Dawn 2 Dusk When God Feels Nearer Than Your Next BreathThere are moments when God seems to press especially close—when a sermon hits home, a verse suddenly glows, or a crisis strips away distractions and you sense that He is speaking directly to you. Isaiah 55:6 urges us not to waste those moments, but to seek the LORD in the window of opportunity He gives and to call on Him in the very season when He is drawing near. This is not about panic, but about holy urgency. The God who is patient and merciful is also purposeful; He moves toward us so that we will move toward Him. The Window of Grace Is Real “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Those words hint at a window—a time of special openness and invitation. Not because God becomes unwilling to save, but because our hearts can grow dull, distracted, or hardened. Scripture warns, “As it has been said: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion’” (Hebrews 3:15). When God speaks “today,” the worst thing we can do is assume we can safely answer “tomorrow.” There is a sobering edge to this: time really is moving. Seasons shift. Opportunities come and go. Paul writes, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). And God Himself says, “Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2). When God draws near, procrastination is not neutral—it is resistance. The wise response is simple, decisive obedience: seek Him now. God Is Nearer Than You Think The amazing thing is that the same verse that calls you to seek God announces that He is already close: “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). The call to seek does not start with your effort; it starts with His nearness. He moves first. He stirs your heart. He gives the desire to pray, to open your Bible, to repent. Paul preached that God arranged history so “that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). In Jesus, God’s nearness is not vague; it has a face, a voice, a pierced side. “Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). Think of the father in Luke 15, who “while he was still a long way off… ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). That is what “near” looks like. If you feel the slightest tug today—conviction, longing, curiosity—that is not random. That is the Father running toward you. Your part is to stop running away. Seeking the Lord with a Whole Heart Seeking the Lord is more than a vague spiritual mood; it is a wholehearted turning. God promises, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). That “all your heart” will always involve repentance—turning from cherished sins, surrendering stubborn plans, laying down the illusion that you can be your own lord. It looks like coming out of hiding, telling Him the truth about your fears and failures, and trusting that the blood of Jesus is enough to cleanse you. But seeking is also joyfully active. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). You ask in prayer. You seek in Scripture, listening for His voice. You knock through obedience, choosing His way in real decisions today—how you speak, what you watch, how you respond to irritation and temptation. And as you do, you discover the promise stands: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Seeking Him while He is near turns into the deep realization that He has been seeking you all along. Lord, thank You for drawing near and speaking “today” to my heart. By Your Spirit, move me to seek You with all my heart, to repent quickly, and to obey promptly, so that I do not waste the grace You are giving me right now. Morning with A.W. Tozer Radical Adjustment to the Jesus Way. . . The truth is that the world does not know where it is going; it has not found life's summum bonum; it is not qualified as a model for the members of society to follow. It is instead puzzled, frightened and frustrated. Generation follows generation into an uncertain future, completely beaten, disappointed and sick at heart.
It was to this kind of world that Jesus came, to save it from itself. He died for its sins and now lives for the salvation of all who will repudiate it, deny the validity of its philosophies and put their trust wholly in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those who do this no longer seek to be adjusted to society. They have renounced this world and have chosen a new model after which to pattern their lives. This is the aspect of the Christian life that most people do not like. They want comfort, blessing and peace, but they recoil from this radical, revolutionary break with the world. To follow Christ in this rough and thorough-going way is too much for them. Music For the Soul Peter’s Love: A Type of OursHe saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, Lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. - John 21:17 NOTICE how we have here, not only that figure of Christ fresh from the Cross, with all the appeal that His sufferings for us ought to make to our hearts, smiting upon those hearts a deeper consciousness of our transgression, but we have also the figure, full of encouragement and of teaching for us, of the penitent rejoicingly acknowledging, notwithstanding his sin, his fervent love to the Master. Do not let any sense of unworthiness make you hesitate in