Today’s Readings:
Psalm 46
Hosea 7-8
46 God is our refuge and strength,
Psalm 46:1-3
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
The Spirit of the Lord says,
Follow My peace and My pleasure. As the waves get choppy, there are places that I have hidden along the way that you can find refuge and be still in the shaking. We are entering choppy waters. It will be a light chop at first. For those who are seaworthy, it may bring great delight to experience this light chop, this light froth on the water. We are heading for very stormy seas, yet you have nothing to fear. I Am Your captain, your anchor and your mighty tower of refuge and strength. Hide yourself in Me. Follow My peace and My pleasure, and you can enjoy the storm as a child enjoys building forts from the pillows and sofa cushions on a rainy day. You will regard the seriousness and the ferocity of the storm from a protected place and a good vantage point, yet you won’t directly experience the shaking. Lightning and thunder and the pelting of the rain on your windows may startle you. It may set you on edge from time to time, but you have nothing to fear.
4 They have set up kings, but not by Me;
Hosea 8:4-7
They have appointed princes, but I did not know it.
With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves,
That they might be cut off.
5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying,
“My anger burns against them!”
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For from Israel is even this!
A craftsman made it, so it is not God;
Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.
7 For they sow the wind
And they reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
It yields no grain.
Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.
Those who are out on the open seas with no shelter in the storm, they are exposed; and their exposure will do damage. Their exposure will make them vulnerable to the elements, to the storm, to the high unpredictable seas. Their foolishness, their greed and their self-seeking behavior has left them exposed with no real protection, no shelter, no lifeline. They are vulnerable, and they will be tossed to and fro by strong winds of adversity and extremely volatile waves of public opinion. Though they believed that their side had strong discipline, though they believed they could command unity, it will indeed be every man and every woman for themself. It turns out that threats only work until larger threats emerge. It turns out that self-seeking behavior can quickly turn into self preservation.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
Hosea 7:15-16
Yet they devise evil against Me.
16 They turn, but not upward,
They are like a deceitful bow;
Their princes will fall by the sword
Because of the insolence of their tongue.
This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.
They are like rats on a sinking ship, and rats they will be found out to be — rodents and bottom dwellers of the worst kind — filthy outside and in. They will be viewed with extreme contempt. They will be detested at a level that few in history have been detested. They will be reviled, and the pursuit of justice for their deeds will be hot and furious. They will require great protection from the people just to make it to the day when their justice is served.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
Psalm 46:4-7
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
But you are to follow My peace and My pleasure. In Me, you can enjoy the ride. In Me, you will not be shaken. In Me, you can advance and make great leaps forward while the world is distracted by the shaking. Distraction is not a tool that only the enemy uses. I can use it too. Distraction is a war tactic, so if you find that you are being distracted, pause and ask Me what this distraction is keeping you from accomplishing. It’s probably far more important than you recognize, because distraction is a war tactic. Discipline your mind and your time. We have work to do in order to bring the victory. Follow My rest and My peace. Follow My pleasure. Keep your hands steady at the work I have called you to do. We are entering choppy waters, and soon the seas are going to get very rough.
How to Respond
- Determine to trust in the Lord regardless of what you see or the reports you hear.
- Pray, Lord, help me to be rightly positioned in You as we enter this turbulent period. I ask that You would help me to know where to be and what to be doing as we leave the smooth seas and enter this epic storm.
- Declare, the Lord has made a way for His people to be hidden in Him and not to be shaken or moved by the storm. He has made a way for us to advance and make great exploits, take great leaps forward as the world is distracted by the storm and as the wicked are left vulnerable, exposed and facing the onslaught of adversity and the backlash of public opinion.
- Decree, I will not be shaken or moved by the coming storm. I will take refuge in the Lord my God. I will make great personal advances and leaps forward as the world is distracted by the exposure and the storm. The Lord is causing the tide of public opinion to suddenly and forcefully turn on the wicked, and the wicked will finally face justice.
For more encouragement from Glory & the New Wine, check out the post from this day one year ago: Fall in Love Again.
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