There were so many games I loved playing as a kid when I lived on Undercliff Road in Millburn, New Jersey. A middle-class neighborhood that had lots of youngsters who also eagerly played outdoor games. 

Across the street were a couple of brothers who I mainly lost to at many, many games of Monopoly. But I loved having my Black Racer at work building houses and hotels only to be wiped out in bankruptcy. Oy vey, already!

At another neighbor’s house, I learned to play Bridge. Always terrible at that card game, especially when I poked and prodded more fun out of bidding and trumping than working a necessary winning competition. Why was I such an unpopular partner? Hmm!

Not-It, Hop-Scotch, and Hide-and-Seek always busied our good-weather days. Yes, I hid; and yes, they sought me; and yes, I was found. Sorry to disappoint you! I have great memories growing up in that neighborhood. 

If you dare to read through 2 Chronicles chapters 14-16, you’ll discover something amazing about our Lord. Nine times in those three chapters it mentions seeking God and finding Him. He’s not hiding. He’s there to be found if sought. There’s the catch. You must seek Him. 

The word ‘seek’ in biblical Hebrew means to repeatedly study and read about. To discuss, consult, and inquire. But there’s more–put what you’ve found into action. Not just study for study’s sake, but be a dynamic disciple of Jesus. Not a know-it-all, but someone displaying follow-through. Be AOK–an Action-Oriented Kind. 

Here are a few examples from 2 Chronicles. ’If you seek him, he will be found by you’ (2 Chr. 15: 2). ’…but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them’ (2 Chr. 15: 4). ’And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers…’ (2 Chr. 15: 12). That’s only chapter 15. There’s more in the next two. Check them out. 

What’s my point? That amazement I referenced earlier? Something about God that you could write home about. That’s off the chart. Well, here goes. The Lord offers His help to you and me. The care and love of God Almighty. To His own. His hands outstretched toward us. That’s almost too much to comprehend when you think about it. Way over the top. Too good to be true? Not on your life. After all, that’s His promise. And He means it.

What’s my usual reaction when up against something rough and tough? As if stumped, with my head in the clouds, I rely on my own little grey cells. I’ll figure it out. Leave it to me. Mr. Wisenheimer has his hands on the throttle. 

And then, when all else fails, I begin to pray, when it seems like last and somewhat least. Begging God’s help. But at least now I’m seeking Him. Does He dust me off His shoes, so to speak? Snub me? Tit for tat? He could. Maybe He should. Has every right. Yet thankfully, He doesn’t. For when we seek Him, He’s there to be found. For He means it. 

I know His heart is for me to come to Him with whatever as soon as possible. No holds barred. Could He make it any plainer? 

Seek Him. Throw out the dragnet in His direction. Have a seat at His table. Draw your chair up next to Jesus. But don’t bargain with God or hassle and haggle with Him. This is no Middle Eastern marketplace. When you seek Him, leave His answers, what God decides, squarely in His hands. That’s the hard part for me. And I mean it. 

My goal this week? To quickly seek my Lord Jesus. I’ll not stop there. I’ll continue for the weeks and months ahead. Wait a moment. Take the next seven days first of all, and then we’ll see how long-lasting my resolve becomes. No bets, please. After all, let’s see how you’ll do. If you mean it. 

Lord Jesus, thank you for always being there for me. Amen.

Life gets complicated. I’m thinking of all the digital formats we must navigate. Passwords I’m required to change at the most inconvenient time. Apps to download. Artificial intelligence competes with my own feeble smarts. Who wins? Don’t tell me. I know! So we yearn (that’s an old word, but a good one) for simpler days. Less tangled and convoluted. Where you could actually get away from work and the phone. Such idyllic times disappear.

When it comes to your relationship with the Lord make it as easy as pie, like a lovely stroll in the park, and a bit of child’s play. Keep it simple. As in most of our prayers to the Lord. 

2 Chronicles remains one of the least-read books in the Bible. Prove me wrong. Check it out. Gems can be found close to the surface. Like here in chapters 5 and 7, where we’re in the midst of a great celebration.

Solomon’s Temple to God is dedicated. This place of worship is where people experience God’s closeness. As the Ark of the Covenant is carried in, God’s people shout out these words–‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’ (2 Chr. 5: 13). Then God’s Temple becomes filled with His glory and majesty!

Later Solomon offers his own prayer of dedication (ch. 6). When everyone gathered senses the Lord’s presence, they bow down, worshipping God and giving thanks saying–‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’ (2 Chr. 7: 3). Note how their raptured praise is so simply put. No bells and whistles. Nix excessive verbiage. Making what could have been a long story short and right on the money.

I think that lots of my prayers need to be less complicated. More childlike. After all, my Lord Jesus is simply good. Think of all the blessings that have come to you and me. Let’s remember them. We could go on all day. Shouldn’t we? We can but will we? Yet keep it simple–God is good. His steady love endures through thick and thin, no matter what. Forever. Again–‘For He is good.’

