Unto te Hills A Daily Devotional Billy Graam 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 1
1986, 1996, 2010 Billy Graam All rigts reserved. No portion of tis book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mecanical, potocopy, recording, scanning, or oter except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, witout te prior written permission of te publiser. Publised in Nasville, Tennessee, by Tomas Nelson. Tomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Tomas Nelson, Inc. Tomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purcased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@TomasNelson.com. Unless oterwise indicated, Scripture quotations in tis publication are from te King James Version of te Bible. Oter Scripture quotations are from te following sources: Te American Standard Version of te Bible. Te Amplified Bible (amp): Old Testament. 1962, 1964 by Zondervan Publising House (used by permission), and from Te Amplified Bible: New Testament. 1958 by te Lockman Foundation (used by permission). THE JERUSALEM BIBLE (jb). 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Used by permission. Te New Testament: a New Translation, 1964 by James Moffatt, publised by Harper & Row, Inc. (Moffatt). NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (nasb). Te Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission. HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV (niv). 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. tm Used by permission of Zondervan. All rigts reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION (nkjv). 1982 by Tomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rigts reserved. REVISED STANDARD VERSION of te Bible (rsv). 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by te Division of Cristian Education of te National Council of te Curces of Crist in te U.S.A. Used by permission. Today s Englis Version (tev). American Bible Society 1976, 1992. Te Living Bible (tlb). 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publisers, Inc., Weaton, Illinois 60189. All rigts reserved. Te meditations in tis book include excerpts from te following publications by Billy Graam: Angels, 1975, 1986; Approacing Hoofbeats, 1983; Te Holy Spirit, 1978; How to Be Born Again, 1977; Peace wit God, 1953, 1984; Te Secret of Happiness, 1955, 1985; Till Armageddon, 1981. Sermon excerpts from Decision magazine are copyrigted by te Billy Graam Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graam Parkway, Carlotte, NC 28901. Interior image of mountain landscape provided courtesy of Walter Petrie. Graam, Billy, 1918 Unto te ills. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-8499-4621-9 1. Devotional calendars. 1. Title BV4811.G62 1986 242'.2 86 24542 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Printed in te United States of America 10 11 12 13 14 15 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 2
Preface to te Second Edition am grateful to my longtime publiser, Tomas Nelson Inc., for teir commitment to bring tis book of daily devotions, Unto te Hills, back into print. Over I te years many ave found encouragement and comfort in its pages, and I am tankful tat it will now be available to a new generation of readers. Te present volume is essentially te same as te previous edition, altoug a number of minor canges ave been made to provide greater clarity and accuracy to te text. It as been almost twenty-five years since tis book was first publised years tat ave brougt many canges to our world, and to our lives. In te midst of all tese canges, owever, one great reality remains uncanged and tat is te Word of God, te Bible. More tan ever we need its trut, and my prayer is tat tis book will draw you closer to Crist and elp you build your life upon Him every day. I will never pick up tis book witout tinking of my late wife, Rut, wose gift for finding te rigt quotation or story to illustrate te Bible s trut is woven into almost every page. Soon, I know, we will be reunited in te presence of te Lord se served so faitfully but in te meantime, I dedicate tis book to er memory. Billy Graam August 2010 Montreat, Nort Carolina 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 3
