We are not alone. The Lord our God is with us. Fear not.

The world is in an uproar because of the tragedy in Paris.  It is a tragedy, and during these times we need to remember that we have a God who s faithful and who loves us.  He is never far away.  We are cradled in His arms.  I thought I would copy and print a psalm to remind us and to comfort us.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

We are children of the Most High God

Present yourselves as children of light in the presence of the Lord.   Give Him praises because He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.  There is no one greater than He, not in heaven, not on the earth,  not beneath the earth.  Great is the Lord who is the first and the last,  the alpha and the Omega , the beginning and the end of everything. He is our God, our help and our redeemer.  He guides us onto right paths and leads us away from danger.   He provides us with our needs and he never leaves us alone.  Great is the Lord!  We sing hallelujah all the day! Our redeemer lives.  He blesses and keeps us.  Our lives belong to Him. 🙌. Thank you Lord for all you do.  Thank you for your grace and mercy. We give you praise Oh God in Jesus name. Amen

Lord when I'm in despair

Sometimes the way of the world brings me to despair.  The murder, the theft, the lies and the grasping for power that is undeserved is almost unbearable.  It's all I hear on the news.  It's all I hear people discuss.  At work I try not to fall into the gossip.  I find myself compromising on your word and your will just simply to avoid the conflict.  Sometimes it brings me to despair.  The children don't like each other because of differences in taste, or because of clothing, or the color of their skin, or the texture of their hair.  People want to hurt each other's feelings on purpose.  We compromise or dispose of our morals and standards.  Are we becoming more pleasers of man than pleasers of God?  Am I? We are afraid to share the ways of the Lord.  I see terrorists on television hoping to instill fear in the hearts of every man.  They are trying to control our thoughts, our movements, our way of life.  Sometimes it brings me to the point of despair.

And then I remember...

There is a way to peace.  A peace that passes all understanding.  There is a river called joy. There is a place for me where ever I am because Jesus is my Lord and savior.
I suddenly remember  that one person praying can send a thousand demons to flight and two can send ten thousand running.  I remember that a thousand can fall at my right side and 10 thousand can fall at my right hand but none shall come near me.  Psalm 91:7)   I remember that "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver them from them all." Psalm 34:9)  I read, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in Him."  Nahum 1:7)
"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
I remembered that I am not alone.  We are not alone.  We serve a God who lives.  He loves us and forgives us when we stumble and fall.  He guides us away from sin and into his grace. We serve a living God who wants the best for us.  We are always under His watchful eye.  It doesn't matter what the world wants to do.  It doesn't matter what the devil sends our way.  God is in control.  He doesn't control us, He wants us to choose well and to follow his word, but when we don't, he's there to guide us back to the right way.  His hand is over us to protect us.  His love is around us to lift us.  There is no such thing as despair in the kingdom of God.  We're ok.  One day we will see Him.  We will sing his praise right in front of Him.  Everything will make sense, and it will be worth it all.  God is good.  We are His children and the sheep of His pasture.  Today we praise Him no matter what we are going through, no matter what we see, no matter what we hear.  We don't belong here anyway, we're just passing through .  In my father's house there are many mansions and Jesus went to prepare one just for me and for you.  We'll follow Jesus.  It will be worth every step and every lesson.  Our joy will be fulfilled.  We are victorious right now because we always triumph in Christ.  He told us not to worry about anything, but with prayer, thanksgiving and asking, to let him know what we want.  He's awesome.  I'm filled with joy everyday, every minute, every time I think of Him.  We rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!

Be Anxious For Nothing - Even During the Hoiday Season

Matthew 6:31-33

"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

We are entering the holiday season and as we get ready to gather together and to spend joyfully remember that our God is Jehovah Jireh -The God who provides.  All we have to do is serve Him first by seeking Him first.  We remember Him in our prayers and in our thoughts.  We make sure that we are following His lead and His Word.  Every season I am amazed at how God blesses us.  He does it all year through.  I was at the grocery store in line last month and I was behind an older woman who was trying to buy food.  She had only the necessities and was counting very carefully.  When the cashier rang her up, the woman looked up at her and began counting again.  She pushed her rice to the side and started separating her vegetables and meats.  She didn't have enough money to pay.  I looked at her and thought about my mom and my aunt.  I gave the cashier the money to pay for her food and I stepped out of line.  It was all I had for that moment, but I knew that I would get paid again soon, and I had what I needed at home.  I left the grocery store to go to my bible study.  After class, the ladies of the class surprised me with a few birthday gifts.  They're so sweet.  I hugged them and thanked them and as I was leaving I opened a card that was in my hand.  Inside it was money.  It was just enough.  I turned to tell her that she didn't have to give me anything like that and what if she needed it?  She waved me off gave me a hug and said good night.  I got into my car with more cash than I had started out with that evening.  The lady in my bible study didn't know anything about my evening, and I didn't tell her until a month later.  God knew and He is Jehovah Jireh - The God who provides.  How He continues to amaze me.  Our bible tells us not to worry about anything, but just ask, thank Him in advance and trust in God.  He always comes through.  He does it in His own way and I'm so thankful.  God is good - All the time.

