This is God's Day....
and yours
For a lift....
take a look!
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1
Only when one honestly believes that the Lord is his shepherd can he ever know completeness and peace of mind and soul. The Psalmist learned this after a life of sowing wild oats. After experiencing complete forgiveness and mercy from God, he declared this faith.
This is to say he who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only; but he who has everything else, but has not God, he has nothing.
'It is really a jewel to be able to say: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5
“Thy way” means one's journey through life. A way leads somewhere, and a committed way unto the Lord is to know that the Lord will bring that life to Himself.
This verse of God's Word was often on the lips of David Livingstone.
“God is our refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble.” Psalm 46:1
A refuge is a shelter or protection from danger or distress. To claim God as one's refuge leaves nothing to be desired. Strength used here means defense. Therefore a trusting life has constant help from God any time any kind of trouble shows its head.
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalm 5:1
This is a cry of a man to God for help. he admits his sin and casts himself on God's mercy.
Thsi is important. Forgiveness is based on God's mercy, not on what one deserves. To blot out was like erasing some writing from a tablet.
God did this for David. He'll do it for you.
“What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits unto me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, now in the presence of all His people”. Psalm 116:12,13, 14
There is absolutely no better way to show your appreciation to God for Him goodness than by accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Savior, Lord and Master.
Once doing this, then keep the promises you make Him and by doing all that's humanly possible to be in the church “paying your vows before the people”.
“ Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Psalm 130
No human comment could possibly help this – read it again!
“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it althogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me”. Psalm 139:1-5
Is it not helpful to understand that our God has his powerful hand upon us? He knows everything that comes to us. Leaning on Him, we can never be the loser.
“When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” Proverbs 3:24
This promise of God's has calmed numberless people who were going to be put to sleep for surgery.
It has also brought immeasurable peace and quiet at night to troubled lives and enabled them to fall to sleep in calmness and serenity.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; and they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
The tempo of our day makes us want to rush right into things and get going on them. Much suffering and heartache could be avoided if we would first wait for the Lord's guidance and blessing in any undertaking.
“Wings like the eagle” is a beautiful picture of faith and power. It is ours for the asking and waiting.
“He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him: He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely he hath born our grieves, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him: and with his stripes we were healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all”. Isaiah 53:3-6
All that is needed now is for you to close your eyes and thank God for this. Let go and let God.
7ldquo;Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”. Isaiah 55:6, 7
There can be no communion with God on our level: rather, we have to place ourselves before Him, let His light search us, and sincerely enter into His purpose. He is ready and willing, and the only obstacle is ourselves.
We must, then, “seek the Lord”.
“Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:2
Many people have blamed God for not hearing them when all the time the trouble was with the people themselves.
Know now that the Lord does save....He does hear. Perhaps you must get self out of the way to make this discovery.
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Jesus made this offer. If you are tired, feel completely worn out, anxious and troubled....feel that life has smacked you one; then you need to listen to this offer.
More than that, you need to accept it. You will experience a rest previously undreamed of.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your soul.” Matthew 11:29
You and I are offered a terrific trade by Jesus. When our yoke of selfishness, temper, ugliness or whatever it is gets us down (and it always does), we can trade it to Jesus for His easy yoke and get rest for our soul.
Strain, stress, and tension will let go, for they can't live with the yoke of Jesus.
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37
You and God make a majority.
He never fails; and when you are with Him, it is impossible for you to experience real failure.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
This has been called the theme of the Bible. It is the only hope for the world.
Yet, it is so personal. God loves Jane or John so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, that if Jane or John believe in Jesus they will not be lost, but will live forever.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
Jesus Christ made this promise. There has never been a time when peace of mind was more needed than today. There can never be complete peace of mind, until there is peace of soul, and Jesus wants to give that to us.
Think of it: wonderful peace coming down from the Father is ours for the asking.
Bow ou head now, relax, ask Him to keep His promise and send you that peace.
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” I Corinthians 3:16
Your body houses your part of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is not in the church building or anything else. It is only in a human being.
Just as one can get along better in a comfortable house, comfortable clothes, comfortable environment....so can the Christian Faith be aided when housed in a healthy body.