Foreword Our family as lived for many years in a comfortable log ome in te mountains of Nort Carolina, 3,200 feet above sea level. Tere is someting serene about living in te mountains or on a ill. Wen Jesus appointed te twelve apostles, He called tem unto te ills and tey came to Him (Mark 3:13). Our Lord frequently retreated to te ills or mountains for moments of solitude wen te crowds became too great. But as Englis devotional writer Oswald Cambers as noted, we were not made for mountaintop experiences alone. We are made for te valleys of life. God will sometimes allow us a view from te ills, but only so tat we migt be refresed enoug to return to te valleys were te action is tat we migt be of service to Him. Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in te valleys. As muc as my wife, Rut, and I enjoyed our ome in te ills of Nort Carolina, we spent very little time tere because God as called us into te valley of life were te lost people are. If we spent all of our time in te ills and on mountaintops, ow would we effectively serve our God? I ave compiled some tougts from more tan fifty years as a minister of te Gospel of Jesus Crist in opes of better equipping you as you live for Crist in te valley. Some of you will read tis book as you searc for answers to te problems in te valley of life. You ave tried everyting else and ave not found satisfaction. It is you tat I am particularly interested in reacing. Oters of you wo are already believers still need assurance tat, as you walk troug te valley of te sadow of deat, God as not forgotten you and is, in fact, still wit you. I ope tis book will be a elp to you as well. Wile te ills and mountains are a wonderful place to get away from it all, we must always remember tat our ultimate and certain elp comes from te Lord wo made te mountains and te valleys. David expressed tis beautifully in Psalm 121: 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 5
I will lift up mine eyes unto te ills, from wence comet my elp. My elp comet from te Lord, wic made eaven and eart. (vv. 1 2) May God bless and direct you as you read Unto te Hills. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 6
Ja n uary 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 1
January 1 A Clean Slate Create in me a clean eart, O God, and renew a rigt spirit witin me. Psalm 51:10 Did you ever ave te experience in a scool of erasing an entire blackboard? Wen te slate as been wiped clean, it is as if noting at all ad ever been written on it. Tis is wat God does for us wen we come to Him confessing our sin. First Jon 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, e is faitful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrigteousness. How many times in your life ave you wised you could start all over again wit a clean slate, wit a new life? Resolve rigt now to allow God to wipe your slate clean by confessing your sins and letting Him give you a brand-new start. Te apostle Paul did tis wen e said, Forgetting wat lies beind and straining forward to wat lies aead, I press on toward te goal for te prize of te upward call of God in Crist Jesus (Pilippians 3:13 14 rsv). Our Fater and our God, I come to You conscious of my sins and failures but confident in Your love and mercy toward me. Tank You for giving Your wonderful grace and forgiveness to me and for wiping te slate of my life totally clean. Let me start all over wit You and live in Your purpose for my life, now and forever, troug Jesus Crist my Savior. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 2
January 2 Lost and Found I am te way, and te trut, and te life; no one comes to te Fater, but by me. Jon 14:6 r s v Recently, wile returning to my otel in a major city, te driver turned left wen e sould ave turned rigt, and it took im awile to figure out ow to get to our destination. He ad to stop and ceck is road map. Often in life just one wrong turn, just one wrong decision can take us were we do not want to go or, more importantly, can keep us from going were we do want to go. Tere is an ancient saying tat all roads lead to Rome. Wen one is lost on a road to Rome or anywere else, all tat is needed to find te way is a good road map or directions from someone wo knows te way. Not all roads lead to God, as some suggest. Tere is a roadblock wic keeps man from reacing God, no matter wat road e takes. Tat roadblock is sin. But God as provided a map te Bible and He as provided One wo knows te way and can give directions Jesus Crist. Crist said, No man comes to te Fater but by me. Not only does Crist give directions to te Fater troug Himself, but He also gives us daily directions as to His Fater s will for our lives. Like directions from a map or a person in our travels, we can follow tem and get to our desired destination, or we can ignore tem and become lost. Remember, Jesus did not say, I am one of te ways, or one of te roads you can take to get to te Fater. Wat He said was, I am te way. Determine to follow Crist and never be lost! Our Fater and our God, wrong coices and dead ends ave often blocked my ability to live my life fully for You. Take away my sin and lead me toward full acceptance of te leadersip and guidance tat You provide troug te Holy Spirit. I will follow Jesus as te way, trut, and life. In His name I pray. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 3
