When life doesn't make sense

I'm sure everyone experiences those times in life were you just find yourself sitting dumbfounded because you cannot understand why everything is happening, and you know have no idea what to do about it. There are times where you think you have done everything possible to make a situation better; yet it doesn't get better. Instead, it gets worse. Despite your effort, dedication and love for it all, things just don't turn out how you want them. And you can't understand why.

Why does God 'allow' bad things to happen? Why do loved one's stray from the Word? Why are some people not affected the love and kindness you continually show them? Why don't people 'see' that what they are doing is wrong and try to be better? Why? WHY? WHY? Why is it so hard to understand?

When life seems so hard, and things don't make sense, we need to remember that somethings do make sense. There are some things which are sure and certain. God's promises are sure and never wavering. And when life's problems obscure the way making it hard to understand we can trust in His sure and never failing Word.

God's promises are sure. He has proven Himself to be faithful and He will continue to be faithful. We can trust His word because He is faithful. God promised in Genesis 3:15 after man had fallen into sin, that He would send His Seed to crush the head of the Serpent; to defeat sin forever. And what did He do? He sent His Son, to assume flesh and blood for our sakes, that we may find life with Him. God promised and He was faithful in fulfilling that promise. This is just one promise, but the biggest promise of all. And you, as His child, can reap the benefits of that promise.

So now, when life is but a swirl of unending confusion, or when you can't understand why certain things happen, look up to God and His faithfulness. Say with David: "O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant." (2 Samuel 7:28) Lean on Him, seek His will and His righteousness and He will give you comfort and understanding in your situation. And above all, PRAY. Seek God through prayer with a humble and contrite heart. For He will never turn away. "You make your prayer to Him, and He will hear you." (Job 22:27) 

Then say this of God: "Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides." (Ps 119:90)

My Faith Confession

Circumstances may seem grim.
Feelings could change.
Thoughts will vary.
Faith wavers.

So what!!!

My God is GOOD.
My Redeemer LIVES.
My God remains the SAME.
My Advocate EFFECTIVELY pleads my case at God's right Hand.
My Bible is forever the TRUSTWORTHY Word of God.
My position IN Christ is eternally secure.
My blood covenant with God Almighty is NEVER-ENDING.
In due season, Jesus Christ will SURELY deliver me from these unpleasant circumstances.

My GOOD Shepherd is absolutely committed to NEVER leave me nor forsake me.
My job is to FOLLOW Jesus Christ day and night.
In His love He directs me along this narrow pilgrim path.

My job is to ABIDE in the True Vine.
In His love He prunes the branches so they bear more fruit.

My job is to YIELD to the Potter's loving Hand while He has me on His wheel.
In His love He moulds and shapes me.

My job is to consistently WASH my mind by the water of His Holy Word.
In His love He guides and provides.

My job is to TRUST and OBEY the Lord Jesus Christ.
In His love He guides and provides.

Partly my sins got me into this trouble.
Partly the devil set a trap for me.
Partly the unfair world system made matters worse.

But NONE of this is beyond God's grace, mercy and sovereignty.

Either the Bible stories are relevant for me today OR they are just obsolete history.
Either God keeps ALL His promises OR He is a liar.
Either the verses about spiritual warfare are real OR I have a wimpy Bible.

God will be glorified no matter what I say or do.
God can work all my flawed efforts together for His glory and my good.
God is best honoured as I walk by faith following His beloved Son.

Now I choose to renew my commitment to trusting Jesus Christ in EVERYTHING.
AMEN, so let it be!!!

Now unto Him

Now unto Him who is able 

to keep you from stumbling, 

And to present you faultless 

Before the presence of His 

glory with exceeding joy. 

To God our Saviour, 

Who alone is wise, 

Be glory and majesty, 

Dominion and power, 

Both now and forever,

Amen. 

(Jude 24-25)

Be thankful

Ever get those times when you just feel like praising and thanking God? I know for me that they are few are far between. I certainly think that we should praise and thank him much more often.

I live in a very privileged society, and if your society is the same as mine then you know what I mean. You always have food on the table at meal times and you always have a solid roof over your head to keep the sun and rain out. You have a wardrobe so full of clothes that its such a big decision what to wear each day and you have plenty for when its both cold and warm. You have a comfy bed to sleep in and most often you have plenty of time to sleep. You have a computer, and probably a TV. You have a phone, or better still an iphone, or ipod, or ipad, or whatever else the latest technology has to offer. You have a job, you have friends, you have family. And you know what, you have a life a blessed by God! A life saved and redeemed by CHRIST!

So we all, in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves - privileged, or not so privileged - we must take time to thank and praise God for all that He, in His wisdom, has bestowed upon us.

...in everything, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you... (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

So often it is easier to grumble and complain about the 'no-so-good-things' in life. And in actual fact, the things we complain about are often blessings in disguse. We take for granted everything we have been blessed with, and at times even our thanksgiving is done out of routine, yet our hearts are not truly thankful.

It is in times like these that we just need to press the pause button on life and reflect on all that HE has given you. And then, truly, from the heart, be thankful from what God in Christ has done for you.

So when you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. (Deuteronomy 8:10)

When peace like a river

I just love this hymn and wanted share....

It is well with My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll;

whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul. 

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, 

let this blest assurance control,

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and hath shed his own blood for my soul. 

It is well with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul. 

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole, 

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul. 

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; 

the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, 

even so, it is well with my soul. 

