"The God of Abraham Praise"

 

“In prophet’s word He spoke of Old, He speaketh still.”

Our God speaks to us every day, everywhere and in every way. The Old Testament is filled with examples of God speaking to the prophets and everyday men and women. He spoke through angels, through fire and through donkey’s.

God mainly speaks through His Word. If our ears are open, He will tell us what we need so we can live a godly life. He speaks through the Holy Spirit. Other believers. Creation. Music.

God’s voice is said to be powerful and full of majesty. It is likened to thunder, rushing waters, harps, and trumpets. He also speaks in a still, small voice.

If we are to hear God, we must be a student of His Word. We must read the Bible, for His voice is found there. We must fill our ears with praise and worship music. Gifted men and women who have been given words by God’s inspiration can affect us in great ways.

In the mountains and valleys, the sea and rivers, a delicate flower and a thriving oak tree, you can hear God speak if your heart is indwelt with God’s Spirit and you seek Him.

I’m thankful our God wants us to know His will and He provides opportunities wherever you are so you can hear Him.

He speaketh still. We are not left alone to wonder what God is saying. You will hear Him if you listen.

By His Grace . . . 

Tell It Out With Gladness

 

“Lord, we thank Thee for the treasure hid within the sacred page.”

What is your treasure? Hopefully your treasure has to do with your heart and what is the most important thing to you. A treasure can be something of great worth or value; a person you hold in high esteem, a collection of precious things.

Some of my treasures are my closest and dearest friends. Ladies that have walked through life with me and helped me remain strong and able. Another of my treasures are the hymns of old that I learned in my early years of being a Christian. My sister is a great treasure to me, as well as my husband.

Yet there is a treasure above all of these that each one of us has the ability to claim. God’s Word. As a Christian, the Bible should be our most treasured item, for indeed, treasure is hid within its pages.

The Bible is entitled to reverence and respect. All of it. Not just the parts we understand or agree with. From Genesis to Revelation each and every word, story, chapter and verse is written from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Most of us are familiar with these words in 2 Timothy, Chapter 3, verse 17-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Did you catch the words: “God-breathed”?

Bible Study Tools.com: Paul’s popularly quoted verse definitively states God is the Author of all Scripture. Though penned by men, it is divinely inspired or, God-breathed. “All Scripture is God-breathed” also explains the alive and active Word of God. Meaning, we can study Scripture today and still find it relevant to our daily lives. God moves in and through His Word, guiding, counseling, connecting to, and comforting us through its ancient pages.

We have a treasure in the Bible. If you want joy, read the Bible. If you want peace, read the Bible. If you want direction, read the Bible. If you want comfort, read the Bible. Anything you want is in the Bible.

Thank you, God, for the treasure we have within your sacred Word.

By His Grace . . .

The Solid Rock

 

“When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace” . . . “When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”

The words “When all around my soul gives way” are interesting. Has there been times in your life when you felt your soul just gave way? When you’d been so bombarded with sadness, or illness, or grief, or hardship, you couldn’t find the strength to call on God for His help?

We all know God is with us even during dark times. That’s when the Holy Spirit takes over and hears our groans and delivers to Almighty God the words that are needed. As God slowly works to bring us comfort, we begin to feel His presence and our hope returns. And His hope will fill you with the knowledge that our God is faithful and will help you!

On Biblehub.com, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers it says: “When the Christian’s prayers are too deep and too intense for words, when they are rather a sigh heaved from the heart than any formal utterance, then we may know that they are prompted by the Spirit Himself. It is He who is praying to God for us.”

On Bibleref.com it says: “We feel the need, the longing, for Him, but what do we ask for? The Spirit steps in and carries those unsaid ‘groanings’—those thoughts and feelings we simply cannot express in human words—to God. He both creates the connection from ourselves to God and provides the content of our communication.”

Our solid Rock. His unchanging grace. His forever hope. We always have it with us. We just need to remember to call Him, whether it’s with words or groans. The Holy Spirit makes sure He hears exactly what we need.

By His Grace . . .

Since Jesus Came Into My Life

 

“I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure.”

One of my favorite sayings is: “You must have a deep settled confidence in God.” And the above line in verse 2 reminds me of that. Steadfast and sure. Resolutely and dutifully firm and unwavering. A sureness and continuousness.

You should know beyond any doubt that God is always with you, always ready to help, always ready to comfort, always ready to hear your prayer.

And with that, you will certainly be possessed with HOPE. God’s HOPE. Forever HOPE. Glorious HOPE. What a promise we have!

