King Jehoshaphat took the right posture to save his nation (in the passage below). He humbled himself before God, assembled the people and allowed the Spirit of the Lord to move.

My father-in-law is also such a man. He has no doubt where his help comes from. (although coffee especially while wearing an amazing hat may be a runner up : )

Like Jehoshaphat, we can confidently face the scary things that life throws at us. His recipe for success can be repeated in our own hearts.

Humility, a posture of surrender to God, working with others of like-minded surrender and declaring the truth of God’s word (prophecy) are all parts of this recipe for confidence.

When the blessing (Baraka) abounds, we must be certain to come back to this place of surrendering our praise back to Him. God is great and greatly to be praised, His greatness is beyond our comprehension (Psalm 145:3).

We should invite the Spirit of the Lord to come on us during the days of evil. He alone will make a way of success.- Teresa

2 Chronicles 20: 1-30 (ESV)

20 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,^[b] came against Jehoshaphat for battle. ² Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,^[c] from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). ³ Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

⁵ And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, ⁶ and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. ⁷ Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? ⁸ And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,^[d] or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ ¹⁰ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— ¹¹ behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

¹³ Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴ And the Spirit of the Lord came^[e]upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰ And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” ²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.”

²² And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. ²³ For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

The Lord Delivers Judah

²⁴ When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there^[f] were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. ²⁵ When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. ²⁶ On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,^[g] for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. ²⁷ Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies.²⁸ They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. ²⁹ And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

Footnotes

1. 2 Chronicles 19:11 Hebrew the good
2. 2 Chronicles 20:1 Compare 26:7; Hebrew Ammonites
3. 2 Chronicles 20:2 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Aram (Syria)
4. 2 Chronicles 20:9 Or the sword of judgment
5. 2 Chronicles 20:14 Or was
6. 2 Chronicles 20:24 Hebrew they
7. 2 Chronicles 20:26 Beracah means blessing

Although I had an adventurous heart when we started out (I even bought a fishing license), I was not prepared for the refreshing dose of nature that awaited me.

We went for just three nights but every hour I was significantly less high strung. There is something like “connecting with my roots” that happens when I smell the pine trees and feel the wind on my face. Alright, we had more than our fair share of wind when paddling the raft back in!

After my deep dive into grief the previous week, the balm of nature was very soothing. I reflected, journaled and found that long debates (with our youngest son) around the fire were just the ticket.

When our children transition from being coaxed along to actually blazing the trail, then joy has arrived. Too bad David was not around to witness Solomon’s offerings to God (in the passage below). If he was, I’m sure that he would have started dancing before God.

I don’t want to miss this. Watching them take authentic steps of faith, I find such great joy in witnessing God’s faithfulness.

Speaking of…here’s a few links to take a listen to Geoff Krieger, our son-in-law’s new album “Clouds” (came out this week on Spotify or Apple Music). “Rocket”, “Heaven Song”, and “Signal of Love” are my 3 favorites.

It’s not enough to have a desire to do the job right. We also need direction and an outpouring of God’s wisdom.

Lord, please see our devoted hearts to you, based on the desire to understand your rich love towards us. Help me to never miss it but to gain wisdom, even from the house of mourning. – Teresa #griefwork #generationalwealth

2 Chronicles 1-3New Living Translation

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1 Solomon son of David took firm control of his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him very powerful.

² Solomon called together all the leaders of Israel—the generals and captains of the army,^[a] the judges, and all the political and clan leaders.³ Then he led the entire assembly to the place of worship in Gibeon, for God’s Tabernacle^[b] was located there. (This was the Tabernacle that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had made in the wilderness.)

⁴ David had already moved the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the tent he had prepared for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur was there^[c] at Gibeon in front of the Tabernacle of the Lord. So Solomon and the people gathered in front of it to consult the Lord.^[d] 6 There in front of the Tabernacle, Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the Lord’s presence and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it.

⁷ That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

⁸ Solomon replied to God, “You showed great and faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place. ⁹ O LordGod, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth!¹⁰ Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly,^[e] for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”

¹¹ God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— ¹² I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”

Have you ever lived by the principle that a little over a long time will bring benefits?

Although I am an “easy does it” type of exercise person, there are times when the demand requires a mammoth output.

Yes, not just the muscle “warm-up” exercise with a bit of cardio for 12-15 minutes but I’m talking about a marathon run that lasts over 3 days!

