Their Voice Has Gone Out To All The Earth

All Glory To God Forever (Inspired by Psalm 19)



The heavens sing of Thy glory,

The skies reveal Thy work 

Every day they sing of Thee

In songs that have no words...


Every day and night they sing

They pour forth melodies
 
In a language without sound

Their love to Thee they bring.



Though their speech be silent

Their grammar be unknown
Their syntax may be foreign
Yet God will make them known...


Everywhere in all the earth

In every place they go 

God makes their language understood

Where their songs are sown.



They sing God’s holy truths

Every night and day

They glorify the Most High

They praise His holy name...



Before all of the Angels

And all the Universe

Their songs are triumphs of His grace

That display His works...



All glory to God forever 

They’re singing all the day...

All glory! Glory! Glory!

May Christ be ever praised!


All glory to Christ forever

Who saved the world from sin

May Christ be praised forevermore

By all who honor Him,

In Jesus’ holy name,

Amen.


(Prayer Song) All Glory To Christ, 
Copyright © 2019 by SD Harden All rights reserved.
 
___________________________________________________

For Meditation

• “The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows His handiwork. Day after day they pour out speech, and night after night they display knowledge.

    • There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world...” Psalms 19:1-4 WEB 
 


• “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.


• "For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse."         

• 
"Because, *knowing God, they didn’t glorify Him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.”~ Romans 1:18-21 WEB    


*Please note that Paul addresses these words to those who are Believers in God, to those who DO KNOW GOD. The word Paul used for *know is:

•    Strongs1097 γινώσκω [GINW/SKW] {ginṓskō} \ghin-oce'-ko\a prolonged form of a primary verb; to "know" (absolutely)(allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.

*Please re-read the above passages in Romans 1 -not as addressed to unbelievers, -but as to the believer who has suppressed the truth about God in Christ...
One needs to READ the Bible and not merely books ABOUT the Bible, i.e., --commentaries by people. 
Because we are ALL human and we all make mistakes.

One needs to read what our Lord Jesus and the Apostles taught~~not what so and so taught, or even what a denomination or school or theology or philosophy that professes to be Christianity taught or teaches ~because our destiny is at stake.

Jesus said, “But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” ~Matthew 23:8-12 WEB

If we argue that the pastor or a famous person is more educated and better able to teach us than Jesus Christ from His Word or the Holy Spirit through His word, then we do not truly believe Jesus’ words.

We become a follower of our pastor or famous teacher, author, philosopher, or school rather than Jesus Christ when we believe their words have more authority than the risen Lord and Savior whom we profess to love and serve.
However, that person we are following and putting our faith in cannot save us from our sins.

If we are a follower of a human and not actually following Christ, we confess by our lives that we do not actually believe the above words Christ spoke that He alone must be our MAIN TEACHER~ RABBI; nor will we ever comprehend or really believe in our hearts the following verses ( *See below) from the Word of God.

If any teacher or leader suppresses these important teachings or tries to explain or twist  them so that they do not mean just what the reader absolutely understands that they mean, then those leaders deny Christ and suppress the truth about God.

Meditate on the following bible verses…they reinforce Jesus’ teachings that we must abide in HIM, allow His Holy Spirit to privately teach us as we maintain a consistent prayer life with Him, worship Him, and personally study His Word with Him that we might come to know our Lord and Savior personally and glorify Him as we were created to.

All we have is idolatry if we reverse His paradigm of worshiping Jesus first and foremost.
If we make anything but Jesus our Head, we will have only an idol.

The first commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

If we stop loving JESUS as our Head, we will wander off into error and we will, before we know it, change the truth of God into a lie and be self deceived yet still call ourselves a Christian.
Meditate:

    •    Jesus said, “He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me."

    •    "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

    •    "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."

    •    "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.” ~ John 14:24-26,16:7,13-14 KJV  

    •    Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

    •    For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

    •    And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 


    •    Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

    •    They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

    •    But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

    •    Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

    •    Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 



    •    Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

    •    And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life. 

    •    These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

    •    But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.

