The Message of Repeated Scriptures

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Psalm 126

Dear God, please send scriptures my way, that touch so much on what I need.  Continue to nourish me with your Word and direction.  Please give me guidance and direction as I go about my day and please help me to always remember that I rely on you for strength.  Thank you for the scripture you do send my way, often the same scripture multiple times, re-enforcing the message.  Thank you for your wisdom.

Part of the “prayer of my heart” includes the above.  I have asked that God re-enforce whatever message He sends me by sending verses to me multiple times and in multiple ways. 

One way He has done that is my LinkedIn feed.  It used to be all business, but it has changed over the past several years.  It is now predominantly people who post about faith on LinkedIn. 

My Facebook feed is similar – while I don’t use Facebook much anymore, other than to post verses daily.  I began that Facebook habit in April 2023, in recognition of that milestone anniversary where my time to “be still” began, with the original intent to only do it for the days surrounding that anniversary.  I continued because I found comfort in finding the verse that reflected my thoughts of the day, whether from my log of verses or from my reading when posting.

Recently, two verses in particular have come up again and again.  The first verse, I have explained the significance in other Substacks so I will just share my awe that it continues to come to me:

“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9         

I remember the first moment I became aware of that verse in Galatians and embraced it.  I was listening to the Highwire podcast episode where Del Bigtree was interviewing one of the faithful women from Mississippi about the fateful case where religious exemptions were restored to the school children of Mississippi.  My Grandmother, a Godly woman of Mississippi, is a huge influence on my life, especially my journey of the past few years.  She taught me to pray by name and modeled daily Bible reading and treating all with respect.  Hearing that story and that particular Godly woman quoting that verse and sharing the long journey they had been on, it brought my Grandmother, who died in June 1999, back to me.  Since then, that verse has been mine.  And I flashback to my Grandmother each and every time I see it.  Recently, it has constantly been in my feed, from a variety of sources.  I encourage all of you – do not become weary in doing good, because at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The news offers much discouragement and much hope.  Stay the course.  All of us.

For now, I share with you Michael Sprague’s LinkedIn post of yesterday, for his message of encouragement.  Michael, who I have never met, has been a blessing for me, because he offers up encouragement every day, often that hits me where I need it.

“He who kneels before God, can stand before any man”
Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts' 5 TDs helped the Eagles to a big comeback win this week. His team is on a mission to redeem their heartbreak of losing last year’s Super Bowl into a triumph this year. The Philadelphia Eagles are 10-1 this year. The 25-year-old Hurts is cool under pressure.

Sports Spectrum reports “Hurts revealed that his daily Bible devotional and its accompanying journal are an essential part of his life.” “This is really important to me because I’m a man of God. Waking up every morning and having a routine where I can gain some wisdom, learn His Word, and just walk by the Spirit. I strive to do that daily, and I challenge myself to spread that Word organically.”
His favorite Bible verse is John 13:7, which says, “Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.'”

“My daily devotional has been a pivotal part of my life, I [also] have my journal. I always write down the things that I’m grateful for. Dedicate some time to giving gratitude to where I am, where I’ve come and Who’s coming with me.”

Some of his college days were tough. Hurts said, “I understand that God put those obstacles and challenges in my life for a reason . He wanted me to feel the pain I felt for a reason. He wanted me to understand the importance of never losing faith — and of always staying true to myself. He had NOT brought me this far just to leave me there. I know everything will unfold according to God’s timing. I am blessed to be where my feet are; my trust is in His hands.”

“I really lean on Him and I try to keep Him in the center of everything that I do, because I know without God, I wouldn’t be where I am today, I wouldn’t be the man I am today without having that faith in Him, without integrity and leadership and diligence and all those things. I think the biggest thing is you get so influenced by so much around you, you just want to pray that you’re the person that God calls you to be. So that’s what I’m gonna do — be what God called me to be.”

I love these words from Jalen, “He who kneels before God, can stand before any man.” God bless you.

Another source of encouragement is the “Bible in a Year” podcast I recently discovered.  There is something about Father Mike’s soothing voice and non-judgmental acknowledgment of brokenness that speaks to me.  Yesterday, in “Day 63,” he was speaking directly to me.  Toward the end, he speaks about how we are sometimes called to act, to fight a battle so that our children do not have to fight that battle.  To hear what I have felt God put on my heart these past few years articulated Biblically, stopped me in my tracks.