It is well with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul. 

Peace in my heart, peace in my soul

At times life is so busy. You are constantly moving from one thing to the next; your mind constantly thinking of what it needs to do next, your heart racing as it knows what still needs to be done. We are constantly on the go, driving here and there, speaking to so-and-so, doing work, studying, preparing lessons....whatever it may be. We are always busy with something. I know my thoughts alone are plenty enough to keep me busy all day long.

So how, in such a busy lifestyle, can one have peace? True peace?

Have you ever been some where quiet? I mean, real quiet. Maybe you have gone for a drive into the bush, away from the business of traffic and other people, and gone for a walk, lain down in the grass and just closed your eyes. Now all you can hear is the sounds of nature around you. There are no sounds of cars, because the closest road is far away. There is no one talking, for you are alone. In fact, it may be so quiet, you can hear the quietness; its a strange feeling. It's a feeling of peace. For as you lay there, you are alone. Alone with God. Its when you have put all the hustle and bustle of life away and are with God alone, you can find peace. And that is so wonderful!

Now I'm not suggesting that we have to drop everything we do in life and live by ourselves to experience peace (although it can be good to do it on the occasion), however, the essence is true. We can only find peace when we are with God. If your life is too busy that you have no time for God, then how can you expect to find peace? How can you expect to be comforted when you race out into the day without taking time to pray?

For God Himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14)

Through Jesus Christ, God has given us peace, rest from our souls. And the way to share in this peace is to make time for God in our life. He must be the No.1 focus of our lives. He is our God. He loves us in that He gave His Son for our sins; so we must love Him in return. Love Him above all things. Then we will experience the Power of Love, the power of God's Love. That is such an amazing gift He has given us.

And with that He gives us peace.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. 

(John 14:27)

HOPE

We all hope for good things to happen. We hope that we will do well in life. We hope that we will do well in our jobs. We hope to succeed in our exams. We hope to be a blessing to those around us. We hope to have an enjoyable day. We hope for so many different things. The list could just go on and on.

But when you think about all this and the things that we hope for, you will come to realise that there is always an element of uncertainty. You hope a family member will get better from his/her illness, yet there is a measure of doubt, or uncertainty that they might never get better. It is like that in every sort of situation. You hope, but there is always that nagging feeling that what you hope for won't actually happen.

However, there is a kind of hope that has no uncertainty. For scriptural hope, that based on God and His Word, has the strongest certainty.

Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

(Romans 5:5)

If we want surety in the things of the future then we must direct our attention to what God says about it. For what God has said is true. We can have hope in what He has told us and for the rest, we can trust in Him, for we know that He Himself is true. He is our HOPE.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast... 

(Hebrews 6:19)

So when things do not go the way we planned, when we wonder what the future holds for us, look to God. Find hope in Him. He will never let you down. His promises are sure and steadfast; find hope in them.

"And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You." 

(Psalm 39:7)

Trusting in God

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust. (Psalm 91:1-2)

To trust someone is not always easy. We often seek to place our trust in people, in friends and relatives; those who are generally closest to us. However there are times when your trust is shattered. When someone breaks your heart, when someone leaves you, or hurts you deeply. You then have a breech of that trust, and it is often very hard to build up that trust again. You are weary that the same thing might happen again; you are hesitant to building up that trust once again.

Nevertheless, any firm relationship must be built upon trust. The good news, however, is that the most important relationship of our lives can be built on trust because the One whom we trust is trustworthy. He is a refuge and fortress, He will not change His promises, but will bring them to fruition. God is faithful; we can trust HIM.

And so we must. For to believe and obey Him is to trust that His Word and promises are sure.

And isn't it such a great comfort that we can have the surety that He will never betray our trust. While friends may forsake and leave us God will remain. He is my refuge and fortress; my God, in Him I will trust!

When its all too much...

Ever feel like everything is just too much? Like you don't know where you are headed and you're struggling to stay afloat? I think we all experience such times in our lives, some more than others, but we all understand the general feeling. Life is just too much, and you struggle to find the meaning God has put in it for you.

When I'm feeling like this I know there can only be one solution. And that is to turn to God and hear what He has to say to me through His Word.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,  will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

God alone gives peace. When we come to him in prayer, seeking His strength; He will grant us peace. What a comfort!

Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Isn't that so comforting! We can bring all our troubles to God and exchange our 'yoke'. Give all your troubles to Him in prayer. God will take care of them and in return He grants you rest and peace.

So when you are bowed down by life's troubles and when you are caught in a whirlpool of problems, remember, God alone is your answer. He alone will allow you to dwell in peace and safety.

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

God is faithful (2)

God is Faithful - Sheila Walsh

Are you weary?

Are you frightened?

When you go to bed,

Do you leave the light on?

When the cold win blows,

To disturb your peace,

Do you lock the door

So no one else can see?

Broken promises,

Have left their mark on you. 

In your unbelief,

One thing you must hold on to...

When the road becomes too rough,

When you're ready to give up,

When you're crying out for love,

God is Faithful. 

When your peace cannot be found,

He will never let you down.

You have chosen solid ground,

God is Faithful. 

No one said,

it would be easy.

To let go of,

All your worries. 

But it can be done. 

He has paid the price. 

And His mercy runs,

To every broken life. 

We will never be

Worthy of His healing,

but all He asks of you,

Is that you will be willing.

When the road becomes too rough,

When you're ready to give up,

When you're crying out for love,

God is Faithful. 