    •    And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 


    •    If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.”~ 1 John 2:15-29 - KJV     

Unto The Least Of These, Copyright © 2019 by SD Harden, All rights reserved, All Glory to God, Prayer Poem, All Glory To God, Copyright © 2019 by SD Harden, All rights reserved, All Glory to Christ,Scripture Collage Painting, Copyright © 2019 by SD Harden, All rights reserved, All Glory to God, Scripture Quotations taken from the King James Version Bible, and World English Bible WEB) (Public Domain)






Rejoice In The Lord Always

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice." Philippians 4:4

St. Paul wrote those words even though he had a terrible affliction of some sort he called "a thorn in his flesh." 

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 he wrote: "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul was beaten, stoned, persecuted, imprisoned, and suffered much abuse for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always..."

What does that word "rejoice" mean? 

The Strong's Bible Dictionary defines it:

χαίρω khah'-ee-ro

Definition: to be "cheer"ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well

Usage:  be glad, God speed, greeting joy(- fully), rejoice.

Paul is saying, "Don't despair! Don't be discouraged! Instead, choose to be happy, choose to rejoice. To rejoice in spite of our discouragements, trials, and sufferings is a choice we can make. 

The apostle James told us to rejoice despite our circumstances. 

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Instead of being discouraged by our challenges, we need to focus on our blessings. There is always something we can be thankful for. 

It is good to keep in mind that no matter how much we are suffering, there is always someone somewhere who is suffering far more than we are, and we should pray for that person. 

The prophet Jeremiah saw terrible tragedy all around him. Yet he wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23: 

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Gratitude is a wonderful antidote for discouragement and will bring the blessing of joy into our hearts. 

Starting today may it be our choice to "Rejoice in the Lord always!"

Prayer

Heavenly Father, may You help us choose to rejoice always in You and to be grateful for all the ways You have blessed us and been so faithful to us throughout our lives. We love You, in Jesus' name, amen.

"Rejoice in The Lord Always"© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Illustration © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.  Scripture References King James Bible, Strong's Bible Dictionary, NIV Bible Translation © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

The Greatest Gift

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." ~2 Corinthians 9:15 

The Greatest Gift Of All
© 2015 S D Harden All Rights Reserved. 

For The gift of this new day, 

New mercies all around I see 

With the rising of the sun 

For these I give my thanks to Thee, 

For Thy love abounds toward me, 

I see it, Lord, in everything! 

Thy love toward everything You've made 

For this, oh Lord, I sing Thy praise! 

Lord, I love You, and I sing, 

I worship You, my Holy King! 

Thank You, Father, for this day, 

Thy blessings sent in many ways... 

For Thy peace and for Thy love, 

Thank You mostly for Thy Son, 

Who sacrificed His holy life 

That I could become Your child, 

Forgiven of my sin and shame, 

And bear Thy righteous holy name. 

Christ bought me with His holy blood  

And gave to me His holy robe 

Of righteousness forevermore, 

I praise You, Oh my Savior Lord! 

Oh praise the Father,  

Praise the Son 

Praise the Spirit,  

God above...

Praise our Holy King of  love! 

Psalm 103:1-2  

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy 

name.  

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.  

Ephesians 2:8-9  

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; 

it is a gift from God.  

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can 

boast about it.  

Psalm 103:11-12  

"For (God's) unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of 

the heavens above the earth.  

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."  

Prayer 

Heavenly Father, thank You for Thy precious Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who, 

though He knew no sin, out of Thy measureless love for each of us, became 

sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of  God in Him. The 

depths of Thy love for us cannot be fathomed. Help us meditate on Thy love 

and give us grateful hearts each day that we might never take for granted this 

indescribable gift You have given to us, in Jesus' name, thank You, I love You, 

Lord, amen. 

________________________________________________________________________ 

Prayer Poem,  The Greatest Gift © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights 

Reserved. Scripture Painting © 2015 S.D. Harden All  Rights Reserved 

Scripture references: New Living Translation © Tyndale House Publishers, 

Inc

Happy New Year's Prayer

Psalm 20:1-5 

"The Lord will answer you in times of trouble.

The name of the God of Jacob will protect you. 

