Comfort In Comforting

Today’s post is late in the day. Today seemed to be particularly challenging for me. Then I reflected on a young man I met yesterday, and realized how easy my day was by comparison.

In yesterday’s post I told the story of a little boy that is about 3 1/2 and has already had open heart surgery. Not only that, but he eats by a feeding tube and hi parents must feed him every hour. With three other children, you can imagine the challenges this brings to the family and the parents.

The little boy’s name is Caleb. Please pray for him to have wholeness. We went to Culver last night and laid hands on him and interceded for him. He has allergies, and of course issues with swallowing and the reflux from trying to eat. His parents are believers and are doing much to advance the kingdom.

For me, I am comforted when I try to comfort Caleb by praying for him. Please join us in this asking God to manifest His power in Caleb’s life.

Prayer
Father, You are the Great Deliverer Healer King. We ask now that You unleash Your power to bring wholeness to Caleb. We rebuke the dark forces that war against such a little one. We praise You Father for granting this because we know children are very close to You heart. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

This is a first for us here as we wanted to take our two traditional Sunday and Monday themes and write about them together. On Sunday we typically focus on comfort and on Monday we focus on encouragement. In conversations I have had with some, they have told me that they thought these are the same. Perhaps they are, but I thought I would share some thoughts and let the readers decide for themselves.

A comfort can be and encouragement, and an encouragement can be a comfort, in the right situations. Comfort to me means that I have some lack, and I just need to be made whole in that area. When Jesus spoke of sending the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to not leave the people comfortless, he was referring to this lack and mourning the people would feel when He left (John 14-16). This is for me one of the best examples of comfort in the scriptures. There are also great reference is Psalms 23:4; 119:21, 50, 76; and Psalms 71:21. All use comfort in the regard. Someone is motionless, and they are in need. The provision for that need is comfort.

Encouragement is for someone that either is or is about to be in motion, or moving, whether physically, mentally, or spiritually. Take for example when Joshua was selected by God to be the one to lead the children of Israel into the promised land at the end of their trek out of Egypt. God told Moses to encourage Joshua that he could do the job (Deuteronomy 1). Moses was to say and do things that would strengthen Joshua in his action to lead the people into the land and to take the land.

If we are in need of comfort, and we receive it, that might encourage us to go on, to move towards God. And seeing someone encouraged might be a comfort to us. But they each have their own place.

Finally, let me ask, are you in lack in some area. Pray and let God send you comfort. Are you on the move in some way, or about to be, and feel some uncertainty? Pray and ask God to send you encouragement. He is both willing and able to do all these things. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, we ask that You send people comfort today. Please send us the Comforter to renew our hearts and forgive us our sins. We want to serve Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In Jesus name. Amen.

Taking Comfort In God’s Direction

We are all human. We believers try to do good, but we will sometimes go the wrong way. We can take comfort in the fact that we have a very good Father. God is always there, always trying to show us the right way. If we will but spend time with Him and seek His face daily, He will daily renew the light to the path we need to travel, getting us back on track. In Proverbs 14:27 It says that reverence toward God is source of life and has the power to turn us away from those things that hook us and lead to death. If we will turn to God every day, and seek His face, then we can take comfort in the fact that their will be the power to get back to the right path. If we can remember to do this when we face those temptations, we can overcome them. And God speaks to us in a small voice when those temptations come up to give us that choice. It is a great comfort to me to know that I do have to try to do this walk with God out of my own strength, but in my weakness God is made strong (II Corinthians 12:9) by His calling to us and giving us the power to take the right path . Praise God!

Prayer
Father, Thank You for providing the course corrections we need to go down the right path. Thank You for the scriptures that You have given to us to help us learn Your ways. Thank You for being loving and patient with us, and making right choices available to us daily. In Jesus name. Amen.

Cloud Rider

There are many pictures painted of God in the scriptures. One that I take comfort in is found in Psalms 68. The image is that when God stands up, His enemies immediately flee. He rides in on the clouds while His people cheer Him by His name, Yah! The enemies that cannot flee fast enough melt like wax before Him as He defends the widow and the fatherless, and brings those that were bound in poverty into prosperity as He moves. Even the desert is moved, and God’s presence causes the earth to shake. God marches in when we praise and worship Him, calling on Him to come to our defense. He delivers us daily and gives us great benefits daily. God has great strength and power, and this He gives to us!

Praise God!

Prayer
Father, we extol you by Your name, Yah! Come to us Cloud Rider, come Yah, and give us Your strength and power! Come Yah, and deliver us and give us prosperity that we may be a testimony to You. Confirm Your inheritance in us. Come in the power of Your Holy Spirit, and breathe on us today. Deliver us today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Stay The Course

Our interactions with others has impact. They impact us and we impact them. Last night I attended a limited viewing of the Bearfruit Films movie, “Rumors of Wars” at Culver Academy in Culver, IN. When this is released later this fall, you won’t want to miss this when it comes to your area. The film is a post apocalyptic presentation about the lives of the main characters as they experience some time in the future. A thought provoking look at what might be, Rumors of Wars presents us with an opportunity to stop and think about not only what might be, but the impact we have on others when we interact with them. I took away from the movie that fact that we all have choices, and those choices are frequently influenced by interaction with others. It is a great comfort to know that we can in fact make the right choices, even in the face of making wrong choices before.

