Ever firm

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.               Psalm 33.11

God is faithful. He is constant, and in an ever changing world this knowledge is both comforting and strengthening to the believer.

God has plans that stay firm for all time. The purposes of His heart will be achieved whatever man may seek to do that might conflict. Indeed, man is merely man. But God is supreme.

Now comes the most amazing part – God has plans – for ME! And His plans will be fulfilled. O, Hallelujah! I can rejoice, I will rejoice. God has specific purposes for my life which He has held in His heart for all time, and these purposes will be fulfilled, His plans for me will be met.

I bow in humble submission.

Lord God,

I rejoice in this new day in You, and I thank You for this most pertinent and timely word. I truly feel as if You are speaking directly and personally to me. I feel You are reminding me that You have plans for me. You have long-established purposes for my life, which will be achieved.

Daily, my Lord, I want to live in the fullness of Your plans and purposes for me. To this end, I give myself to You. I surrender to Your leading. I ask You to open doors for me to witness Jesus in a real and powerful way. I am willing to serve You wherever. I would delight to minister in Your Holy Spirit – all over the place.

But I will not presume. Forgive me if I fall into the trap of presenting my desires to You. I want to do Your will. I ask You to show me clearly so that there is no error on my part. Lead me. Empower and strengthen me. And in it all, let me know the wonderful peace of Jesus, in whose name I ask.               Amen.

Completely covered

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

                                                                                          Psalm 32.1

As I read this verse I get the most wonderful picture of my sins completely coveredby the blood of Jesus, such that I appear in full purity because I am in Him.

Lord Jesus,

I thank You, O how I thank You for the covering of Your blood. I know that I am dirty and grubby with sin. Yet, as Your blood covers me, it does not trap the sin inside but rather dispels it. I am free of my sin in You, for all my transgressions – every tiny one – are forgiven.

Lord, I thank You. I know I do not have anything like a full realisation of the sacrifice of Your passion but, as far as I comprehend, I thank You. Your blood covers me and purifies me. Thank You gracious Lord.     Amen.

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is not deceit. (v 2)

I know I am blessed because The Lord does not count my sin against me. I feel blessed. But I also desire the last part of this verse to be true. I want there to be no deceit in my spirit.

Lord God,

I come before You in penitence and faith. I n penitence, in true penitence, I confess any deceit that might be in my spirit. I include any self-deceit, anything that might try to tell me that there is no deceit in me.

Whether or not I am conscious of it, I bring it before You in humble confession and I ask Your forgiveness.

In faith I ask You to grant, and to give me, a guileless spirit. Lord, I am willing to appear innocent and worldly naïve if this is Your guilelessness in me. I pray You will infuse my spirit with Your Holy Spirit, filling me up with the very presence of Christ and the fullness of God.

In faith also I believe You will answer these prayers which I ask of You in Jesus’ name.            Amen.

Committing

Into your hands I commit my spirit; 

redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.                   Psalm 31.5

The fullness of my trust in God comes forth if I am willing to commit my spirit into His hands. Yes, I am! I am His creation. I am indeed His, and I do not want it to be any other way.

I deposit, I deliberately “put” my spirit into God’s hands. And I feel secure and assured of the way forward. I know not where it will lead, but I am confident that I go forward with the God of truth – my faithful and trustworthy creator, mentor and friend.

He will redeem me. He will deliver me. As I ask Him to keep me from all evil, I know He will do this. I am confident in my Lord God, and I rejoice that I am confident also in knowing who I am in Him. 

Lord God,

Ithank You for this day. I look forward to the travel this day has for me with You.

I willingly – that is, by an act of my will – commit my spirit into Your hands. I look to who I am in You and to what I might do in You. You are the God of truth and I ask You to lead me in all truth.

My dear Father, this is such a wonderful time for me. To be able to sit and talk with You at the start of this day is uplifting and greatly pleasing.

Lead me on, Lord. Have Your way with me today, in Jesus’ name I ask.    Amen.

Trusting and growing

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.                             Psalm 25.1

The psalms are man’s words to God. Yet God inspires them with Holy Spirit presence and authority and uses them to minister, in turn, to man.

Psalm 25 is a glorious hymn to God encompassing His love and mercy towards His creation. The psalmist also acknowledges the frailty of this creation and our susceptibility to fall. But there is great encouragement here. As sinners we will not bring about our own recovery. But our great God, in tender love, will rescue us.

As a sinner I am not content to sit back and do nothing myself. My God means so much to me that I want to do what I can to be more pleasing to Him. I will always be a sinner and, sadly, I know even now that I fall into sin continually. Notwithstanding this, I want to press on – seeking God and the strength and solace that I receive in Him, but also allowing myself to grow in His ways, applying myself to good ways and positively spurning those things I know to be unhelpful.

