"On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many" 2 Corinthians 1:9-11.
I am a very "achievement oriented" type of person. I make lists, check it throughout the day and mark off my achievements as they are accomplished. When I "set" my mind on something I also "set" my actions in motion to accomplish the task at hand. These are intentional and conscious decisions with an intended goal in mind.
Such is our decision to "set our hope" on Christ. We must choose deliberately and faithfully to place or lay down our hope in the One who promises to deliver and help us through our seasons. We are to pray with petition and thanks for our fellow pilgrims who are journeying through this life and acknowledge that through our firm faith gracious favors and blessings will be made ours from the Father who loves us more than we can ever fathom!
Father, help me when I am burdened to set my hope on You and thank you for the prayers of many and I ask you to show gracious favor to my brothers and sisters in Christ. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Remembering You
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6.
These were words written by Paul to the church at Philippi. I share Paul's heart this morning through the pages of the Word. My sister continues to suffer with pain through this valley of cancer. One of my sisters exhorted fellow Christians to petition God to send them a portion of Beth's pain if they are led through prayer to do this. There have been responses to this exhortation which has brought some pain to these fellow believers.
These believers have been faithful in prayer since the beginning of this ordeal and in my spirit I know the importance of returning this gift. This morning I shared in prayer time for Beth as always but turned my prayers to the individual needs of those who are praying for us. I lifted both the named and the unnamed up to God for our Father knows the needs of His individual sons and daughters. God desires and pursues individual fellowship on an equal level with each of His children. Every child is guaranteed this intimate and revelation revealing God - it is not reserved for the few but guaranteed to the masses!
Thank you Father for all of my brothers and sisters and I ask for blessings for each knee bowed on behalf of our family! Amen.
These were words written by Paul to the church at Philippi. I share Paul's heart this morning through the pages of the Word. My sister continues to suffer with pain through this valley of cancer. One of my sisters exhorted fellow Christians to petition God to send them a portion of Beth's pain if they are led through prayer to do this. There have been responses to this exhortation which has brought some pain to these fellow believers.
These believers have been faithful in prayer since the beginning of this ordeal and in my spirit I know the importance of returning this gift. This morning I shared in prayer time for Beth as always but turned my prayers to the individual needs of those who are praying for us. I lifted both the named and the unnamed up to God for our Father knows the needs of His individual sons and daughters. God desires and pursues individual fellowship on an equal level with each of His children. Every child is guaranteed this intimate and revelation revealing God - it is not reserved for the few but guaranteed to the masses!
Thank you Father for all of my brothers and sisters and I ask for blessings for each knee bowed on behalf of our family! Amen.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Words With Heart
"I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good. For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes." Psalm 54:6b-7.
This was a psalm that was written when David was once again hiding out from Saul, and the Ziphites had gone to Saul informing him that David was hiding out among them. David had a price on his head and the countrymen wanted to bring that head to Saul for their own fame and gain.
These were not mere words David was lifting to God - they were words with heart. The first of the psalm is David claiming that God would sustain followed by his plea for God to be faithful to destroy wickedness. His heart turns to praising God, belief in deliverance and his spiritual eyes claiming to have seen the victory.
What a wonderful role model God has given us in David. We should strive to pattern our petitions to God based on these words.
Recite who God is - Sustainer - He will sustain us through our darkness
Recite what He says - Judge and Jury - He will destroy wickedness
Lift your praises - Worthy Messiah - He deserves our praises apart from circumstances
Recite the outcome - Ultimate Deliverer and Victor- We will triumph over pain
Thank you dear Father for being all of this and more! Amen!
This was a psalm that was written when David was once again hiding out from Saul, and the Ziphites had gone to Saul informing him that David was hiding out among them. David had a price on his head and the countrymen wanted to bring that head to Saul for their own fame and gain.
These were not mere words David was lifting to God - they were words with heart. The first of the psalm is David claiming that God would sustain followed by his plea for God to be faithful to destroy wickedness. His heart turns to praising God, belief in deliverance and his spiritual eyes claiming to have seen the victory.
What a wonderful role model God has given us in David. We should strive to pattern our petitions to God based on these words.
Recite who God is - Sustainer - He will sustain us through our darkness
Recite what He says - Judge and Jury - He will destroy wickedness
Lift your praises - Worthy Messiah - He deserves our praises apart from circumstances
Recite the outcome - Ultimate Deliverer and Victor- We will triumph over pain
Thank you dear Father for being all of this and more! Amen!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Freedom in Knowledge!
“He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” Daniel 2:22.
There is no other way to say - yesterday was a horrible day! I watched my sister with cancer painfully suffer through an examination that only God will be able to remove in time from my mind. I spent the rest of the day home alone crying for my sister and the rest of my family. Faithfully, God answered my prayer of complete rest last night with an awesome night's sleep - one I haven't been able to have in months. I knew that God would love me enough this morning to help me understand suffering. He did not disappoint! He has opened up new meaning for suffering. I had written in my book that sometimes suffering is God-ordained, God-driven and God-made. Through His light dwelling on this subject He has revealed an understanding that has been previously hidden from me. The best way to explain this is to put on my parental hat.
I have a will for my 18 year old daughter, Caroline to graduate from a 4 year university so I put that will into action and she is now going to ASU. She will remain under that will until its purpose is realized. My will for her was centered around my love for her and what good I want her to experience in life.
Suffering through discipline - If she doesn’t go to class and gets in academic trouble the university will place her under probation possibly losing her place at the college. I did not cause this suffering but it came as a result of her actions. This consequence would greatly grieve me.
