Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Lamentations 3:19-24 New American Standard Bible 1995
Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy
19 Remember my affliction and my [a]wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. 20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses [b]indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
When have you ever felt like your soul was screaming in pain?
Sure, on the outside, you look the same.
You show up, dress up, and tell yourself to hurry up and move past this … but deeper inside, you feel a deeper chasm of grief that shouts, This is not fair!
For you, maybe it’s a broken heart you never expected or a season where it feels like the hard things never end.
Maybe you’re longing for days gone by and wondering if life will ever be good again.
Psalm 13 New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 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 all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
As you go through your day, you cannot help but wonder, God, where exactly are You in those moments when I need you the very most?
As you lie in bed at night, you can’t help but wonder, God where are You in this?
For me, it was depression. I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t stop. I wanted to get better, but I didn’t know how. I wanted to have more faith and pull myself out of it, but I felt helpless.
I was screaming inwardly because I didn’t want to be the burden that I felt I was to God and others. I wanted to be carefree and full of hope, but instead I was broken and unsure of how to move forward in faith.
As I turned to Scripture for encouragement, I came to Lamentations 3.
The author poured out his own sorrow as he shared how he had seen affliction, bitterness and hardship.
I found comfort in the fact that he was so honest about his pain.
This whole book in the Bible is about lament, which means “a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.”
Yet right smack in the middle of his cries, he made this bold statement: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:21-22).
These verses opened a crack of light into my darkness that day, and I felt my faith slowly stir up once again.
I didn’t have to deny my suffering — in fact, it was good to acknowledge it.
But even in the midst of post surgery depression, I could call truth to my mind.
I pray this encouragement from Lamentations stirs up your faith as well.
Even when our souls scream for relief, we’re tempted to wonder if God has left us alone, we can know His great compassion never has failed and never will fail.
Yes, our circumstances may be painful, but because of God’s great love, the pain will not consume us.
We can both acknowledge our pain and remember God’s goodness.
When we choose to remember who God is, we find hope to hold on to.
Audacious Hope
Lamentations 3:19-24 Easy-to-Read Version
19 Remember, I am very sad, and I have no home. Remember the bitter poison that you gave me. 20 I remember well all my troubles, and I am very sad. 21 But then I think about this, and I have hope: 22 We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.”[a]
Hope is a Christian virtue. It’s a good and positive thing.
We need hope because the world is not yet the way God intends it to be.
We need hope because we are waiting for things to get better.
Hope means believing in the light even when we are in the darkness.
Psalm 9:18 Easy-to-Read Version
18 It may seem that those who are poor and needy have been forgotten, but God will not forget them. He will not leave them without hope.
Psalm 39:6-8 Easy-to-Read Version
6 Our life is like an image in a mirror.[a] We rush through life collecting things, but we don’t know who will get them after we die.
7 So, Lord, what hope do I have? You are my hope! 8 Save me from the bad things I did. Don’t let me be treated like a fool.
Psalm 62:5-6 Easy-to-Read Version
5 I must calm down and turn to God; he is my only hope. 6 He is my Rock, the only one who can save me. He is my high place of safety, where no army can defeat me.
Romans 12:9-13 Easy-to-Read Version
9 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Do only what is good. 10 Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself. 11 As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! 12 Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time. 13 Share with God’s people who need help. Look for people who need help and welcome them into your homes.
Hope opens us to have joy whatever the facts may be.
The facts around us show that the world can be a scary place.
But Christian hope is bold to say that even in the darkest times, God’s light still shines -even when we are afraid, God remains in absolute control of the entire universe, and he absolutely loves and cares for us more than we can imagine.
To those who do not know the Lord, having hope might seem like a crazy virtue.
If we consider the facts, we could be frightened about our lives and our world.
But because of the great love God has for us, we have sufficient reason for hope.
We have sufficient reason to believe that we are safe in the care of a faithful and powerful God. We can boldly hope in God and in the promises God makes to us.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” 3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; 6 Of the pestilence that [a]stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. 7 A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. 8 You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. 9 [b]For you have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. 10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your [c]tent.
11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the [d]serpent you will trample down.
14 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. 15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in [e]trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 “With [f]a long life I will satisfy him And [g]let him see My salvation.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Safe and Sound
If you know how big and scary and difficult the world is, this psalm is for you.
These are powerful words of comfort: God is our shelter; God will cover us with his feathers spread wide, and under God’s wings we will find refuge.
Birds do that by instinct; they see a threat and spread their wings, forming a canopy of protection.
Their offspring run for cover and huddle there until the danger passes.
Reflecting on the relationship between God and ourselves, the psalmist says God will protect us in a way like that.
We can find refuge under his wings. Surely God will shield and protect us.
But it also happens that sometimes a threat doesn’t pass us by, and we don’t feel protected at all.
The promise is not that pain and tragedy will magically flow around us, but that ultimately nothing can, will, ever separate us from the reach of our God’s arms.
We live “in the shelter of the Most High”; we rest and find comfort “in the shadow of the Almighty.”
We do not fear because the all-powerful God of heaven and earth is here with us, walking alongside and standing beside us, in front of us and behind us, as a mother hen who will never abandon her young.
We’re safe in God’s care, and he is always with us.
When the Terror Comes and the Arrows Start Flying
June 2023 that terror came and the arrows started flying right at my own heart.
Up and until my 3 bypass open heart surgery in July 2023 I was a doer by nature.
I loved setting goals, scheduling, and keeping life tied up in a tidy little bow.
Now, all these seven months later my goal-setting took on a new life of its own.
At this phase of my rehabilitation, with all the good things I wanted to do, I give myself one pep talk after another and I have tried to convince myself I could do it all, with a lot of rest, little help from my trusty goal-planner (wife), of course.
