God’s Comfort

We had a great time of worship Friday night. It was good to see and hear people playing music to God. Yesterday and today as I thought about it, I wondered exactly where it fit in the grand scheme of things. Some may think that there should have been more people there. Some may have been more focused on the “production”. As I have thought about it, it reminded me that it is God who is in control. If we do what He says He makes the pieces all come together in the end. In praying about it this morning God told me to read Psalm 113. What a great message in that psalm! It speaks of us praising God, and of His deliverance. It addresses the great need that we have and that He will raise us up out of that need and make us to sit with princes. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, thank You for giving us a renewal every morning. Thank You for Your never failing love. Thank You that You always take us out of the ashes, and make us to sit with the princes. Thank You for being God. In Jesus name. Amen.

My God Is A Comfort To Me

Today was a very interesting day for me. Many good things happened, and I had opportunity to think more about God. The more I thought about God, the more I felt comforted. It made me wonder exactly why that is. Perhaps because we are His creation, and we are to be with Him always. When we contemplate Him, it is like contemplating where we come from, it is like “being home.” Even though I am not perfect, I want to strive to do the best I can for God. It’s like I want Him to be proud to call me His son. Even though I mess up, I feel like He is there cheering me on to turn from doing wrong things to doing right things.

That is very comforting to me. God is on our side.

Prayer
Father, thank You for watching over us. Thank You for watching out for us. Thank You for never walking away. Thank You for being King. In Jesus name. Amen.

When Others Speak Evil Against You, Be Comforted

In life God comforts us, like a Father, in many ways. Perhaps one of the most difficult times to face is when others speak against us, looking at our situation and thinking that God is not with us. All too often in my walk I have seen and heard Christians speak against other Christians who at that time are in a stage of suffering or at a low point. I have even seen people in group prayer times “pray at” other Christians in the group (or not in that group) as if they were either teaching them or exalting themselves. My brethren, this ought not be so. For we are all mere mortals, who God in His mystery has decided to save through His Son Jesus. We are none in a better position than another. We all fall short, we all make mistakes that could cause those outside to look down on us and on Jesus. It is God alone that extends His hand to reach beyond us to those in need. Above all we should pray that God reveal Himself and His commandments to those in and out of the body of believers.

To God be the glory! In Psalm 71:21 this very situation is being experienced by the psalmist, and he cries to God who will comfort him on every side. And by the way, all those that speak evil against the psalmist, God makes sure it does not turn out well for them, in His mercy, to get them to realize that He alone is God.

Prayer
Father, You alone are God, King of the universe. We praise and exalt You as the Most High God. Please reach out to Your people today, and comfort them on every side. And those that speak badly of Your people, bring their own shame upon them, expose them, bring them low (whether they are within the body or outside it) that they might know that You are God, and turn to You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Brick Sidewalks

This morning early I went outside and pulled the weeds out of the long crack between the slabs in my driveway. It seems they were designed to be expansion joints, but they have become the one place in the driveway where the weeds can and do grow. I noticed when I was pulling these weeds that somehow it was comforting. That made me wonder why. Maybe it was because the rain had made it easy and fast. Maybe it was because the difference was so dramatic when the weeds were gone. Then it hit me.

When I was a child I lived on a farm, and the driveway was gravel, not like the nice cement I have today. There was a short walkway from where we parked the car next to the house to the small slab of cement we called the back porch. It was “L” shaped and was made of old red brick. Every spring it would sprout weeds in every one of those cracks. My parents would pay me 50 cents to use a screw driver and pair of pliers and my bare hands to pull the weeds from all those cracks. I remember when I first started to do it, I was frustrated because I did not know how to do it very well. Over time, I got very good at it and it became a more simple and faster task. I got to where I liked it because I always beat the weeds. They never won.

In life I have found that it is good to enjoy the simple things that can make so much difference. It is comforting to remember, the weeds never win.

Prayer
Father, I praise and thank You for being our God; for always watching over us. I thank You Father that You have given us the power over the weeds in our life. Please help us to remember that we have that power and to use it for good. Please help Your people get the weeds out and not be frustrated. In Jesus name. Amen.

