Acceptance – 5

Text: Job 1:6-12, Isaiah 40:15, Psalm 27:10

When you’re not accepted by the ones who should accept you… this can be the most difficult of all, both to process, heal and learn to deal with. Sometimes the person who should be accepted is someone who you will be ‘stuck with’ for lack of a better way to say it. Family, for example.

Anybody relating to that?

I have someone like that in my life. And you know, even though it feels awful, God’s still in control of the situation, and it never happens without His knowledge or, yes, even His permission.

Read Job 1:6-12 and answer these questions:

Q: In verse 12, God grants permission. Who does He allow to do what?

Q: Because God is unchanging, the way He operated in Job’s time would be the same as the way He operates now. What does this mean about the things that happen in your life? (Including the things that seemingly ‘go wrong’ in your life.) Thoughtfully write the answer in your journal, and consider sharing here in our community, in the comments section or on our Facebook page.

Q: According to this passage, who does Satan have to answer to? (see verse 7)

In verse 11, Satan makes a suggestion to God:

Job 1:11 “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”” NASB

The root word for touch in the Hebrew is naga`, and it not only means to touch – it also means ‘to strike’. I believe this is a better picture of what Satan is demanding. Can you imagine, Satan who absolutely hates God, and anyone who would please Him… Really Satan hates anyone other than himself. You and I included. And there he is, answering to God about what he’s been up to, and then begs God to destroy all the blessings He’s giving him.

Does it ever feel like Satan’s up there making that same request toward you? It’s so possible that’s what’s going on. But look at the root reason he has for destroying peoples’ lives – see verse 11 again.

Q: What is the ultimate goal Satan has when he craves our demise?

Now that we’ve got all that foundation laid, I’d like you to continue with me on our next text. Please read Isaiah 49:15 and Psalm 27:10. Since they’re short, I’ve included them here.

Isaiah 49:15 “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” KJV

Psalms 27:10 “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.” KJV

In Psalm 27:10, the phrase ‘take me up’ is from the Hebrew acaph, and it carries the idea of gathering together, as a bird would gather her young, or see you it is used in Judges 20:11.

Judges 20:11 “So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.” KJV

And this is how God says He will take us up. Gathered. Knit together with God. He’s going to make sure nothing rips His child away.

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” NASB

So in those two verses (Isaiah and Psalms) I find such comfort. They both depict the times when the ones who should be accepting us decide for whatever reason to reject us. But neither verse ends with that hopeless conclusion.

Q: In Isaiah 49:15, it says that a mother may forget/forsake her nursing baby. Who will never forget us? Please write your answer as a complete sentence.

Q: At what point is this believer most drawn to the Lord?

I believe, if we believe that God allows rejection for a reason, that could likely always be the reason. That He wants our love and dependence so badly that He would do/allow whatever it takes to get us and our stubborn hearts to that point.

DO: Please write out the last part of those two verses. Do it more than once if you have to. If it is more applicable to you, go ahead and write out the entire verse.

Please understand how greatly God loves you, and how greatly He craves you! If He sees you content, and decides to allow Satan to rip away that which you hold dear, He allows it for a good reason. He allows it so that you will be drawn to further depend on Him, and glorify Him through it. Glorify Him through, in, because, and in spite of. And what greater glory it will be when that praise was born of tough times!

So, by all we know to be true, those in our lives that should accept us (this could be anyone – spouse, father, mother, siblings, church friends, etc.) might reject us because God has a work to do in us!  Is God working in your life in this area today?

Please recognize it as such – lessons more quickly learned often hurt less. Just start leaning on God more – through the hurt, because of the hurt, or even before you get hurt.

He loves you and can’t get enough of you.

The Painful Lesson 3 - For the Sake of the Covenant

Today is just a bit lighter. We are going to have a look at why in the world He cares so much. God does care for you, sister.

Begin at Jeremiah 11. God instructs Jeremiah to remind Israel about their covenant.

Sisters, we have a marriage covenant with Him as the Bride of Christ.

At my church, the weddings our pastor performs often include in the charge to the couple this reminder; that marriage is not a contract which can be broken. It is a covenant an unbreakable agreement where both sides exhibit a responsibility. A covenant is stronger than a pact, a handshake, or a promise.

God is Truth, and He made a covenant with us. This is a big reason why He works so hard at getting us, wandering hearts that we are, back. He longs to fulfill His side of the covenant, but it is two sided. See verses 4-5

I notice in 11:4 how well He remembers His promise. How many times have we tried to recall something but some of the details are a little fuzzy. I’m not talking about when you were trying to recall a dream, necessarily, but promises you have made, events or words from your childhood, or even stuff you learned in school. We really don’t have that great of memories when you get right down to it. But God does. He remembers every word. Every detail. Throughout our study you will see Him referencing His words again and again, and you can be sure He gets it right.

Jeremiah 11:4 “For I said …if you obey me …then you will be my people, and I will be your God.” NLT

He is crying here for His Bride to remember just one very important thing.

Remember the covenant we made.

Remember your wedding vows.

