#dailydevotionals | At Water’s Edge

I Just Can’t Wait to be King

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Betsy

“I’m gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!
I’m gonna be the main event, like no king was before!
I’m brushing up on looking down, I’m working on my ROAR…
Oh, I just can’t wait to be king!”

I’m sure many of you recognize the lyrics to Simba’s theme song in the Disney production of “The Lion King.” This is the story of a young lion cub who desperately wants the fame, fortune, and attention that comes with being the king. Simba succumbed to the temptation of wanting praise and adoration for his bravery, and the seduction of knowing what was in the forbidden land. This information would give him superior knowledge over all of the animal kingdom, and he wanted that power. Simba’s ambitions set a series of events in motion that resulted in his father’s death and the young cub’s exile from Pride Rock. (Don’t miss the double meaning of Pride Rock: A pride is a collection of lions, and it was pride that led to Simba’s downfall.) Eventually Simba returned after a long period of humility and isolation that resulted in a realistic understanding of what kingship entails. He became a good king, and the story has a happy ending.

In our Scripture today, King Solomon’s story had a similar trajectory, but without the happy ending. Like Simba, Solomon succumbed to his temptations, ego, and ambitions. Pride was also a factor here, as were the seductions of wine, women, and song that attended a king of his stature. Solomon’s fall from his own “Pride Rock” was dramatic and devastating, resulting in the invasion of stronger armies, the fracturing of the Kingdom of Israel, and ultimately their exile from the very land God had given them.

1 Kings 11:4-13 (Common English Bible)

⁴As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. He wasn’t committed to the Lord his God with all his heart as was his father David.⁵Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes and wasn’t completely devoted to the Lord like his father David. ⁷On the hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a shrine to Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and to Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁸He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

⁹The Lord grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from being with the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰The Lord had commanded Solomon about this very thing, that he shouldn’t follow other gods. But Solomon didn’t do what the Lord commanded.¹¹The Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done all this instead of keeping my covenant and my laws that I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant.

Clearly, God ain’t playin’. It had always been the plan that God would reign as king, and the people of Israel would live together in peace and harmony. But after a series of prophets and judges overseeing them, they grew restless, hostile, and jealous. Finally they demanded that the prophet Samuel give them a king ”so that they could be like the other nations.” (1 Samuel 8:5). These stories remind us that we reject God at our own peril. Was there ever a time in your life when you rejected God? I bet it didn’t go well.

Even still, God’s amazing grace, his unfathomable mercy, and his unconditional forgiveness are offered to Solomon:

¹²Even so, on account of your father David, I won’t do it during your lifetime. I will tear the kingdom out of your son’s hands. ¹³Moreover, I won’t tear away the entire kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son on account of my servant David and on account of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

God preserves a part of Israel and the lineage of David in spite of Solomon’s sin, and that lineage led us to Jesus.

Christmas is a time to consider kings and kingship. Who is your king? What is on your throne? Have the foreign idols of celebrity worship, the blind following of popular politicians, hours upon hours of screen time, and reading more social media than your Bible become the things that you worship?

We are called back to the manger to worship the King of Kings, who is the Lord of Lords. Jesus is our one and only king, and he deserves our complete attention and obedience. To do anything less will result in danger and exile.

It is never too late to turn your heart back to God. Only then will you receive the blessings of the Prince of Peace.

King and Queen of the Animal Kingdom by Mark Poblete

An Attitude of Gratitude

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Betsy

I have been the blessed recipient of some very gracious expressions of appreciation lately, none of which were deserved, but all of which are deeply appreciated. A friend sent a check in my honor to be used for something close to my heart at my church as a thank you for officiating her husband’s funeral. A thank you card for teaching a class in another church contained a gift of money that was totally unnecessary, and touched me deeply. My dog sitter left a mason jar of flowers with a Disney princess balloon in my living room to wish me a happy birthday. My cousin sent a flower arrangement that was so magnificent, I could hardly carry it up the stairs. All of these things caught me off guard and have truly humbled me. Expressions of kindness such as these can be like a long drink of water for a thirsty traveler. These folks will never know how much their gestures meant to me.