I would love to hear from any of you. What scripture have you seen multiple times that is speaking to you? What encouragement and comfort do you find? Am I crazy that this is happening and has meaning?

Dear God, thank you for all the ways you have blessed me these past few years.  All the ways you have spoken to me.  All the sources of scripture that now cross my path.  Because I chose to listen.  Because I chose to be open to your still small voice.  Thank you.  Thank you for the many who have chosen to answer your call to fight the battle for freedom.  Thank you for this unlikely gathering you have created for me on Substack, where my insufficiencies and insecurities fall away and I feel free to share my faith in you.  Thank you for the ways you have enriched me by beginning to share the Bible verses that speak to me on Facebook.  Thank you for using challenge for good.  Dear God, the world is chaotic and crazy.  Thank you for being faithful in it when I put my trust in you.  Dear God, your will be done, for all the battles being fought for freedom.  Please be with those who have been called to do your work and stand for freedom.  Please be with each of them, let them know your presence, please offer them your wisdom, please give them discernment and guide their words.  Please guide my words and offer me wisdom and discernment.  God, you know the prayers of my heart.  Your will be done. 

Dear God, you know my personal “pray by name” list. Please be with each person on it, including those who have hurt me. Please with the healthcare providers seeking to provide individualized medical care and going against consensus. Please be with the lawyers seeking to restore freedom. Please in particular give strength, courage and wisdom to Dale Saran, Brandon Johnson, J. Andrew Meyer, Barry P. Steinberg, Rachel Saran, Nick Kupper, Bobbie Anne Cox, Sujata Gibson (New York teacher cases which she won that are on appeal), Warren Mendenhall and team (Brooke Jackson cases, Grace Schara case), the First Liberty Institute Team (religious freedom cases in general), all the judges hearing these cases and all the attorneys that I have not named but that are advocating for the freedom you gave us. Please continue to lend strength and courage to Dr. Robert Apter, Dr. Mary Talley Bowden and Dr. Paul Marik, along with judges like Judge Doughty,[1] Judge Porzio,[2] Judge Worrell[3], Judge Steigmann,[4] Judge Don Willett, Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod and Judge Edith Brown Clement.[5]  Please be with each individual seeking restoration of freedom and justice where their liberty was restricted. Please give each of these individuals peace no matter the outcome in any of their cases.

Lord, your will be done in all of this. In your name I pray. Amen.

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:7-11

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-20

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  2 Peter 2:1   

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[1] Judge Doughty is the district court judge who issued the injunction against active efforts of government censorship in State of Missouri v. Biden, declaring that the Free Speech Clause was enacted so that the government could not pick “what is true and what is false.”

[2] Judge Porzio is the Staten Island judge who ruled that New York City must restore the jobs, with backpay, of certain unionized workers in NYC, stating: “The vaccination mandate for City workers was not just about safety and public health; it was about compliance.”  See Garvey v. City of New York.  Judge Porzio will rule tomorrow September 6, 2023 on the request to certify the class action status of NYC department of education employees.

[3] Judge Worrell is a judge in Charlottesville, Virginia who awarded Kayece McCoy, a UVA Health system employee terminated after her request for religious exemption was denied without explanation, back pay plus interest accumulated from the date of her termination.   McCoy v. UVA Health System, available at https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23891516-mccoy-case-ruling?fbclid=IwAR2lT3OyrlS-zMGfGKtFDVSA_KmSUvx9RZOCUteyxm91MOUOpTrc4uzY4T0.

[4] Judge Steinmann of the Appellate Court of the 4^th Circuit in Illinois issued a dissent in Graham v. Pekin Fire Department which we should all read, in that he reminds us of some of the greatest mistakes in United States legal history:  https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/court-of-appeals-fourth-appellate-district/2022/4-22-0270.html.

[5] Judge Don Willett, Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod and Judge Edith Brown Clement recently ruled: “FDA is not a physician. It has authority to inform, announce, and apprise-but not to endorse, denounce or advise. The Doctors have plausibly alleged that FDA’s Posts fell on the wrong side of the line between telling about and telling to.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/fifth-circuit-ivermectin-order.pdf