Tag: prayer

Lent 2025, Let the Promise Journey Begin

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Our world is filled with chaos and turmoil. Keeping our eyes on Jesus will give us wisdom and discernment for navigating the waters of life that seem to swirl constantly around us. Habakkuk 3:17-19 provides a window into the hope we have in God.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty, Does your world resemble this picture?
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Is your resolve set in the Lord?
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights. Are you willing to trust in Him?

Promise: God promises He will be my strength and joy and enable me to endure life’s trials.

If you had a chance to profess your faith and trust in God, would your words be similar to the prophet Habakkuk’s? He had learned that God alone would be His joy and strength in hard times. He knew he could count upon God to be there and give him the surefootedness of a deer when things got hard or steep. This confession of faith came after struggling with God, questioning Him and seeking to understand his world, faith and God’s actions or inactions. Doesn’t that describe each one of us? We say, why God did you allow such and such to take place? Why is this happening to me? Our answer, like Habakkuk’s comes down to trust and faith in Almighty God. Isaiah 55:8 “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither ar e you ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Just like Habakkuk, we have to acknowledge and trust in the sovereignty of God and depend upon His strength. May your resolve be empowered today as you step out and trust God in every trial you are facing.

From this promise we see: trusting God brings joy, God is our Savior, God is Sovereign, and God provides what we need to be able to endure or rise above the trials of life.

Questions for myself in this Lenten time of reflection. How is my trust in God growing? What joy from God am I experiencing in the trials of life I am currently facing?

God’s Word is deep and provides many other places where we can find similar assurances to this promise in Habakkuk. We are ‘slow’ learners and God knows we need things repeated to have them stick to our character. Here are some verses with related truths: 1 Chronicles 29:12, Psalm 18:46, Isaiah 43:11, John 10:29, Romans 5:1-5 and James 1:2-4.

Let us journey together the next 6 weeks and emerge steeped in His promises!

Linda

Advent Day 13, We can Count Upon God!

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Today’s scripture comes from Habakkuk 3. Habakkuk was a little known prophet that lived around and after the death of King Josiah. He had seen times of great pagan worship in Israel and then a return to God for a brief time. Habakkuk is a changed man as he interacts with God. The third chapter begins with his prayer:

Habakkuk 3:1-2 God, I’ve heard what our ancestors say about you,
    and I’m stopped in my tracks, down on my knees.
Do among us what you did among them.
    Work among us as you worked among them.
And as you bring judgment, as you surely must,
    remember mercy. Habakkuk is pleading with God for him to make himself known among the people even though judgement for their idolatry is imminent he asks God for mercy. Habakkuk knew the nature of God and had seen His work among the people. What about you? Do you know who God is and what He has done? He is our mighty God and there is none like Him. Psalm 89:8 “O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” He has done great things for us, Romans 8:3 “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,”

Habakkuk concludes his prayer with some of the most beautiful words in the Bible.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the cherry trees don’t blossom
    and the strawberries don’t ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
    and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
    and the cattle barns empty,
I’m singing joyful praise to God.
    I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.
Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,
    I take heart and gain strength.
I run like a deer.
    I feel like I’m king of the mountain! Habakkuk looked beyond his present circumstances and decided upon full surrender and dependence upon God. He was going to keep his focus upon God as he could count of God’s faithfulness, strength, commitment and love. It made him feel like a new man that was able to climb those spiritual and physical mountains ahead. Is you faith in God based on Jesus and His faithful character? Do you know for certain He has the future handled?

Matthew 6:24-26 gives us an anchor within God’s character upon which to hold. Jesus promises, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”  Are you not of more value than they? Jesus also gave us this promise of peace in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” We are valued by God and can have His peace in our lives.

Whenever you are down trodden or feeling without hope, remember Jesus is the answer. This Christmas season claim His promises and be filled with hope and peace just as Habakkuk was so long ago. He has the future handled and we can count upon God!

