Read:
Luke 22:20
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
The seven redemptive names of Jehovah reveal the fullness of the gospel blessing. All that the New Testament provides for the believer is found in these seven covenant names, and that blessing that is represented by each name has all been provided by the shedding of Jesus' blood. This is the revelation of the Blood Covenant. The Lord is Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is present, Jehovah Raah, the Lord our Shepherd, Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our victory, Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace, Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness, Jehovah Tireh, the Lord our provider, and the Lord Rophe, the Lord our healer. Let us appropriate these blessings by faith, and they shall become ours in power. The seven redemptive names of Jehovah give us a special revelation of Almighty God, and they reveal the covenant. They describe for us the redemptive nature of God, and when we meditate on these facts, they will be our strength in time of need. The bible is Gods' revelation of Himself to the believer.
Comment by Keith Edwards:
Today I want us to focus on Gods' name in a deep and powerful way. The bible says that the name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous run into it and they are saved. The Hebrew word for name is Shem, and it means the nature and character of God. The Hebrew word for tower is Megdawl, and it means to elevate one to a high place. We are elevated to a high place in God's name, and His name is food for our soul, and it gives us that desire to walk in His Spirit.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you will elevate us to a high place in your name today. We desire Lord to get a deep revelation of who you are in us by that blood covenant, Amen.
by Drew Kaylor and Keith Edwards
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Carnal Christians May 7th Devotional
Read:
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
In our Christian walk we are going to face challenging times as a believer. None of us our exempt from trials and proper growth in the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 3 we see that Paul was talking to Christians who had strife and other things in the church. He exhorts them to repent and to be the temple of God. In the last part of the chapter He talks about the judgment seat of Christ and how God is going to judge us according to our motives and things we have done in our body while here on earth. The judgment seat of Christ is for believers, and the Great White Throne judgment is for unbelievers. The judgment seat of Christ has nothing to do with heaven or hell like the Great White Throne judgment will be about, but it is about what we as Christians have built upon the foundation of Christ, and what we built that was not pure. We are all going to have bad and good motives judged. The Greek word for carnal here in verse one is adelphos, and the definition is a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection, an associate in employment or office; Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place. I have heard minister's teach that a carnal Christian is an unbeliever, but this is not scriptural. I'm not teaching in this devotion that you can sin and do anything you want to without any repentance, I'm just saying that we all have things we deal with, and if we don't let the Holy Spirit shine down upon that sin, we will not be fit for the Kingdom of God here on earth. It also says in verse one that carnal Christians are babes in Christ. I don't know how more relevant that can be to let us know that we can walk in the flesh and not be walking in the Spirit by His Grace. We will fall from God's grace when we start looking to the law to be made right. To fall from God's grace is to start looking to the law and our own self works to be made right with Christ, and when we fall from grace we will be a carnal Christian condemned and not free in His truth. It will make us feel unworthy and our joy will go down the tubes. This tells us that we can be a babe in Christ, but God wants us to grow in love towards fellow believers. God wants us to allow His Spirit to sanctify us and make His name attractive by walking in holiness. If we continue to have a mixture of carnality in our walk with the Lord, the Lord will discipline and chasten us to produce fruit, and those spankings from the Lord doesn't feel good at all. He has a way of dealing with us as His children. I want to encourage us as the temple of God to walk in the spirit and put aside our carnal ways. Lets grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and lets be a reflection of the one who saved us by His grace.
