Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
Psalm 28:2 (NKJV)
Thought for today: I sometimes get hyper-focused on tasks. One day I was working on fixing some things around our house. My oldest daughter was a toddler at the time. As I went whizzing by her to find some tools, she, being non-verbal at that time, put her arms up to be picked up. Being focused on the task at hand, I did not notice her attempts for some attention. This resulted in a meltdown which took some time for all of us (Mom, Dad and child) to recover from. Ironically, the same daughter now shows me silly YouTube videos about adults acting like toddlers and having meltdowns.
Do you ever feel that God does not hear your prayers, that they are going only as far as the ceiling? Do you want to scream at Him, throw a fit, get foot-stomping mad? Go ahead, He has broad shoulders and would rather that you tell Him how you feel than to hold it in. The Lord knows how you feel anyway, its just that it does you a lot of good to acknowledge those feelings.
God does hear your prayers, trust that. His answers come in His time and in His way. Telling God how you feel about His answers or apparent lack thereof likely won't change Him or His will. But you know what, it just might change you.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
November 12 - Silence
To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock:
Do not be silent to me,
Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
Psalm 28: 1 (NKJV)
Thought for Today: What is the biggest fear of mankind? No, it is not war, famine or disease. It is simply silence. We do so much to fill our lives with noise that we don't take time to be silent. We crave peace and tranquility but then, when we have a moment to be silent we realize how painful silence can be.
Do you think that God is silent? Perhaps you have been waiting for a prayer to be answered or for some direction in your life. Do you feel as David writes that you will go down to the pit if you don't receive an answer? Maybe the answer is in the silence. Perhaps God is waiting for you to abandon your own will and trust solely in His perfect plan for you. Will you trust Him today?
Do not be silent to me,
Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
Psalm 28: 1 (NKJV)
Thought for Today: What is the biggest fear of mankind? No, it is not war, famine or disease. It is simply silence. We do so much to fill our lives with noise that we don't take time to be silent. We crave peace and tranquility but then, when we have a moment to be silent we realize how painful silence can be.
Do you think that God is silent? Perhaps you have been waiting for a prayer to be answered or for some direction in your life. Do you feel as David writes that you will go down to the pit if you don't receive an answer? Maybe the answer is in the silence. Perhaps God is waiting for you to abandon your own will and trust solely in His perfect plan for you. Will you trust Him today?
November 11 - Waiting
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
Thought for today: I hate waiting, especially when driving to work in the morning. I have a 45 mile commute that can take anywhere from a little over 1 hour to 2+ hours, depending upon traffic. Have I mentioned how much I really hate waiting in traffic? It is even more annoying when you are going along at a nice speed and someone pulls out in front of you and decides to drive slowly. I found myself in this situation the other morning. As I was listening to a song with the lyrics: "I've got joy, unspeakable joy" suddenly my joy turned to screaming when a driver cut me off, slowing my progress. Of course, I shamefully thought of the irony of the lyrics and my subsequent behavior because my plans (getting to work fairly early) were slightly skewed by one driver.
Waiting does not seem to be something that we are good at today. We tell ourselves that it was easier to wait when there was less technology, when life was slower. If waiting on the Lord was not so important, David would not have mentioned it twice in this verse. We need to wait in order to have our hearts strengthened. We need to wait in order to learn to trust in the Lord.
What can you not wait for today? Do you need an answer to prayer, deliverance from your circumstances, an instant solution to your problems? Are you sitting in the midst of some difficult circumstances? Can you wait on the Lord, focusing on the Master rather than the disaster? Strangely, once we earnestly seek His face, we are strengthened because our only desire is Him. The trials and troubles all pale in contrast to the glory of being in His presence. Will you wait on Him today, seeking His face, choosing to fully trust in the Lord alone?
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
Thought for today: I hate waiting, especially when driving to work in the morning. I have a 45 mile commute that can take anywhere from a little over 1 hour to 2+ hours, depending upon traffic. Have I mentioned how much I really hate waiting in traffic? It is even more annoying when you are going along at a nice speed and someone pulls out in front of you and decides to drive slowly. I found myself in this situation the other morning. As I was listening to a song with the lyrics: "I've got joy, unspeakable joy" suddenly my joy turned to screaming when a driver cut me off, slowing my progress. Of course, I shamefully thought of the irony of the lyrics and my subsequent behavior because my plans (getting to work fairly early) were slightly skewed by one driver.
Waiting does not seem to be something that we are good at today. We tell ourselves that it was easier to wait when there was less technology, when life was slower. If waiting on the Lord was not so important, David would not have mentioned it twice in this verse. We need to wait in order to have our hearts strengthened. We need to wait in order to learn to trust in the Lord.
What can you not wait for today? Do you need an answer to prayer, deliverance from your circumstances, an instant solution to your problems? Are you sitting in the midst of some difficult circumstances? Can you wait on the Lord, focusing on the Master rather than the disaster? Strangely, once we earnestly seek His face, we are strengthened because our only desire is Him. The trials and troubles all pale in contrast to the glory of being in His presence. Will you wait on Him today, seeking His face, choosing to fully trust in the Lord alone?
