Category: Daily Devotionals

The Tender Promise Of A Shepherd

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He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.   
Isaiah 40:11
Jesus came to prepare the way for His flock to walk the path to His kingdom. The little Shepherd who napped in the manger would be the One who would make crooked paths straight. He would remove each and every barrier of sin and condemnation. He would defeat the foe who lures lost people onto the wrong pathway.
His promise to shepherd me for the rest of my life is tender yet powerful in its implications.  He exposes sin, the sin that destroys me. He inspires repentance, the deep apology and heart change that restores my life. He points to each crooked place in my heart in order to make my path straight without painful detours. He cheers me on when I’m done in. He picks me up when I’m limping until I can walk again. He helps me when I’m feeble, working within each nuance of my emotional and spiritual limitations. He shepherds me perfectly ~ not from afar but from up close and personal.
Every one of us has a deep desire to be known by one who loves us. Because we were made for this, our soul strains to be under the care of one who sees the expanse of our lives and has the power to shape an environment where we can thrive. He’s a Shepherd, not a brute. He is the singer who energizes, not the taskmaster who bellows orders.
Your promise to shepherd me has so many dimensions, all of them intimate, all of them powerful enough to lead me to green pastures. Even when it doesn’t feel like it. I trust You. Amen

The Gift Given Today Of All Days

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“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground:  Isaiah 44:3

How much do I treasure what happened at Pentecost?  I’ve said goodbye to loved ones who are now in heaven.  My mother died when I was 30.  I never knew my grandfathers.  My grandmothers passed away when I was 25.  My Dad went home to heaven in 2003. And our son, Ryan, in 2019 on Father’s Day.  When you have had those you love near you, and then they’re gone, the absence is both excruciating and disorienting before it is comforting.

So to be a disciple of Jesus, to have had Him with you and then see Him leave, would leave a void the likes no one has experienced unless you lived in 33 A.D.  They didn’t say goodbye to a son, or parent, or wife or husband; they said goodbye to the fullness of God sitting next to them.  The One who was Wisdom walked with them.  The One who was Love consistently discerned their spiritual and physical needs and spoke into their thoughts with perfectly crafted language.  When He announced that He was leaving, I can’t imagine the panic and perhaps even the sense of betrayal they felt.  The caveat in his announcement, however, was the promise that He would not leave them as orphans and would come back to them again in better form.

It was only months later that Pentecost happened.  They got back the One they lost and it was better.  He was right! Instead of walking with Him on the roads of Judea, they were filled with His presence.  The words from the scrolls of Isaiah washed over them as their internal wilderness was transformed by the incoming floods of Living Water.

This is the greatest of all gifts today.  What I think I need most may not be my greatest need.  Nothing is more important today, even stacked up against the unraveling of our way of life, than being filled with the Holy Spirit’s power so that my faith may be full.

Oh Spirit of God, be poured out upon those who don’t have you or even want you.  Bring those dead in sin to living faith.  Be poured out to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to encourage those who are disillusioned with you.  Be poured out upon the dry bones of our lives, the places where the smell of death is still in the air.  Be poured out upon the Word which we know, the Word which has been preached to us, prayed over us, and yet has not taken root to change us.  Touch our barren landscapes with the promise of green.  We are the dry ground and You are the river.  Amen

The Voice Of The Future

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’  And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’  Isaiah 44:28 

As we sit on calamitous events, it’s instinctive to ask God where He is in all of it.  Oh, how Isaiah’s voice reassures us in our fears.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he predicted the coming of Cyrus to deliver God’s people from exile.  At the time of this writing, Cyrus was not even born yet.  It would be another 200 years before he arrived on the scene to do exactly what God said He would.

God had predicted Israel’s defeat and capture before they were carried off into captivity.  God had predicted, with great detail, what exile would be like and how they were to survive it.  Now through Isaiah, God predicted their deliverance through a foreign ruler the likes of Cyrus.  He had always been their God and He is still waiting to fulfill more prophecies concerning future events.

No one changes the courses of God’s Word.  This inspires holy fear, respect, and worship for who He is.  His prediction of Cyrus comforts us since life has taken a turn and our immediate future is uncertain.  Just as surely as I’m writing this, He knows the nature of our exiles and deliverances.  The names of those who will shape our future are already pre-chosen. All is on schedule to lead us to glory.