Hebrews 6:19-20: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

“Hope is a mental attitude. It’s not an emotion or matter of feelings. It’s a mindset . . . We must claim God’s promises. We must believe He is working everything for our good. We must envision the eternal life He has prepared for us. We must set out minds on things above. If we do, we’ll live a life that’s greatly encouraged.” David Jeremiah Blog

Your faith will be steadfast and sure. You will possess hope. You will have a deep-settled confidence in God. Make it happen.

By His Grace . . .

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

 

“You fearful saints, fresh courage take: The clouds you so much dread; Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.”

Courage. We all need some of that as we venture through life. Clouds come at every turn to darken our spirits and keep us low. Yet God’s mercy follows us wherever we go. Always available. Always fresh. Always welcome.

We just need to get above those clouds that are dark and scary.  For me, reading in the Psalms helps me do that. I go to Psalm 42:5 and Psalm 61:1-2:

Psalm 42:5: “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

Psalm 61:1-2: “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”

Once I repeat those verses again and again, my heart responds, and I start to refocus on God’s strength and love.

His mercies are BIG! “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.” Psalm 6:9

I find my fear subsides, my courage returns, and the clouds are rolled away. Many of us will be familiar with the words “Courage, dear heart,” written by C. S. Lewis in his famous work: “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, book 5 from the Chronicles of Narnia. I have a small dish with those words on it to remind me my courage will return with God’s help.

Sometimes it takes a while before my mind is led to read those verses, but eventually God directs my thoughts to find them. They make me feel so much better. The concern may still be there, but God’s word puts my concern in its place and allows me to move forward in a more positive frame of mind.

Find your words of relief in God’s Word. Underline them. Highlight them. Remember where they are. And remember, the clouds are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.

By His Grace . . .

I Am His and He Is Mine

 

“I Am His, and He Is Mine”

"Heaven above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green!

Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen:

Birds with gladder songs overflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine,

Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine."

In this verse I am reminded that before I became a Christian, I never saw the creation of God as I do now. Our eyes are opened wide when we become a Christian and we see things we never saw before.

I like the words “Something lives in every hue.” It’s not just the color. Our eyes see God in everything we see. We know in our hearts that God created it, God cares for it, and God provides for it.

Our eyes behold scenes with awe and joy. We begin to see things as God sees them. And He said to all His creation: “It is good.”

Biblehub.com, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: "He spake and it was done. He commanded and all things stood fast" [Ps 33:9]. "Great and manifold are thy works, Lord God Almighty! in wisdom hast thou made them all" [Ps 104:24]. We admire that wisdom, not only in the regular progress of creation, but in its perfect adaptation to the end. God is represented as pausing at every stage to look at His work. No wonder He contemplated it with complacency. Every object was in its right place, every vegetable process going on in season, every animal in its structure and instincts suited to its mode of life and its use in the economy of the world. He saw everything that He had made answering the plan which His eternal wisdom had conceived; and, "Behold it was very good" [Ge 1:31].

Thank you, God, that my eyes were opened, and I can see your marvelous works in every hue!

By His Grace . . .

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

 

“One word of Thy supporting breath Drives all my fears away.”

I love the words “supporting breath,” in Verse 2 of this hymn. His breath gave us life. But it also sustains us.

I found these words on Crosswalk.com by The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman that tells us about God’s breath: “The breath of God brings us comfort and encouragement. Understanding the breath of God, therefore, helps us recognize the places where God moves in our lives. The breath of God refers to the deepest part of who God is. It also describes how God acts in the world . . . God constantly breathes, constantly moves. Thus, the breath of God declares God’s unyielding presence. Feeling God’s breath, therefore, gives us hope, and inspires us to live more faithfully with the Lord . . .

“The Bible describes all creatures as having “the breath of life.” God’s breath is placed within all living things . . . God does not merely bestow life upon humanity, God places His breath within them . . .

“The breath of God is fundamental to our understanding of the Bible. God’s breath is the inspiration of the Scriptures. Paul writes that the Scriptures are “God breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) . . . As it is God’s breath that inspired the words of Scripture, it is God’s breath that helps us receive the Scriptures and understand them . . . The breath that inspired the writing of Scripture also inspires the hearing of Scripture. When we read the Bible, therefore, we meet the breath of God. God breathes over our hearing and receiving of the divine Word. In reading the Bible, God speaks God’s truth into our lives.”

God’s “supporting breath” keeps us alive, drives our fears away, brings understanding of His Word, sustains the universe and comforts and encourages us. His breath is alive! 

Thank God for your breath today and know you are never alone. His breath gives you life.

By His Grace . . .