Jennifer A

Every time I read about Abraham’s faith being tested in Genesis 22, when God instructs Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering, I am in awe of each obedient step that Abraham took to follow God’s instruction. It was days of what had to seem like pure torment. We know that as a result of Abraham’s faithfulness and pure reverence, or fear of the Lord, God does not allow Abraham to go through with this request; and we will see in today’s passage the many blessings that God bestows upon Abraham for his unwavering faith. But, before we look at those blessings, I want us to try to put ourselves in Abraham’s shoes for a moment. I honestly do not think most of us would make it past request #1:

1. God calls out to you tonight…“(Insert Your Name), tomorrow I will send further instruction, but go to this place and I would like for you to sacrifice your child or the person you love the most in this world.”
2. The next morning you wake up early, get your transportation ready, ask two people to accompany you, you bring your most loved one with you, and set out to sacrifice this person for God.
3. You get near the place, you chop wood, it has been 3 days, and you ask the two people who you brought with you to remain with your transportation.
4. You and your most loved one travel a little farther and that person begins to question what is going to happen.
5. You arrive at the place where God has instructed, you build an altar, you arrange wood on the top of the alter, you tie up your loved one, you lay that person upon the wood on the altar, then you take a knife and prepare to kill your loved one.
6. Before you can hurt your loved one, an angel of the Lord calls out to you from heaven and stops you.

We know that all of this transpired within the Old Testament, under the old sacrificial law, and as followers of Christ, He is our One and only sacrifice that replaced the old law. But truly, Abraham’s immense faith should be a never-ending example for you and me.

Today’s passage picks up after God stops Abraham from killing Isaac and after the ram is sacrificed as the offering to God. The angel of the Lord calls out again to Abraham, only this time God offers Abraham many blessings and promises of reward due to his faithfulness.

God wants our faith to be obedient and steadfast as Abraham. Obviously, each of us is different and so how He calls us is going to be different, but we need to be ready to answer God’s call. We see here, and throughout God’s Word, that blessings come as a result of our faithfulness. May Abraham’s example be an encouragement to your faith today, I know it has done a number on mine.

Genesis 22:15-18 (NLT)

15 Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for placing Abraham, and every other brother and sister of faith, within my path. I learn so much from their examples of living lives that are faithful to You. Holy Spirit, please move within me so that I can continue to grow in my faith. Help to open my spiritual ears to hear what I need to hear in order to grow closer and closer to the Lord. May my spiritual eyes fixate on that which is of eternity and steer clear of that which is of this world. Stir within my heart to connect to the heart of Jesus. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

We know that the Book of Revelation is a heavenly vision, that God gave to John, of events that are still to come. In today’s passage, John is instructed to write the first of seven letters to seven churches. This letter is “The Message to the Church in Ephesus”.

John addresses the angel who functions as the representative of the church, to remind the church of their heavenly existence. Friends, you and I are the church; and we are so blessed that our Pastor, Mary Haley, reminds us often that we are first and foremost spirit beings, who are temporarily here on earth in these bodies, but God calls us to lovingly operate with the growing understanding that we are living for His heavenly promise of eternity with Him now. That means that you and I need to speak and act as those we are in heaven, with Jesus, at all times. Jesus is the “One” who walks among the church or the gold lampstands, and He knows each of our hearts because He created each one. As our Creator, He not only wants to fellowship with us, but He wants us to remember that He is our first love.

Jesus is reminding the Ephesians, as well as you and me, of who we are as His followers and how our relationship with Him is the most crucial piece of our existence up until our very last earthly breath. We are not to grow weary. Rather, we need to be in His Word daily, gathering with His Family (fellow believers) all of the time, going to worship Him, attending Bible Study to learn more about Him, going out and being His hands, feet, and heart to others, praying, praying, and never stop praying because we are communing with Him. Let’s face it, you and I will find ways to get out of all of these things, and that’s because the enemy wants nothing more than to distance us from Jesus and His Family (which is our Family). Don’t let the devil speak lies to you, get up and be with Jesus and His (your) Family today and every subsequent day of the rest of your earthly life.

Revelation 2:1-7 NLT
The Message to the Church in Ephesus

1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for this letter because it is for me and all fellow believers. You are my first love, and please forgive me when I have stepped aside or away from You and allowed other things, circumstances and/or people to take priority over You. I want to keep growing in my relationship with You. I want to continue to help to grow Your heavenly kingdom. Holy Spirit, please fill me with Your strength, the strength I need for today. Guide me with heavenly wisdom to do what it is You need for me to do today. Help me to rest tonight in Your peace and to wake tomorrow with renewed hope, faith, and joy, covered in Your grace, to do what You’ll need for me to do. For now, I am Your vessel to do with what You need for the kingdom of God today. I ask all of this in Your Holy and Precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

During yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Mary spoke about allowing Jesus the proper spiritual authority within our lives. Although you and I reside on earth and our soul (which is our mind, will and emotions) wants to align with the ways of this world, we must stand in oneness with Jesus and allow Him the spiritual authority to move us (along with our soul) within the direction that He created us to prosper and to further grow His Kingdom.

