Perfect peace

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.                                                                      Isa. 26.3,4

There are several words I feel to explore more deeply in this extract. 

Firstly, the mind needs to be steadfast. The root of this word is “prop”. The mind needs to be propped by the Lord. It needs to lean upon or establish itself in the Lord. 

The mind achieves this state through trust. This trust is to seek refuge, to be boldly secure, almost carelessly confident.

And with this steadfast mind fixed on the Lord through trust, He will keep me in perfect peace. I know something of the peace of Jesus. It is both comforting and strengthening. It is extreme. The comfort I receive is the ultimate comfort, and the strength He gives me is absolute. It is indeed perfect. It is complete, full, whole. It is just; it is made ready; it is especially friendly. This is the environment in which I am encouraged to trust in the Lord. Hallelujah!

Dear Lord,

Thank You for this word. I seek to embrace it in fullness today. I look for my mind to be firmly established in You. I give myself to Your Word and ask You to build me up through it.

In trust I seek refuge in You. Dear Lord, I want to be boldly secure and carelessly confident in You. I want to be free of care, for how can I worry when I am in You (Matt. 6.25)

Lord, hear my prayer in this. Strengthen me. Lead me further into this place of utter trust in You.

Let me know Your perfect peace. Let me partake of every aspect of Your perfect peace. Lead me through this day. I give myself to You to have Your way with me. Let Your will be done in all things, in Jesus’ name I ask.               Amen.

Perfect

O Lord, you are my God; 

I will exalt you and praise your name, 

for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvellous things, 

things planned long ago.                                             Isa. 25.1

God’s faithfulness is truly perfect. It is complete in every way. It lacks nothing. Thus in a fully complete way God has out worked wonders and marvels that He had planned maybe before the start of time itself.

It amazes me that things happen now, indeed these most recent events in my life were planned and ordained by God long ago. God, in effect said then, “I will do these things.” And He is true to His word. Likewise, all that He has spoken to me, of me, He will fulfil. The timing will be His alone. It will be a sovereign timing, truly perfect in every way.

Yes, I freely acknowledge this great and wonderful being as my God, and as my Lord. There is none other.

Lord God,

O great and wonderful God, loving Lord. I salute You. I exalt You and praise Your name. You are majestic and loving. You are powerful and patient. You are all-knowing and most wonderfully faithful.

Your ways are often mysterious but always right. I seek to follow Your ways at all times, in every matter.

Receive anew my commitment today. Take me forward with You. I am learning to enjoy more this adventure I have with You. I praise You for Your patience and faithfulness. 

I rejoice in You. I take that joy with me as I venture forth into the day.

Come with me, Lord. Let us have a most wonderful day together.

Hallelujah!           Amen.

Sworn

The Lord Almighty has sworn, 

“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, 

and as I have purposed, so it will stand.”             Isa. 14.24

The present prophecy that comes from Isaiah is against Babylon and Assyria. God will use these countries to punish His people, Israel, and then He will destroy them.

But the message is for all time. What God has planned will come to be. God’s purposes will stand.

         For the Lord Almighty has purposed, 

and who can thwart him? 

His hand is stretched out, 

and who can turn it back?                (v27)

God does not change. As His plans for Babylon and Assyria were fulfilled, so also will His plans for today come to pass.

Lord God,

I rejoice that You have a plan and purposes for my life. I surrender myself fully into Your will. Lead me forward into this day. May my own arrangements unfold, or not, as You lead.

I delight to live with You. You are the morning sun, the evening breeze and all that is between. I pray that the eyes of my heart might be opened to see and receive wonderful things from You. This might not fully unveil at first but I ask You to lead me and show me.

My heart is Yours. My mind also is Yours, but there are times when it needs to surrender the lead to my heart. I ask You to help me in these times.

Let us go forward into the day together. I release every part of today to You. I ask You to be my guide. Lead me in Your ways. Direct my steps. Speak to me please and share Yourself with me. I love You. I look forward to this day with You. Hallelujah!           Amen.

Found

“In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”        Matt. 18.14

Jesus is talking of those who move away from God. For whatever reason they leave the fold. Just as, in His example, the sheep that strays from the fold is sought out by the shepherd and returned to his rightful place, so the Christian who strays is a concern to the Father until he returns to the family of God.

Salvation belongs to God. In response to the disciples’ question of who can be saved, Jesus says, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Matt. 19.26)

God can bring anyone to Himself. I believe He can also restore those who have moved away from Him. His concern is that no one shall perish. (2 Peter 3.9)

Lord God,

I thank You for this reminder from Your Word today of Your concern for the lost and for those who have strayed.