Linda

Advent Day 10, No Worries in Jesus

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On the Second Sunday of Advent we lit the Bethlehem or Peace Candle. Reflecting on peace today we can gain insight and encouragement from Philippians 4:6-8.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

In the stories surrounding Jesus’ birth I see 2 major characters that followed the advice of the Apostle Paul. Zachariah and Mary are good examples to us of peace in crisis. Zachariah was a priest and while on duty in the temple an angel appeared to him and told him his wife of many years would have a child. Zachariah questioned the angel in disbelief and was chastised for his faithlessness by being told he would not speak again until the child was born. He spoke after John was born and proclaimed prophecy about his child and the Messiah to come.

Luke 1:76-79 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Zachariah learned a valuable lesson that focusing on our doubts and fears is not what God desires for us. God does not want us stuck in unbelief but focusing on what He has for our future and walking in faith each day with Jesus.

Likewise, Mary focused on the possibilities of God when confronted by an angel and was told she would bear a child even though she was a virgin. She wondered how this could be but did not question the ability of God to perform this miracle. Luke 1:35-38  “And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[e] will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Shortly after this, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. There Mary eloquently proclaims for all time the blessing she is receiving from the Lord.

Luke 1:46-49 “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name. Mary’s focus was not on all the problems and worries this pregnancy would bring but on the blessings of the Lord. She was at peace with God’s plan and trusted in Him.

What can you see in your life situation that is cause for worry and fear that you could turn into peace if you trusted in Jesus? Paul tells us that the peace that Jesus gives surpasses all explanation and will guard and protect us as we walk with Him. Just like Zachariah and Mary, we need to keep our minds focused on the good things, on Jesus, on His grace and mercy on the possibilities with God and He will bring us peace.

May you find the Peace of Jesus today.

Linda

Are You Willing and Able?

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After Peter and John left those who had put them in jail and told them not to talk about Jesus, scripture says in Acts 4:23 they went to their people (other believers) and told them what had happened. Peter and John said the religious leaders had told them to stop telling others about Jesus. They had said, NO! We have to speak of the things we have seen and heard. After further threats they had let them go.

When their friends heard what had happened, Acts 4:24 describes their response,“they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,” They continued praising God for how Jesus had been conspired against by the leaders both religious and governmental. All of it had been done in ways God had decided beforehand to allow. Verse 28, “to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” They acknowledged that God was totally in control then and He was in control in their situation too. Their prayers continued as they asked God for future provision and power to continue witnessing. Acts 4:29-30 “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” They did not want to just do an average job but to witness boldly with conviction and power.

I love God’s immediate response. Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

These believers did not ask to be spared from persecution but to have the ability to witness boldly. They wanted to show God’s power and might and proclaim the name of Jesus so that as many as possible would come to know Him. God answered their prayer with the ability, and courage to witness boldly for Him.

We can take a lesson from the prayer of these early believers. Ask yourself- do you pray with conviction? Do you ask for the ability to witness boldly? It takes courage and great conviction to pray as they did. Will you take this as a challenge in your own prayer life? Jesus has the power if we are able and willing.

Linda

Holy Week, Thursday, Jesus’ Heart of Love

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As Jesus’ time on earth draws to a close, His Thursday was filled with love, encouragement, heartbreak and pain.  As Jesus celebrated the Passover supper with His disciples in the Upper Room, Judas was dismissed as he had already decided in his heart to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  Jesus spent precious hours teaching, reassuring and praying for His disciples.  Later they went to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed and gained strength from His Father.  The soldiers came into the garden to arrest Jesus, and he was betrayed by Judas. They led him away to be tried in numerous trials both civilian and religious.  He was beaten, flogged, insulted and denied by Peter.

During all this time, Jesus was focused on doing the will of the Father and completing His mission on earth, the redemption of mankind.  I am touched when I consider His prayer in the Upper Room as recorded in John 17: 20-23 as he was thinking of me and you and not the ordeal he was facing.