When your peace cannot be found,

He will never let you down.

You have chosen solid ground,

God is Faithful.  

If you are willing,

He will help

And never leave you. 

God is faithful. 

GOD IS FAITHFUL. 

God is faithful (1)

At times you can look at your life and not understand how God is at work. At times you may even feel like giving up because life as a Christian is harder than you thought. At times everything may seem too much and you feel like throwing it all in. And you know that its not right to feel this way, yet there seems little you can do. 

And that's true. There is little you can do, but there is something. And there is lots that God can do. For you, you can know that God is FAITHFUL; and God Himself will be just that!

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:9)

There are many things in life which we do not understand, and as mere human beings there is a lot about God that we will never understand with our limited knowledge. However, God has revealed sufficient knowledge about Himself to us in His Word. It is there that we know God is Faithful. We may seek to look in our lives for surety of Him, however, we must not look to ourselves for God. That is where our problems lie; when we look to ourselves we only see our failures, and we become discouraged. So instead we must look to God, and His victory through Christ.

Consider the perfect love of God. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends (John 15:13). That's precisely what Christ has done for you and for me. His love was perfected in Christ, and we have been made to have fellowship with Him - we can thus share in that Great LOVE.

God is perfect. In such perfect love He has also promised to take care of you. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

Whatever you situation in life at the moment, know that this is God's will for you and He will get you through it! Hold fast to what you have learned. God is faithful and will not abandon you because HE LOVES YOU!

The Holiness of God

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 

for it is written: 'Be holy for I am holy.' 

(1 Peter 1:15-16)

God calls all Christians to be holy. Why? Because He is holy. He calls us not to be like other Christians (to 'copy' their holiness), rather, He calls us to be like Himself. 

Holiness is an essential aspect of God's nature, it describes both the majesty of God and the purity and moral perfection of His nature. In understanding the nature of God's holiness we need to understand that God hates sin. As the prophet Habakkuk declared: Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong (Habakkuk 1:13).

Sometimes we try to justify some action that our conscience calls us to question. We often defend ourselves by saying, "Well, that's just the way I am," or even, "Well, I'm still growing in that area of my life." However, God does not accept these excuses. He hates sin with a perfect hatred. All wrongs, no matter what their size or description, are sin, and God hates sin. 

In understanding God's absolute hatred for sin, it makes me all the more thankful for what Christ has done for me. His perfect holiness has become mine; my sins are gone and I am as clean from all sin before God. 

It's this thankfulness that should drive us all to holiness. We need to make every effort...to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We need to hate sin like God hates it - I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path (Psalm 119:104). God's standard of holiness is perfect; and this is what He holds us to. Thanks to Christ we can begin to attain this holiness already in this life. 

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

(Philippians 4:13)

Holiness is for you

There are times in your life as a Christian where it may feel as though you could never be holy. There are times you may be gripped by anger or despair, stubbornness or an immoral habit you many have. And you just can't get over it. It is times like these that you may feel as though holiness was just something you can not attain.

But, the good news is that holiness is for you. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). There is hope for you; we can walk in obedience before God and live a life of holiness.

Firstly we must understand what the bible means by holiness. It is not a series of specific prohibitions or a particular style of dress and mannerisms, or even an unattainable perfection. Holiness is to be morally blameless. It is to be separated from sin, and therefore, consecrated to God. The word signifies 'separation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated'. To live a holy life is to live a life in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible and in contrast to the sinful ways of the world.

...that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness... (Ephesians 4:22-24)

The reason then, that we as Christians may feel defeated in our struggle with sin is because our attitude towards sin is more self-centered than God-centered (our victory over sin, rather than obedience to God);  we misunderstand 'living by faith' to mean that holiness requires no effort on our part; and we do not take all sins seriously. (These three factors will be discussed in greater detail later in the book).

So then, there is hope for us; holiness is for you. It comes as a gift with faith, but it remains something we need to work with.

The Pursuit of Holiness

I've decided it is time I start reading another book. My choice this time is The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. 

God is holy; and we have been called to be holy. For it is written 'Be holy for I am holy' (1Peter 1:16). These two things - that God is holy and that we have been called to be holy - we can easily overlook. We can go through life without really understanding what it means that God, the one who we worship and call upon in prayer, is Holy. And if we fail to understand the extent of His holiness, how then can we be holy?

In reading this book it is my wish to gain a deeper understanding of the holiness of God and what this means for me. It is fair enough to know that one must be holy, but how one is to go about leading a holy life is entirely different. 

God is Living

I distinctly remember one of the times in my grade 6 class, where the teacher asked us to bring up prayer points: things that we could praise God for, thank Him for, and also our requests. It was always hardest to think of something to praise God for, but one point remains in my mind; namely, that God is a living God.

God is living: He is not made of wood or stone and He is not some being that has no relation to what goes on in this world. Rather, God is living; He is active, and He responds to us when we talk to Him.

Think of the story of Elijah up on Mt Carmel. While the people danced around the statue of Baal, crying out to him and even cutting themselves in hope that he might hear them, the prophet Elijah, after pouring much water on the altar prayed to God. And God immediately sent fire and consumed the sacrifice on the altar. God heard the prayer of Elijah. Baal remained deaf to the pleas of the people. (1Kings 18)

God is capable of hearing, seeing and understanding. The idols of men aren't.

It is a great comfort to know that the God to whom we pray is living. We are not praying to a deaf wall; rather, our prayers fall on open ears, upon a heart ready and willing to listen. Isn't that wonderful? We can put our trust in a God who understands us, a God who loves us.