Lord God,

I come to You this wonderful new day amidst the growing busyness of a shopping centre. Yet, even as the world cranks into gear around me, I feel quiet and peaceful here with You. I thank You for this, Lord, for it is Your doing and not my own. I join with the psalmist and I dare to echo his words as I rejoice in You and release myself to You.

I do indeed lift up my soul to You. I trust implicitly in you. I realise – and what a realisation it is - that I cannot trust myself. Lord God, I put my trust in You. Let me not be put to shame. I cannot fight off my enemies (seen and unseen) on my own, but You are my champion and I look to You. I thank You that I can do this. I trust You, Lord. I thank You.           Amen.

Everything

The earth is the Lord’s and 

everything in it, 

the world, and all who live in it;                Psalm 24.1

What a glorious, wonderful reminder. The earth is indeed the Lord’s and everything and everybody in it belongs to Him.

The earth is in strife. Man is not able to contain events and progress in a good and harmonious way. Evil – in both subtle and non-too-subtle – ways proliferates. Satan is having a field day.

But the truth will stand. It cannot be denied. The earth is the Lord’s and He is in ultimate control.

Today I press in to God. I claim His covering over my life. I look for, I surrender to, His authority in all that I am. I salute my great God. I pray I might honour Him in all that I do today, and every day.

Lord God,

You are great and wonderful. The whole earth is a testimony to Your glorious creation. Yet most of the earth also acts in disobedience of Your ways and Your commands.

I pray that You would intervene in the ungodly ways of this world. I cry out in spiritual ardour for Your exquisite and supreme will to be seen in the world today. I pray for strong, Godly witness to come forth in all nations. I ask You to draw people to You in greater numbers than ever before.

I commit myself to You afresh today. You are my great Creator, my strong Guide, my sincere Friend and my faithful Guardian. I ask that You would place Your covering, protection and calling over the whole of my life. I surrender to Your authority and ask You to lead me in all that I do. I salute You, O great and wonderful One.

Father of all creation, hold me close today.

Have Your way in my life. Lead me on, in Jesus’ name I ask.    Amen.

Cry out

They cried to you and were saved; 

in you they trusted and were not disappointed.              Psalm 22.5

God has done much for Israel, and this verse seems to sum it all up. As they cried out to the Lord they were saved. As they trusted in Him they were not disappointed.

What God has done for Israel He will do for any who believe in Him and who choose to walk with Him. God is not tricky or deceitful. As we cry out to Him, He responds. As we trust Him we are not disappointed.

Lord God,

I thank You that I am Yours. I put my trust in You and I am not disappointed. I love You and I look to walk with You, through this day. I pray You will strengthen me in You as the day proceeds, in Jesus’ name.               Amen.

Safe

Keep me safe, O God, 

for in you I take refuge.                            Psalm 16.1

I echo the psalmist’s cry. I come to the Lord and I take refuge in Him. I say also, with the psalmist, You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.(v2)

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I shall not be shaken. (vv 7,8)

Lord God,

I come to You and I take refuge in You. I ask Your protection for myself and for my family. Lord, would You cover us all, even though we don’t all acknowledge You as we should? Lord, I ask You to spare us. Be with my extended family. Protect them and bring them into the totality of Your light. Be with my immediate family. Protect them, strengthen them, lead them into the fullness of You.

Father, I give You thanks for Your goodness, your grace and Your faithfulness.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body will also rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the grave,

nor will you let your Holy One so decay.

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

(vv 9-11)

Lord, You are my Lord and my God.

I salute You. I receive the privilege of walking with You today. Lead me in Your wonderful ways. I rejoice in You.

Glory be to Your Name. Hallelujah! Precious Lord.                 Amen.

Supreme

The  journey continues. Today I had yet another treatment cancelled. This time the blood count was low. Last week there was a diversion stemming from a routine visit to the cardiologist. He told me my heart was fibrillating. This, he said, was not good and it must be further investigated. I was to see him again after three days and, if the condition had not improved, I needed hospitalisation for some days whilst further investigations were carried out. All I could think of was:"What's next? is there to be no end to this?" Fortunately, my return visit showed a normal heart with no fibrillation at all.
I cannot get down about this, for I firmly believe that God is in charge. And, if He so determines and the treatment is protracted, then so be it. He has His reasons and -  maybe one day - I will know what they are!!
As the meditation today affirms, God is supreme. This is good enough for me. I will not fuss over future appointments. I will simply take each day as it comes, and enjoy myself - and Him - to the degree that I am able.

Supreme

Arise Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.

