Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” 1 Chronicles 17:16 NLT
Who are you that I, the King of the universe, would notice you? What would motivate the Sovereign of sovereigns to care for your needs and transport you over emotionally rough terrain?
I am totally, eternally, irrevocably responsible for everything. That being true, when do you think I have time to notice your concerns? I direct intergalactic traffic patterns so constellations will not collide in space—why should I be bothered with managing the circumstances of your life? I am Sovereign over eternity—when do I have time to orchestrate time? I effortlessly whispered stars into existence—what are mortals that I should pay you any mind? Why should I care when you are hurting?
Out of the goodness of My heart I extend unmerited favor to you. Your self-identity is intimately tied to My infinite goodness and incontestable greatness; it also is closely connected to My perfect government of the nations and of your personal life.
Supportive love from your family has brought joy to your life. This great blessing is linked to My gift of relationships. Out of the goodness of My heart I solve your problem of loneliness by placing you in a loving family. I am the Giver of life and breath and the Satisfier of the deepest needs of your soul.
Your successful life is not all your doing. I am behind the scenes directing the drama, engineering events to care for you and your family. You could never have made it to this point without Me. True success is due to My grace. Whatever you are now is all because I have poured out My kindness and special favor on you day after day.
My mercy has forgiven and cleansed you, helping you continue. My music has encouraged and cheered you, inspiring you to celebrate. My might has picked you up and carried you, enabling you to carry on. You have come this far by faith. You can step into the future confident I will constantly remain gracious toward you. You can face challenges that come your way in the strength I give you. I hold you in the palm of My omnipotent hand—relax.
Unfailing love cares for you. Infinite mercy protects you from evil. Unchanging faithfulness dawns on your life with every new day.
Check your progress to see how far you have come—then give Me the credit!
Our relationship is your most serious business—a lifelong quest extending across time into eternity. Earnestly yearn for My Presence—I will reward you richly and forever.
Life’s noblest quest is walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Cry out to your Savior to rescue you from evil. Look to Me to pardon sins—confess wrongs and be honest and transparent before Me. Desire Forever Love in a fickle world. Seek My mercy, and I will cleanse your heart and revitalize you to travel the high road.
Life’s noblest quest connects you to the Only True Superpower. Recognize your frailty—look to Almighty God to find what you will never find in yourself. My power makes trusting hearts secure and serene. Rely on Christ and you can survive any situation tomorrow may bring. I hold the universe—and you—together. Trust the Infinite One for help. Rely on the Earth Maker for courage. Exercise faith in Me—dream more than others think is practical!
Life’s noblest quest involves making a conscious effort to conform your life to My sweet and perfect way. Reverence the One and Only God above the world’s idols. False gods make nothing but trouble. I effortlessly spoke galaxies into existence—let nothing inferior to Me capture your allegiance. I can take the place of anything; nothing can take My place. Let My awesome splendor and majesty inspire your wholehearted devotion. Love Me with everything you are—emotions, personality, mind, energy—care more than others think wise!
Life’s noblest quest—a serious struggle for holiness—has My unfailing support. Inquire of the Omniscient God who understands you as your Friend. Trust in the Omnipotent God who stands under you as your Foundation. I have honored My covenant generation after generation—I always keep My commitment to you. Bring your worries to My throne—I care about you and take good care of you. There is something better than changeable happiness, based on happenings—invulnerable joy, based on My Holy Spirit. Rainy days and Mondays will not get you down if you make Me your Center of Gravity. When your strength is depleted, I carry you in My arms. Risk more than others think is safe!
Life’s noblest quest composes a symphony of praise. The Source of music inspires jubilant praise and thanksgiving. Sing My praises as you travel homeward. Revel in My love. Depend on My promises—expect more than others think is possible!
The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the Lord.
1 Chronicles 9:1 NLT
I am the King of Love—I have indelibly written your name in the Book of Life and have sworn never to erase it. I am faithful to My Word. I mean what I say and guarantee I will keep every vow. My promises brighten tomorrow. Holy Radiant Light perpetually shines on you—there will never be any shadows caused by My turning away from My purpose regarding you.
When all else in the world fails, Unfailing Love will continue. If you ever become afraid that I might obliterate you because of your sins, remember My mercyprevents your destruction.
My faithfulness is greater than any force in the universe that would oppose you. Kindness dawns every sunrise on hope’s horizon. I Will Always Be Who I Have Always Been—you can trust Me.
Like My people Israel, your sins enslave you in bondage. Your unfaithfulness to Me makes you susceptible to imprisonment to sin and exile to the land of melancholy and the desert of loneliness. Unbelief and disobedience carry dire results. Only the King of liberty can unshackle you and release you from Satan’s handcuffs. Addiction to evil is no fun. Captivation to Christ is life’s highest joy!