Comfort For Fathers

Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and that more abundantly.(John10:10)” As a father, this is comforting to me. We fathers want good for our children. There is no greater joy for a father than to know that his children have a good life. Until I was a father, my understanding of what Jesus said was not as full. God is our Father. His compassion for us, and His joy at seeing us have a more abundant life, far surpasses anything that I could possibly feel or understand. It only makes sense then that this would be one of the reasons that Jesus came, and will return.

In life we face many, many challenges. There are spiritual forces that try to keep us from this abundant life, which is what Jesus said at the beginning of John 10:10, “The thief comes not but to kill, steal, and destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that more abundantly.” So this thief, which is all of the spiritual darkness comes against us and our children. How then does this show up in our lives? The thief (spiritual darkness) uses people many times, and comes directly other times. As fathers we can know that we can call upon God to deliver us and our children.

In Psalm 59 we see a story where the enemy of the psalmist comes against him to destroy and cast down. Sound familiar? What is the response we are to have? The psalmist prays to God, just like us. He asks God to destroy the enemies, but not to kill them. He asks that God destroy their attempts to cause us harm, to take from us, and to make a public spectacle of what them and their works that all may know that God is still God. He trusts in God to do this when we ask.

That is a father’s comfort. God will cast down our enemies and make a spectacle of them in the sight of us and others, that all may know that we serve a living and true God. God has our back.

Prayer
Father, King of the universe, today above all days, I want to wish You a Happy Father’s Day. Thank You for being our Dad. Thank You for watching over us and our children and families. We pray that You destroy our enemies and the enemies of our children and families. Do not kill them. Destroy their works against us. Bring their plans to nothing. Make a public showing of them that all may know that You alone are the One, true Living God. In Jesus name. Amen.

Where To Go For Comfort

From time to time, we all seek comfort from God. I was thinking about this subject this morning reflecting on my son’s race at the race track last night where he crashed his car. He is okay, but the car will definitely need some help. It made me sad for him last night because this is his dream and he just wanted to enjoy it. It also made me think of how often people at church, me included, have needs and ask for prayer. In addition to the thing we need prayer for, we are seeking comfort, or at least I am in those situations. What I thought about this morning is where do I go to find comfort? Do I sit in a closet? Do I go to a beach? Do I sit in the parking lot at work?

In Psalm 116 I see the psalmist describing being lost, and crying out to God who brings salvation in verses 1-13. Just like me, the psalmist was at once thankful and also sought comfort in that state of salvation. So what does the psalmist say he did? Knowing that could be helpful to us. In verses 14-18 it says he paid his vows in the presence of God’s people, which is performing the words of our lips. To do that he calls upon the name of the Lord and offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving. And where does this occur? In the midst of the people, in the house of God, in the middle of Jerusalem. Today, we are the house of God, and we collectively are trying to become the bride of the Lamb, which is the New Jerusalem. The psalmist went there to honor God AND to find comfort. We can too, but we must go where His people are, because God is in in everyone of them. When we are all together, with all our good qualities and all our faults, we are in the midst of God.

Prayer
Father, thank You for Your mercy and loving-kindness toward us all. Today I feel very blessed, not for great possessions or jewels or money, but because I know You love me. I know You love all Your children. I thank You for every one of Your children God, and ask that You reach out to them today, drawing them together in our name, and giving them comfort as they offer up thanksgiving. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Greatest Comfort Of All

There was a time in my life, and in the lives of many that I know, when life was not as good as it could have been. Every day seemed to have this something fearful in it. It was like something hanging over my head or sneaking up behind me. It was like someone scraping fingernails on a chalkboard (for those of us that remember chalk boards) only on the inside. That feeling just left me feeling like I was missing out on something, there was an empty space where there should not be one. That’s when I met Jesus, and everything changed. No more empty space.

These days I can still find struggles and challenges. While there is no empty space, there is something that calls from within me. That calling is God calling to my spirit to come and spend time with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When I take that time to do that, I get renewed; I feel better on the inside. In Psalm 113 we see the psalmist praising God continually. In verse 7 it says He raises the poor out of the dust and the needy out of the ash heap. After that God sets them up to be with the princes. I do believe this is referring to physical needs, but I also think it refers to what happens when we give our life to Jesus, and then do it every day. No more void within.