I humbly remind You of Your Word:

         The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, 

…He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,

but everyone to come to repentance.(2 Peter 3.9)

I cry out for the lost, for those who were once in the fold but who have strayed. Lord God, hear my cry for each one of these. Receive my reminder that this is not what You want. Please draw them to You, Lord.

Open eyes, unblock ears, unlock minds and soften hearts. Send Your message of love, and move on the recipients to open themselves wide and receive the fullness of salvation.

Lord God, I join with You in not wanting anyone to perish. Rescue them, Lord. Reach out and bring them to You, in Jesus’ name I ask.   Amen.

Going

“As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”            Matt. 10.7

Jesus has called the twelve and given them authority. He has then sent them out. They are truly “apostles” – sent ones.

I believe it is possible for Jesus to do this same thing today. He may well have been doing it through the ages, but man hasn’t always been open to this particular divine commission. There is evidence of such ministries through the Spirit – the agent of Jesus – in more recent times.

I believe Jesus wants to heal today as much as He healed in the days when He walked the earth. The Spirit is active in this day and might just be looking for willing disciples.

Lord Jesus,

I read the words that You spoke to the first apostles, and I respond.

I offer myself to You, to preach the message of the kingdom of heaven, to heal the sick, even to raise the dead, to cleanse those gripped by cruel and terrible disease, and to drive out demons. I willingly give away – freely – what I receive from You.

I offer myself, Lord. I so want to serve You. I yearn to share the love and relationship I have with You, and draw others into Your kingdom. I do not have the personal skills to do this, nor would I want to do it in my own strength.

I need Your enabling. I look for the strength and endorsement that can only come from You. I humbly ask for Your anointing.

Touch me, Lord. Draw me closer to You. Lead me forth in ministry for You. Come with me. Let us together spread the word, heal the sick, find and save the lost, and draw all to the Father. I ask this in Your powerful and precious Name.                                                            Amen.

Held

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; 

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, 

from my foes, who were too strong for me. 

They confronted me in the day of my disaster, 

but the Lord was my support. 

He brought me out into a spacious place; 

he rescued me because he delighted in me.               2 Sam. 22.17-20

The goodness and faithfulness of God is absolute. David has cried out to God:

         I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, 

and I am saved from my enemies.             (2 Sam. 22.4)

As we call out to God, He will reach down from on high and take hold of us. He will remove us from deep waters, He will rescue us from enemies and bring us into a spacious place. He does all this because He delights in us. Praise God! I believe this delight is an expression of God’s good pleasure and favour.

Lord God,

I thank You for Your Word. I receive Your Word for myself as it was applicable to David. I believe You hear my cry for help and I believe You reach down from on high to rescue me.

Lord God, thank You for Your good pleasure. Thank You for the favour that I enjoy as a child of God. Thank You for the delight You have in me.

I commit to You. I want to journey with You each day, for all of my days. I look forward to that great day when I shall be with You in paradise.

O holy heavenly Father, I adore You. I want more of You and I want to share You with everyone. Please help me. Please enable me.

         Thank You, in Jesus’ name.               Amen.

Life

But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.      2 Sam. 14.14

This scripture is reminiscent of salvation. God does not want to deprive anyone of life. He would have them know the fullness of life in Him. The one who is estranged from Him, God would see restored and in joyful communion with Him.

Man may banish his fellow man, as indeed David did Absalom, but God’s way is not of banishment. His way is the way of reconciliation. May this be the way for me. I pray that I will never be tempted, under any circumstance, to cut off from people, to cast them away from me, but I would look to reconcile and, hopefully, in the process to bring them closer to God.

Lord God,

I thank You for this cameo that comes from the story of David and Absalom. Of course it reminds me of the coming of Your Son to offer each one of us pardon from our sins and a free and complete return to You.

Loving Father, I pray for my own behaviour in regard to others especially those that might reject or wound me. Help me not to “banish” or punish them. Let me see them as You see them and enable me to act towards them in a way that would be pleasing to You.

Thank You, O thank You, for the precious gift of salvation in Jesus. I ask for opportunities to share this gift. I pray that You will lead me to people and direct people to me. I ask You to give me the words to say and a willingness and boldness to speak out those words.

Precious Lord, I release myself to You this day. Have Your way in me, in Jesus’ name I ask.              Amen.