He will send you help from his holy place and support you from Zion...

He will give you your heart’s desire and carry out all your plans. 

We will joyfully sing about your victory.

We will wave our flags in the name of our God.

The Lord will fulfill all your requests."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Precious Friends, I am so thankful for each of you! Not a day goes by when you are not included in my prayers. I don't know where you are on your journey right now but God knows.  Psalm 33 says 

"The Lord looks down from heaven.

He sees all of Adam’s descendants.

From the place where he sits enthroned, he looks down upon all who live on earth. 

The one who formed their hearts understands everything they do." Psalm 33:13-15

The One who numbers all the stars and calls them all by name, who measures the dust of earth, does not measure out His love for you. He loves you as if you were the only one He had to love. 

Your Creator sees you not as you see yourself but as His masterpiece. 

You are His treasure and He cherishes you.

My prayer for you in 2015 is that God will open your eyes to see and know the wonder of His measureless love for you. 

May the Lord protect each of you from all evil, harm, and danger, make you healthy, strong and sound in every way, fill you to overflowing with peace and hope and joy from Heaven's streams, and grant you wisdom, knowledge, and discretion in all your ways.

I ask that God would help you to come to know Him better, and draw you very close to His holy heart. May you know His will for you and be given the courage to carry it out.

May the Lord give you faith and hope when the storms of life arise and try to snuff out your dreams;

May He hold you very close when all is dark and you can see no light, 

may you feel His comforting arms of love about you and hear His still small voice whispering in your heart that He is with you and will never leave or forsake you; that you are engraved upon the palms of His hands and that your walls are ever before Him. 

May His song ever be with you and may you know that He is always for you no matter what the circumstances may appear to be. God is for you and is working behind the scenes to give you a hope and a future beyond anything you could ever have imagined. 

May you never stop trusting Him because He never lies and He has never failed you and He never will fail you. May you know and always remember that God keeps every promise forever. (Psalm 146:6)

May you be given all these comforting assurances in the coming year, in Jesus' holy name, Amen. 

Love & Prayers,

Suzanne

Unto The Least of These, Happy New Year's Prayer, © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved./ Photo/Pinterest/ Scripture Quotations: God's Word Translation © 1995

Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart

“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8 (KJV)

 Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart

Today is Thanksgiving, a day we remember to give thanks to our Creator for all of the blessings He has given to us.

If we are honest, each one of us, no matter what path we are on in our journey has only to look around us to see so many good things God has done for us. No matter what challenges we may be facing, there is always something to be thankful for.

Can we see? Thank God for our vision. Can we use our hands to pick something up or write or type with?

Thank God for the use of our hands even if we have pain.

Can we swallow food?

Thank God that we can swallow our food~ some people can’t even do this.

Can we hear the birds singing, children laughing? Thank God for our sense of hearing.

Can we smell the turkey cooking in the oven, the fresh rolls baking? Thank God for our sense of smell.

Can we walk? Thank God for this wonderful ability, even if we must use a walker to get around with-- at least we have mobility!

Do we have a job? Even if it is not what we had originally planned to do in life, at least it pays the bills, thank God for this job, and look for all the good things you can find that you like about it instead of what you don’t like about it. Then you will be happy.

Do we have a house, a roof over our heads? It may not be a mansion or even the house of our dreams, but it keeps us warm in the winter and shelters us from the storms.

It is a place where our family gathers and after all, what are fancy appearances but things to boast about and puff ourselves up with and make us proud?

Let us be grateful for our house no matter how humble, for our house is a very great blessing and a gift from our Heavenly Father. There are so many homeless.

Whatever gift we have been given, whether it be good health, or even a trial, yes—a trial can be a gift from heaven because it can lead us closer to God, we must look around and thank the Lord for all His blessings He’s given to us on our journey in this life, for there is always something to be thankful for, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

A defining characteristic of last days people is ingratitude.

