The Angel of the Lord Encircles Me

My prayer song "The Angel of the Lord Encircles Me" was inspired by Psalm 34:7
"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them."

According to the Strong's Bible Concordance, the "angel of the Lord" often referred to the "theophanic angel" ~ a divine visitation of God appearing in the form of an angel.


Many bible scholars believe that the theophanic angel was the pre-incarnate Christ. 
 The word means, "messenger of God, an angel, prophet, priest, or teacher."

  The words "encamp about" mean to "dwell in, or all around as in a circuit, on every side."
 The words in the definition convey the idea that the angel  (the messenger from God who is a teacher, priest, and prophet) is building a strong fortress all around the person he is guarding. 
 
If a person fears the Lord, (by fear, the Psalmist means, honors, is morally reverent, and afraid to dishonor or offend the Lord), and if they abide in God’s strong fortress with the angel, and if that Angel is the Lord Jesus Christ, then something truly wonderful is going to happen.

That Angel is going to deliver them.

According to the Strong’s Bible Concordance, the word deliver means: "to remove, to draw out, equip for war, rescue, be armed, to make strong, to brace, to be saved."
 
What are we going to be delivered from?

• Jesus is going to deliver us from whatever overwhelms, overcomes, or oppresses us.

• Jesus is going to remove whatever hinders us from advancing toward fulfilling His purpose in our life.

• First, Jesus saves our souls and forgives all our sins, washing them away as far as the east is from the west when we invite him into our heart to be our Lord and Savior.

“Therefore Jesus is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” Hebrews 7:25

• Jesus is going to heal us from whatever soul sickness that blinds us and keeps us from knowing and growing in Him.

“He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.” Psalm 107:20

• Jesus is committed to equipping us for spiritual battle; God is on our side~ He wants us to succeed:

“God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.” Psalm 18:32-34

•  Jesus make us strong through helping us to read and understand His word, and giving us the grace and power to obey it:

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” ~Philippians 2:13

• Jesus delivers us so that we can overcome temptation.

“And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

• Jesus is going to give us victory over what had formerly overcome us:

"For this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4

• Finally, Jesus delivers us from our enemies when we put our trust in Him. He is committed to making us strong and whole.

"To them that have no might He increases strength." Isaiah 40:29

Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sending Thy Son Jesus Christ to by my Protector and Guardian, Savior, Redeemer, and Friend, who ever guards me night and day through His Holy Spirit who lives inside my heart. May You help me to truly understand all of the wonderful things my Lord Jesus does for all who trust Him as their Savior and Lord, in Jesus holy name, amen. 

“The Angel of The Lord Encircles Me” is a comforting, inspirational 2 minute 45 second Video Produced, Directed & Narrated by SD Harden with additional videography by MC Harden © 2018 All Rights Reserved.
The Prayer Poem and Illustration are from "Paths of Love Illustrated Prayer Song Book: Prayer Songs Celebrating God's Love" ©  2015 All Rights Reserved.
The original piano solo,“The Angel of The Lord Encircles Me” used in the video is on the album “Paths of Love: Songs for Worship and Meditation” © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.
Unto The Least of These © 2018 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart

A couple of years ago the Lord inspired me to create an Encouraging Scripture Promise Wall Calendar based on my Encouraging Card Collection. I loved my calendar for it would encourage me each morning with a promise from God’s word.

Whenever I was discouraged all I had to do was look up at the scripture on my calendar; somehow the Lord always used the bible verse to speak to my heart.

The promises in the Bible give us hope. And no wonder, for our God is “The God of hope.”(Romans 15:13)

The next year, I had three calendars printed.

I hung one in my kitchen, one at my work chair, and one beside my bed.

Anytime I felt sad or discouraged I would look up at one of my calendars, depending on which room I was in, read the bible promise, and be filled with fresh courage.

This year the Lord inspired me to create a new Wall Calendar featuring twelve comforting Bible Promises, one for each month of the year illustrated with my scripture paintings and collages.