Of course, I’m saying this metaphorically as our exercise room is still being used “reasonably”. In the workout room called life…however, I was required to do a deep dive to understand my grief responses.

Yet, no amount of little by little work helped me get back over the line. It all depended on the ultimate 3-day marathon work of our Savior. (See Romans 3, 4 below)

Can someone’s tragic death, leave us with unresolved grief? I believe it can. Reading through Art Holmes book this week (The Grieving Indian), I could relate to some of his clients as they were going through grief therapy decades ago. There was resolution to be had, there were parts of the grief cycle that had not been successfully managed.

Whatever caused the loss: (miscarriage, accident, cancer or even suicide), the ending of one person’s life can be the beginning of a grief cycle for another. The pain involved may be so great that it gets buried or pushed aside. At odd times it may come back to remind them it’s still there, waiting to be worked through.

The beauty of the book of Romans is that it reveals God’s amazing plan for us to know and accept that we are created by Him. We can come to believe His word as true and step out in faith according to His love for us.

From Romans 1, you may ask ‘what causes the world’s grief’? Well, for a comprehensive picture just read this passage in its entirety.

In this scenario, life really does seem hopeless.

So, this passage in the Bible reading today helped me as I have come through a “deep dive grief therapy” week.

Basically, don’t forget that chaos/grief will happen as long as humanity is around. It’s part of this world order. Because our Savior “overdid it” for us (through his death, burial and resurrection), we can find peace. By learning to trust His forgiveness and covering of our sin, we can also forgive others (even an unresolved grief mindset) from such devastating results. #journaling

Coming face to face with an unforgiving mindset has not been easy, feeling the pain of unresolved grief is even worse but knowing His truth that brings peace provides reassurance that this seemingly never-ending vicious cycle will come to a healthy end.

I hope you will also find solace today, if you are grieving. Remember that He is the ONE who has “lavished” us with His love. -Teresa #heavenlyFather #ChristJesusmyLord #trinity

Romans 1:28-32 (ESV)

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Romans 3:21-31, ESV

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

[21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—[22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. [26] It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

[27] Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. [28] For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. [29] Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, [30] since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. [31] Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Romans 4:1-17 (ESV)

Abraham Justified by Faith

[1] What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? [2] For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. [3] For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” [4] Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. [5] And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, [6] just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:[7] “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; [8] blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” [9] Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. [10] How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. [11] He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, [12] and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

[13] For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. [14] For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. [15] For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

[16] That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, [17] as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

When Adam chose a name for his wife, Eve, he chose it according to what she meant to him “life-giver.” No other creature or bird was suitable to be Adam’s companion. Then, God formed her from her husband’s rib and Adam felt a supernatural kinship with her, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

Because she was made from his own DNA, Adam associated Eve with life (not just bearing children will make a mother but being full of life, “life-giving”- for those adoptive parents).

No doubt the loneliness of realizing that everything on the Earth with him was created from the ground, made him long for “like” companionship. Although Adam was made from dust, there was one important difference, he was also made in God’s image.

I find it interesting that Eve was called his “wife” from the start. That was one amazing wedding ceremony, in the presence of supernatural creativity.

Of course, the passage goes on to describe the curse of sin on mankind. Our sin nature is with us throughout our days on the earth. The beautiful allusion here is to the woman’s offspring (Christ Jesus the Lord) who would eventually be born of a woman and bruise the serpent’s (aka Satan’s) head.

The power of sin is broken through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This one act broke the curse of sin and brought mankind from death to life.

It is up to each person to receive God’s gift of the Savior (His Son). Those who gain eternal life will be the ones who “know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Today, if you have not made a confession of faith in the Savior, be sure to call out in faith. …”If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.“- Teresa

John 17:3 ESV

[3] And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Romans 10:9-10 ESV

[9] because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Genesis 3:14-24 ESV

¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
    cursed are you of all livestock
    and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
    and dust you shall eat
    all the days of your life.
¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring^[v] and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.”

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
    in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to^[w] your husband,
    but he shall rule over you.”

¹⁷ And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
    and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
    ‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
    and you shall eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.”

²⁰ The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.^[x] 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

1. Genesis 3:15 Hebrew seed; so throughout Genesis
2. Genesis 3:16 Or shall be toward (see 4:7)
3. Genesis 3:20 Eve sounds like the Hebrew for life-giver and resembles the word for living

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.