Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer for Missing Peace By Mary Southerland

A Prayer for Missing Peace

By Mary Southerland

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

1/8/2020

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

We Have a Trustworthy Guide

We Have a Trustworthy Guide

Dr. Charles Stanley 

Psalms 32:8-9

Hanging on my office wall is a print that I’ve had for nearly 60 years. It shows the Lord Jesus standing behind a young man whose eyes are focused in the direction that the Master is pointing. Jesus’ hand is on the man’s shoulder, and I imagine He is saying, “This is the way we’re going. I will get you to the destination.” Although the road will be marked with both joy and suffering, the Lord leads His followers all the way to their eternal home.

Anyone who is honest will admit that he or she is ill-equipped to go through life alone. Our all-knowing God created us with a need for His guidance. In our own strength, knowledge, and reasoning power, we are simply not able to figure out how to make the wisest decisions. But the Lord’s assuring hand at our shoulder can lead us down right paths to good choices.

The Lord is willing and able to guide us, if we will let Him. It isn’t difficult to fall in step with Him. Acknowledge that you have wandered down paths of life that led to sin and disobedience. Choose to follow His lead instead by reading the Word of God and applying biblical principles to your life. And learn to pray through both large and small decisions as you seek the path He has set for you.

Just beyond our last heartbeat lies eternity. That’s where our Savior is pointing us. The path may not be clear to our eyes, but Jesus is leading us there with a steady and sure hand. Our part is to follow in obedience so that we may reach heaven and hear the Father say, “Well done.”

God Knows Our Way and His Plans Are Good

God Knows Our Way and His Plans Are Good
by Debbie McDaniel

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Sometimes, we may not believe this is true. Troubles swirl around us, pressures feel too great, life seems hard. We might even feel like God has forgotten us and left us facing the struggles all alone.

Yet in the background of this great verse, we're reminded that God spoke these words to His people, not when times were easy, but when times were very hard. They would endure 70 years of captivity, they would experience great suffering. And it's right there, in the midst of all that, we can see the hope of God shine through.

He didn't leave his people in the tough trials. He won't leave us there either. He walks us through, reminding us that His plans are for good, for a future, for a hope. He is right with us, and breathes confidence and peace, that we will press through the struggle, and come out to the other side, stronger, faith-filled. He assures us that He will never waste the pain of what we experience in this life, but will bring greater good and blessing because of it.

If you find yourself facing hard times today, or maybe you’ve just walked through a difficult year, this verse is your reminder – there’s hope ahead. Be confident of this, God’s not finished yet. You're still here, you're gaining strength and perseverance through the trials. He has good in store, great purpose in all that we walk through, no matter how hard it may be.

He sees the big picture of our lives, and He's aware of every little detail too. He knows what He's doing, even when we can't see it all yet. He often works behind the scenes that unfold our every day, in the places where we may not always understand His plans. Even through all our seasons of waiting.

So we can trust...that He has our best in mind. He's got our back. He's with us right now. And He's secured our future too.

Resting in that truth today. There's peace in knowing we don't have to try hard to control it all. We can let go of the need to try to figure it all out, or the striving of trying to make things happen.

God knows, He understands, we’re never alone.

Keep pressing through.

He loves you.

He cares.

He is with you.

Peace.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Have the trials you’ve been walking through or the problems you’ve faced caused you to lose some hope? Bring it all before God today. Let go of the need to have it all make sense right now. Look to Him. Ask for His fresh filling and renewal. Be reminded of His truth, that He will use it all for good somehow, and has a great future and hope for you still in store.

Sit Down and Be Seen by Jesus

Sit Down and Be Seen by Jesus
By Shawn McEvoy

He went up on a mountainside and sat down… and he began to teach them… (Matt. 5: 1-2)

I don’t really appreciate the way I learned the Beatitudes.

I’m in my late forties now and I think I’m only starting to understand what’s happening in this passage at the beginning of The Sermon on the Mount, courtesy of a fantastic sermon and sweet, wonderful context.

