9/30/10

What God Wants

8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird on the mountains,
and all the animals of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.
14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
15 Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.
Psalm 50:8-12, 14-15

God wants us to be thankful,
Offer praise to Him
Keep our promises
That we will do what we should
Not do do what we shouldn't
He also desires us to call on Him.
He isn't up in heaven waiting anxiously
For us to call...
But He wants it.
The God of the universe
Who created the entire WORLD
Wants us to reach out to Him?
What does He need with us?
Nothing.
We are nothing compared to Him.
Yet, He desires us.
What a strange and lovely mystery...
They God that is
provider
love
mercy
fair
powerful
faithful
WONDERFUL
Desires to know me.
Desires for me to abide in Him.
Wow....
Can I think about that today?
Can I dwell for more than five minutes on that thought:
God wants me.
He is waiting...for me?
For me.
Brings tears to my eyes, and a catch in my throat.
O Lord,
You want me?
Here I am....

Who Can Compare with You, O Lord

Lord, today I want to spend time in simple praise to You! 
Not for what you have done,
but for Who You are! 
You are faithful. 
You not only do faithful things...
the very essence of You is faithful. 
You cannot be unfaithful. 
You are kind and merciful. 
The essence of Your being is full of kindness and love and mercy.
For so many generations
You have shown You are the mighty Creator! 
It is Who You are,
not simple what You did. 
You continue to sustain life,
but are this majestic ruler as well!
You are King. 
You do reign,
but everything about your presence is about Lordship and Kingship.
You are set apart,
holy in every single way.
Your love is holy.
Your mercy is holy.
Your faithfulness is holy.
Your justice is holy.
You are so amazing and I'm in awe of Who You are.
Who can compare?
No one on earth.
Not a human.
Not an animal.
No one in heaven.
Not an angel or any other being is like God.
He is...
uncreated
holy
love
mercy
fair
just
righteous
powerful
provider
king
lord
master
savior :)
Amen.

All heaven will praise Your great wonders, Lord;
myriads of angels will praise You for Your faithfulness.
For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
The highest angelic powers stand in awe of Ogd.
He is far more awesome than all who surround His throne.
O Lord God of Heaven's Armies!
Where is there anyone as mighty as You, O Lord?
You are entirely faithful.

Ps. 89:5-8
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
There God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
Ps. 45:6-7

9/29/10

I Will Take the Load from Your Shoulders

Now I will take the load from  your shoulders;
I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to Me in trouble, and I saved you;
I answered out of the thundercloud
and tested your faith.
Ps. 81:6-7


He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord,
"He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust."....
He has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.
Ps. 91:1-2; 14-16

Lord
Sometimes my to-do list seems sooooooo long!
The burdens of my day make we wake-up tired
Help me
to lay my burdens on You,
O God.
The burdesnn of my heart run so deep.
My Family, especially my Grandma
It hurts my heart that she is sick and that she doesn't have much longer to live.
My Friends, especially the one that hurt  me
It hurts that she still has no sought out reconciliation.
So much lays in my heart.
Take this burden from me.
I lay it on Your shoulders.
O God,
show me Your love
And Care
And show it to those that need it.
Amen

9/28/10

The Lord's Promises Are Pure

God's way is perfect.
All the Lord's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to Him for all who look to Him for protection.
Psalm 18:30

Let Your love, God, shape my life
with salvation, exactly as You promised;
Then I'll be albe to stand up to mockery
because I trusted Your Word.
Don't ever deprive me of truth, not ever -
Your commandments are what I depend on.
Oh, I'll guard with my life what You've revealed to me,
guard it now, guard it ever;
And I'll stride freely through wide open spaces
as I look for Your truth and Your wisdom;
Then I'll tell the world that I find,
speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
I cherish Your commandments - oh how I love them! -
relishing every fragment of Your counsel.
Ps. 119:41-48 the message

The Lord's promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnance,
purified seven times over.
Psalm 12:6

O Lord,
This sinful flesh is so prone to wonder.
Sin.
Forget.
Doubt.
Leave You.

I am trusting Your promises today.
Your ways are perfect.
Pure.
True.
Life.
Faithful.

When I am attacked,
You are my shield.
When I am alone
You are my friend.
When I am tired,
You are my Strength.

Nothing that I am present with today,
You won't be able to handle.
Nothing.
Not a distressed baby.
Not a disobedient child.
Not a dirty diaper (instead of in the potty).
Not a dinner on the table.
You will be with me. 
Strenghtening me. 

I want You to shape my life.
Help me to...
Speak kinder
Listen longer
Think the best
Help me to hide Your Word in
my heart, my mind, my very soul.
Your Word is life to me.
Amen.

When I Consider Your Works

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made hima little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made  him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All the sheep and the oxen -
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:3-9

O Lord, I'm not really an out-door kind of person. 
But this morning, as I sit here on the porch,
I look around and marvel at
Your beautiful
Awesome creation. 
I hear the birds sing,
the insects chirp,
and see the trees and flowers in full bloom. 
Thank you for caring for me,
above all of the those things. 
Thank you for loving me so much! 
The psalmist didn't know Your greatest act of love,
the sending of Your Son,
but I can praise You for that! 

I am nobody in this world. 
I'll never be famous or well known -
but YOU know me. 
And that is enough. 
Amen.

9/27/10

Restore to Me the Joy of Your Salvation

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow....
Hide Your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:7, 9-12

I have suffered much, O Lord;
restore my life again as You promised.
Psalm 119:107

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:5-6

Joy sometimes is hard to find.
It seems that our cup is empty.
When joy is gone,
the only way to get it back is through God. 