He impressed upon me the importance of meditating upon His word every day, reminding me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 4:4 when tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread during His wilderness Temptations. Jesus fought the temptation with scripture:

“It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

In rebuking the devil with scripture, the Lord Jesus was teaching us how to fight the enemy: with His word. In Ephesians 6:17 Paul wrote “to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” as a vital part of our spiritual armor against the deadly attacks of our unseen spiritual foe who is out to destroy our soul.

Knowledge of God’s word is not only vital to our survival as believers in spiritual warfare, but the Psalmist said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11

The promises of God comfort and give us hope, keep us from going astray, aid us in defeating our spiritual enemies, and they also guide us in the Lord’s paths of righteousness.

 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:10
 

“Every word of God proves true…” Proverbs 30:5

The Apostle Paul wrote that we grow our faith by nourishing ourselves with a steady diet of God’s Holy Word. For it is our spiritual food, that will help us grow closer to our God if we will make it our daily habit to read it and obey it.

In this way we will learn to understand the Lord’s will for us, to discern His voice in our hearts, and find out what pleases and displeases Him.

This year the Lord has inspired me to study and meditate on the bible promises on my calendars each month in a new way.

Each morning I plan to meditate on the bible promise for the month and pray about how it applies to me and where I am on my life’s journey with the Lord.

I’m going to ask the Holy Spirit to teach me new insights as I study the scripture more in depth along with other bible study tools, like the Strong’s concordance, the Matthew Henry Bible Commentary, and my Study Bible.

I plan to pray over the scripture throughout the month and ask the Lord to teach me new things about that promise each day. I have learned that we can never exhaust all of the riches to be found in God’s holy word!

“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3

I hope by studying God’s promises in this way, that by the end of each month I will have memorized each of the bible promises featured on the calendar.

By the year’s end, if I meditate on these verses daily,  then I will make them all my very own, for the Lord has shown me that this is one very good way to hide His word in my heart and make it my treasure.

I would be so honored if you would get one of my scripture calendars and join me in studying God’s promises each day.

May the Lord bless you!

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Help me to hide Thy word in my heart every day. Please use Thy word to help me become more like Thy Son Jesus Christ. Help me to always obey everything that You teach me from Your word, so that it doesn’t just go in one ear and out the other. I ask that You let Your word be my treasure now and for always. Thank you, Lord, I love you, In Jesus mighty name, amen.

For more information about my Bible Promise Calendar and Encouraging Scripture Promise Calendar see my Etsy Shop Listings below: (Links will take you to my Etsy Shop.)

2018 Comforting Bible Promise Calendar

The 2018 Encouraging Scripture Promise Calendar

Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart, Unto The Least Of These  © 2017 SD Harden All rights reserved. Scripture Paintings (Thy Word Is a Lamp To My Feet, Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart, Faith Comes By Hearing © SD Harden 2017 All rights reserved./ Scripture Quotations KJV Bible/ 2018 Comforting Bible Promise Calendar & 2018 Encouraging Scripture Promise Calendar © SD Harden All Rights Reserved.

“But I will hope continually, 

and will yet praise thee more and more.” ~Psalm 71:14

Hope Yet More And More

In You, Oh Lord, I trust,

To You, Oh Lord, I pray,

You will answer me

Though I may have to wait.

Lord, You are my Shelter,

You hide me from the storm

I'll bring to You a sacrifice

Of praises, love and joy.

Oh Lord, You are my hope,

Despite the bitter night,

You are my holy lamp

Making all my darkness light.

Oh Lord, You made the night,

The sea, and every storm;

In You my soul will hope,

And praise You more and more.

Oh Lord, You are my hope,

My Holy God of Truth,

My everlasting Shelter,

I’ll ever wait on You.

In You, oh Lord, I trust,

My soul You’ll not forsake,

I’ll hope in You forever, Lord,

And sing Your praise always,

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

 (Prayer Poem & Scripture Painting) © 2017 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Thy gift of hope You give to us when we go through dark tunnels of fear and doubt; storms of affliction and pain, seasons of waiting on the answers to our prayers like the Israelites in the wilderness waiting 40 years for their Promised Land. 

