Month: December 2019

Isaiah 41: 10 “Fear not, for I am with you: be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you.  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Dear God,

I know my faith in You and the Holy Bible, are growing, but I am still saddened by how weak my faith in You has been in many trying circumstances.  Still You have answered my prayers of all types with texts, hymns, the words or actions of people or unexplained keeping from harm. Therefore more and more over the years of such experiences, my faith grows for I KNOW that You hear the prayers of those who know they love You. Isaiah 41:13 “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘fear not, I will help you.’”

Thank You for all care of me, and especially the times when my life was preserved in the face of danger; on the roads in traffic, in answer to my sincere prayer for protection.  I give praise for Your ongoing protection, care and sustenance, I really am grateful for Your everyday influence upon me and my life. I do not always comprehend and think about that ALL I have and am is because of the graciousness and power manifested by Your our Creator and Eternal God.  I have great pleasure iin growing things, which I observe in the bushland nearby and my garden of fruit trees, roses and vegies; along with the quickly growing weeds.

I love You my God, and desire to grow more and more into the type of person that I can be, as I day by day, I pray through my gratitude and needs.  Ever giving praise for Who You are, and for all my strengthening and blessings, even (or especially) during times of challenges, need and uncertainty.

I am reassured and encouraged for my tired self, this evening with the words of Isaiah 40: 31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Thank You for hearing my prayer

Psalm 111: 10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; good understandings have all those who do His commandments, His praise endures forever.”

Dear God,

‘The fear of the Lord’ – to me means more than the acknowledgement of Your awe inspiring acts of creation, and understanding of Your recreation of us on earth.  After all it is You God, who created the universe.  To acknowledge this, and be aware of Your all-pervading love, mercy and power in every situation, causes me to learn to truly reverence You more and more through the years; and I am so glad.

The Old Testament writers talked of loving Gods laws; we seem to have moved away from viewing and talking about them, with such attachment.  Which I think is a shame, for You reveal Yourself in the 10 Commandments.  Please help me to remember the precious instruction, centred  on Your character, as revealed in the Ten Commandments.  Therefore it is no surprise that Your love is revealed in Your commandments.

How can we not worship and bow down before, such benevolence from You our Mighty God of All power.  You are so pure, that it not possible for a sinful person to be in the place You dwell, yet we are not hated, but our sin is.  To remedy our unlovely sinful condition we have Your offer to take this ‘dirty’ ungrateful ‘kid’, and change me from the inside out, filling and clothing me with Yourself.  It is the undeserved righteousness of Jesus that is available upon repentance and confession.  I desperately need my heart and mind cleansed and changed, which will come by accepting You above all else, along with Your gifts and walking in the righteousness of Your Commandments.

Jesus Himself tells us to abide in Him and we will not only find Him, but live in His peace, as we grow in knowledge and love of Him.  I have found the truth of the words ‘His praise endures forever ‘and hope to do so for ever and ever.

Amen

Psalm 1: 6 “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Dear God,

Depending on how am walking with You at the time, it can be intimidating or comforting to realize, there is nothing about me that You do not know; even the highly secret things.  Please Lord cleanse away all uncleanness from my heart, and show me the areas that I need to make right with You.  For I believe Psalm 1: 1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

Thank You in answer to my prayers I more often respond to the early morning call to get up early and spend more special time with You.  Please strengthen me physically and spiritually, so that I have a desire to get up at Your time, and not my time to commune.  Unless of course You know sleep is my first need on that day.

I thank You for the sustaining power and direction You gave me yesterday and, and many times in the past, in answer to my need and request.  I so appreciate such love and providence that makes my way blessed and Holy Spirit directed, in answer to my heart preparation, and sincere prayer.  Just at this time I have extra need of Your wisdom, guidance and trust, and am glad that so many lovely friends pray for me, daily in their prayers.  As I think of them, they are so special in my heart, and valued as gifts from You.  They are truly people of Your Holy Word; connected with You, and shedding Your love around as Your blessing to others.

In the mornings as I have been spending earlier and increased time with You, studying the Scriptures, I also am learning of You more intimately; and feel fulfilled as each day I pray for a deeper infilling of Your Holy Spirit.   I delight in His presence, as I drink of the words of Jesus, and receive the true the water of life.

Psalm 1: 3 “He shall be like a tree in its season, whose leaf also shall not whither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”  This is Your promise to us, our ‘roots’ will be down in the cool, calm waters from Jesus, despite the heat of the day.

Amen

 

Jesus again had been speaking in parables to prepare His listeners for ‘the kingdom of God.’ Luke 12: 37“Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching…….” Verse 38 “And if He should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”

Dear Lord,

I again today determine to be one of those servants whom are found watching, by my Master, Jesus Christ.  I believe that You long for me as well, to be one of those awake, prepared and watching for their Master to return.

