Hey, my dear Siestas!
Knowing I had to pop out of bed this morning to post for SSMT, I actually dreamed about you guys last night! We were at the celebration on a break between sessions and it was wonderful, beautiful chaos in the halls and teeming joy in the hearts. Now, that’s the kind of dream I want to have. I so hope you are well and that God’s Word is alive on your tongue and thriving in your everyday experience. Remember, He sends forth His Word to accomplish something. It’s meant to have effect and I pray you’re feeling the vivid power of it. I can’t think of the last time my memory verses came to me with more pure conviction. I can feel the friction they’re causing internally and the jagged edges they’re sanding externally.
Our minds are already four Scriptures stronger than they were when we broke open 2011 and that, my darling sisters, is a great accomplishment all by itself! I noticed we dropped back well over a thousand on the last SSMT entry and that’s completely normal. There’s no condemnation here. The natural tendency will be to have less and less participants as we have more and more verses to memorize. But I want to encourage you to stick it out if you possibly can because we’re not restricted to normal. The Apostle Paul claimed in 1 Corinthians 3:3 under the inspiration of God that we are more than “mere men.” In 2 Corinthians 4:7, he said we are jars of clay encasing the unspeakable treasure of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that, through this treasure we “show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” A long way from normal. I always thought normal was overrated anyway.
I stared at the calendar yesterday almost with disbelief as February peeled off the page and I turned to March. As I glared at the word “March”, I thought to myself, “Not a bad theme for the month.” March, as a matter of fact, is a very Biblical word. The thought caused me to smile and then to look up every single occurrence of the word in Scripture and, there in those verses, the Lord spoke a fresh word to me. Maybe you could use it, too. Here are a handful of “march” Scriptures with a few thoughts that spun around in my bleached blond head:
Joshua 6:4 –
“Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.”
Perhaps it won’t surprise you that the word “march” makes regular appearances in this book of the Bible so, if you’re in the wilderness longing to cross that river of fear and enter a land of fruitfulness, you might venture a fresh look at it. Here’s what hit me about Joshua 6:4 –
Marching tends takes a heap longer than we expect and a different form than we might rationalize. Think how odd all that marching-around-in-circles must have been to some of those Israelites. On top of that, consider that God never instructed another group of people to take exactly that same approach again in the pages of Scripture. He told Abraham to do one thing. Moses, another. Joshua, another. David, still another. All were in keeping with His will and His character but the variance in prescribed acts of obedience reminds us that God is resistant to our relentless pursuit of formulas. God knows, if we could rationalize it, we’d institutionalize it. We’d have 2500 satellite locations of the “First Church of Seven Circles.”
In case I’m losing you, or the whole idea of marching through March is too much for you, I’ll speed up.
In 2 Samuel 15:22, David told one of his mighty men: “Go ahead, march on.”
Point? If God is saying go ahead, then GO.AHEAD.
I like that. Nice and simple. If go, then go.
Maybe what you need most of all this March is for God to march right through your wilderness and rain down showers upon it from the seas in His hands. Think of praying this segment today over the 30 days ahead.
Psalm 68:7-11
7 When You, God, went out before your people,
when You marched through the wilderness,
8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 You gave abundant showers, O God;
You refreshed Your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it,
and from Your bounty, God, You provided for the poor.
11 The Lord announces the word,
and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng.
(I love the part about refreshing the weary inheritance. Is that you, perchance?? It’s certainly been me at times over the last year. And how about V.11? Does that sound a little like Siestaville?? It blessed me to think maybe so.)
How about one more?
Isaiah 42:13 – The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior He will stir up His zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over His enemies.
And so, with all this March madness in mind for this month, could anybody use a really brief verse this go-round to help you catch up? Then I have just the March verse for you:
Judges 5:21b (NIV) March on, my soul; be strong!
Let’s hear it, Siestas! First name, city, verse, translation!
Beth, Houston. Think of how we regard as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James 5:11 The NET Bible
Amen to that. March on, Sisters! Your God is for you!
I love you guys.
PS. For all you Houston-area girls, Kari Jobe is our guest worship-leader tonight at Bible study. Come help me welcome her. We only have two more Tuesday nights in this series and you don’t need any background whatsoever to receive from our subject matter tonight. We’d especially love to have you if you’ve never been before. Let someone on my sweet staff know you’re there for the first time. They’ll make sure you feel welcome. See you at 6:30!
