Unto The Least of These Encouraging Inspirational Messages of Hope

Saturday, May 16, 2015

The Faith Of Hannah




Please welcome my Pastor, Don Peters, as he guest blogs on Unto The Least of These with a short, insightful post on earnest prayer called "The Faith of Hannah."

The Faith of Hannah
1.  Focus:   Hannah tried for years to have a child, but couldn't.
     Rather than focusing on her problem by herself, 
     she took it to the Lord.   
"She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly."  
1 Samuel 1:10, NASB

2.  Earnest Prayer:   Our prayers can be quick and shallow,
     but Hannah prayed deeply, from her heart.  

 "... I have poured out my soul before the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:15, NASB
 
 3.   Honor to the Lord:   Hannah vowed that if the Lord gave
     her a child, she would honor Him by dedicating the child
     to Him as a lifelong special servant. 

 "O Lord of hosts, if You will ... not forget your maidservant, but will give Your maid servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life ..." 1 Samuel 1:11, NASB           


 4.  The Benefits of her Faith:   Not only did the Lord give
     Hannah a son, Samuel, who became a faithful priest,
     prophet, judge of Israel, and anointer of kings, but He
     also gave her three more sons and two daughters.

 "There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed, there is
     no one besides You ..."  1 Samuel 2:2, NASB 

*Pastor Don Peters loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart.
He is married to Barb and has two adult children, Bryan and Kelly. 


Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God who hears and answers our prayers. You know our needs before we speak them; but Thy word tells us to come boldly to Thy throne of grace that we might receive mercy and grace in our time of need. 
You have promised us mercy and grace whenever we come to You, just as You gave to Hannah when she poured out her heart before You. Thy word says that You don't show favoritism; what You did for Hannah You will do for anyone who trusts in You and believes You will help them. 
May You meet every need of each person praying this prayer today; may You fill each heart with rivers of Thy peace and hope; give them the answer to the prayer that they have been praying for so long. May they rejoice in You, like Hannah because You are a faithful God who hears our heart's earnest cries, and who loves us very much, in Jesus' holy name, amen. 


"The Faith of Hannah" © 2015 Rev. Donald Peters All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotations: NASB Bible Translation © 1995 The Lockman Foundation All Rights Reserved. Pictures via Pinterest; Unto The Least Of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

God Is My Refuge





GOD IS MY REFUGE

In Psalm 91:2 the Psalmist wrote,  

 "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." 

The word here used for "refuge" according to the Strong's Bible Concordance is מחסה makh-as-eh'
The word means a shelter (literally or figuratively).

The Psalmist is saying that God is his place of hope, place of refuge, his shelter, and trust. 

No matter what trial we may face along our life's path, if we make God our refuge from the storm, from danger~ even when it comes pouring down like rain all over our lives, He will shelter us and keep us safe.   

But there is also another interesting aspect about the word  "makhaseh" ~ God can be our refuge from falsehood or deception. 
In John 10:4-5 Jesus Christ said, 

"And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 
 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."



The word for "know" according to Strong's means "to understand, perceive, have certain knowledge of, are sure of."

Predators abound on the Internet who try to deceive unsuspecting people all the time. There are many false teachers today who are teaching error concerning the Bible. Straying from the foundational Truths of the Christian faith, yet calling themselves Christians, they are leading many astray who are not abiding in the word of God nor making Christ their Refuge.




The only way we can come to know our Good Shepherd's voice is to spend time with Him, to make Him our Refuge. That choice is up to us.
When we make Him our refuge He will be a shelter from every storm we face and protect us from every deception of the enemy that tries to lead us astray. 

The Lord gives His children His Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:13,
 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth."

The Holy Spirit gives us discernment as we abide in Christ, read God's word, pray, and worship regularly. This is daily making God our  Refuge.
This is how we get to know Him as our Good Shepherd and learn His voice. And He makes this promise to us in John 10:27-30 

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” 


Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray you will be my Refuge, my Fortress, my God in who I trust today and every day. 
Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd, teach me to know Thy voice, shelter me from every storm, protect me from every deception, and keep me always close to Thy heart, filled with Thy love and light, in Jesus' name, amen. 

"God Is My Refuge" © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Illustrations via Pinterest

Sunday, May 10, 2015

A Mother's Love

"A Mother's Love" Poem  & Collage Illustration © Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.


A Mother’s Love
©  2012 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Perhaps a billion stars
Rivers, lakes and trees
Teeming all with critters,
And billions more of these.

The song of our Creator
Is abundance it would seem
Until one sees a snowflake—
That each one is unique.

Perhaps a billion snowflakes
And no two are alike;
Each a tiny masterpiece
From microscopic sight.

Perhaps a billion mothers
But one alone is mine,
Unique and irreplaceable
In my heart and mind.

Embroidered like a snowflake
In the fabric of my soul;
In all true mother’s hearts
The love of God is ever told. 

Prayer 
Heavenly Father, thank You for my precious mother and mother-in-law. Thank You for all mothers everywhere and for this day when we celebrate  the gift of their lives and what they mean to us. 
Help us never to take their precious lives for granted. Help us to show our mothers gratitude, honor, and respect for all they have done for us throughout our lives. For those whose mothers have passed away, please help them still to honor the memory of who their mothers were and to allow them to live on in their hearts through their love. 
For those who are holding bitterness in their hearts toward their mothers please give them the grace to forgive as You have forgiven each one of us. 
Help each of us to remember today that life is very short and no one knows when You will call us home. 
Help us not to hold a grudge against any family member or any person but to love as You have loved us. 
Help us to love those who gave us life and raised us; to celebrate their lives and let them know how much we care about them. May we never neglect them. 
Bless all mothers everywhere today and fill them with joy. 
In Jesus' holy name, amen.

"May the Lord richly bless both you and your children. 
May you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth." ~ Psalm 115:14-15 (NLT)
 
Mother's Day Digital Greeting Card ~Digital Collage by S.D. Harden
 "A Mother's Love" Poem & Illustrations Copyright © 2012, 
© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotation taken from the New Living Translation © 2013 Tyndale House Foundation All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.