November 5, 2024

On My Knees

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

There are days when I feel the best of me is ready to begin
Then they’re days when I feel I’m letting go and soaring on the wind
Cause I’ve learned in laughter or in pain how to survive

I get on my knees, I get on my knees
There I am before the love that changes me
See I don’t know how but there’s power when i’m on my knees

I can be in a crowd or by myself or almost anywhere
When I feel there’s a need to talk with God, He is Emmanuel
When I close my eyes, no darkness there
There’s only light

 

Jaci Velasquez
written by David and Nicole C. Mullen, and Michael Hunter Ochs

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One of the joys (and privilege!) of our relationship with our heavenly Father is being in His Presence, and spending time alone just with Him.  I call it my  ‘quiet time’ with Him.  There are many different ways to seek God but, to me, nothing compares to a dedicated, purposeful, intentional, devoted quiet time. Think about this for just a moment…what are some of the things we do with our bodies as we seek Him? A few that I thought of were:

we kneel
we sit
we stand
we lay prone
we raise our hands
we clap our hands
we walk
we lift our eyes

Perhaps you are thinking, “Oh, that is NOT for me, Coleen!  I am kind of reserved, y’know.  And besides, what might people think?!?”  Let me remind you, my friends, we are talking about YOUR quiet time with Your Father…most probably no one is around, right?

Let’s look at some examples given in the Scripture of people who, using their bodies, gave voice to the cries of their hearts:

When Daniel learned that the document had been signed,
he went into his house.
The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem,
and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed,
and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Daniel 6:10

While Ezra prayed and confessed,
weeping and falling facedown before the house of God,
an extremely large assembly of Israelite men, women, and children
gathered around him. The people also wept bitterly.
Ezra 10:1

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord
in the presence of all the assembly of Israel
and spread out his hands toward heaven.
He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You
in heaven above or on earth beneath,
keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants
who walk before You with all their heart…
1 Kings 8:22-24

Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved,
so that I am almost dying of sorrow.
Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me.
And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground
on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass away from Me;
nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire],
but as You will and desire.
Matthew 26:38 and 39

And there are so MANY other examples throughout the Scriptures to show us that it is a good thing to physically express our love…our adoration…our praise…our great need for our awesome and great God! Just as Daniel,  and Ezra, and Solomon, and our Lord Jesus Himself prayed and cried to God, they were ‘on their knees‘ and prone on the ground as they expressed their hearts to Him.

So may I please encourage you to do the same…allow your body to be a part of your expression of the words you are speaking as you spend your ‘quiet time’ with your heavenly Father.

Jesus told us what is required—that we give Him all of ourselves:

Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind
Luke 10:27

True worship and praise comes from the heart.  If our worship is not coming from our hearts, it will not matter what posture or physical expression of our praise we use.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Redeemer

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
And Who told the ocean you can only come this far
And Who showed the moon where to hide ’til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star

Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives 

The very same God that spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn, and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I’m broken
They conquered death to bring me victory

To take away my shame
And He lives forever, I’ll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He’s alive and
There’s an empty grave

I know my Redeemer
I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
I know that I know, that I know, that I know
that I know my Redeemer lives

Because He lives I can face tomorrow
I know I know
He lives, He lives yeah yeah I spoke with Him this morning
He lives, He lives, the tomb is empty,
He lives I gotta tell everybody

Singer / Songwriter: Nicole C. Mullen

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Our Redeemer does live!  He loves us so much.  God is the most powerful Person in our lives.  He knows more about us and lives us in spite of ourselves.  He wants what is best for us.  He wants us to love Him and have a relationship with him.  He grants us people who would teach us, inspire us, and show us how to live life to the fullness of His will.

We are to give our selves and our desires to align with what God would have us do.  We, in ourselves, cannot imagine what God is trying to do in our lives.  If we have prayer intercessors, praying on our behalf, and if we are to pray in an intercessory way for others, God will greatly change our lives.  This is because God is our focus and our utmost desire.  Nothing in this world will keep us from following Jesus.

Job is a great example of an intercessor.  He always prayed and offered sacrifices for his children for what they may do wrong.  He was a great father to his children.  We are to offer up prayer today for our kids, asking God to forgive them, to surround them, and protect their hearts and minds from the temptations of this corrupt world.  Each child has their own angel that reports back to the Father.

Let it not seem to you that one of these little ones is of no value;
for I say to you that in heaven their angels
see at all times the face of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:10 BBE

Have you ever picked up on this?  (I had not.)  That makes me happy, glad in my heart, to know our children have angels watching over them now and forever.

