THE FIRE HAMMER

Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord,
and like a hammer that breaks
the rock in pieces?
- Jeremiah 23:29

God's word IS like fire, an unspeakably powerful precision tool. It's an instrument that breaks in pieces any rock that stands in its way. Whether the rock is my own heart of stone, a boulder of self-condemnation or pride, a roadblock of contention or resentment, or an entire mountain of circumstance, I'm going to turn that power tool loose to do its good work.

Just when I was wondering if my fifteen minutes a day of Bible reading was really necessary in my tight schedule, today's reading was a great reminder (and reprimand) to keep at it. Yes, it is necessary, and yes, I do have the time -- nearly 100 times that much in every day, when I stop to think about the 1,440 minutes on the clock at my disposal.

This rock-crushing fire hammer doesn't do a thing unless I pick it up, plug it in, and turn it on. I'm going to try even harder to plug God's word into my brain on a daily basis, and switch my mind into active mode about letting it cut away some rock! I pray that you, too, will be unhindered in your time spent using your power tool: let it be plugged in and the willpower switched ON. And may God's hand be ever present, teaching us how to handle his awesome word of truth.

Do your best to present yourself to God
as one approved, a worker who
has no need to be ashamed,
rightly handling
the word of truth.
- 2 Timothy 2:15

Praying Thru' to Daylight

Sometimes there's nothing to do but pray through until the light of day, mentally laying claim to the promises of God's word. Isaiah claims a promise when he prays to God in the dead of night:

You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you. - Isaiah 26:3

Isaiah encourages others, as well, telling them:

Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (verse 4)

Deliverance is a promise and a PERSON, the One who gives grace to endure deep discouragement and trust that morning is on its way:

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” - Ephesians 4:7-8

Yesterday's reading was a great encouragement! I'm thankful for Jesus, who went before me through every kind of despair and leads me out of darkness, handing out gifts as he goes.