Psalm 46:10a - Quiet

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

Sometimes the best way to communicate with God is to just be quiet.

Lord, Thank you for being GOD. Please help us to be still and quiet. Amen

Psalm 66:18 & John 8:47 - Failure to communicate

The other day during a conference, a single friend of mine was pleasantly surprised to be seated next to a very handsome man. They flirted casually through dinner, then grew restless as the speeches were given. During one particularly long-winded lecture, the guy sitting nest to my friend drew a # sign on a cocktail napkin. Elated, she wrote down her phone number. He looked startled for a moment, then drew another # sign, this time adding an X to the upper-left-hand corner.

Sometimes we have a failure to communicate.

Psalm 66:18

If I had cherished sin in my heart,

      the Lord would not have listened;

John 8:47

Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Listening and hearing are the lock and key of communication. How do we know God is listening? Can I hear God when he is speaking to me? According to these scriptures, if there is sin in our heart, God will not listen and if we are not hearing him, we need to examine if we actually belong to God. Have we given his life to him? How about you? Do you belong to God? Have you repented and been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and to receive the holy spirit? If not, please do so today.

Lord, thank you for offering us salvation, listening to us and allowing us to hear you. Please help those who have not decided to be your child to do so today. Amen.

  

Psalm 5:3 - Daily study and prayer

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
     in the morning I lay my requests before you
     and wait expectantly.

I think daily bible study and prayer is one of the most important ways we communicate with God. I love to study every morning, but my favorite part of study is sharing what I have studied, that's why I blog almost every morning and share it on Facebook.

Computers, tablets and phones can really help us achieve a goal of daily study and prayer. Sometimes there is a little disconnect when we text others though.
The other day my mom texted me: Your great-aunt just passed away. LOL.
I texted back: Why is that funny?
Mom: It’s not funny, Crystal! What do you mean?
Me: Mom, LOL means Laughing Out Loud.
Mom: I thought it meant Lots of Love. I have to call everyone back.

Lord, thank you for opportunities to communicate with you every day. Please help us to stay in contact with you often. Amen.

John 16:23b-24 - Specific communication in Jesus name

Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

When we are communicating with God and we have needs for ourselves and others, there are some guidelines we are given. First we need to be specific in our prayers. The other day our preacher saw Bubba and asked, “What’s wrong, Bubba?” Bubba said, “I need you to pray for my hearing.”  The preacher put his hands on Bubba’s ears and prayed. When he was done, he asked, “So how’s your hearing?”  “I don’t know,” said Bubba. “It isn’t until next Tuesday.”

Well, I guess the idea here is that we need to carefully communicate our needs to the Lord. When we do, we can more clearly see what his answer is. As this scripture states, we must ask in the name of Jesus Christ. According to John 14:13, when we do this, God is glorified.

Lord, thank you for giving us the opportunity to come to you with requests. Please help us to ask in Jesus name so that you may be glorified, Amen.

Joshua 1:8 - Time for God

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

How much time do you spend with God? How many hours of the week are you focused in study, worship and prayer. How much time to we spend connecting with God? In a week there are about 112 waking hours for most people. In your head break up the hours in your week. I figured I spend about 10% of my time connecting with God. I guess if you think about it like tithing, that's OK, but that means 90% of my time is focused on things of the world.

Lord, thank you for always being there to listen to our prayer or worship and to help us with our study of you and your word. Please help us to spend even more time connecting with you. Amen.

Psalm 137:3 - A sad story

for there our captors asked us for songs,
     our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
     they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

Psalm 137 is a sad story. Apparently the Israelites had fallen to the Edomites and they were asked to sing their songs of worship as entertainment for their captors. They asked to loose their skill of playing the harp and singing if they did not remember Jerusalem. How painful to have something meant for God to be twisted and misused.

Lord, Thank you for hearing us all the time, especially in our pain. Please help us to trust you no matter what. Amen.

Psalm 136:1 - His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
                                                His love endures forever.