I’ve been able to rotely rattle off “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek” for decades. Because I was given that passage to memorize as a church child. And it sounded deep, and beautiful, but also a little empty and off. I’d learned that Matthew 5:2-12 was a passage known as The Beatitudes, and that the word “blessed” repeated nine times here meant “happy.”

Okay.

But the people listed here didn’t sound very happy to me. More than that, knowing these words came from Jesus, it sounded as if The Lord was commanding his followers to be mourners and peacemakers, merciful and persecuted. One of those examples of upside-down living in the Kingdom of God that we know were part of Christ’s teaching.

I don’t think that’s what this text is showing, though.

Think about where this passage appears. These are the FIRST WORDS of The Sermon on the Mount. The very beginning. The first thing Jesus has to say after he “saw the crowds” from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan referenced at the end of Chapter 4. He’d been teaching and healing and proclaiming the good news, and many are gathering.

And what kind of people are in this crowd? I think we know. We know because this is the Introduction to the largest uninterrupted session of teaching we have recorded from Jesus. And in an introduction, it’s common to address your audience directly.

Our Lord, we’re told, sees the crowds. He goes to a higher place from which to see them, then sits down and rests among them. I can imagine a lot of eye contact and a few deep breaths before Christ, who sees into their souls and knows every cell of their bodies, speaks right to their hearts and the issues of their life that have brought them to his feet. He gestures to a group gathered nearby and says, “Blesses are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

What a strange way to start a sermon.

Unless it’s actually the most beautiful way to speak to someone there could possibly be.

Who are the “poor in spirit,” after all? I never really knew, until I heard a sermon about this Sermon during a time I was being treated for anxiety and depression. For the first time in my life, I certainly related to being “poor in spirit.”

And Jesus continues his way around the crowd, next finding those who are mourning. His heart breaks for them, too. Maybe sees someone meek shyly lurking near the edge. He knows some are there because they have a deep longing for truth and righteousness. He finds some rich in mercy who may be downtrodden or taken advantage of in life. He sees the pure and the peacemakers, and know the loneliness these types can experience, but tells them they will see God and be called children – part of his family. And finally, the persecuted, the cast-out, the misfits, who dare to seek him out anyway.

He sees and addresses them all, all these types who are drawn to want to know God.

HE SEES THEM. He sees you. Before Jesus has anything else to say, he sees you. And what’s more, he knows what you’re going through. He knows that whether you are pure in heart or poor in spirit, that very condition has brought you to him in a way thirsting for self or needing nothing could never do.

And he wants you to know: not only do I see you, not only has your character or your current life situation brought you to me, but I have a nugget for each and every one of you, a warm blanket to your chill, a silver lining to your cloud.

You, poor in spirit, you feel ill at ease in this world. Jesus sees you, and wants you to know, yours is the Kingdom of Heaven. A time is coming when you’ll know peace and a deep, rich purpose. There is reason to hold fast in faith.

You, mourner, you feel abandoned and lost. But Jesus sees you and wants you to know: lean into those who will pamper you, cry with you, feed you and comfort you. That’s a good, good feeling, and one you’ll certainly be able to reciprocate to others in turn.

You, feeling meek, mild, powerless. Jesus sees you. He knows things aren’t easy, but he wants you to know you have an inheritance! The meek in the world are given nothing. Jesus says he plans to give them everything. Talk about a silver lining.

You, the merciful, Jesus sees you. He knows your forgiving heart, and he knows maybe this causes you to feel walked over at times. He also knows you will be shown mercy for having treated others as you would want to be treated.

It goes on and on through the list.

Before Jesus teaches anything, he lets you know he sees you there ready to learn from him, that he appreciates how this very thing has brought you to him, and that there is good news on the flip side of your coin.

What a difference!

