In This World We Will Have Trouble...

     It seems that the entire world is shut down because of the Corona Virus, but spring has arrived. My daffodils are blooming, the birds are singing and building their nests, the March wind is blowing and I have hope in my heart today.

     In Ohio, USA, the virus is spreading and is expected to surge in a few weeks. As a woman who is over 65, I have been advised to stay home by our governor and I have been following his advice. My life doesn't look much different than it did before the virus because I'm retired and seldom left the house anyhow. But for many people around the world this has caused some extreme measures to be taken. Their jobs have been eliminated for the time being, their children are home 24/7 and for those who work in health care jobs, they have been working more hours and have risked their own health to care for the needs of others.

     As I was meditating on Psalm 91 on March 15th, I composed this prayer using Psalm 91 as a guideline.

     Holy God, You are our refuge and our fortress the One in whom we trust. Save us from the deadly pestilence - cover us with Your feathers. May your faithfulness shield us from terror, arrows of the enemy and plagues. We choose today to dwell with You and ask You to command Your angels to guard us in all our ways. We love You Lord God Almighty and ask You to rescue us. Protect us for we acknowledge Your name. Hear us when we call to You - answer us and show us Your salvation. May You be glorified in our lives today and in the future.
     Give all of us wisdom and compassion so that we know exactly what to do as trouble comes our way. Help each one of us to be a blessing to those in need. Direct our pathways and provide what we need each day.
     We ask for supernatural strength for those who are caring for the sick. Give doctors and nurses wisdom from on high as they make decisions about those who are suffering.
     Cleanse the places infected with the virus so that it can do no harm to those who touch it.
     Calm our fears and fill Your children with Your peace so that we can pass that peace along to those who are fearful. Give us opportunities to share the love of Jesus with those who do not know Him as their Lord and Savior. Replace hearts of stone with new hearts of love and peace. Convict each of us of the sin in our lives so that we can repent and turn back to You. Revive us O Lord and fill our land with Your love. Reveal Yourself to those who have had their eyes veiled and those who have believed the lies of the enemy. May the truth of who You are be seen across our land.
     Thank You for hearing the prayers of Your people around the world. We ask all these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen

     As I have been praying and asking God what I should do for His kingdom at this time, I have been assured by Him that what we are experiencing right now is just another birth pang as the world waits for the return of Christ. I also realized how fortunate I am to be alive at this moment in the history of the world. We are all fortunate to be able to experience first-hand the prophecies of the Bible coming to fruition. We are here for "such a time as this" for a reason and need to be asking God's Spirit within us to direct us each step of the way. It's only a matter of time before we hear the trumpet blast and meet Christ in the air, so we need to be found working for His kingdom as we await His coming. 

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