There is no other god that is capable of doing such a thing. Whether it is the idols the foreign nations served in the time of the Old Testament, or the idols people make of money, work, drugs, sex, popularity, or sport today - they are all dead.

God alone is living!

God is merciful

The Lord is merciful and gracious, 

slow to anger and abounding in mercy. 

He will not always strive with us, 

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, 

nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

For as the heavens are high above the earth, 

so great is His mercy towards those who fear Him; 

As far as the east is from the west, 

so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

As a father pities His children, 

so the Lord pities those who fear Him. 

(Ps 103:8-13)

Isn't it a wonderful thing that God is merciful?

For some reason I have memorised this passage from psalm 103 and I'm not sure why because I never actually sat down to learn it. Nevertheless, the words of this psalm often return to me and remind me that it is only by God's mercy and His grace, that I may be alive and praising Him. 

If it weren't for His mercy I would still be dead in sin. If it weren't for His mercy I would not be going to church every Sunday to hear anew what He has to say to me. If it weren't for His mercy I would not have the hope of eternal life. If it weren't for His mercy, in sending His son Jesus Christ, I would have no hope come judgement day. 

I thank God that He is merciful. 

In humble, thankful obedience to Him who has rendered me Life, I can sing with the psalmist: 

The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting 

On those who fear him,

 and His righteousness to children's children, 

To such as keep His covenant, 

and to those who remember His commandments to do them. 

(Psalm 103:17-18)

God is unchangeable

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

(Hebrews 13:8)

God does not change. People change, their ideas and values change; but God and His promises stand forever. FOREVER. God the Almighty, who was there from before the foundation of this world, and He who will be there throughout all ages to come; He remains the same. 

God made a plan for this earth before He even made it. He determined in this plan who would be among His elect; those whom He would save from their own wilful disobedience. God chose a select number of people, without any condition on their part. He chose them, not because He knew they were better than others, for even Paul said of Himself that he was the chief of sinners. 

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 

(1Timothy 1:15)

God will not change His mind about those whom He has chosen. He is UNCHANGEABLE. 

For us, this means that we can stand firm in the promises of God that He has made known to us through the bible. God will not break His promises, but they will all reach their fulfillment. Because of this we can find comfort in the promises of the covenant (for example that children of believers who die in their infancy will still be saved); we can cling firmly to God's promises of salvation and eternal life. 

Above all, God has promised to send His Son into this world once more, to take all His elect unto Himself. 

This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

God has promised that this day will come, so we can rest assured in this promise, eagerly waiting with perseverance for that day to come. For such a great and glorious day that will be!

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. 

(Isaiah 40:8)

God is our Refuge

God is our refuge and strength

A very present help in trouble. 

Therefore I will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried off into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling

.....

God is in her midst, she shall not be moved; 

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. 

.....

The LORD of Hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

.....

Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

The LORD of Hosts is with us,

The God of Jacob is our refuge. 

(parts of Psalm 46)

This psalm alone speaks volumes, and I find it a very comforting psalm to read when life's troubles seem too much to bear. When so much is going on in life, and all you want to do is crawl into a hole away from it all; you can crawl into God's arms, knowing that there you will find refuge and strength. 

God is KING

At times it is easy to underestimate the power of God; the fact that He is KING, that He rules supreme and that nothing....NOTHING is comparable to Him. I like to take time and reflect on God's kingly being, to understand what a GREAT KING He is, and that He, in all His almighty majesty and power has chosen someone like me to be one of His children.

He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the KING of Kings and the LORD of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honour and and everlasting power. (1 Timothy 6:15-16)

It is so easy to forget this aspect of God, especially when we are encouraged to come before Him as a friend to pour out our hearts before Him, to speak to Him in the same open manner as we would to our friends. While this is not at all wrong, we have to remember the One who we are talking to, the One to whom we owe our entire lives. He is not an ordinary 'friend'. He is King of the universe. He is KING of Kings in all majesty, greatness and power.

If we were to talk to the queen, or another member of royalty, we would address them in an appropriate manner, showing them due respect and honour.

Think then of God who is King; His likeness in royalty is no where near that of the Queen. God is God; He is THE King, and there is NONE like Him.

So then when it comes down to us, we ought to show the highest respect possible to God. In this regard we must make every effort to concentrate when reading from the bible, to pay attention through the entire church service, to sing with our hearts the psalms and songs that speak of Him. Put away your phone when studying His word, don't be distracted. Our lives cannot be a half hearted worship of Him. He deserves us in entirety; ALL that we are belongs to Him.

God is in control

God is in control, 

We believe that His children will not be forsaken,

God is in control,

We will choose to remember and never be shaken,

There is now power above or beside Him, we know

God is in control, oh God is in control.

History marches on

There is a bottom line drawn across the ages

Culture can make its plan

Oh, but the line never changes

No matter how the deception may fly

There is one thing that has always been true

It will be true forever. 

God is just amazing. I mean this with no disrespect, but when I sing the lyrics of a song such as this, and I understand them for myself, I am just in awe of this God that I can call my Father. 

My last blog post was about God the creator; He created this world in six days. However, there is so much more than God's creating of this world. For after the six days of creation, God rested on the seventh, however He did not withdraw Himself from His creation, but governs and preserves it throughout all ages. God did not leave His creation up to chance, He did not leave man alone to figure out everything for himself. Rather, God is in control. 