Soon, my morning prayer and Bible reading were pushed to the forefront to make room for more God-given steps forward toward reaching those goals.
Yet, still, too easily, I would become winded, exhausted, utterly unmotivated.
All my wife’s careful planning would go by the wayside devolving into my naps.
I had become so accustomed to consulting the pages of my agenda at the start of each day that I didn’t realize how it affected my relationship with the Lord.
Now, instead of waking up looking forward to spending a few minutes in God’s presence, I was reaching straight for my planner to see what needed to be done.
My choice to start each day with my own strength began affecting every part of my life. I needed to be willing to set aside my agenda and learn to abide in Jesus.
In the Gospel narrative of John, in the Upper Room discourse, Jesus had over emphasized the essence of abiding when he described himself as the vine and his followers as the branches.
In John chapter 15, we see the word “abide” used several times.
John 15:1-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He [a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already [b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abidein Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit [c]of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abidein Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so [d]prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abidein His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Our taking a much deeper dive into Scripture to carefully look at the original meaning behind Jesus’ message reveals this God spoken life-changing truth.
There’s no better place to be than abiding in him.
Psalm 91:1 illustrates this truth well, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Jesus also knew our tendency toward striving, so in his message to his people, he added,
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
We can do nothing of value apart from Christ.
Only average, tasteless fruit comes from a branch separated from the richness of his love.
I believe Jesus knew how hard it would be for us go-getter types to “abide.”
We want to do good things and share the love of Jesus through serving others.
But goals, absent God, can become idols, stealing the focus of our hearts.
The amazing truth I have discovered in this long course of my cardiac rehab is that learning to re-discipline myself to abide in the Lord draws me into a deeper awareness of the Holy Spirit working in our (mine, my wife’s) maturing lives.
Through these difficult and challenging heart agenda weighted times, it helps us stay patient with each other, love each other more and aligned with his will.
God enjoys our fellowship with him, and in those precious times of awareness, our faith filled connection to him will grow in miraculous and unexpected ways.
One way we have found we can learn to abide is by setting the planner down for a while and just sitting with God for a while.
No prayer requests, no specific agenda, just spending time being present with the Creator of the universe.
Sitting in God’s presence isn’t easy at first.
It takes a continual return to total dependence.
It means opening our hearts to what God wants to do in us, again and again and again, it involves picturing ourselves setting aside our fears, resting amidst the vastly strong arms of a loving Father, as his shadow offers protection, respite.
The more we learn to abide, the more we will long to abide.
So before we return to our agenda’s and to-do lists for the day, let’s commit to spending time simply learning about, praying over and then practicing abiding.
Even five minutes a day will cultivate a deeper connection. As we lean into God’s transforming presence, may we trade our agenda for all the Father has for us.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 91:11-16 New American Standard Bible 1995
11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the [a]serpent you will trample down.
14 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. 15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in [b]trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 “With [c]a long life I will satisfy him And [d]let him see My salvation.”
Lord God, protect and shelter us, we pray. Gather us under your wings and shield us. Be our refuge in every storm of life. Be our only daily agenda In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Father God, You weaved me together on my Mother’s womb,Your thoughts of me and my future so infinite. Forgive me for the times I’ve gotten so busy with my own goals that I’ve forgotten to spend time in your presence. You are a good and faithful God, but in my rush to get things done, I forget to abide in you. Help me to lay down my own agenda and simply enjoy being connected to you. Thank you for reminding me to spend time with you as I learn how to abide. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 [a]After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Do you know how God chooses a place to live?
He looks for someone who is obedient to him, and then the Father and the Son come to live in that person through the Holy Spirit.
Not only do they live there, but they also reveal their presence.
In other words, Jesus has gone to heaven to prepare a place for us,but he comes to live in us until we can come to live with him.
Our invitation for him to come and live in us is our love for him, shown in our obedience.
There is nothing more important for us than to understand the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
There is a very mistaken concept among Christians that Jesus came to show us what God was like and how he would behave among men.
This is far from the truth, for Jesus did not come to show us how God behaves.
It is true that he came to reveal the Father in his character, but in his activity he came to reveal humanity as God intended humanity to be.
In everything he did we see humanity acting as God intended us to act, from the very beginning.
At the very heart of that manifestation is the key and secret of human life.
The principle on which he lived is the principle on which God intended man to live and by which we are to live.
Throughout our Lord’s ministry he reminded us continually of that great principle, not only by his words, but by his deeds.
You put Christ back into the Christian and you put God back into the man.
This is the revolutionary claim of Christianity.
Unfortunately, it is often obscured in our day.
This is why there are so many false claims and so many attempts to substitute something dramatic, something which would appeal to the human heart to distinguish Christianity from other faiths.
The radical claim of Christianity is that Jesus Christ offers to live his human life all over again in you, in the midst of the situations that you daily face.
There are few who seem to step out into this kind of living, but wherever it is attempted, strange things begin to happen.
Not that the life becomes suddenly spectacular and people go around doing miracles and other wonders, but in the quiet daily experience of life, in the various decisions that come to us, there is a quiet trust in the wisdom of God to meet our need, and things begin to work out in unexpected ways.
Extraordinary things follow ordinary activity, as God begins to work in human life.
This is the secret of human life, as our Lord had demonstrated it, making it 100% available to us as we by faith receive Jesus Christ, that his life may be lived again in us.
Love is much more than a feeling or an attitude: love is an action.
When we love, we show it by our deeds.
As disciples of Jesus, our love is shown by our obedience to the things Jesus taught.
Of course, that obedience brings an incredible blessing — Jesus reveals himself to those that obey him!
Jesus loves His people, and He wants us to love Him back.
Jesus wants to make his home within us, that we should reveal him to others.
This has been the message in the Bible from the beginning.
He has already made the first move – He left everything and he came to us.