Heavenly Father,  we thank you for all that you do.  We thank you that you care about us like a father and that you really do take care of our needs.  We put our lives and our trust in you Oh God.  We know that if we ask, we shall receive and that if we put our faith in you and follow your precepts, we won't be alone and we won't be hungry.  We give you our praises and we bless your holy name.  There is none like you.  No one in heaven and no one on earth.  May we continue to follow you and to walk according to your word.  Help our faith to grow more and more everyday until we finally come home to you.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen 

Lord We Love to be in Your Presence

We reach our hands up to you Oh Lord our God.  We know we can trust in You.  When things in the world are going crazy and it looks like evil is winning, we know that You are there to comfort and to carry us.  We can't get weary in doing well.  We must keep our eyes on You and pay attention to Your word.  There is nothing more powerful than the love you have for us.  Your love has overturned our enemies, cancelled our curses, healed our bodies and eased our minds.  You have given us victory over addictions and over worldly things that would hold us back.  You have delivered us from false accusations that have been made against us.  Your love has lifted us when the world brought us low.  It sent Your only son Jesus Christ to the cross so that we could be with him in paradise.  There is nothing and no one like our God.  This morning we give you praise O God.  You are the author and finisher of our faith.  You are the hope of all our tomorrows.  You are all we need.  We love you Lord.

As we pour out our hearts to You, we realize that we have lost ourselves in You .  We are in a place where the breeze is always perfect, not too hot, not too cold.  The sunshine is glorious here.  It is as bright as the noon day sun.  There are gentle raindrops that are so refreshing, but not at all uncomfortable.  They touch our faces and are absorbed immediately, they are much like a kiss.  We are in your presence Father God.  Here we have such peace.  Joy fills our hearts in an incredible way. There is no one like you.  There is no place we would rather be than in your presence.  We stand here with our arms reaching up and with our hands open welcoming your love and grace.  Here we feel the kiss of your presence and the hope of eternal life with you.  There is no one like you mighty God.  Be our guide and help us through this perilous way without fear, and with rejoicing because we walk with you.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen

Even when I'm tired Lord, I give you praise

Father I thank you for enabling me to do the things that I did today which made me tired.  I thank you that I was able to wash my clothes and to cook my meals.  I thank you that I had the strength and ability to clean my home and I thank you for my home.  Thank you Lord that I could run my errands and get them all done.  Thank you for the children and grandchildren that I am able to care for.  Thank you for giving me the strength to go to work and to get things done.  I may not have finished, but I can go back tomorrow.  I thank you for the lights that I am able to turn on so that I can read and see and iron my clothes.  I thank you that I can turn on a little heat to knock the chill off of the room.
     Today I saw a person who had no legs moving down the street in a wheelchair and I had to thank you Lord that I was able to walk my dog.  I thank you that I was able to walk around the block with my grandchild.  I know of some people my age who have no little ones to brighten their day.  I thank you Lord for mine.  Their smiles brighten my life.  One of the things that I was able to do today was to sit on the floor and play with them.  Then I was also able to get back up.  Lord I did so many things today, all of them were of my choosing.  Instead of complaining that I have so much to do I'd like to thank you for giving me the strength and energy to do those things.  They are a part of life...at least a part of my life.  I thank you that when evening came I could sit in a chair and reflect on the day. I try not to take anything for granted.   I raised my hands in worship and praise to you oh God.  You are worthy Lord of all the glory.  You are everything to me.  I began my day and ended my day with you.  All of the things that came in the middle were because of you.  Thank you Lord.  You truly are the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  You are my sanctuary and my peace.  Even when I'm tired Lord, I give you praise.