Prayer:
Lord, heal us today by your mercy and grace to put aside every weight and sin that so easily weighs us down, causing us to walk in carnality and not producing fruit as a true believer. We repent Lord for not walking in the Spirit as your disciples. Give us a fresh revelation that we are your temple, and that we need to shine the light for those in darkness, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
In our Christian walk we are going to face challenging times as a believer. None of us our exempt from trials and proper growth in the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 3 we see that Paul was talking to Christians who had strife and other things in the church. He exhorts them to repent and to be the temple of God. In the last part of the chapter He talks about the judgment seat of Christ and how God is going to judge us according to our motives and things we have done in our body while here on earth. The judgment seat of Christ is for believers, and the Great White Throne judgment is for unbelievers. The judgment seat of Christ has nothing to do with heaven or hell like the Great White Throne judgment will be about, but it is about what we as Christians have built upon the foundation of Christ, and what we built that was not pure. We are all going to have bad and good motives judged. The Greek word for carnal here in verse one is adelphos, and the definition is a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection, an associate in employment or office; Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place. I have heard minister's teach that a carnal Christian is an unbeliever, but this is not scriptural. I'm not teaching in this devotion that you can sin and do anything you want to without any repentance, I'm just saying that we all have things we deal with, and if we don't let the Holy Spirit shine down upon that sin, we will not be fit for the Kingdom of God here on earth. It also says in verse one that carnal Christians are babes in Christ. I don't know how more relevant that can be to let us know that we can walk in the flesh and not be walking in the Spirit by His Grace. We will fall from God's grace when we start looking to the law to be made right. To fall from God's grace is to start looking to the law and our own self works to be made right with Christ, and when we fall from grace we will be a carnal Christian condemned and not free in His truth. It will make us feel unworthy and our joy will go down the tubes. This tells us that we can be a babe in Christ, but God wants us to grow in love towards fellow believers. God wants us to allow His Spirit to sanctify us and make His name attractive by walking in holiness. If we continue to have a mixture of carnality in our walk with the Lord, the Lord will discipline and chasten us to produce fruit, and those spankings from the Lord doesn't feel good at all. He has a way of dealing with us as His children. I want to encourage us as the temple of God to walk in the spirit and put aside our carnal ways. Lets grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and lets be a reflection of the one who saved us by His grace.
Prayer:
Lord, heal us today by your mercy and grace to put aside every weight and sin that so easily weighs us down, causing us to walk in carnality and not producing fruit as a true believer. We repent Lord for not walking in the Spirit as your disciples. Give us a fresh revelation that we are your temple, and that we need to shine the light for those in darkness, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
Thursday, May 6, 2010
by Mel Montgomery and Keith Edwards May 6th Devotional
Read:
11 Corinthians 4:4
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
As the last days wind down, with the Unrighteous drawing closer to Satan and to the Anti-Christ in their thinking and affections, what little light they do have grows darker and darker. Every sort of wickedness, lewdness, and dishonesty that used to seem to them to be objectionable, now for some reason, no longer seem so bad. Darkness is becoming normal to them. While darkness is enveloping the Wicked, the exact opposite is occurring with the Righteous. For us also, the Last days are winding down to their ultimate conclusion. We too are going through a metamorphosis. We are cocooned in the person of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit surrounds us and is fulfilling scripture by leading into all truth, teaching us all things, and bringing to our minds all that Christ commanded us (John 14:26) We are not being conformed to the image of this world, but are being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2). We are going from glory to glory (11Cor. 3:18). Light is normal to us, and we welcome it. We love the one who is the Truth; so naturally, we want to know the truth in all situations. One day, we also shall emerge from our cocoons, but not to give ourselves over totally to evil and rebellion against God as shall the Wicked. When we hear the Last Trumpet, our bodies will be transformed into glorious bodies, and we shall rise to meet the Lord in the air, and ever shall we be with Him (1 Thess. 4:16). In the meantime, as we prepare to receive our King, the light, the truth, holiness, purity, righteousness and all of the other attributes of Christ become more precious and normal to us. There is a deep desire in our hearts to meet our Lord soon, and to be the Church without spot, or blemish, or any such thing, that He desires us to be (Eph. 5:27). He is holy; therefore, we desire to be holy.
Comment by Keith Edwards:
I want to encourage us today to realize that we are cocooned in the person of Christ Jesus. We are enveloped within Him and He within us, and we will one day be totally transformed into a glorious body in Heaven. We are living in a time where the enemy is trying to thwart the gospel and bring the gospel down lower and lower. The bar of Christianity is no longer set where it once was, and the very tactic the enemy uses in these last days is the weapon of doubt and lack of revelation of who we are in Christ. If he can steal that revelation of us being cocooned in His power, then he can stop the flow of hope that we cling on to in these wicked times.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you will bring us back to the level we need to be at in You. Help us Lord to reflect Your nature. We desire to know you more as we seek you, Amen.