Philippians 2:5-13 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Have this attitude [a]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be [b]grasped, 7 but [c]emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death [d]on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
The very human response to such a divine revelation of humility is up to us.
The revelation of Jesus Christ living in my humanity, guiding my humanity.
Revealed to the Jesus Christ living and guiding the humanity of the next person.
However small and inconsequential or large and in charge that may be in them.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 8 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord’s Glory and Man’s Dignity.
For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.
8 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have [a]displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established [b]strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
3 When I [c]consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have [d]ordained; 4 What is man that You [e]take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than [f]God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen, And also the [g]beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
God, Author of my life, final judge of my humanity, Convict me of my sin, not for my condemnation but so that I might repent and learn the new ways of righteousness. Let me walk each day in closer harmony and fellowship with you. Let your Holy Spirit live, work both in me and through me so I might experience the true joy of life.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his [a]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [b]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Self-denial
Let us just come right out and say it – Believers in Christ face the daunting challenge of being desensitized to the utter filth in the world around them.
The line between what is holy and unholy too often becomes fogged, unclear.
In the midst of the corruption and sin in our world, how can we be re-sensitized to live holy lives for the Lord?
Jesus explains, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves…”
And what does it mean to deny ourselves?
It means putting to death our sinful nature and putting on the spiritual nature of new life in Christ (Ephesians 4:14-5:20).
We cannot ever hope to do this task on our own, but all of this is made possible because Jesus came to live among us, as fully human, and to die in our place so that we can be completely freed from the slavery of sin and the curse of death.
In Christ we are called to put sinful ways behind us—all immorality and all impurity such as hatred, discord, jealousy, envy, rage, selfish ambition, greed, drunkenness, brawling, gossip, slander, and any kind of malice.
Instead, Paul writes we are to walk “in step with the Spirit” of God, bearing good spiritual fruit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-25).
Jesus is our example.
He gave up his whole life for our sake, so that we might live.
Will we give up our old, corrupt nature to live the full life God wants us to enjoy?
In Christ we can!
A Prayer to Surrender All
Matthew 16:24-26 Easy-to-Read Version
24 Then Jesus said to his followers, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. 25 Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me will find true life. 26 It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost. You could never pay enough to buy back your life.
I often think about what it must have been like to live in the days of Jesus.
Even more, what it must have been like to encounter Jesus face to face, witness the miracles, to listen to him speak, try and anticipate his next journey, touch His cloak, or better yet, to walk and be one of His followers or beloved disciples.
The personal relationships that Jesus built with each of His disciples is truly touching.
The beautiful thing is that today we get to experience it all and can almost hear their conversations and interactions as we read, study and pray through each account in the New Testament.
Jesus’ teachings were not only intimate as He gathered the disciples and the people around and shared wisdom and truth with such love and grace, they were also a direct message to us as well!
Yet, some of the lessons must have been difficult to hear and understand, just as we struggle to read and decipher His Word today.
I specifically think of the verses noted above for instance.
We see parallel verses in Mark and Luke, where Jesus is informing the disciples that if they wish to follow Him, they must deny themselves and they must take up their own cross on a daily basis. (Mark 8:34-35, Luke 9:23-24)
Jesus has reminded the disciples of the price they will pay for following Him.
The cost is denial of self and to bear their own cross.
This is the high price we all must pay when we seek to follow Jesus and fully surrender our lives to the one and only God.
So, what exactly does that look like?
First, we are called to deny ourselves.
That means to disown our own interests, desires, and natural tendencies and replace them with what God loves and honors.
It’s essentially a mindset shift that chooses and craves to be more like Jesus – His attitude, His mannerisms, His faithfulness.
Second, we are called to take up our own cross.
The cross was a bold instrument of execution in Jesus’ day.
It was meant for pain and torture along with public humiliation.
As followers, we must be ready (and willing) to undergo suffering and shame.
That is because this world will mock, ridicule, reject, and torment those who claim Christ as Lord.
Lastly, we are to follow Him by surrendering all.
Jesus is the direct access and path to a good, righteous, and abundant life beyond this one (John 14:6).
When we follow His way, truth, and life examples, we fully surrender our lives to Him and seek His will and way.
So, we must discipline our spirits to daily ask ourselves, are we surrendering all to Christ in order to follow Him?
Well, are we?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 New American Standard Bible 1995
BOOK 2
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks, So my soul [c]pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and [d]appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you [f]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [g]Hope in God, for I shall [h]again praise [i]Him For the [j]help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the [l]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning [m]because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you [n]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The [p]help of my countenance and my God.
O Lord, our souls thirst for you, the living God. Guide us to live for you. Our only hope is in you, our God, the Creator and Author of our whole entire lives and Savior. Amen.
We humbly submit ourselves to You, Lord and seek Your face. We surrender our heart, mind, soul, and physical body all to You. We ask that You give us a means to seek only after Your heart and the plan and purpose You have for our lives. Align all our desires and passions to Your passions and allow us to be shaped and molded to be more and more like Jesus.Grant us such a measure and degree of wisdom and strength to bear the cross and sufficient power to resist the evil ways of this world. Please forgive us where we fail and cave under pressure, while offering us the courage to still fight the everyday battles. Be in our midst through each and every situation, showing us areas in our lives where we can improve and bring glory to Your holy name.Alleluia, Amen
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
18-23 But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Although They Knew God …
Since God has revealed Himself to us from the beginning, it forces us to make a choice being we can either glorify Him as God or we can choose to walk away.
Paul describes this dilemma from the very beginning of time.
Our track record is we chose not to acknowledge God so our thinking became frivolous and impractical.
The result was a foolish, dark, and hard heart concerning God.
This condition of a hardened heart is a process. If we claim to be wise without recognizing God as the sovereign creator of all things, we are fools. This leads to looking to other things to satisfy our deep needs. It’s a sad day when we exchange the glory of God for made-made idols.
