November 26, 2024

Breaking Free of Burdens

June 25, 2014 by

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I cry to you, Lord;  I say, “You are my Refuge,
my Portion in the land of the living.”
Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.
Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise Your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of Your goodness to me.
Psalms 142:5-7

Everyday people are burdened with many troubles.  I admit that I can claim to belong to this group.  It may be money troubles…it may be stress… it may a little bit of everything.  Yet we all have our burdens.  Sometimes these burdens stretch out for a long period of time, and other times they are very short-lived.  Either way burdens can leave us stressed out and exhausted.  They can leave us feeling miserable.  It can feel like we are trapped in a prison that we can’t escape.

Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Psalm 55:22

As children of God we should never have to worry about our burdens or let them trap us in an emotional prison.  This just makes us miserable and lets the devil walk all over us.  It lets the temptation to sin gain traction, and then our walk with God will suffer.  If we put our faith in God, we should not let our worries and burdens stress us.  We should be relieved that Jesus is there to take some of the weight off our shoulders.  God already knows how our situations are going to turn out.  He is not going to give us more than He thinks we can handle.

Jesus sets us free from the prison that our burdens make for us when we put our faith in Him.  He loves us, and He is always there to help us when we need it.  He is our Comforter and our Strength.  We should not be afraid to let Him help us handle what is in front of us.


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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for breaking us free from the weight of our burdens.  If not for You, these burdens would crush us.  We praise You for helping us and loving us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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God Our Refuge

June 24, 2014 by

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Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me.
Psalm 142:7

According to the title, this psalm was written by David while “in a cave”—probably when he was on the run from King Saul.  If you recall, Saul and his men pursued David with the intention of killing him (for the whole story, see 1 Samuel 18 ff). T his was clearly a very difficult time in David’s life, as one can tell from this psalm.  He is greatly troubled, and it seems had no friends, nowhere to run, and his life was in danger at every moment.  His enemies laid traps for him; he was overwhelmed and desperate.  And yet he knew the Lord was on his side, and it was to the Lord he turned with his supplications, crying out his troubles to Him.  He recognized that the Lord is his “Refuge” (verse 4) and his “Portion” (verse 5).  He asked the Lord to heed his cry, and to deliver him from his persecutors.  Notice that David doesn’t suggest to God any particular method of rescue, or way of dealing with those who threaten his life.  He just wants God to deliver him.

In verse 7 (or verse 8 in the Hebrew text), David gives the reason or purpose behind his desire for deliverance: “…so that I may give thanks to Your name”—for the purpose of exalting the name of the Lord.  David didn’t want glory for himself.  He didn’t want revenge on his enemies, nor did he want to prove a point to his persecutors.  All he wanted was deliverance—a mighty act of God that would chase away his fear, raise his spirits, and cause his heart to well up with praise and thanks to the Lord.

In the second part of the verse, David expresses his confidence that God’s overwhelming provision for him will be shown by his being surrounded by the righteous.  I want us to pause at the first part of verse 7, though, and take note of the motive behind David’s request for deliverance.  How many times when we’re feeling oppressed or wronged do we seek vindication for its own sake?  We want those who wrong us to be shown their error, and we want the satisfaction of seeing them grovel for our forgiveness, or being humbled in some way.  How often do we ask for deliverance simply that we might have yet another reason to praise and give thanks to God?

Too often, in situations like this, we don’t seek the glory of God, rather we seek our own glory. We want to be elevated above our situation, and above those who brought the situation about. We want to overcome at the expense of others…not so that God’s name will be praised. May David’s example be a reminder to us to lead God-centered lives, where we are truly seeking after Him, His honor, and His glory, in all that we do and ask for.

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Lord, we pray for Your guidance as we are making the decision to seek after You where You are always found. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Don’t Stand Alone

June 23, 2014 by

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I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.
Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
Psalms 142:4-5

In this world we live in, though filled with many people, we are sometimes faced with the lonely task of standing alone.  When we’ve made shameful mistakes and feel no one will understand, or when we celebrate glorious victories that others envy.  Sometimes, we must stand alone.  Now when I say alone, I mean, of course, without other people…not without God.  God is always willing to stand with us!

Given, we can choose to not accept the comfort of God, but this would be an unwise choice.  God can shed light on a situation in ways the human mind could not begin to fathom.

I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world,
so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.
John 12:46

At times our troubles may seem many, and our hearts may feel heavy, and we feel oh-so-alone in this big, big world.  We need to always  remember that, where there may be no one else, there is God.  There is always God!

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their Helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
Psalms 146:5-6

Why try to face the world alone when you have an ever-faithful, unconditionally loving, providing endless mercies God you serve?!

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Lord, this life can get tough. This life can get lonely.  But You are always by our side, an ever-present aid!  Thank You for lifting us up and walking with us until we finish our days and join You in the heavens.  Amen.

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Praising His Name Together

June 22, 2014 by

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Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise Your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of Your goodness to me.
Psalm 142:7 NIV

Here is David…once again…on the run for his life from Saul, hiding in a cave, acknowledging the need for his God’s deliverance and protection.  And don’t you just love his motivation?

