Bible Verse of The Day — God is Our Strength

2 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

This wonderful verse written by the Apostle Peter, brings so many important messages for the Christian to take to heart. First of all he refers to the “God of all grace.” Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines grace as: “Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.” Our God is a God of unmerited love and favor. Despite our sin, despite our shortcomings, despite our past, God still wants to pour out His love on us and show His favor in our lives. Not a god of war or of gold or of lightning, God is a God of grace. Loving us even when we denied Him. Peter knew this personally as he denied Christ at the time of Christ’s arrest. How sad and sorrowful must he have felt knowing he let his good friend, teacher and Savior done at the bleakest hour! Yet Christ, in His resurrected body and given all power over Heaven and Earth, did not condemn Peter. He did not tell him “I told you so!” or ask Peter “how could you do that to me?” Instead, He forgave Him. That is grace.

Next we see that God in saving us through Jesus Christ, has also called us to eternal glory. Webster’s states glory is: “The felicity of heaven prepared for the children of God; celestial bliss.” For those who will receive God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, Heaven awaits! God is calling us to come to it. And will it be good? Well the Bible tells us: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9).

But while we are still alive here on Earth, we still face problems, challenges, tragedies and pain. We cry, we suffer and we become ill. Yes, Heaven is awaiting a saved believer in Christ, but Earth still holds problems and drama. The good news is that The Lord is here for us now as well. We will suffer, but have faith, because the strength of Our Lord is perfected in our weakness. When Elijah was on the run from the satanic Queen Jezebel, he cried out to God to die rather than deal with her wrath. As he laid under a juniper tree hopeless and frightened, God responded by sending an angel to comfort him and supernaturally feed him for the journey to Mt. Horeb. He strengthened him for his challenges ahead and stablished him by reminding Elijah that it’s not his battle. The Lord reassured Elijah that He provides what is needed to sustain us. And it got Elijah back on mission.  God is our strength! When we have faith The Lord fights for us. And that knowledge gives a peace that can settle us. A peace that passeth all understanding. When you suffer Beloved, cry out to your God. And trust in Him to feed you, comfort you and strengthen you for the road ahead. All because He loves you so much.

Inspiration, Prayer and Hope in Haiti

With all the tragic news coming out of Haiti since the earthquake, there is good news as well. Christians and Christian groups among all denominations are pouring in aid and prayers for the ailing nation. And from athletes to actors, to nurses and school children, the world in general is stepping up and donating money and time to aid the people who have been stricken by this catastrophe. One thing we must not let up on though is prayer. As the military and relief workers finally start to make it into the country there are still people hurting. There are still children starving. There are still entire families buried alive under rubble. Hearts are broken and being pushed to the limits by affliction. Even if you struggle for what to say to God for these people, remember this

“…we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

Here is a prayer for them:

Dear Heavenly Father, Creator of All things, you have a purpose in everything you do and we submit to your perfect Will. Today we pray for the nation of Haiti.

We pray for those who have lost family and friends in the earth quake. Please comfort them and give them reminders that there is still hope, joy and comfort in you.

We pray for those who have been injured or who are sick. Dear Father, please touch their bodies. We know that all things can be done through your Holy Spirit and we pray for their physical healing.

We pray for the children who are lost, confused and frightened. Please let someone find them and take care of them until they are reunited with their families.
We pray for the souls of those who have passed. That they knew Jesus as their Savior and are with you in Heaven.

We pray for those who are still alive, that they call out to you and find you. That they keep their spiritual strength and faith as it’s being tested more now than ever.

We pray for the soldiers, aid workers, diplomats and volunteers who are being so courageous and compassionate to go down and assist the Haitian people. Please keep them safe, healthy and fed so they can be strong for the days and weeks ahead.

Heavenly Father we also pray for the world that is watching this crisis. Please continue to touch the hearts of people worldwide so that they will continue to donate funds to help assist the relief work in Haiti. And help people who have the means to keep spreading the word to others and raise awareness that this will be a long-term relief effort and requires long-term assistance.

And finally Lord God we pray for those who are watching who are unsaved. Who don’t know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Let people realize that as you wrote in your Word, life is a vapor. We don’t know when we may be the ones in a catastrophe, hurt, missing or dead. Our lives are precious and nothing we can take for granted. And even moreso for our eternal lives. Let people know that there is a God, who is real, and loves us. And you proved your love by sending your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. To take a punishment so that no matter what happens, we are secure for eternity to be with you in Heaven.

We thank you and pray for all these things in the most precious Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayers for Haiti

Biblical Principles

Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Psalm 22:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

As I sit here still reeling from the devastating news, of the earthquake in Haiti, I can only hope for a revival in that nation. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us that His strength is perfected in our weakness and I pray that people in that nation cry out to Him and all of us who care pray to The Lord for healing, rescue and mercy there as well. It’s hard to fathom the extent of damage that affected one third of the nations and casualties possibly approaching one hundred thousand.

In this all, The Lord is there. He is there if we make our bed in hell, He is there. As hard as it may seem in the midst of such a catastrophe, God is there. My prayer is for the people suffering and hurting right now to see Him. To call out to The Lord. To call out to Jesus.

And as we pray for this nation, we can also help. There are websites which can show you how you can donate money, which is the most immediate need at present. Even a $1 donation can go a long way. We must show the love of Christ and extend our help to the people there. Whether it’s money, going to help in person or sending supplies, all things can be done to God’s glory. And of course, keep praying.

Are You Suffering? Then Cry out To God

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

A dear brother in the faith sent this verse to me last weekend. The great irony is that he is the one who has a loved one who is very ill at the moment. Reading it just moved me. Such faith in such a hard time. The power of God’s Word is amazing! We must remember that in our service, worship and work for The Lord our God, that He is here to deliver us. This is not a one-sided relationship. God is with us every step of the way. The Bible tells us we will indeed suffer afflictions. And that we should rejoice in them. Look at how David opens the Psalm

1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
It is a call to praise! Not just occasionally, but continually. Like the love of a mother that pours of her as he holds her newborn child, we too should let our heart, mind and words overflow with praises of our Lord. And in our afflictions we will be sure to remember Him. We then read:
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. ….
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles

When we have a consistent relationship with The Lord, we have confidence to go before His Throne in our difficult times. Again we see the loving relationship at work. David “sought” The Lord and was heard. They looked unto him and were lightened. The poor man and the righteous cry out and The Lord hears and saves. Just like the sleeping mother hears the whimper of her infant The Lord will rush to His children to lovingly tend to their every distress.

So yes Christian, we can look for healing, blessing and restoration from God. So again I say, rejoice! The Lord Almighty loves His children and whether we are suffering from illness, emotional pain or just struggling to make ends meet, we can pray for deliverance from the situation. The Lord answers all prayers in accordance with His Perfect Will and will deliver us in the way that is best for our growth and refinement.

So when things seem hopeless and when life’s problems and trials have pushed you to the breaking point, it’s a perfect time to get on your knees for private prayer time to worship The Lord, rejoice in your salvation and pray for the solution that His Word promises. The Lord will never leave us, never abandon us and never forget us. Jesus reinforced this to His Disciples before His Ascension to Heaven:

and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.