In today’s passage, Moses has died and now the Lord has commissioned Joshua, who was Moses’ assistant, to lead the Israelites into the promised land. It is obvious even prior to reading this Word that Joshua would be experiencing sadness, fear, loneliness, and possible feelings of being in over his head. But you will notice that the Lord tells Joshua three times within this passage to “be strong and courageous”. In verse 8 the Lord specifically guides Joshua by instructing him to “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” The Lord goes on to tell Joshua that there is no need for fear or to be discouraged because He is with him wherever he goes.

Friends, this passage isn’t only for Joshua, and it isn’t only for those called into leadership, it is a calling for all of God’s kids. In the first few verses we are reminded of God’s promise to give to His people. In the middle section of this passage, God reminded us that in order to receive all that He has to give we must grow in our faith, and God is so gracious to give us specific instructions on what we need to do in order to grow. In the last few verses, God reminds us that He is always with us, with every breath that we take.

Joshua 1:1-11 (NLT)
The Lord’s Charge to Joshua

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua’s Charge to the Israelites

10 Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Prayer: Jesus, please forgive me when I run ahead, fall behind, or step sideways from Your plan for my life. Holy Spirit, I need Your guidance each and every day. I submit my soul to You, as I want to continue to grow in my faith. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for always being with me. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In the beginning of today’s passage, we see that David waited patiently for the Lord, the Lord heard his cry for help, lifted him from his pit of despair, and set him steadfast to walk in praises of joy unto the Lord. Jesus does the same for you and me. He calls us to have full trust in His plan for our life. No matter where we find ourselves, we need to fully lean on Jesus, especially during hellish times, because it is within those moments where He wants to truly grow and refine us.

David understands that God does not take delight in sacrifices or offerings, rather He wants us to be in oneness with Him, a connection through our heart and a relationship. You and I no longer live under the old system of sacrifices and offerings to atone for our sins, as Jesus was the only sinless sacrifice Who qualified to bear the weight of our sins on the cross as a substitute for the old sacrificial system. Even though King David lived many generations before Jesus even walked the earth, David’s heart for the Lord, understood that He did not require burnt offerings or sin offerings. God’s instructions were written on David’s heart, and those instructions of the “Good News” were not meant to be kept hidden in his heart but were meant to be shared. King David a man “after God’s own heart”, had a spiritual awareness of Jesus without human knowledge of him. Jesus is found within every part of the Bible, and that is because Jesus existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, the Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought Light to everyone. No darkness can ever extinguish the Light of Christ. (John 1:1-5) Friends, as containers of the Light of Christ, and by His unfailing love for us, we must ask the Holy Spirit to keep moving us along the path that God has for us so that as our faith keeps growing, we keep sharing the Good News of Christ all of the time!

Psalm 40:1-8 (NLT)
For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.

3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.

5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.

7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:

8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for caring endlessly for me. Help to cleanse me, Lord, each day so that Your Word can instruct my heart and bring me closer to You. Open doors so that I can share Your unfailing love with at least one person each day. Keep me growing in Your Truth, growing my faith, and bringing me closer and closer in our relationship to You. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

In Psalm 29, David does an amazing job of connecting the strength and power of a storm to the voice of God. This is a song of praise to the Lord for His splendor and holiness.

The first two verses begin with David addressing heaven and calling for all heavenly beings to Honor the LORD for the glory of His Name, a Name that is repeated eighteen times in these eleven verses. Friends, throughout scripture we are called to glorify God in all that we do, not just in worship and in service, but in every aspect of who we are and what God calls us to do.

In verses three through nine David uses imagery of a thunderstorm to reveal to us the glory and power of the God we serve. The fact that His voice is loud like thunder shouldn’t scare those who know His voice and are living a life of faithful obedience to His call. “For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted. He will cut down the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the might oaks of Bashan.” (Isaiah 2:12-13) We serve a God Who is sovereign and there is no other God except Him, so all who falsely stand in His place over His Creation will eventually be shattered.

In verses ten and eleven David reveals how God has made his glory known to us, not through His loud thunderous voice in judgment, but rather through the Prince of Peace Who by baptismal water and Spirit we are given the opportunity to be saved. Friends, one day we will each stand to be judged. I envision this moment will be between just me and Jesus, and I won’t be able to refer to anyone who He has blessed my physical life with along the way. As it is just us, and I stand in judgement of my walking life, my prayer is that my Master (Creator, Jesus), will say: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25:23).