Your faithfulness is changeable—My faithfulness is constant.
Only by grace can you be loyal to Me. When you are, you celebrate; when you are not, you are chafed by fetters. I discipline you for your good, to teach you howto live a holy life—that makes you uncomfortable, but it also helps you grow up. No matter how you rebel, I am consistent as clockwork in love toward you. Let My faithfulness inspire yours.
By the power of the King of life you can return from enslavement in a confusing land. Infinite compassion repatriates captives to the promised land and teaches them to sing joyful hymns of praise. Playing games at the foot of the cross alienates you from your Savior. Fall on your knees—then you can get on your feet again.
Rejoice in My faithfulness. Celebrate God all day, every day! If sin has exiled you to a foreign land, permit My Holy Spirit to liberate you and return you to theholy land of the broken—and blessed—heart.
Semper Fidelis takes on a new meaning—I am always faithful.
The first was named Peleg – “division” – for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups.
1 Chronicles 1:19 NLT
In your time, the earth is divided. Review chronicles of every nation and generation, and you will fi nd that human nature has not changed. The Tower of Babel is under continual reconstruction. But great effort is useless if I am not the Architect. People who believe only in themselves and build only for themselves find communication next to impossible.
God-fearers and God-rejecters are not on the same wavelength—they do not speak the same language. Christians seem to speak in an unknown tongue, using an incomprehensible foreign language.
Highlighting pleasure, nonbelievers feel no need of the Comforter. Accenting self-reliance, skeptics feel no need of the Encourager. Stressing do-it-yourself religion, legalists feel no need of the Advocate. Pronouncing independence, egotists feel no need of the Paraclete. Emphasizing self-righteousness, the pious feel no need of the Savior. No wonder the speech of atheists and believers sounds worlds apart!
In My time, the earth will be united. I am the Only Optimism for a connected world. My Holy Spirit is the Only Unifying Factor. I am at work in trusting hearts—creating a united kingdom of one
body, one Spirit, one faith, one baptism, one Father, one hope.
Only when Christ reigns over the nations will unity prevail. Then His prayer— that all His disciples may be of one heart and mind—will at last be answered and will inspire eternal global celebration—adoration of the Lamb who gave His blood to ransom people from every language and nation, worship of the One worthy to unseal the future.
The divided world will come together only when Jesus reigns. Human ingenuity has never been able to get it all together—it never will. Christ is the star of hope. When current events in a fragmented world discourage you, look forward to Christ’s joining together unsettled nations into genuinely united nations.
Avoid the evil one’s divisive vocabulary—obscene, blasphemous words of TV sitcoms; hostile words of warmongers; discouraging words of the malcontent, egocentric words of the ambitious; bigoted words of the religious. Use heaven’s speech—loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled words taught by My Holy Spirit.
In the babble of confusing dialects spoken by the world, use My unifying vocabulary. Practice speaking what will one day become the universal language.
They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. 2 KINGS 17:15 NLT
They lived a “nothing” life and became “nothings.”
THE MESSAGE
They followed vanity (false gods – falsehood, emptiness, and futility)
and they themselves and their prayers became false (empty and futile).
THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE
Despising their Deliverer, Israelites stubbornly traded worship of the True God for religious practices of pagan nations. Their “worship” involved shameful sexual perversions, relying on constellations rather than the Star Maker, sacrificing sons and daughters I gave them to a nightmarish fire god, flirting with demons straight out of hell! How far from My plan they wandered! My chosen people proved their intention to forsake Me—I proved My holiness by allowing their captivity. People become like what they worship.
If you worship idols, you become immoral and insane. Pay attention to the prophets I send your way, warning you of sad consequences of bowing your knees to false gods of the heart. Replicating the stupid mistake of the heathen in designing your own religion will only get you in trouble with your Creator. Thinking up your own ideas of what I am like will darken and confuse your mind. Worship the Immortal God—live forever in My house!
If you worship money, you become miserable and miserly. Devote yourself to Me—enjoy true riches!
If you worship mind, you become impersonal and insensitive. Remember Einstein’s advice: “We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has powerful muscles but no personality.”
If you worship yourself, you become selfish and sinful. Transgression has an evil influence on you—your thoughts are tarnished, your soul agonizes in guilt, and your heart has trouble singing. When you do not stay near Me, life is empty.
If you worship God, you become good and gracious. Do not give your allegiance to worthless idols—trifles with no value, no good to anybody. All the world can offer you is insatiable lust for carnal pleasure, craving for possessions, and proud class consciousness. I offer heaven. I alone deserve praise and worship—all else is vanity.