Do not forget the helpless.                                 Psalm 10.12

Psalm 10 may be called a psalm of accusation against the oppressors. The wicked are seemingly on top. All that they do brings prosperity and success. They victimise and disadvantage the innocent.

These words seem so appropriate today, yet they were written perhaps three thousand years ago. I am tempted to ask, “Is nothing new?”

Yet God will not be bettered. Judgment and justice belong to Him. In time – in His time not mine – He will move. He will punish the wicked and restore the godly.

Psalm 10 ends with a wonderful stanza of positive praise and glory. It affirms God as supreme, it encourages man that the Almighty is just that.

The Lord is king for ever and ever; 

the nations will perish from his land.

You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; 

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 

defending the fatherless and the oppressed, 

in order that man, who is of the earth,

may terrify no more.               Psalm 10.16-18

Lord God,

You are to be revered and held in awe. You are supreme. You are just and faithful. The wicked of the earth may seem to “have their day” and get away with much. But this is foolishness and the day of reckoning is coming.

Lord, I salute You. I confess You Lord and Master over all of my life. Show me the way You want me to go and lead me in that way. Let me be done with foolishness and wicked things. I seek to waste no time Lord. I want only to do Your will. Take me, guide me, in Jesus’ name I ask.                      Amen.

His son

I will tell of the decree of the LORD:

He said to me, “You are my son;

today I have begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, 

and the ends of the earth your possession.”               Psalm 2.7,8

The first point from this Scripture is that God has decreed I am His son. This is inviolate, unalterable. It is true of Jesus, God has said it of David, and it applies also to me. I am as precious to God as David, and even Jesus. This is wonderful! This is something for me to truly get hold of. This is the place to live – secure in Him, firm in the knowledge that I am His son, His own begotten child. I am His. All heaven is on my side.

Secondly, He invites me to make request of him. As I ask, He will release the nations to me, the whole earth – to its very ends – will become my possession. I am reminded of the might of my God. Nothing in impossible with Him, all things are possible for me.

Lord God,

I come before You as Your son. I delight in You as Creator-God, as Saviour and Deliverer, as Comforter, as Friend, as Lover, and as my dear, loving heavenly Father.

I press in to You today, heavenly Dad. I look for Your company on my journey through this day of life. I knowYou will be with me. I seek an awareness of this the whole day long. I expect You to talk to me. I pray for an acuteness of hearing and senses that I might hear You, feel You and clearly receive what You are saying to me.

I ask for the nations from You. I see the world at my feet and I ask You to lead me forth. I so desire to minister the gospel of Jesus, wherever You would lead me. Show me Your way, Lord, and lead me in it, in Jesus’ name I ask.            Amen.

First love

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.                                                                         Rev. 2.4

The words are directed to the church at Ephesus, but if we read Revelation with the understanding that the seven churches of Asia are representative of the whole church of Jesus Christ, then we realise that any part of what is said to any of the churches mentioned might just apply to any one of us. 

I believe this particular verse is significant for every believer.

Love is what connects us with God in the first place. God’s love for us moved Him to reconcile ourselves to Him through Jesus. When we experience God’s revelation through Jesus we receive a large measure of His love which releases, in turn, a love for Him in us. This first love is sweet, powerful, fresh and innocent. Truly, in this love, we see all things as possible. But it’s not the doing that is important, it’s the being.

I pray that I might always be in love with Jesus, with the force, power, sweetness and beauty of that first love. 

Lord God,

I know the love You have for me that manifested itself so powerfully in the sacrifice of the cross and the reconciliation that it brought. I know this love and I believe I am moving closer to You in it.

My prayer is that love will grow in my life – love of You, and love for You. I want to be hopelessly – no, perhaps helplessly – in love with You.

Indeed, this love is not without hope but is filled to overflowing with hope, and faith.
It assures me of the mercy and grace of the blessing of God. But the greatest blessing, Sweet Saviour, is knowing You.

Draw me closer, increase my loving relationship with You and let it spill over into all of my life.                 Amen.

The Christian Way

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”                         John 7.38

The verse following explains that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit with His mention of living water. As we give ourselves to Him, we open up to the Holy Spirit who may take us over and fill us with His presence. Our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6.19). The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. The Holy Spirit is God’s power at work within us and through us.

Jesus was a giver. He gave to the extent of sacrificing His very life so that others could be spared eternal damnation, and saved into eternal life.

Jesus invites me to follow Him. This requires giving from me. I begin by giving myself to Him. I release myself into the will of God. My life and living ceases to be what I want, but what He wants (Luke 22.42). Jesus gave His all! Am I prepared to do likewise?

