God's Word

 

     Here is a quote I came across about the Bible: “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and  deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom.”  Have you been swimming in God’s word lately? I love the ways God teaches us. A Scripture read hundreds of times will suddenly jump off the page with new meaning. A Scripture meant just for you and me will keep coming up at a time we need it most.

     The word of God is powerful. It represents Jesus from cover to cover. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119 and it is all about the word of God. This Psalm reminds us to keep the word in our hearts, to delight in it, to draw wisdom from it, to know God through it.

 You are my refuge and my shield. I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114

Turn to me and have mercy on me as You always do to those who love Your name. Psalm 119:132

     God has changed me through the Bible. He has confronted me, loved me, given me peace and filled me with deep joy. Sink yourself into its depths. There is no end to the glory and grace it will bestow.

 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Lord,

Today we thank You for the Bible. Keep us on Your path as the world goes astray. Keep us focused as we continue to dive into Your word and its depths.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Eternal Joy

 

     Did you grow up in church? I did. Every Sunday we would use part of Psalm 51 as a doxology, as a blessing. Maybe you recognize the words. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized these words came straight from the Bible.

Create in me a clean heart O’ God and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy or Your salvation and uphold me with Your free spirit. Psalm 51:10-12

     I did not comprehend the depth of these words or the joy of my salvation until I was well into my 30’s. Knowing Jesus, knowing we need not fear death, understanding His presence, gives us the ability to let our souls and spirits be truly free. That freedom gives us confidence in the choices we make. It gives us the ability to abide in His peace and joy. Listen to these words from another Psalm and do not be shaken.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body will also rest secure because You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life. You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. Psalm 16:8-11

     Eternity awaits. In the meantime, rest in His presence. Soar free in His Spirit.

Lord,

Thank you for the life of Charlie Kirk. He served you well in his short life.  Comfort his beautiful family and all who loved him with Your eternal hope. We thank You for the words that guide us, for the depth of what it means to follow Jesus. Keep our focus on Jesus forever.

Amen

Something New

 

     God loves new beginnings. He sees the small steps we take and rejoices. In Zechariah 4, He says, “Do not despise the small things.”  Let Him guide You into what is next. He is with us as we begin again.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

     The Bible tells us over and over to not fear, to not be discouraged, to not give up hope. Our eternal God has a way through, a presence available to show us a way, to give us a new purpose, a new plan, a new perspective even through a dark and stormy time.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and His understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28

     Don’t understand? God does. Give Him your worries, your sorrow, your fear, your uncertainty. He is our rock, our anchor, our foundation.

Lord,

You always bring us back to hope. Show us a way through. Give us fresh hope and new beginnings.

In Jesus name,

Amen

You Are Valuable

 

     As we talked about yesterday, God is involved in all of the details of our lives. Along with collecting our tears, He knows the number of hairs on our head! And His word reminds us that not even one sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge. You are valuable to our God.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

     He is there to heal us, to understand our deepest needs. Our God is beyond our wildest imaginations. He created the sun, the moon and the stars and He numbers and names each one.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power. His understanding knows no limit. Psalm 147:3-5

Father,

Your infinite wisdom comforts us. Your creation astounds us. To think You understand us and all we do. Give us Your unending peace today.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Our Tears

 

     God is familiar with everything in our lives. Because He walked the earth, He understands our sorrow, our joy, our hunger, our weariness. He experienced it all, just as we do. But as eternal God, He also understands the unanswerable questions that meet us.

     Did you know God keeps our tears in a bottle? That is so comforting. He holds our happy tears and our tears of deep grief and sorrow.

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book. Psalm 56:8

     Our loving God is with us through it all and one day, we will understand. One day all will become clear. And one day, He will wipe all of the sadness, all of the heartache, all of the worry away.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21;4

Lord,

As we wait for the day we will finally meet You, it helps to remember, You understand it all. Comfort us as we wait and thank You for each blessing You give us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Prayers at Night

 

     When we have too much on our minds, or when we are anxious about so many things in our personal worlds and in the world around us, when we worry about our kids and grandkids, or when we just have too many details to sort through, sleep eludes us. Tossing and turning, watching the clock, minds on full alert. Can you relate?

