March 11 – No Lack of Good Things

“Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!  The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”  Psalms 34:9-10 (ESV)

Just yesterday we considered the words of God which tell us to “Fear Not.”  A few verses later in the same psalm we have this encouragement.  We are to “Fear The Lord,” which is to have awesome respect and love. It is a promise that if we do, we will not come up short on what we need.  Even in nature, for example, young cub lions might get hungry if their mother does not bring back food from her hunt.  But in our faith life and in our physical life, seeking the Lord, which is our way of demonstrating our humble attitude which recognizes God as Lord of all, we will not lack the good things we need.  This is both physical and spiritual things.  God promises to us that the way to be full of Him and always be satisfied with the life He has given to us is to trust and understand the awesomeness of our Almighty God.  He is Lord of all creation and Lord of our lives.  He cares and He wants us to honor Him as He is worthy.  Good things we will not lack if we are truly in awe of our God. 

# # #

June 12 – Call, He Is Near

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.”  Psalm 145:18-19 (NASB)

The great Lord whom we serve is the great God of the universe.  We can say He is everywhere but now our promise in today's verse assures us that He is near to those who follow Him and who call upon Him.  We can take this as a promise that God does come close to us when we call to Him especially if we are truly praying to Him.  We have to be calling on God in truth and faith believing.  Our verse also assures us that God hears when we ask Him for His help in our lives and He fulfills our desires.  If what we want God to do for us is according to His will He will be sure to answer our prayers.  Even in time when we are in desperate circumstances He hears our cry for help and He will save us from evil.  Let's be sure that we expect this and that we thank our heavenly Father for His help each time.  

# # #

July 6 – Listening In

“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.”  Malachi 3:16 (NIV)

We believe that God hears us when we pray to Him. But is that the only time He hears us? Does he sometimes overhear what we are saying – especially about Him?  We know the answer when we recognize that God know everything because He is omniscient.  But it is more than that and the prophet Malachi addresses this question in our verse today.  Notice that our Lord listens in when we talk to each another.  Our verse tells us that He pays special attention when our conversations honors Him and shows Him the respect He is worthy of and deserves from us. And, He keeps record of what He hears.  Often, we forget that our God is so involved in our activities.  We can honor Him and show due respect to Him by our conversations with each other.  And, when we do, God will know and He will remember it forever. What a wonderful God we have who promises to remember the honor we give Him in our daily conversations with friends and family.  

April 18 - Trust and Rely

“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.” Isaiah 50:10 (NIV)

Through the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, God has given us words of encouragement if we are ones who honor the Lord and obey the words He has given to us in the Bible.  We thinking today especially of the last part of this verse. It is an  invitation to trust the Lord when the way seems dark ahead of us. When our verse mentions that a person might be without a light, it reminds us that we need to recognize that we don't have a light within ourselves. Human wisdom does not provide the answers to spiritual problems. We don't know the future but we have a God who does.  So when we can't see the way ahead, we are invited to look to God for His answer.  Are any of us looking at a future that is not certain and can not be fully determined and depended on?  God is in our future and He is the one who promises to give light to our feet and path and wisdom to make our decisions.  Trust and rely on our God today. 

June 5 – Immeasurable Love

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;” Psalm 103:11 (NIV)

We are often reminded that when the Bible speaks of fearing God, it means showing him proper respect and awe. So if you are one who respects and revers God, these words are a promise for you.  Yes, it is true that God's love for us is so great that it can't be measured. Our verse mentions the distance between the heavens and the earth and that is something that has never been measured for certain. We look at the stars on a dark night and we are told that there are heavenly bodies which we can't even see. They are too far out in space and would take hundreds of thousands of light years to reach. The greatness of God's love for us cannot be measured but because it is right here with us, we can experience it. It is too great for us to comprehend and yet it is right here with us and for us. Now, that's great isn't it?

December 6

“I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.” Jeremiah 32:39 (NIV)

These words express God’s desire for all of His people and what He is doing about it. God wants us all to fear Him, that is, to reverence Him, to show Him the respect that He deserves. He wants us to do this always not just on certain occasions. And this is for our own good because it does help us to properly revere God. How will this come about? It comes about by our allowing God to give us the proper attitude. This Scripture today promises that God will do just that, give us “singleness of heart so we will always fear him.”

May 22

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:13-14 (NIV)

These words remind us of one reason why God has a special feeling for us who have become His children by faith. It is because He knows where we are coming from. He has been watching us since the very beginning just like an earthly father watches his child from the day of its birth. Yes, our Lord knows each of us and has been watching us since before we were born. He knows we are human with human weaknesses. Still He loves us and is patient with us when we make mistakes and when we fail to grow. “The Lord has compassion.”

January 27

“Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?  He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.” Psalm 25:12 (NIV)

There are many things available to those who trust in the Lord. One is guidance in times of decision. God has plans for each of His followers and He is anxious to help us fit into His plans. So that’s why we can depend on Him to guide us in our decisions. Actually, the decisions which we make from day to day – even those which may seem minor to us – are all a part of the trend of our lives. They are just like steps along the way. Our God wants to show us every step that we are to take. The promise is for us, and we show our reverence for God by asking for his guidance. If we follow it, we will end up where He wants us – in the center of His will.