get to heaven. When God tells us no, it doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us. As parents, we’ve had to tell our children, no, haven’t we? And our intent was not to hurt them, but instead we’ve done it out of love. God is our Heavenly Father. Our walk with God requires faith, just like when we received Christ (Colossians 2:6).

Psalm 84:11 says, “no good thing will He withhold.” How can we understand this when we know the things we’ve been asking for are good? We must remember that we don’t know what God’s purposes are for our individual lives, only God knows.

Job lost ten children and yet, he acknowledged that the Lord gives and takes away (Job 1:21). Job still trusted God. Knowing God is sovereign comforts me. He knows even the number of days we will each live on this earth (Psalm 139:16).

I remember reading the book, Boundaries by Townsend and Cloud. One section talked about being able to accept the word no from someone you loved. It surprised me, because coming from my dysfunctional home, I had believed if someone loved me, they would never tell me no. It took reading that book over and over to fully understand that concept. When you love someone, you can accept their no because your love is greater than one little part. You trust them.

If you are struggling because of a no God has given you, please know I’m praying for you. I’m praying God will draw you to Himself. I’m praying He will continually remind you of how much He loves you. Because no one has ever loved you like God has, and no one ever will.

Out of Love

Father, would you help me see
all the things you’ve given me.
For I confess, sometimes I dwell
on other things that you’ve withheld.
God holds my hand and tells me,
My Child, believe what’s true;
every single choice I make
is out of love for you.

Anne Peterson © 2020

A Prayer for Holiday Meal Conversations..Ashley Moore

 

A Prayer for Holiday Meal Conversations

Ashley Moore

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” - Colossians 4:6, ESV 

We have a running joke in our house that all conversations around the dinner table somehow always come back to poop. Maybe it’s the season of life we are in with small children, but somehow we always end up there no matter where the conversation starts. But lately, conversations around the table seem to be a bit more on the serious side. Maybe it’s the political climate. Or Covid left us all a little dusty on conversation etiquette.  

It could be because of the constant advancements in technology and the ability to air our unedited opinions openly. We forget that our words impact people. Who could have guessed that I would long for the days when the conversations centered around bodily functions? With the holidays quickly approaching, we know we will soon be gathered around the table again. Perhaps we will be dining with family and friends we haven’t seen in some time. 

Let us heed the scriptures as these times of fellowship over a meal draw closer. In our key passage, Paul addressed the church at Colossae, reminding them to be mindful of the words they say. He counseled them to use conversations as an opportunity to be salt for listeners. Paul was saying that each time we open our mouths to talk to those close to us, we have two choices, we can be divisive, or we can be ministers of reconciliation for Jesus Christ. 

In those days, salt was used as a preservative because they didn’t have the modern-day luxury of refrigeration. So they would salt their food heavily to make it last longer to provide sustenance that stretched beyond a single meal. I’m wondering if we could apply this scripture by asking ourselves a simple question before we engage in conversation during the upcoming gatherings: “Will what I’m about to say preserve relationships or cause them to deteriorate?”

With the Spirit’s help, we can control what we say. We can let our speech set the tone by being gracious to each guest. We can be perfectly seasoned with the good news of the gospel if conversations become overly negative, worldly, or divisive. We can pray before and during holiday gatherings asking God for wisdom to know how we ought to respond to each person (James 1:5). 

Although we don’t have much control over the words other people will say around the table, we can pray beforehand for holiday meal conversations to be glorifying and Christ-centered. And should someone begin to say something that is not gracious or seasoned with salt, we can pray that the Lord would set a guard over our mouths and keep watch over our lips (Psalm 141:3). 

Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, 
Thank you that we can come boldly before your throne of grace and find help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Lord, you know your children are going to be gathering around tables soon. And God, you know how difficult it has been to relate to one another lately with all the divisive news and controversy in the media. We have so many differing opinions, leading to relational strife between the people we love most.

God, forgive us when our conversations do not honor you. Forgive us when we place more value on our opinions than on the people who bear your image right in front of us. Thank you for covering our past, present, and future sins with the blood of your Son. God, will you set guards over our mouths and watch over our lips at these gatherings? Give us the wisdom to respond to each person with grace and truth. God, help us to be fluent in the gospel, pointing others to the hope we have in you. And Lord, remind us, even if things don’t go perfectly at these gatherings, that we have been promised perfect communion with you and our brothers and sisters for all eternity when we are reconciled to you after this earthly life passes away. Our hope is not in the perfect holiday gathering but in you! But Lord, if you will, let these gatherings be a shadow of the glory to come when we sit at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with you!  In Jesus’ name, amen. 

When We Just Need to Complain..Rev. Kyle Norman

 When We Just Need to Complain

By Rev. Kyle Norman

“But as for me, my feet almost slipped, I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3)

We all get discouraged or frustrated in our faith. Our spiritual lives rarely occur exactly as we would imagine or hope. We live in an imperfect world, and we bear those imperfections within ourselves. We all struggle. We all question. We all, at times, raise our voices to the heavens and scream, “why?” These experiences are not a denial of our love for God. They do not indicate a loss of faith or a deconstruction of our spiritual life. They are a natural part of our relationship with the Lord. This is why the Psalms are important for us. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once called the psalms the “prayerbook of the Bible”; it is the place that we can go when we need to articulate the deep prayers of our soul. The psalms cover the full range of human life. In doing so, they show the normalcy of our questions and discouragements; they teach us how to voice our complaints honestly and faithfully.

Can we admit that, at times, we just need to complain about the unfairness of life? Like coming home to a spouse and venting about our day, we are invited to bring our complaints to the Lord. Complaining to God about our lives is not an act of faithlessness; it is a radical act of love and trust. 

