Your Help, Please?

Human Trafficking Awareness Day: What is a Child's Life Worth? @Compassion. Table below taken from Compassion's blog--from the above-inked article.

Please pray for our correspondent child, Divya, who resides in southwest India? She will be 10 later this year and I fear for her safety. The widespread killing of female fetuses, especially in northern India, has led to a shortage of women in India. Young Indian men cannot find wives. Families are tricked into allowing their poor girls to go with traffickers to find "legitimate work" in the cities so they can send home money to their families. The girls are then sent to agencies where they're sold into marriage or into domestic slavery, or worse. Traffickers make about $1000 per trafficked child, minus the money they use to bribe officials. They're rich enough from their evil to afford to bribe their way through the judicial system, should they be arrested, so they have no fear.

Please, let me know if you have a sponsored child in a vulnerable area and our family will join you in praying for safety, and for an end to these abortions (Indian families bribe health care workers to tell them the sex of the child they're carrying), the cruel treatment of women, and governmental and police corruption in these vulnerable areas.

David's Sin With Bathesheba: A Broken, Contrite Spirit, Part 3

Our last study ended with the prophet Nathan confronting David over his sins of adultery and murder. 

And we wondered, how would David respond? Would he order Nathan murdered? Would he deny he had relations with Bathsheba? Would he deny that he ordered her husband to be murdered? Would he cite the pressures of being King as an excuse? Would he claim he had been out on the battlefield too often? Would he say Bathesheba enticed him with her balcony bathing?

No, for the man after God's own heart remembered his first love...the LORD. David grieved as Nathan confronted him.

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” (2 Samuel 12:13a)

David took full responsibility. Boldly he did so, knowing he would probably face death for his transgressions, as he himself suggested the death penalty for the evil man in Nathan's prized-lamb story.


And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13b)

Psalm 51 is David's response to the Lord. We see him take full responsibility: "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is before me." (vs. 3) My Internet connection is failing on me, so we'll stop with David's Psalm of repentance for today. It's certainly meaty enough to reflect on for now.


51 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!


3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.

David is acknowledging the depravity of mankind here in verse 5, of which he is a part.

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

"You delight in truth in the inward being"-- God will not tolerate our lying to ourselves about our iniquities. His Spirit teaches us Truth and we are responsible for acknowledging and confessing sin.


7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.


13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.


18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Stillness of Heart

Wednesday's my busiest day. Miss Beth has speech and physical therapy and we do baking for AWANA in the afternoon, followed by Kids' Choir at 6:00 PM, then AWANA in the same building from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. I help in AWANA as well every week.

The other days of the week I diligently try to stay home, except for library every other week. Home is where hearts are nurtured and Scripture is learned and bad habits and attitudes are prayed away. Running around to this and that activity, for me, is just chasing the world's vision of success. One day a week is enough, and kids can certainly alternate their pursuits in the name of stillness of heart.

If God wants a child to develop a certain talent, he'll make it happen. We don't have to chase talents by leaving the house three or more times a week. They're bestowed on us--my Paul's piano playing has demonstrated that to me. I don't run him to lessons but nevertheless, he's growing in talent and determination. God has decided He wants this for my Paul, probably to bring glory to Himself. I've learned to trust Him in all things, including the pace of life. 

Slower, steadier, is better than frenzied chasing.

On Wednesday when I'm most busy, Psalms help me stay afloat and keep me focused on His yoke, not my own yoke of perfectionism. When our activities are orchestrated by Him, they will flow well. They will have meaning and depth and they will not overwhelm us. They are for Him.

The cookies for AWANA are for Him. Our Christian witness at Beth's weekly appointments is for Him. Our efforts at learning Scripture are for Him. Paul's practice at the piano is for Him. Our voices lifted up in praise at kids' choir is for Him.

If it's for Him it will fit into your life and your heart well, like the pieces of a puzzle. When it becomes about us or about the world, it pulls us away from Him. 

He is our Anchor. Our refuge. Our Truth. Our Purpose. Our Peace. 

We are His.

I have a very well-meaning homeschooler sending e-mail after e-mail about this and that activity for homeschoolers. I usually say no, but the e-mails keep coming. The suggested activities keep piling up and encompassing most days. What is she running from, I wonder? Why so much doing and so little stillness? Why so many people constantly around and so little time to listen to just His voice? At first it felt like peer pressure and upset me, but I've stood firmly on the need for stillness of heart.

I'm the worst mother when I'm rushing them to get somewhere on time. I don't feed my children as well--neither their bodies or their souls. I'm too harsh with them.

My children are at their best when they have this sacred home space to learn in, grow in, play in, nurture each other in. Thus strengthened, when they do go out in the world, they are prepared to impact it, not just experience it for pleasure.

I'm the best mother and wife when I've had time to talk with Him. Read. Pray. Reflect. Listen. And then more prayer to solidify His whispers unto my heart.

Psalm 5 successfully refocused my heart on Him today, on my busiest of days.

What refocuses you, my friend?

Psalm 5

1Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.


4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.


7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.


9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.


11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favor as with a shield. source here

David's Sin With Bathsheba: A Broken, Contrite Spirt, Part 2

Yesterday in Part 1 we found King David covering up his sin with Bathsheba by eventually ordering the death of her husband, Uriah, on the battlefield.

It's worth noting that the sins committed here were David's alone. The beautiful Bathsheba had every reason to expect that as she bathed on the balcony of her home, she had privacy. The King was supposed to be on the battlefield at the time. Moreover, when Bathsheba was summoned by lust-driven King David, she had no choice but to go, or risk death for refusing.

