For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Luke 21
Based on the words of Jesus here, what does it look like for you to be ready for His return? “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.” (Luke 21:34). I don’t know about the carousing and drunkenness, but I’m sure familiar with the anxieties of life! And I know that it is easy to get consumed by them. That is why it is so important to live life intentionally. It takes a conscious effort for us to keep our minds on God and our lives directed toward Him.
I don’t for a second think that Jesus is saying that if our focus is on something else in the instant He reappears we will miss the bus. But I do know that distraction begets distraction. Though we should make the effort, I don’t think it’s realistic to believe that our focus will never wander. But if we are not quick to return it to God when it does, it has a tendency to draw us off the right path. Our feet will follow our gaze. As we start to wander off the path, it becomes even easier to get distracted by other things and harder and harder to put our focus back on God. I know this because I have been there, done that. Don’t ever want to do it again.
Gen. 41-42
Joseph went from a despised prisoner to the honored leader of Egypt in a hurry. What role did God play in this change? Life can turn on a dime. It seems like this typically happens in the negative direction, but every now and then things suddenly change for the better. We see all of that in Joseph’s life. One unsuspecting day he headed out to check on his brothers, then woke up the next day the slave of an Egyptian official. Bad turn! Even so, he prospered there. Until one day he was going about his business then suddenly found himself imprisoned for doing the right thing. Another bad turn! But then the turn for the better….much better. From the dungeon to second in all of Egypt in a single day!
I don’t know how Joseph reacted with each of his set-backs and disappointments. I imagine he had his moments of weakness and despair. But he obviously put his focus back on God each time and moved on in steadfast trust. Instead of brooding over his misfortune and focusing on himself and his misery, he chose to bloom where he was planted. He did this by remaining humble. He continued to give to God what is God’s. When Pharaoh asked Joseph to interpret his dream, Joseph said, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Gen. 41:16). Humble. Focused on God. Steadfast. And therefore blessed, no matter what the circumstances.
Ps. 10
Can you think of a time you’ve felt afflicted like this? What did you do? To what conclusion does the psalmist come? Something I see in many of the Bible stories, including that of Joseph, as well as in many of the Psalms is that God does not work on our timeline. Waiting is a very prominent theme throughout. Many of the Psalms, like this one, lament at how the wicked do as they please and get away with it. “Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’?” (Ps. 10:12-13). I can relate. It doesn’t take much looking around in today’s day and age to arrive at the same questions.
Something else I see, however, is that God is always faithful. He has not abandoned us. He has not forgotten us. And the wicked have not gone unnoticed. But faith and trust do not come from instant gratification. God’s plan plays out over time. Quite often a lot of time. But from His eternal perspective, it is already done. Which means it is a sure thing. All we have to do is hold on to the faith to trust that truth. Then we can say with confidence, as this Psalmist did, “The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from His land.” (Ps. 10:16).