In addition, I want to thank Jesus for not trading me in on a better disciple. He could have, you know. I’m not such a hot-shot spiritual giant by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. He could do better. Much better. But He stays with me. And you. Again–‘His steadfast love endures forever’.

Such amazing promises. Simple and reliable. Something money can’t buy nor ever be stolen. Why? It’s Jesus’ good and loving gift to you and me. Have you received what His hands offer to you?

Jesus, I love you, and thank you for all your goodness and loving faithfulness. Amen.

The third church I pastored had over 600 members. Ministry was moving along swimmingly for me. With a bigger and better calling on the horizon. Or was it?

Not so. In a flash, it all came tumbling down. I was a cousin to Humpty Dumpty. Finished. Kaput. Or was I?

Seventeen years later, while enjoying a financial planning career, I met with a group from a church just around the corner, down the street from the one I left years ago. This one had only eighteen members of what had been a vibrant church. In its denomination’s eyes, they’re taking their last gasps of breath as they’re told that it’s time to sell and move on. Too little, too late. The gig’s up. Or was it?

Yet they want me to be their pastor. Me? And was it bothersome that the mighty me, I, and myself had fallen? Am I being relegated to some prodigal pastor’s far country? That my beefed-up dreams had evaporated? Or had they?

In the Old Testament book of Haggai, the people of Israel return to the promised land after a dismal and disappointing exile, only to find their Temple in rack and ruin. Then the Lord tells them to remodel. Yet, as if in a stupor, they gaze sadly at something little in their eyes. Nothing like what some remember. Little of the grandeur that they’d heard about from their elders. Haggai 1: 7-9–“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little.'”  

How about you? Is there something in your life that seems little, puny, and inconsequential? Not what you’d hoped for? Or dreamed of? Why not let the Lord make of it whatever He wants. Let Him decide the importance. Success is determined by His standards. Place it In His hands. Why not?

That’s what I decided to do. After being asked to lead this little group of God’s people and before my first Sunday, I gathered a few friends to pray with me for the Lord to do whatever He wanted. We walked every hall. Entered every room. Praying all the time. No holds barred. I want His dreams and not mine. For a change. Will it be? This time?

Someone said this–‘Little things are little things. Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.’ Twenty-four years later, that church family is still letting their light shine for Jesus. A younger man has been faithfully serving the Lord as I’ve moved along to write, well, what you’ve just been reading. And guess what? No ‘For Sale’ signs in front of that church anywhere to be seen! Pretty awesome, isn’t it?

And you? Is it time to let go, as best that any of us can, and let God do what He does best? With your life? Leaving the results in His hands? Why not? 

Lord Jesus, have your way in my life. I trust you and love you. Amen.

I’m not much for making New Year’s resolutions as I’m too sloppy about keeping them. Years ago, I resolved to nix them once and for all. That’s one I’ve kept!

But when it comes to God’s resolutions, His promises, don’t worry, He’ll keep each and every one of them. Positively guaranteed. How about me? Maybe. Maybe not. Better to trust in Jesus than the bloke writing these weekly devotionals. I’ll do my best which often turns out to be so-so, maybe fair to middling on good days.

In the front of the Torrey-Gray Auditorium at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where I studied for my undergraduate college degree, this saying is posted–‘JESUS NEVER FAILS’. A warning to hit the books and get decent grades or else? After all, Jesus never fails as the sign says. I didn’t flunk any of the classes I took in those far-off days, but I’ve failed in many other ways.  

But as the sign says, it’s Jesus that doesn’t fail. Check out the Old Testament book of Zechariah chapter 10 beginning at verse 6. God is speaking. Better listen up. He has something important to say. From verse 6 to the end of the chapter, the Lord keeps repeating this phrase–‘I will…I will…I will…I will…’ Count them. Eight times. What gives?

God wants us to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that when He wills something, it happens. No fudging or twisting words to make Him sound better than He is. No political spin doctor covering up broken promises. What God says, He will do. ’I will…’

When I was trudging through various medical issues, with accompanying anxiety and fears, I held onto one verse for dear life. Isaiah 26: 3–‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’ I repeated this promise over and over again using the King James Version’s thee’s and thou’s. They’re more comforting to this old goat! 

His promise, found in that one verse, drew Him closer and closer by my side. Holding my hand, reassuring me that He’d never, ever leave me. And He didn’t and hasn’t just as He promised. 

This week find a Bible promise for yourself. They’re everywhere in God’s Word. After you unearth one, memorize it. Roll it around in your mind. All week long. Then notice something. God draws closer to you as you pull up your chair right next to Him. 

Now, that’s the company to keep. He’s given you His Word. Promises, promises. 

Have a Happy New Year!

Lord Jesus, I need you every hour. Your promises to lean on every day. Thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.