Then Hear from Heaven…

The heart knows its own bitterness,

And a stranger does not share its joy.—Proverbs 14:10

At first glance this verse seems like a very sad commentary on life in this fallen world.  No one on this earth can’t really share my joy nor feel my sorrow.  Both my suffering and my rejoicing at their very deepest level is personal and private.  They are both mine to bear.  

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?—1 Corinthians 2:11a

(That is not to say that we shouldn’t rejoice with the those who rejoice and weep with those who weep as Romans 12 exhorts us. In fact, Galatians 6 reminds us that we are to bear one another’s burdens and in so doing fulfill the law of Christ.)

I say all of this not to bring my reader to despair but to make my point.  Whether people understand our sorrow or our joy is of no real consequence because our God does!  He not only understands...He considers them and bears them!!  Jesus brought His greatest earthly sorrow to His Father in Heaven and surrendered it into His care at Gethsemane.  Yes, He asked that the disciples remain awake and pray with Him, but despite their regard for Jesus, they could not stay awake with Him even for an hour. Solomon also alludes to this in His prayer of dedication when the Ark was brought into the temple.  

whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: 30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men),—2 Chronicles 6:29-30

Psalm 139 tells us that our God knows everything about us, and Colossians 2 reminds us that we are complete in Him.  Beloved, the Lord is our Shepherd, in Him, we have everything we need.  He is our refuge and our strength.  A very present help in trouble. 

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah—Psalm 62:8

Give the LORD the Glory Due His Name!

 Acts Chapter 12 begins with this verse…

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

It goes on to say this:

Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

A little later in the chapter we find out that Peter is miraculously freed from his prison…

5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

In verse 18 Luke tells us that the escape of Peter caused “no small stir” among the soldiers  about what had become of him. Luke’s word choice made me smile because they tell us there was a mighty big stir…

18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.

And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Herod was a cold-blooded killer. People’s lives mattered not to him.  Herod cared only for Herod.  He was hard-hearted, filled with self-importance and clearly had delusions of grandeur.  By commanding the death of the guards he is saying that he did not believe that Peter’s escape from prison was orchestrated by God…that he held the guards responsible. Then Herod himself escapes to Caesarea which, according to what I read, was a resort area on the Mediterranean where the Roman headquarters were located. 

Here in Caesarea, we find him sitting on his throne with the people hailing him as deity.  

So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.—Acts 12:21-24

Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God.  What a fitting end.  Herod not only refused to acknowledge God in Peter’s miraculous escape, but also allows the people to glorify him as God! The wages of sin…of pride and rebellion against God, who is our Maker…is death. Beloved…our God will not give His glory to another. 

I am the LORD, that is My name;

And My glory I will not give to another,

Nor My praise to carved images.—Isaiah 42:8

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.—Jeremiah 9:23-24

I confess there are times that I forget that in me nothing good dwells. I forget that anything good in me is NOT me…it is Christ in me.  Oh Father, by your Spirit make this real to me!  By Your Spirit may all that is within me glorify Your name. May my every breath give You all the praise!

1 Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,

Give unto the LORD glory and strength.

2 Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;

Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.—Psalm 29:1-2

How Long, O LORD?

 

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;

Enlighten my eyes,

Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest my enemy say,

"I have prevailed against him";

Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.—Psalm 13

Psalm 13 is one of my favorites. It is and has been a “go-to” for me when my heart gets overwhelmed with the cares and concerns of this world. 

I like it because it is a beautiful picture of prayer and the ability it has to change us.  I like it because, for me, it is a testimony that God waits for us to come to Him, and, when we do, He hears our cry and sustains us with His grace.  I like it because I can relate.  

In six short verses, David goes from feeling hopeless and forgotten in verse 1 to rejoicing in verses 5 and 6.  I so get this!  There is ongoing long term sorrow in my life that only God can fix and that only God can sustain me through.  So often over the course of the past 10 plus years I have run to Him with a heart filled with grief and sorrow, and I have come away rejoicing. Like David, God is my strong habitation to which I continually resort.  His love never fails.  His mercy toward me is great, and I am always helped.

In verse 1 and 2 we find David in a prolonged trial where God seems hidden from him. He is troubled and despondent.  In verses 3 and 4  David shares his heart with God and expresses his desires.  In Verses 5-6 David’s heart does a complete and utter about face. It is no longer how long O Lord, will You forget me forever.  It is now but I have trusted in Your mercy...my heart will rejoice in Your salvation...I will sing because He has dealt bountifully with me!  