by Mel Montgomery and Keith Edwards
11 Corinthians 4:4
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
As the last days wind down, with the Unrighteous drawing closer to Satan and to the Anti-Christ in their thinking and affections, what little light they do have grows darker and darker. Every sort of wickedness, lewdness, and dishonesty that used to seem to them to be objectionable, now for some reason, no longer seem so bad. Darkness is becoming normal to them. While darkness is enveloping the Wicked, the exact opposite is occurring with the Righteous. For us also, the Last days are winding down to their ultimate conclusion. We too are going through a metamorphosis. We are cocooned in the person of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit surrounds us and is fulfilling scripture by leading into all truth, teaching us all things, and bringing to our minds all that Christ commanded us (John 14:26) We are not being conformed to the image of this world, but are being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2). We are going from glory to glory (11Cor. 3:18). Light is normal to us, and we welcome it. We love the one who is the Truth; so naturally, we want to know the truth in all situations. One day, we also shall emerge from our cocoons, but not to give ourselves over totally to evil and rebellion against God as shall the Wicked. When we hear the Last Trumpet, our bodies will be transformed into glorious bodies, and we shall rise to meet the Lord in the air, and ever shall we be with Him (1 Thess. 4:16). In the meantime, as we prepare to receive our King, the light, the truth, holiness, purity, righteousness and all of the other attributes of Christ become more precious and normal to us. There is a deep desire in our hearts to meet our Lord soon, and to be the Church without spot, or blemish, or any such thing, that He desires us to be (Eph. 5:27). He is holy; therefore, we desire to be holy.
Comment by Keith Edwards:
I want to encourage us today to realize that we are cocooned in the person of Christ Jesus. We are enveloped within Him and He within us, and we will one day be totally transformed into a glorious body in Heaven. We are living in a time where the enemy is trying to thwart the gospel and bring the gospel down lower and lower. The bar of Christianity is no longer set where it once was, and the very tactic the enemy uses in these last days is the weapon of doubt and lack of revelation of who we are in Christ. If he can steal that revelation of us being cocooned in His power, then he can stop the flow of hope that we cling on to in these wicked times.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you will bring us back to the level we need to be at in You. Help us Lord to reflect Your nature. We desire to know you more as we seek you, Amen.
by Mel Montgomery and Keith Edwards
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Our God Delights In Us May 5th Devotional by Sandy Groom
Read:
Psalm 18: 16-19
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
Wow! Our God delights in us.
No matter how difficult the situation, Our Lord is here, ready to reach down and pull us out of the overwhelming pits of life. He takes hold of our hands and carries us to safety. He cares for us in love and kindness, because he delights in who we are. We find shame in this world in so many places. Messages that we are not okay, not worthy, don’t belong… These negative messages are often instilled in our minds from an early age. This is especially true in homes where abuse and addictions work to destroy the family. Our view of others, ourselves and the world, changes when we are hurt by others. We may view the world as a dangerous place, or we may see ourselves as incapable of handling difficult situations. Often times we begin thinking that God is angry and displeased with us; that he thinks of us as unworthy of his love. We may believe that God will be disappointed and turn his back on us for feeling low, depressed or anxious. Yet in those moments of great need, when we’re hurting and feeling desperate, our powerful, loving God gently holds and supports us. Even when others confront us with harsh words, telling us that we are wrong, or mistaken, or unworthy, our Lord adores us and is ready to rescue and protect us. He smiles on us with delight. During times of depression in my own life, I felt that God must be ashamed of me for feeling down, anxious and afraid. I saw depression and anxiety as terrible sins, and thought the Lord would punish me in hurtful ways. Learning that God feels my pain, loves and delights in me even when I am hurting, was a big part of my own healing. I wanted to draw close to the God who looks at me, feeling my pain, with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.
comment by Keith Edwards
There are times in our Christian walk when we need to just open our heart to Father God and let Him wrap His loving arms around us. God knows our struggles and pains, and He knows exactly what we need to pull us through. Faith is not always on the mountain top. It can be in the valley, and in those valleys the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to get us through. Reach out today in whatever you are facing, and let God love us and guide us through it all.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for delighting in who I am. Thank you for being a kind, loving, heavenly father, who forgives me and rescues me when I call out to you. Lord, I call out to you now with my need, knowing that you hear my cry and take joy in helping me.
by Sandy Groom
Psalm 18: 16-19
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
Wow! Our God delights in us.