saying, "I love Thee! " Do not try to find out whether you love Christ or not by inferences from your conduct. You do not do that about your love to one another. You do not say, I do so-and-so for my wife, or my husband, therefore I conclude that I love him, or her." You start with the feeling, with the consciousness of the feeling, with the glad avowal of it; and then, to the best of your power, you shape your conduct accordingly. It is beginning at the wrong end to begin with conduct, and to look to it for the answer to the questions, " Do I love the Lord or no?" "Am I His, or am I not?" All of us have to bewail inconsistencies, but any Christian man or woman who seeks to answer the question whether they love Jesus Christ by inferences drawn from conduct is condemning himself or herself to a lifelong burden of weariness, and to a religion in which, because there will be little joy, there will be little power and freedom. Let us not be afraid, after the example of this man, howsoever dark and numerous may have been our faults, let us not be afraid to profess our love to Him. The consciousness of our treachery and of His pardon should deepen our love to Christ. So out of our very falls we may rise to a closer and more blessed experience, and come to understand for ourselves how the publicans and harlots my go into the Kingdom before the Pharisees. The only source from which a true love to Jesus Christ, warm enough to melt the ice of our hearts, and flowing with a powerful enough stream to sweep the corruption out of our natures, can ever flow is the sense of our pardon from Him. That sense will deepen as the consciousness of our manifold transgressions deepens. So the more we feel our evil and our guilt, the more let us cleave to that great Lord that has given Himself for us. It was but a shallow conviction of sin that moved in Peter’s breast at the other miraculous draught of fishes, when he said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man! " He has learned here a deeper knowledge of his own fault; he knows better how bad he has been and how weak he still is; and, therefore, instead of saying "Depart!" he says, "Let me cleave to Thee: Thou knowest that I love Thee." Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Ezekiel 36:37 Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them. Prayer is the forerunner of mercy. Turn to sacred history, and you will find that scarcely ever did a great mercy come to this world unheralded by supplication. You have found this true in your own personal experience. God has given you many an unsolicited favor, but still great prayer has always been the prelude of great mercy with you. When you first found peace through the blood of the cross, you had been praying much, and earnestly interceding with God that he would remove your doubts, and deliver you from your distresses. Your assurance was the result of prayer. When at any time you have had high and rapturous joys, you have been obliged to look upon them as answers to your prayers. When you have had great deliverances out of sore troubles, and mighty helps in great dangers, you have been able to say, "I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Prayer is always the preface to blessing. It goes before the blessing as the blessing's shadow. When the sunlight of God's mercies rises upon our necessities, it casts the shadow of prayer far down upon the plain. Or, to use another illustration, when God piles up a hill of mercies, he himself shines behind them, and he casts on our spirits the shadow of prayer, so that we may rest certain, if we are much in prayer, our pleadings are the shadows of mercy. Prayer is thus connected with the blessing to show us the value of it. If we had the blessings without asking for them, we should think them common things; but prayer makes our mercies more precious than diamonds. The things we ask for are precious, but we do not realize their preciousness until we have sought for them earnestly. "Prayer makes the darken'd cloud withdraw; Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw; Gives exercise to faith and love; Brings every blessing from above." Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Better Farther OnThere is a limit to affliction. God sends it, and God removes it. Do you sigh and say, "When will the end be?" Remember that our griefs will surely and finally end when this poor earthly life is over, Let us quietly wait and patiently endure the will of the LORD till He cometh. Meanwhile, our Father in heaven takes away the rod when His design in using it is fully served. When He has whipped away our folly, there will be no more strokes. Or, if the affliction is sent for testing us, that our graces may glorify God, it will end when the LORD has made us bear witness to His praise. We would not wish the affliction to depart till God has gotten out of us all the honor which we can possibly yield Him. There may today be "a great calm." Who knows how soon those raging billows will give place to a sea of glass, and the sea birds sit on the gentle waves? After long tribulation the Rail is hung up, and the wheat rests in the garner. We may, before many hours are past, be just as happy as now we are sorrowful. It is not hard for the LORD to turn night into day. He that sends the clouds can as easily clear the skies. Let us be of good cheer. It is better on before. Let us sing hallelujah by anticipation. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer He Careth for YouThe Lord knows all His people, their persons, wants, and trials; He thinketh upon them to benefit, deliver, and supply them. He keeps His eye upon them in all places, at all times, and under all circumstances. He has them in His hand, and will not loose His hold. He looks upon them always as His own; the objects of His love, the purchase of His Son’s blood, the temples of the Holy Spirit. They are precious in His sight. He knows they are weak, fearful, and have many enemies. He teaches them to cast themselves and all their cares into His hands; and He has given them His word, that He will care for them. It is a Father’s care which He exercises. It is wise, holy, tender, and constant; therefore all will be well, only trust. Believe that He cares for you this day; carry all your concerns to Him in the faith of this; leave all with Him, persuaded that He will manage all by His infinite wisdom, and bring all to a good issue by His omnipotent power. Cast all your cares upon Him as fast as they come in; be anxious for nothing. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He will never suffer the righteous to be moved." "Cast," He says, "on Me thy care, ‘Tis enough that I am nigh; I will all thy burdens bear, I will all thy wants supply." Bible League: Living His Word The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.— Zephaniah 3:17 ESV King Josiah (640-609 B.C.) had no greater fan in all of Judah than the prophet Zephaniah. Following the reign of his righteous great-grandfather Hezekiah, Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon made an utter mess of the nation; not only allowing, but inviting the debaucherous idolatry of the surrounding nations to be practiced throughout the land. As Josiah strove to bring about righteous reform among the people, Zephaniah (though clearly proclaiming that pending judgment would soon arrive in Judah as it had in Israel) spoke wonderful words of encouragement to sustain the people once judgment was complete. As the prophet begins to conclude this short prophetic utterance on an encouraging note (vs 3:14), one can almost sense a growing crescendo of joy immersed in the national reformation that will take place! He invites the people to “sing aloud” with him, as he foretells the wonderful ways in which the Lord will dispel fear, build faith, and restore fortunes for all of eternity. Indeed, the transformation of the nation that is described in verses 18-20 is truly something to sing about! But what makes the people respond positively to all the transforming benefits God wishes to bestow upon them, is knowing that despite previous sinful downfalls, God is “in their midst!” God is the “mighty one who will deliver them,” who will “rejoice over them with gladness” who will “quiet them by his love.” Indeed, as the people are singing (vs 14), God is also singing aloud with them in a mutual exaltation! (vs 17). Imagine that: God singing along with His people! Surely, this is an expression of His love for them. And what God did for His children and will do in the future, He does for us who belong to Him today. We too have experienced His wondrous love through being rescued from our sins. We rejoice with Him, knowing He has quieted our restlessness in life with an assured confidence of His presence and love; and then we hear Him sing aloud with gladness over us, encouraging increasing advancement in our loving relationship with Him! It is in how God loves us that we are positioned to respond positively to the transforming work He wants to do in us daily. London businessman Samuel Trevor Francis (1824-1925), who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more times than he could count would often ponder the vastness of God’s love for him as he gazed upon the rolling waves of the ocean. At one time, he took pen to paper and jotted this verse he would sing: “O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me, underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love; leading onward, leading homeward to my glorious rest above.” As we walk (or sail) through the days of our lives, may we have a song we can sing, highlighting the love God has for us, knowing that He sings along with us all along the way! By Bill Niblette, Ph.D., Bible League International staff, Pennsylvania U.S. Daily Light on the Daily Path Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 1 Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:27,29 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, • so that no man may boast before God. Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Luke 4:22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" John 7:46 The officers answered, "Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks." 1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Finally, I confessed all my sins to youand stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Insight What is confession? To confess our sin is to agree with God, acknowledging that he is right to declare what we have done as sinful, and that we are wrong to desire or to do it. Challenge It is to affirm our intention of abandoning that sin in order to follow him more faithfully. Devotional Hours Within the Bible Samuel’s Farewell AddressIn all the narrative of Saul’s election and coronation as king, the character of Samuel shines out brightly. Though himself set aside by the election of a king to rule in his place he yet made the great renunciation cheerfully, manfully, leading the people in each step in their new departure and guiding them with his clear vision and his steady hand. He did not sulk in his tent, as too many men do in such experiences. He did not withdraw from public life because Saul was made chief ruler but continued to serve the people as Prophet and Counselor, giving them still the benefit of the wisdom he had learned in his long and rich experience. The time came, however, when he must lay down the office of judge, delivering the authority into the hand of the newly-chosen king. The farewell address of Samuel is worthy of careful study. He reminded the people again of the way in which the king had been given to them, that they themselves were responsible for the change in government. He had listened to their request and had not resisted their desire, nor stood in the way of their wish. He had keenly felt the reflection upon himself in their urgent demand but he had set that aside in his wish to have that done which would be the best for the nation. He had felt the ingratitude and injustice to God in their wish but God had overlooked their course and given His consent and sanction. Samuel then referred to his own career as ruler, claiming that it had been honorable, and challenging them to show that even in the smallest matter he had defrauded or oppressed anyone. It is a great thing to be able to say at the close of a long or a short life what Samuel said at the opening of his farewell address. It is the ending of a life that tests it. How does it appear when it is looked back upon amid the gathering shadows of the grave? What kind of a dying pillow do its memories make? Samuel was able to stand up before all the nation and before God and say these words because his life, from beginning to end, had been upright, true and pure. There were no skeletons hidden away in any secret transaction of his life which could come up in after days to shame him. His words have a noble ring in them: “Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.” “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.” Who does not want just such a life-ending as Samuel’s? It is possible to have it, too but possible only in one way. Only a noble and faithful life can give such comfort and satisfaction. Old age is the harvest of all the years that have gone before. What you sow in your youth and prime you gather when your hair is white and your steps are feeble. Samuel reviewed the history of the people from the time of Moses, and then pointed to the king they had chosen and whom the Lord had set over them. He assured them that if they would be faithful to God He would show them favor. “Now if you will fear and worship the LORD and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the LORD’s commands, and if you and your king follow the LORD your God then all will be well.” This standing “if” precedes all God’s promises of blessing, and conditions them. Everything of Divine blessing and good depends upon our obedience. If we will not walk in God’s ways we cannot expect God to walk with us. There is a distinct indication of mercy here also God is always willing to give us a second chance. We may rebel against Him and take our own way instead of His, tearing ourselves by our willfulness out of His perfect plan; yet He comes to us again and tells us that He will still be our Father and will help us to succeed in the new course we have insisted upon taking if we will be obedient and faithful. The people of Israel had refused God’s way for them, demanding a king. He gave them their demand and then gave them another chance with it. That is what God is always doing. What could any of us do if God never gave us a second chance, and a third, and a hundredth? But while the people were assured of blessing if they would be obedient, Samuel assured them just as positively that disobedience would bring punishment. “But if you rebel against the LORD’s commands and refuse to listen to him then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.” This is very plain. There can be no mistake about the meaning of the words. It is impossible to have God’s favor and blessing if we are not faithful to Him. What an absurdity it is, therefore, to pray for favor and help when we know that we are living in disobedience and are willfully disregarding God’s law! Samuel sought to make such an impression on the people that day that the lesson would never be forgotten. So he bade them stand still and see the great thing that the Lord would do before their eyes. The harvest-time was not the season for thunderstorms but thunder and rain came, and the storm frightened the people. It gave them a glimpse of God’s awesome power, which could destroy them in a moment. There are many people who are waked up from their indifference by some severe judgment but who are not touched nor impressed by the Lord’s