Tag Archives: restoration

Help is on the Way

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise, (Psalm 102:18-21 ESV)

Before you were ever born, before Christ died and the Church was created and became the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, the words of scripture were recorded with you on the heart and mind of our God. From the beginning of time, he knew the horrors awaiting us and willed to save us from the grave. Before we groaned and cried out, he had already heard our cries as we were in the bondage of sin and determined to come and set us free.

So let’s not fear, brothers and sisters, as we groan and hurt and struggle. Let’s not quaver in doubt of whether our Father God cares and wants to hear about our troubles. He knew from the beginning and assured us with words recorded millennia ago that there is one who cares in Heaven and he has willed to bring us through this and deliver us home to His heavenly city and turn our groaning into praise and rejoicing in His name, too.

Thank you, Father, for knowing us from the beginning and willing to save us and bring us safely through this earthly turmoil. I pray we would trust in you and turn our eyes to the heights our help will come from. Grant us boldness to approach your throne and present our hearts to you as they truly are, to allow you to do the redemptive work in us that you have already purposed to do. In Jesus’ name we pray, Lord, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Faith, Fear and Anxiety, Gospel, Grace, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

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Life Does Have an Instruction Manual–Love it!

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.” (Psalm 119:14)

This falls towards the end of an eight verse set with a clear and simple message. Want to keep pure? Want to do right? Stay in the word, let it guard your heart, seek God with all of your being.

Knowing the word, hiding it in our hearts, are the first steps to resisting the temptation of sin. The second step is stopping and recalling the word in the hour of temptation. Praying ahead of time about known issues is where we can best find the strength to stand on the word when the stumbling block does appear.

As the psalmist, let us ask God to teach us his ways, his principles, to bind our wandering hearts to him, to instruct us in how he designed us to operate. We know he wants us to, so we can trust him to answer us and do so when we pray this prayer sincerely from the heart.

The octane also suggests value in actually reciting the word allowed. This is likely due to our ears, along with our eyes, being pathways into our hearts as well as our minds. What we hear and do not dismiss goes straight into our heart, so we should put that to advantage and feed our hearts on the nourishment of God rather than feeding on the junk of the world.

That brings us to this verse’s secret: take delight! Obey out of love, out of the joy and pleasure of operating the way God designed you to, not out of fear and drudgery and reluctance. The last two verses repeat the instructions to feast our eyes and minds upon the things of God, his instruction manual for the proper operation and function of this naturally intelligent, organic, bio-molecular machine he’s molded out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into.

Thank you, Lord, for your guidance and instructions. Open our minds and hearts to understand your word and enable us to love and delight in your ways. Strengthen us to seek you sincerely, with our whole heart and soul. We are broken and full of bugs in our weak flesh. Refresh and revive our spirits, come and heal us and restore us to normal operating conditions. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

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God, My Problem is Too Hard For You.

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

Did that headline get your attention? O:-) Okay, so most of us would not say out loud, “God, my problem is too hard for you” with a straight face. If we’ve been a Christian any length of time, we know in our heads that, like Jeremiah praised God, “Nothing is too hard for you.”

Our hearts, on the other hand, often are praying that to God behind our backs. We can find out if they are. One clue is: what are we NOT praying about? What do we take into our own hands? What do we whine and complain or feel down about and don’t brother to confess it to God? The likely reason is we either think he can’t do it or can’t be bothered to do it.

God does prefer to work through his people. If we pray for help, we are likely going to be handed instructions, and they may well be strange or even impossible-sounding. Like I’ve said here before, if you’ve tested the spirit and know it is the voice of God, don’t despair when you feel like your legs are broken and he’s telling you to get up and walk. In the Bible, that type of command from God always is followed by a miracle–one that only comes if we take a deep breath and obey in faith.

Test him on this one. Take to God in prayer the problem you’ve been sitting on, ignoring, or making even bigger thinking it’s all up to you. Remember that his love is steadfast, that you’re his treasured child, and that he desires only what it best for you. Dare to trust God. If you keep at it and refuse to quit and walk away, you won’t regret in eternity having told your heart who’s boss.

Lord, forgive us for thinking in our hearts that our problem was too big for you to handle and that nothing would ever change. We reject the thoughts of our heart and will no longer let them lead us on this. Strengthen us in this, oh lord. Fill our hearts with a child-like trust in you, our heavenly father, to be big enough to fix all that is broken in our lives and bring good and glory for your kingdom. We are asking you to move in our situations. We may feel as hopeless as things looked for the Israelites when they were carried away into Babylon and the land left barren–what other nation had ever returned from the dead and become sovereign again? Yet you promised life would return and houses and fields and vineyards would be bought in Israel again. So it has come to pass, not once, but at least twice. You who restored your people then can restore your people in our individual lives now.  Write this upon our hearts as well as our minds, and keep us in remembrance always. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

Posted in Bible and Theology, Faith, God's Character, God's promises, Prayer and Devotions

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When waiting means continuing to serve

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

In verses 29 and 30, God says even youths, who usually have tons of energy, get tired, become weak, faint, and exhausted, probably meaning both literally and spiritually, and promises to empower us.  If we wait for the Lord, he will refresh and revive us with new energy and vigor, to soar, to run, and walk with him.