No matter how difficult the situation, Our Lord is here, ready to reach down and pull us out of the overwhelming pits of life. He takes hold of our hands and carries us to safety. He cares for us in love and kindness, because he delights in who we are. We find shame in this world in so many places. Messages that we are not okay, not worthy, don’t belong… These negative messages are often instilled in our minds from an early age. This is especially true in homes where abuse and addictions work to destroy the family. Our view of others, ourselves and the world, changes when we are hurt by others. We may view the world as a dangerous place, or we may see ourselves as incapable of handling difficult situations. Often times we begin thinking that God is angry and displeased with us; that he thinks of us as unworthy of his love. We may believe that God will be disappointed and turn his back on us for feeling low, depressed or anxious. Yet in those moments of great need, when we’re hurting and feeling desperate, our powerful, loving God gently holds and supports us. Even when others confront us with harsh words, telling us that we are wrong, or mistaken, or unworthy, our Lord adores us and is ready to rescue and protect us. He smiles on us with delight. During times of depression in my own life, I felt that God must be ashamed of me for feeling down, anxious and afraid. I saw depression and anxiety as terrible sins, and thought the Lord would punish me in hurtful ways. Learning that God feels my pain, loves and delights in me even when I am hurting, was a big part of my own healing. I wanted to draw close to the God who looks at me, feeling my pain, with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.
comment by Keith Edwards
There are times in our Christian walk when we need to just open our heart to Father God and let Him wrap His loving arms around us. God knows our struggles and pains, and He knows exactly what we need to pull us through. Faith is not always on the mountain top. It can be in the valley, and in those valleys the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to get us through. Reach out today in whatever you are facing, and let God love us and guide us through it all.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for delighting in who I am. Thank you for being a kind, loving, heavenly father, who forgives me and rescues me when I call out to you. Lord, I call out to you now with my need, knowing that you hear my cry and take joy in helping me.
by Sandy Groom
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
May 3rd Devotional
Read:
Jude 1;3
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
A writer said one time: "That the apostasy of the early church came as a result of a greater desire to see the spread of its power and rule than to see new natures given to its individual members. The moment we covet a large following and rejoice in the crowd that is attracted by our presentation that we considered truth, and have not a great desire to see the nature of individuals changed according to the divine plan, we start to travel the same road to apostasy that leads to Rome and her daughters." This is so true for how the church can fall from God's first love and how she can be more concerned with power rather than concern for lost souls. We see this in some of the prophetic and apostolic movement. They are more concerned with the gifts' of God versus the giver of those gifts. A minister said one time that, "You know that God is in the midst when miracles and great things happen." Although this can be true, the greatest way you can tell a true revival is the repentant hearts of the people concerning our next generation, our nation, and concern for God's heart. If we put this as first priority then the gifts and power of God will be pure. We need to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints and stay true as the bride of Christ. I want to encourage us today to keep Christ the center of our life in every area, and let Him bring forth the glory in His way and His timing.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you will forgive us for loving the power more than loving you and what you are concerned with. Help us to keep our hearts fixed upon you in such a great way, and give us your heart for your temple, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
Jude 1;3
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
A writer said one time: "That the apostasy of the early church came as a result of a greater desire to see the spread of its power and rule than to see new natures given to its individual members. The moment we covet a large following and rejoice in the crowd that is attracted by our presentation that we considered truth, and have not a great desire to see the nature of individuals changed according to the divine plan, we start to travel the same road to apostasy that leads to Rome and her daughters." This is so true for how the church can fall from God's first love and how she can be more concerned with power rather than concern for lost souls. We see this in some of the prophetic and apostolic movement. They are more concerned with the gifts' of God versus the giver of those gifts. A minister said one time that, "You know that God is in the midst when miracles and great things happen." Although this can be true, the greatest way you can tell a true revival is the repentant hearts of the people concerning our next generation, our nation, and concern for God's heart. If we put this as first priority then the gifts and power of God will be pure. We need to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints and stay true as the bride of Christ. I want to encourage us today to keep Christ the center of our life in every area, and let Him bring forth the glory in His way and His timing.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you will forgive us for loving the power more than loving you and what you are concerned with. Help us to keep our hearts fixed upon you in such a great way, and give us your heart for your temple, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Anguish Of My Soul May 2nd Devotional by Sandy Groom & Keith Edwards
Read:
Psalm 31: 9-10, 14-16
“Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak…. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.’”
Have you ever felt so much pain there were no words to describe how you felt? You may even be feeling this way right now. There are times when the distress and hurting seem too great to bear; when we grasp for words to describe the depth of our pain. David used the word “anguish” in Psalm 31 to describe the pain he was experiencing. He described his strength failing, his body and soul weakening, and anguish consuming his entire being.