Even before He laid the foundations of this world, God had a plan for you and for me. He knew all that we were to do in our lives, right down to the very number of the hairs on our heads.

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? 

And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. 

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

Do not fear, for you are of more value than many sparrows. 

(Matthew 10:29-31)

Think about that for a moment. How intricate is God's care for you, He even takes pleasure in knowing something as seemingly insignificant as the number of hairs upon your head. 

In this way you can see how God is in control, He has determined the plan for your life and mine. A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps (Proverbs 16:9). God is in direct control over your life; He is in direct control over this world. 

So then, we have no reason to worry, or to doubt the goodness of God. For He is in control; He will never let you down. 

He has never let you down.

Why start to worry now?

Why start to worry now?

He is still the Lord of all we see

And He is still a loving Father

Watching over you and me.

Watching over you... watching over me...

Watching over everything...

Watching over you... watching over me...

Every little sparrow... every little thing...

God...the Creator

There are times when life is so busy that you miss the beauty of everything that God has created. I think because of this we miss experiencing a part of who God is. When the busyness of life carries us past the blooming wildflowers in the spring, or the dew glistening in the sun as it drips from an evergreen; when we miss these things, we can easily pass by the greatness of the Lord in His care in making and preserving creation.
God created this world in six days. Six Days! Not six millions of years, or six extended periods of time, but six days! God the Almighty spoke and it was there. He said: Let there be light and there was light; He said: Let the dry land appear and it was so. Isn't that just amazing. It shows what a powerful God we have.

Then, knowing that God created everything, we can see the beauty of it all in creation. When we walk through a forest and see the massive thickly trunked trees, we can admire their strength and power, and their majestic height as they overlook the groud around them. When we see new shoots springing up in the garden, we can admire God's handiwork, His care over even a little seed as it grows into a young plant.

When you think about these things, you should be awed at the greatness of God as Creator. He created this world. Think about everything in this world: all the vast varieties of nature which have been given for us to enjoy. God said to Adam in the garden of Eden: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen 1:28).

God has given all that He created to us to appreciate and cultivate. When you understand the love of God even in creating this world, it just leaves you spell bound. If He has taken so much care in clothing the flowers in the field, how much more will He care for those who are His children?

God is .... forever

Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever... (Psalm 45:6)

Last night, while reading from a prayer book before tucking my little brother into bed, we began to discuss what it means that God is forever; that He is eternal. The end of the Lord's Prayer states: For Your's is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. But what does this forever really mean? The mind of an eight year old could not comprehend how God could have just been there forever, and that He will be there forever. Often we too neglect to understand what it means for us that God is eternal. 

As human beings we all have a beginning and will have an end when we die, however, God is not human, He is God, and God is eternal. God was there in the beginning. Genesis 1 begins: In the beginning, God.... God was there in the beginning; before anything was made He was there. He was not created; for if He were than there must be a higher being than Him, but there is not. God was there in the beginning when nothing else was. 

Our human minds fail to comprehend this. How can He just be there? How can it be, everything must have a beginning? But not God. He is from eternity and He will be there for eternity. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (Revelations 22:13). 

And isn't that such a great comfort to us?

We can know and rest assured that God is always there, and He always will be there. We do not have to worry that He will leave this world up to chance; we do not have to worry that our prayers will enter into an empty abyss; for God is there. He is present with you and in you, and He will not leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). 

What an amazing God we have!

Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God,

He reigns, 

from heaven above,

with wisdom,

and power,

and love, 

Our God is an awesome God. 

These words come from a scriptural song well known to my family, and it strikes me every time we sing it, exactly how great and awesome God we have. 

Walking through nature, experiencing the hand of God in creating the intricacies of plant and animal life, I just marvel and the wonders of God. And when I see how much He cares for His creation, I can only think how blessed I am to be able to call Him 'Abba, Father'. 

It is my wish to spend this month singling out the many attributes of God, that I may know them, and so grow to know Him all the more. 

So often we just say the words, our God is great... He is wondrous.... He sent His Son to die for my sins... etc, however how often is it that these words sink in. Like...really sink in. How often is it that you are just spell bound by the awesomeness of God that you just have to stop for a moment as your mind tries to comprehend it? Well, I know for myself, there are times when I am in awe of God, and my heart sings praise to Him, but these times are too few are far between. 

It's for this reason, that for this month, I will spend each day discovering another part of the character of our Awesome God!

Day 55: Communicating gratitude

Now thank we all our God

With hearts and hands and voices. 

Who wondrous things hath done,

In whom his world rejoices;

who from our mothers' arms,

Hath blessed us on our way.

With countless gifts of love,

and still is ours today. 

-Martin Rinkart

The problems we often have with communicating our gratitude to God, is not that we don't show gratitude to Him; rather its the manner in which we do so. Often, like our requests, we say 'thank you for the food... thank you for sending your son to die on the cross....thank you for this day...etc.' However, they are never more than just saying thank you. 

There is nothing wrong with saying thank you, however, if this is all we ever say to God, it can become boring and eventually it fails to reflect the true attitudes of our hearts. 

So...how are we to do it?

We must talk to God and explain to Him why we are thankful, if in fact we are. A good way to do this is not to say thank you for this and for that, but rather to tell God a story about your circumstances, or your life, reflecting on what God has done for you. In this way you are showing gratitude to Him without simply repeating a clique. 

Psalm 34:4-7

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears. 