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Father, thank You for watching over us and our children.  I pray Your grace will fall upon us today as we realign ourselves to glorify You in all we do and say.  Purify us, show us where we have places in our lives that need a cleansing touch from You.  Remind us of how our parents are to receive the honor due them.  We choose to follow You wherever Your path may take us.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

One Touch (Press)

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Been ostracized for 12 years, I’m used to being alone
Spent everything I had and now it’s gone
I’m used to being put down, my issues tell it all
My only hope is anchored in this fall

If I could just touch the hem of His garment
I know I’d be made whole
If I could just press my way through this madness
His love would heal my soul if only one touch

So many people calling, how could He ever know
That just a brush of Him would stop the flow
If He knew would He rebuke me or shame me to the crowd
Well, I’m desperate ’cause it’s never or it’s now

If I could just touch the hem of His garment
I know I’d be made whole
If I could just press my way through this madness
His love would heal my soul

And then suddenly He turned around
He said somebody has unleashed my power
Well, frightened and embarrassed I bowed
You see I told Him of my troubles and how

I had to touch the hem of His garment
And I know I’ve been made whole
And how I had pressed my way through this madness
And His love has healed my soul

Then with one word He touched the hem of my garment
And you know I’ve been made whole
And somehow He pressed His way through my madness
And His love has healed my soul

I tell you He touched me
He reached way down and touched me
When no one else would touch me
Yeah, Jesus sure enough touched me
And I know I’ve been made whole

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Nicole C. Mullen – One Touch from 2nafish on GodTube.

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What is on your heart today
that needs His touch to be healed in your soul?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary
and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

In the midst of the madness of this world it is easy to get caught up in our circumstances and lose sight of what truly matters—-Him.  Focus on Him. Where in the midst of your madness do you see Him working?  He is always there; He promises never to leave us or forsake us.

And my most favorite promise to hold onto is-

Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good
of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose;
Romans 8:28

God will always use our circumstances and situations and work them together for our good!  Let hope be the anchor in the fall.

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Heavenly Father, I thank You that, as I press my way through this madness, Your love will heal my soul.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen!!!

 

Call On Jesus

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I’m so very ordinary
Nothing special on my own
I have never walked on water
I have never calmed a storm
Sometimes I’m hiding away
From the madness around me
Like a child who’s afraid of the dark

But when I call on Jesus
All things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles and soar
When I call on Jesus
Mountains are gonna fall
‘Cause He’ll move heaven
And earth to come rescue me when I call

Weary brother
Broken daughter
Widowed, widowed lover
You’re not alone
If you’re tired and
Scared of the madness around you
If you can’t find the strength to carry on

Call Him in the mornin’
In the afternoon time
Late in the evenin’
He’ll be there
When your heart is broken
And you feel discouraged
You can just remember that He said
He’ll be there

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~  Singer/Songwriter: Nicole Mullen ~

As evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey Him!”

Mark 4:35-41 NLT

One of the things that I love about this passage in Scripture is that Jesus was sleeping in the midst of the storm…He was at peace in it.

He is our peace in the midst of the storms in our lives when we focus on Him instead of our circumstances.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is,
the law of commandments contained in ordinances,
so as to create in Himself one new man from the two,
thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God
in one Body through the Cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
Ephesians 2:14–16

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Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus and that He is our peace in the storms of life and that we are never alone in this journey of life. Father, I thank You for the peace that surpasses all understanding when we focus on the gift given to us through Your Son. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

My Redeemer Lives

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who taught the ocean you can only come this far
And Who showed the moon where to hide ‘til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star

Well I know my Redeemer lives; I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies tthat here’s life within the Christ
I know my Redeemer lives

The very same God that spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn, and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I’m broken
They conquer death to bring me victory

Now I know my Redeemer lives; I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify that there’s life within the Christ
I know my Redeemer…

He lives to take away my shame
And He lives (forever I’ll proclaim)
That the payment for my sins was the precious life He gave
Now He’s alive and there’s an empty grave

And I know my Redeemer lives; I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify that there’s life within the Christ

I know my Redeemer
I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
He lives….

  ~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~   Nicole C. Mullen   ~

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When you really stop to think about those things (and really reflect on them): Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?  And Who taught the ocean to only come so far…and then stop and go back out?  Or Who taught the moon where to hide ‘til evening?  It is AMAZING and something most of us cannot even begin to comprehend!   The Creator of the universe didn’t miss a detail…so powerful!

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.
Isaiah 40:28

The very same God that spins things in orbit, runs to the weary, the worn and the weak

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

And the same gentle hands that hold me when I’m broken…

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18

(The same gentle hands) they conquer death to bring me (and you) victory…

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know
that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58

Sisters, we have SO MUCH to be thankful for!  A heavenly Father who went through so much to redeem and restore our lives.  Even though in this world we know we will have trouble, be encouraged!  Jesus has overcome the world!  This week I encourage you not to focus on the circumstances. Instead choose to have joy in your journey and be thankful for ALL the Blessings you do have.

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Heavenly Father, I pray for each one of my sisters this day that they would be strong and immovable and that they would know that nothing they do when they do it for You is useless. When they choose to have joy in their journey, and choose thankfulness and victory in You over their life’s circumstances, I know You will be smiling.  And I pray You would bless them through their obedience in Jesus’ name!!  AMEN!!