But what does it mean to wait? This is an instant now culture, so we don’t much like that part too much. But m-w.com tells us waiting is more than patience, it is staying where God has planted us, continuing to serve him as he has previously instructed us, and looking to him expectantly to keep his promise and give us the strength we need to carry on. That requires trust, that requires faithfulness, and pressing on when we feel like giving up.

Strange to think that waiting can actually mean we keep moving, but the key is not running ahead of him, but continuing in our previous marching orders until we hear from him again. But waiting also means listening for his voice and obeying when the call comes to rest in him.

Lord, we grow tired and weary and we feel like quitting and giving up. Give us rest for our souls and spirits in you when we need it. Open our ears to hear you, transform our hearts to desire to obey and wait upon you. We choose to trust you today. Grant us the self-control we need to resist the fallen flesh and rise up in the spirit and behave like you today. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

 

Posted in Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

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What is your cross?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)

In a classic putting of the cart before the horse, the rabbi’s words are delivered to us as the verse of the day the day after his disciple Peter expounded on it. In context, this speech is recorded right after  Peter confesses Jesus is not simply another John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet, but the Christ, and Jesus has told him what being the Christ means–suffering even to the point of crucifixion and death, but also being raised to life again on the third day.  Now he reminds them to be this rabbi’s disciple, we must  be like him in everything and follow all of his footsteps. More to the point, we must be willing to suffer as he suffered. We must be willing to deny ourselves, but deny ourselves what? Suffer what? Whatever he asks of us, whatever he brings us to.

This does not mean we must suffer in silence. Even Jesus wept before God in Gethsemane and wrestled with the natural human instincts to save ourselves and avoid pain and suffering and death. Even Jesus, in his darkest hour on the cross, cried out, “God, God, why have you forsaken me?” He in these moments gives us a model we can follow when we’re struggling to deny ourselves, when we’re feeling abandoned or plain old sorry for ourselves.

But he also reminds us of the prize: we too shall rise again. Sunday is coming. New life will spring forth out of the death we experience, literal and symbolic.

Lord, thank you for your example. Thank you for your presence with us. I pray we would always seek you and know you are with us. Open our eyes today and our understanding of what crosses you have called us to bear today and in this life. Grant us the grace to sincerely say, as you did, “Lord if there be any way, let this cup pass from me, but not my will, but yours be done.” In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Recommended: All That Was Lost (lyrics only) by Michael Card

Posted in Bible and Theology, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

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Yes, You Do Have Time to Abide, Young Lady

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“But he was wounded for our transgressions;  he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)

So Easter is upon us and our verses of the day are turning our eyes towards the cross. Not a bad focus to have. It can be so easy in the rush and the stresses of life to focus on our problems and leave the lord out. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to step away, find a quiet place, and pray. Lord knows how hard that is for some of us. He understands, but we need to do it any way. (OUCH.)

Reach out, if you find yourself locked in a tizzy, absolutely convinced you’re far too busy for abiding in the very Lord you’re serving, and ask him to set you free from that mental, physical, and spiritual strong hold. Deep down we know it’s not healthy to live in go-go-go mode. We need healing in our minds.

Christ died to give it to us. He took our suffering and our iniquities on himself so we could be set free. Lets seek his way today.

Lord, forgive us for the times we’ve fallen pray to our weaknesses. We stop and we seek you now. Thank you for your finished work on the cross. Thank you for healing and freedom. We lay our hearts and our minds before you. Transform us into your perfect image. Give us willing hearts, tender to you and  your way. Strengthen us to walk in your spirit. In Jesus name we pray, lord, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

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Live Like You’ve Chosen Eternal Life, not Death

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Sin leads to death: physical death, spiritual death, death of relationship, etc. Any time something dies, it is the wages of sin–Adam’s in the garden at minimum.  But this law no longer has the last word. Oh death, where is your victory? Oh grave, where is your sting?

Because the Lord’s tomb is empty, and sin is nailed to the cross, this physical life is not the end, His Spirit can live in us, we are restored to relationship with Him and sometimes with each other–not as often as it should happen, but new beginnings are possible at the cross. Eternal life is a freely bestowed gift–to those of us in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Let’s show we’re truly grateful today for his gift. And honor him as Lord, not merely out of obligation and fear of hell, but out of love. Lets no longer sow death into our temporal lives; lets truly seek to live in Christ and walk as Jesus walks. He’s made the impossible possible, so lets embrace his power at work in us today, the grace available to live like we have eternal life.

Lord, thank you for your amazing gift. Thank you for setting us free. Strengthen us today to walk in your ways. Show us if there is any wicked way in us you want us to turn from and give up today. Give us the desire and the hunger and the passion to become like you today. We don’t want to live like we did when we were sold to death. Show us in our lives and our own hearts what it means to live like we have eternal life, to live like a citizen of Heaven. Remove all our fears, so only gratitude for your finished work and desire to be like you would motivate us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Grace, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

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