I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind–
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.  (Message)

I was amazed that Jesus took time to pray for His mission, His disciples and All future believers that night in the Upper Room.  He wanted all future believers to be unified in faith, so we can tell others that Jesus was and is real and was sent by the Father.  He says that the unity of our faith and oneness with Him will give evidence to the unbelieving world that God loves us and truly sent His Son to redeem us.  This unity was so important to our Lord and Savior that He interceded for us.  Jesus wants us to be one in Spirit, united, telling others about Him.

What difference does it make that Jesus spend time on his last night before his crucifixion praying for you?  When you are with other believers do you strive for the unity Christ desired or are you seeking to divide and cause unrest in matters of faith with your brothers and sisters in Christ?  Are you about the sharing of your faith with others by showing kindness, love and speaking of the hope you have in Jesus?  Today, think of Jesus and what He desires for all believers.  Strive to walk in unity.  He promises it will show the world that we believe in Him and desire to show God’s love to others.

Prayer:  Father, I am humbled and amazed that Jesus prayed for me on His last night on earth.  He loved me so much and wanted me to be one in faith and unified in spirit with all believers.  Help me to live today with an abiding faith in You, so that the people I meet will know that I love You and that You love me. Empower me to show your love to others so that you may be glorified in all I say and do. Amen.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be unified with other believers in Jesus’ name and share in His love.

Linda

Holy Week, Monday -Confronting Injustice

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There are two specific actions Bible Commentaries assign to Monday of Holy Week.  Jesus entered the city humbly and triumphantly on Sunday and then cleansed the temple area of money changers and withered a fig tree on Monday.  Both actions seem harsh from our Lord but give a picture of the worldly opposition to God’s kingdom.  From both we get a glimpse of divine justice.  You can read the accounts in Matthew 21 and Mark 11.

Jerusalem at Passover was a bustling city with many pilgrims arriving to make offerings at the temple. They needed to purchase animals for sacrifice and change money so they could pay the yearly temple tax. The exchanges were all being conducted in the outer court of the Gentiles.  Here is Matthew’s account from 21:12-14.

moneychangers

12-14 Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:

“My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.“

Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.  (Message)

Jesus was then, is now and will be in eternity the Righteous Judge.  He saw the true motives of the people desiring to make money exorbitantly and uprooted and cast them out literally.  He placed priority for prayer and worship on coming to God’s house.  He got right to the work of his ministry- healing and allowing access to God for everyone.

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As we near the cross, take heart from this short snippet in Jesus’ last week.  Know that He came to save and set right relationships and motives towards God.  What attitudes do you need adjusted by Jesus today?  Do you attend church to make ‘connections’ with people for business or do you come to pray and reflect on your walk with Jesus?  Looking at the heart is what Jesus did then and does now in our lives through the Holy Spirit.  Let Him cleanse your heart today and put you on the right pathway with right motives.  May our hearts be right with God today as suggested in this quote by Charles Wesley.  

Prayer:  Father God, I come to you today in need of readjusted attitudes and I desire that my motives be made pure.  Show me where I have wrong attitudes and motives.  Fill me with your Spirit anew today and guide me in your ways.  Cause me to walk with you in humility and openness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Do you desire to have a heart of prayer today? Then lift up your voice and thoughts to Him. He will answer. Proverbs 15:29 “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” Be right with God today.

Linda

Old or New Testaments, Jesus is Worthy

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On this last day before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, I am thinking about his resolve and determination to face the events that would transpire in the last week of his life. What courage and love it must have taken to head towards Jerusalem with the cross looming before him. For today I have chosen a psalm filled with joy and thanksgiving as we anticipate the shouting crowd, the humble Savior and the willing donkey too.

Psalm 100  Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing! Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. , Ephesians 4:17-20 “but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

3  Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Ephesians 2:20 ‘For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” John 10:14-15 “ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. “

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

5 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations. 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 1 John 4:8 “ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.“

Whether in the Old or New Testaments the story of our God is consistent. He is glorious and worthy of our praise and worship. He is our God and Savior and there is none that can compare to Him. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can rejoice in my God and Savior.

Blessings as you enter into Holy Week and may your journey down the Palm Sunday road be filled with praise.