January 3 Te Ultimate Protection For e as said, I will never fail you nor forsake you. Hence we can confidently say, Te Lord is my elper, I will not be afraid. Hebrews 13:5 6 r s v Some years ago wen our son Ned entered a new scool, e met some boys from te city wo tougt tey were pretty toug. Ned ad never ad to confront boys from te streets wo ad muc experience in defending temselves and wo witnessed figts as a regular occurrence. Te boys from te city soon began picking on im. Anoter boy, wo ad befriended Ned, saw tat in order for our son to survive, e would ave to learn to defend imself; so e taugt Ned a few basics of karate and some of te oter martial arts. After muc practice, Ned demonstrated is new skills on one of te boys wo ad been arassing im, and te bullies stopped picking on im. God wants to teac us ow to defend ourselves against sin. Satan, te ultimate bully, attacks us at our weakest points and wants to defeat us so tat we will not be effective for God. In te Bible God offers us some spiritual training, wic builds us up inside in muc te same way as pysical exercise and discipline can build us up on te outside. But, like exercise or training in martial arts, we must be consistent in our reading of Scripture and diligent in its application to te situations and circumstances around us. God as not promised to sield us from trouble, but He as promised to protect us in te midst of trouble. Noting can touc us apart from God s will. If someting does touc us, we can be sure tat it is for te purpose of building us up into a stronger and more effective witness so tat God can use us to do battle wit te evil bully of istory, te devil. Remember, God will never fail you or forsake you! Our Fater and our God, tank You for Your extraordinary love and concern tat accompany me daily. Teac me tat You are in control of everyting tat appens in my life. I m comforted to know You re always tere. Help me apply te trut of Scripture, te fellowsip of prayer, and commitment to You in my life daily. Troug Jesus, amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 4 10/27/10 4:15 PM
January 4 Te Value of a Man Wat is man, tat tou art mindful of im? Psalm 8:4 certain ric man died and te question was asked at is funeral, How muc A did e leave? He left it all, came te reply. Often, I ear someone introduced tis way: Tis is Bob, and e works for..., as if were a person works determines is or er value. I ave noticed tat it is usually only te well-to-do or tose wo are tougt of as successful wo are introduced tis way. Yet God does not judge us by success. He loves eac person te same because your value and mine does not come from wat we do or ave, te clotes we wear, te ouse in wic we live, or te type of car we drive. Our value comes from te fact tat God made us and Crist died for us. And so, weter we ave tings or not, we are just as valuable to God. God gave all tat He ad His Son, te Lord Jesus Crist because He valued us so igly, even wen we did not value Him. Since God tougt tis muc of us, souldn t we sow tat we value Him by putting Him first in all tat we do our family life, our business life, our spiritual life? Tere is a song wic says, Put Jesus first in your life, let Him andle all te problems tat come your way... you ave searced in vain for someting; now you don t want tat someting you ve found. Put Jesus first in your life, and turn your life around. Te actual value of an object is tat wic is placed on it by te owner or buyer. God as sown te value He as placed on you by sending His Son to redeem you. Our Fater and our God, I bow umbly before You, remembering my total dependence on You. Witout You I am noting, but because of Your Son I am sanctified, I am justified, I am saved. Tank You for valuing me enoug to sacrifice Jesus in my place. I am Yours because of te blood of Your blessed Son, Jesus. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 5
