Meditation

12/12/2019

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:14)

Beloved, God has the capability of doing what He wills, even though what he wills surpasses the limitations of human expectations. His sovereignty means He had the authority and the power to give Sarah a son even though she was past ninety years of age. He that made the normal functions can also alter them when necessary for His own purposes. Miraculous intervention usually is for the purpose of revelation. It is God’s way of showing He is doing something important. Otherwise, the very precise and orderly way the laws of nature work is also an expression of the sovereign will of God.

As sovereign God, He has chosen for all aspects of life in His universe to operate in a well defined, ordered, and regular way. The alternative would a world of chaos and uncertainty. God is omnipotent. The limitations of prayer are not caused by any lack of power on God’s part. He answers prayer in ways that best conform to His perfect will.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, the story of Abraham and Sarah is expression of God’s created world. It expresses the human limitations that we tend to place on God and God’s affirmation of just how limitless His power truly is. Today, Abba, we come before Your throne of grace and mercy, seeking Your will for our lives, in whatever way that we might need, to serve You in a way that meets Your expectations for us. You will, and not our will, is what is truly important, for You know our needs and concerns. We depend upon You for all things, and we pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“What does it take to get your attention?”

KNOWING GOD:

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to he place from which I carried you into exile.’” (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

Let’s see, why did God banish His people into Babylon captivity in the first place? Oh yes, it was because they turned their backs on Him; they became disobedient and refused to worship Him only; they fell into sinful ways and worshiped other gods. Remember the comment from Abraham and Sarah? We were created to live in a well defined, ordered, regular way, as the alternative will lead to a world of chaos and uncertainty. The Babylonians didn’t just decide to attack and take everyone as captives. They were allowed to do so. The result was a total upheaval of God’s people, their lives turned upside down, but even then, they learned that if they could still worship God outside of Jerusalem. Their disobedient hearts began to change, and they had been transformed into God’s people once again. God had a purpose that no one could fathom or understand, until they were once again returned to their home in Jerusalem and they rebuilt the Temple, and the gates around the city and their homes were restored, and their worship was centered on the one true God. I pray we don’t have to undergo this same process in our own times. How about you?

I AM:

“Prayer, Sovereignty of God:” (Isaiah 37:-14-20)

King Hezekiah realized God had reduced His people to a remnant as Isaiah had prophesied (7:18-25). He knew the only hope for a powerless remnant was prayer. God can do for a remnant what He must powerful human rulers cannot. Hezekiah’s prayers are remarkable. He based his prayer on the identification of Israel with God and His purposes. Belief in God as the only One able to answer prayer is a requirement for prayer.

Second Thought of the Day:

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” (1^st Timothy 4:4-5)

Holiness does not depend on legal specifications, but on relationship with God. In prayerful fellowship with God, gratefully acknowledging Him as invariable source. Christians hallow everything we touch.

Always remember, “The holiness of God is the absolute difference between God and man.” “Anything else called holy is so because of its association with God.” Before you even kneel down to pray to God, remember these two statements, for they place us in the appropriate status with God. He is God and we are not Him! Then, your prayers honor the relationship we have with Him, and our actions are based upon this relationship. Nothing we can ever do, earns our salvation, it is a free gift from God through His Son, Jesus Christ.