Salvation – Page 14 – Praying Pint

Draw near to God

“When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

“ Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

“ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Psalms 69:10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

Psalms 55:16 But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.

Matthew 26:38 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Daniel 3:15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

These scriptures capture the heart of man who trusts in God. Note these specifically: “At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me” – “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden” – “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” – ” your will be done.” Waiting for and trusting in God fully gives us courage and confidence for whatever is before us. Having a heart desire to be close and walk close to God has an effect on what we think say and do. He gave us scriptures to teach us, lead us, build us up, give us hope, reminding us of His promises, power, might and love. Desire to be near Him and from this foundation all else finds stability and we can face whatever comes our way today.

Living for God

Psalms 68:1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!

Numbers 10:35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.”

2 Chronicles 6:41 “And now arise, O LORD God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.

Psalms 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.

Isaiah 42:13 The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes. For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant.

Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?

Psalms 78:66 And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.

Jeremiah 23:40 And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’

Enemies of God, those who reject Him, have a place reserved. A place of everlasting reproach and perpetual shame. What is important for us to know is that there is also a place for those who believe, trust, and hope in Him. These are called children of God. They have chosen and committed to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him. They have been promised peace, love, hope, joy, rest, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead and guide them this side of eternity. Children of God have been promised a future place in eternity where there is no more death, no more pain, no more sickness. Do you wonder how a child of God should live? What would their life look like from the outside? There should be a difference that is visible. Their actions should be such that honor is given to God. When our eyes are on Him and our heart’s desire is to hear His whispers of guidance and we obey His leading, there is a difference in attitude, speech, thoughts, and actions. Live your life to bring honor to Him every moment of every day. This is our full and only purpose this side of eternity.

Requested Blessings

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

Psalms 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Psalms 28:9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalms 4:6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

Psalms 80:3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalms 119:135 Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Psalms 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

Acts 13:26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

“God bless us. Shine Your light upon us. Let light shine out of darkness. Be our shepherd. Give Your peace.” These are all positive requests from men of the past who were asking for God’s blessing for mankind. These men believed in God and His sovereignty over all. It is in His hands alone to bless, lead, and correct the actions of man and nations. When our heart’s desire is to know God, to honor, follow and obey we seem to see life through a different lens. This lens allows us to pray for others. It allows us to pray for nations because our God is awesome in power and might. He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we think. How often do we want to the person who makes the change in people? Our efforts sometime do nothing to bring others closer to God. Yet if we pray for God to bless them and to change their heart our thoughts about that person change from one of condemning to one of hope and love for them. Keeping our eyes on Him and patiently waiting for His perfect plan to take place in the lives of those we pray for is so much better than fretting, stewing, and being angered by others.

God our Heavenly Father

“ O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.”

Psalms 65:12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Psalms 104:10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

Job 38:28 “Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

Acts 14:17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

How many times do you hear someone reference “Mother Nature” in the course of a year concerning weather? I hear “Mother Nature sure has been good to us” and “Mother Nature sure seems to be angry” or a host of other references to her without thought of God. It is common to not hear reference God in things of nature. It is also common to not hear reference to God in things of everyday life which shows the condition of man’s heart. How many times have you heard someone talking about God outside of church or home? God is not to be set aside for special occasions or needs. He is to be praised, honored, worshipped, obeyed, glorified, and set in a place of awe and reverence in our heart and mind continually. God is our heavenly Father and creator of all there is. What kind of children neglect their father or pay no attention to his council and wisdom? What kind of children allow life to get so busy that they consider their father only on fathers day and their birthday? What kind of love would you say these children have for their father? Wouldn’t you say they were ungrateful, negligent, self-seeking, and just plain bad children. How much more BAD is it for us to neglect God in our everyday life? Commit to spend time in His word. Seek to know and love, honor and obey Him more. Keep Him alive in your heart, mind and soul. Praise Him!!!

Awesome Power and Might

“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”

Psalms 65:5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

Psalms 45:4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!

Psalms 47:2 For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.

Psalms 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.

Psalms 76:3 There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey. The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth.

Deuteronomy 4:34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Deuteronomy 10:21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

Isaiah 37:36 And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

God’s mighty and awesome deeds from history have been shared with us in scripture. These awesome and mighty deeds include, creation, flood, protection, victory from enemies, signs and wonders, splitting of the Red Sea, water from a rock, fire from the sky, manna and quail, judgements on people, death of enemies, dead back to life, blind were given sight, deaf were able to hear, mute were able to speak, women without child were given children, virgin birth, seas calmed, feeding of 5,000, Jesus Christ birth-death-resurrection, and promises of eternity with Him for those who believe in, rely on, cling to and trust in Him. There are hundreds of more examples recorded of His might acts. Life has a way of blinding us from seeing and believing these acts of power, might, and love. Life gets in the way and we explain away His awesome power and love with words of “I sure was lucky,” “what a coincidence,” “that was weird,” “I wish somebody could explain this to me,” “I see it but don’t believe it,” somebody was watching over them,” “such is fate,” and many more. When our heart, mind and soul are more focused on this life rather than on God we see things in a different light – through a different lens. God is not in focus and many of His acts are missed and we fail to recognize them. It is impossible to honor and praise God when we neglect to commit our life to Him, spend time with His word, and give Him all our heart, mind, and soul. Do you want to see these acts of power, might and love? Change the way you do life. Focus your heart, mind, and soul on Him. Desire to humbly serve, honor, follow, and obey Him. And as the old hymn says “the things of earth with grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

I will hear

“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.”

Psalms 65:2 O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

Psalms 66:19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Psalms 102:17 he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.