January 5 God Is a Person It is of te Lord s mercies tat we are not consumed, because is compassions fail not. Tey are new every morning; great is ty faitfulness. Lamentations 3:22 23 Wen I was a small boy, I tougt of God as an old man wit a long wite beard. After all, adn t Micelangelo painted Him tat way? Later, as I read te Bible, and after I ad accepted Crist as my Savior, I realized tat God is a spirit, yet He as te attributes of a person: He tinks; He speaks; He communicates; He loves; He becomes angry; He grieves. Because God is a person, He feels tat wic we feel. After all, we are made in His image, so it is to be expected tat we would be able to communicate our deepest feelings and emotions to God. God communicates wit us in two ways. First, He communicates wit us troug His written Word, te Bible. It tells us wo God is, wo we are, and wy we need a Savior so tat we migt ave tat relationsip wit God wic sin as broken. Second, God communicates wit us troug His Son. Jesus said tat no man can come to te Fater except troug Him. We ave tat access to Jesus, and tus to God, troug salvation. God is te same yesterday, today and forever. He never canges. Our Fater and our God, sometimes I can t express my deepest emotions. But I know tat Jesus can express my very eart to You and tat You understand. Tank You, Fater, for Your great compassion and faitful love. In te name of Crist, amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 6 10/27/10 4:16 PM
January 6 Freedom of Coice Coose tis day wom you will serve, weter te gods your fater served in te region beyond te River, or te gods of te Amorites in wose land you dwell; but as for me and my ouse, we will serve te Lord. Josua 24:15 r s v We ear a lot about freedom of coice tese days. But tink about it. Te very word coice presupposes at least two alternatives. Wen Josua asked te Israelites to coose tis day wom you will serve, te coice e gave tem was between God and te false god, Baal. Before waiting for teir reply, Josua announced is coice, As for me and my ouse, we will serve te Lord. Coices are offered trougout te Bible as tey are trougout our lives. Repeatedly trougout te Scripture, coices are made by God and man. God commands man to make tose coices, but only after providing im wit sufficient information so tat is coices will be informed ones. Because of trut in lending and trut in labeling laws, one cannot apply for a loan or buy a product in a supermarket witout being furnised wit certain information. Tis information is necessary in making intelligent coices. God as given us information about Himself, including His oliness, man s sinfulness, God s provision for tat sin, Jesus Crist, and scores of promises to man about wat will appen if e accepts God s promises and wat will appen if e does not. Galatians 6:6 8 says, Let im tat is taugt in te word communicate unto im tat teacet in all good tings. Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for watsoever a man sowet, tat sall e also reap. For e tat sowet to is fles sall of te fles reap corruption; but e tat sowet to te Spirit sall of te Spirit reap life everlasting. Some time ago tere was a television sow called Trut or Consequences. Te ost of te program used to say to te contestants, If you don t tell te trut, you will ave to pay te consequences. It is te same wit coices. If you make te wrong coice, you will ave to pay te consequences. But if you make te rigt coice, you receive all of te benefits. So it is best to coose wisely, as Josua did, because te coices we make ave te potential for affecting our lives for better or for worse. Our Fater and our God, I want to serve You wit all my eart and soul. Help me, Lord, to always make wise coices tat lead me into Your presence. Give me wisdom and discernment so tat my life will always glorify You. I need Your guidance and elp in walking safely troug Satan s minefield of temptations and sins. In te name of Jesus. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 7 10/28/10 11:34 AM
January 7 God s Power Revealed Troug Prayer Pray witout ceasing. In every ting give tanks: for tis is te will of God in Crist Jesus concerning you. 1 Tessalonians 5:17 18 How many times ave you eard someone say, All I can do is pray? All I can do is pray?! You migt as well say to a starving man, All I can do is offer you food, or to a sick person, All I can do is give you medicine tat will make you well, or to a poor cild, All I can do is buy te toy you most want for your birtday. Praying unlocks te doors of eaven and releases te power of God. James 4:2 says, Ye ave not, because ye ask not. And Jesus said, And all tings, watsoever ye sall ask in prayer, believing, ye sall receive (Mattew 21:22). Many of us want to do a work for God, but few of us want to spend ours