1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. 2 Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. 6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. 7 Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. 8 I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. 9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. 11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever
Building a relationship with Jesus requires daily communication with Him.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” “Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Prov 3
We may lose sight of the importance of daily prayer due to a busy schedule, but we must put God first in all our endeavors for His protection, grace, mercy and provision.
His grace is sufficient. He provides blessings to the just and the unjust, but when you are in a relationship with Him you are open to receive the many benefits and promises that He gives freely to His children.
Prayer is more than asking God to do or give you something. It’s an act of worship and praise.
It’s in the quiet moments when we acknowledge who He is that provides us peace, inner joy and strength to go through our day with high expectations. When we pray over our lives and others, we will gain a sense of inner harmony and peace despite what we may encounter through the day.
Sometimes we may feel our prayers go unanswered, but God has our best interest at heart. It must be His will not our own. Everything happens for a higher and greater purpose that we may not understand at the time, but through faith, obedience and patience, we will inherit the promises of God.
God works in seasons. Abraham and Sarah, The Apostle Paul, Daniel, Joseph, Job and Moses are examples of people who had to endure and wait for the promises of God.
I write this piece to encourage you to endure any situation, circumstance or obstacle. I am a living example of the realities of deterred dreams, dealing with extreme difficulties and disappointments, but God never fails and His word does not return void. (Isaiah 55:11)
While driving home in rush hour traffic, I was thinking about my life and how God is involved in every aspect. He knows my needs, desires, obstacles, challenges, weaknesses, and strengths. He knows everything about me, even the things that I have not discovered or I don’t’ yet understand about myself. He is aware of the intricate details of my being.
As I looked at everyone waiting at the red light, it hit me. Not only is He involved with every detail of my life, but every single person in this world. My mind started to randomly think of people all over the globe: Life events, natural disasters, political wars, economic crisis and terrorism that wound and distress the spirit.
Through all these difficulties in life there is hope for a new beginning; a new tomorrow by the power of God. I always seem to hear people blame God for the bad things that happen to us. But, I have never heard anyone blame the devil.
Although God has unlimited power, Satan is real and has the power to influence people’s thoughts, words, deeds, and actions. Overcoming spiritual battles is learning to use God’s word to destroy the enemy, praying and worshipping. God’s word is full of promises and truth. I have many testimonies to share how God has changed my life. He is not a God that should lie. Once we effectively learn to fight spiritual warfare with the armor of the Lord, we walk in victory.
People may argue if God is in control why does He allow bad things to happen to us? He is the creator of all things. He even created evil. I understand this is a very strong statement. I was even surprised myself when I found it in scripture. But, His character is of good not evil. He forms our character to be more like Him once we acknowledge Him as our Lord.
God is working out His divine plans in our lives. He allows us the freedom of choice. We can be full of rebellion and strife or full of obedience, faith, and peace. He fills us with His grace and mercy which is a gift. His nature and presence are Holy and pure. He sent His son, Jesus, to save us from sin and death. Once we confess the Lord as our Savior there is no such thing as guilt or condemnation. It is allowing Jesus to pay our debt and we are set free from the burden of sin. Confess the Lord as your Savior and open your heart to Him.
Scripture References
Isaiah 45:12:13 12I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. 13I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts
Isaiah 45:16:25
16They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. 17But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. 18For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. 19I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 20Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 21Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the LORD? And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. 22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return void, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. 25In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
The following passages are from Isaiah 45:5-7
I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
John 3:16 So God, so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
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