ordinary workings. Yet really the everyday Providences are far more wonderful, than the extraordinary things now and then that God does. A shower of rain sent out of season in answer to a prayer brings a whole nation down on its knees in trembling awe; while years and years of seasonable showers of rain, refreshing the earth and making it fruitful, produce no impression upon the same people. Yet this is infinitely more wonderful than that. It is neither superstition nor fanaticism that sees God in the unusual; but it is atheism that does not see Him as well in the usual. Every shower of rain, every morning’s miracle of sunrise, every day’s bread, should inspire in us loving adoration! The people were alarmed and they said to Samuel: “Pray for your servants unto the Lord your God, that we die not.” It is a great thing to have a friend who lives near to God and is on familiar terms with Him, and has influence at the throne of grace. It is a great thing to have someone to whom we can turn with confidence, asking him to pray for us. Of course, we all can pray for ourselves but many of us live too far from God to have the greatest power with Him. Samuel was a man of prayer and the people were sure that if he would pray for them, God would spare their lives. At the last supper Peter wanted to ask a question of the Master but he was down towards the foot of the table. John, however, was close to Jesus, his head leaning upon the Master’s bosom. So Peter beckoned to him to ask the question because he was so near and could whisper it into Christ’s ear. Those who live nearest to God have easiest access in prayer, and if you are in sore trouble you are quite sure to want one of these to speak to God on your behalf. When you are dying you will not send for a companion with whom you have trifled and sinned but for one who knows how to pray. Samuel did not try to lessen the people’s alarm and anxiety because of their sins. We are always in danger of this weakness when our friends confess to us wrong things they have done. The other day a man of the world made sport of the remorse and penitence of one who was under deep conviction, saying: “You are only frightened and morbid. Cheer up and come out with me for a drive, and your bad feeling will soon be gone.” That was not the way Samuel talked to his people when they were distressed because of their sins. He told them frankly that they had surely done the wickedness which they confessed. He would deepen in them the sense of unworthiness and the feeling of penitence. Then he told them also of the mercy of God. Though they had sinned, they need not despair. They must not give up trying to serve God, because they had made such a failure of it. They must not turn away from Him altogether, because they had turned away once. They must get back again to God and start anew. When a Christian has been overtaken in temptation and has fallen into sin, one of his dangers is despair, giving up. Many who fall once never rise again, never try again to serve God. They do not know God’s mercy. Judas went out in despair after betraying his Master. Peter went out after denying Christ, weeping in bitter sorrow but he turned to God in his grief and found mercy. There is something very noble and beautiful in the way Samuel answers the people’s pleading that he would pray for them. “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” The people had been most ungrateful to Samuel and had rejected him as their ruler; yet he would not on this account cease to intercede for them. He told them that it would be a sin in him, a sin against the Lord for him to cease to pray for them! Love triumphed over the sense of injury and wrong. Samuel’s case may often be paralleled in common experience. Those for whom we have done much, who owe us honor and love, may turn away from us in ingratitude; but we must not on this account cease to love them and to do all in our power for them. This may become our temptation. We may feel that they do not deserve our prayers, that they are not worthy of our intercession. But we must remember that on His cross our Lord prayed even for His murderers. This word of Samuel’s shows us what an important duty of friendship, intercession is so important that it is a sin against God to cease to pray for others. We should always pray for our friends. That friendship does not reach its best which lacks intercession. No matter how much we may do for our friends in other ways, if we do not speak to God for them we are wronging them. Then we should pray for those who have hurt us or wronged us. The feeling of resentment, if there is such in our heart, should take the form of interceding. The Master’s command is specific and definite, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.” Luke 6:27-29 Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNumbers 1, 2 Numbers 1 -- The Census of Israel Totals 603,550, Exempting Levites NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 2 -- Arrangement of the Tribal Camps NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 3:1-21 Mark 3 -- Jesus Heals on the Sabbath, Chooses the Twelve, discusses Beelzebub, Mother and Brothers NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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