Before We Knew to Call Your Name

Heavenly Father before we even knew to call your name, you loved and cared for us.  Before we knew that our cries were heard by you, Oh God, You reached out your hand to comfort us.  After we learned to call your name we could only rejoice to know that we were never alone and will never be alone.  We raise our hands in praise.  We give our thanks for your awesome presence.  We worship you God of all.  You are so truly worthy Lord God.  You loved us so much that you sent your only begotten son so that we could return to you and so that we could dwell with you in eternity.  You are everything Oh God.  You are alpha and Omega. You are the beginning and the end.  We offer you all that we are Father, we offer you all that we have.  You are our first true love.
     Like a baby you held us in your arms of love.  Like a baby who doesn't know to call it's mother or father's name we sat waiting not knowing about the blessings and the hope that awaited us.  But a parent knows what a baby needs and instinctively moves to take care of those needs.  You, oh Father, know our needs and you know the plans you have for us and that's why we call you Jehovah Jireh - the God who is our provider.  The love of a parent for a child is beyond explanation.  Your love for us is unexplainable and beyond our comprehension.  Every time we call your name you answer.  We just know that you love us and when we feel your presence we feel unconditional love, endless hope, comfort that only you can give and confidence to stand.  It is like standing in the warm sun and being swayed by a gentle breeze.  You are the one and only true God.   We loved you after we came to know you, but you loved us before we knew to call your name. Thank you Father.  In Jesus name.

Bless our country Lord

Dear Father,
     We thank you for allowing us to live in a land where we can be free.  We thank you that we can start our own businesses, that we can go to school where ever we choose, and that we can go to see a doctor when we need to.  We thank you that we can travel all over our country without barriers, or special papers.  Father, it is your blessing that allows us to see beautiful mountains, and far reaching grasslands.  We even have deserts and forests to choose to enjoy.  You gave us land rich in nutrients that can be worked for food to feed not only us, but also people all around the world.  The trees that we sometimes use so carelessly give us oxygen and provide homes for small creatures that are a part of our ecosystem.  We may take them for granted, but we know that they are truly a blessing.  We thank you that we can live anywhere in this country that we choose dear Lord.  We thank you for the variety of climates and landforms and that we can enjoy beaches and oceans without fear.  You have truly blessed us Lord with this country and we thank you for it.  May we forever stay under your banner and remember that our blessings come from you and not from ourselves.  Help us to be thankful and to be joyful because you have loved us this way.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Take Care of My Son Dear God

Heavenly Father I love my son.  He is the apple of my eye.  He's not perfect, Lord, but he's my boy.  I thank you for his smile and for his laughter.  I thank you for the twinkle in his eye that comes when he's about to do something he shouldn't do, but he will do because he loves the reaction.  I love the way he takes time to eat with me or just to have a cup of tea with me.  I thank you for his compassion and for his trust in You.  Please keep your arms around him as he serves our country.  Help him to stand strong.  Keep him focused and full of energy.  Cause him to have favor in the eyes of his superiors and in the hearts of those with whom he works and serves.  Bring  the right girl into his life and please make sure she is of your choosing.  Please bless him with peace and joy.  Help him to take on leadership roles with humility and with dignity.  Keep him safe, oh Lord and watch over him all the time.  Thank you for helping him to continue to grow up in a way that is pleasing to You.  Remind him dear Lord that he is yours and that means something.  Let him know that you are with him and that you won't leave him.  Please fill him with hope and remind him that he might be far from my eyes, but he's never far from my heart.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Lord keep our servicemen and women safe

Heavenly Father, please watch over all of our servicemen and women.  Lord they go forth to stand in front  of all of us in order to protect us and to keep us safe from outside danger.  They give up the chance to live the lives that we all get to choose.  They spend all their time in preparation to go out and do battle so that we can live in a free society.  Lord bless them as they go about their duties each day.  I thank you that they all belong to someone who needs and misses them.  They are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, nieces and nephews, and aunts and uncles.  Help them to know that you are with them.  Make yourself real in their lives Lord and help them to remember that there are people who love them and who are praying for them.  Keep them safe from hurt, harm danger, death and disease.  In this world of technology, we shouldn't have to lose any of our sons and daughters to enemies who are driven by ungodly motives.  Give them peace as they go through their routines each day and let them have sound minds even when they are under stress.  Help them to have steady hands to do their work and hearts full of courage and faith to help them stand.   May they all find joy in something each day, and may that joy carry them through to the next day.  Help them to live with no regrets and give them the ability to build strong happy families.  We thank you Lord for their lives, and for their choice to serve in this way.  May they walk with you, know you, trust you, and love you so that their joy might be made full and complete and so that their eternity will be sure.  In Jesus name we pray .  Amen.