     I have suffered from insomnia, off and on, since my teen years. I have come to terms with it and don’t worry quite as much about lack of sleep as I once did. After all, I have made it this far with many a sleepless night. Here are a few verses to take with you as you work through a restless night.

He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast and who trust in Him. Isaiah 26:3

I call out to the Lord and He answers me from His holy mountain. I lie down and sleep. I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:4-5

In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:7-8

     I also encourage you to read through Psalm 91 and Psalm 121, as prayers of protection over your life and over your family, knowing that God was with us when we entered the world and He will be with us as we leave this world.

Father,

Be with those struggling to find rest. Give them the ability to sleep and gain strength, to give everything to You from morning ‘til night.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Prayer in the Spirit

 

     If Christ is your Savior, His very Spirit lives within you. The Holy Spirit has several attributes. Throughout the Bible, He is called our advocate, our counselor, our teacher, the Spirit of truth. He is our intercessor and our interpreter. Aren’t sure what or how to pray?

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26

     The Spirit knows the will of God. He hears our hearts and connects with us. He stands up for us, comforts us and interprets our prayers for our own good and gives them to the Father. I don’t know about you, but this leaves me in awe of the work of God. All of the times we don’t know how to pray, He prays for us and feels the emotion right along with us.

     Jude is one of the sons of Mary and Joseph, half-brother of our Lord. He encourages us to build ourselves up in the faith. The Holy Spirit assists us in doing just that.

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love, as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:20-21

Father,

How thankful we are to have the Holy Spirit residing within us to advocate for us, to comfort us, to teach and guide us and to help us build up our faith. Thank You for Your Spirit.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Prayer At All Times

 

     Recognizing the presence of Jesus can comfort us throughout each day. Small prayers can be lifted up continually as we think of others, as we come upon a new opportunity or circumstance, as we face a fear, or feel that old worry snaking up within us again. Maybe we need to pray for the wisdom to bite our tongues! Paul writes to the followers in Thessalonica with these words.

Rejoice always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-17

     People always ask, “How do we know God’s will?”  The verses above give us one example. His will is for us to pray in Christ Jesus. As we pray, we can rejoice, we can give thanks and we can pray all the time. Give thanks. Rejoice. Pray

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people Ephesians 6:18

     Jesus will never tire of our prayers. He doesn’t care how we pray, just that we do pray and rely on Him.  Jesus doesn’t care about where you pray, when you pray or how you pray. Just be yourself and seek Him out. He is there waiting. Pray!

Lord,

Give us the how and when and why we should pray. Being in intimate contact with You brings us to praise and thank You in all circumstances. Thank you for sharing Your wise words with us.

In Jesus name

Amen

Morning Prayer

 

     So many of us are struggling with the recent shootings in Minneapolis. There is a feeling of helplessness along with deep sadness and grief.  I am reposting these blogs on prayer.  Prayer has been a comfort to me this week. Let’s continue to pray for these families and staff.

     I rise with the birds. Early mornings have always been a favorite time of day for me. Rising before my husband finds me writing, praying, praising and reading, a great way for me to begin a new day. The power in praying for others is meaningful and mysterious.

     God controls the universe. He knows the words we will speak before we say them (Psalm 139). He knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:111). He numbers the hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). This intimate knowledge He has of us and His creation is way over our heads. He watches over every single creature, including each bird (Matthew 10:29)

     And yet, He uses our prayers.

In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice. In the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

     I love this verse in Psalm 5. Lay your requests before Him each day and wait expectantly.  Believe God will answer. He hears your voice.  He loves spending time with you.

     Jesus loved spending time with His heavenly Father. When He walked the earth, He understood the need for prayer. He often went to a solitary place to pray. Beginning the day with God will allow us to give the day to Him, trusting He will lead us in the right way.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where He prayed.  Mark 1:35

     When I rise in the dark, early mornings, I love thinking of Jesus walking the earth, praying just as I do. Give it all to Him today.

Lord,

Thank You for the times we pray. As we lay our requests before You, we trust You to work.  You understand us more than we understand ourselves. Give us others who need prayer, so we may lift them up to You.

Amen