(Verses 2, 6, 7)

Some of us, Sisters, have willfully rejected Him. Maybe something harsh has happened in your life that you wish God hadn’t allowed. If God is good, why would He allow suffering?

Or maybe you have just casually rejected Him – your new life with Him is too mundane and you have looked elsewhere for excitement.

Or maybe you don’t even realize it but your busy schedule has crowded out any time to spend with him or worshipping Him, or serving Him.

If you feel your heart agreeing with any of the above, you are not alone. And I’m glad you’re here. And I’m glad you’re listening. It is very hard to recognize sometimes, when our heart isn’t right with God.

Verse 15 What right have we?

We have seen how faithful our Groom is. We have seen how good, and patient, and wise and forgiving.

WHAT RIGHT have we to take advantage? We are breaking His heart – because, Sisters, even if we don’t see it (or don’t care), God sees it, and most definitely cares. He is aware of our decline (vs 16). He knows the pruning we require, and he has the power to perform it, and He is right to do it.

Jeremiah 20:12 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, You test those who are righteous, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.” NLT

Yes sometimes He allows suffering and sometimes He orders it. And always for our good, and always for the good of the covenant.

“If they obey”: If we aren’t obeying, He needs to give us that “Divine Spanking” so we will.

“They will be My people”: His people. We have taken His name, and therefore for His name’s sake we must be Holy. His character allows nothing less.

“And I will be their God.”: He alone is God.

Psalm 113:5 “Who can be compared with the Lord our God,    who is enthroned on high?” NLT

Psalm 35:10a “With every bone in my body I will praise him:    “Lord, who can compare with you?” NLT

Exodus 15:11“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—    glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?” NLT

Psalm 89:6a “For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?” NLT

Who can compare?

And why would we want to?

In your prayer time, spend some time praising Him for His most excellent covenant, and unmatched faithfulness to it, no matter what that brings us through in the meantime.

Bride of Christ

You are bursting with the news.

You are going to be a bride! And your groom is simply wonderful! You were made for each other!

But. Why does there always have to be a but?

You have no idea when the wedding will be. And it’s out of your hands.

Rather discouraging, don’t you think? And it makes it that much harder to prepare yourself for the big day, when you have no idea when it is going to happen.

If it’s going to happen.

You feel forgotten.

This is the emotion we find in Isaiah 49.

Read Isaiah 49:1-14

I find such sweetness every time I read a verse like verse 7, especially the last phrase.

⁷ The Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,  to the one who is the servant of rulers:“Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.    Princes will also bow low because of the Lord, the faithful one,    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” NLT

Ladies, He has chosen you. This verse was spoken to His people Israel, but is applicable because God has chosen us as His bride, too.

Continue reading, and you will see the promise of love, honor and protection. Even provision of a Beautiful Land. What more could a girl ask for? (Or, nation, rather.)

But then after all these sweet vows, what does the bride do? She sticks out her lips in a pout, and says,

¹⁴ Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us;    the Lord has forgotten us.” NLT

Really?

But then, haven’t we all done that? How many times (per day?) do we see some hardship, or something that doesn’t go our way, and we automatically jump to the conclusion that God must not care about us, or He wouldn’t have let that happen.
Perhaps He’s trying to mold His bride into who she needs to be.

Look at verse 8 before we move on.

⁸ “At just the right time, I will respond to you.” NLT

Other versions say ‘I will hear and answer you.’ God knows what just the right time is; to answer our prayers and to act on our behalf. Trust Him, sweet thing. He will not leave you hanging.

Read verses 15-21, looking especially at 15-16 for now.

¹⁵ “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?    Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?But even if that were possible,    I would not forget you!¹⁶ See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.    Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.” NLT

I love these. I will not forget you! See I have written your name on the palms of My hands. One version compares this to a tattoo. I also really like verse 16 in the King James Version,

¹⁶ "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands" KJV emphasis mine.

This isn't even just your name, but a whole picture of you! I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty foolish at this point for ever even thinking that God may have forgotten me. Because isn't this what His love looks like when we are graven on His hands?

For the last part of verse 16, read this from a commentary by David Guzik source

Your walls are continually before Me: The walls refer to the walls of the city of Jerusalem, which figuratively speak of the health, the strength, the prosperity, and the security of God’s people. God is always mindful of the condition of His people, despite the objections of a doubting Zion.

God is always always mindful of your condition. He knows that your heart is breaking. He knows what you’re going through. He even knows that you might still be miffed about spilling your coffee. He cares about you so much, dear one.

See verses 17-21 God is telling His people of how extensively He vows to fulfill His promise. He is promising to bring His people back from exile, and says, in effect, ‘There will be so many of you you’re not going to have room for everyone!’

It reminds me of Malachi 3:10

“…I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in…” NLT

In verse 21 it tells us Israel will say to herself, ‘but God had abandoned me… so where did all these people come from?’

Sister, we know the answer. God did not abandon Israel like they thought. God has not abandoned you. He was there all along.

Verses 23 and 26 tell us why.

^23b “…Then you will know that I am the Lord.    Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”^26b “…All the world will know that I, the Lord,    am your Savior and your Redeemer,    the Mighty One of Israel.”

That all the world may know that He is LORD.

Amen!