David is considered a great pillar in the Bible, the “Greatest of the Kings of Israel,” and “A Man after God’s Own Heart.” Yet he experienced times of deep pain, distress and agony. David had many troubles throughout his life. King Saul sought to kill him; his daughter was raped by her brother, Ammon, who was later killed by another son, Absalom. Later, Absalom conspired to take over the kingdom, causing a brief yet deadly civil war, and another son died as a young infant. No wonder David described himself as broken pottery.
David describes emotional flooding when he states "My life is consumed with anguish." When our emotions flood with sadness, grief, anger, anxiety or fear, we become paralyzed, unable to think clearly, make decisions,or take positive steps to change difficult situations. But we can interrupt the flooding by holding on to the fact that our Lord knows our pain and hears our cries for help. David states, “In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’ yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help” (31: 22). As David change his focus from his own pain, to the Lord’s love, protection and deliverance, he was able to remind others of God’s faithfulness. He states, "But I trust in you, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand...(31:14-15a). David cried out to the Lord for help, yet he also held on to the knowledge that the Lord "saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul" (31:7).
When we cannot find the words to describe our pain, the Lord knows exactly how we feel. When we do not know how to pray, the Lord prays for us. Romans 8:26 tells us that “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Our Lord knows exactly what we need, and prays for us, even when we cannot find the words.
comment by Keith Edwards
As Sandy mentioned here in today's devotional, when we cannot find the words to say, God in His infinite mercy and love can reach out to you today and fill you with strength. Sometimes we just need to not say anything at all. It's alright to just close our eyes and meditate on His character and power. It's alright to be honest with the Lord and tell Him, "I have no strength left in my soul Lord." Bring all of your needs to Him today for He is willing and able to help you.
Prayer:
Jesus,I cry out to you for help. I am hurting Lord, and sometimes my emotion floods my soul. Yet you are God and I choose to trust in you. You know my needs completely and take joy in delivering me. My times are in your hands Lord. Please lead and guide me. Thank you for your kindness and protection. I can rest in your unfailing love, knowing that you have heard my cry and delight to help me.
Psalm 31: 9-10, 14-16
“Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak…. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.’”
Have you ever felt so much pain there were no words to describe how you felt? You may even be feeling this way right now. There are times when the distress and hurting seem too great to bear; when we grasp for words to describe the depth of our pain. David used the word “anguish” in Psalm 31 to describe the pain he was experiencing. He described his strength failing, his body and soul weakening, and anguish consuming his entire being.
David is considered a great pillar in the Bible, the “Greatest of the Kings of Israel,” and “A Man after God’s Own Heart.” Yet he experienced times of deep pain, distress and agony. David had many troubles throughout his life. King Saul sought to kill him; his daughter was raped by her brother, Ammon, who was later killed by another son, Absalom. Later, Absalom conspired to take over the kingdom, causing a brief yet deadly civil war, and another son died as a young infant. No wonder David described himself as broken pottery.
David describes emotional flooding when he states "My life is consumed with anguish." When our emotions flood with sadness, grief, anger, anxiety or fear, we become paralyzed, unable to think clearly, make decisions,or take positive steps to change difficult situations. But we can interrupt the flooding by holding on to the fact that our Lord knows our pain and hears our cries for help. David states, “In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’ yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help” (31: 22). As David change his focus from his own pain, to the Lord’s love, protection and deliverance, he was able to remind others of God’s faithfulness. He states, "But I trust in you, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand...(31:14-15a). David cried out to the Lord for help, yet he also held on to the knowledge that the Lord "saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul" (31:7).
When we cannot find the words to describe our pain, the Lord knows exactly how we feel. When we do not know how to pray, the Lord prays for us. Romans 8:26 tells us that “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Our Lord knows exactly what we need, and prays for us, even when we cannot find the words.
comment by Keith Edwards
As Sandy mentioned here in today's devotional, when we cannot find the words to say, God in His infinite mercy and love can reach out to you today and fill you with strength. Sometimes we just need to not say anything at all. It's alright to just close our eyes and meditate on His character and power. It's alright to be honest with the Lord and tell Him, "I have no strength left in my soul Lord." Bring all of your needs to Him today for He is willing and able to help you.
Prayer:
Jesus,I cry out to you for help. I am hurting Lord, and sometimes my emotion floods my soul. Yet you are God and I choose to trust in you. You know my needs completely and take joy in delivering me. My times are in your hands Lord. Please lead and guide me. Thank you for your kindness and protection. I can rest in your unfailing love, knowing that you have heard my cry and delight to help me.
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