Here is the caveat...the blessing is in the doing.  So often I talk about praying and crying out to Him in my distress, but what I do instead is put it off by doing other things.  I avoid my distress and try to carry on in my own strength instead of going up to my room to spend time with the Lord and His word — which is, you know, what I truly need.  My own pride and maybe fear of losing control in my grief keeps me from Him and His blessings!  I might also add here that me spending time with my God when I need to helps everyone in my household. 😀

Our whole attitude can be changed just by crying out to Him in faith...that is how we access His grace.  That is when we obtain mercy and help in our time of need.  It is in the crying out...It is in the dependence on Him and Him alone.  I don't even need to go up in my room...He is always with me.  

The trials in our life are our opportunities to trust Him and as such are wonderful gifts from God because they drive us to our knees and draw us to Him in ways that nothing else can.  As we draw near and spend time with Him, we leave His presence radiant...having been given that gift that no one can take away. 

Beloved, it really is that simple.  No matter how overwhelming the feeling or the situation, we as believers  can pull away for a moment and pray, and our Lord will meet us there. Today, talk to Him, question Him, pray Scripture...lay it all out before Him. You will come away changed.

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles - Acts 10

 Last night before I slept I read Psalm 117…

1 Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!

Laud Him, all you peoples!

2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,

And the truth of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD!

Then this morning I read Acts 10…

34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him 36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."  44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.—Acts 10:34-36; 43-48(emphasis mine)

As I finished reading Acts 10, Psalm 117 returned to mind..this time as a personal song of praise!  Truly His merciful kindness…His favor…is great toward us, and His truth endures forever.  The beginning of the fulfillment of Psalm 117 is right here in Acts 10, and it continues today. Beloved…Today is the day of salvation.  Today is the day of good news!  Do not keep silent. 

1 I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.—Psalm 9:1-2

1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

3 Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!—Psalm 105:1-3

Perfect Peace - A Letter to My Daughters…

 Repost…

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace, 

Whose mind is stayed on You,

 Because he trusts in You. 

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

This verse became my life verse very early on in my walk with the Lord. I did not know much, but I knew that this one was core.  It is so practical! It is so simple! BUT its depths really cannot be fathomed. The longer I walk with Him the more I see that it truly is all about Him in every way.  That is exactly as it should be.  The longer I know Him, the greater my love for Him...the more I love Him, the more I think about Him and the more I love, think and know about Him the more I trust Him.  Colossians tells us in Chapter 3:17 that  "... whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Acts tells us that "In Him we live and move and have our being." Girls, your lives should be manifestations of your love for Him. He wants your single-minded devotion and love.  

Every moment is Jesus....every situation is Jesus....every circumstance is Jesus and He should be the basis for every relationship we have.  He is called Jehovah Shalom (God of Peace) and the Prince of Peace.  He is the Great I AM. Chuck Smith  has said that the name "Jehovah" can be interpreted as "The Becoming One." The One who becomes to people just what they need.  I love that...the Becoming One...Wow! He becomes our peace when we focus our minds on Him. 

The first peace we obtain is the peace we find at the moment of our salvation when we look to Him in faith and in His grace justifies us.  We are now at peace with God...prior to salvation we were at war. (Col 1:21) Make no mistake, each one of us craves this peace with God.  We live in a world filled with grief, problems and an absence of peace and each one of us searches for it. I distinctly remember the peace that flooded my soul when Jesus filled it with Himself.  It was unlike anything I had ever experienced and changed me from the inside out through no effort on my part.  I now had a Rock on which I could stand.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace...The chastisement for yours and my peace was upon Him. Someday He, the Prince of Peace, will return and reign in Jerusalem and there will be true and lasting peace on the earth. 

We can have this peace now, inside of us, when we surrender to His Spirit and allow Him to rule our hearts.  As we look to Him our desires are changed and our priorities re-ordered. James 4 tells us that wars and fights come from the battle that rages inside us...we get angry when we do not get what we want. We are at war with God. Because we are at war with God we are also at war with ourselves and others. The Spirit inside of us yearns jealously. I love that...He wants ALL of me..He wants my heart to be completely controlled by His Spirit. James tells us how to do this a little further on .   

James 4:7-8: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 

Girls...this kind of relationship with Jesus Christ is built over time.  It is built as you abide in Him.  It takes courage to take that first step and ask Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior. As you walk with Him day by day it takes courage to yield your desires to Him.  But His grace is always there. You never have to worry about disappointing Him...your success is assured...He performs all things in accordance with His plan not yours.  And His plan is from a heart of love. (Psalm 33:11) Again, as I have said before in other posts, stay close to Jesus, abide in Him by staying in His Word. Gaze into it...allow it to show you His good and perfect will, to convict your heart of sin, to renew your mind and to transform you into His image. As you do this you will love Him more and more with each passing day and consequently trust and obey Him more and more. Stay the course...immerse yourself in His Word...and His peace which is an outflow of the fruit of His Spirit...love...will flood your heart.