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

1 Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings;
honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
2 Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

10 The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
11 The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.

Prayer: Jesus, please forgive me for my sins. I need the Holy Spirit to help guide me every day, so I am becoming more and more obedient to Your Word in my daily life. I want to be walking with You and walking out the plan You have prepared for me. I know this will prepare me for when You call me Home and when I stand before You in judgement. On that day, I long to hear You say, “well done”. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

On this Memorial Day, we thank Jesus for the many men and women who have paid the ultimate price for defending our county with the loss of their lives; and we ask for their families and friends to be supernaturally covered and filled by the Holy Spirit.

Today’s passage about “The Future Glory” fits well with it being Memorial Day. We have all asked the question “why” about trials, sorrow, pain, and death at some point in our lives. In Romans 8, Paul helps us to understand that all of God’s creation, including you and me, have been subjected to God’s curse on sin from the very beginning when Adan and Eve sinned in the garden (Gen 3). Although there is no way that we can deliver ourselves from sins, Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins to be forgiven and the Holy Spirit is our helper in our times of weakness until Jesus returns. When Jesus returns “No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. And they will see His face, and His Name will be written on their foreheads.” (Rev 22:3-4)

As you and I look forward to Jesus’ return, we know that there will be suffering, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (v. 28) Please take note, that this Truth is “for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” which means this is for believers, and as believers we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us through our times of suffering and do it with God’s grace which covers us. We have to stay fully connected to Jesus to experience His future glory, we must stand firm with Him when times and circumstances get tough, because the enemy is waiting for a time of weakness. Remember what Peter says in 1 Peter 2:11: “Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desires that way war against your very souls.” Our earthly lives are but a vapor, here today and can vanish tomorrow (James 4:14) so we must stay away from those things of this world that pull us away from Jesus and stand with Him and ready through faith and hopeful for His return and for our Homecoming.

Romans 8:18-30 NLT

The Future Glory
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the brave men and women who have, are, and will stand to protect our county. Please bless the families and friends who have lost someone in service. May they see Your love and comfort even within their great loss. Help all of us to see how You are moving for our good even in tough times. Keep us rooted in You, growing in our relationship by Your Word, and protect our souls from the enemy of this world. We want to be prepared for Your return. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in The Cost of Discipleship, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die”. For a Christian, this quote should speak to the core of a person’s salvation and redemption. How when a person allows Jesus into their heart, and when they truly turn to Him through salvation, that person’s old life of habits and of sinful living need to die, because now that person is redeemed and should be choosing to live in the new life that Christ offers. Is living the new life in Christ easy? No, it takes obedience and focus on wanting to grow in a thriving relationship with Christ.

Prior to today’s passage, Peter ended chapter 3 with Suffering for Doing Good, we must “Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!” (3:17) Peter goes on in chapter 4 to help us see how we are now to be Living for God. He wants us to realize that Jesus changed and continuously is changing us from the inside out. The old person who we once were is no longer alive, because Jesus saved us from that wasted dead life that we once entertained.

Friends, we cannot go back to our dead living, we must stay the course with Jesus and live in the new life that only He can offer and we must focus on growing ever so close to Him each day.

1 Peter 4:1-6 (NLT)

Living for God

1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for what You endured so that I might be forgiven and truly live. Help me, Lord, to keep living for You. Please use me to bring more people into Your Kingdom. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Today we will be looking at the last six verses of Acts 27. As a reminder, Paul is a prisoner who is being taken, by boat, to Rome where he will face trial before Caesar. Up to this point, 276 people had been sailing for days with great difficulty and they had lost a lot of time due to bad weather. Paul spoke up to the ship’s officers, “’Men,’ he said, ‘I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on – shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.’” (v.10) Since there were prisoners on board, like Paul, the officer in charge of the prisoners, listened to the ship’s captain and to the owner and not to Paul. They ended up in a great storm at sea with gale-force winds that required cargo and gear to be thrown overboard, like Paul had predicted. Paul called the crew together and told them that they should have listened to him, Paul went on to say: “But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” (v.22-25) Paul goes on to guide the commanding officer and the soldiers, and he even breaks bread, much like Jesus did with the disciples, giving great thanks to God before everyone on the ship and in the midst of the storm. That brings us to today’s passage, where we see what takes place next, and how God remains true to His Word, and everyone escaped safely to shore.

When you are in the midst of one of life’s great storms, do you rest peacefully in God’s loving care, listening for His guidance, and allow Him to bring you through the storm? Or do you panic and try to do things your own way?

Here’s another question, in the midst of your most recent storm, did you find yourself giving thanks to God and bringing others to Him, like Paul did when he broke bread? Or did you isolate yourself and not share about the goodness of the God that you serve?