As an owner of a property is rewarded for having implemented measures to deter as best as possible, a thief from forcing entry ; so will those who live and work as if Jesus was returning that very day or night.  Luke 12: 40 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour you do not expect.” 

Thank you for Your constant guidance, love and mercy and the gift of the Holy Spirit, that I pray daily to be filled with.  I long to be as You want me to be, empty of self and filled with Your Spirit, doing Your work, in Your way.  Still I find myself departing from Your way, and using unkind or critical words, or listening to gossip.  Jesus sets us a beautiful example of righteousness, love and living when upon earth; that in my strength alone I cannot match.  But now I have found in Scripture I just have to daily invite Him into my heart, and I will be changed day by day, so I can more often reflect His love and selfless service.

Please make my life to a blessing to those I meet.  Keep me centred upon You and Your love.  May the Holy Spirit throughout every day, find entrance to my soul to be able to carry out the restoration and growth that I need, to be a prepared servant watching for my Lord and Saviour.

God above, praise Your Holy name, for Your works, for Your Being.  We and every creature praise You as our God and Creator.

Praise, Praise, Praise!

Amen

Dear God,

Paul Your faithful worker and evangelist wrote upon the subject of our title a number of times. To the Philippians 4: 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say rejoice!”  Verse 6, 7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

As with so many of the leaders of the early church after Jesus went back to heaven, Paul also suffered real privation, hardship and persecution.  He could have been morbid and sorrowful, in such situations, but because he loved God, and trusted in Him, Paul knew his future was safe in God’s hands whilst in life and when death came to him.  He believed the message of Jesus, Who taught that his body would also be safe in the care of God in death, as he awaited the call of his life giving Saviour, at His second coming.  This faithful, valiant warrior in the cause of God could have this assurance, because he knew he had made his salvation sure in the merits of Christ, all through every day, and not because he had personally reached a higher plane due to his hard efforts.

God I am sorry for the times when I get side tracked by my own doings and thoughts, and then do not live up to the life and assurance Jesus wants me to have in Him.  In reality Jesus is our Saviour and the restorer of things fractured or not as they should be.  This is why Paul says ‘rejoice in the Lord always’, for He is always our solution.  All we have to do is ask and have the faith to believe and we are restored in Him.  Paul had found by experience there was no need to be anxious, for God delights not only in hearing our prayers, but in answering them.  We are told also, we have no need to hang back, but to make our requests known to God with thanksgiving from a sincere humble heart.  1 John 5: 15 “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we asked of Him.” 

Please this day answer my sincere prayer to be filled with thanksgiving and rejoicing, knowing there is no need for a retained anxious thought.

Amen

Dear God,

I wish to humble myself before You, Mighty God, Who in heaven receives the praise and adoration of thousands of pure sinless angels.  Therefore it is amazing that You love and care about every person that was ever created, despite their sinful thoughts and wickedness, selfishness and hate expressed toward others.  It is so sad, that we so often do not believe and accept Your absolutely pure, all powerful and all-knowing divinity, and too often do not stop to think, that nothing is hidden from You.

An example of You loving forbearance in reaction to unspoken unbelief and then spoken untruth, comes in Genesis 18: 1 – 15 Abraham was resting at his tent door, in the heat of the day, when upon lifting his eyes, he saw three men standing near him.  He went quickly to them and bowed to the ground, Verse 3 “and said, ’My Lord, if I have now found favour in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.’”

God had previously promised Abraham, that he would father a son through Sarah, and so would begin a great nation.  Now Abraham was ninety-nine and Sarah well beyond the age when woman bear children, and the heavenly visitor says, Verse 10 ”’I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.’  (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)  Sarah did not believe, the Lord, Verse 12 “Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘after I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’”

This so typical of the way, we in our limited experience and abilities, in unbelief limit God to as it is in our world. Of course the heavenly visitor knew what Sarah, had secretly thought in her tent, and asked why Sarah had laughed.  Without harshness toward Sarah, the Lord in Verse 14 “Is anything too hard for the Lord?  At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah will have a Son.”  Reacting as a guilty sinner, Verse 15 “Sarah denied it, saying, ‘I did not laugh,’…..And He said, ‘No, but you did laugh’.”  The Lord had given Sarah a chance to confess her lie.  However she was not deprived of the promised child, through an undoubted miracle; she gave birth to their own son.

Bring us to true repentance for all wrong doing.  Thank You for such deep and boundless love, as displayed to Sarah and Abraham.

Amen