in prayer to God. It goes against our natural inclinations to pray, wic is precisely wy prayer counts so muc wit God. It is unnatural. It is, in fact, supernatural! And it always gets God s attention. I am sometimes amused wen people tell me, God answered my prayer. Wat tey mean is tat God gave tem wat tey asked for. But if He ad not granted teir request, He would still ave answered teir prayer. We forget tat No and Wait are also answers, as is Yes. I ave answered every request made by my cildren to me. Te answer as not always been wat tey wanted, but it as always been in accordance wit wat I ave tougt was best for tem at te time. God is te same way, except tat His answers are always rigt and good and best, wile mine may or may not ave been. And remember, weter prayer canges our situation or not, one ting is certain: prayer will cange us! Our Fater and our God, tank You for te incredible blessings You ave given me. I praise You for Your great generosity and constant care. Please give me te eart to ear Your answers to my prayers, even wen te answer is Wait or No. Help me to accept Your lordsip of my life, knowing tat You ave only my greatest good in mind. Troug Crist, my Lord. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 8
January 8 Te Storms of Life Tou wilt keep im in perfect peace, wose mind is stayed on tee. Isaia 26:3 Once wile flying between cities on te African continent, I began to sare my fait in Crist wit some reporters wo were accompanying me. None seemed interested in earing te Gospel. Suddenly, te place entered a very turbulent storm. Te plane sook and began to bounce up and down. After we ad successfully come troug te storm, one of te reporters approaced me and said, Wat were you saying about life after deat? Wen Jesus was on te Sea of Galilee wit some of His disciples, a storm came up and began to toss te boat around. His disciples cried out in fear, but Jesus slept at te stern of te boat, unafraid and unintimidated by te weater. Wen tey awakened Him, He rebuked tem for teir lack of fait, and ten He rebuked te storm. Bot te storm and te disciples were silenced! Tere is a wonderful old ymn wic says, He gives us peace in te midst of te storm. In life tere are all kinds of storms: storms of unbelief; storms of materialism (mostly brougt about by tose wo want more material tings tan tey ave); storms of secularism, moral degeneracy, and international tensions. Jesus was at peace in te midst of tat storm because He and His Heavenly Fater ad a relationsip tat gave Him peace. It is tat type of relationsip tat God wants to ave wit us. Are storms in your life making you afraid? You can ave peace despite te storms. Stay close to Jesus Crist. Read God s Word. Pray. Our Fater and our God, I come to You wit tese frustrations and stresses on my life. I pray earnestly for Your peace to calm my acing soul and soote my troubled eart. Remind me of Your power to overcome te world and its stresses. In te name of te One wo brings peace. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 9
January 9 Angels Te angel of te Lord encamps around tose wo fear im, and delivers tem. Psalm 34:7 r s v Years ago tere was a television program called Carlie s Angels. Tese angels were tree attractive women wo were involved in figting crime. In te teater, people wo finance expensive productions are called angels because witout tem, te sows would never get to te stage. Tese are modern interpretations of te word angel, but te idea is correct, neverteless. Angels are beings wo elp people against evil forces, and tey do perform certain duties, witout wic we could not always be able to acieve a certain goal or station in life. In te Bible, tere are several instances wen angels revealed temselves to man. Altoug tese instances occur mostly in te Old Testament, peraps te most famous appearance occurs in te New Testament, wen Mary is visited by an angel and told tat se is to bear te Son of God, Jesus Crist. Mostly, toug, angels are invisible. Of course tis does not make tem any less real tan you would be to me if I appened to be blindfolded. Our ability to see angels or not to see tem as noting at all to do wit teir existence and teir role in protecting us from certain arms. Toug we do not pray to angels, and man, for te moment, is only a little lower tan te angels, tey are just one more example of ow God cares for and keeps us against te forces of Satan, wic are constantly trying to defeat us. Truly, angels are God s secret agents. Our Fater and our God, tank You for Your angels wo protect me daily from Satan s demons. And tank You for all tat tese secret agents do to keep me from arm. Help me to see tem wit my eart if not wit my eyes. In te name of Jesus Crist. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 10
