Aug 16 Your eyes, Your ears, Your heart

Father, thank You that I have a permanent righteousness that comes from You; so that I can know when You talk about “the righteous” in scripture, I am included.   And Your promises to them are true for me.  It’s like you are speaking right to me.

 

“Your eyes are on me”  is a double edged sword!  Realizing You are watching me is a powerful deterrent.  It helps me remember that I am accountable to You for my actions. 

You instruct me to “keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking lies.” Knowing You are watching me is often enough to stop me in my tracks, and think before I speak or act.  If I thought to impress someone or sway them to my argument with an exaggeration or lie, Your Holy Spirit reminds me that You know when I lie.  And I would have to live with the consequences and conviction if I proceeded with it.

You tell me to “turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.”  It is so easy to step into sin, to follow a broad path that others around me are taking without a thought.  But knowing “Your eyes are on me” challenges me to think about what I’m doing, regardless of what others are doing.

You remind me to be intentional about doing good.  When doing good, it is not likely that I will do what is evil.  So protection is built in to doing good and seeking peace.

But “Your eyes are on me” is also an awesome reassurance!  I know that You see everything!  Nothing that happens to me is beyond Your notice.   And You will rescue and defend me when I need help.

“Your ears are attentive to my cry.”   You are as close as a whisper.  And when I call, “You hear me; You deliver me from all my troubles.”   Does this mean I will never have difficulties?  No.  But I will always know that You are with me.  That You will deliver me and give me Your peace.

“You are close to the brokenhearted.”  Oh Father, I have been there.  Circumstances in my life that have been the result of illnesses, accidents, injustice, evil – even my own ignorance or pride – they break my heart and bring me to my knees.  But in it all, I know that again, You are here.  You are with me.  You will help me through, no matter what.  You will lend me Your strength.

Thank You Father, that I have these assurances of Your attention, of Your presence, of Your power to save me.  It is all I need.  Amen

Psalm 34:11-22

Jan 1 Blessing for the year

Father, in these words of Psalm 1 You tell me how to be blessed.  Help me, my husband, sons, and loved ones obey these words to receive Your blessing.

Oh Lord God, do not let us heed or walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But let us recognize evil for what it is. Give us a hunger and thirst for Your counsel, Your way, Your truth and Your wisdom so we will be seated with those who know and follow You.

Let our delight be in Your law, Oh Lord. Let us read it, memorize it, recall it and meditate on it, thinking about how to apply it to our own lives and circumstances. Let Your perfect law color my thoughts and attitudes.

Make us like trees planted by streams of water, which yield fruit in season. Show us Your perfect will for our lives and Your timing so we will produce fruit that will honor and glorify You and Your name.

Do not let us wither, but keep us strong and hearty. Let all we do prosper and bring You honor.

Allow us to see that the wicked cannot stand, but are blown away like chaff before the wind. And that the works of the evil ones will not prosper or enjoy Your gift of Salvation.

Lord, please watch over me and my loved ones – keep us on the path You have set before each one of us.

I totally trust in Your perfect will for all our lives. May we come to trust You and Your guiding hand.  May we feel You watching over us.

And may that sense of Your presence be a powerful deterrent and an awesome reassurance. Amen.

Psalm 1:1-6

Jan 1 Blessing for the year

Father, in these words of Psalm 1 You tell me how to be blessed.  Help me, my husband, sons, and loved ones obey these words to receive Your blessing.

Oh Lord God, do not let us heed or walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But let us recognize evil for what it is. Give us a hunger and thirst for Your counsel, Your way, Your truth and Your wisdom so we will be seated with those who know and follow You.

Let our delight be in Your law, Oh Lord. Let us read it, memorize it, recall it and meditate on it, thinking about how to apply it to our own lives and circumstances. Let Your perfect law color my thoughts and attitudes.

Make us like trees planted by streams of water, which yield fruit in season. Show us Your perfect will for our lives and Your timing so we will produce fruit that will honor and glorify You and Your name.

Do not let us wither, but keep us strong and hearty. Let all we do prosper and bring You honor.

Allow us to see that the wicked cannot stand, but are blown away like chaff before the wind. And that the works of the evil ones will not prosper or enjoy Your gift of Salvation.

Lord, please watch over me and my loved ones – keep us on the path You have set before each one of us.

I totally trust in Your perfect will for all our lives. May we come to trust You and Your guiding hand.  May we feel You watching over us.

And may that sense of Your presence be a powerful deterrent and an awesome reassurance. Amen.

Psalm 1:1-6

 

Apr 26 Hearing God’s Voice

Father, thank You for the example of Gideon.  What a great illustration to show me it’s ok to ask You for confirmation that I am indeed hearing from You.  It’s important to be sure before taking action.

There are times when I am sure I hear You and understand what I am to do.

But other times when, probably due to fear or reluctance on my part, I second guess myself and come up with lots of reasons why I might have misunderstood You.   I need to be reassured.  So I am glad to know it is all right to ask for that reassurance.