It is easy to look at this and think that we would never make and worship idols such as primitive civilizations did.
But as our society progresses, so do our idols.
According to Timothy Keller, in his book Counterfeit Gods, an idol “is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” 11 Keller, Timothy. Counterfeit Gods. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009
Modern-day idols are just as prevalent but more disguised.
Work, money, family, and material possessions have the potential to be idols.
Everything and anything we exalt above God is the modern day idol.
Idolatry starts with ingratitude.
When we aren’t thankful to God, then it is a slippery slope into not glorifying Him as God and when we do that our focus shifts from Him to something else.
Paul said, this is the mark of a fool.
Since the truth of God is written on our hearts (Romans 1:19), we crave a true connection with God.
If we ignore this desire, we shut off our hearts and minds to knowing Him relationally.
Without the spirit connection, then the best we can do to fill that yearning is with perishable representations of it.
In Our Own Image …
Romans 1:18-23 New American Standard Bible 1995
Unbelief and Its Consequences
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth [a]in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident [b]within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not [c]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and [d]crawling creatures.
There is something wrong in our lives when we need an image or an icon to worship God.
We must understand that God forbids this (see Exodus 20:3-5). He does not want us to relate to Him that way.
We must also understand that sometimes people can become idols in our lives.
Maybe someone was instrumental in bringing us to Christ or we have great admiration for a certain pastor or leader.
But is that person becoming an idol?
Are they taking the place of God in our lives?
Of course, God will use people to impact us spiritually.
But every person will, at some point, fail to measure up to all the expectations we have.
And because we sometimes make idols out of others, our faith is shattered when we discover they are human like we are.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus talked about seed that grew up quickly.
But because it had no root, it quickly withered (see Mark 4:16-17).
16 In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they [a]fall away.
This represents people who don’t get a good foundation spiritually.
They don’t build their faith on Jesus Christ and His Word.
Something or someone became an idol in their lives, and that idol failed to measure up to their ideal.
So they give up, because the foundation they built on was faulty.
We need to build our foundation on Jesus Christ.
Idols also can be ourselves.
Romans 1:21 tells us, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused” (NLT).
The first creature that people substitute for God is themselves.
Ultimately, all idolatry comes down to people worshipping themselves.
They want to be in control.
Humanity is incurably religious.
There is something deep within us that wants to worship, but if we can make a god in our image, by our standard, thus call our own shots, then we are happy.
That’s because, for all practical purposes, we have formed a god in our own image – we have successfully put ourselves in the place of the one true God.
Idolatry can be living for our senses and appetites as well.
The apostle Paul wrote, “There are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth” (Philippians 3:18-19 NLT).
Jesus also warned about pursuing empty lifestyles.
He asked, “Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?”(Matthew 6:25 NLT).
For many people, the answer is almost indelibly, invariably – no.
Is there one thing that you would absolutely refuse to give up if God were to ask it of you?
Is there one thing that would cause you to say, “Take anything but this, Lord”?
If so, then that thing, that pursuit, that passion just may be an idol in your life.
Here’s the good news though, knowing Jesus fills that hunger inside of us for a connection with God.
When we know Jesus, we stop looking for something else.
Today, I pray that you may experience Jesus in a way that deeply satisfies you.
To the glory of God, the Father, may you fill your God-shaped hole with the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and find true joy in this process.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, the world is becoming increasingly evil, and the rejection of Your gracious offer of salvation, by faith in Jesus Christ, seems to have saturated this fallen world. But You are a God of infinite mercy and grace, Who is not willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to repentance and faith in Christ. Thank You that every man has the free-will to accept Your offer of salvation, by trusting in Jesus, Who willingly died so that they might live. I pray that many, who are in the valley of decisions, would turn to Christ and trust in You today, for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting, and use me I pray, to touch the lives of some with the good news of the gospel of God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five [a]talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his [b]master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your [c]master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money [d]in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Faith is like a muscle group in our bodies.
We are given all we will ever need at the point of our salvation, but if we don’t often use or exercise that muscle group, it will become weak and ineffective.
Jesus said faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains (Matthew 17:20).
Matthew 17:20 The Message
20 “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”
Yet, if we want that minuscule-sized faith to move mountain-sized objects or circumstances, we need to exercise it, to strengthen it by using it in the small things so it grows and matures to conquer the big, bigger, and biggest things.
In the parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, Jesus said if we are “faithful in a few things” we will be given more (verse 21 NIV).
He also said, “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have [or, does not use what one has], even what they have will be taken from them” (verse 29).
I believe that applies to our faith as well as our gifts and talents.
As you and I exercise faith in the little things, then we will be in tip-top faith shape for the big, bigger and the biggest things.
If you find your faith is sagging a bit right now from not using or exercising it, it might be time for a full faith lift.
Here are seven small habits which might serve to help you to build your faith.
1. Be Thankful in All Things
If you want to grow your faith, don’t put conditions or parameters around what you are thankful for. Instead, obey 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which commands us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We all know fair-weathered believers.
They are thankful to God when life is good, but they question their faith when circumstances go in all the directions which serve little or no useful purpose.
It is God’s will for you and me to be thankful in everything because it grows our faith, refines us, and makes us more like Jesus.
Being thankful in every circumstance – even the disappointing, uncomfortable, and painful ones– grows your faith in God’s ability to work all things “for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
You can become light in this darkened and cynical world when you can be thankful in all things, not just the good, comfortable, and pleasant things.
32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away Through my [c]groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah. 6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Throughout Scripture, God commanded His people to remember the things He did for them.
He told them to build altars of remembrance to tell their children and those after them the great things that God had done.
God knew we were people prone to forget and then falter in our faith.