January 10 Te Foundation of Marriage Wat terefore God at joined togeter, let not man put asunder. Mattew 19:6 Wit te divorce rate overing around 50 percent, will any omes be left in anoter undred years? Te impact of divorce on cildren is staggering and is still to be assessed as te psycological and emotional scars break troug to arm some future families. One of te primary reasons for te breakdown in te ome is tat we ave forgotten te biblical commands relating to marriage and te family, commands wic never cange. Even some Cristian writers are publising books today wic reject te Bible s strict teacing on divorce. Te Bible does not allow divorce on grounds of e doesn t love me or se doesn t love me. Te Bible says God ates divorce. He ates divorce because, as Jesus taugt, marriage is a picture of te unity between God and te Fater, God and te Son, and God te Holy Spirit. Wen people get divorced tey are tearing at te very fabric of te unity of God. From te beginning, Satan as tried to disrupt te unity of te Trinity. First, Satan tried to make imself a part of te Trinity by desiring to be coequal wit God. It was is sin of pride tat caused is expulsion from eaven. Second, Satan was successful in tempting our first parents into sin, tereby breaking te unique relationsip between man and is Creator. Tird, Satan tried to pry Jesus loose from His relationsip to te Fater wen e tempted Him in te wilderness. Today, Satan is eating away like a large termite at te foundation of marriage and te family. Satan never canges, but neiter does God. God still ates divorce. Tere is no marriage tat is beyond repair in te sigt of God. If we will first submit ourselves to Crist and ten our marriage into His care and keeping, noting is impossible wit God. But we must umble ourselves and lay our pride and desire to please ourselves first on His altar. It is only ten tat God can restore feelings and bring ealing to a marriage in trouble. Te first step in ealing a marriage is ours. God provides te salve tat eals. Our Fater and our God, I lay my pride and selfisness before You. Please forgive me, Lord, for allowing Satan to disrupt te unity of my marriage. Please elp me restore love and devotion to my marriage troug my relationsip wit Jesus, my Lord. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 11
January 11 Te Family and te Workplace Cildren are a gift from God; tey are is reward. Psalm 127:3 t l b Today tere are more pressures on te ome tan peraps at any time in te istory of te uman race. By necessity or by desire, more women are working today tan ever before. Many feel guilty about leaving teir cildren in te care of oters or aving tem return to an empty ome wile tey are at work. Many divorced women must work to support temselves and teir cildren, a penomenon wic is becoming more and more common in te age in wic we live. But many women (and men, too) devote more time to teir working life tan tey do to teir family life. Is it any wonder, ten, tat so many marriages are in trouble? To paraprase te Bible, wat sall it profit a man (or a woman) wo gains te wole world but loses is or er own family? Wat acievement in life is equal to a appy ome and rearing successful cildren wo grow up in praise of teir parents? Every material goal, even if it is met, will pass away. But te eritage of cildren is timeless. Someone as said tat our cildren are our messages to te future. Tey will tell oters wo will never know us wo we were. More importantly, our cildren ave been entrusted to us by God, cildren made in His image and for wom Crist died. Our primary responsibility is not to make sure tey ave te best clotes and live in te best ouses. It is to make sure tey grow up in omes were God is present and te love of Crist reigns so tat tey will come to know God troug His Son. Wat could be more valuable tan successful cildren and a appy ome life? Our Fater and our God, please ear my umble prayer of tanks for my cildren. Tey are te most precious of all te eartly gifts You ave lavised on me. Tey bring me suc joy and love. Teir innocence reminds me of te innocent Lamb wo died on te cross. Help me to guide tem to Jesus, te only Way to You. In His name. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 12
