CamDevo

“There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides you! And there is no rock like our God.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This is part of Hannah’s prayer after she gave her son, Samuel, to serve in the temple. She hadn’t been able to have children. Then she prayed for a child. God gave her what she asked for. Then Hannah was so grateful she decided to give Samuel “back” to God by having him spend the rest of his life serving in the temple.

This prayer is called “Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer,” but she must have had a more than a few mixed emotions about the whole thing. She’d waited until she’d weaned her son so her bond as a mother was strong.

As I read Hannah’s full prayer, it reminds me a lot of Job. Job learned how unimaginably powerful, wise, mysterious, and complex the Creator and Master of the universe is. He does what He wants, when He wants, and has complete control over intricate matters we will never understand. But fortunately, He is also unimaginably good, patient, generous, and loving.

Hannah saw this about God too. She was so grateful that God heard her and answered her by sending her a son. But she was also humbled and overwhelmed by the idea, by His greatness. Her prayer and today’s verse show it.

There is one God who created everything. One God who is ultimately in control of it all still. He is holy and unchanging.

Because of her experience, Hannah learned to trust this amazing God. She stopped obsessing about what she didn’t have and was grateful instead for always having a God who saw her and loved her. I can learn a lot from Hannah.

Dear God,

I’m so sorry for getting stuck worrying about things I don’t have. Thank you so much for all you have blessed me with. And thank you for giving me you! You are awesome, in the true sense of the word. I can’t believe that you care about me and yet the Bible tells me that you do. Teach me to trust you the way Hannah did. You are the one God and Creator, you are my God.

“Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’ve been watching the US Open tennis tournament lately. Some of the matches are grueling, lasting hours, sometimes well after midnight, in very hot, humid weather. They are all very skilled, but the conditions are so challenging that even well-practiced strokes being to fail. The competitors are all very fit after years of training, but by the end, they are completely exhausted. If they make it that far. Cramps and injuries aren’t uncommon.

Those players need both endurance and encouragement for sure.

I don’t play a five-set tennis matches in front of a stadium full of jeering onlookers, but just living life is challenging enough. Life is painful, confusing, frustrating, frightening, and often surprising. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop aging. Things I used to be able to do easily are now difficult, like seeing the words on this page. All this pain is due to “the fall” when we humans decided we wanted to do things our way, when Adam and Eve rebelled.

Fortunately, the pain and decay will one day come to an end when Jesus returns. This long, grueling tennis match will come to an end. And if I faithfully endure the struggle, I will be rewarded with the trophy of eternal, beautiful life.

But that’s someday. I’m in the middle. What do I do right now? The tennis players draw on endurance built by hours and hours on the practice courts. And they gather encouragement from their player’s box where people who know them and care about them can cheer them on and give them advice.

Like the athletes, I build up endurance by practicing obedience to God and watching His faithfulness. I study His word and pray knowing I can trust God when difficult situations throw me off balance. I gather encouragement from His word as well as from other people who know God and know me and love me.

The big difference between my life and a tennis match is that I am not in a competition, thank God. There isn’t just one prize. Other people are not my enemy or opponent. If we rely on the sources of endurance and encouragement that God has provided for us, we can all win the prize! Life, although it’s still a struggle, can be a shared joy as we work together in harmony because of Jesus’s forgiveness.

Dear God,

I am so glad that I don’t have to compete with anyone else for your love. You have more than enough to go around. Remind me to look to you for encouragement and endurance when things are difficult and confusing and painful. Show me who in my life I can go to for encouragement, and who I can encourage today.

“If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When I was living in Seattle, I would always walk on the sunny side of the street if the sun was actually shining. When I was living in Texas, I would instead seek out the shady side of the street. My husband can attest to the number of times he had to cross the street if he wanted to keep walking with me. Fortunately he did.

Today’s verse says that if I want to walk with God, I have to walk in the light. Because He is light. The previous verse says “there is no darkness in Him.” And if I choose to walk in the light with God, a beautiful thing happens. I will suddenly find myself in the company of the other people walking in the light. Because of the light, I can see them, recognize them, get to know them, and maybe become friends. The Bible calls this “fellowship” which is a big, churchy word I never use in normal conversation. But it really is a nice word. In the light, I can see I’m not alone as I walk through the world. God is with me and so are my “fellows”.

