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!
Pam, Tyler, TX: “When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19 HCSB
Crickett (yes, that’s my real name 😀 ), Richmond, VA:
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 1 NIV
Wow, long passage. You go, girlfriend!
Wow!!!!! Lisa, Jackson, mo
Pam, Holt
“In heaven I have only You, and on this earth You are all I want. My body and mind may fail, but You are my strength and my choice forever.”
Psalm 73:25 & 26, Contemporary English Version
Kimberly, Ocoee, FL “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 62:5,6,8 NIV
Candice (Evanston, IL)
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
LOVE this verse!! I link it to Isaiah 32:17 when I meditate on it.
Christy M., Athens, AL: But do not just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22 NLT
Dawn,Aiken…March on my soul, be strong!Judges 5:21b NIV
Do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14
Julia, Crystal Springs. 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
Diane, Commerce Twp., Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Charlotte, Houston “You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light. With your help, I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.”
(2 Samuel 22:29-30) NIV
Jillian – Dallas
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Mark 14:28 (NIV)
In The Lord’s Army, Stacie, Livonia, Mi
Judges 5:21b March on, my soul; be strong! NIV
Tina, Roanoke,Al. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”.
2 Timothy 1:7. NKJV
Cindy Sylvia, Searcy Arkansas
She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. PROVERBS 31:26 New American Standard
Beth, Ft Collins, Co
I like your suggestion Beth. I could use a short one this time.
March on my soul, be strong! Judges 5:21b (NIV)
Cathy, Lincoln, Nebraska
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.”
Isaiah 48:17
NIV
Yvonne
Fresno
I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.
Jer. 32:40-41
Fresno! I suppose we’ll “see” you April 1-2? a few girls from Orange County are coming up there!!! we are so excited!
Alicia, NE Ky,
“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” Luke 18:7 KJV
Vicki, Colleyville, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed so it will happen.” Isaiah 14:24 NIV
Bridget, Phoenix, AZ
Psalm 147:11 (ESV)
But the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Yolanda, Queen City, Tx
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.
Christie.
“For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
NASB
Karen-Woodstock Ga.
My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26 (NIV-1984)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on our own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the One who will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3:5-6, The Message
Kim
Ashland, VA
Sooz, Springfield, VA:
Psalm 91:5-6 (NLT)
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Glenda, Tualatin
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Isaiah 26:3 NLT
Rebekah from Marion, IN. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James 5:11 NIV
Lanita – Lake Jackson, TX.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
Jocelyn (Greer, SC) “From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2 (NIV)
Brenda, Midlothian,VA. “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” NASB
2 Corinthians 2:15
April, Vermilion
March on, my soul; be strong!
~Judges 5:21b (NIV)
Melissa, St. Mary’s County, MD Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. James 5:11 KJV
Joyce
Sparta, NJ
“For that person must not suppose that He will receive anything from the Lord;”
James 1:7 (ESV)
memorizing the first chapter of James and this verse is a continuation of 1:6
Barb, Prescott Valley, AZ
Deut 31:8
(NIV) “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
(NLT) “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.”
Can’t decide which version yet …
Susan, Nashville, Indiana
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Deborah – Markham, VA
“And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7, NIV
Kelly (Greer, SC) “…be[ing] strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.”
-Colossians 1:11 (NIV)
Misti F, Athens, AL
Let the wicked forsake his way and the eil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isa 55:7 NIV
Mary Kay
Fulshear
“so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Romans 12:5
NIV
Christie.
“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.'”
Jeremiah 29:11
NASB
Annette, Minneapolis
“God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and he will stay one with us.” I John 4:16b CEV
Cassandra, Crawfordsville, IN “Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge gor us.” Psalm 62:8 NAS
Kerry, Nederland, Texas
In his heart a man plans his course, But the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
NIV
Berni, Albuquerque. “He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:6 NIV
Erin, Herndon, VA
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:6, NKJV
Alta, Sharspville, In
The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has Anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives;
and recovery of the sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.
Luke 4:18-19NLT
Ginger, Italy; The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14, NIV
Molly, Macon
So we make it our goal to please Him, whether at home in the body or away from it. 2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV
Heidi~Lindale, Texas
1 Cor 13:5 NIV
(Love)…It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.