Lisa Day
Surprise, Arizona
Psalm 59:16 (English Standard Version)
16But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me(A) a fortress
and(B) a refuge in(C) the day of my distress.
Michelle, Colorado Springs
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” NIV
Malachi 3:7-10
“Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me and I will return to you says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe in to the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city”. Joshua 6:7. ESV
“I AM the bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35 NIV
Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Joshua 24:14a
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:8 NIV
Sorry forgot to say where I was from =) Wetumpka, Alabama =)
Amber
Tampa, FL
1 Cor. 13:8-13 (NIV)
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Anica, Huntsville, Al
I’m with you on this one! 🙂
Isaiah 42:13 – The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior He will stir up His zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over His enemies.
Gidget Tate – San Angelo, TX
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9(NIV)
May you have the power to understand as all God’s people should; how wide, how long, how high, how deep is His love.
Ephesians 3:18 NLT
jenny
white hall, ar
“I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body, and will replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. you’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. you’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!”
~ezekiel 36:25-28 (msg)
Ruth, Bloxom, VA
“Is not My word like a fire” , says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in peices?” Jeremiah 23:29 NKJV
Lantana- Edmond, Oklahoma:
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
-Psalm 32:8 (New Living Translation)
Karina, Baton Rouge,La
“In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.”
Psalm 86:7
NKJ
Melissa, Austin: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (NLT)
Julie, Madison
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 ESV
Cynthia, Blaine, WA The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom; his tongue speaks what is just. Psalm 37:5 HCSB
Leah, Houston.
Isaiah 48:17
This is what the LORD says–your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go….”
Whitney
West Chester, OH
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Stephanie, Austin, still working, There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary–we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans 5:3-5, The Message
Hillsboro –
You do not realize now what I’m doing, but later you will understand.
John 13:7 NIV
Sorry I’m late….I seem to be saying that a lot lately 🙁 but here I am (finally) checkin in! 🙂
Deanna-Nora Springs Iowa
Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning for I am trusting you, show me where to walk for I give myself to you Psalm143:8 NLT
JoLynn, Budapest
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe…” Phill. 2:13-15 NIV
Let no foul language or evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the occasion that it may be a blessing and give grace to those who hear it. Eph 4:29
Kari
Tokyo, Japan
March on, my soul; be strong!
Judges 5:21b (NIV)
Rebekah, Perth, Australia. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17 NIV
Laura,Perth,Australia
‘He mocks proud mockers,but gives grace to the humble.’
Proverbs 3:34 NIV
Pam, Valrico
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4 NIV
Toni Forsyth, MO
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. 1 John 4:14-16 NIV
Poorna, Indianapolis: You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (NIV)
Kelly, Houston
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.I will rescue and honor them. Psalms 91:14-15 NLT
(OH! MY! Goodness!! Posted my scripture on my blog and in my notebook! Totally forgot to put it here!! Hope I am not too late!!)
Beth, Mt. Holly, NC
And this is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us.
(1 John 5:14 KJV)
Carolyn, Upstate NY
Psalm 91:4 “He wil cover you with His feathers. he will shelter with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection.” (NLT)
I am claiming this chapter, for my son who will be deployed to Afghanistan on March 13th for a year. YAY! for faithful promises!
LaGrange, GA
“Think of how we regard as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
James 5:11 The NET Bible
Jennifer, Cleveland OH – Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1 NIV
Mary, Byron Center, Michigan
The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT
Pam
Greenville, SC
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” -Acts 18:9-10 NIV
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NIV
Psalm 52:9 Holman
I will praise You forever for what You have done.
In the presence of Your faithful people,
I will put my hope in Your name, for it is good.
Carol, Grove City, PA
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:25-26 (NIV)
Mandy, Grove City, PA
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:25-26 (NIV)
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5
Alicia – Hopkinsville, KY
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NIV
Linda, Augusta
Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or
on earth below, you who keep your covenant of love with your servants
who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 1 Kings 8:23 NIV
Debbie, from Pittsburgh (very late!):
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Eph. 3:20,21 ESV
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.
Deut. 31:8 (NLT)
Donna, Ponder Texas
Temple, TX 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
isaiah 64:4 NIV
since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
Everything is possible for him who believes. John 9:23