Answers to our distress

Marsha’s meditation on Answers to our distress

Scripture:

May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the Name of the God of Jacob protect you. 

Psalm 20:1

Meditation:

We all have days when things don’t go as we expected, days when we need an attitude adjustment, days when the problems of the world seem overwhelming - basically, we have days of distress. Who do we turn to when we are in distress? The God of Jacob is also the God of you and He is always listening to those who call upon Him. He will answer us and protect us. When we put our trust in Him those things that cause us distress become His problems and His Spirit will help us deal with our troubles. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world.”

Prayer:

Dear God of Jacob and me, I thank You that I can call out to You in my distress. Whatever distress I may be experiencing I know that I can depend on You to protect me. You are bigger than any problem I face and I praise You for helping me to be an overcomer. Thank You! Amen

God So Loved The World

Marsha’s meditation on God So Loved the World 

Scripture:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

John 3:16-17

Meditation:

It’s easy to understand that God, as the creator of all things, would love His creation. And for Him to offer His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the entire world goes beyond that love. Not only has He made a way for us to be forgiven, but He also wants us to join Him in eternity. It’s impossible for us to wrap our minds around eternity, but God has so much more to show us. He wants to reveal His glory to us forever - now that is love!

Prayer:

Glorious God, Your amazing love for us is beyond our comprehension - thank You for giving us Jesus and the forgiveness He offers. We are looking forward to the day when we will see Your glory and share in the wonders that await us throughout eternity. Amen

The Word

Marsha’s meditation on The Word

Scripture:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 

John 1:1-3

Meditation:

John, a disciple of Christ Jesus, has a beautiful way of describing Christ as the Word of God. As I think back to Genesis and realize that God spoke everything into existence, it amazes me that His speaking was Christ, the Word of God and all things were made through Him and by Him. Just think of it - Jesus, who created all things stepped into His creation when He agreed to be born as one of us. It is beyond our comprehension and yet that is exactly what happened.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, we offer our praise to You and are in amazement of You. Your creativity is beyond anything we could imagine and the power that You have as You speak gives us a holy awe. You truly are our God and King. Amen

Spiritual Weapons

Marsha’s meditation on Spiritual Weapons

Scripture:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Meditation:

We, as Christ followers, know that heaven is our home, but we are living on the earth. We live in this world for the time being and have to deal with the ways of this world. That being said, there are many struggles we have to face on a daily basis, but the battles we fight are not won with earthly weapons. We are fighting a spiritual war because we have God’s Spirit within us and the enemy, the devil, is trying to steal from us, kill us and destroy us. God’s Spirit gives us the power we need to stop the enemy from harming us. What weapons do we use against him? The Word of God, praises to God and the love of God are our best defenses. We just have to learn how to use them to stop the enemy. 

Prayer:

Dear God, we are so grateful that Your Spirit is alive and active in our lives. We give Your Spirit permission to use us and help us each day. Give us wisdom to know how and when to use the weapons You have given us to stop the enemy in his tracks. Be glorified in the lives of Your children as we wage war against the devil in this world. Amen

God works for our good

Marsha’s meditation on God works for our good

Scripture:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 

Romans 8:28

Meditation:

Many people love to use this verse to prove that God always works things out for good, but some of those same people fail to notice that God works out things for the good of those who love Him. If we love God and are seeking to know His purpose for our lives, He will work things out for our good. He wants to bless His children and He also wants His children to live out His intended purpose for our lives.

Prayer:

Father God, we love You as the one who created each one of us for a specific purpose. How amazing that You had a plan for our lives from the time we were formed in our mother’s wombs. Thank You for being involved in our lives and thank You for Your Holy Spirit who points us in the right direction. Amen

Renewing our Spirit

Marsha’s meditation on Renewing our Spirit

Scripture:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing Spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:10-12

Meditation:

As much as we try to maintain an ongoing relationship with God, our busyness and our daily routines seem to take precedence. We find ourselves slipping away from God but He is never far away from us and we can cry out to Him to renew and restore our relationship with Him. He really wants us to come to Him and He longs to renew that relationship too. Beloved, if you have drifted away from God all you need to do is ask Him to restore you. He wants that even more than you do.

Prayer:

Faithful God, we praise You today. You know that we are weak and prone to wander and yet You are always ready to renew our spirits and restore our relationship with You. When we realize that we are unable to maintain our faith and get caught up in busyness, come to our rescue. We thank You that You never give up on us. Amen

Jesus is the Way

Marsha’s meditation on Jesus as the Way

Scripture:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” John 14:6-7

Meditation:

Jesus, who is God in the flesh, has made a way for believers to have access to God, His Father. When non-believers say that Christians are narrow minded because we insist on Jesus as the only way to heaven, we can point them to this scripture. As believers in Christ Jesus, we take Him at His word. He is the only way to God, what He speaks is truth and He alone offers eternal life. He took on the form of a human to relate to us and His life was a reflection of His heavenly Father so all that we read and know about Jesus shows us God and His nature.

Prayer:

Father God, we praise You and thank You for coming to earth to make a way for us to come to heaven. Your great love for mankind was reflected in the life of Jesus and we are in awe of You.