“…that I may praise Your name, then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me.”

Yes, he definitely needed to be rescued from the cave. Yes, he surely needed to be delivered from this situation. Yes, he absolutely was in dire straits fearing for his life. But, even more than rescuing, delivering, and saving, he wanted to praise his Deliverer, his Redeemer, his Savior and tell others about God’s goodness.

And this was always the recurring theme of David’s heart—to praise God!  Even now, thousands of years later, you and I are so often brought to the place of praise through the beautiful, praise-filled words of David’s psalms, yes?  Here are a few of my oh-so-very favorites:

But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalms 13:5-6

My mouth shall tell of Your righteous acts
and of Your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is more than I know.
Psalm 71:15

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
Psalm 40:5

In Psalm 142, we hear of David’s desire to not only praise God for rescuing him but that other’s, also, would praise God for this.  How about me (and you)?  When we cry out to our God for His deliverance in our situations and circumstances, is it only for relief for ourselves? Or is our prayer that out of our being delivered our God would receive honor and glory and majesty and praise…? Oh, for sure, we need God’s deliverance! Daily each of us need God’s provision and protection and blessing. But we should always be sure to tell others about the wonderful and mighty and awesome things that He does as He cares for us.

So, tell us, would you…how has God set you free lately? We would love to praise His name because of His goodness to you!

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Who Is Like The Lord

June 21, 2014 by

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1 Praise the Lord!  (Hallelujah!)  Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever

3 From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from east to west, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

4 The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens!

5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who has His seat on high,

6 Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!

7 [The Lord] raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap andthe dung hill,

8 That He may seat them with princes, even with the princes of His people.

9 He makes the barren woman to be a homemaker and a joyful mother of [spiritual] children.  Praise the Lord!  (Hallelujah!)

Psalm 113

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You’re all that I ever wanted
You’re all that I ever need
And though I wasn’t looking
You were after me
For Your love for me is eternal
And this I know is true
I could never repay
The debt of love I owe to You

For who is like the Lord my God
Compassionate and full of mercy
Who compares to Your great love
There’s none in all the earth
I will sing of Your love and grace
That covers all my guilt and shame
In all the earth who is like the Lord

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Can You Feel His Majesty?

June 20, 2014 by

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1 Praise the Lord!  Servants of the Lord, praise him!
    Praise the Lord’s name.
2 May the Lord’s name be praised
    now and forever.
3 May the Lord’s name be praised
    from where the sun rises to where it goes down.
4 The Lord is higher than all nations.
    His glory rises to the skies.
5 There is no one like the Lord our God.
    He sits on his throne high in heaven.
6 He is so high above us that he must look down
    to see the sky and the earth.
7 He lifts the poor out of the dirt
    and rescues beggars from the garbage dump.
8 He puts them in important positions,
    giving them a place among the leaders of his people.
9 He gives children to the woman whose home is empty.
    He makes her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

From the moment of conception, life is a miracle. Although we carry the child for 40 weeks, it seems like forever before we give birth. I know women that have been blessed with many children and those who are blessed with one. Then there are those who may not have given birth to children of their own, but have love enough to share with children as an adoptive mom or as a servant of the Lord at church or in a teaching situation where their influence is great upon those they touch.

God gave us that capacity to love and to love others. Sometimes life will throw us curve balls. We may make a wrong turn down God’s path, get lost along the way, but know that He is there to catch us, no matter what our choices are. King David made mistakes, and truly repented, and God forgave him. Consequences were meted out, but all was forgiven.  After all, do we not want forgiveness in the end? Do we not want the shame, guilt and self-condemnation to be taken away? For all of this to happen, we need to forgive ourselves as God forgives us.

When Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, He took on every single thing we would ever do or think. He knew who we would meet, talk to, be friends with, laugh with, and who our parents would be. And, knowing all of this, He chose to die on the Cross for us.  I have mentored teenagers who have refused to accept that God would just love them. It is hard to teach someone who is not ready to hear that God loves them unconditionally. The best way is to show them unconditional love. This is best demonstrated by our service to our children, whether it is our own or loving on other children.

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Father, help us to remember that all are Your children. We each have gifting that allow us to minister to those that are hurting. Help us to be content with planting seeds, or with watering seeds, or with helping those seeds grow into a fully-developed Christians. Forgive us for when we do not look to You for guidance, but instead look to others or into ourselves. You have made us to seek You and be a part of community. Give us courage to seek godly women who will help us grow individually. I thank You for this group of women. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Only Love

June 19, 2014 by

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He maketh the barren woman to keep house,
and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 113:9

I don’t know what it is like to not have the ability to have children.  I’m a mother, I have been since I was a young woman. However, through the years I’ve learned an important lesson—you do not need to bear children to be a mom, to be a mother. I have come across many women who are mothers to their own children and to others. I’ve come across women who do not have children but who have taken on that role, nurturing and guiding others in life.