I have been waiting for this chapter. I am not sure how I haven't known this for most of my life, but the other day I heard something in a sermon or lesson about Psalm 136. All 26 verses in this chapter begin with something about God or tells something God has done and ends with the phrase, "His love endures forever." Many of these words from Psalm 136 are also featured in the song "Forever" written by Chris Tomlin.

Lord, Thank you for all you are and do. Your love endures forever. Amen.

Matthew 16:24-25 - Will you still love him?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

Do you believe God can turn any situation? Will you still love him if he doesn’t?

In preparing for another ladies class discussion, this phrase really impacted me. We are called to believe, but we are called to believe beyond getting our way. Our lesson is on Mary and Martha, but not the story of the sisters having Jesus in their home. This lesson focuses on when their brother, Jesus' friend, Lazarus dies. They expect Jesus to drop everything and come to their rescue, but he doesn't. They both eventually come to show Jesus they love him and he is their messiah, even though Lazarus is dead. That's not the end of the story, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, but Mary and Martha would have loved him even if he hadn't.

Lord, We love you and believe in you, even when you don't do what we ask. Please help us to trust in you always. Amen.

Psalm 135:7 - God is in control

He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
     he sends lightning with the rain
     and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

This is such a beautiful passage. In this season of stormy spring weather, I am reminded that God is in control. He makes it, sends it and brings it.

Lord, thank you for the ferocious beauty of nature which you have created. Please help us to trust in you through all the storms of life. Amen.

Psalm 1:3 - Daily supply (Rerun)

This is an old post I am reposting because I have been having trouble getting into the word and making posts on a regular basis.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
     which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—
     whatever they do prospers.

"That person" refers to (v. 2) the one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his laws day and night. In order to produce fruit and remain alive in Christ, we must receive a regular, daily supply of his word. The blessings of God are available, we just have to reach out and take them.

Lord, thank you for your word. Please help us to study it daily. Amen.

Acts 18:1-3 - Priscilla

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,  and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.

Tonight I am leading the discussion at our ladies bible class on Priscilla. The thing that struck me the most about this lesson is how ordinary she was. A simple, hardworking woman who, with her husband, finds a great friend in Paul while sharing in his ministry.

Lord, thank you for giving each of us a special role in the kingdom. Please help us to be open to what ever role you place us in. Amen.

Psalm 134:1-2 - Lift up your hands

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
     who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
     and praise the Lord.

These scriptures stood out to me for two reasons, First, I thought it was interesting that there were people who ministered by night in the temple. I guess someone needed to keep watch, keep the candles burning and maybe more. It's good to recognize the work of those behind the scenes. Secondly, this Psalm suggests they lift up their hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. The people who I worship with are a pretty conservative group, so there is not much lifting of hands. If I had just posted verse 2, it would have supported this practice (it really doesn't bother me one way or the other), but I thought it needed to be shared in context as something that was done in the temple, but at night when no one else was around.

Lord, We love you so much and want to praise you in all the ways pleasing to you. Please help us to fully worship you, in a group or alone. Amen.

Psalm 133:1 - Unity

How good and pleasant it is
     when God’s people live together in unity!

When God's people, which might be a church family or the general idea of Christians, do not get along, not only does it displease God, it makes us loose our effectiveness as a group. Why would non-Christians want to be a part of a group of people who fight and quarrel among themselves? It represents the very opposite of what we stand for; Love God, Love People.

Lord, Thank you for giving us a church family. Please help us to get along and live together in unity. Amen.

Psalm 132:11a - Promises

The Lord swore an oath to David,
     a sure oath he will not revoke:

Psalm 132 is about a promise David made to God and a promise God made in return, This is something I am going to have to study on more, I believe God has made us many promises in the bible, but I'm not sure about promises beyond that. Have you ever felt like God asked you to do something specific with a promise of something if you complete your task?

Lord, thank you for being so faithful. Please help us to understand you and your will. Amen.

Psalm 131:1b-2a - Calm

I do not concern myself with great matters
     or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,

At points in our lives we are very passionate about a great many topics and ideas, but there are also times of calmness and quiet introspection. If we are seeking God first, we will find a balance.

Lord, thank you for the times of calmness. Please help us to always make you our greatest concern, Amen,