King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria in Damascus.
The altar in Damascus made a great impression on him. He sent back to Uriah the priest a drawing and set of blueprints of the altar.
Uriah built the altar to the specifications King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. By the time the king returned from Damascus, Uriah had completed the altar.
The minute the king saw the altar he approached it with reverence and arranged a service of worship with a full course of offerings.
The old bronze Altar that signaled the presence of God he displaced from its central place and pushed it off to the side of his new altar.
King Ahaz ordered Uriah: “The old bronze Altar will be for my personal use.”
2 Kings 16:10-12, 14, 15 THE MESSAGE
Being king, Ahaz could, of course, do as he pleased. But he had no right to redesign My altar. And he had no business making offerings—I gave that serious responsibility to the priests ordained for the task.
Seeing a Syrian altar he liked more than the one in the Jerusalem Temple, he sketched it and ordered Uriah to construct it. That new altar became the symbol of his egocentricity.
I had inspired detailed plans for the sacrificial worship altar. This arrogant ruler actually presumed to have a better idea than Mine! His self-centered, do-it-my-way attitude expressed itself in a major overhaul of the Temple. Defying My divine blueprint, he ordered changes—offering sacrifices on his larger, newer altar; putting the old bronze altar to his personal use in divination, seeking guidance from lesser gods; changing movable stands; removing the sea from bronze bulls, unceremoniously placing it on a stone pavement; in deference to the king of Assyria, removing the Sabbath canopy.
Who did Ahaz think he was, changing heaven’s plans? I saw it all from My throne, and I did not like what I saw.
All you do is in My eyes. My night vision is as sharp as My daylight perception. Live like a subject of the King of kings—conform to My blueprint for your life.
Your human nature presumes to set up your own ways of living in opposition to Mine. Carnal detours distract from the high road. Self-worship dethrones Me from your heart. Building newer, more elaborate altars, your alter ego proudly asserts itself, doing it your way.
On the altar of your life, surrender to My perfect plan since I know best. Let My holy nature become your second nature. Let Me alter your ego—changing you from the inside out, shaping you into Jesus’ perfect image. Then you can do as you please, so long as you seek to please your King.
Hazael king of Aram badgered and bedeviled Israel all through the reign of Jehoahaz, but God was gracious and showed mercy to them.
He stuck with them out of respect for his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He never gave up on them, never even considered discarding them, to this day.
2 Kings 13:22-23 THE MESSAGE
My unchanging love sustains you through all life’s vicissitudes. All around you in the world there is change and decay—nevertheless, My unfathomable love never varies, and My unfailing love never dies. My heart is wider than rebellious tangents, longer than earthly existence, higher than fondest hopes, and deeper than your despair.
I love you—not because you are good, since you deserve it; not because you behave well, and have earned it—I love you in spite of your sin. Nothing you do lessens My concern. Evil cannot stifle My love. The king of the world attacks you, but I tenderly embrace you. The evil one pesters you, but I bolster you. Satan worries you with his “if nothing happens,” but I promise to stay whatever happens. My compassion enhances your happiness. Mercy and grace enrich your life with goodness. My heart goes out to you with kindness.
I love you—not because you merit it, but because of My nature. My concern ensures your help. Idolatry leads to defeat, but prayer brings victory. My aim in chastising is to turn your heart home.
I love you—not because you are good, but because I am God. My covenant enforces your hope. I moved with Abraham, laughed with Isaac, and struggled with Jacob. I am with you in transitions, celebrations, and hard times. Depend on the Unchanging One.
I love you—not because you are faithful, but because I am. My clemency encourages your humility. I will never reject you.
I love you—not because of who you are, but because of who I am. My companionship excites your heart. My heart will not let Me destroy or reject you. I will never give up on you. I will never lose faith in your potential. My heart always hopes for the best for you.
I love you—not because you are flawless, but because I am your Friend. My love for you will endure through all time and into eternity. Whatever your condition, My love is unconditional.
No accounting was required from the construction supervisors,
because they were honest and faithful workers.
2 Kings 12:15 NLT
The basis of credibility is integrity. Trustworthiness hinges on truth. Supervisors of Temple repairs were uncompromisingly honest, so no accounting was required of their expenditure of funds. They gave clear evidence of reliability, so normal accounting procedures were waived. They acted faithfully, so they were not required to account for the money entrusted to them.
My uncommon policy of honesty is superior to the commonplace policy of deception. Blood of Truth redeemed you from dishonesty. As your Supervisor, I demand veracity in business dealings with others. My scales are absolutely accurate—they weigh your deepest thoughts. I measure true feelings, placing My tape around your heart.