So, how exactly do I walk in the light? The end of today’s verse is the key. Jesus’s sacrifice took my sin and darkness away. If He hadn’t done that, everywhere I went would be dark. I wouldn’t be able to approach God because He is light. Light and darkness are like polar ends of a magnet, except that unlike with magnets, opposites repulse. Light repulses darkness. And God’s pure truth and beauty repulsed me until Jesus gave me forgiveness, life, and light. He reversed my polarity (if we’re sticking with the magnet metaphor.) Now I can approach God with confidence. I can walk in the light.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for reversing my polarity so I can walk in the light with you. Remind me every day of my need to choose to walk in your light and to repulse darkness. Guide me toward fellowship with others in your light.

“Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

In today’s verse, Paul is speaking to his younger apprentice, Timothy. Apparently Timothy is in the midst of some so-called Christians who are teaching things that contradict the Gospel that Paul taught. The Gospel, or “the word of truth” that Paul refers to, is simple: Jesus is God’s son. He loved us so much that He came to earth as a human to save us by teaching us, healing us, and ultimately dying in our place so that we could have a relationship with God, despite our sin. After He died, He rose again, conquering death. And one day He will come again bringing a new heaven and earth in which those of us who believed in Him can spend eternity enjoying His beautiful presence. The end.

Anything extra is not the Gospel, is not the Good News, and is not the word of truth.

Part of my job as a follower of Jesus is to spread this Good News, like Paul did. Like Timothy did. But it’s so easy to get distracted by the hot topic of the day. To preach something else, to tack on other “important” things. But this is not at all my job and only confuses the true message of Jesus. It is not important to preach about abortion. It is not important to preach about homosexuality. It is not important to preach about gender roles. It’s not important to preach about the hot topic of Paul’s day, circumcision. It is simply not important to preach anything other than the simple word of truth: “God loves you SO much that He sacrificed everything for you so you could be with Him forever in peace if you just accept His free gift of forgiveness and love.” This is true for everyone, at any time, in any situation, with any sort of sin or lifestyle choice. It is not important whether I agree with my audience’s choices or not. It is important to love them enough to tell them about Jesus.

If I do that, I can “present myself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

Dear God,

Thank you for your simple and clear instructions about what you care about and what my message should be as your follower. Thank you for loving and saving me. Show me how and when to share this Good News. Forgive me for the times when my message gets muddled by other things that seem important. Remind me to return to you constantly to be reminded of the only truth and to discard everything that isn’t important.

“The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing.””
‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

You can learn a lot about a person from what they write. You can learn even more from what others write about them. The purpose of reading the Bible is to learn about God, who He is, what He cares about, does He have a sense of humor (yes), what makes Him happy, what makes Him angry… It’s all there. Because God wrote it AND it was written about Him.

Today’s verse is written by a prophet, one of God’s messengers and transcriptionists. And in this one little verse he has a lot to say about God. And God has a lot He wants me to know about Himself. And it’s all wonderful!

He is among us. God loves to be in the midst of His people. He’s not up in the clouds, too far away to see what’s going on. He’s not falling asleep or busy planning His next universe. He’s right here. And that’s exactly where He loves to be.

He is a warrior who saves. Not a warrior who kills and destroys, although that is probably required in order to do the saving. But He highlights His main goal of the battle: to save. I don’t need saving if I’m not in harm’s way. He fights hard to protect me from certain death. Every day, He is right here fighting to help me make the right choices, to choose love, to choose Him.

He will rejoice over me with gladness. This is incredible. The Creator of the universe is rejoicing over me? He’s glad He made me. The one who made sunsets and peacocks and hibiscus flowers rejoices over me. Despite my flaws and failures, He is delighted that I exist.

He will be quiet in His love. As an introvert, this feels really good to me. I need quiet time of refreshment and peace. If I stop being busy, His love is right there for me to soak in. Although it is quiet, it is not weak. He is a warrior, remember. His love is powerful. Fierce even. But I must be quiet to experience its refreshing power.