God gave the wisdom, skill and tenderness to the doctors and nurses. They are His instruments to help keep the house will. They, too, know that your body is the temple. Relax and give God a chance through them.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” I Peter 5:6, 7
Without real humility one cannot approach God. Complete humility and surrender to God is the way to place oneself in the attitude for God's ministry to be felt.
Always remember that “He careth for you.”
Suggested Prayer
The first hours in hospital or sickroom....
O God, our help in ages past, help me in my helplessness. The unaccustomed surroundings, the strange discomforts, the disturbing weakness, the need to leave decisions in another's hands - - all these I find so hard to manage or accept, and needing thee, I turn to thee for what I need. Grant that I may serve you with my frailty as I have tried to serve you with my strength, and so be with me in infirmity that being strong again, I shall be stronger because I was weak.
The late watches....
in sleeplessness I turn to you, O Lord, who never sleeps. I worry though I try to trust; I fear though I strive to be brave; I long to run though I know I cannot even walk. Surrounded by love, I am none the less in tumult. As thou hast dropped the calming stillness of night on the world, drop, too, thy quietness; and being sleepless, may I sleep.
Fear....
O thou who knows all, You know that I am afraid. You art my Father and my God, and in thy presence I have neither need nor way to hide from You my dread of words that I must hear in coming days, choices I must make, pain I must suffer, deeds I must do or let be done. Let my trembling rest upon Your steadiness, I pray, and bind so fast my life to thine that I who have so many fears will lose them in my closeness to You who never fearest.
Pain....
I am suffering, my Father. The pain writhes through my flesh like iron claws that care not how they rend and cripple me. The healing hands have still not healed me, and tortured on my bed, I seek a peace which yet I seek in vain. O You whose suffering began before the life of man and who was Yourself upon the cross in Your Son, help me not to add the burden of my pain to those who now must bear my other burdens, Give me courage in Your love, and from Your power lend me might.
Before and Operation....
Merciful Spirit, who is too kind to spare Your children the truth, help as I face in the darkness the road to the light. Let me not shrink from the pain that is the herald of peace, nor from the danger that leads to my strength. Keep firm the hands that have me in their keeping, and no less firmly hold me in the hands that keep me. For awake, I trust Your love; asleep I shall rest in Your power; and stirring again to wakefulness, I shall turn to Your service.
Health....
Eternal God and loving Father, from my sickness I seek in thee the road to health. Move through my ailing flesh, I beseech You; and if it be possible, cast out disease from within me. Bestow upon the doctors and the nurses the wisdom and the will to be the agents of Your purpose, and purging me of weakness, and purging me of weakness, restore me to strength. But if thou canst not heal my body, leave not my soul without Your saving peace. In pleasure or pain, in joy or sorrow, in satisfaction or denial - - take not Your Holy Spirit from me, and grant that neither life nor death may stop Your love of me, or mine of You.
Hope....
Almighty and everlasting God, who created all things in the beginning, who sustained them until now, and who would still remain though all things were removed, be thou my hope when else I am hopeless. Health and strength, friends and loved ones, coveted pleasures and cherished events and remembered duties - - from all of them my sickness holds me like a chain I cannot break. Teach me the patience of the prayers which You answer better than I know. Your can do all things: save me from despair that You can do all things that are needful for me.
Others....
Deliver me, O Lord, from the blindness that so easily besets the sick. Let me not turn inward on my sickness, see only myself, and hence forget the world of human beings all around me. Keep me aware of other sufferers whose pain is no less burdensome than mine, and if there be a way for me to touch their hearts with faith or peace, be thou my guide upon the way.
Thanksgiving....
O You who gives all, You give me so much! Doctors and nurses, ministers and counselors, family and friends, food and shelter, music and books, faith and hope and love - - in the midst of all my hardship and denial let me not be thankless when so much deserves my thanks. And most of all, protect me from ingratitude before the knowledge of you. Amen.
A person's most fervent prayers are not said when he is on his knees but when he is flat on his back.
Prepared and Recommended by:
Rev. Jack H. Cooke
Chaplain
Carolina Freight Carriers Corp.
Cherryville, North Carolina