Those who look to Him are radiant;

their faces are never covered with shame. 

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

He saved him out of all his troubles. 

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,

and He delivers them. 

Notice how the psalmist describes the blessing from God to those around Him. In expressive terms he explains what God has done for him, and in so doing, He is thanking God and showing gratitude to Him. 

We all have stories to tell how God has helped us. He always performs wonders for His children; so whether great or small, we all have something to tell Him, and thereby show our gratitude to Him. 

And by giving thanks to God in prayer, we are also benefitted. When we go through times of despair, when we feel that God is not near, we can pray to Him, recalling the wonders that He has done for us, and most often the result is that we are encouraged to overcome those depressing feelings. Thanking God from the heart often leads us to happiness and joy. 

You turned my waling into dancing;

You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. 

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. 

(Psalm 30:11-12)

Day 54: Communicating your petitions

When you ask God things in prayer do you sound like you're reading from a list, ticking off the points as you go, 'yes I've done that, God will you please care for so and so, Lord help such and such an old lady, be with that family, be with those under church discipline.....'etc?? Do you sound like that? Or do you spend lots of time thinking about what you are going to pray about, yet when it comes down to praying, you don't have much time and just rush through it all; briefly touching on all the points??

I think many of us frequently offer our petitions in this, or a similar, manner. But are there better ways for communicating with God??

Of course.

Firstly, we must remember that there is nothing wrong with making lots of brief requests in prayer; however, it is when this approach dominates our prayers for a long period of time it can lead to the neglect of important dimensions of effective communication with God.

Jesus' teaching on prayer makes it clear that prayer may be much more urgent and persuasive than a rapid line of requests. In the parable in Luke 11:5-8 Jesus' teaches us that our persistence will win out.
He says: Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him, and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you.'? Though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 


For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. God is intensely concerned with our needs and so we should earnestly bring these needs before Him. We cannot simply pray: "Lord, please take away my problem", instead, we must communicate our deep longings in the situation.

If we want a friend to come and do something for us we will persuade them until they come. We will continue to talk with them and build case with them as to why they need to come. Similarly, we must do the same thing with God. We need to continue to speak urgently with Him, to lay before Him the reasons why we need Him to help us. In this way we convey urgency in our prayers.

We can draw on three elements when building up our case before God: God's people, the world, and the Word of God. Consider the prayer Moses offered to God in Exodus 32 after seeing the golden calf. God had determined to destroy the people of Israel, but Moses offered an urgent and persuasive prayer.

He firstly reflects on the people of God: 'Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?' 

Secondly Moses draws attention to the world around him: 'Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 

And thirdly, Moses recalls the promises of God to the patriarchs - he turns to God and His word - as a basis for his request: Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all thing land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever'. 


As children of God, we can pray to Him in this way. We may appeal to His character and His word as we pray. God is faithful to His promises. When focussing on these available resources (God's people, the world around us, and God's promises) Moses received a wonderful response from God: So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. 


Isn't that such a comfort that we can come to God in such a manner, through prayer, knowing that He will hear us and He will answer us?

Day 53: From the heart

Its so easy to let prayer become a daily ritual; you pray before meals (or maybe you don't), and you pray before you go to bed, and you do so because that is what you have always done. Now there is nothing at all wrong with praying at these times, in fact it is very wise to pray at such intervals in your day; however we must not let this become something we just rattle off out of ritual, like an old tape recorder.

'To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?' says the Lord. 'I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or goats'. (Isaiah 1:11)

In the time of Isaiah the Israelites were sacrificing to God out of custom. While they daily brought the sacrifices to the altar, their hearts were not in it. In their hearts they served other gods rather than the Lord to whom they offered sacrifices. Jesus tells us we cannot serve two masters at once. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).

We need to be especially careful that our prayers and worship of God does not become like the empty sacrifices of the Israelites. We cannot just go through the motions; God has no delight in that. Rather, He wants a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart; these O God you will not despise (Psalm 51:17).

May our prayers then be prayed from the heart. Come before God in prayer knowing that you don't deserve His blessing, and yet, knowing that you are able to come before His throne only because of the blood of Christ. God is an almighty and just God who demands reverence and fear; yet we are His adoptive heirs, and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17). It is for this reason that we can come before Him and speak to Him with the openness of a child to its earthly Father. God loves you; that's why He sent His son to die for you. The path for prayer to God has been opened; now we just need to pray from the heart.

Day 52: HOW to pray

Now that we have determined what we must pray, we need to have a look at how we are to communicate these thoughts and desires. Some people suggest that our prayers must adhere to a form, while other people say that we must have freedom in our prayers to say whatever comes to mind as this is how we address people we know; we don't prepare a speech before we go talk to a friend, so why should we have to with God.

The problem with such suggestions is that if we go to the extreme of either of them we are putting ourselves in a dangerous position of jeopardising our prayer life. Instead, we must find a balance between freedom and form without our prayers; the key is variety. 


On the one hand there is credit in believing that we need to have freedom in our prayers. God has revealed Himself to us in ways that invite us to speak to Him on an informal level.

Jesus Himself said: No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15:15).

God has revealed an intimate concern for us and thus it is appropriate that we talk to Him in an informal, spontaneous manner. Informal prayers may also work to enhance our personal relationship with Him. Without the formal language of traditional prayers, there is not literal barrier between us and God.