In our passage today, Isaiah writes a hymn of gratitude to God for his deliverance. He reminds us that God is our strength, our might, and our salvation:

Isaiah 12 (New Revised Standard Version)

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.

³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

What a beautiful word-picture this presents! Drawing water from the wells of salvation is something God invites us to do every day. Are you thirsty? Do you need to be saved? Come, and drink.

And Isaiah reminds us that we should show God our deep appreciation for all that he has done for us:

⁴And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
⁶Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah believes that the Holy One of Israel deserves our praise and thankfulness. He also says that these expressions of thankfulness should be public. We are to make God’s deeds known in all the nations, and make his name known in all the earth. We are invited to shout aloud! In other words, share your testimony with someone. That is today’s challenge.

So the question is, what has God done for you lately? Make a list, and offer a gift of gratitude and witness in his name.

I thank my God for all of you today. Thank you for reading!

Thankful for Sunrise by Michelle Robertson

Teach Me

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Betsy

Today’s Psalm needs no introduction or commentary. It is a beautiful tribute by David to the God that he loved. In this writing you will find words of dedication, gratitude, trust, submission, and TRUTH. In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the truth, David’s words bring a refreshing change. Listen as he plainly states the many reasons why we should trust God and learn about his ways every day of our lives:

Psalm 25

I offer my life to you, Lord.
²    My God, I trust you.
Please don’t let me be put to shame!
    Don’t let my enemies rejoice over me!
³For that matter,
    don’t let anyone who hopes in you
        be put to shame;
    instead, let those who are treacherous without excuse be put to shame.

⁴Make your ways known to me, Lord;
    teach me your paths.
⁵Lead me in your truth—teach it to me—
    because you are the God who saves me.
        I put my hope in you all day long.
⁶Lord, remember your compassion and faithful love—
    they are forever!

Did you need to be reminded today of God’s everlasting and faithful love for you? Do you know that there is nothing you can do that would permanently separate you from God, thanks to the love of Christ Jesus on the cross and the forgiveness of sin? And even better, God does not hold our former wrongdoings against us:

⁷But don’t remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoing.
Remember me only according to your faithful love
for the sake of your goodness, Lord.

⁸The Lord is good and does the right thing;
    he teaches sinners which way they should go.
⁹God guides the weak to justice,
    teaching them his way.
¹⁰All the Lord’s paths are loving and faithful
    for those who keep his covenant and laws.

Now go back and read that first line again. ”I offer my life to you, Lord.” Is God calling you to make the same commitment (or re-commitment) to him today?

David’s confidence in a saving, redeeming, and forgiving God can be our confidence as well today. We are blessed to have a go-to God who guides and leads us in his truth every day, if we are willing to yield to his teachings. Are you willing? When we commit our ways to following God’s covenant, we are never alone. Only there will we find justice, peace, hope, and truth. Teach us and lead us, oh God!

When God Says ”No”

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Betsy

I have a friend who is going through the last months of a decades-long marriage that has dissolved. Her husband has left the family for another one, and she has prayed fervently over the last several months that God would change her husband’s heart. His heart has not changed.

She told me last week that she feels that God isn’t listening to her. I kindly responded that perhaps it is she who isn’t listening to God. I don’t believe there is ever a time when God doesn’t hear our prayers, though it certainly can feel that way when we don’t get the answer we are desperate to receive.

When disappointment, illness, tragedy, or hardship comes, do we ever lose our enthusiasm for God? Do we ever feel rejected by him when we don’t get the answers we want?

Proverbs 3 brings us into the heart of the matter. We are not to lean on our own understanding when things happen, but rather trust in the Lord with ALL our heart:

Proverbs 3 (New International Version)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Sometimes, God will say “No” to our prayers.

But remember this: sometimes God’s “No” is not a rejection, but a redirection.
Sometimes God’s “No” is not a punishment, but a preparation.
There are times when God’s “No” will bring greater glory to his kingdom.
And God’s “No” can start us on an adventure with him.

One thing is sure … God is more interested in our character than our comfort, and that is often reflected in his response to our prayers.

God even said “No” to Paul when he asked for his “thorn to be removed,” and then gave him special grace to carry on. And pretty much everything Christians know about grace comes from the letters of Paul.