He will delight in me with singing. This is my favorite. Once I am quiet, I can hear His voice. And it is singing. The One who created music is singing with delight over me. And His voice is more beautiful than any sound any human has ever heard. The Bible often talks about the angels singing, but here, God wants me to know that He likes to sing too. With delight. Because of me. And you.

Dear God,

Thank you for this beautiful verse and the amazing gifts of your presence, your protection, your love and your song! I am so humbled by your care for me. Remind me of this verse when I am afraid or feeling alone. And teach me to live with confidence and joy because of who you are and how much you love me.

“But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭24‬ ‭CSB‬‬

When I first read today’s verse, I was a little shocked. It’s not something I’m likely to hear anyone preach these days. With concerns of low self-esteem and suicides, especially in children, hearing “my life is of no value to me” is unsettling.

But the truth is, when I gave my life to Jesus, I gave my life to Jesus. He can do what He wants with it. My priorities are all different now. My top priorities are no longer me, myself and I. My number one priority now is how to please God.

The good news is that God, the One now in charge of my life, is a loving and good God. I trust that His will for me is much, much better than my decisions could ever be. By giving control of my life to Him, I will be more fulfilled, blessed, joyful, and at peace than I could ever be if I insisted on doing things my way.

In today’s verse, Paul is saying goodbye to some good friends. He knows he is heading to a place where he will find trouble. But he’s going there anyway because God told him to. He’s being obedient because He knows that whatever happens to him will not be the end. His obedience will be richly rewarded by our loving God. Either in this life or the next.

I’m not asked to put my literal life on the line to obey God very often. (Ever?) But I am asked to sacrifice comfort very often. To get off the couch, turn off the TV, and pray, for example. Or stand out in 100 degree heat to distribute food. Or have an awkward conversation. And I am often asked to sacrifice money and other resources. And I am frequently asked to sacrifice my time and my plans for the day. I have to decide what my priorities are. Do I have the faith to say that my time, money, comfort… life… is of no value to me if it can be used instead to further God’s kingdom and message of love?

Dear God,

Thank you for the example of the apostle Paul who gave everything to spread your good news. I want to have the faith I need to give my life, in its entirety, to you. Show me what that means today. I am so glad that you love me and that I can trust your will to be good and beautiful in the end.

“The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

In the Bible, David becomes a huge hero, king, and very important figure in the history of the Israelites and of Christianity. Jesus, the Messiah and Savior of the world, was promised to be David’s descendant. David was chosen by God, blessed by God, and loved by God.

And yet, David suffered. He suffered a lot. Later in his life he brought suffering on himself with bad choices and sin. But early in his life he suffered even though he followed God, worshipped God, obeyed God, and praised God exuberantly and often.

Today’s verse was written by David, like many of the Psalms, during a dark time. He was being hunted. He’d been betrayed, humiliated. He had no place to go that was safe. No family. No one he could trust. David should have been scared, angry, frustrated, desperate, despairing… but he wasn’t. He was like the Whos in Whoville after the Grinch stole their Christmas gifts. They should have been upset. The Grinch said, “Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry BooHoo!” But instead they sang for joy like always. Because Christmas came “without packages, boxes, or bags.”

Suffering didn’t change David’s attitude.

I think that’s why God liked him so much. No matter the circumstances, David knew God. He trusted Him and believed Him. David knew God’s heart and His power. No matter how desperate his situation looked, he took God at His word, claimed God’s promises, and worshipped Him in the midst of the pain.

David is my hero. And so are the Whos. I want to have that kind of faith, the kind that prevents a broken heart and a crushed spirit from stealing my confident joy in Jesus. The kind that knows God is here even when the Grinch took everything from me.

Dear God,

Thank you for your promise to be with me during my broken hearted times and to save me when my spirit is crushed. Fill me with your Spirit that is never crushed. Give me your heart that always loves. Remind me to come to you with thanksgiving and worship in the middle of my suffering, like David, and the Whos, so that I can find joy, hope and peace.