I desire to follow in Gideon’s footsteps, Lord. First, it’s important for me to know who I am hearing from.  He asked for confirmation and received absolute proof he was hearing from You.  Upon realizing it was truly You, he built an altar that acknowledged You as The One True God.

Then, he was obedient in Your instructions to remove the worship of other gods, tearing down the false altar and Asherah pole.  And even though he did this fearfully, You protected and blessed him.

As he followed through with Your plan, he asked for clear validation.  Gideon used a good example of something that would be unlikely if not impossible to have happened naturally.   So I too, need to be sure I’m not asking for a sign that will simply support my own desire; like, “Lord, if the sun comes up tomorrow I will know You mean…”

How do I verify I am hearing from You?  Asking You to combust food like Gideon did, is probably not the best route to go these days, although not beyond Your ability.  And You have left Your written Word as a guide for me.  So I have learned to ask three questions:

1 – Does what I hear agree with Scripture?  The answer must be “yes.”  I believe You will never tell me anything that contradicts what You have already told me in Your Word. So I must be familiar with Your Word.

2 – What will the result, or the fruit of the act be?  It should lead to and produce the fruit of the Spirit; which is peace, patience, love, joy, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control.   The acts of the flesh are immorality, idolatry, impurity, debauchery, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissension, envy, and the like.  So I can look at the expected result and see where I am headed.

3 – Will it benefit my relationship with You, Lord?  Everything I do will either draw me closer to You or pull me farther away in our relationship.

So I can ask the three questions.  But if confusion still exists, it is good to know that I can come to You with whatever concern I have.  And know that You will answer me so I can be sure of Your direction.

Thank You that You let me hear Your voice.  And help me confirm it.  Amen

Judges 6:11-40; Galatians 5:17-23

Aug 16 Your eyes, Your ears, Your heart

Father, thank You that I have a permanent righteousness that comes from You; so that I can know when You talk about “the righteous” in scripture, I am included.   And Your promises to them are true for me.  It’s like You are speaking right to me.

“Your eyes are on me.” What a powerful deterrent that is, realizing that You are watching me. It helps me remember that I am accountable to You for my actions.

You instruct me to “keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking lies”. And since I know You are watching me, that thought is enough to sometimes stop me in my tracks, and make me think before I speak or act. If I would think to impress someone or sway them to my argument with an exaggeration or lie, Your Holy Spirit reminds me that You know when I lie. And I would have to live with not only the consequences, but also that conviction and guilt if I proceeded with it.

You tell me to “turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” It is so easy to step into sin, to follow a broad path that others around me are taking without a thought. But knowing “Your eyes are on me” challenges me to think about what I’m doing, regardless of what others are doing.

You remind me to be intentional about doing good. When doing good, it is not likely that I will do what is evil. So protection is built in to doing good and seeking peace.

But “Your eyes are on me” is also an awesome reassurance! I know that You see everything! Nothing that happens to me is beyond Your notice.   And You will rescue and defend me when I need help.

“Your ears are attentive to my cry.”   You are as close as a whisper. And when I call, “You hear me; You deliver me from all my troubles”.   Does this mean I will never have difficulties? No. But I will always know that You are with me. That You will deliver me and give me Your peace.

“You are close to the brokenhearted.” Oh Father, I have been there. Circumstances in my life that have been the result of illnesses, accidents, injustice, evil – even my own ignorance or pride – they break my heart and bring me to my knees. But in it all, I know that again, You are here. You are with me. You will help me through, no matter what. You will lend me Your strength.

Thank You Father, that I have these assurances of Your attention, of Your presence, of Your power to save me. It is all I need. Amen

Psalm 34:11-22

Jan 1 Blessing for the year

Father, in these words You tell me how to be blessed. Help me, my husband, sons, and loved ones obey these word to receive Your blessing.

Oh Lord God, do not let us heed or walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Let us recognize this evil for what it is. Give us a hunger and thirst for Your counsel, Your way, Your truth and Your wisdom so we will be seated with those who know and follow You. Let our delight be in Your law, Oh Lord. Let us read it, memorize it, recall it and meditate on it, thinking about how to apply it to our own lives and circumstances. Let Your perfect law color my thoughts and attitudes.

Make us like trees planted by streams of water, which yield fruit in season. Show us Your perfect will for our lives and Your timing so we will produce fruit that will honor and glorify You and Your name. Do not let us wither, but keep us strong and hearty. Let all we do prosper and bring You honor.

Allow us to see that the wicked cannot stand, but are blown away like chaff before the wind. And that the works of the evil ones will not prosper or enjoy Your gift of Salvation.

Lord, please watch over me and my loved ones – keep us on the path You have set before each one of us. I totally trust in Your perfect will for all our lives. May we come to trust You and Your guiding hand. May we feel You watching over us. And may that sense of Your presence be a powerful deterrent and an awesome reassurance. Amen.

Psalm 1:1-6