St. Paul wrote these words to Timothy:

Remember this: There are some terrible times coming in the last days.  
²  People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. 
They will abuse others with insults. 
They will not obey their parents. 
They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God.  
³ They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone. 
They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control. 
They will be cruel and hate what is good.  
⁴ People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.  
⁵ They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that “devotion” change the way they live.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ERV)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” ~Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

One wonders how Jeremiah could write these words after meditating on his story in the book of Lamentations. He was in indeed as he wrote, “I am a man who has seen much trouble.” ~Lamentations 3:1(ERV)

He could write them because His focus was on His Creator and on all the good that God is and does.

Jesus Christ said that the lamp of the body is the eye, and that if our eye is evil then our whole body will be filled with darkness. In other words, if we keep looking for faults, we are going to constantly see them.

But if we rather look for the good, we will be walking in the light with God and we will be able to find peace, joy, and satisfaction no matter what our circumstances are.

“For God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. “~ 1 John 1:5

God is looking for the good in us and He wants us to make an effort to look for the good in ourselves, in each other, and in our circumstances every day and to be thankful. 

Keeping a thankful journal can help us do this.  If we are having difficulty being satisfied with our situation or someone, write down everything we can find that we like about that thing or that person. Consciously focus on the positives.

It is the enemy’s job to go looking for faults in people, to go around accusing and criticizing and find things wrong. The bible calls him “The accuser of the brethren.”

He wants us to always be dissatisfied. “...who accuses them before our God day and night.” ~ Revelation 12:10

St. Paul says instead to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

  Prayer

 Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful Thanksgiving day. 

Please forgive me for not being grateful for all of the wonderful gifts that You have bestowed upon me, for not recognizing the blessings in the midst of the storms along my path. 

Forgive me for  so often focusing on the negatives instead of looking for what is true and noble and good and right in people and circumstances that I have found challenging. 

Lord, I pray for a grateful heart that looks for the good in every situation, even in the midst of pain; in every person You bring across my path; 

I pray for a thankful heart that sees Thy blessings every day and perceives Thy measureless love abounding in all things. 

Thank You for Thy greatest gift of all, Thy Son Jesus Christ our Savior, I love You, Lord,  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  

Unto The Least of These "Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: BJU Press  https://www.bjupress.com

Scripture Verses: NLT Bible Translation, ERV Bible Translation, KJV Bible Translation

Prayer For Gratitude

 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, 

where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, 

and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 

~Matthew 6:19-21

Prayer For Gratitude 

A Prayer Poem © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Lord I pray for gratitude,

Lord I pray for grace,

For only these along with love

To Heaven can I take.

I can take no money,

No awards, nor fame,

No success or honors,

Nor treasures bought or made.

I cannot take my spouse,

My family or my friends

My education, land, or home;

All that I have is lent--

A gift from You to me

For a Season to enjoy

One day I'll return to You

When You call me home.

But all Thy gifts will stay-

Behind me they'll remain;

Alone to You my soul will come

Just as to earth it came.

And so I pray for gratitude,

Oh Lord, I pray for grace,

And with them I will pray for love,

For with me they'll remain.

When Lord, You call me home

They'll still be in my heart,

They'll ride into eternity

With me to never part.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank You for Thy gift of life and for every blessing You pour out upon us each day. Help us to cherish each moment You give us here on earth and the loved ones and friends You bless us with. Let us every day offer You a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for each precious life in our family. 

When tempted to complain or find fault with others, help us to remember how very short our lives here are and that tomorrow is never guaranteed to any of us. 

Help us take every opportunity to tell the special people in our lives that we love them and pray for them as we give thanks for them each day. Thank You, Abba Father, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Unto The Least Of These "Prayer For Gratitude" A Prayer Poem © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Verse: King James Version Bible/ Photo: S.D. Harden's Photos

The Painting

 "And we know that all things work together for good 

to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." 

~Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

The Painting 

© 2014 S.D. Harden 

Lord, I thank You for today, 

For Thy gifts You sent my way... 

Thank You for forgiving me 

When I was too blind to see 

Thy treasures all along my path; 

Gifts for which I never asked;

You poured them out upon my way; 

You called them gifts, I called them pain~ 

Because I was too blind to see 

Them through Your eyes,

But patiently 

You held my hand 

And said to me, 

Someday, My child, 

Someday, You'll see, 

This pain's a gift~ 

Thy suffering
Is just My paintbrush
Painting Thee;
~A Portrait grande
Someday You'll see

My Face in yours

My Masterpiece.