Take Psalm 73 as an example. In this Psalm, the psalmist reflects on the apparent ease and prosperity of the wicked while he, although faithful to God, languishes. Have you ever felt that? After all, mass media continually bombards us with new occurrences of prideful arrogance, violence, or oppression. The rich and famous as seen as the elite to emulate, and Hollywood boasts the good life. The world exalts these people as “carefree in the constant amassing of wealth” (Psalm 73:12). Is this fair? Hardly. Is this right? Absolutely not. Yet the deluge of media sometimes makes us dream that we could be like them. And underneath it all is the quiet lament that we feel so deeply, but never express: “how come them and not me?” 

“How come? O Lord”, it’s a wonderful prayer to pray. It conveys the deepest feelings of heart and soul. The Lord is not offended by such questions. The Lord does not abandon us when we feel discouraged or dismayed. Our complaints do not discredit our faith nor do our struggles cast us from God’s good graces. In fact, could it be the opposite? Could voicing our complaints to the Lord unite us to him in a deeper way? God is the one who journeys with us in the messiest of places. Even when our own hearts fail, God is the strength of our hearts (Psalm 73:26). God is faithful to us, even if we can’t see it.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Do you have a complaint you wish to pray through? Do you have a lament or a question burning deep within? Don’t swallow it up or deny it, keep it locked away and hidden. Instead, voice it loudly, faithfully, and boldly. When the complaints of our heart become many, or when do not know how to voice our laments to the Lord, the psalms are a guide for us. The Psalms give us the permission, and the language, to voice whatever we are feeling.

Leaving our complaints unexplored does us no spiritual good. To do so is to avoid meeting God in life’s unpleasantness. Thus, instead of avoiding these feelings, complaints, and questions, we should engage them. In faith, God invites us to risk meeting the Lord in the rawness of our lives, daring to believe that we will be received in love and grace. After all, why mask how we truly feel when the Lord knows it all anyway?

As Christian people, we are psalmists at heart. We pray for our joys and our dismays, our victories, and our struggles. Through it all, we rest upon the divine promise that the Lord is our refuge. Psalm 73 ends with an important reminder. “It is good for me to be near God” (verse 28).  Being near the Lord means that we bear our whole lives before him.

Our faith is not lived through gritting our teeth and pretending that we do not hurt. Instead, we pray, honestly. We join in the psalms. Despite the ups and downs and twist-turns of life, we dare to believe that it is good for us to voice our complaints before God. After all, our spiritual life is not a Disney movie where things get wrapped up neatly at the end. No, we live real lives, and because we live real lives, we may have real heartbreaks, laments, or complaints. But our God is the God of real life, who dwells with us in the real struggles.  So, if you must complain to God, then complain away. The Lord is with you.

Further Reading:

• Psalm 73
• Romans 8:26

HOW TO FIND HOPE ON A LONG SILENT NIGHT..Alicia Bruxvoort

 HOW TO FIND HOPE ON A LONG SILENT NIGHT

by Alicia Bruxvoort

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.” Luke 2:8-9a (NLT)

I sit alone near the window at the end of a long December day, my weary frame wrapped in a wordless sigh and a plush red blanket. The wintry woods beyond the glass are as quiet as my children who sleep down the hall.

Moonbeams mingle with the twinkling lights of our Christmas tree, and starlight waltzes with the shadows on the floor.

I take a deep breath and seek solace in the silence. But my heart refuses to rest in the hallowed hush.

For years, when my wee ones filled the nights with wails, I dreamed of a quiet like this.

But what I didn’t know then — when my midnight hours thrummed to the rhythm of sniffling sighs and colicky cries — is that children aren’t the only ones who can fill the night with clamor.

Sometimes the quiet quakes noisy, too.

Doubts drowned out by the drone of the day can resurrect with a ruckus in the lull of night. Fear can run wild when our feet finally slow. And worry can howl reckless in the hush.

It’s in the quiet where we often come face-to-face with our questions:

Do I really believe that God is good?
Does He truly see my needs and hear my prayers?
Do I trust Him enough to obey when it doesn’t make sense?
Will His promises hold firm even if my hope falls short?

It’s in the quiet where we learn to fight for faith.

So, I shift my eyes from that twinkling tree to the Bible on my lap. And I read aloud from those treasured pages.

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:8-12, NLT).

God’s Word dangles in the air like the velvet stockings hanging hopeful on my mantle. I close my eyes and try to listen to the truth of Scripture rather than the squall of my own soul.

I imagine the Hope of Heaven landing on the dust of earth … the squeals of fright and the blaze of light. The angel’s declaration and the shepherds’ consternation.

And I ask Jesus to show me something new in this familiar account of the very first Christmas.

Then all at once, I see it through a haze of grateful tears:

The message the angels proclaimed on that Bethlehem hillside long ago didn’t just change the course of one bygone silent night.

The good news of great joy changed the course of every silent night to come. Because we don’t have a God who merely pierces our darkness. We have a Savior who lingers beside us on our long silent nights (Isaiah 9:2-7).

The prophets foretold it (Isaiah 7:14). The angel repeated it. And His name confirms it (Matthew 1:23). God is with us.

And in His presence, we can find everything we need when the quiet quakes noisy.

Dear Jesus, thank You for sticking with me whether I’m full of hope or full of fear. I’m glad my doubts don’t diminish Your love and my qualms don’t offend Your faithfulness. Teach me how to rest in Your presence when my heart is unsettled. I want to trust You more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Luke 1:78-79, “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” (NLT)

Matthew 1:23, “‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” (ESV)