Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.”
– Psalm 27:4

When David made this request, he had to go to a particular place to enjoy the presence of the Lord. 3000 years later, we have a wonderful advantage he didn’t! As followers of Jesus, we don’t have to go to a particular place to experience God because if Christ is your Savior, then God’s Holy Spirit lives within you. Every true Christian is a walking, talking temple of the Holy Spirit!

As a believer in Jesus, you can enjoy fellowship with God through prayer and worship in your home. And in your car. And in your workplace or classroom. And while doing errands and chores. You can talk with God, listen to Him, and praise Him. You can meditate on His Word and inquire of His will. Any day, any time, any place. But are you?

Are you cultivating a life that enjoys God’s continual presence? Are you speaking with Him often? Are you listening for His voice throughout the day? Are you lifting up praise and worship daily? In Christ, we’re blessed with the awesome advantage of God’s constant presence but we must cultivate a life that practices and experiences it, otherwise this blessing does us little good. As we head into the holiday season, step back from the usual hustle and bustle and make time to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord!

“Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.”
– Psalm 25:16-17

King David knew seasons of loneliness, distress, suffering, persecution, depression, and despair. You may know such seasons in your life as well. This can be particularly as the holidays draw near. Thankfully, David also knew that God was with him and he teaches that to us through the psalms. In David’s loneliness, he knew that he was never abandoned or forsaken by God. The psalms express the raw cries of his heart but always conclude in faithful confidence in God’s power, presence, and goodness. In his distress, David didn’t turn from God or against God. He turned to God, pleading for and anticipating the day that God’s light would break through the darkness in David’s heart and soul.

If and when your heart and mind begin to be overwhelmed by a sense of loneliness, affliction, distress, or despair take those things to God. Be constant and honest in sharing everything that troubles your heart through prayer. Even if you don’t feel God’s presence, trust His Word that He’s present and listening. Seek to draw nearer to Jesus during seasons of spiritual dryness. Once you break-through you’ll find your fellowship with Him all the sweeter. You’ll probably also realize that He was with you every step of the way.

Give thanks that God is a loving Father Who is present and listening at all times. Give thanks that Jesus is Your Savior Who understands both temptation, suffering, and loneliness. Give thanks that if Christ is your Lord, then the Holy Spirit lives within you and seals you as God’s precious child.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” – Matthew 10:29

Even the most ordinary, numerous, and least valuable things on earth are under the meticulous, watchful eye of God the Father! He’s watching every sparrow and is aware of everything that happens to each of them. God knows all and He sees all, because He’s present in all places at all times. Let this be a great encouragement to you.

If God is carefully watching the sparrows, you better believe that He’s carefully watching over the crown jewel of His creation, which is you! God knows and cares about every small detail of your life. There’s nothing that could trouble you that God isn’t interested in and aware of. Let this set you free in your prayer life! There’s nothing you need to try to hide or hold back from Him. There’s no need to pretend or put on a happy face when you’re sad.

Instead, God invites you to take every concern, every heartbreak, every setback, every fear, every anxiety, and every failure to Him in prayer. He IS listening. He DOES care. He loves you very much. He may well let your circumstances unfold as they are for your growth and equipping. But He’s always with you if Christ is your Lord. He’s always listening with favor. He wants to hear from you.

Trust the words of Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” – Acts 14:23

Paul and Barnabas were wrapping up their missionary trip by revisiting the towns where they’d started new churches. After a bit of time worshiping and following Jesus together, leaders had begun to emerge within each church. As Paul and Barnabas returned, those leaders were recognized and appointed to shepherd the young churches. The remarkable thing is that every member in those churches, including the leaders, were new Christians. More remarkable is what Paul and Barnabas did…

They “committed them to the Lord”. Rather than panic over the immaturity of the churches and their leaders and conclude they needed to stay and mentor them for years, Paul and Barnabas turned them over to God the Father, Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit within them. It requires enormous faith to turn something as precious as a brand new church led by spiritually immature leaders over to the Lord. Honestly, though Who is better equipped to guide and guard those churches?

Today, in the West, we place entirely too much faith in our ability to plan, organize, and teach people and churches obedience and spiritual success. We trust in humans more than we trust the Spirit of the Living God. We would never say that, but our actions make clear that we believe it. In our pride, we would rather commit spiritual enterprises to seasoned human leaders than to the Lord. We have this all wrong!!!

If we’re going to re-reach the West with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must regain our faith and trust in the Lord as the Lord. We must be willing to take risks and do everything we can to reach and prepare new believers to grow in Christ. Then we must let them grow in Christ and trust in His Lordship. We must be willing to multiply churches and leaders, committing them to the Lord rather than to the human processes that haven’t served us well in recent decades. Who or what is the Lord asking you to commit to Him?