Jesus Comforting His Child © S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved.

 Prayer 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Thy mercies are new every morning, so great is Thy faithfulness to us. You are such an awesome, generous God, Thy word says that You daily "load us with benefits"--daily You give and give to us and bear all our burdens if we will allow You to. And although we may have to suffer various trials, Thy word promises that You are going to weave all these together into something 
beautiful in each one of us
 who love You. 

That is why we can be thankful always, for all things, even though we may not understand sometimes, we know we can trust in Thy faithfulness and in Thy love for us. 

Thank You, Abba Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"The Painting" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These /Illustration: Jesus Comforting His Child; Suzanne Davis Harden © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

Scripture Photo Illustration/via Pinterest  
Scripture Quotation: New King James Bible ©1982 Thomas Nelson Inc. Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Thank You, Lord

 "This is the day the Lord has made;We will rejoice and be glad in it."

~Psalm 118:24

Thank You, Lord

Lord, I thank You for this day,

I bless and praise Thy holy name!

I bless and sing Thy holy praise

For all Thy gifts to me You gave!

Holy, holy, is Thy name!

Thank You for my soul You saved;

Saved me from sin and the grave,

By Christ's blood, oh praise Thy name!

© 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden all Rights Reserverd.

God's Word admonishes us to be thankful for all of the gifts and bessings which He showers down upon each of us every day. However, sometimes we can be blinded to the sense of God's Presence and His gifts to us and think that He has forgotten all about us. 

We may even think that He somehow loves us less than others because we end up comparing our lives to other people and think we've gotten a raw deal. 

Many things can cause this to happen. God knows and understands this perfectly. His grace meets each of us where we are. Just as the clouds can obscure the sun sometimes making it less visible does not mean it has gone away.  

Even so, illness, trials, any number of sad things can blind us to God's good gifts in our lives. 

But just as the sun is still shining even on the cloudiest of days, God's gifts to us are still there waiting to be discovered if we just open our eyes and stop focusing on the sad things. Being grateful releases joy in our hearts. 

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to see the wonders of Your grace all around us even during challenging times. Help us remember that there are no second class citizens in Your Kingdom...for You are no respecter of persons and love each of us as if we were the only one to love. How... Because You live inside of us and have each of us all to Yourself. We are Your very own precious temples and You cherish us. Thank You for the wonder of knowing and loving You! You are an awesome God! In Jesus' holy name, Amen 

Unto The Least of These, © 2014 S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. Prayer Poem-"Thank You, Lord" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. /Photo Illustration/Modified via Pinterest/ Scripture/ NKJV © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Gifts To God

We are Gifts To God 

"Moreover, because of what Christ has done, 

we have become gifts to God that He delights in, 

for as part of God’s sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning 

to be His, and all things happen just as He decided long ago."

Ephesians 1:11 (TLB)

Thank You, Lord (A Prayer Poem)

Thank You, Lord, for loving me;

To You I am Your gift;

A treasure You delight in,

Redeemed from guilt and sin;

Bought with the precious blood

Of Christ, Your only Son,

You clothe me with His righteousness,

And wrap me in His Love. 

IJN

"Thank You, Lord, Prayer Poem" © 2014 S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. Photo Illustration/ S.D.Harden/ Scripture Quotation: TLB ©1971 Tyndale House Publishers

All Rights Reserved. UNTO THE LEAST OF THESE © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

The Importance of God's Word

"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, 

bless his holy name." ~Psalm 103:1

Bless The Lord

Oh my soul, thank the Lord

For all He gives to me;

He forgives all of my sins

And heals all my disease.

Thank you Lord, 

I'll praise you Lord, 

For all eternity!

Thank you, Lord, you crown my soul

With love and You redeemed

My life with Jesus' precious blood;

You saved and set me free.

Oh thank You, Lord, for loving me

Oh bless the Lord, my soul!

You gave to me eternal life,

I'll praise You evermore!