Psalms 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

2 Chronicles 33:13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Luke 11:9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you

Isaiah 49:6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 66:23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.

John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Sometimes I wonder if we have confidence in God and His promises. I wonder if we know Him personally enough to know He is near and that He will answer our cry, pleas, and requests. I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him. I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. Do we spend enough time with Him to know Him? Do we live each day with a single purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him? Are we growing in our knowledge of Him? I think there are times when we have sought Him and know the presence of God. I think there are times when we totally forget Him and live our life for other purposes. When I think about this I realize one clear truth. If we purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him, and if we stay in His word for this purpose – I know His presence and Holy Spirit occupy our heart and mind. Our day is not filled with the worries and cares of this world. Our focus is on Him and serving Him however He leads us in this world. Another truth I know is true. If we spend no time in His word there is little chance of us hearing His whispers leading, guiding, directing, and using us. His word has no root in our being and we lose connection with Him seemingly content with drifting further and further away from Him. Choose to stay in His word and seek to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Refuge / Rock / Shelter

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

“He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”

“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 lift me high upon a rock.”

Psalms 61:1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Psalms 5:1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

Psalms 55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Psalms 139:9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Psalms 18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation

Psalms 62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

What keeps us from calling on God and seeing Him as a place of refuge and our fortress? Could it be we don’t see a need for Him in our life? I wonder if our need for God is a direct correlation to amount of time we spend in His word. Scripture clearly tells us to seek Him, desire Him, obey Him, believe Him, trust Him, rely on Him, love Him, hope in Him, sing to Him, have peace in Him, praise Him, pray to Him, and listen to Him. When we spend time in His word the more we hear His quiet voice leading us down paths that bring honor and glory to Him. How can we call on someone we hardly know? How can we hold on to His promises if we don’t know what they are? How will we know sin in our life if we can’t compare our actions with what is expected in His word? We become passive, complacent, lukewarm, and have an appearance of being close to God but in reality our substance is shallow words without action. Action from the heart that leads us to repentance, action from the heart the leads us to give, action from the heart that allows us to forgive, action from the heart that leads us to praise, action from the heart that leads us to confess, action from the heart that allows us to be wronged, action from the heart that runs to God. We would do well to spend time in His word, listen for His whispers of guidance, follow and obey Him.

Judge right & true

“May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!”

““Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’”

Psalms 58:1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

Deuteronomy 16:18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.

2 Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,

Exodus 18:21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

2 Chronicles 19:6 and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.” Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

19:9 And he charged them: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart:

Isaiah 11:3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Psalms 82:1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?

Matthew 27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

Luke 23:50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

When I read Psalms 58:1 I was immediately thinking about people in the various positions of office who govern others. How many times do we look for justice and it appears at times there is none to be found. Of course we look at this from our perspective and what we determine to be right and true. Sometimes the cultural mass will abide by decision of those in governance. This does not make it right and true. I remember hearing “right is right even if only one is doing it and wrong is wrong even if all are doing it.” You can see this in the decision by the chief priests when they condemned Jesus to death and Joseph from Arimathea who did not consent to their decision. Where do we find truth? How do we know what is right? We can find this in God and His word. If we neglect spending time in His word. If we do not desire to know Him more and more each day. If we don’t desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him. If we don’t seek Him. God wants our whole heart, mind, and soul committed to Him. This is a choice we make every single day. A choice to humbly serve Him, to seek Him, to hear His quiet small voice leading us, to obey Him, to find our strength in Him, to praise Him. To often the cares of this world and the busyness of the day take over and we soon find ourselves day after day drifting further and further away from Him and His plan in our life. Choose to make this the day to start humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying and praising Him. For He alone is worthy.

Those who know Your name

“ And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”

“ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”

Psalms 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

Psalms 142:1 With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.

Psalms 56:1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me;

Psalms 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

Psalms 119: 76 Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

Psalms 125:1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

Psalms 17:7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

Psalms 36:7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalms 61:4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Zechariah 1:4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.

Nehemiah 9:30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

Proverbs 1:24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

You can see the heart of man that calls out to God, has these attributes: relies on God, trusts in God, clings to God, believes in God, obeys God, seeks God, delights in God, and finds comfort, rest, peace, joy and hope in God. On the other hand we can see the heart of those who choose not to stay close to God and do exactly the opposite. How much do we rely on God? Do we delight in His word and the direction it gives to our daily lives? Do we discern what it is saying and rejoice in the promises of God? Do we acknowledge God’s reproof and conviction in our lives? Do we choose to hear His voice? Do we seek His leading? Replace the “We” in all of the questions above with “I”. Truthful answers will expose where we are lacking in humbly serving, giving, following, honoring, and obeying God. Every commitment starts with a purpose/goal and choice to change and prioritize time for it, frequent reflection and focus. Commit to Him and His word. Commit to humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying Him with all you heart, soul, and mind.

Be Encouraged

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.”

Psalms 54:4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.

Psalms 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

Psalms 118:13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.

1 Chronicles 12:18 Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.

Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Isaiah 50:7 But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Hebrews 13:6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Isaiah 54:17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

We all find times where we seem to be alone in our issues, trials, and troubles. We are not strange or abnormal in these thoughts as scripture indicates many before us have similar thoughts. Notice all of the references used to encourage others: “He will strengthen”, “He will uphold”, “He will never leave”, “His hand hold us”, “He will help”, “He is for us”, “He is on our side”. God never changes and His promises are never empty “HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US”. Be encouraged and stand firm in His promises. Fear not and be confident in Him. We are never alone.