So can we find comfort in God’s wisdom when he says “No”? Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But we can try to live into God’s grace, knowing that he always works for our good, and always listens to us when we reach out to him. Always.

So in all your discouragement and disappointment, submit to God, and he will make your path straight…straight back into his arms.

The Heart of Worship

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Betsy

What is at the heart of worship for you? Is it the beautiful stained glass windows, the prayers, the music, the message … where in worship do you connect with God? Sadly, a lot of folks walk through church doors without any expectation of meeting God there. Church can become a duty, a ”check in the box,” or worse, a see-and-be-seen social event, indicating that our hearts for true worship have grow cold.

Matt Redman’s song “I’m Coming Back to the Heart of Worship” serves as our text today. It dates back to the late 1990s, born from a period of apathy within Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford, England. Despite the country’s overall contribution to the current worship revival, Redman’s congregation was struggling to find meaning in its musical outpouring at the time.

“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” he recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”

Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?” Read more here.

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much you deserve
Though I’m weak and poor
All I have is yours
Every single breath
I’ll bring you more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what you have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart

And I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about you
It’s all about you, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about you
It’s all about you, Jesus.

At the heart of Christian worship are awe, praise, reverence, yielding, and adoration. Worship ignites the human spirit as the spark of God touches our souls. In Exodus 25:22 God says, “And I will meet with you there and talk to you….” And so we should strive to commit to a return to pure and true worship this Advent, where we communicate heart-to-heart with our Holy God.

Community worship experiences bring the corporate body into concentrating on God. The same principle holds true in individual worship, as our center of attention is focused on the living God. Did you make it to church last Sunday? Check in the box! But what is your plan for the rest of the week?

Worship is an attitude of putting God on his throne every day as you acknowledge his reign in your heart. And may we offer God our finest first fruits, the best of our resources, and the full tithe of our harvests. Then we will truly be worshipping God as he deserves.

The Heart of Worship by Michelle Robertson

And So It Begins

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Betsy

Today we celebrate the first week of Advent. Advent is our four-week season of preparation for the nativity of Emmanuel, God-with-us. The first week is always spent talking about the prophecies that foretold Jesus’ coming, and today’s passage is one of those prophecies that leads us straight to Jesus. We begin with a word of warning from John the Baptizer:

Luke 7 (New Revised Standard Version)

⁷John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruits worthy of repentance.

John’s startling appearance at the beginning of Advent always reminds me of someone’s weird Uncle John who shows up 4 days late for Thanksgiving and disrupts the tryptophan-induced coma that the family has been comfortably enjoying. He looks strange, he dresses oddly, and he eats some weird kind of keto-paleo-whole 30-vegan diet that only consists of locusts and honey. He barges in with a loud message of repentance and warns about the judgment that is coming. He interrupts the football games and calls the family a “brood of vipers” … basically killing the mood as you’re trying to get ready for Christmas. Yeah, John is a total buzz kill. John’s message was hard to hear then, and it is hard to hear today. What does he mean by bearing fruits that are worthy of repentance?

¹⁰And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” ¹¹In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” ¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ¹³He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

Did you get that?

Share your resources with people in need.

Practice integrity in your work.

Treat people fairly.

Don’t cheat anyone.

Only speak the truth.

Be content with what you have.

And repent and return to God with your whole heart.

John’s “Getting Ready for Christmas List” was long, complicated, and had nothing to do with decorating, shopping, buying, and waiting for Amazon deliveries. Getting ready for Christmas really involves getting our hearts and minds ready to worship the Christ child in the manger, and bowing down our expectations, disappointments, hopes, ambitions, frustrations, and every other part of our selves before his throne.

How will you get ready this Christmas? May we heed John’s words and share what we have while we adopt a life of Christ-like integrity. This is the best way to prepare for the birth of the baby king. Are you in?

Something God Alone Can See

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Betsy

Time is truly a valuable commodity. Time that is squandered is time that is lost forever. We live in a culture that prizes busy-ness as a status symbol. In our rushing around and trying to get things done, are we ever guilty of neglecting to take time to be holy? God calls us to be good stewards of this gift of time, and we will be held accountable for how well we spent our days here.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 (Common English Bible)

¹⁷I thought to myself, God will judge both righteous and wicked people, because there’s a time for every matter and every deed.