From a practical standpoint,we live our Christian life moment by moment. Paul in Philippians 4 says something very helpful 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

A Christian is not suppose to worry, is to pray about everything and is to be thankful in and for everything! As we do this the peace of God will fill us and guard  our hearts and minds. Worry is the opposite of peace....It pulls us apart. Our MINDS need to be stayed on Him.  Why? Because our mind is where thinking takes place...If we are thinking wrong thoughts our feelings are not going to be right either.  As a man thinks in his heart so is he. God's peace secures our mind. It takes our thoughts captive and brings them into obedience to Him. Again, none of  us is capable of this on our own. You can't do this outside a relationship with Jesus Christ. You can only achieve this kind of peace by keeping your mind stayed on Him.  Stayed on Him...although I didn't look it up I am pretty sure it means keeping your eyes steadily focused on Him and who He is, on what His desires are for you and allowing His example to guide you. Proverbs 3:5-6 comes to mind here as does Philippians 4:9 above. Warren Wiersbe calls these verses (Phil 4:7-9) the prescription for a secure mind....a mind free from worrying. 1. right praying, (Phil 4:7)  2. right thinking (Phil 4:8) and 3. right living. (Phil 4:9) 

My prayer for each of you today and every day: 

Ephesians 3:16-21 

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Love

Mom  

Remembering and Counting His Continual Gifts of Grace…

 to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening;—1 Chronicles 23:30

and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endures forever;—1 Chronicles  16:41

At Jerusalem, where the ark was, Asaph and his brethren were appointed to attend, to minister before the ark continually, with songs of praise, as every day's work required,(vs 37)

Chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord regularly...the King James says continually before the Lord!  Would that that was my heart!   That His praise would always be in my mouth and on my heart.  Good bye to bad attitudes...goodbye to discontented spirits...goodbye to complaining and self-focus. 

I so NEEDED this reminder this morning!

Father, your lovingkindness is always before my eyes!  Your graces toward me are steadfast and sure and as numerous as the the sand on the seashore.  By Your Spirit who lives within me, help me to see them and offer to You a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for each one.  Looking at me as I go about my day, causes my heart to sink and lose perspective...Help me to instead, look to You and remember your continual gifts of grace.  

Beloved…it is a grace to count graces...to purpose in our hearts to be thankful...but it is also the will of God for each one of us as believers. 

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.—John 1:16

Praise the LORD!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?

Who can declare all His praise?—Psalm 106:1-2

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!——2 Corinthians 9:15

The Fear of the Lord Conquers Every Other Fear…

 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;

He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.—Psalm 112:4

My God is gracious, compassionate and righteous altogether…AND He cares for ME!  He is good and does good. Without the fear of the Lord, my heart would be burdened and filled with anxieties of every kind. I am blessed because He knows my name. I am blessed because He sees me through all that I face.  He protects me and surrounds me with His favor like a shield. Even though at times I sit in darkness, He is a light to me. The Lord my God enlightens my darkness. He sends out His light and truth and they lead me into the light of His marvelous Presence. He is my sure and steadfast Hope…the anchor of my soul. I rest secure, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Beloved…truly the fear of the Lord chases away every other fear.  Look to Him and be radiant.  Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. ❤️ Oh, Father!  Unite my heart to fear Your name.  

He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.—Psalm 112:7

17 And your life would be brighter than noonday.

Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.

18 And you would be secure, because there is hope;—Job 11:17-18

May He Do What Is Good in His Sight…

 When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. 11 And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon. 12 Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. 13 Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.”—1 Chronicles 19:10-13

Some mornings I wake up and life just feels heavier and harder...like I am walking through a thick, unrelenting cloud that makes any movement at all difficult. Like Joab, the battle line is against me.  The enemy (me, myself and I) is both before me and behind me. I want to be strong for my family and others that God has sovereignly placed in my life, but all in that moment appears formidable and just too much to bear. The weight of all those things that “aren’t right” in my life seems to be resting on my shoulders. At times the word of God can even magnify my grief because truth is sometimes hard to swallow.   It reminds me over and over that I am not in control of anything.  My life and the lives of those I love are in His hands.  Most of the time, I KNOW this is such a good thing, but on mornings like this, the eyes of my heart can get lost in the weeds and forget.  I look at the earthly and not the eternal. I am as Warren Wiersbe aptly puts it…crucified on a cross between two thieves: Yesterday’s regret and tomorrow’s worries.”