I’d like to say, “Lord, have Your way with me.”Indeed I have said so at times, but do I really mean it? I think I need to be more consistent. I am aware of times when I walk so closely with God. At other times I feel distant – and I know He has not moved away. The flesh influences me, worldly temptations bombard, and I fall away.

I believe the action is to return to the beginning, and make every effort to follow through. Jesus has given me the perfect example. He invites me to follow Him. What, then, am I waiting for?

Lord Jesus,

I come to You anew. I seek to embrace more fully Your invitation for me to follow You. You lived to do the Father’s will – completely. You listened to the Father and obeyed Him. Your obedience took You to a most horrid death. Yet You obeyed.

I want to obey, but I do not have the perfection that You have. I seek Your help. I need Your guidance, strength and resolve. And so, I ask for it. Help me, please. Like You, I want to be a giver. Would You show me the way in this? And would You accompany me along the way? I thank You for Your friendship. I ask for Your guidance. I thank You again.                   Amen.

Holiness

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all that you do, for it is written “Be holy, because I am holy.”   1 Peter 1. 15,16

God created me with the paramount intention of enjoying me in the sublime of intimate relationship with Him. God is holy, pure, righteous. His intention was for me to be likewise. Sadly, human interference denied this to me, and my relationship with my God was sullied. 

But God is not only holy, He is, indeed, all things. And He is love itself. His love would not allow me to remain in a sinful state, and so, He sent his perfect Son to save me from sin, and restore me to right relationship with God – with Father, Son and Spirit. God did not do this out of pity. His action was because He wants me to be holy, for it’s only through holiness that I can enjoy the ultimate relationship with Him.

Jews celebrate Yom Kippur. This is the Day of Atonement when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to atone for the sins of all Jews. Jesus’ life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all people of all time and all nations. No one need be exempt. Through Jesus, I can appear holy before God. I enjoy the fullness of relationship with Him. I like to break down the English word atonement into constituent parts of at-one-ment, for this is how it is for me – I am at one with my holy and loving God.

But what about me and my holiness? I am not like Jesus, nor will I be, despite my very best efforts. Will God accept me with my flaws and defects? I understand my God to be loving, merciful and forgiving. Yes, He is holy, righteous and pure, but He also knows that I am not, nor will I attain this in my own strength. I have accepted Jesus as Saviour and acknowledged Him as Lord. So, I’m on the way!

I believe holiness is something that God gives me. I do not hesitate to ask for more, and I look to the day when I can manifest His holiness in me.

Lord God,

I thank You for Your many gifts to me. I especially look to You for the gift of holiness. I know how I miss the mark, and I ask You to forgive me. As with most – if not all things – I cannot achieve this on my own. I seek Your help. I ask for Your help, your blessing, and Your holiness.                Amen.

Silence

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.                                         Rev. 8.1

These words appear dramatic and arresting to me. I can only imagine how serious the situation would have been to cause all heaven to be quiet. Indeed, Mounce (NICNT – The Book of Revelation, 1977, p 178) describes it as “a dramatic pause”. He says: when the seventh seal is opened, a great hush settles over the worshipping hosts of heaven. For a period of about half an hour there is breathless silence as all await the judgments of the scroll now unsealed.

I know how man sometimes contrives a dramatic silence before making some major announcement or pronouncement. Yet, surely, any and all of man’s attempts would be feeble against the power of the silence of all the heavens.

And the silence is a prelude to the judgments about to fall on the earth. Against the back cloth of this silence, drama is enacted as trumpets are given to the seven angels before the throne.

An angel standing over the altar mingles incense with the prayers of the saints, and taking fire from the golden altar fills his censer and casts it upon the earth. The intensity of the scene is incredibly heightened by the complete absence of any sound. (Mounce, p179)

No earthly director could produce such an effect. (How they would die to do so!)

God in heaven is Almighty, all powerful. When He commands silence it is truly awesome.

This description of silence moves me to think of another silence – a time when, in the exquisite beauty of no sound, God speaks to me, gently, appealingly, graciously, loving me, drawing me to Him, showing me just how precious I am.

O, the beauty of silence!

Lord God,

I thank You for this powerful reading today. My breath is taken away as I think of the expectation that comes when You command silence.

In the reading from Revelation, the silence ushered in the judgments on the world – stark, strong, severe.

In my mind and heart, silence can bring me humbly into Your presence. There I can receive encouragement from You – encouraging, edifying, enriching.

O Gracious One, how amazing are Your various and varied ways. I come before You today in penitence and in faith. Forgive me and lead me forward. I look to You for the whole of this day. I receive You as my journey companion. I anticipate a wonderful experience of life today with You.

Lead me, guide me, be with me,

In Jesus’ name I ask.               Amen.