Suffering through evil – While under the umbrella of my will, someone breaks into her room and robs/harms her. I did not cause this suffering but was a result of evil. This consequence would greatly grieve me.
I might use her experience to grow and show others but I didn’t send either of those. I had an ultimate will for the next four years and suffering came either as a result of sin or a result of evil.
I feel that this revelation is huge! God wills something for our lives never ordaining the suffering but ordaining the will. Under this will, the consequences of sin and/or evil may induce suffering. His response will always be the same as ours are as parents. We cry when our children cry, we hurt when they hurt, we grieve when they grieve but we never leave them and remain with them through the suffering under the original will. My comfort to her came out of love not whether she deserved comfort from the circumstances. I am not directing her daily suffering but responding to it. Such is the same from God.
Suffering is a by product of God’s will playing out based on our obedience and evil that is in the world. God’s will always comes in love and his motives/ways are always perfect. To relate this to my sister, it may be that God's will for her is to have a powerful ministry. Under this will, the evil of disease came but God is faithful daily to ease this burden and comfort His child.
Thank you Father for this amazing realization and how it applies to my life as a mother, sister and child of God. Amen!
There is no other way to say - yesterday was a horrible day! I watched my sister with cancer painfully suffer through an examination that only God will be able to remove in time from my mind. I spent the rest of the day home alone crying for my sister and the rest of my family. Faithfully, God answered my prayer of complete rest last night with an awesome night's sleep - one I haven't been able to have in months. I knew that God would love me enough this morning to help me understand suffering. He did not disappoint! He has opened up new meaning for suffering. I had written in my book that sometimes suffering is God-ordained, God-driven and God-made. Through His light dwelling on this subject He has revealed an understanding that has been previously hidden from me. The best way to explain this is to put on my parental hat.
I have a will for my 18 year old daughter, Caroline to graduate from a 4 year university so I put that will into action and she is now going to ASU. She will remain under that will until its purpose is realized. My will for her was centered around my love for her and what good I want her to experience in life.
Suffering through discipline - If she doesn’t go to class and gets in academic trouble the university will place her under probation possibly losing her place at the college. I did not cause this suffering but it came as a result of her actions. This consequence would greatly grieve me.
Suffering through evil – While under the umbrella of my will, someone breaks into her room and robs/harms her. I did not cause this suffering but was a result of evil. This consequence would greatly grieve me.
I might use her experience to grow and show others but I didn’t send either of those. I had an ultimate will for the next four years and suffering came either as a result of sin or a result of evil.
I feel that this revelation is huge! God wills something for our lives never ordaining the suffering but ordaining the will. Under this will, the consequences of sin and/or evil may induce suffering. His response will always be the same as ours are as parents. We cry when our children cry, we hurt when they hurt, we grieve when they grieve but we never leave them and remain with them through the suffering under the original will. My comfort to her came out of love not whether she deserved comfort from the circumstances. I am not directing her daily suffering but responding to it. Such is the same from God.
Suffering is a by product of God’s will playing out based on our obedience and evil that is in the world. God’s will always comes in love and his motives/ways are always perfect. To relate this to my sister, it may be that God's will for her is to have a powerful ministry. Under this will, the evil of disease came but God is faithful daily to ease this burden and comfort His child.
Thank you Father for this amazing realization and how it applies to my life as a mother, sister and child of God. Amen!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Simple Words with a Powerful Punch!
"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving." Psalm 62:11.
We are blessed with the Psalms in the Bible which 72 of David spoke. These simple but powerful words were spoken when David was on the run from his enemies. They speak volumes of David's faith in a time when there was little stability and lots of fear, loneliness and despair. His core beliefs are spoken in these simple words: God is strong and God is loving.
"that you, O God, are strong" - When we are facing "life on the run" trying to escape our circumstances we can take rest in knowing that our God is strong enough to conquer any of our enemies or situations. At any point, he can release us from the strongholds of our lives if we seek His strength instead of our own. He is bigger than our circumstances with a strength and power that only He can possess.
"that you, O Lord, are loving" - No matter what we are facing in life, we can be confident in God's love. As parents we set up a wall of protection to show our children how much we love them. Hopefully, most of our actions are motivated by love and concern. Our Father is so much more and we have complete confidence that everything in our lives, both good and bad, will be anchored in His love.
With these two truths we can rest from our weariness, loneliness and fears.
Remember these two things: God is strong and God is loving!
We are blessed with the Psalms in the Bible which 72 of David spoke. These simple but powerful words were spoken when David was on the run from his enemies. They speak volumes of David's faith in a time when there was little stability and lots of fear, loneliness and despair. His core beliefs are spoken in these simple words: God is strong and God is loving.
"that you, O God, are strong" - When we are facing "life on the run" trying to escape our circumstances we can take rest in knowing that our God is strong enough to conquer any of our enemies or situations. At any point, he can release us from the strongholds of our lives if we seek His strength instead of our own. He is bigger than our circumstances with a strength and power that only He can possess.
"that you, O Lord, are loving" - No matter what we are facing in life, we can be confident in God's love. As parents we set up a wall of protection to show our children how much we love them. Hopefully, most of our actions are motivated by love and concern. Our Father is so much more and we have complete confidence that everything in our lives, both good and bad, will be anchored in His love.
With these two truths we can rest from our weariness, loneliness and fears.
Remember these two things: God is strong and God is loving!
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