On the other hand, however, some people will argue that by having the formality in prayer (e.g. using thees and thous) we instil a sense of awe and respect for the Almighty God. God, as our Creator and Redeemer deserves to be treated with the highest respect. If this means that we have to prepare our prayers, for otherwise we blunder and tirelessly repeat ourselves, than by all means, we must do so.

God is HOLY.

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6:3)

God is our friend but He is also our KING. We need to make the distinction that although God is our friend, He is not like our mates down the road. We cannot bring Him down to our level of understanding. He is great and greatly to be praised!

However, if we use rehearsed or traditional prayers, we still need to make them our own. If we fail to do this, then our prayers are still vain repetition; we are just praying words and they have no meaning with regard to our personal situation. We can draw upon the many prayers within the psalms. They all reflect many different types of emotions and situation also applicable to our day and age.

Don't be satisfied to simply repeat the words someone else has already written. Rather, find the balance between having your own personal freedom in prayer where you can pour out your heart before God, and yet, remember that using forms in prayer is a valuable gift in helping us to maintain focus and balance in our prayers.

The model prayer that Jesus gave on the sermon on the mount is a prayer we must all make our own. Be able to do more than pray the words; make the words applicable to you and your situation; may the words come from your mouth and heart.

Our Father, who art in heaven, 

Hallowed by your name,

Your kingdom come, 

Your will be done, 

On earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

and lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from the evil one,

For Yours is the kingdom, 

the power,

and the glory, 

forever. 

Amen. 

Day 51: In times of need

If you stop and think about all the petitions in your prayers, how often is it that you can sound like an ungrateful child in a toy shop. "Will you buy this for me? Will you buy this for me, too? This too? Why not?" After all that which God has given us, we always come back asking for more.

So how then are we to decently come to God in prayer and lay our requests before Him?

Firstly, we must remember that our requests must be based on our needs rather than our greed. Before we ask things of God, we must distinguish between what are our needs and what are simply the things we want. We are not free to ask from selfish motives. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:3). A way to ensure that you don't ask amiss is to couch our requests in a deep and abiding sense of contentment with God's provisions. When we spend time in prayer and devotion talking about the blessings that God has already given, then we go a long way towards avoiding self-centered petitioning.

Secondly, when we pray, we actually need to pray with the expectation that God will answer our requests. We cannot pray expecting God to change His plans; I am God, and there is no other, I am God and there is none like Me... My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Our prayers cannot change God's plans but this does not mean that they are of no effect. For prayer is a cause of change; it is by prayer that things happen. God uses our prayers to make things come about. (This may sound queer, but that's most likely because I'm not explaining this well enough).

The reason why we prayer is similar to the reason why we go to the doctor, why we work, and why we spread the gospel. Things don't just happen. We can't expect to have money is we don't work. Working is a cause through which we receive money. Similarly, prayer is a secondary cause through which God fulfils His plan (see  Ex. 32:11-13 where Moses prays to God that He may be merciful to the Israelites).

And thirdly, when we pray, we must do so with expectation. But what sort of expectation? To one extent we have to humbly submit ourselves to His will and trust Him to do the right thing; however, we must not let this attitude so rule us that it leads us to passive resignation, so that we think that God will do His will no matter how or what we pray anyway. Instead we must pray with a general confidence in the goodness of God. Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in Him (Ps. 34:8). God, out of His goodness will not give us a stone to eat when we ask Him for bread (Matt 7:7-11).

Yet, we must remember that God's goodness does not always seem good to us at the present time. We cannot understand the will of God, or even try to, (and this is where the trusting in Him comes back) however, we can pray in the assurance that God wills good for His children.

And lastly, when we pray, we can also find confidence in the compelling certainty that particular things will be granted. For instance, I find that I know God will give me strength, peace, and patience (and other such things when I ask Him for them). Although He does not take the specific issue or pain away, He gives the strength to bear the pain, and in these things we can have the compelling certainty that God will give us this. I also find that after praying to God for these such things, you see God 'speaking' to you through His Word next time you read it, and particular verses jump out to you, reminding you of the particular things that will so give you the strength or wisdom to get through whatever need you encounter.

I call upon You, O God, for You will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. (Ps 17:6)

Day 50: In times of Joy

There are two distinct parts to Christian joy: the quiet, peaceful joy, and the exuberant joy. Both are essential parts of our Christian experience and prayer relates to these positive attitudes. Firstly prayer acts as a vehicle for discovering joy in this troubled life, and secondly prayer is an opportunity for celebrating our joy in Christ.

We can find the quiet, peaceful joy in our lives in the midst of trouble. Deep within our souls God instills a confidence that He will never leave us. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod, and Your staff, they comfort me (Ps 23:4). This confidence in God's care sustains us; when we face struggles we can take joy in the fact that God cares for us.

Sometimes blessings or circumstances in our lives are so extraordinary that we are overcome with excitement. This exuberant joy is evident in Ps 150:

Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. 

Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. 

Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, 

praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, 

praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with the resounding cymbals. 

This form of joy is so overwhelming that the evils of life seem to vanish before our eyes. As the sun chases away the darkness, so this joy takes away the sorrows. Life can be tough at times, and all we do when we pray is ask God for help in this and that, that He may deliver us from such and such an ailment, and that He may provide for our financial needs etc. We ask God for this and for that. But we spend little time actually praising God and experiencing the joy that should be part of our lives as christians. We have all been saved through the blood of Christ and His Holy Spirit renews us; isn't this enough cause for joy in our lives - joy that we should be expressing in our prayers? 