God used the words of 1 Chronicles 19 to speak encouragement and truth to me this morning.  My Spirit lifted and my heart rejoiced as I read them. 

Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.”

AMEN! and I will write those words again…

And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.”

Such a perfect prayer!  

Beloved…It doesn’t matter that, at times, my world (and probably yours also), seem to be careening out of control.  We can trust that our God is not surprised by any of it and that all is under His sovereign control. His will for us comes from His heart of love.  Our job is to be obedient and do the next right thing...the results are ALWAYS up to Him. He is the God who performs all things for us and also makes perfect that which concerns us. May He do what is good in His sight. ❤️

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD I n the land of the living.  Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.  Wait, I say, on the LORD!   

Ending with Ephesians 6:10-19 from the Amplified Bible. 

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, HAVING TIGHTENED THE WIDE BAND OF TRUTH (personal integrity, moral courage) AROUND YOUR WAIST and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on YOUR FEET THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IN PREPARATION [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God's people.—Ephesians 6 10-18

The Lamp of the Lord….

 For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.  (2 Samuel 22:29, ESV)

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, "You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel." (2 Samuel 21:17, ESV)

This verse always brings great comfort to my heart. What a blessing to know that when I sit in darkness my God will be a light to me.  Unto those who open their heart to God and believe there arises light in the darkness of this world. He give light to those who sit in the shadow of death and guides their feet in the way of peace. Here, however, is what I learned as I read today.  David was called the lamp of Israel. (2 Samuel 21:17) David gives all glory of that title to His God. God was David’s lamp.  David’s job like mine, like yours, is/was to reflect His light...the light of the glory of God. 

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6, ESV)

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:22-23 ESV)

Seek the Lord and His Strength…

 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

3 Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

4 Seek the LORD and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!—1 Chronicles 16:1-4

Oh Father...No matter where I am right now in my walk of faith, help me to love You more, trust You more and praise You more.  Draw me by Your lovingkindness deeper into Your Presence.  I don’t want to just read your word and forget it...I want to live it. I want it to become the very fabric of who I am.  Help me, as it says in Philippians, to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling for it is You who works in me both to do and to will for Your good pleasure.  Encourage my heart in this today, Father!  The closer I draw to You the more I see the ugliness of my own heart. The closer I draw to You, the more I see how little I love, how little I trust and how little I give You thanks and praise.  By Your Spirit of Grace, help me to be both a hearer and a doer of Your precious word.  Set my heart and my soul to seek You forevermore!  Set it to walk in Your perfect law of liberty which frees me from the power of sin and death and enables me to walk in Your love toward those around me.  Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore, love fulfills the law.  

Thank you, Abba, that You remember the prayers of my heart long after I have forgotten them. Thank you that nothing  overwhelms You. Thank you that all that goes on in my life goes through Your perfect hand of love first. Thank you that You rule and overrule all of it for my good. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Seek the LORD and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!—Psalm 16:11

The Heartening Word of God…

  In spite of this they still sinned,

And did not believe in His wondrous works.

Therefore their days He consumed in futility,

And their years in fear.—Psalm 78:32-33

Thus says the LORD:

"Stand in the ways and see,

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,

And walk in it;

Then you will find rest for your souls.

But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'—Jeremiah 6:16

Two different times in Israel’s history of apostasy they responded to God’s warnings in the same way...stubbornness and refusal.  Oh Father...we, even as believers, can be the same!  By your Spirit help us!  We are at times stubborn, prideful and I will add, FORGETFUL.  We want what we want and we FORGET that our very breath is in Your hand...we FORGET to be thankful and in so doing we STEP on You mercy. In both of the circumstances above, what was needed was Israel’s obedience.  It is the same for us today. 

I am so thankful to God for His word because my daily reading and meditation on it is the only thing that keeps me on the “old” paths.  God’s word keeps me from forgetting His laws and His goodness.  It reminds me of who my God is, who I am, and why I am here. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to help me stay the course and abide.  My sin disheartens me, the word of God heartens...it renews, re-minds, and transforms.  It teaches me to be wise in the ways of righteousness and keeps my days from futility and fear. 

O, that I would always follow hard after You, fleeing in my distress, to You, my strong refuge. May your mercy, O God, surround me just as I hope in You.  Blessed is the man who trusts in You.  It is all of grace!