January 12 Wat to Do wit Problems Don t worry about anyting; instead, pray about everyting; tell God your needs and don t forget to tank im for is answers. Pilippians 4:6 t l b Wat do you do wen you ave a problem? Do you worry? Most of us do. But does worrying solve te problem? No, it does not. Ten if worry doesn t solve te problem, wy worry? Hezekia gives us an idea for problem solving: And Hezekia received te letter of te and of te messengers, and read it: and Hezekia went up into te ouse of te Lord, and spread it before te Lord. And Hezekia prayed before te Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, wic dwellest between te cerubims, tou are te God, even tou alone, of all te kingdoms of te eart; tou as made eaven and eart.... Ten Hezekia prayed: Now terefore, O Lord our God, I beseec tee, save tou us out of is and, tat all te kingdoms of te eart may know tat tou are te Lord God, even tou only (2 Kings 19:14 15, 19). Hezekia s unselfis prayer ad a purpose, one tat God could not ignore. Hezekia, wo was used to taking is problems directly to God, took te problem tat te king of Assyria was about to attack Jerusalem to te Lord. And God answered and miraculously caused tis powerful king to be defeated. Instead of turning to God as a first resource, we so often turn to Him as a last resort. Follow Hezekia s formula. Turn to God first wit your problems, for only He is capable of andling tem in a way tat will be in your best interest. Our Fater and our God, tank You for always answering my prayers. Rigt now I pray for Your protection and salvation. Only You, O Lord, can save me from te many problems brougt on by my enemy, te devil. Defeat im in is attack on my life, Fater. Keep me close to You troug Crist Jesus, my Lord. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 13
January 13 Desperate Circumstances And wen e ad spent everyting... e began to be in want. Luke 15:14 r s v Signposts along te igway are tere to keep us from getting lost and to keep us safe by regulating our speed and warning us of sarp turns, detours, and oter azards. And wen we ignore tese signposts, we do so at our own peril. In te familiar story of te Prodigal Son, te young man ignores every signpost God as erected to keep im from desperate circumstances. Long before te young man reaced te pigpen were e finally came to is senses, e ad numerous opportunities to turn around, to repent, and to go ome. His problems began long before e asked is fater for is ineritance and ten trew it away on wine, women, and song. He was not satisfied to be in is fater s ouse wit all of is needs met. He wanted more. He believed te lie tat someting more exciting was in store for im away from is fater. Isn t tis ow we sometimes beave? We tink tat God is olding out on us, tat tere is someting better tan a close relationsip wit our Heavenly Fater, tat te world as more excitement and fulfillment to offer us tan God does. By tinking tis way and ten by acting as te Prodigal Son did, we create our own desperate circumstances. Ten we turn to God and cry out in te midst of our desperation. Fortunately, like te fater in te story of te Prodigal Son, our Fater always ears our cries. But it would be so muc better if we would not get into desperate circumstances in te first place. Tat is wy God as erected signposts along life s road to elp keep us out of trouble. Tey include reading His Word daily, praying witout ceasing, and determining to seek His will for our lives. Suc a pat is sure to see us ome safely. Our Fater and our God, ear my cry for elp! I ave followed a foolis pat, and now I m in trouble. Rescue me, O Lord, from my foolisness, and save me from my sin. I can t survive witout You. You are te source of all comfort and forgiveness. And I know You will welcome me ome wit open arms because of my Savior, Jesus Crist. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 14
January 14 Joy For te joy of te Lord is your strengt. Neemia 8:10 Wat is joy? Some of us tink tat joy is a state of perpetual appiness, a bubbling personality, a person wo is always smiling and lauging. Tese can be expressions of joy, but true joy is someting far deeper tan tat. Joy is produced in our earts wen we know tat God loves us, wen we ave a close relationsip wit Him troug reading His Word, praying, and desiring to onor Him in all tat we do, and by serving oters. Joy does not mean tat we are never sad, tat we never cry. Instead, joy is a quiet confidence, a state of peace in te eart of te believer. Sometimes it manifests itself in an impromptu song wile riding alone in a car. Sometimes one is so overwelmed by te love of God tat tears of gratitude form in te eyes. At oter times, it is a