“I know that my Redeemer lives … I myself will see Him.  How my heart yearns within me!”  (Job 19:25,27)

As Christians, we know that the end of the road does not yield a booby prize.  It will be a reward.  Jesus can take a life of ups and downs and use it, redeem it, and reward it.  Look at what He did for Job … his end was greater than his beginning.  Yours will be too.

DAILY PRAYER:  [Please pray for me as I speak to the TCS Middle School students today in chapel.  My subject:  their language.]

DAILY READING:  Job 15-19

During Job’s lament, he cries out for someone to “Mediate” with God, “Someone to bring us together.  Then I would speak up without fear of Him.”  (Job 9:33,35)

This passage, prophetic of the Savior Who would do just that, clearly describes the confident access we have with God through Christ Jesus.  By His blood, we can come boldly to the throne of grace FOR ANYTHING, ANYTIME.

We don’t have have because we don’t ask.

DAILY PRAYER:  Father in heaven, thank You for the access we have with You through Christ Jesus.  Lord Jesus, You are our intercessor.  You are our Hope.

DAILY READING:  Job 7-14;  James 4

Job used the word “Why” five times in his initial lament.  It obviously did not trouble God, because He included it in the canon of scripture.  Yet we know we will wade through many chapters of reasoning and life experience as the three comforters present their justification for Job’s tragedy.

Then, God will have the last word, and we will all see how futile our complaints really are.  There is a Master Plan behind it all, and nothing happens except God allows it.  What’s more, He can use it for His purposes.

What’s a greater privilege than seeing God use your life?

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, forgive me for my complaining.  I will accept the fact here and now that I will eventually see and understand “Why” everything happens the way it does.

DAILY READING:  Job 1-6;  James 1

Haman’s devious plan to have Mordecai and all Jews annihilated backfired upon him.  Esther interceded in behalf of the Jews because of the favorable position God had granted her as queen to Xerxes.  The tables were turned, the Jews were spared, and Haman was impaled upon the device he intended for Mordecai.

Never doubt God’s ability to preserve His loved ones.

God had prepared Esther, everything about her, for her mission in life … the preservation of the Jews in Xerxes’ kingdom.  Her uncle, Mordecai, realized this when they were in the middle of the threat to their lives.  The entire picture came into focus as he witnessed God’s purpose for Esther’s life become revealed.

Generally, it doesn’t occur to us why certain hardships happen until a moment in time when we, like Esther,discover God’s overarching plan for our existence.  She was on a mission.  You are on a mission.  Take heart.

DAILY PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, give us the  courage of Esther and the insight of Mordecai as we face the challenges of life.  Thank You for the power and purpose to live our lives for You.

DAILY READING:  Esther 1-5

Nehemiah nobly managed the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem and the temple.  When dedicating the wall, he assigned the leaders, priests, singers, and the people to take a place on the wall to effectively surround the city.  They began praising, thanking, and sacrificing to the Lord as they celebrated the significance of this event.

We are God’s city, the human temples He dwells in.  As we take our place in His kingdom, we can likewise celebrate the work He does in our lives as He rebuilds, protects, and inhabits us.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, I take delight in occupying a place on Your wall, and I want to daily praise and thank You for the opportunity.

DAILY READING:  Neh. 11-13

If you are building God’s kingdom … raising a Christian family, seeking to win people to Christ, participating in a ministry … you WILL have resistance.   Nehemiah rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem in 52 days, but we read the account of the tactics of Sanballet and Tobiah who deceitfully resisted his mission.

He was not deterred.  You shouldn’t be, either.  Keep building, guarding your work by praising the Lord and His greatness with every figurative stone you place in your wall.

Jesus said, “In the world, you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”  (Jn. 16:33)

DAILY PRAYER:  Thank You, Lord, for Your protection and encouragement as we labor to accomplish Your will here on earth today.

DAILY READING:  Nehemiah 6-10

Nehemiah reminded God of the promises He had declared to Moses that the Israelites would be gathered back to their land if they repented and cried out to God.

God heard the prayer and miraculously provided for Nehemiah to accomplish the task.

God keeps His promises to those who know His Word.  His Word provides the wording for their prayers.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, we honor You  by quoting Your Word back to You in faith and trust.

DAILY READING: Nehemiah 1-5

Ezra, the scribe, was grieved with the sin of God’s people.  He ordered a reading of the law in the hearing of the people.  They all gathered and listened to the law being read while seasonal rain pelted them.  That day, both drops of rain and tears fell as God’s people also grieved at the way they had violated God’s law.

With one voice the people responded that they would comply with God’s will when Ezra challenged them.  This was a vital step in the restoration of their city, Jerusalem, and in the restoration of God’s temple.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, I want to respond appropriately to the reading of Your Word.  Forgive me of sin, and restore my life so my family can enjoy Your blessing..

DAILY READING:  Ezra 7-10

The Persian king, Artaxerxes, ordered the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple to stop, having been influenced by those resistant to God’s ways.  In contrast, King Darius ordered that the work continue, and supported it in a way that could only be explained as miraculous.

Regardless of who is the prevailing government leader, Christians can have confidence that the Lord’s purposes in the earth WILL ULTIMATELY BE ACCOMPLISHED.

The Psalmist declared, “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord but that “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.”  God’s power and plan will come to pass.  His power is so great that He controls their hearts and their actions without their knowing it.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, forgive me for doubting Your great power when I see troubling things happening all around me.  I trust You.  My hope is in You.

DAILY READING:  Ezra 1-6; Ps. 2