PRAISE

He has done great things

For He is God over all

He is the creator of all

He is the one who spoke this world into existence

He is the God who answered my concerns of yesterday

Hears my concerns of today

Knows I’ll need Him tomorrow…

Before the very rocks cry out

I will praise His holy name

He is gracious and merciful

Full of compassion and love

Worthy of all praise and glory

He asks me to walk by faith

To remind myself of who He is

Asking me to praise Him before the answer comes

Before I see with my eyes the fulfillment

Of His majestic rescue mission

Showing me that my hope and trust in Him

Was indeed the surest place it could be

He  can be counted on!

He is there for me!

He is there for you!

He cares for you!

What you’re going through…

And He has already answered

Praise Him,for He inhabits the

Praises of His people!

Lynn Radke October 30,2012

Momsfirstscreenn's Weblog

Everything You Need

A number of years ago, I heard a sermon on the topic of wants versus  needs. The woman in the minister’s opening story did not get one thing that she  had always planned on having, but she had everything she needed.
She had  planned on marrying a young man in her career area, but she married an older man  who was wise, good, and kind to her in marriage. She wanted a girl but had a  boy, who grew to be a fine young man. She wanted a large plantation-style home,  but enjoyed her comfortable bungalow home. And so it went.
Even though  the Bible promises that God will give us the desires of our heart if we believe in Him, the Bible also makes it clear that God meets our needs, our true and  genuine needs, not our unrealistic or picky desires that lack wisdom and …

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The Struggle

I despised seeing nighttime arrive

The daytime hours provided distraction from my worries

….at least for a while

But nighttime was too quiet,

Too quiet to sleep.

It all rolled around in my head over and over again.

The problems seemed enormous.

It was almost physically painful

I wanted to be able to do more… to fix it

….But I’m not God

So I tried to leave it with Him

To “cast all my cares upon Him” as He asks

But somehow I kept feeding my worries

And owning them again, and again…

Without really being aware of my action.

Desperately I needed relief,

The mental anguish was

Greater than any I had experienced.

It drove me to my knees

And prostrated me before my Lord

Once again I cried out for relief

…for the answer……

“I am the One who spoke this world into existence

I can do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond

All you can ask or think.”

“Remind yourself of who your God is and the power

He has in merely a spoken word.”

“Lift your voice and heart and offer the sacrifice of praise

For I inhabit the praises of my people.

The chains will fall off and you will be free.

Free of the worry…free to trust me with your concerns.

Peace will rest on you and you will sleep.

Remember my mercy and my compassion to you.”

…………………………..

So praise, I offered to my loving Lord

Committing it all to him as an offering,

Rising above feelings… to obedience to Almighty God.

And wouldn’t you know… He was faithful!

In exchange for anxiety I received peace.

Confidence flooded my soul.

I didn’t have the answer

But God did!

I couldn’t see what He was doing,

But I knew He was at work

My concerns no longer held me captive!

And so I believe…

God is who He says He is

and He can do what He says He can do!

He is handling all that is of concern to me.

And there is rest for my weary, exhausted soul.

I wrote this in response to the days I experienced about a week ago when concerns seemed greater than any solution.  Thank God, He comes through for us if we continue to praise Him and trust that He loves us beyond measure!!

Lynn Radke October 24,2012

QUOTE

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.  CS Lewis

PSALMS 139:13–14 BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY

PSALMS 139:13–14 BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY.

The God of Suddenly

Yesterday I shared how God gave me a song to minister to my soul and calm my fears as I struggled with problems my loved ones were facing.

But there is more to the story. Even as God calmed my fears through the words of this song and reminded me to praise him, He reaffirmed those thoughts in another way.

My sister and I both love books and she recently sent me 3, of which one was the Assemblies of God devotional, “God’s Word For Today.” That same night I picked up the devotional and read the one for that day.  It was called, “Suddenly Everything Changed.”

The scripture with the devotion was Acts 12:7.  It reads, “Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.  He struck Peter on the side and woke him up.  “Quick get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.”

The devotion continues: Have you ever experienced a time when you felt your hands were tied and you could do nothing?  Peter was thrown in prison and held in chains.  Then suddenly, God showed up and unveiled His power of deliverance.  Think about Peter’s circumstance: in chains awaiting trial, soldiers surrounding him, and people accusing him.  The situation seemed hopeless, but not for God. Whatever you face today know that God is with you.  He can suddenly change your situation when you trust in Him.

The thought for today: Never quit because the God of suddenly is with you! Pray, believe, and rest in him.

Tears filled my eyes as I sensed my loving heavenly Father providing, yet again, more assurance of his deliverance for the problems of my concern. I was so struck that both accounts involved the chains falling off and those who were shackled were free.

How awesome is our kind and loving heavenly Father! Sometimes what we know to be true in our faith cannot get through the anxious moments because we have focused too much on the problem.  God so lovingly knew that night I needed a clear word from Him.  An assurance divinely placed before me to remind me he is as much able to break the chains of any situation today as he was thousands of years ago when he set Peter free of the physical chains that were holding him in prison.

I pray this speaks to some other person who is dealing with issues that threaten to steal their peace.  Praise opens the door to God, the God of “suddenly!”

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”  Psalms 43:5

IN YOUR MIDNIGHT HOUR

There are times in our lives when concerns for those we love weigh heavy upon our hearts.  The burden can be intense, with anxious thoughts threatening to steal our peace. Our prayers become nonstop, fearing if we do not remain in constant prayer, God will not grasp the gravity of the situation.

But our gracious, merciful God is keenly aware of our frailness. One night as I struggled with sleeplessness and tormenting fears, I cried out to God. He reminded me of this song, performed by Selah.  The song reminds us to praise God in the middle of our problems and concerns.

Scripture tells us God inhabits the praises of his people. Joseph Prince put it this way, “praise is the door to God”.  Peace comes and we can stand firmly with the knowledge that God is at work and will meet the need as only he can.

May this song speak peace to your heart today.