Ecclesiastes 3 steps into our time this week as a reminder that while everything changes all the time, God brings order to it all. We are meant to experience everything that God does as a token of love. Ecclesiastes brings us a word of encouragement to look to God as the only answer to our longing for purpose in every season of like. (Look back at Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Without God, we can’t make sense of life, death, or life beyond death. Acknowledging God allows us to interpret everything through God’s lens of time. Our man-made reasoning will never make sense of what God is doing. Only through the wisdom of Christ will we ever hope to understand the heart of God.

In our United Methodist Hymnal, we find a lovely summary of everything we have been talking about this week. Often sung at funerals, Natalie Sleeth has captured the mystery and beauty of God’s timing in our seasons of life in this Hymn of Promise:

“In our end is our beginning
In our time, infinity
In our doubt, there is believing
In our life, eternity
In our death, a resurrection
At the last, a victory
Unrevealed until its season
Something God alone can see.” (UMH, 707)

Are you taking enough time to be holy? What could you change in order to spend more time with the Lord? You indeed are a creation of God that is still unrevealed, and God alone can see you for who you are. May we spend this season of life discovering who God is, and Whose we are as his children.

Unrevealed Until Its Season by Kathy Schumacher

A Time for Everything

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Betsy

Ecclesiastes 3 is offered to us today as a lesson that brings a word of reality into our study of God. The writer, who refers to himself as ”Teacher,” says that God is in every part of creation and is present in every moment. Times of planting and uprooting, times of throwing stones and gathering stones, times of keeping and throwing away … everything comes under God’s purview:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
₁There’s a season for everything
    and a time for every matter under the heavens:
²    a time for giving birth and a time for dying,
    a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
³    a time for killing and a time for healing,
    a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
⁴    a time for crying and a time for laughing,
    a time for mourning and a time for dancing,
⁵    a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
    a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
⁶    a time for searching and a time for losing,
    a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
⁷    a time for tearing and a time for repairing,
    a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
⁸    a time for loving and a time for hating,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Even the jarring examples he offers are part of God’s plan. It can feel disconcerting to read that there is a time for killing, a time for hate, and a time for war. Yet we know that in acts of self-defense and in times of battle, killing happens. We know that hate is too often experienced when people engage in anger, sin, and revenge. Yet perhaps it is understandable when we hate evil, injustice, and anything that opposes God. We know that wars are inevitable on earth and will not cease until Christ returns. The Teacher sought not to condone or approve of these things, but merely to pull the listener in with relevant examples. In like manner, he also assured us that there are times when weeping, laughing, mourning, and dancing will be our response to something. We may have little say over things that happen to us, but how we respond to them is important. The Teacher encourages us to respond with trust.

By being so specific, the Teacher has captured our attention. But the comfort that he intends to impart is found in the first verse: “There is a season for everything, and a time for every matter under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Our Creator set the stars, the planets, and the seasons in motion at the beginning of time. Our Creator is present with us in every matter and every minute. Our Creator is watching everything that happens under the heavens.

Our Creator is here, with us, in it all. What comfort! What joy! To know that things aren’t just randomly happening to us, but that everything has a purpose, is the word of hope we need for today. This word of illumination should bring peace to our hearts. God is in control. God is omniscient (all knowing). Even better, God is omnipresent (always present).

God controls time …. the best of times and the worst of times. Whatever you are going through right now, God is IN IT with you. Thanks be to God!

Time to Rise and Shine by Michelle Robertson

Folding Up Tents

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Betsy

I grew up in a camping family. In fact, the first time I stayed in a hotel wasn’t until I was 17 years old and on a band trip. We started in a tent, moved to a tent trailer, and finally graduated to a comfy travel trailer in my parents’ later years. In the fifth chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about tents in a wonderful way:

2 Corinthians 5 (Contemporary English Version)

5 Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. 2 While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. 4 These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don’t do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die. 5 God is the one who makes all of this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain that he will do it..