Take a rest on this hillside now and go through The Beatitudes again calmly, quietly, with wisdom and insight, considering what it was that first brought you to the feet of Jesus. And how that very condition has caused you to be called blessed.

Happy.

Amen.

A Prayer from Psalm 34

A Prayer from Psalm 34By: Stephen Altrogge

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. - Psalm 34:8-10

Here is a prayer based on Psalms 34, which is one of my favorite Psalms:

Father,

I have tasted and seen that you are good. I have tasted the finest delicacies this world can offer, and they cannot compare to you. Your presence satisfies me like nothing else. You give more joy and deeper joy than anything else in this world. One day in your courts is better than a thousand days elsewhere. One moment with you is better than a thousand lifetimes anywhere else. Please give me more tastes of your presence, more glimpses of your glory. Expand my heart to love you more, and then take me deeper into the vast ocean of your love. Your love is better than life itself.

I do not take refuge in money, people, job security, or friends. Those things are fleeting vapors that quickly dissipate. They don’t provide any true security. I take my refuge in you, the King of Kings, owner of all things, Sovereign One, and protector of the helpless. I know that you’ll care for me, provide for me, and satisfy me. I know that you’ll protect me, just as a father protects his children. Teach me what it means to fully entrust myself. Deliver me from my sinful self-sufficiency. Teach me what it means to truly, humbly fear you. Fill my heart with appropriate reverence, awe, and fear of you.

I want to seek you above all else, knowing that if I seek you, I won’t lack any good thing. You are not a stingy God who is hesitant to bless his creatures. You are an abundantly generous God. Like a constantly flowing spring, you bubble over with goodness and generosity. If you clothe the lilies in splendor and feed the ravens, you will certainly provide me with everything that I need. If something is good for me, you will give it to me. If it is not good, you will withhold it. I know that I can trust you to give me exactly what I need for every situation. Ultimately, I don’t know what I most need, but you do. I don’t trust in my own ability to meet my needs, I trust you to meet all of my needs.

Amen.

Choose to Trust God in This New Year

Choose to Trust God in This New Year
By Rick Warren

“It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before” (Hebrews 11:7 NLT).

Faith is obedience when you don’t understand it. In just the New Testament alone, there are 1,050 commands, and they’re all there for your benefit. God says things like, “Love your enemies” and “Forgive the people who hurt you.” That’s not easy! There are a lot of commands in the Bible that seem difficult, unreasonable, unrealistic, unachievable, or even impossible. But when God says things like, “You should save sex for marriage,” he’s not being mean. He says it because he knows best and knows what will make you happy more than you do.

Every time God tells you to do something, it’s a test of your faith. The question is this: Do you trust God, or do you trust your gut? Do you trust the Word, or do you trust the world?

We’re starting a new year, and these are important question to ask. How will we answer them this year? Will we trust God, or will we do what we think we should do, regardless of God’s direction? Will we trust the Word of God, or will we trust what the world says we should do?

As a kid, did your parents ever ask you to do something that seemed unreasonable? When you asked them, “Why should I do this?” they would say, “Because I said so!"

Looking back at some of the things your parents told you to do “because they said so,” was it the right thing? Yes. Can you see in hindsight now how they were wise? God will say the same thing the rest of your life, not just when you’re a kid. When you’re 80 years old, God is going to be saying, “I want you to do this.” And you’re going to go, “Why? That doesn’t make sense.” And God will say, “Because I said so.”

It is a test. Faith is believing when you don’t see it, but it’s also obeying when you don’t understand it. If you do not learn to obey, you’ll miss so many blessings in life that God has in store for you.

But if you learn to do what God tells you to do without question, even when it seems absurd and the exact opposite of your natural tendency, then you’re going to grow in faith, and you’re going to get blessed.

Let’s make responding in faith our focus for this New Year!

Talk It Over

What is something God has told you to do that you did not believe was possible?

Why do you think God asks us to do things that are not possible in our own strength?

What steps of faith can you take this year in obedience to God?