American flag flying in the wind
Stand
If I a tiny wind-tossed seed, never left the safe strong reed
Could I, stand alone?
It was in the plan for my chaff to be blown:
When I’m discouraged, and my hope begins to wane,
So, all the world’s mocking becomes too much to bear;
When I doubt God’s promises are really true for me,
and my shield of faith becomes broken and weak.
When the day to day routine, robs me of my joy:
I’ll lift my hands to the Lord, and just Stand.
I will stand still and know that he is my God.
His grace is sufficient and his promises are true
And if I don’t faint, he’ll take me through.
Our nation needs our prayers, not our complaints when things aren’t moving in the direction that we think it should move. Lord help us to see the world as you see it. With that being said, I don’t have time to waste good energy on complaining. I would rather use my energy on doing the will of God. If there is a lesson to learn from all of my journey, it is this–I still have more to learn–so the best thing I can do is to keep working at it until I learn what it is that the Lord has for me to learn, before he opens the opportunities up for my future. Maybe he doesn’t want me to waste time worrying about the future. Perhaps he is more interested in me, living for today. The bible says that “Today is the day of salvation.”
Isn’t it time to set our houses in order in every area of our lives? We don’t need to feel lost, or distracted, when we put our trust in him. He takes my hand and leads me beside still waters. It is there that I grow deeper in him, as I learn to wait for him to light my path. The roads you travel, today, may be dark, and make you feel a sense of danger, but you can know that the Lord has the way for you to get through your circumstance mapped out, and he is waiting for you to just trust him to lead you through it. Will you take a chance on Him? He is the way.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-13).
We have no other options but to trust God if we want to succeed in this life. Trust may be a tall order for us when the world continually batters us and whittles away our confidence, rejection by rejection. It’s easy to trust God when the blessings are an abundant flood; it’s not so easy when your world seems to crumble beneath your feet and you struggle to stand. We make our commitments and say our prayers and praise a God who is faithful. He spoke the world into existence, and we were planned long before we were conceived in our mother’s womb.
It is his good pleasure to bless us, but is he pleased with us? Is our worship genuine or do we sometimes go through the motions with a distant heart that aches for something that we don’t understand?
As a Christian, I should be setting an example for others. When I walk into a room people should know that there is something unique in me. This perception isn’t a result of the clothes I wear or the way that I walk. It is something deeper than that. It is commitment and a peace that passes all understanding. It is knowing that I know that Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and forever and that he changes not. This world may be unsure but we can have confidence in a Savior who understands what we have need of, and when we don’t understand, he provides the Holy Ghost to pray for us in a heavenly language that is unselfish. I used to pray for things: now, I have learned to pray for God’s will. Help me, Lord, to trust in you, honor you and serve you even when I don’t understand. Peace be still.
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. (Psalm 77:11-14 NIV)
“Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is Settled in Heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
In life, we can be unsure of ourselves and our future, at times, but there is one thing that we can count on, and that is that Jesus Christ is faithful, even when in our human frailty, we become faithless. You can depend on his word. There is no distress in the word, or doubt that he will do what he said that he’d do. Our greatest task is to take the Lord at his word and believe that he will be with us through the times of testing that will come upon us.
The bible warns us that “Everything that can be shaken, will be shaken.” Why would a loving God allow us to go through the shaking? Isn’t there some unwritten law somewhere that says that children of God are exempt from heartache? Nevertheless, his word is still forever settled in heaven, and he said that these things would come to pass, but he also promises us in
Isaiah 43:1,2, “I have called you by name–you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you.”
To be called by name is important to me. To know that the Lord says that I belong to him, amazes me to this day; to be assured that when I pass through deep waters and I become apprehensive and unsure of my own fate, that all I need to do is be reminded that my troubles will not overwhelm me; gives me the strength to continue to walk by faith and not by sight.
I can carefully find my way through a dark world, and know that even if I stumble, that the Lord will be there to pick me up, and help me to complete the task that he has called me to do. My life belongs to Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t keep me from living in a world that may not know that the Lord loves them; nevertheless, his word is settled in heaven. You can know that God is still in control, no matter what you are going through.
Time and again, I reflect on where the Lord has brought me from, and keep moving closer to where the Lord wants to bring me to. It’s the journey that keeps me trusting in his word. If you are feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, today, look up for your redemption draweth nigh.
“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill but time and chance happeneth to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:10-11).
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
“Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
No weapon that is formed against me will prosper. If I can keep this in my spirit, I will overcome every situation that is before me. I must not back down to challenges that will make me stronger in my walk with God. I can have confidence in the Word. I’m not walking through the fire alone, No, Jesus is leading me through the fire, and I am not forsaken. Oh, it may seem like there is no way out, but if I’ll just cling to his hand, and keep moving forward in faith, I will eventually see that the battle that I was so fearful of has become part of my past experience.
The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong… In spite of my failures and shortcomings the Lord is leading me. It doesn’t matter that I’m not as popular, skilled, or talented as someone else: the fact remains that he has chosen me to fulfill his purpose for my life. When I am weak he is strong. He always causes me to triumph because he loves me and he sends his ministering angels to keep me protected from the enemy.
He desires that I prosper and be in good health. The Lord doesn’t cause sickness or heartache: SIN causes sickness and heartache. If we could cure the sin problem, there’d be no other problems. The Lord doesn’t cause death: SIN causes death. There will be no more dying when we have a glorified body.
I must learn to be sensitive to God’s Spirit when he moves in me. He will prepare me for the challenges I will face, because he knows that I need to be strengthened to sustain my spiritual walk. It may be a word from the Lord that urges me to, seek His face. The Word of God may seem to jump off of the page at me, at times: “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Or, it may simply be that He reminds me of His promise: “He that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain” (Isaiah 57:13).
He’s speaking to us, today; are we paying attention? We can have confidence that God has everything under control. Praise Him!
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:6-8
Click on the link below to read this week’s Lattereign.
I have also included a pdf file of the handout, Praying for our Nation, that we will use in our local church, that is based on “The Lord’s Prayer.” We are committing to pray for our Nation at 7:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. every day.
Would you like to join us? Feel free to use the handout below in your church. Together, we can make a difference.
Will you let us know if you share the handout with others?
I would like to know how many people are committing themselves to Praying for our Nation.
You can comment, below. Give your church name and location, and the number of copies you made to distribute.
In the Time of the Lattereign 