Monday, November 10, 2014
November 10 - Goodness in the Land of the Living
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Psalm 27:12,13
Thought for Today: We all face many enemies in this life, whether it be the forces that wage inside of our own spirits that go against God's best intent for us or another person's intent to do us harm in some way. How would you define your enemy: internal or external?
Dean Inge wrote: “Let us remember, when we are inclined to be disheartened, that the private soldier is a poor judge of the fortunes of a great battle." Do you feel that you are about to lose heart, to give up on a situation in your life that seems impossible? Trust that even though you may not yet see the end result, the Lord does have your good in mind. He who made the stars walks with you even through the darkest days. Can you trust Him to deliver you and show you His goodness in this life?
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Psalm 27:12,13
Thought for Today: We all face many enemies in this life, whether it be the forces that wage inside of our own spirits that go against God's best intent for us or another person's intent to do us harm in some way. How would you define your enemy: internal or external?
Dean Inge wrote: “Let us remember, when we are inclined to be disheartened, that the private soldier is a poor judge of the fortunes of a great battle." Do you feel that you are about to lose heart, to give up on a situation in your life that seems impossible? Trust that even though you may not yet see the end result, the Lord does have your good in mind. He who made the stars walks with you even through the darkest days. Can you trust Him to deliver you and show you His goodness in this life?
Monday, November 3, 2014
November 3 Give Me Tomorrow
Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Psalm 27:11 (NKJV)
It was November 1950. Eight thousand US Marines struggled to survive the coldest North Korean winter in 100 years, surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops. Temperatures at times got as cold as minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Their only lifeline was the Main Supply Route, a 15 foot wide steep mountain road. A dangerous 78 mile journey led to the Sea of Japan. The US troops endured thirteen days of hardship, losing many, in order to make it to safety. During this difficult time, one soldier was asked by a war correspondent what he wanted for Christmas. His reply: "Give me tomorrow."
We all want everything to go smoothly in life. David seems to imply in this verse that we must allow the Lord to teach us His ways in order to be led along a smooth path because, without the Lord's direction, we would be lost to our enemies. Does smooth mean a life without bumps and hiccups along the way? Most likely not. Yet, we can be assured that regardless of the difficulty we may face, we do serve One who has given us tomorrow, an assurance of eternal life if we receive Him as our Lord and Savior. How about you? Are you resting on the assurance that you have been given tomorrow by the One who created time? Or are you worried about tomorrow and the uncertainties that it could hold? I pray that it is the former, that you may trust fully in Him, knowing that He will lead you all the days of your life.
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Psalm 27:11 (NKJV)
It was November 1950. Eight thousand US Marines struggled to survive the coldest North Korean winter in 100 years, surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops. Temperatures at times got as cold as minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Their only lifeline was the Main Supply Route, a 15 foot wide steep mountain road. A dangerous 78 mile journey led to the Sea of Japan. The US troops endured thirteen days of hardship, losing many, in order to make it to safety. During this difficult time, one soldier was asked by a war correspondent what he wanted for Christmas. His reply: "Give me tomorrow."
We all want everything to go smoothly in life. David seems to imply in this verse that we must allow the Lord to teach us His ways in order to be led along a smooth path because, without the Lord's direction, we would be lost to our enemies. Does smooth mean a life without bumps and hiccups along the way? Most likely not. Yet, we can be assured that regardless of the difficulty we may face, we do serve One who has given us tomorrow, an assurance of eternal life if we receive Him as our Lord and Savior. How about you? Are you resting on the assurance that you have been given tomorrow by the One who created time? Or are you worried about tomorrow and the uncertainties that it could hold? I pray that it is the former, that you may trust fully in Him, knowing that He will lead you all the days of your life.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
November 2 - He will never Forsake You
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.
Psalm 27: 9-10
Thought for Today: Lewis Smedes writes in “A Chorus of Witnesses”: "Yes, somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God. What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there even when being there costs her more than she wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty. "
Are you feeling forsaken today? Perhaps you feel the sting of rejection or the pain of a lost relationship. We have a great promise from our God: "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) People make promises and often do not follow through. We can be assured that all of God's promises to us are true, we can bank on that. Can you rest in the assurance that, if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are His precious child, never to be left on your own or abandoned? We don't serve a God who abandons, but one who desires our complete abandon.
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.
Psalm 27: 9-10
Thought for Today: Lewis Smedes writes in “A Chorus of Witnesses”: "Yes, somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God. What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there even when being there costs her more than she wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty. "
Are you feeling forsaken today? Perhaps you feel the sting of rejection or the pain of a lost relationship. We have a great promise from our God: "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) People make promises and often do not follow through. We can be assured that all of God's promises to us are true, we can bank on that. Can you rest in the assurance that, if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are His precious child, never to be left on your own or abandoned? We don't serve a God who abandons, but one who desires our complete abandon.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
November 1 - The Engineer
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27: 5
Thought for Today: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” Corrie ten Boom, a great servant of the Lord, made this statement when asked about trusting the Lord in all circumstances.
What tunnel are you going through in your life? Perhaps it is a tunnel of fear, doubt, addiction, physical or emotional suffering. Whatever it is, the Lord will indeed hide you, shelter you and help you through this time. Will you trust the engineer of your life journey to lead you always?
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