Humble Hearts

 

     The first time I really sought out God, I was on my knees. It was a time of deep grief, confounding disbelief and overwhelming doubt. I fell to my knees, because I had nowhere else to go. When I hear of a loss, or a prayer request, a tragedy, or of someone’s suffering, my first prayer, in addition to requests for healing or comfort or peace is to pray for the person to find Jesus.

     Going to our knees is not always a choice for us. It may be the only place left to go. Is God there? Is He real? For me, after all of these years, it is the place I choose to go, with a grateful heart. Humility comes by recognizing God for who He is and recognizing how much we need Him.

     When we fall or stumble, our merciful God has an answer.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.  James 4:10

      With God’s help, we take the focus off of ourselves and put our eyes on Him and on others. That is all He asks of us. If is our purpose. It is our call. Serving God and serving others. Everything is upside down in God’s world. First is last. The least is the greatest.

Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes Me and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the one who sent Me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:48

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Romans 12:10

    Impossible on our own? Yes. Possible with the one who lifts us up and sends us out? You betcha!

Dear Lord,

Give us humble hearts today. Take our focus off of ourselves and bring us to our knees before You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Praise Through the Darkness

 

     It’s so difficult to praise God when we are suffering. When grief overwhelms. When we are going through treatment. When someone we love isn’t doing well. The list goes on. But even in the darkness, praise brings us to a place beyond anything on earth. It brings us to heaven, where we find hope. God explains in His word, the sacrifice of praise.

 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that openly confess His name.  Hebrews 13:15

     Can we praise Him through the darkness? King David did.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5

     Somehow, over time, God replaces our despair as we continually look to Him.

Provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.  Isaiah 61:3

     The verse above is filled with hope. God fills us on the inside. He gives us a crown of beauty instead of ashes, joy in place of mourning, and our praise replaces our spirits of despair. What beautiful promise these words hold for us!

Father,

You are in heaven waiting for us to arrive home. Fill our spirits with joy, beauty and praise. We trust You with it all.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Look Up With Praise

 

     Jesus turns the world upside down. He turns us upside down, shakes a few things loose, sets us back up, and after the dizziness subsides, we look around and nothing is the same. This week allow God to show you a new perspective, a topsy=turvy, inside-out and upside-down beginning. Let’s begin with praise.

     Praise to begin and end your day:

They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening. 2 Chronicles 23:30

     Praise for all He has created:

All the earth bows down to You. They sing praise to You, they sing the praises of Your name. Psalm 66:4

     Praise with hope:

As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise You more and more.  Psalm 71:14

     Praise to the next generation:

Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will praise You forever from generation to generation we will proclaim Your praise.  Psalm 79:13

          Praise for His Word:

May my lips overflow with praise, for You teach me Your decrees. Psalm 119:171

     Praise for your life:

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

     Praise for who He is:

Praise him for His acts of power, praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Psalm 150:2

     Praise for His love:

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His love endures forever.  Psalm 106:1

Dear Father in Heaven,

We thank you for the gift of praise. Turn our lives around to seek You above all else.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Nothing Can Separate Us

 

     God’s peace and strength can be counted on through the most difficult of times. We see this through the Bible over and over again. David praises God as he sits surrounded by his enemies and after the death of his son. Job reminds himself that his Redeemer lives as he suffers the loss of his loved ones, his wealth and his health. Jeremiah trusts and praises God in his loneliness and persecution. So often, they appreciate God in the creation around them.

     Let’s remember to soak in God’s love in the world around us. It was created for you and me! Stop to take in the sights and sounds around you. Take in the beauty of a lake or the ocean. Smell the fresh air this spring, after a cleansing rain. Raise your face to the warmth of the sun and praise your God. Every breath of life is precious. And our Redeemer lives. Even death won’t take us out of His grasp.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Jesus,

Give us Your love and peace as we witness the miraculous and the mundane surrounding us. Each moment is a gift. Give us Your strength to get through the most-dire circumstances with the understanding that nothing in all creation can separate us from You. Nothing, ever.

Amen

 

Hope and a Future

 

     The writers of the Old Testament, the prophets of old and the disciples faced great persecution. Many were killed for their witness. Jeremiah was no exception to the ridicule and persecution. He was called by God at a very young age. In fact, he told God he was too young to speak. But God used him in a mighty way.

     As usual, Israel did not listen to the prophetic word. Jeremiah never gave up. And, as was true in Job’s story, Jeremiah also continues to praise God through his own deep suffering and fear.

“He made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. When He thunders the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.  Jeremiah 51:15-16

    Even in Israel’s disobedience, Jeremiah offers hope. He offers hope to you and me in these familiar words. Let Jesus bring hope to your heart today. His creation speaks to us from the heavens above. One day all of our hopes will be realized forever.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Lord,

Thank You for Your words of hope. The prophets speak to us over the ages of Your hope and Your wisdom, Your understanding and Your sovereignty, of Your mighty ways beyond our comprehension. We place our future in Your hands. You alone know the number of our days.

In Jesus name,

Amen

He Scatters His Lightning

 

     As we marvel at God’s creation, as we stare into the endless sky or witness the vast expanse of the ocean or the majesty of a mighty oak, we come to a place of humility and reverence. How gracious and great is our God!.

How great is God-beyond our understanding! The number of His years is past finding out. He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain in the streams. The clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how He spreads out the clouds, how He thunders from His pavilion? See how He scatters His lightning around Him bathing the depths of the sea. Job 36:26-30

     Job speaks of the wonders of God even though he suffered as much or more than anyone. He lost his wealth, his home, his children and his health. His friends offered no help, other than to ask what he had done to deserve it all. Job never lost faith in his God. He understood the magnitude of this mighty God that rose above and beyond all of earth’s suffering. You can hear the agony in Job’s words in Job 19 as he scolds his friends and lists all he has suffered. And yet He trusts. At the end of his long list of trials, He praises.

I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see Him with my own eyes-I and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

Lord,

As we witness Your majesty in the skies, the seas and all of Your creation, we are reminded of Your eternal ways. Help us to rise above our suffering and trust the Almighty God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our hearts yearn, along with Job, to see You. Our redeemer lives!

In Jesus name,

Amen

God Set Them in the Vault of the Sky

 

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights-the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.  God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth to govern the day and the night and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:14-18

     God set them in the vault of the sky. Sounds so simple doesn’t it? We set the table. God sets the moon, sun and stars in the sky. Did you know the Bible called the earth a sphere long before man confirmed its roundness? (Isaiah 40:22) The Bible also tells us that the earth hangs in the sky. (Job 26:7) Amazing! As science, history and archeology continue to unearth their findings, the Bible stands true.

     And God saw that it was good as He set the moon and the sun and the stars to govern our seasons, our days and our nights. The full moon last week was breathtaking, a high-beamed spotlight shining for all to see. I am grateful. How about you? Our miraculous God not only numbers the hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7) He also numbers and names the stars, the infinite number of stars. (Psalm 147:4) Our eternal, infinite, miracle-working, Creator God deserves our unending praise.

Father,

How wondrous are Your ways! We sit in awe and reverence of You and all You give us. Remind us to witness Your glory today as we watch the day turn to night, as we gaze at the stars You have named and numbered, as we sit on the globe hanging in the sky.

In Jesus name,

Amen