This verse doesn’t simply tell me that He will create opportunities for women to fill a void they may have from not having children of her own. What this verse tells me is that God will always meet our needs, He will always make certain that our voids are filled, but it’s not the house or the kids, or whatever it is that’s missing from your life. What He fills that void with is His love. It’s His love that brings the joy that we have as we go about our day

So yes, Praise ye the Lord! Praise Him for meeting our needs, for filling our voids, and for the joy to live out our destiny even when the circumstances don’t match our plan.

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Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes we look at our situations and see that they don’t meet our plans, we have voids; we have empty places, and there is only One Who can fill those voids—and that is You and Your love. Thank You for Your joy that allows us to live each day.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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A Mother to All

June 18, 2014 by

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He maketh the barren woman to keep house,
and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 113:9

In all my adult years, I never thought I would meet anybody who would not want children. Now, I have met women who were not able to have children or who, with their husband, had established their families through other means. Needless to say, of all the women in the aforementioned descriptions, they have all felt blessed and that this is the way God intended for their lives to be led. These women still have homes and husbands to care for, but they also have another calling.

There are some of these women in every church. I know of a few in ours. One of these great ladies works with the children in our church. She finds great joy in her role as their teacher. She teaches Sunday School, children’s choir, creative movement, and much more that involves the children of our church. She finds great joy in fostering the spiritual side of the children she works with each week. She finds great joy in the pursuits of her own family and those of working with our children. God has made her joyful in what she does.

Ladies, whether you have children or not, you are blessed to be put in the position you are in. As mothers, we are blessed with the joy of having a family and taking care of it. Barren women can find joy in helping foster a godly spirit in their friends’ children and the children of the church. Through these roles they praise God through their actions. Children look up to both their parents and their elders for guidance. As women of God, barren women still can find joy in helping with children through doing God’s work.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the women that You have placed in our lives. Without them we could not learn from one another or be good examples for each other…or for our children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

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God’s Condescension

June 17, 2014 by

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He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
Psalm 113:6 NLT

Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!
Psalm 113:6 AMP

As I was researching this verse, I kept coming across the phrase “God’s condescension.” I did not like the way that sounded. Who thinks of God as condescending? To me, condescending meant ‘patronizing superiority’.  But biblically it means the exact opposite. I looked it up in several biblical dictionaries and found that condescension means ‘gentleness, meekness, or humility’.  It is used to describe God’s benevolence towards us.

Think of it this way—God’s glory is above all things, even the heavens.  Job 5:15 says: “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight” (NASB).  Yet, He never neglects any of His creations.  Psalm 138:6 puts it this way: “Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly” (NKJ).  He gives us His constant care and attention. God is aware of even the smallest of details.  Psalm 11:4 tells us: “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; He examines everyone.”  There is not one thing that He does not see, guide, and direct (as if there is nothing else to demand His attention).

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
Psalm 8:4 NASB

Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him?
Psalm 144:3 AMP

Who are we that God should be so mindful of us?  Job 36:5 reminds us: “Behold! God is mighty, and yet despises no one nor regards anything as trivial.”  He is infinitely perfect and all-sufficient; and yet, it pleases Him to think of us.  He stoops from His throne on high to lay His hand upon us. God chooses to open Himself to us. Humble beyond any comparison, He stoops to offer us reconciliation.

In the words of Charles Spurgeon:
“It is God making Himself little which is the cause of our being made great.”

If that doesn’t blow you away, nothing ever will!

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Father God, I stand amazed and in awe of You. That You, to whom even the heavens are unclean, should stoop down and take notice of me. Mere words will never adequately express the gratefulness and appreciation I feel that You should humble Yourself on my behalf. Thank You Father. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray – Amen, so be it!

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He Stoops

June 16, 2014 by

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Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?
He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
Psalms 113:5-6

The high and lofty One who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this:
I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

Isaiah 57:15

He is enthroned on high and He stoops.  If you imagine God sitting above all the world, then we can fathom “the high and lofty One.”  He sits there and watches what He created.  How easy would it be for Him to be hands off or for us to hear from Him only when He wanted to punish us?  He could have said, “I have made mankind now let’s see what they can do,” but He does not.  He stoops.

God sent His spirit to dwell among us and Jesus to save us from ourselves!  God is pretty dedicated.  Not very long at all after we were put to work on the earth, we screwed up God’s perfect creation.  Disobedience!  At the start of Creation we already thought we knew better than God and had wavering trust in Him, but He stooped.

Could you imagine a newborn telling their mom three days after birth, “Oh, it’s been good…but I can actually take better care of myself.  I mean, I’ve been doing this a whole 3 days, so thanks, but no thanks.”  That’s crazy!  Better yet, what loving parent would say, “Oh, okay. I understand.”  Even though we try to venture out alone, God stays right by our side.  He stoops.  If anyone had the right to be proud, it would be God.  Yet, He stoops.

What more does a loving God need to do to show His love for you?  He stooped! When He didn’t have to.  He came to us, so we could go to Him.  That’s the caring, loving God we serve.  Never doubt that He cares because He stoops.

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Lord, thank You for coming after me. Thank You for chasing me down! You are indeed an awesome God! Amen.

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