We think that circumstances in life will bring the joy we lack. 
If I had a bigger house.
If I had more money.
If I had the purse.
If I had the shirt...shoes...pants....etc.
If my kids were better behaved. 
If I got more sleep. 
If I could have what I want to eat.
If "he" would just listen to me and do what is right. 

I could have joy if.....

It is really found in God. 
He provides an inner peace and joy. 
We can reminded of the joy when we think of salvation. 
I was dead to sins. 
I was worthless. 
Lost. 
Alone. 
In the darkness. 
I had nothing. 

And HE came! 
He rescued me from my sins. 
He has placed His Holy Spirit inside of me! 
He has blotted out my transgrassions!? 
He is creating a new heart within me and filling me with His own Holy Spirit. 
What joy I have when I think of how lost I was and how found I am now. 
He has found me. 
He loves me. 
He loves me? 
God Loves Me!! 
I can know it through His Word. 
When I'm abiding in His Word,

I can have my joy return.

9/24/10

Our Wise and Loving Sustainer

The young lions roar after their prey
And seek their food from God.
When the sun rises they withdraw
And lie down in their dens.
Man goes forth to his work
And to hi labor until evening.
O Lord, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The earth is full of Your possessions.
Psalm 104:21-24

They asked, and He brought quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock and water flowed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.
For He remembered His holy word
With Abraham His servant;
And He brought forth His people with joy,
His chosen ones with a joyful shout.
Psalm 105:40-43

What child of God, no matter where in the world they are lacks for a need?  None!  God will provide.  He will sustain.  What do I worry about?  Like the Psalmist said, He takes care of the lion and the entire creation.  Why would He not take care of us, the crown of His creation?  And why not even more so His own children!?  O Lord, I worrry about money and this and that.  I bring that worry to You.  Help me to be wise and a good steward of our money.  Let me not worry about it though.  Remind me that You will give us what we need.  You will provide!!  And You will give more than we could ever ask for.  Amen.

Seek Him Morning and Evening

In the morning, O Lord, I seek Your face so that my day begins with You.  Help me to keep You first today.  I want to have the strength to be a good mother and wife.  I want to have the patience to teach my boys.  Let me be filled with Your Spirit so that I can be controled by You.  In the morning, let my mind be drawn to You.  Let me focus on Your Word and abide in You as I start my day.  Even if I wake up tired and worn, I know that as I sit and read Your Word, I am strengthened and comforted with Your promises.  O Lord, help me to seek You in the night, so that my dreams will be pleasant and not fearful.  I want to go to sleep with praises on my lips of all that You have done and all that You are.  Help me to sleep peacefully and get good restful sleep.  Be with me, O God that never sleeps.  Watch over me tonight and sing over me. Amen.

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, O Most High, to proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night.
Psalm 92:1-2

The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
Psalm 14:2

Fill us with Your love every morning.  Then we will sing and rejoice all our lives.
Psalm 90:14

Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but You.  Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.  Each morning I bring my requests to You and wait expectantly.
Psalm 5:2-3

I think that these verses that talk about seeking God in the morning and evening can be taken a couple of ways.  First, I think it can literally mean to seek God in the morning time and evening time.  It can also mean, I think, figuratively to seek Him when things are going well (morning) and when things are dark and in the valley (night).  I have that promise that no matter when I seek God, He is there.  He is there not so much to help me (even though He does), but lately I've been trying to focus on seeking God to praise Him.  I do not praise God nearly as much as I should.  Sure, on Sundays and Wednesdays.  Sometimes when a song comes on the radio, but I really need to be praising Him SOOOO much more!

9/23/10

Sing a New Song

Lord, I desire to sing to You the praises You deserve.  Let me open my heart to You and allow me to fill myself with Your Holy Spirit.  Through the songs that I sing and the music that I play, I desire to give praise to You!  Draw my heart closer to You in order to worship You!  Music shouldn't be just to pleasure me to to draw my heart to You.  It is designed to worship You, O God.  My heart overflows with love and joy because You know me and love me.  Amen.

O sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all the peoples.
For the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
Psalm 96:1-6

Hallelujah! O my soul, praise God!
All my life long I'll praise God,
singing songs to my God as long as I love.
Psalm 146:2

9/21/10

Behold His Works

Psalm 104:24-31

The earth is full of Your possessions,
There is the sea, great and broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.
There the ships move along,
And Leviathan, which You formed to sport in it.
They all wait for You
To give them their food in due season.
You give to them, they gather it up;
You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
You hide Your face, they are dismayed;
You take away their spirit, they expire
And return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground.
Let the glory of the Lord endure forever;
Let the Lord be glad in His works.

We think of God, the Creator, only in relation to Genesis 1:1.  Yet, everyday He acts as creator!  As life begins in the smallest of plants and the conception of a child.  He is creator always.  And He sustains as well.  I think these verses paint a wonderful picture of how God works every day, every hour, every minute to sustain life on earth.  From the smallest insect, to the giant mammal.  Even to us.  He is sustaining and providing us with life.

He Sets Me on My High Places

May He give you what you want
and make all your plans succeed,
and we will shout for joy when you succeed,
and we will raise the flag in the name of our God.
May the Lord give you all that you ask for.
Psalm 20:4-5

It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
He makes me feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places...
You have alsong iven me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.
Psalm 18:32-33, 35-36

My steps have held fast to Your paths
My feet have not slipped.
I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God.
Psalm 17:5-6

Sometimes it seems that everything in my life is going wrong - but at the end of everything, God sets me on a high place.  To me, that means that no matter what happens in the trial, in the end God makes it all worth while.  I either learn so much about myself, or about Him.  Because He teaches me through the trials, I am able to thank God for them.  My feet do not slip when I encounter hardships, they may stop moving, but I do not fall!  For my God has established my path.  The path may include hardships, but it is His path I am on.