Higher & Better

Listen to God and let his faithful love lead you to a life of mercy. His word never fails to accomplish His will. 

“Abijah became king of Judah, He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord…for David’s sake the Lord God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong…Asa became king of Judah, Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. He…got rid of all the idols…Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold…There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel…Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah…Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace…and sent them to Ben-Hadad…Let there be a treaty between me and you…When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah.” 

1 Kings 15:1-21

The stories of the lives of the Kings of Judah and Israel continue. The question for each king was whether they would trust in God and be faithful to Him. Abijah was not, yet even when he was unfaithful, God was faithful because of His promise to David. He raised up a faithful son in Asa. What legacy are you building? How will your love be recorded? 

The measure of God’s love is not whether we have a life of ease, quite the opposite is true. Asa is immediately tested and continually attacked by the king of Israel. The steps he took to prepare the way for the power of God to move, make all the difference in finding a life of peace. The same steps can help us today. Asa began by practicing God’s commands, purifying his life, and removing idols that caused others to worship anything other than God. What steps could you take to purify your environment? 

He then proactively, took a step of faith by placing his full trust in God with his treasure. It is easy to read past this verse, but Asa put all his chips in the middle of the table by bringing all his treasure to God. That very treasure and the trust he placed is what God used to protect the people and bring peace. How tightly are you holding on to your treasure? Many people miss the blessing by holding too tightly to what they have rather than giving God an opportunity to multiply their trust. 

“Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.” Psalms 6:1-9

None of us like to experience hard times. None of us like to be attacked or experience a lot of pressure. Yet, truth tells us that the very things we often want to avoid are what God uses as a refining fire for our lives to help us see more clearly how to live a life worthy of God. Can you see how God is refining you?

David wrote this song while he was in the middle of the fire. He said he could not sleep and was sweating buckets. Can you relate? Where are you experiencing anguish or under a lot of pressure? The question is not if you will have a hard time but when. 

David turned to God and was honest about how he was feeling. He did not go around talking to every person he could trying to strategize a way to get out of the situation, he relied on the character of the God he knew personally. He knew that God is merciful and faithful so he simply called on God to do what He does trusting God to deliver him once again. Is this your process? Do you pray and then stand on God’s character? Or do you pray and then worry like crazy and wonder why it is all happening? The prayer that honors God listens to God’s voice and asks God how you can learn from everything you go through so you can love like He does with mercy and compassion. 

“His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me. Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved? Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Come away, my beloved, and be like a gazelle”  Song of Songs 8:3-14

The enemy of your life wants you to think that you are all alone. The enemy wants you to believe the lies that come from fear that tell you that everything is going to fall apart.  Imagine how much pressure Asa would have felt when he was under attack and there was a siege against him by a stronger army. Logic would have told him that he was going to lose his life and fear would have told him he was finished. But God is greater than anything we face and can make a way through the sea. There is nothing that God cannot do. 

The bride in this beautiful song has learned to lean on her beloved. She recognizes that she has held in his arms and leans on him for support. She listens to his voice and lets love lead her to a higher place. Where do you need to let go today? Where do you need to lean on the loving arms of our faithful God to carry you through? 

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace” Isaiah 55:1-12 

Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 11. He said come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest. God said the same thing in this passage. He said come and let go of all your worries and see I am always working for good. God starts by telling us to listen to His voice. Jesus said the same thing he said, my sheep know my voice. What if instead of panicking when we feel pressure we stopped and listened to the voice of truth. How could that change how we feel? 

What will we hear when we listen to the voice of God?  We will hear truth spoken in love. Truth tells us that as we turn to God, we will find mercy. Truth tells us that His ways and His thoughts are higher than our ways and our thoughts. Simply put we are not God, but we are loved by Him. Will you take time to listen to God’s voice today? Will you turn to Him and trust in his faithfulness and mercy? 

God said his Word will always accomplish his will. Think about the ramifications of that for a second. He never fails. His word is always working, winning, and making a way for us while we are in the fire and while we are refreshed. God said he will turn mourning to dancing.  He said you will be go out in joy and be led in peace. As you take the hand of Jesus, you can trust He has a better plan for you than you could ever imagine. The question always remains whether you will daily surrender control and be faithful with how you live so He can lead you to a higher place. 

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor…the word of God came to John…He went…preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. And all people will see God’s salvation…Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” “What should we do…John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came…Teacher…what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to…some soldiers asked…what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely…I baptize you with water…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire…Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:1-22

Before people saw God’s plan of salvation unfold through Jesus, God sent John to prepare the way by calling people to listen, repent, and bear fruit that reflected changed hearts. The message was not simply to stop sinning but to live faithfully. Share generously. Act honestly. Walk humbly. Love fully. These are the same messages that Jesus reinforced throughout His ministry. 

Take time to see how these fruits of faithfulness were shown in the connecting scriptures. Asa sought to remove the idols that competed for God’s place. He prepared the way for peace by purifying and putting his trust in God with treasure in the temple. David patterned a life of prayer through hard times and listened to God leaning on his mercy. The bride learned to lean on her beloved instead of standing alone. Isaiah invited everyone who was thirsty to come and listen so they could truly live. He called us to change our perspective so God could change our path. God is still searching for people whose hearts are open and devoted to Him, who are willing to hear His voice above every other voice and allow His love to shape the way they live.

The beautiful promise is that none of this depends on our strength, skill, or strategy. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We rely on His faithfulness. We rely on His mercy being greater than our failures. We rely on His love being stronger than our fears. And we rely that His Word never returns empty. Even when we cannot see what He is doing, He is accomplishing His purposes. 

He is refining, restoring, leading, and preparing His people. Every act of obedience, every quiet prayer, every surrendered idol, every moment spent listening to His voice becomes part of the good work of God’s plan being fulfilled. 

Will you slow down long enough to listen to the voice of love? Will you lay down your burdens and let God handle outcomes? Will you trust His thoughts above your own and allow His faithful love to guide your thinking? As you lean on Jesus and follow His voice, your life will begin to bear the fruit John described, the righteousness Asa pursued, the mercy David experienced, the love celebrated in the Song of Songs, and the joy and peace Isaiah promised. The God who speaks is still at work, and His Word will always accomplish His good, perfect, peaceful and pleasing will.