Give us this day our daily bread...

This is a repost of the Beth Moore study series, "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place". I am repeating it with the updated version. Such timely lessons to be reminded of.

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Anyway, today's video session was nothing I had not heard before, but was heard with a different experience base, was heard at a time when it was what I needed to hear. Simply, we need to ask for our daily bread DAILY, not every other day, or when we can fit it in. Beth says that daily bread = daily relationship. She goes on to add that the more we go to God to ask for what we need, eventually we go to God just for the relationship. This had so much significance for me at this time as this is what I have been experiencing. For a long while, I had been struggling, whining, grumbling not unlike the Israelites. Why did I not go to God?

Underneath that sinful response was fear, fear that God would not come through, fear that I was irrelevant to Him, fear that He would say this was my destiny and I could not bear to suffer any longer. Did Satan play on that fear? Need I answer that? There was also pride, self-sufficiency, that if He would not deliver me, then I would have to do it. The result? Blowing up at silly things like my son forgetting his lunch box, or not eating his lunch. Did I mention the neuro-psycho side my family is acutely acquainted with?

So, OK...God has been allowing a crisis to build up over the past couple of years...until finally, I was so tired, I gave up, I ran to Him, ranted, cried, sobbed..and then He held me to His chest. I realized my Father loves me perfectly. 1John 4:18 (The Holy Bible, NIV version) says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love." I found out that even though the crisis is still present, I want to go to Him just to bask in His love, to hug His ankles when I have no strength to climb on His lap. When I don't do this, because the crisis is still present, the old fears return, the angst builds up and you know the blowing-up episodes recur. Why do I not learn? Why am I so stubborn? My sin is ever before me. See why I need Him?

Beth talks about how the Israelites had to get up daily to gather the manna to be fed. They could not live on yesterday's manna. So we must also get up and go out to get the light of God's manna for us. His compassion is new every morning no matter what state He has brought us to.

Meditate on Lamentations 3:19-33 (The Message) :

It's a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

19 -21 I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
22 -24 God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.
25 -27 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times.
28 -30 When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst.
31 -33 Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return. If he works severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way: (www.bible.com)
 

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for waiting..and waiting. Forgive me for my unbelief in Your love for me. You are El Elyon, The Most High God. You are El Shaddai, The Caregiver. You are Jehovah-Shamma, The Lord is Present. You are Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah Will Provide. You are Jehovah-Rapha, The God Who Heals. I love You, Lord. Let anyone reading this who needs to know Your provision, Your healing, Your Presence, You, let them know it by creating a longing to run to You and bare their hearts. Satan says to cover up your sin, You say, "your sins are covered..My Son's blood covers it all." Thank You. Humbly, I surrender.

In Jesus Name, Amen.