Reasons to Praise – 2

I will praise God’s name with singing,
and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord (Psalm 69:30-31 bold mine).

Reasons to Praise – 1

God is worthy of our highest praise because of who He is.

He is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come (Revelation 4:8).

When you pray for others

May we so love those for whom we pray,
that we feel their needs as acutely as our own,
and intercede for them with sensitivity, understanding, and imagination.*

*adapted from John Calvin

Prayer and Action

We prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves (Nehemiah 4:9).

Tell God what you need and do what you can to get it.

The Way to Wisdom

God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. . . . And this is what he says to all humanity: the fear of the Lord is true wisdom (Job 28:23-24, 28).

He also says: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you (James 1:5).

Fear of the Lord and prayer are the way to wisdom.

Prayer Leads to Joy

I was in distress.
But the Lord heard when I called to him.
He has put joy in my heart (from Psalm 4:1-7).

Our Only Hope

We can do so little. God can do so much. That’s why we pray.

The righteous cry and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:17).

God’s Lovingkindness

Throughout my pregnancy I read the Psalms. I noticed God’s lovingkindness mentioned over and over again. On October 5, 1987, I delivered a baby boy. We named him Jonathan because we knew he was a gift from God.

When he was 3 days old we learned he was dangerously sick with Strep B. My constant thought and prayer was simple: “God, you’ve been telling me that nothing happens outside of your lovingkindness. I trust you.”

Our pastor visited and asked, “How can you be so peaceful?
I answered, “I am trusting in the lovingkindness of God.”

P.S. God completely healed Jonathan. We are so grateful! He is a very good gift from God.

Praying for a Prodigal?

You should know this about God: “God does not just sweep life away; instead he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him (2 Samuel 14:14).”

One young man came back when he “became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him (Luke 15:16).”

Ask the Lord to devise a way to bring your loved one back.

A Grandmother’s Grief

Mine.

Seven times I’ve heard
I’m bleeding or
I think I’m having a miscarriage or
The baby has no heart beat.

Each life its own story.

The suffering, now a familiar acquaintance
Doesn’t get easier
The agony of grief goes deep
For my daughters
And their husbands
For my grandchildren.

But God was with each one
His eyes watching
Each life’s beginning
And end.

Jesus has said,
“Let the children come to me”
And so they have gone
To be held in arms of love.

God’s.

This post is longer and different than usual. I hope it encourages you to pray through your grief. God is with you. God is love.