Just as God has foreknowledge of the main characters which comprise the leadership of world governments, He also has foreknowledge of every single detail which comprise our lives.  He spoke our name long before we existed, called us by name at our moment of re-birth, and will speak our name again when He welcomes us home.  Our past, present, and future was written with red ink and not one step (though uncertain as it may seem for us) causes Him to worry about us.

He is the God who dismantles and the God who re-builds.  He is the God who wounds and the God who comforts.  He is the God of the faithful and the God of the exiles.  In these days when anger and fear make up our global emotional climate, we trust a Father who whispers, “Don’t be afraid.”  Our life does not begin and end with deliberate, even erratic actions, of powerful people.  God’s scepter of justice holds them in check.

Your people are written, prophetically, into these days.  Let us rise up to carry out the work of an ambassador with confidence and joy.  Amen

What Do We Do Now?

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“What do we do now?” That seems to be the question as we watch our world unravel. Are any of us safe? How can we avoid panic? Where is God?
God was with Joseph when his world unraveled and unthinkable circumstances overtook him. Instead of returning home to enjoy dinner with his father, he was shackled to other captives, walking in a human caravan to Egypt. Never could he have envisioned such a drastic turn in his life.
Though we are near to ending Joseph’s story in our daily devotionals, I am feeling the need to write from a new place. The promises of God are what keep us steady, focused, and hopeful. Our hope is not be being well, staying well, and life returning to normal. Our hope is in God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
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For the unforseen future, I will be beginning this series. Each day will bring another promise from the book of Isaiah. Are they are you and me? Ah yes. The promises of God, in Christ, are yes, and amen. 2 Cor. 1:20
Isaiah. This prophet paid with His life to speak the heart of God to those who love God. In Him we live and breathe and have our being.
Join me in breathing and remembering that we are secure in the arms of Jesus. As for any of you who are asking about the ending to the book of Joseph, I will be finishing the devotional series in private and then offering you a free e-book download of them all.
As we go into a weekend where the news is uncertain, know this. Our Yahweh says ~
Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

Will The Distressed Come To You?

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When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” Genesis 41:55

Who better to turn to than a Pharaoh for help? People in high positions should have had all the answers and the keys to all the storehouses. Yet, Pharaoh was in over his head. He was not God’s child and his stone gods weren’t talking.

Seemingly overnight, Joseph was brought out of obscurity to a place of prominence. He couldn’t have guessed that he would sleep in a palace instead of a prison floor, or that his administrative and prophetic gifts would be implemented for the salvation of his people. Yet, when God decided it was time for his advancement, nothing and no one could stop it. Who did the famished people turn to? To the one whose name they didn’t even know the day before.

How many righteous are sitting in low places today? They are gifted, overlooked, even ridiculed. They have turned down opportunities for advancement because the pathway to the top meant compromise. The sacrifice, made out of love for God, has cost them dearly. There will come a time that others will turn to them for life-saving advice. Their quiet lives of steadfast faithfulness to God will speak volumes when those they formerly trusted shrivel in the flames of adversity. It is only suffering that exposes the difference between the two. It is only suffering that reveals the golden qualities of the ones they once despised.

I must not weary of the quiet and steady journey of the true disciple. Drawing near to God is never the popular agenda. I will stand out like a sore thumb and bear the insults of those who have much more interesting lives. Yet, when famine affects the landscape of those around me, it might just be the hour for which God has prepared me. I may not sleep in a palace but I will be sought after for the treasures I’ve cultivated in secret with my God.

John the Baptist, a peculiar recluse, lived three decades for a future, though short, time of influence. Most of his life was preparation for the short burst of glory when he was privileged to prepare others for the arrival of Jesus. Such is the way of discipleship. You and I must never assume that obscurity will be our ‘normal’. Ever ready, we are looking for the time when the seeds God has sown into our hearts in private will be poured out in others time of need.

I never fit in the mainstream. You made me unique and I know that my time with You will bring a beautiful harvest. In Jesus’ name, Amen

I Can Never Forget My Suffering

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis 41:51-52

If much of your life has been characterized by hardship, then you know how long life can feel. Pain is your ‘normal’ and the thought of living any other way is inconceivable. If your circumstances changed dramatically in the next 24 hours, the possibility that you would ever forget what you have suffered seems unlikely.