Although in the previous chapter of the book we were told that in prayer there is room to express our sorrows and negative attitudes, our prayers should not remain that way. There are psalmists that lament before God, however their frank displays of negative feelings often lead them to a fresh discovery of joy. Psalm 59 begins with words of despair: See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me....(vs.3)  however a different attitude emerges at the end: O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God (vs.17) By taking our troubles to God we can emerge from prayer having that quite, peaceful joy, a joy with which can then express in prayer. 

When we find ourselves overwhelmed by joy, from whatever circumstances, we should come to God and share this joy with Him. Just as a child will seek their father to show him their delight (and the father also takes pleasure in the delights of his children), so our heavenly Father wants for us to share our joys and pleasures with Him. We can pray to God about His blessings (after all, the joy we experience is a direct blessing from Him), and in this way our exuberance will also filter into the other areas of our lives. 

Once we start seeing the joy in life we begin to see the blessings rather than the grudges of everyday life. So often we receive tremendous blessings but fail to delight in them because of the problems that remain in our lives. We have a wonderful meal, but complain about doing the dishes. We have a lovely home, but moan about mowing the grass. We are blessed with healthy bodies by groan about the colour of our hair. It always seems we'er complaining about something. But we shouldn't; we have no need to complain. For most of us we have so much; we should be filled with thanksgiving and joy. 

Joy in Christ; Joy with which can share and express to God in prayer. 

Day 49: How vast the chasm between us and God

I was reminded in bible study club tonight of the extensive wonders of God's grace. So often we take for granted the fact that we are a christian. Especially since having been born into a Christian family, where my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were also all Christians. Having come from a christian background with a rich heritage we sometimes forget the greatness of the grace of God.

We were discussing sins and how do you distinguish between bad sins and BAD sins; or is there no distinction? Will you get punished more for murdering someone, than for stealing a cookie out of the tin? The conclusion we arrived at in our discussion was that we need to remember that God views all sin as sin. Whether we may see them as little or big sins; they are still sins. And sinning is a breach of His commands. It is like comparing stealing out the cookie tin as 1 x infinity (that's how far we have come from God's perfect holiness) and murdering as 2 x infinity. No matter what the sin is, its a sin and God in His perfect holiness absolutely abhors it.

So then, when we consider this, how far we have fallen, and how great that distance is between us, unworthy sinners, and the perfect righteousness of God, all we can do is look to Christ. There is absolutely no way that we of ourselves could EVER bridge that gap between God an us. Ours sins are far to great, and the stock pile of them grows daily.

But not all is lost, for God, in His infinite love and mercy, has sent His Son to bridge that gap, to make it possible to us to have communion and fellowship with God again.

Just sit back and contemplate that for a while.

We, who by our own wilful disobedience fell into sin, through Adam in the garden of Eden, are saved because God, in His good pleasure decided to bestow us with a measure of grace, that we may have Life. Isn't that just a wonderful gift?

And all we have to do is accept this gift with a believing heart? How amazing is that?

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, 

that saved a wretch like me...

I once was lost, but now am found, 

was blind, but now I see.  

Day 48: In times of trouble

So how do we effectively talk to God about the things that trouble us? When troubles assail us, when dark thoughts plague our minds, when we feel as those our heads are going under, when life is a constant struggle - how, when we are in such situations do we pray to God? How to we tell Him all these things? Will He even understand, or will it even help to tell Him?

We must come to God in prayer as we are; we must not put on a happy face, or try to maintain an optimistic outlook. We are not required to be satisfied with life. Rather, God wants us to come to Him as we are; when we are troubled by life's burdens we must come to Him with them. Pour out our hearts before His face, and He is sure to hear. We can feel bad about ourselves, our own spiritual decline and personal problems; we can be troubled by the outward circumstances caused by other people, and we can also express troubled feelings about God. All these feelings, as long as they are not selfish are welcome before God in prayer.

The problem is, however, that we try to hide our genuine attitudes before God in prayer. We tend to conceal our heart's condition before God, rather, than reveal our problems to Him. Remember: God knows our hearts; we can fool other people with smiles and flattery, but God knows when we are troubled. Thus we must be honest and open with Him in prayer. '

But how do you actually put all this into words? How are we actually meant to pray?

We can take a look at the examples of prayers in the psalms.What jumps out at the reader is the vivid images and detailed descriptions of the psalmists condition. The psalmist doesn't say, Lord things are pretty bad down here, but he uses metaphors of bulls and lions to depict his ravaging enemies.

Many bulls have surrounded me, 

strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. 

They gape at me with their mouths, 

like a raging and roaring lion. 

(Ps 22:12-13)

We must not shy away from using this vivid imagery in our prayers. By speaking this way it causes us to pause and think about what we are praying, to examine ourselves and our troubles and to tell God the truth about how we feel. 

Now while we are encouraged to pray about the negative things in our lives, the things that trouble and dishearten us, we must also remember that there are limitations. Firstly we must maintain our fundamental trust in the goodness of God. When we take our complaints to God we must always remember that He is faithful; we cannot by any means question the reality of His love. Secondly, our expression of negative attitudes in prayer must not be motivated by greed or selfishness. Remember the distinction between what you need and what you want. This about the difference and think about whether what you are praying for is a want or need. And thirdly, our negative feelings must be accompanied by an openness to receiving God's response with gratitude. We must be ready to be instructed, corrected, or further enlightened on the matters that are our concern. 

Be ready to hear what God has to say to you. After all, isn't that the reason you pray to Him?