Bless The Lord

© 2014 Prayer Song S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD'S WORD

The prayer song "Bless The Lord" was inspired by Psalm 103, a psalm that King David wrote.

It's one of my favorite Psalms. Some of my favorite verses from this psalm are beautiful promises from God that have been etched in the minds of believers for thousands of years~ ever since David first penned the words:

Psalm 103:11-12, 17 (ERV)

 "God's love for His followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 

And He has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west." 

"But the Lord has always loved His followers, and He will continue to love them forever and ever! He will be good to all their descendants..."  

These words comfort and encourage me at all times. God asks us to learn the promises in His word and then to hide them in our heart like precious jewels that we would want to protect from thieves. Because there is a thief, Jesus told His followers, whose sole mission is to "steal, kill, and destroy..." (John 10:10) And his target is God's precious children. 

Jesus said that the devil is "a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)  Deciet is the main weapon he uses for stealing God's precious promises from His people. He was successful with our first parents in the Garden of Eden by directly challenging God's word to Adam and Eve. The serpent said to them, "Yea, hath God said?" (Genesis 3:1) Then he lied about God by twisting His word. ( Genesis 3:4-6) He succeeded in stealing Paradise from them through his power of deceit. 

God's word says: "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." ~ Hosea 4:6

Jesus told a parable about a sower who sowed some seed. He said the seed was the word of God. He said the seed will only produce fruit depending upon where it lands. 

In Matthew 13:19 Jesus said, "The seed that fell by the path...is like the people who hear the teaching about God’s kingdom but do not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away what was planted in their hearts." 

It is very important that we regularly study and meditate on God's word. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

If we don't hide God's word in our hearts, when trouble comes our way, or any time of suffering or trial, it will be very difficult to maintain our faith or gain any understanding or insight into our experience. We will also become easy targets for false teachings. (Deceptions)

We can never know God's truth unless we study it for ourselves. Jesus gave us this beautiful promise: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth." (John 16:13) 

As we hide God's word in our hearts our faith will grow. We will grow closer to our Lord Jesus. We will become stronger spiritually. Then, no matter how dark the night, no matter how fierce the storm, we will be able to sing with David who suffered many severe trials, "Bless The Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name..."

Thank You Heavenly Father, for Your measureless love towards us. We would not know You apart from Your word or apart from Your Holy Son Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. Thank You for filling us with Your Holy Spirit who teaches us how to understand Your word and helps us obey You. We love You! In Jesus' name, Amen.

"The Importance of God's Word" © 2014 S.D. Harden "Bless The Lord" Prayer Song © 2014 S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2014

LORD, THANK YOU

Lord, Thank You 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank You that You hold each of Your children 

in Your shadow shelter under the secure protection of Your almighty wings.

Thank You that when You are our refuge, Your word promises that 

no evil can conqueror us, for You will defeat our every foe.

May You fill Your children today with rivers of Your holy love.

May we feel Your everlasting arms supporting us everywhere we go.

May we have the wonderful faith to know that all will be well because You are our God, 

our Friend, and Savior. 

In Jesus' name. Thank You. I love You. Amen. ❤

 Psalm 91:1-16 (NLT)

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High 

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

This I declare about the Lord:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

he is my God, and I trust him. 

For he will rescue you from every trap 

and protect you from deadly disease. 

He will cover you with his feathers. 

He will shelter you with his wings.

His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, 

nor the arrow that flies in the day. 

Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, 

nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 

Though a thousand fall at your side,

though ten thousand are dying around you, 

these evils will not touch you. 

Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. 

If you make the Lord your refuge, 

if you make the Most High your shelter, 

no evil will conquer you; 

no plague will come near your home. 

For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 

They will hold you up with their hands 

so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 

You will trample upon lions and cobras; 

you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.

I will protect those who trust in my name. 

When they call on me, I will answer;

I will be with them in trouble.

I will rescue and honor them.

I will reward them with a long life 

and give them my salvation.” 

Unto the Least of These: Photo Illustration & Prayer by Suzanne Davis Harden; 

Scripture Reference from the New Living Translation Bible, © 2007 Tyndale House Foundation, 

All Rights Reserved.