I suspect that the word for ‘forget’ is the same word that is used when scripture says that ‘God puts my sins behind his back and forgets them.’ He puts them out of sight and they are no longer held up in front of my face as a reminder of what I’ve done. Memories of my sin take a back seat to the joy of walking in forgiveness.

In light of that ~ To forget former hardship is to have painful memories eclipsed by something infinitely more powerful ~ the kindness and redemption of God. It is impossible to feel the wonder of such exhilaration while, simultaneously, feeling the depth of my former despair. God’s redemption is that powerful. But while I wait for God, the all-consuming sense of distress can overpower me were it not for momentary experiences with God’s grace that fuel my journey.

I’ve seen the fruits of powerful prayer. Some were answered overnight and others within a few months time. Many of them, in fact. But others accompanied me in God’s waiting room for a decade or two. The pain of waiting made God appear uncaring and I feared that life would never be any different. I had to fight for my faith and sound theology had to war against the language derived from my emotions. But when the tide turned, when God came sweeping in with the redemption I sought, it exceeded all that I had asked for. My prayers had been so one-dimensional but His answers were as deep and wide as an ocean. Even now, I cannot plumb the depths of His deliverance.

If you fear that the joy of answered prayer would pale in comparison to the ways affliction is ravaging your soul, expand your hope in God. If God could cause Joseph to ‘forget’ the betrayal of his brothers, to forget what it was like to be sold into slavery, and to forget what it was like to be unjustly accused and imprisoned for a decade, could He not surprise me with unspeakable joy?

A taste of heaven, even today, can wash over me and drown out all sorrow.  Thank you for redemption and restoration that happens this side of the grave.  Amen

How Far Will I Go To Earn Respect?

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And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. Genesis 41:45

 

I can learn a lot from watching the lives of heroes like Joseph and Daniel. Both stood strong in a foreign land. Both paid dearly. But both were eventually honored by heads of state and given new names. They graciously accepted them but managed to keep themselves from embracing a pagan religion. To further honor Joseph, Pharaoh gave him a wife from a region called On. This city was the worship center for the sun god – Ra.

Joseph was surrounded on all sides by people who lived and practiced idolatry. How would he rule this nation without becoming like them? To be respected in authority, wouldn’t he also have to be popular?

Throughout history, God has been generous with instructive protocol when we find ourselves living in alien territory. We are to learn to dwell in the land while cultivating faithfulness to God. These seem mutually exclusive but it is possible to be among a people but not of them. To dwell and still be faithful. Poor leaders, however, feel they must blend in and become like the people they serve. Otherwise, they fear they won’t be respected and certainly won’t be elected again.

 

I don’t have to move to a foreign country to feel like a foreigner. I can feel that way in my church, at work, and I can also feel peculiar among family. I am God’s daughter before I am anyone else’s friend, employee, daughter, wife, or sister. I am called to be true to Him and do things His way first. If it rubs against the grain of others, I leave the outcome to God. Like Joseph, I may feel out of step and peculiar. It may be permanent but it may also be temporary. When hard times come and others languish for good leadership, people might look to me for the same strength they rejected yesterday.

Trying to fit in is not the way to lead. In a world where true disciples are harder to find and churches are slowly descending into apostasy, it becomes even more critical that I become a leader others can trust even though they may not understand me. The results are up to God. Am I willing to share the stigma Jesus suffered? No one could own Him. His allegiance was heaven bound and his hallmark was faithfulness.

I often fear those who don’t understand me. Help me stand under the pressure. In Jesus’ name, Amen

He Lets Me See So I Can Do Something

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Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. Genesis 41:34-35

Joseph didn’t just interpret Pharaoh’s two dreams. He offered a way to address the dismal prediction of famine. Joseph was a seer but also one who could administer a righteous plan.

God never gives divine insight just for mere intrigue. He discloses His thoughts to someone who can then be responsible to find out why they were given such information. Are they to pray? Are they to step forward with information? Are they to expose? Are they to encourage? Seeing leads to proactivity.

The gift of divine sight is built on the culmination of thousands of life experiences. Spiritual understanding is not something bred overnight. God shapes His servant through years of practice runs. The gift is sharpened through suffering. If you are a prophet, one who can prayerfully discern the mind and heart of God about a person or situation, that gift has been expensive on a personal level. But know this too ~ the gift of divine eyesight is usually paired with another strong gift.  God revealed the dream so that Joseph could step up with a wise plan.

