“Abraham believed God” (Romans 4:3), and said to his eyes, “Stand back!” and to the laws of nature, “Hold your peace!” and to an unbelieving heart, “Silence, you lying tempter!” He simply believed God.” Joseph Parker
For all the times my heart refuses to believe and my mind rejects the truth, may I always look with Your eyes, Lord.
2019 has rolled around, Lord, more than ever I need Your eyes to see what You are doing and what You are calling me to do. Even in moments when my unbelieving heart is waging war, help me to remember that You have won the war over my sin.
“When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:15-17
Beloved, God is more powerful than what’s surrounding you. And if you don’t believe it, I pray that God would open your eyes to see. To see that God has horses and chariots of fire all around you! Our mighty God never takes His eyes off of you, not even for a split second!
God the Help of those who seek Him
1 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
from whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and
your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.” Psalm 121: 1-8
From this time forth, and even forevermore, God will be with you and hold each second of your breathing. I don’t know about you, but this is a God I want to serve and follow every second I am given.
He preserves your soul
I just finished watching the movie, “Paul, Apostle of Christ”; and before watching the movie I prayed to God to understand yet again the seriousness of the call of following Jesus Christ and of the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
I don’t mean to spoil the movie for you if you haven’t watched it, but at the final scene when Paul is being led out to be beheaded, the words of 2 Timothy chapter 4 are read.
“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:5-8
More than anything, I want my eyes to be opened to see with faith the reward laid up for me: the crown of righteousness. It is easy to endure anything when you are focused on an end goal. For instance, athletes endure grueling workouts because they are focused on being their very best in their sport. Pregnant mothers push through difficult moments of labor because they desperately want to see their soon-to-be new born baby.
How would we live if we focused on the reward we will get as followers of Christ if we endure faithfully? Could it be that more of us would hang on and not give up so easily when the going gets tough? Could it be that more of us would praise and be patient as we wait for Jesus to give us the victory He always promises us? One thing is for sure though, the Bible says, “if we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” 2 Timothy 2:12
I am psyched at the thought of reigning with my faithful Father.
The crown of righteousness
For us to receive the crown of righteousness what must we do? Paul lays it out in 2 Timothy 4:5-7
◆ Always be sober-minded ◆ Be prepared to be poured out as a drink offering
◆ Endure suffering ◆ Fight the good fight
◆ Do the work of an evangelist ◆ Finish the race
◆ Fulfill your ministry ◆ Keep the faith
I love the letters of Paul to Timothy, they are so beautiful and full of so much to glean from.
Paul tells Timothy what he ought to do in verse 5 and also reiterates to him what his life has been like in verses 6 to 7 and then finishes with, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8
Three chapters before this, Paul had told his protege this, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
Do you really trust the One you have committed your heart and your soul to?
Father God, please give us eyes to see what You see, only then will our faith grow in steadfastness. Only then, will we truly walk on water like You did.
God, more than we want You to open our eyes, we want You.
God, we plead with You to open our eyes so we can see Your glory.
May the poem below remind us of the beauty and majesty of Your power, Lord.
Thank You God that you are opening our eyes to see like You see. Thank You that you are showing your sons and daughters Your glory Father. Papa? We will forever abide in You. We will forever rest in You. We will forever follow hard after You. You alone are God, You alone satisfies. Be glorified this year in all we do, Father. May Your majesty be clearly seen in our lives and may yet again our hearts draw closer to You.
May 2019 be a year of deeper and greater faithfulness unto Your name, Papa!
Written by Isaac Wimberley
If there are words for Him then I don’t have them
You see my brain has not yet reached a point
Where it could form a thought
That could adequately describe the greatness of my God
And my lungs have not yet developed the ability
To release a breath with enough agility
To breathe out the greatness of His love
And my voice, my voice is so inhibited
Restrained by human limits
That it’s hard to even send a praise up
If there are words for Him then I don’t have them
My God
His grace is remarkable
Mercies are innumerable
Strength is impenetrable
He is honorable, accountable, and favorable
Unsearchable yet knowable
Indefinable yet approachable
Indescribable yet personal
He is beyond comprehension
Further than imagination
Constant through generations
King of every nation
But
If there are words for Him then I don’t have them
You see my words are few
And to try and capture the one TRUE God
Using my vocabulary will never do
But I use my words as an expression
An expression of worship to a Savior
A Savior who is both worthy and deserving of my praise
So I use words
My heart extols the Lord
Blesses His name forever
He has won my heart, captured my mind
And has bound them both together
He has defeated me in my rebellion
Conquered me in my sin
He has welcomed me into His presence
Completely invited me in
He has made Himself the object of my sight
Flooding me with mercies in the morning
Drowning me with grace in the night
But
If there are words for Him then I don’t have them
But what I do have…Is Good News
For my God knew that man-made words would never do
For words are just tools that we use
To point to the Truth
So He sent his son Jesus Christ as THE WORD
Living proof
He is the image of the invisible God
The firstborn of all creation
For by Him all things were created
Giving nothingness formation
And by His word He sustains, in the power of His name
For He is before all things and over all things He reigns
HOLY IS HIS NAME!!
Praise Him for His life
The way He persevered in strife
The humble Son of God becoming the perfect sacrifice
Praise Him for His death
That He willingly stood in our place
That He lovingly endured the grave
That He battled our enemy
And on the third day rose in victory
Praise Him because He rose!!
Hallelujah He rose!!
He is everything that was promised
Praise Him as the risen King
Lift your voice and sing
For one day He will return for us and we will finally be
United with our Savior for eternity
So it’s not just words that I proclaim
For my words point to the WORD
And the WORD has a name
Hope has a name
Joy as a name
Peace has a name
Love has a name
And that name is Jesus Christ
Praise His name FOREVER!