Month: November 2018

Seek forgiveness

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Psalm 32:3-5

3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up[a] as by the heat of summer. 

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

seek forgiveness

We cannot hide from God. When we do the burden of our sins can overcome us. We have to confess the sins that God already knows. Then the weight of them can be lifted away. Our sins can be forgiven. Thank God!

Compassionate God, we are so blessed that your son died for our sins. We can be forgiven. AMEN

See God

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Psalm 27: 13-14

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

see God

We can see God. We see him in the faces of friends and family. We see him in the little happenings of each day. We see him in the world around us. We can even see him in suffering and pain. If we pay attention we can see him. Open you eyes to see!

 

Set me high upon a rock

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Psalm 27:4-5

4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
    and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will set me high on a rock.

IMG_3287

I love this Psalm. How I would love to live in the house of the Lord. How comforting it is to know that he will shelter me and set me high on a rock. Living in a hurricane zone on an island makes this promise important to me. I can see the water rising in my yard. I can feel safe knowing that I can be higher than the water for God is with me.

Caring God, thank you for your promises. AMEN

Turn away from fear

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Psalm 27: 1

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

Fear-Not-600x400

We are afraid of so many things. We fear not being liked. We fear losing the things we have accumulated. We fear not having enough. We fear being alone. I could go on and on. Yet there is no reason for this. We must turn to our God and push away fear. God is with us…what more do we need?

Understanding God, you know our fears and our weaknesses and yet we are loved. Help us to turn to you and away from fear. AMEN

See God at work!

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Philippians 4:6 ESV 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

peace be still

Today I am using this verse instead of a Psalm with thanks to Deb at https://godshapedheart.wordpress.com. She used this verse in a post just when I needed it. This week the arangels were at work. I lost something precious to me and found it the next day. I did ask God to help me in my search and this verse speaks so clearly. There are so many times in the Bible that God reminds us to ask him for help. You’d think we would learn. For those of us who seek God the lesson is clear. God speaks…we just have to listen.

Into the valley

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Psalm 23:4

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[d]
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.

into the valley

We can go into the valley without fear. There will be valleys. Life just goes that way. But God will be with us. His loving watch over us will never cease.

 

Loving God, thank you for your presence. Thank you for your love. AMEN

Follow the path

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Psalm 23: 3b

He leads me in right paths[c]
    for his name’s sake.

right path

This little snippet of the Psalm packs a powerful punch. God want to help us make right choices. If only we would spend time in prayer and listen to God. We don’t take the time and we wander off in the wrong direction. God wants us to behave in such a way that others will say “I want to be like you are. You are an example that I want to follow.” This is what brings people to God. Not the sermons or lectures about God but our behavior. Our actions are the things that influence others.

God, you will show us the right paths if we listen. Help us to be the example of your path in the world. AMEN

Rest

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Psalm 23:1-2

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures;

frog

This is probably the most loved Psalm. I have always found these beginning verses intriguing. “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” The word “make” implies that there is some coercion to get this to happen. It seems that we don’t want to. If you think about us humans this makes sense. We just keep going. We don’t want to let go. Yet God is telling us there is time for rest and we must use it. He does not mean watching TV or running a marathon. He was us to “lie down.” He not only wants us to lie down but in green pastures. A real resting place. One that requires us to rest our bodies and our minds. Remember this!

Lord, you want us take real “down time.” Help us to remember that we must have that refreshment of our souls. AMEN

Stay near me

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Psalm 22:11

11 Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

Some prayers begin “Intimate, infinite God. God is both with us every moment and a God beyond our understanding. He is always there for us. There is always help at hand. Depend on it!

Amazing God, you are always present for us during the good and the bad. Thank you for loving us so much. AMEN

Hold fast

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Psalm 22:6-8

6 But I am a worm, and not human;
    scorned by others, and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock at me;
    they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
8 “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
    let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”

trustgod

Times are changing. Belief in God used to be the norm. Now we are sometimes mocked for our faith. We are treated with disdain. This is the time to hold fast. Time to strengthen our faith and depend on our God.

Dependable God, we trust in your love. Help us to withstand the pressures from outside and remain steadfast in you. AMEN