Linda

 

Jesus Teaches US to Pray for Others by Example

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Each Sunday during Lent we have been looking at prayers offered by the Apostles for the new believers in Christ. Each time we have seen their heartfelt love for their friends and deep conviction that their faith grow and develop. Today on this 4th Sunday of Lent I want to look at Jesus’ prayer recorded in John 17. I have chosen verses 20-26 but the whole chapter is Jesus’ prayer.

John 17:20-26  “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

****Jesus prayed for you and me, future believers. He prayed for unity and that world who see and hears our testimonies will also come to believe.

22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

****Jesus has shared part of His glory with us so that we may be unified with Him. He sent His Holy Spirit to indwell us! He wants the world to see His love. He wants us to be able to ‘see’ Him and know He is real and has always and will always love us.

25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

*****Jesus promises to continually reveal Himself and the Father to us. His love will continue to be in us and with us.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we too can pray for others to deeply abide in Him and reflect His glory given to us. Who do you know today that needs the love of Christ? Who needs to see Jesus and have a spirit of unity with other believers? Pray for one another today.

Linda

Practical Ways to Pray from Paul

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Each Sunday during Lent I have been blogging on a portion of scripture where we are shown how to pray for each other. Lent is a time of prayer and some of that could or should be spent praying for one another. Philippians 1:9-11 is a simple but profoundly moving prayer by Paul for the Philippian Christians.

 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul prayed for: *love to abound *more knowledge and insight (into God, scripture, the gospel message….) *power to discern what is best, right, truth…. *live in a godly manner pleasing to God *show fruit in their lives that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit’s work within us *all this to be for His glory and our good.

Who can you think of today that needs one, two or all of these? What about yourself? As you spend time this week in prayer, focus on Paul’s requests and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind who needs each of these. He will answer as you are faithful in prayer.

Linda

No Worries, Delight in the Lord

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This week we will spend all week in Psalm 37. It is filled with rich promises from God that give us hope and direction for our lives. I devoted 3 days in my book, Promise for Dynamic Living, to this psalm. The psalmist, David, is addressing the fact that evil seems to be triumphant around us. He points us to the Lord and reminds us of who is in charge and why we should not fill our lives with worry.

Psalm 37:1-2 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb. Worry and envy are not to be in our hearts or on our minds when we consider the happenings in the world. The psalmist knows that evil doers will die and fade away like the spring grasses. They come up green but are short lived. They are soon brown and dried up. So the evil doers we encounter, will not be victorious and will not last.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart. The psalmist says if we trust in God, do good, keep on living rightly, and delight ourselves in the Lord, we will be rewarded. That is a promise we can claim as we know God rewards those who follow Him in faith. Hebrews 11:1 and 6 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” God wants us to make faithfulness our friend and live daily for Him.

The promise in verse 4 is one we can surely claim in our daily lives and when we pray. I have often prayed this verse for friends who struggle with lifelong desires that do not seem to be in God’s will for their lives. Young men or women waiting for a godly mate (as they so want to be married), those who desire to have a child and cannot seem to conceive, others waiting on a much needed job, while still others struggle with the job they have, wanting to change directions, etc. These are just some of the things people wrestle with that may be considered the desires of their hearts. What I pray for those waiting on God’s timing and plan is that they will grow in trust and faithfulness. Also, that God would be their delight as they wait upon Him and that they would be able to call upon Him for strength and perseverance. I pray that they will be open to what God has for them.

Difficult times require me to delight myself in Him and cling to His faithfulness, trusting He has a perfect plan for my life. Sometimes that which we pray for as the ‘desires of our hearts’ God shows us, in His infinite wisdom, that He has something better for me. Again, I have to trust in Him and His wisdom. God knows me and my desires and He wants good things for me. I have to claim Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Whatever God has for me will be for my good and His glory. It is a walk of faith, day by day Fearless Living for Jesus.

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can walk in complete faith trusting in the completeness of His salvation and His plans for our life. Romans 10:13 “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” Hebrews 10:10 “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Depend upon Him and the truth of His Word.

Linda