I check to see if your ethical standards measure up to heaven’s. I care about honesty in the workplace. Your vocation is to honor Me in everything you do—report to work on time, give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay, above all be transparent and honest in everything you do. You represent Me to coworkers, so do your best for heaven’s sake!
It is senseless to attempt a cover-up of dishonesty. Your life is an open book before My eyes. Someday you will give an account of your actions and attitudes to Me. Does contemplating your appointment with Me make you nervous? Does the idea of standing in My Holy Presence make you feel you might be embarrassed by the way you have lived? Even if you do not live truthfully now, one day you will tell Me the truth—does this fact make you want to change the way you do business? There is still time to make adjustments. Get serious!
Be very careful how you manage the building project of your life. Renovate rooms of your character that have fallen into disrepair. Replace dilapidated walls of lies with strong buttresses of truthfulness. Keep a close eye on policies and procedures; watch your p’s and q’s—then no one will have to check up on you, and you will not have to hang your head in shame when I conduct your performance evaluation. In view of the sobering reality of your interview with your Boss, let Me teach you to be totally honest.
Honesty is not just the best policy—as far as I am concerned, honesty is the only one!
Jehu paid no attention to walking in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart.
2 Kings 10:31THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE
A graph of your spiritual course would show a recurring pattern of three steps forward, two steps backward, three steps forward. Sometimes you are half-hearted in your commitment to Me; at other times your heart is undivided in devotion. The anonymous poet could have been describing your own fickleness: “Coward and wayward and weak, I change with the changing sky; today so eager and brave, tomorrow not caring to try.”
You mirror Jehu. You go from being careful to being careless. You are often more concerned with externalities than what matters most. You are sometimes beside yourself about how you look to others, worrying more about your reputation than your character. Decrying others’ shortcomings, you neglect to wage holy war against your own sins. In the process, you miss the victory celebration.
Jehu-like, you are an iconoclast and idolater simultaneously. You get all fired up about straightening other people out, then worship the golden calves of convenience yourself. You are good at leading crusades to recover holy land from people you consider pagans, yet you yourself fail to live in the holy land of the broken heart.
You make a big deal about devoting yourself to heaven’s service—then turn around and disobey Me! Not fully committed to your King, you refuse to give up honoring false gods of your heart. Conducting inquisitions to root out heresy and heretics, you yourself miss the Truth right under your eyes in My Word and so miss the personal joy of a transformed life.
Let Me remind you that your relationship to Me is more important than anything in the world.
Let Me encourage you to spend more time scouring greed and self-indulgence from inside the cup of your life, and less time trying to impress others with gleaming superficialities.
Do more than follow the letter of My law—be My servant.
Do not be content with busy work—passionately serve Me.
I love you with all My heart. Is that the way you will love Me?
Let’s make a little room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp.
Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.
2 Kings 4:10 NLT
I am your Shepherd—All You Ever Really Need in life. Since you have unlocked heaven’s treasure chest with faith’s key, personal relationship to the Infinite One guarantees plentiful resources.My supply standard is not your idea of enough, but My generous heart. I am your Host providing cordial reception, taking care of room and board—and more. I always welcome you and treat you as My honored guest.
You have Me to thank for shelter. Whatever your address, I am your Home. Because I am the Architect and Builder of your life, your home is fit for a King. I put a roof over your head in regal fashion. I am your Shelter in devastating high winds, Hiding Place in fearful thunderstorms, and High Ground in catastrophic flash floods.
You have Me to thank for sleep. After a tiring day of work, I let you rest in serene green meadows and sleep beside peaceful streams. My Spirit sings you to sleep with a lullaby of love, keeps you safe through the night, and wakes you up to a brand new day of possibility. Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man had no home of His own. Yet I always provide for you a comfortable bed at day’s end.
You have Me to thank for sustenance. I satisfy the hunger and thirst of all living things. I prepare a feast to renew your strength, in full view of your spiritual enemies. I set your table with far more than enough to keep body and soul together. I reserve a place at My table especially for you—there is no need to go hungry. Do not wring your hands about your next meal—today’s manna will be provided in the morning.
You have Me to thank for support. When life’s battle wears you out, I invite you to take a seat and relax. Your resting place will not always be an easy chair, and it will rarely be a recliner; sometimes it will be a straight-backed plain chair. But I promise to provide what you need right when you need it.
You have Me to thank for Scripture. My Word is a lamp in the lonely night to encourage you, and a flashlight to help you make your way through the dark world.
You live in a world that can be inhospitable, yet Love unfailingly accompanies you. Until you live forever with Me in My house, enjoy My perfect hospitality! I give you good things now—and I am saving the best for later.