So, if we remind ourselves what the Word of God says, remember all He had done, we’d have faith for the next time the challenging circumstances come.
Psalm 103:1-5 New American Standard Bible 1995
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.
A Psalm of David.
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
By picking up your Bible again, remembering what God did in the past, you are strengthening your faith in what God can do in your present and in your future.
3. Record Your Prayer Requests and Answers
Psalm 84:8-12 New American Standard Bible 1995
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. 9 Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold [a]from those who walk [b]uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
The more we talk with God in prayer, the more our faith grows.
And the more we recount what He did with our prayers, the stronger our prayer life and faith muscles become.
Start recording your prayer requests in a journal or on a sheet of paper you keep in your Bible.
Write the date of your request.
Then, highlight those requests that were answered with a yellow pen and record the date they were answered.
Or you may want to leave space for how that request was answered.
Just because God didn’t say “yes” to a request of yours doesn’t mean He didn’t answer it.
Sometimes His “no” or “wait” are blessings in disguise.
Seeing – and recording – how God answered your prayers can build your faith in the only God who promises that “no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).
100 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the Lord [b]Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and [c]not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with [d]thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.
This is different than thanking God (as mentioned in #1).
Praise is adoring God for who He is, not just thanking Him for what He has done.
Our gratitude can sometimes be focused on us and what we want, and how God pleased us.
But praise moves us out of the picture and is centered on God’s character and attributes.
There are many ways we can praise God creatively.
For example, praise God through the alphabet by choosing an attribute of His for each of the ABCs:
“God, You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are capable. You are deity. You are everlasting…” Or take one letter a day and praise God with as many words that start with that letter that you can think of. For example: “God you are capable. You are compassionate. You are caring. You are the Comforter.””
As you praise Him alphabetically, and remind yourself of His attributes, you are busy recounting your reasons for having faith in Him.
5. Do Not Be Afraid to Ask Big Things of God
John 14:7-15 New American Standard Bible 1995
Oneness with the Father
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
8 Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Scripture tells us that we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2).
I believe God is waiting for the challenge, for us to ask so big and exercise so much faith that we are convinced when He answers that it had to be Him.
Of course, He can provide your sustenance as you pray “Give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11) and care for His own when you pray “Please bless my church and the missionaries.”
But ask Him for something specific and something echelons too big for you to accomplish on your own, it will strengthen your faith each time as you witness God come through, and you realize it wasn’t any mere coincidence or a result of your own efforts.
Unleash the wonders of God by asking for what only He can do (not referring to asking that you win the mega lotteries so you can give half of it to your church. Or praying that you are promoted to CEO from the mail room or Janitor at your job so you can buy that multi-million-dollar home you always promised self).
Ask according to God’s will.
Ask in Jesus’ name – which means asking God the Father for something that Jesus, His Son, would ask for.
Ask on behalf of Jesus, so that God will be glorified.
God loves to answer big prayers.
He is the God of the impossible. And without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11). So, please His heart – and build your faith – by asking big.
6. Ask for Divine Appointments.
1 John 5:13-15 New American Standard Bible 1995
This Is Written That You May Know
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence which we have [a]before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
I believe every day there are God-appointments for us to live out our purpose, impact others eternally. and bring glory to God.
We just need eyes to see these divine appointments and boldness to act upon them.
Over the past two plus decades of walking with God, both seeing and missing divine appointments, I have learned that when I specifically ask for divine appointments to serve someone, make a difference, glorify God, or share the Gospel, God blesses and God provides and God gives them to me every time.
Perhaps by asking for them, I am more on the alert to recognize them when they appear before me.
I’m convinced every time you ask for a divine appointment (or for eyes to see the one already in front of you), He will provide it, too.
That conviction is based on 1 John 5:13-15, which tells us if we ask anything according to His will He hears us and if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we will receive what we’ve asked of Him.
It’s definitely God’s will that we partake in His divine appointments and the “good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, NASB 1995).
Ephesians 2:8-10 New American Standard Bible 1995
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
So, ask for divine appointments – and then act upon them – and it will build your faith.
7. Do Not Hesitate to Whisper or Shout His Name
Psalm 13 New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 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 all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
There are times we need God, but we just don’t know what to say or where to begin.
Start by saying His name and then speak your heart’s cry.
Scripture says there is power in the name of Jesus, not only because “Salvation is found in no one else” (Acts 4:12), but because Jesus responds to His name when His loved ones call to Him.
Psalm 22:1-5 New American Standard Bible 1995
A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.
For the choir director; upon [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
22 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? [b]Far from my deliverance are the words of my [c]groaning. 2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but [d]I have no rest. 3 Yet You are holy, O You who [e]are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4 In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. 5 To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.
The writers of the classics called this type of whispering cry “breath prayers.”
My breath prayers to sense His presence are “Jesus, I need You” or “Jesus, give me a heart for You.”
Calling His name just as often as we breathe is one of the simplest ways to sense His presence or remind ourselves that He is there.
I believe the simplest of cries are the ones that penetrate His heart – and ours – the quickest.
And when we call upon His name and sense His presence, it builds our faith.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.
16 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. 2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord; I have no good besides You.” 3 As for the [d]saints who are in the earth, [e]They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. 4 The [f]sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my [h]mind instructs me in the night. 8 I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol; Nor will You [j]allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay. 11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
14-17 Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Believing and Acting
A wise person has said that we should imagine our faith and actions written up in a feature story splashed across the front page of every known newspaper.
What would that look like?
Myriads and myriads of scandals erupt because high profile Christians don’t behave like the believers they vigorously claim to be.
But the tension between our walk and our talk brings dishonor to our Lord.
There are many times when believers deserve to be called hypocrites.
In those moments, our faith and deeds show a rather severe disconnect.
James speaks bluntly to this contrast between believing and acting.