wonderful feeling of peace in te midst of war and turmoil. Paul said, We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (2 Corintians 4:8 9). Paul ad joy. So did Jesus, even under te sadow of te cross. Like appiness, joy cannot be pursued. It comes from witin. It is a state of being. It does not depend on circumstances, but triumps over circumstances. It produces a gentleness of spirit and a magnetic personality. It is easy to tell wo te joyful people are. Tey are te ones wom oters like to be around. Our Fater and our God, tank You for te Holy Spirit wo lives in me. Tank You for te peace and joy He brings me. You are te laugter of my eart, O God. You are te joy and celebration of every day. You are te One wo deserves to be praised. Tank You for te gift of Your Son, wo makes my joy everlasting. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 15
January 15 Prejudice Know ye not tat ye are te temple of God, and tat te Spirit of God dwellet in You? 1 Corintians 3:16 Prejudice is a word tat so often is used in connection wit te race of a person. In tis sense, prejudice is always wrong because it judges a person s value by te color of is skin, and God as no favorites. But tere is anoter sense in wic te root of te word prejudice is a good ting. To prejudge someting is sometimes necessary. Wile it is not good to prejudge a person by appearance, social status, or te lack of education, we can and sould prejudge some entertainment establisments by wat tey advertise on te outside and know not to go in. We can prejudge drugs, wic ave become suc a terrible problem in our culture. By seeing wat drugs ave done to oters, we can avoid tem. Besides, we know tat te body is God s temple, and we ougt not to cause it to become dirty by doing tings to it, like taking drugs, wic can cause arm to it. So, let us avoid prejudice wen it comes to a person s race or etnic background or circumstances over wic e or se as no control. But let us correctly prejudge tose persons and places God as warned us about avoiding in His Word so tat we do not get into trouble. Our Fater and our God, I know You are te rigteous Judge. Please give me Your eyes to distinguis good from evil, rigt from wrong, elpful from armful. I want to be pure in Your sigt, O Lord. I want to walk a oly pat troug tis life to everlasting joy wit You. Troug Jesus, te only Way. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 16
January 16 Home Security Put on te wole armor of God, tat ye may be able to stand against te wiles of te devil. Epesians 6:11 Is your ome built on a solid foundation? Is your ome secure? Or is it filled wit tension? Is it about ready to break up? Te family is te most important institution in te world. It was God s idea in te first place. It was not te idea of sociologists wo tougt it migt be a good way to deliver te mail! Families existed before cities and governments, before written language, nations, temples, curces. In te ome, caracter and attitudes are formed, integrity is born, values by wic we live are made clear, and goals are set. Tese last a lifetime. Many people today are wringing teir ands wit fear and insecurity because far more tan wat tey see appening on Wall Street or in Wasington, D.C., is appening to our families and our omes. Te propet Neemia said, Tere is muc rubbis; so tat we are not able to build te wall (Neemia 4:10). We see rubbis everywere rubbis on television and in films and magazines making fun of te ome, making fun of marriage, one of te oliest of all institutions. (A well-known woman was asked on a national television program weter se believed in te institution of marriage. Sure, se said, but wo wants to live in an institution? Tis is typical of te ridicule now being eaped on te ome and on marriage, particularly by tose wo are divorced or live togeter witout being married.) Today, Satan is attacking te family as never before. But wat are our defenses against suc attacks? As always, our best defense is te Word of God, referred to by te apostle Paul as te sword of trut. Put on te wole armor of God. Read te Bible togeter as a family. Have family devotions. Pray for one anoter daily by name. And most importantly, commit your marriage to Crist and make Him te center of your ome. Our Fater and our God, I lift up to You my family and my ome. Please build a solid wall of protection around us, Fater, so tat Satan cannot break troug and steal our unity and joy. I commit myself, my marriage, my cildren, and our ome to You. Keep us in Your care troug Crist our King. Amen. 00-01_Unto te Hills_INT.indd 17