Prayer Focus - Gratitude
Day 4
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the state/region that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the city that you live in
One thing you are grateful for about the home that you live in
Thank God for the effect that what you are grateful for has on:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 68
"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." ( vs. 3)
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, He leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." ( vs. 5-6)
"You gave abundant showers, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from Your bounty, O God, You provided for the poor." (vs. 9-10)
"The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into His sanctuary" (vs. 7)
"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death." (vs. 19-20)
"You are awesome, O God, in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God!" (vs. 35)
God is awesome. We can be glad and rejoice because God has thousands upon thousands of chariots and warriors and God is looking out for us in all of our situations. He wants us to be happy and joyful. He wants us to have families and feel belonging. This is for all of us. If we are lonely, He brings us into a family. If we are fatherless, He becomes our father. If we are widows, He fills the role of husband. If we are imprisoned by something, some sin or habit, He can break the bars and bring us out singing. God knows our needs and is more than able to meet them. We do not need to worry. That will only bring sin into our lives. God will refresh and provide for us. He will even daily bear our burdens for us. We only need to be obedient.
If we are rebellious, however, we will reap the consequences. We will live in a scorched land in the midst of what could be plenty. I have known people who have everything and yet are miserable. I have been that way. I know I was like that because of rebellion in my heart, and I am led to believe that if we are rebellious in any way, we will miss out on what could be ours. Rebellion doesn't have to be obvious to others either. We do not have to be carrying picket signs or yelling and screaming. Rebellion can be silent and internal. It is simply saying we have a better way and we will not follow what God has set out.
Even if rebellion is in the heart and is only visible to God, it still matters. It will still cost us. God has asked us to live in submission to Him. It is like us as parents with our children. We have set up rules so that our family will function and we desire the best for our children, but we will not just reward them if they will not listen to us or follow our direction. We expect them to do their part in order for us to bless them. God is like this with us. In order to receive His blessings, we need to be obedient and cooperative children. This is what He expects and this is what we need to do. God will save us, and God will bless us. God will give us strength. But we must accept this from Him. We must come to Him and ask on His terms for the help we need, and then we must be willing to accept His direction. This is not too hard when we look at all that we have to gain. Let us surrender any rebellion in our hearts and truly live. Praise be to God that we can!
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You for setting us in families and for caring for us in every stage of our lives. You will not abandon us when we are old and grey. O Lord help us not to abandon You. Keep us as enamoured with You as we were when we first began to follow. You have not changed. We are the ones who change so often. Keep us in the shelter of Your circle for there is danger outside the circle. Please bear our burdens for they are too much for us. Help us to not be rebellious in any way. We do not want to live in the sun scorched land but rather in the beautiful pastures of the Lord. Bring Your chariots to surround and protect us. Grant us strength to continue. We are weary and weak but You are strong.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Which of the four categories mentioned best fits me - the fatherless, the widow, the lonely, or the prisoner? How can or has God helped me in these situations?
2. Am I a rebellious person? How do I feel about authority in general? How do I feel about authority in my life? Are my views in line with God's?
3. How can I become more submissive to God? Why do I struggle with letting God take charge in my life?
4. Am I living a refreshed life or am I wandering in a sun-scorched desert? Am I weary? How can I change so that God can take care of me?
5. Am I letting God carry my daily burdens? What are these daily burdens? How can I let go of them?
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