Our trust relationship with God must show itself in acts of obedience.
Just nodding in agreement to a biblical teaching doesn’t transform the way we treat our next-door neighbor.
What about your faith?
Is it authentic?
Does it show others that you have a living relationship with Christ?
Real faith turns the misunderstood contrast between faith and works into a dynamic combination of genuine faith and real action.
Receiving God’s Word through Action
Faith and action go together.
Understanding and works are tethered—joined together at salvation through the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
James 2:14-17 asks us,
Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
The poor, orphaned, widowed, and lost don’t just need a word from God.
They need us to act on our beliefs and love and serve selflessly with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Gathering together as believers to worship is just a part of what God intends for us as his children.
If we are to receive all that God has for us, if we are to walk in the abundant life God intends, we must resolve to be doers of the word.
James 1:23-25 gives us a window into the life of a believer who never puts action to his faith.
Scripture says,
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
Your identity as a disciple of Christ undoubtedly comes from relationship with God, but it is meant to be lived out in your deeds.
God longs for you to live a life of good works in response to the unconditional love you’ve been given.
He longs for you to live in selfless humility sharing with others what he’s done in you.
We’ve separated Christianity from the world.
We’ve separated Sunday from Monday, the sacred and secular.
Jesus lived in line with God’s love every minute he was here.
He broke the rules in healing on the Sabbath.
He ministered almost completely outside of the walls of the synagogue.
He brought the good news of God’s grace to all who would believe everywhere he went.
His life was in no way segregated.
Jesus’s turning the water into wine at a party was just as holy and spiritual as his standing up, reading of Isaiah in the temple, proclaiming his fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the Messiah.
His love was put into perfect action through every word, miracle, step, glance, and prayer.
With Jesus as our perfect example, let’s live in accordance with God’s will.
Let’s blur the line between faith and works until the two become one.
Let’s regard meals, conversations, rest, family time, and parties as important and holy as worshipping inside the walls of our churches. Let’s live as Jesus did and reveal His love as an action instead of just an idea we talk about on Sunday.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on God’s desire for your faith to produce good works.
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”James 2:14-17
2. Ask God where he would have you put faith into action.
It could be the completely random act of buying flowers for your wife, or your finding a new way to honor your husband, taking your children on a special trip, or offering encouragement to someone around you at meal at work or at school.
Ask the Spirit to give you specific ways in which he desires you live out the love you have received.
3. Ask God for the strength and courage to live out his word.
Follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit into the good works he has prepared for you today.
The Spirit has an incredible ability and power to guide a willing heart into action for God.
Receiving the knowledge of God’s love for the people around you will open up doors in your own life to better know the fullness of God’s heart.
You will be more deeply blessed by serving others than you could ever be blessed in being served.
God pours his love and grace out on those who minister in line with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It’s truly an honor to be used by God to further the advance of his kingdom in the earth.
You were made to live out the truth of the gospel.
So choose today to act upon the leading of the Spirit.
100 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the Lord [b]Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and [c]not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with [d]thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.
Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, renew my heart, refresh my heart, change and transform my heart so my trust in you becomes a powerful, and active display of your grace and power. Help me to serve you by serving, caring about others. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Creation itself testifies about its Creator.
King David said in the Psalms, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).
It is impossible to live on this planet of ours without recognizing God, as nature is proof to His existence.
This Psalm goes on to say,
“Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3).
Creation’s voice goes out and translates into every known and spoken language.
What it is revealing is the glory and majesty of God.
By observing how specific and exact the inter-workings of creation are, one can only come to the conclusion that there is a God.
This is by design.
God’s glory is displayed by the things around us.
His invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature are shown to us in how we are made, the world in which we live, and the universe surrounding us.
Because God has made himself clearly known through the creation of our universe, humankind is without an excuse before Him.
Instead of looking to human wisdom to make sense of life whether through books, knowledge, or the pursuit of understanding.
Today, it is my prayer that we will take a moment to observe how unique and beautiful the fingerprint of God is in our lives and the world in which we live.
I pray this leads us to praising Him for how wonderful He has made everything for us for revealing himself to us by creation.
God Speaks through His Creation
Nature has an ability to bring me peace in a way nothing else does.
Sure I get annoyed by bugs or tired from hiking.
But seeing the beauty, creativity, and complexity of what God has made has had a profound effect on my spiritual life.
Have you ever just spent some time in God’s creation?
Maybe it was hiking, lying on the beach, swimming in an ocean or a lake, fishing, gazing over the grand canyon, driving through the mountains, watching a raging thunder and lightning storm or just playing in the rain.
Take a minute to reflect on that time and what you felt.
Looking back, do you think you might have felt God’s presence?
Did the awe and wonder of nature’s splendor bring you peace, or even lead you to thoughts about God?
The more I’ve come to know God the more there has grown in me an adoration and appreciation for his creation.
Romans 1:20 states that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
Nature is meant to declare to us the “invisible attributes” of God.
And Scripture is clear that God is at work in his creation—maintaining and facilitating all that happens in the world.
Psalm 147:8-9, 15-18 tells us,
He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry… He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
When you see animals eating, you are witnessing God’s provision in the earth and can, as a result, know that he will provide for you.
When you see snow fall, ice form, and springtime come to melt away the cold you can know that God is at work around you and in your life.
To miss out on all creation speaks to us is to miss an important part of God’s voice.
You see, while God does an incredible job taking care of a world wrought with the effects of sin, he promises to take care of you even more.
Jesus commands us in Matthew 6:26-30,
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Jesus teaches us to look upon creation and listen as it declares to us the nature of God.
In fact, he commands us to do so.
You can look at the grass of the fields and the meadows and know of God’s unwavering faithfulness for you.
You can look at the birds and never wonder if you will get your next meal.