“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Most people have heard of the Ten Commandments. These were the laws given to the Israelites after God rescued them from slavery. It was part of the contract God made with the Israelites for them to be His chosen people, blessed by Him. Eventually, the Law was expanded and clarified and detailed so that it contained over 600 commands. Many of them are not very relevant to society today, like Exodus 21:28-32 that talks about what I should do if my bull gores someone. Others just aren’t feasible in modern society, requiring animal sacrifices in very specific ways and cleaning things “outside the camp”, etc. The laws are complicated and hard to interpret for today, and some are just downright impossible to obey without going to jail. When Moses wrote them, they made more sense, but even the Israelites were unable to obey them all. The Old Testament is filled with examples of their failure to keep their end of the contract with God. Over and over and over again, God’s people fail.

This was actually the purpose of the law, in part. God’s children needed to see how high His standard is and recognize how terrible we are at meeting that standard. We simply can’t. This was as true then as it is today. There is not a single person alive, and never has been, who can meet God’s standard of perfection.

Except Jesus. He came to earth and was perfectly sinless. Then He gathered up all our sins (yours, mine, everyone’s!) and took them with Him to death. And He made a new contract with His followers, God’s people. Today’s verse is my side of the bargain. For me to hold up my end of the contract I don’t need to sacrifice any sheep or cover my head or have a priest certify that my house is mildew-free. All I need to do is love. That’s it! There’s nothing to memorize. Nothing to study and interpret. No special dates. No animals are involved. Jesus said if I love Him, His one command to me is to love others. I think maybe I can remember that.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for simplifying your law for me! I’m so sorry that I fail so often at pleasing you. Thank you for your forgiveness over and over again. Remind me every morning of this verse and the one thing you ask me to do as your child. Teach me how to love. Fill me with your perfect, beautiful love so that it flows out of me to others.

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’ve read many stories where the main character needs to go over hurdles, solve mysteries, find lost treasures and hidden passageways and overcome all manner of obstacles to reach their ultimate goal. These kinds of struggles make for captivating storytelling. But if my ultimate goal is to be saved, to have eternal life with God in His new and perfect kingdom, I don’t have to jump across chasms filled with flaming scorpions, or scale a crumbling mountain infested with ice spiders, or fight an acid-belching dragon in a deep underground cavern. Today’s verse tells me the simple things I need to do: confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. It’s just a matter of faith. While this makes for a terrible adventure story, it is wonderful news. That’s why Jesus’s story is called Good News. In Jesus’s story, He did all the hard work. He wore my sin like a heavy, burning coat. He endured the torture of whipping, hatred, abandonment, betrayal, and crucifixion. He went down to Hades and conquered death. Because of His story, my story can be one simple, boring verse. All I need to do is believe!

Dear God,

I can never thank you enough for taking on all the hard tasks required to pay for my sin. Thank you that I don’t have to! Your salvation is free and there is nothing I can do to earn it or pay it back. I am so relieved that my job is so simple. But remind me that even though it is simple I still need to do it. Show me how and when to confess that you are Lord and give me the faith to believe!

“I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭CSB‬‬

In this world, resources are limited. This can be a very frightening thing. This fear has been the cause of countless battles and wars and feuds and rifts and murders and crazy stampeding hoards. This fear starts from the moment we are born and doesn’t fully die until we do. What if there isn’t enough to go around? What if there isn’t enough for me?

The resources I’m talking about can be anything. Food. Water. Land. Breathable air. Personal space. Love. Medicine. Time. Money. Cheap TVs.

Today’s verse reminds me that there is one resource that I don’t have to worry about running low or growing thin. It’s never advertised with “hurry, while supplies last.” It’s the only thing that is infinite and available to anyone and everyone who wants it at any time, as much as they need. That is God’s powerful love. Paul says, “…according to the riches of His glory…” God’s riches are infinite. God is full of love. He IS love. He is made out of love. He can never run out. It was this love that created the world and everything in it. It was this love that sent Jesus to die in my place. It is this love that is available to me now and can give me strength in my inner being through His Spirit.

What am I supposed to do with all this love given to me so freely? Share it, of course. Sharing is such a hard word in a resource-scarce world. What if there isn’t enough to go around? What if I run out? But there is more than enough! The more I give away, the more I have somehow. That’s the miracle of God’s love. His supplies last forever.

Dear God,

Thank you for forgiving me and filling me with your love. Remind me, again and again — as often as I need to hear it — that your love is not scarce. Remind me that it is plentiful and freely given. I am sorry when I don’t share it the way you want me to. Strengthen me with your power to trust you and to love generously today.