Never let your past choices keep you from making the right choices today, at this moment.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. Please forgive us for the bad or wrong choices we have made. Please give us the courage to make the right choices today. In Jesus name. Amen.

New Beginnings

Sometimes I like to think about how Sunday, the first day of the week, is like a new beginning. It is true that it is the first day of the week. And new beginnings are great because they give us a fresh start. A chance once again to do good, to get things right, new opportunities, and new chances to reach out to those that need to feel God’s love. The scriptures actually support the idea of new beginnings many times in both the New and Old Testament.

In Lamentations we read of the writer going through a bad season. Why? Because the nation of Israel turned their back on God. The story says that God brings judgement that results in the enemies of the people having victory over them till they are very cast down and suffering. The good news is that God does not forget and refuse to hear forever. When the people lament their ways, turn from their sin, and call upon the Lord, He hears and delivers them We must remember the good times in those days, and remember to turn to our God. Always. In Lamentations 3:22 it says we are not consumed and destroyed in these times because God’s mercies do not fail. They are renewed every morning. Every day we get a new chance to turn from false ways and return to our God. Every single day is a new beginning. That is a great comfort to those who name the name of Jesus as their Messiah.

Prayer
Father, please forgive us for those things we do that we should not do, and for not doing those things that we should do. Please bring Your kingdom to earth. Please judge the earth in righteousness, and help us to follow in Your ways. Let Your Spirit comfort us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Not So Common, Common Sense

Today was a most interesting day. I had it completely planned, trying to move, getting ready to send my daughter to a new school. Then the kitchen sink faucet thought it would be good to put as much water on the counter as in the sink. Yes, this created a change in plans. I was faced with the fact that I needed to have a kitchen faucet installed NOW, and I had never done this before. I was puzzled to understand why this would be happening. This lead me to a very practical comfort.

God is my help. This is not an ethereal, hypothetical, wishful kind of help. He can help me wash dishes, wash the car, clean the kitchen, finish my spreadsheet for work – God can help us in everything we do. I prayed and told God that I had never done this.. I needed help. He helped me find the right faucet, understand how to tighten it down without the right tool, and nothing leaked! Small stuff, right?

I think that is the point. God is there for us in everything we do – big or small. The really important part is that we make the decision to trust Him. That is really all we have to do. the rest is up to the main man – God.

Prayer
Father, wow, You are amazing! We praise and exalt You for just being You – our King. Thank You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Plentiful Rain

Have you ever found yourself in a place in your walk with God where you felt a little weary? I know I have. Today when I was reading the Psalms, I ran across a verse that I am going to remember the next time I feel weary. In Psalm 68:9 the psalmist states that God send a plentiful rain. This rain confirms His inheritance, His people. The last line in the verse is the one that caught my eye.

“When it was weary.”

When what was weary? His inheritance – us! When God sends a plentiful rain, it is to confirm to us that we are His. It is to comfort us when we are weary. The entire chapter speaks about God defending His people. God is on our side, brothers and sisters, and He wants to bring the rain of His reign to you!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Thank You for taking time to spend with us and for making us feel comforted when we are weary. I ask Father that You send a plentiful rain to each of Your children today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Finding Our Way

Yesterday was an interesting end to a very unusual week. By the end of the day, my mind was completely scrambled with ideas and events, so much so that I got them intertwined and even became frustrated. Somehow now thinking about it, it seems strange to think that we could get upset with a series of good events. I guess it comes down to the fact that we are all trying to find our way to God. When that gets obscured, we struggle and get upset.

Sometimes I just need to stop and take account of what God wants me to do and how I will do that. This can be a challenge for me because I can get so caught up in life’s events that I forget to take a moment to think about the One that gives life, God.

Take that moment today, now, won’t you?

Prayer
Father, we praise You for watching over our lives. We thank You for making these things happen in the manner they need to happen versus the manner we want them to happen. Please be with us and guide us today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Our Hope Is In The Lord

In my readings this morning I was looking for comfort. God has granted me many great gifts – life, family, friends, and fellowship. These are a great comfort to me. But in times when I feel unworthy, I cry out to God for mercy. Even though I cannot seem to always choose the best things to do, I trust that He will deliver me and comfort me by growing me up into the likeness of Him.

In Psalm 33 this morning I saw great comfort. It begins with a call to praise and worship of God our King. It speaks of His great power in creation. It speaks of a God of great wisdom that is on our side. As the psalmist wrote, we are to be comforted because no plans of men can work against us. Great men that trust in their power, their strength, will come to nothing as God provides for His people. He will give us our needs. He will protect us from famine. In Him we can trust. In Him we place our hope, knowing that He will take care of us always. This is a very great comfort.

Prayer
Father, You are our God and King. You rule the earth and the heavens. By Your great power You created everything. By Your great power You will deliver us from the strong men. By Your mercy You will lead us on. We praise and thank You. In Jesus name. Amen.