Nature declares to us that God has and will provide for us all of our days.
Nature tells us not to worry because God is both powerful and near.
Nature tells us that God is creative, practical, brilliant, loving, and full of mystery and wonder.
Nature tells us that God speaks.
God created the cosmos so that you might have another mysterious yet clear way of hearing his voice.
Whether you live in the city or country, look long and hard upon God’s creation and just stand still, cease striving against the world quietly listen for his voice.
Ask him what he wants you to know as you see all the wonders of his hands.
Let the beauty and mystery of all of God’s creation fill you with a deeper longing to know your heavenly Father.
Listen to God today and allow your heart and your soul to become stirred as you discover his undeniable unwavering desire to speak to you through his creation.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Take some time to go out in God’s creation.
2. Now ask God what he wants to tell you through his creation.
Let him speak in whatever way he desires.
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Romans 1:20
3. Meditate on the truth he reveals to your heart and take some time to rest in his presence.
As beloved children of an infinite, paradoxical God we must learn to embrace and value mystery.
The Psalmist reveals to us all that God longs to speak through his creation.
He longs to satisfy your longing for fascination as you ponder the mystery and beauty of that which we will never fully understand. May you hear the loving voice of the Father today as you allow the Creator to speak through his creation.
Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Works and the Word of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their [a]line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the [c]other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be [e]blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.
13-14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.
“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.
“I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Jeremiah 29:13 New American Standard Bible 1995
13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
The context for this verse is Jeremiah’s letter to the exiled Jews in Babylon.
This is a promise of restoration after the completion of the time allotted for their discipline.
We should read this as pertaining not only to them but to all God’s Church, even today – this was a specific promise to those Jews in exile, but it captures a basic principle of relating to our God that holds true in every generation of believers.
Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
God has made himself completely and totally available to those who want him.
He calls to us, but he does not force us to follow.
His mysterious and prevenient grace notwithstanding, it is a crucial element of our relationship and fellowship with him that we’ll actually choose to seek him, come to him and abide with and in him.
Romans 1:20 suggests that everyone, even the unregenerate actually knows this to be true, though they have lied to themselves:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
For the Christian, it is necessary to wake up to this fact, stop running away, and begin hardcore running toward God, who has made himself apprehend able for the seeker.
Breaking Down the Key Parts of Jeremiah 29:13
#1 “You will seek me,”
Jeremiah prophesied that the Jews, currently then in exile for their failure to follow God, would indeed turn to him at the right time and seek his face.
But more importantly to us, he has reserved his elect Church as those who will at the right time wake up to the truth and at the right time they will seek him.
#2 “and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
The key to finding what we seek when we seek God is to put all our heart into it.
This we will do only when we place our very highest value in our God and in a relationship with him above and beyond echelons more than anything else.
Finding him is like finding a treasure in a field that is worth selling everything we have in order to buy it.
In Luke 18:29-30, it says, “29 ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus said to them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.’”
We must leave all behind in respect to what or who has the highest place in our hearts if we would truly find God.
What If You Can’t Find God or Can’t Hear His Voice?
Some of us have had that sour experience of feeling that God is far away and unreachable.
Even some of the psalmists wrote about times when God did not seem to be anywhere near.
In Psalm 22, David cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus himself repeated those words as he hung dying on the cross (Mark 15:34).
So what do you do when you can’t find God?
So what do you do when you can’t hear God’s voice?
Do what the psalmist did, and cry out to God.
Let him know how much you need him.
And read and reread today’s Bible passage, which assures us that when we seek God with all our hearts, we will find him.
God wants to be a part of our everyday lives, just as he showed us when his Son, our Savior was born.
Four Questions to Ask When Listening for God’s Voice
Jeremiah 29:12-13 New American Standard Bible 1995
12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
One of the joys we experience in childhood, although we don’t see as a gift at the time, is that decisions are made for us.
We love independence, but most of us can at least appreciate the idea of a person telling us which way to turn when the lines get blurry and a world that once seemed very black and white subtly takes on a surprising shade of grey.
One of the most common questions we have all heard asked is, “I wish I knew what God wanted me to do…how do I listen for Him or know I hear from Him?”
I would like to suggest four questions we should consider when seeking the voice of God:
1. Am I willing to hear what He might say?
Do you believe His voice will flow out of His great love for you, even if it’s not the message you wanted to hear?
If we aren’t willing to receive what He says, we really cannot proceed.
If that scares you, and I fervently pray it does, remember that a God who loves us enough to sacrifice His own Son, who promises to never leave us, and who is gentle enough to wipe away our tears ( Revelation 21:4). His will is vastly good.
Are you willing to hear more?
2. What does scripture say?
The Bible is God-breathed, so it is here where we begin.
We might not be able to flip to the concordance and search “how to know if I should stay in this dating relationship…” or “how to respond when my co-worker says something cruel…”, however, if we develop a disciplined habit of reading, studying, praying, abiding in the Word of God, we will know His heart.
And when we get serious enough to know his Heart, we will recognize His voice.
In the hardcore quest for God’s voice, let the first most critical stop be scripture.
The more familiar we are with the heart of God, the more familiar we will be with His voice.
3. What do the people who love you say?
Before we were married, during one particular coffee date I had with her, we discussed about unhealthy dating relationships.
I asked her what her family, close friends, and spiritual mentors had to say about “unhealthy dating relationships.”
Would the people closest to her, who loved her and wanted the best for her, all warn her that staying in any relationship was dangerous and if they advised her to end it – would she, or I be honest enough with ourselves to be able to discuss.
Would we talk about the reasons behind their concerns for any length of time, when she looked at me through teary eyes and said, “I try to hear them, know what they want me to do…now, I just wish I knew what God wanted me to do.”
The people who love you…the people you trust and respect…what do they say?
Have you asked them?