I love the image of tents in this passage. My family traveled all up and down the East Coast to campgrounds located near interesting, educational and often historical locations. My first camping adventure was when I was 6 weeks old and my parents took my sister and me to the beautiful mountains of Central PA where we camped for two weeks in a faded green tent. Every summer we would return to the Greenwood State Furnace and camp with our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We all spent many happy moments in this temporary home. But then we would come back to our real home again, and the tent would be put away until next summer.

Last week I said goodbye to a very dear friend whose ”tent” had been taken down and folded away. He was an outstanding human being in every sense of the word, and his death leaves a void on the earth. But our faith in God assures us that we will see him again, and this brings us comfort. For all of our dearly departed, whose tents fell into disrepair and were taken down, we can rejoice in knowing that God has replaced their temporary dwellings with a permanent home in heaven. We indeed live by faith and not by sight.

For all believers, death is the beginning of life. That is what we believe. Our Lord has taught us that our finish here is but our beginning there. It means we will have a new and glorious life in the Father’s home. Paul concludes with this reminder:

6 So always be cheerful! As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord. 7 But we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord.

It is hard to be cheerful in the face of loss, but we can be cheerful in the face of gain. We will all gain a place in our Father’s house … Jesus assures us that there are many rooms there, one for each of us.

John 14 selections (New Living Translation)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

This last part may be the most important thing you will hear today:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

The world, and all of it’s temporary things, will never give us peace. Only Jesus, with his heavenly mansion of many rooms, can bring us real and everlasting peace. So do not let your hearts be troubled! You can trust this, even to the end of your life.

Raising Up a Roar

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Betsy

Coastal storms (often called ”Nor’easters”) in the Outer Banks are a very present reminder of the power of the water. Certainly during storms and hurricanes, we see extraordinary and damaging tides, waves, and flooding. I had a conversation with an Atlanta friend last week about the precariousness of living on a small island off a small island, and explained that sometimes the road connecting us to the main road gets so flooded that it becomes impassable. Of course it is usually a matter of waiting about 12 hours for the wind to shift, but even as I was saying it, I had a renewed appreciation for the majestic and dangerous power of water.

During a recent off-shore storm, I could hear the roar of the ocean from the front steps of my church. Given the fact that the church is located three miles inland, that is saying something.

The 93rd Psalm uses imagery of robes, thrones, floods, and waves to describe the power of God. Even with the first line, we see the psalmist taking a stand against all of the earthly powers and pretender idols:

Psalm 93 (Common English Bible)

The Lord rules!

Right out of the gate, the psalmist makes his position clear … the Lord reigns over everything. Substitutions and fakes need not apply. Then the writer goes on to describe how the Lord is clothed:

He is robed in majesty—
the Lord is robed,
clothed with strength.

The word majesty conveys a sense of dignity, sovereign power, and grandeur. The first listeners to this psalm would have had a beautiful word-picture of God that could stand in contrast to the wooden or metal false gods of their neighbors.

Yes, he set the world firmly in place;
it won’t be shaken.
²Your throne is set firm for a very long time.
You are eternal!

This invites the listener to compare the temporary thrones of the earthly kings to the permanent throne of God. The psalmist contends that there was never a time when God’s throne didn’t exist. What a comforting thought!

³Lord, the floods have raised up—
    the floods have raised up their voices;
    the floods raise up a roar!
⁴But mightier than the sound of much water,
    mightier than the sea’s waves,
    mighty on high is the Lord!

Hurricane Irene hit the Outer Banks during the first year that we lived here. The flooding and winds caused $25,000 worth of damage to our home. We lost a chimney, followed by two days of rain water that poured into two rooms of our house. We lost a dock, and the canal water flooded the entire back yard up to the house, where it took out our HVAC system. And we lost a car. When you live through something like that, you understand the power of water and floods. But God’s power is far greater, thanks be to God!

⁵Your laws are so faithful.
Holiness decorates your house, Lord, for all time.

This short but impactful Psalm is a great reminder today of the strength of the God we serve. There is nothing in this life that has more power than God. There is no earthly power, no force of evil, no demon or antagonist that can ever threaten or harm those who are children of God. Even death bows in obeisance to the eternal throne of the Lord.

No matter what you are up against today, take heart. God rules! His covenant lasts forever! And he is mightier than the storm that you are in. Thanks be to God.