Prayer
Father, I ask a blessing on all of Your people today that they would feel Your comfort. I ask that You remind us all that You are calling us to spend our lives with You. And I ask that anyone that might read this that may not be with You would turn, ask forgiveness, and ask for Jesus to rule and reign in their heart today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Where Do We Focus Life

The last few days I have been thinking about where God may want me and my family to spend the next few years of our lives. As I was walking around our property this morning I recall thinking about the point in life and asking myself what it was. As I began to pray, I asked God to show me what the point was, and what, if anything, He would want me to do with our property. What happened next is a little difficult to explain. If you ever have had a moment in your life when a phrase or an idea suddenly takes on new meaning and somehow is more real, you know what I am talking about. That is what happened to me.

Suddenly it seemed to me that the purpose in life was to find out what God was up to and be about that. Somehow the searching out of what to do and asking God about it had revealed a deeper truth to me in words I had heard many times. Make God the focus of your life. I need to ask myself every day, at the beginning of the day, what is it that God wants from me that day. What exactly is God doing that day. As my wife and I discussed this I came to realize that I had made God a part of my life. Wrong focus. I needed to make myself a part of His. Don’t worry about the stuff. Don’t be concerned about what someone said. Instead, look to God and ask, “Hey, what’s up today, Big Guy?” Then wait for the answer.

Prayer
Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to us, every day closing the gap just a little more. Thank You for being the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Thank you for the comfort You give us in knowing that if we focus on You, if we seek You first, then everything else will work out. In Jesus name. Amen.

Comfort For Those That Mourn

When Jesus spoke in Matthew He said those that mourned were blessed because they would be comforted. In Isaiah 61 when he spoke of the Messiah, Isaiah said that the Messiah would comfort those that mourn. This would be done by consoling them with beauty, oil of joy, and the garment of praise. The end result of this was that the comforted person would be called the planting of the Lord to His glory. When in the temple, Jesus read from this passage the first few verses, and then declared what Isaiah had written fulfilled. How do these fit together?

Jesus told his followers that He must go so that the Comforter would come, which is the Holy Spirit. This happened at Pentecost (Shavuot). The Holy Spirit can help us past the struggles in life, especially not seeing Jesus in person. We and the whole world travail for the return of the Messiah. When we are down we can feel and look saddened and downtrodden. The Spirit can lift us up. The one thing we need to do is to cooperate by clothing ourselves in praise. The Spirit will give us what to sing and say, but we must open our own mouths. From our own mouths will come the comfort, and from God the wisdom to make it through day to day.

Prayer
Father, thank You for sending the Comforter, Your Holy Spirit, to be with us and in us while we sojourn in a world, fallen. Help us to remember to open our mouth in praise to You, and to never forget that You are the One that rules the heavens and earth, our King. In Jesus name. Amen.

In The Arms Of God

Little children can teach us a great deal. I saw a woman at the local race track last night arm in arm with her little girl. It was very chilly; we could see our breath. They were both dressed warmly, but still the little one wanted to be in the arms of her mom to be comforted against the cold. We as humans will look for comfort, especially in times of distress.

In Psalm 55 this morning I read both a sad and a happy story. It was sad because David was speaking of a friend, a dear friend, that had turned against him. The former friend at one time went to church together with David, but was now out to get him. David was sad because the comfort that his friend had once been to him had turned into what seemed almost like hatred. So much that David was calling on God to defeat his former friend. Here is what I find interesting. David did have faults. After all he committed adultery and had the lady’s husband murdered. But David repented. Maybe his friend just could not forget and forgive. Unfortunately for the friend, God was on David’s side, and probably things turned out badly for the friend. So where is the happy part of the story?

God is our friend, regardless of what others that may even have been our friends and gone to church with us, say about us. God is on our side and will defend us. God will be our comfort, if we let Him and call upon His name.

Prayer
Father, thank You for being our friend. Please help those that once were our friends to see the sad state they are in when they are against one of Your children. If they will not change, Father, then I ask You to defend Your people mightily that all may know, that You alone are God, the Deliverer Healer King. In Jesus name. Amen.