How might God pair gifts within His child today?

  • God reveals danger so that His child can pray.
  • God reveals the root of a problem so that truth can be proclaimed and unrighteousness exposed.
  • God reveals the broken heart of another so that they may be strengthened by compassionate words and actions.
  • God reveals where people perish for lack of knowledge in order for a teacher to arise. 

What has God been showing you about a person or a situation? Perhaps that revelation has been painful, has arrested you in place, and you feel helpless. Assess your giftings and ask God to show you how you are to channel what He has revealed. God, in your story, has prepared you for such a time as this.

Confirm the message and then reveal my action plan, Jesus.  Amen

Am I Really Hearing God’s Voice?

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Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Genesis 41:25

God gave Pharaoh two dreams that meant the same thing. Why did He do that? I suspect so that Pharaoh wouldn’t miss the message.

Has God been trying to speak to you about something? You’re stuck in inertia because you fear you’re reading into things. Perhaps it was a dream and it was so allegorical that you lack the confidence to act upon it. Perhaps it was a word in prayer but you wonder now it if was just your own inner voice. Maybe it was a set of ‘coincidences’ that seemed too incredible not to be divine. All of these scenarios lead us to ask, “Did I really hear God’s voice?” Until we know for sure, we dare not embrace the message as truth and we certainly dare not endeavor on something risky.

What I’ve come to realize is that God is for me, not against me. He wants me to get it even more than I do. If I suspect He is speaking to me (and in a way that is outside my box), I ask Him for confirmation. I confess again that I am small and blind, unable to perceive spiritual things well. I ask Him to have mercy on my spiritual condition. I ask Him to treat me as He treated Moses. He made it His will so plain ~ When the cloud moves, move. When the cloud stops, stop.

I must say that I experience a Father who confirms and confirms. More than just twice; sometimes three and four times. And each in a different way. Just as God gave Pharaoh two dreams, each dream different but bearing the same message, how much more will God lead a child whose heart is bent to covet His voice and respond with obedience!

I pray for each one this morning who is discounting what You’ve spoken to them. They are afraid. Repeat Your message, Lord, and confirm it in a way that is unmistakable to their tentative faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Handling A Compliment

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And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.†Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.Genesis 41:15-16

False modesty plagues the church. So does insecurity. These appear God-honoring when, in fact, they rob God of opportunities to showcase His glory. 

When Pharaoh told Joseph that he had heard of his ability to interpret dreams, Joseph didn’t say that he wasn’t worthy of such attention. He stepped up to the plate and put God at the center of his answer. He made it clear that it would be God, working through him, to interpret the dreams.

One of the biggest pitfalls of any platform person is succumbing to pride. Standing ovations, fan letters, and whispers of your name as you pass a group, all swell your sense of worth. I am sure that God gives major thorns in the flesh to visible leaders to counteract this. He makes sure that ministries are not ruined by inflated egos.

Compliments are very hard to know how to handle. “You’re such a great teacher.”  “You are one gifted manager. No one can organize an event quite like you!”  To simply say, “thank you” can appear to mean that you agree with them.” So should a child of God shun any kind of praise? Here’s the thing ~ what people often praise is the anointed gifting that is straight from God’s own hand? If I keep telling people that their observations about me are inflated or untrue, I’m missing the opportunity to tell them how great God is. If I say, “It’s not me, it’s God,” that’s not true either. I am part of the equation. I have embraced the gift, developed it through prayer and discipline, and then dedicated it to the glory of God. 

So what is a good alternative? Let’s say that you teach a small group. It is being blessed and people are growing. One night after the meeting ends, someone comes to you and says, “You are such an anointed facilitator. I’ve never understood this much about Jesus before.” What if you answered, “I’m so encouraged to hear this. Thank you for telling me. Please pray for me that I would always depend on Jesus in my teaching. He is so gracious to give me this opportunity.”

No matter where we excel, people should know that ‘we know’ the gift came from God. The grace to do it well is because of His faithfulness and promised power.  You and I should know and acknowledge where we are gifted. If we fail to know, how can we be effective? Is it possible to name 3 things you can do well and still be humble when giving God the glory for it? Absolutely.

I am confident today because of Your anointing. I’ve lived without it and there was no spiritual power. You are at the center of all I am and I am nothing without you. In Jesus’ name, Amen