Many times, within our storms we question “why God” because we want Him to stop the storm. Right? Think about it, God could have stopped Paul from being arrested, he could have stopped the storm, he could have stopped the shipwreck, and the list goes on and on. But, when we patiently wait until the end of the chapter, we see that God spares everyone’s life. Think about this, if you could sit and talk to all 276 people who were on that ship, how many would share a testimony from that storm that forever changed their lives and brought them to a relationship with “Paul’s God” and saved their lives for all Eternity!

Acts 27:39-44 (NLT)

39 When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. 40 So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. 41 But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.
42 The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. 43 But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. 44 The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.

Prayer: Jesus, please help me to be more like Paul when I am in the midst of life’s storms. You did not leave Paul during these many storms, and I trust that You will not leave me. Help me to see You within each storm, to praise You for the lessons that need to be learned, and to glorify and share Your Holy Name no matter what I am walking through in this life, because I am living for Eternity with You now, Jesus. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

If you were not able to attend yesterday’s time of worship, Pastor Mary used a great visual that applies perfectly to today’s devotion (the image below is an example). First, she held up a red paper heart that had “Me” written on both sides. She explained that when we focus on ourselves and our problems, we forget to focus on God; thus, we allow the enemy in to work on our hearts. As she explained this, she tore the heart into pieces, because let’s face it, the enemy seeks to break our hearts and to leave us broken. Then, Pastor Mary held up another heart that had “Me” written on one side and “God” on the other side. She explained that when we focus on God to take care of us and our problems, He holds our hearts in wholeness and He works to heal and restore them.

God does not get angry with us when we cry out to Him, or when we are honest with Him because He wants us to seek Him at all times. We must remember that this natural world is fleeting, but what Jesus has for us in the supernatural is eternal and available to us now. We need to get to the point where we are instantaneously sharing the good, bad, and ugly with Jesus. Our focus needs to be on God first and foremost all of the time and in all circumstances. We need to be listening for God’s voice, following Him, and obeying His Word. As His people, if we want to be prepared for His return, we need to be in constant communion with Him now, we cannot wait until it’s too late.

Psalm 102:1-17 (NLT)

A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord.

1 Lord, hear my prayer!
Listen to my plea!
2 Don’t turn away from me
in my time of distress.
Bend down to listen,
and answer me quickly when I call to you.
3 For my days disappear like smoke,
and my bones burn like red-hot coals.
4 My heart is sick, withered like grass,
and I have lost my appetite.
5 Because of my groaning,
I am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like an owl in the desert,
like a little owl in a far-off wilderness.
7 I lie awake,
lonely as a solitary bird on the roof.
8 My enemies taunt me day after day.
They mock and curse me.
9 I eat ashes for food.
My tears run down into my drink
10 because of your anger and wrath.
For you have picked me up and thrown me out.
11 My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows.
I am withering away like grass.

12 But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.
Your fame will endure to every generation.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem —
and now is the time to pity her,
now is the time you promised to help.
14 For your people love every stone in her walls
and cherish even the dust in her streets.
15 Then the nations will tremble before the Lord.
The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.
16 For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem.
He will appear in his glory.
17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.
He will not reject their pleas.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for never leaving my side. Holy Spirit, help to open my spiritual ears to hear from the Father and guide me with heavenly wisdom so I may keep on the narrow path that the Father has for me. I do not want to remain in places of despair, rather I want the joy of the Lord to rise up within me. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

If you joined us yesterday for worship, you may recall that we spent time in Psalm 23 and John 10. We were reminded by David, in Psalm 23, that the Lord is our shepherd and that His goodness and unfailing love will never stop pursing us because it is gravely important to God that we ultimately reside in His House for all eternity.

Then Jesus, in John 10, uses a parable about how He is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep. At the end of John 9, Jesus was debating with those who objected to Him giving sight to a man who was born blind. Jesus is still speaking to those criticizers, but they tell Jesus that they do not understand what He is saying. “So, He explained it to them: ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.’ Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through Me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:7, 9-10)

Today’s Psalm is “A Psalm of Thanksgiving”, and it invites all of the earth to shout with joy to the Lord. Remember, Pastor Mary helped us yesterday to understand that the enemy will do anything to steal our joy. But, handing over our joy is a chose we have, because Jesus lives within us, and He is our joy. So, even though the enemy is always around, he has no power to take our joy, unless we give it to him, because Jesus, Who is divine and holy power, resides in you and me.

Psalm 100 is meant to encourage us to acknowledge God and His vast power that created us. It is directly connected to Psalm 23 and John 10, because we are God’s people, the sheep of the Good Shepherd’s pasture. As His sheep, you and I must enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with joyous praise because His love will never fail and will continue for all eternity.

Psalm 100 (NLT)

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being our Good Shepherd. Help us to hold firmly onto our joy. We do not want to hand anything that is of You over to the enemy. Thank You for being our gate, the One Who welcomes us into our eternal Home. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.