TRUDGING INTO JOY

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 2

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

A rock formation in the wilderness located in the Jordan Vally near the Dead Sea in Israel. During the desert wilderness wandering of the Children of Israel, the landscape would have looked much like this.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Deuteronomy 2:7

For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.

“Trudging”…a word that describes most of the days of our lives. When God brought His people through the Red Sea, there was dancing. They started off toward the Promised Land with excitement, then came the trudge. Our key verse was spoken to people who repeatedly failed the Lord. God had provided for them to move within a short time into the Promised Land. They refused to go in. God provided food and water in the wilderness. They grumbled. While there were some awful consequences along the way, God continued to care for them and to guide them. His presence remained among them. God was ready to restore them and give them success whenever they were ready to believe His promises and move into His plan for their lives. Guidance from Scripture is important for us moving forward! Did you know that Deuteronomy is quoted at least eighty times in 17 of the New Testament books?

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I seem to be trudging a lot. In these times, please help me to keep putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward and not backward. Thank You for those times when I walk with a determined stride, and even run and dance. I ask for grace from Your Spirit in the trudging times. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Norma-Jean and I are 77 & 80. So…while we may trudge sometimes, we also plan to dance a bit this evening, whether I feel like it physically or not! (try it when you’re alone if it embarrasses you). I am so blessed! I’m already dancing in my spirit this morning!!! In the story Jesus told of the son who returned home, He said there was, “music and dancing.” God’s Son has returned home to His Father, having completed His work for our salvation. Surely we have the greatest of all reasons to celebrate.

I suggest a New Testament reading which I have just read, Luke 15:11-32. Let’s pray for all our loved ones to come home to Father God. Christmas would be a great time for that to happen. Also, here’s a great rendition of “Joy to the World” (click here).

Yours for joy in the journey and for grace in those trudging times,

David

P.S. Below is a photo of my son Ron and his wife Ann (Ann checks my blog for punctuation, etc. and Ron makes sure it’s posted properly daily at 6 a.m.). They visited Petra in Jordan a couple years ago, leading a Crossroads tour group. The city is carved into the solid rock! This was the area inhabited by “The descendants of Esau who live in Seir,” as mentioned in today’s reading (Deut. 2:4). You can click on the picture to enlarge it.