Obviously, everyone should not be within your circle for wise counsel.
Ask people who have made decisions that you respect, and who love you enough to want what is best for you.
Allow their voices to enter the conversation and examine how their input is compatible with scripture and what you know to be true about the heart of God.
The Lord frequently uses the voices of others to echo what He is speaking to our hearts.
4. What does the “still, small voice” say?
You know that whisper?
That sense of what God is calling us to?
In his book, Hearing God, Dallas Willard refers to this as the “still, small voice”.
For a deeper discussion about what it means to have a “conversational relationship” with God, as Willard describes it, jump into this thought-0provoking piece of writing.
I cannot do justice to the understanding he brings to the subject.
I will say this though – it’s hard to imagine hearing the “still, small voice” of God if we don’t make listening a priority.
Our lives produce a shocking amount of noise.
Our days seem to fill themselves with appointments and activities before we even have a chance to say otherwise.
Repeatedly in scripture, Jesus left the noise.
He got up earlier than everyone else, went away from the chaos, and was alone with His Father.
He prayed and they talked, a habit which scripture tells us He did often.
Are you positioning yourself to hear the still, small voice of a great God who wants so badly to talk with you?
These are our beacons.
If we are in the business of seeking direction, these questions may or may not lead us to a specific answer, but hopefully they will begin the process, to help us listen more carefully discern God’s small voice in the midst of so many others.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Works and the Word of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their [a]line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the [c]other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be [e]blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
My Savior Jesus, Giver of peace, I find myself so easily distracted by the voices of the world when I’m trying to focus and hear your Holy Spirit. Help me to quiet my mind in the middle of my busy life. Help me to just pause and to make space to listen to the most important voice of all. Empower me to be a good listener to the gentle whispers of your Spirit. Help me better follow the example of Jesus, who would slip away in the evening or the early morning to be alone with you. Teach me to abide in you. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Ephesians 1:15-21 New American Standard Bible 1995
15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and [a]your love for all the [b]saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the [c]knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart [d]may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the [e]saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
God’s Desire for Me
Ephesians 1:16-17 GOD’S WORD Translation
16 I never stop thanking God for you. I always remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Christ better.
First and foremost on Paul’s spirit is this – To Never stop thanking God!
Second is this – to Never stop praying to God for wisdom and revelation!
Third is this – to Never stop praying to God for His saints, for their faith or their lack of faith, or for their troubled faith to gain a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Our own growing in wisdom is about cultivating a character that is Christlike.
If we desire that much to be growing and maturing into that spirit of wisdom, then the words of Ephesians 1:16-17 are a great discovery and encouragement.
What is striking about these verses is how they tell us we don’t have to figure this all out on our own. It’s not a project for which God gives us a textbook and tests us with a final exam at the end of life. God is not a “hands off” teacher.
In Ephesians 1:16-17 Paul explains that he prays for people to have wisdom, he prays, God to be involved in the process—because that is what God promises.
Apostle Paul goes on to mention “the Spirit of wisdom,” and he isn’t asking only for the Spirit to help us; Paul asks that the Spirit of wisdom be given to us.
Why? So that our desire is that we may each come to know God better.
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, this matter of gaining wisdom is not just about learning some Christian way of living.
Try to fathom this miracle: it is about an interactive God who wants to live in us, make His home in us and be part of our faith growth by becoming part of us.
We can simplify all that to this: God wants us to have wisdom.
So we can each make this incredible prayer our own, saying to God, “I want to have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation because I want to know God better.”
Getting to Know God Better
The Apostle Paul has been teaching the great facts underlying the Christian faith in Ephesians 1, and we turn now to his prayer.
This is a helpful revelation of the place of prayer in the Christian experience, especially in believers who are maturing, and in relationship to the study of Scripture – the revelation that this brings prayer and the Scriptures together.
Having finished a great passage in which he has set forth what the three-fold God is doing for us, now adds these words addressed to the Ephesian Christians.
That is really the major objective of a Christian life — is to know God better.
We need to ask ourselves,
Is this happening with us?
Are we really getting to know God better?
There is a principle in the Scripture that is very important for us to understand.
We are all familiar with the phrase that says we are made in the image of God, which means in some way that humanity reflects God.
But this fact means that we cannot learn who we are until we begin to know and learn who God is.
It is the revelation and understanding of the nature of God that will tell us what we are like.
I believe that this is one of the major reasons why many people today never seem to discover who they are.
They never learn what they can do, what possibilities lie within, and what potential is theirs because they have never discovered who God is.
We reflect Him, and therefore it is extremely important that we come to know God better.
Remember that Jesus said this in his great prayer to the Father:
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”(John 17:3)
John 17:1-5 The Message
Jesus’ Prayer for His Followers
17 1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it’s time. Display the bright splendor of your Son So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human So he might give real and eternal life to all in his care. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth By completing down to the last detail What you assigned me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, The very splendor I had in your presence Before there was a world.
This is the reason that we exist — that we may know God better.
I both hope and pray this is happening to you, young and old alike.
You never get to the end of knowing more about God.
He is such a fantastic being that revelations about his character and nature keep coming to us, keep being revealed unto us, we truly discover that as we all come know him better, we suddenly blink our eyes, realize what our God is revealing is that we’ve come to a place in our spirits where we know ourselves better too.
So Paul prays for these people.
He doesn’t know their circumstances – he can’t pray for their daily problems and pressures as you can when you know somebody personally – but he can pray, does pray, they may know God better. That will take care of everything.
Will you make it your top priority to know God better?
Will you pray to this end on a daily basis?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 100 The Message
100 1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.
Heavenly Father, please give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Open the eyes of my heart to know the hope and power by which you want me to live. Open my souls eyes, Lord, so that I may see more of who you are.For my Jesus; sake, Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 