As we closed yesterday, we noted that our hearts are never hidden from God. The foolhardy King should have known better than to think he'd gotten away with these grievous sins.

The first time I read this story years ago, I thought, "What happened to the David from the Psalms!" 

David was a man after God's own heart, and now this? How did he get so far from God? Once he was free from Saul's wrath and no longer had to flee, did he need God less and spend less time praising and loving Him? 

Every life has seasons and in every season, He must reign.

Are we closest to God when we're suffering and furthest from him when things go smoothly? And when we're closest to His heart, do we sin less often and less seriously? Not that any sin is acceptable to God, but some sins involve many people, rendering the consequences farther reaching.

Having two special-needs children and other daily difficulties forces me in and out of prayer all day. Would I be so connected to God in the absence of daily struggle? I will continue to give thanks for hard hallelujahs, for I never want to stray from my Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Lord, exceedingly displeased at David's transgressions, sent Nathan to see the King.

2 Samuel 12: 1-12

12 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 

4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 

5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” 

⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. ⁸ And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 

⁹ Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 

¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

¹¹ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” scripture source here

Next up, we will study the defining moment in David's life. How will he respond? Will he pull the King card and have Nathan killed? Will he deny? 

When we're hurt by someone and let our pain give rise to coldness, resentment, or hate, will we justify our sin, citing the heart breaker's sin first? Will we deny it? Or cover it up?

How we respond to our sin--any sin in our life--represents a defining moment in our life too. The Bible is clear regarding forgiveness. We received it and we must extend it. 

Not so easy to do, is it, when the wounds go deep? When they span years?

If there are no current heart breakers in your life, what about your past? Are there people you've hardened your heart against? It can be a subtle hardening, such as not writing as much on the Christmas card, or not writing on it at all except a signature. Or it can be blatant, such as avoiding a family get-together your heart breaker may be at.

We all have someone, somewhere. Let us watch what David does and learn of him.

David's Sin With Bathsheba: A Broken, Contrite Spirit, Part 1

When someone breaks your heart, how do you respond? Do you lose sleep, tossing and turning and feeling sick to the stomach? Do you vacillate between crying out to the Lord for his loving Spirit, reciting the 23rd Psalm, and vowing to forsake the heart breaker forevermore?

Each time I get a hurtful e-mail from my mom, I get sick to my stomach and I can't concentrate. Sleep eludes me and I don't take good care of my family. When will it end, I wonder? When will the rejection and heartache stop?

I know my duty to love, even in the face of my enemies, but I feel too weak and sick to do anything but withdraw. It's not revenge, but self-preservation.

I want to feel good and do right by my family. I don't want to burden my husband or my children with my heartbreak. They can't understand the ache, though my husband tries very hard to empathize. Men can decide not to let something bother them. They compartmentalize well, generally speaking.

A woman, in contrast, doesn't put away her emotions like this. I can't demand my heart to stop hurting.

Sin can arise from a broken heart and as women, who feel deeply, we need to be especially aware of this. If we let it, a broken heart leads to bitterness and hate. And those sins, unconfessed and unforgiven, will impair our prayers, our walk with the Lord, and our witness.

At first, when it's still fresh, the wound plays over and over in our minds. Then, exhausted, we try to gain some equilibrium again. We move forward with the essential duties of life, gradually giving the heart breaker and the offense less and less of our mental and emotional time.

It's at this point that sin can take deep root. In trying to move on with our life, we forget the hard work of forgiveness.

Let's take a moment to distinguish between mercy and grace.

Extending mercy means we don't punish or take revenge on our heart breaker. Extending grace means we help them, give them other gifts of the heart, pray for them, and wish them well. Extending grace means we love them.

I think it's safe to think of forgiveness as loving someone without prejudice. This occurs as an act of grace, flowing from the Lord through us. 

I'm aware of this and of my potential sin in this vulnerable period, so today the Lord led me to study King David's fall from grace. Now, adultery has nothing to do with my broken heart or probably yours either, but there are valuable lessons to be learned about repentant hearts from studying David's story.

As you know, King David lay with Bathsheba while her husband was fighting in the King's army. When she told David she was with child, he sent for Uriah her husband, hoping Uriah would go home and lay with his wife, so that when the child was born, Uriah would think it his own.

But being a loyal soldier, Uriah didn't want to take that pleasure while other men were fighting hard in battle.

David then had Uriah over for dinner and got him drunk, hoping he would then go to his wife. But still, Uriah didn't go home. He controlled himself, despite his drunkenness.

Still desperate to hide his sin, David sent word to Joab his general to have Uriah put in the front lines of battle, so that he would be killed.

Yes, David was that desperate. And that sinful.

The deed done, David sighed with relief. After a proper mourning period, he took Bathsheba to be his wife, with no one the wiser, other than a couple servants he probably paid off.

But as we all know, we can't hide our hearts from God. He knows every detail. 

To be continued....

Giving Thanks Today:

~ The boys and Daddy having a grand day of sledding, coming back excited, refreshed and red-faced.

~ A husband's arms

~ A gracious Father

~ God's Holy Word

~ Psalms that soothe and heal

~ Prayer warriors to help us do battle against the enemy

~ A cured little girl. Mary only threw up once.

~ Still no nausea from Beth's chemo drug (taken for arthritis)

~ The Holy Spirit directing and guiding my heart

What are you thankful for today?