Thank You for the comfort of Thy word that assures us that You never fail, You never lie, that You never break a promise. 

Psalm 146:6 assures us that You keep every promise forever, even as You did for Your Hebrew children in the ancient desert sand so long ago. 

Thy word tells us that You have no favorites; what You did for them, You will do for Thy children today who are trusting and waiting on You. 

May You give us grace to trust You, to believe in all Thy promises, to wait patiently for Thy plans to unfold, for Your plans for each one of us are good, if we will only wait on You to fulfill them. 

Thank You, Lord, we love You, in Jesus' name, amen. 🙏

Prayer song from "Paths of Hope~ Peaceful Prayer Songs: Calming, Peaceful Vocals: May the Lord use this song to bless and encourage your heart, and fill you with rivers of His hope.

God's Eyes Search The Earth

Prayer For Strength 

Heavenly Father, may You show Yourself strong and mighty on behalf of all those who are

seeking You today for a miracle. 

Thank You that You hear our every prayer, every sigh, that You even collect our tears in a special bottle. Nothing about each one of us escapes Your attention. 

Your love for us is wider than the great universe that is ever expanding all about us. 

You measure every grain of sand but You never measure Your love for us.

Reveal this truth to all those who are praying this prayer with me today.

May You help each of us to know deep in our hearts that we are valued and loved for 

who we are and not for anything that we have or have not done.

May You strengthen each heart, give rivers of Thy peace, hope, and joy that cannot be taken away no matter what challenges may come. 

Bless us with Thy great power to persevere and endure on our path even as Thy Son Jesus endured on the cross by the power of Thy Holy Spirit. 

Please meet our every need and keep us from all harm. Thank You, Lord, In Jesus name, I love You, amen & amen.

"Prayer For Strength" © 2016 Suzanne Davis Harden Scripture Illustration/ Suzanne's Scripture Designs © SD Harden 2016 "Unto The Least of These" © 2016 All Rights Reserved.

Jesus Bears Your Burdens

JESUS BEARS YOUR BURDENS © 2016 SD Harden All Rights Reserved.

Jesus bears your burdens

Though you see Him not,

He bears you up within His grace

In the arms of God.

In the arms of God

He bears you up with grace,

Restores you with His love 

Though you can't see His face.

Jesus bears your burdens

Just as He bore your sin

When you cast them at His feet

And trust your heart to Him.

Jesus knows your need

For your soul He cares;

And burdens far too hard for you

He's strong enough to bear.

Come boldly to His Altar

And lay your burdens there,

Jesus trades them for His peace

That casts away your cares.

Give the Lord your burdens, 

Do not be afraid,

He's the everlasting God,

You'll not be put to shame.

Jesus bears your burdens,

His word is ever true,

His everlasting arms are there

Forever holding you.

Psalm 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. 

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Prayer

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your only Son Jesus Christ died on the cross to bear our sins for us. 

Thank You that He also is our Heavenly High Priest who prays for us at Thy right hand without ceasing. 

Thy word says that we can come boldly to Thy throne of grace to find grace and mercy in our time of need. 

At Thy Altar we will receive all the grace and mercy we need for our Lord Jesus will be there ready to take on our burdens and cares and give us the peace that passes all understanding to replace our worries. 

I pray You will give peace and hope to all who are praying this prayer with me, that each soul will lay their burden at Jesus feet and be given Thy wonderful grace to replace it and a deep assurance in their heart that all will be well for You are in control and are working all things together for good to those who trust in You and love You. 

In Jesus name we pray. Thank You Lord, amen. 

"Jesus Bears Your Burden" © 2016 SD Harden All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2016 SD Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Pictures SD Harden Creations/ Scripture Quotations King James Version Bible/ New International Version Bible

Christ Holds Everything Together By His Word

"The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is like. He holds everything together with his powerful word." ~ Hebrews 1:3 (NCV)


Jesus Christ rules the universe the Bible says and holds it together by His powerful word.
In fact, the bible says that by His word He created the whole world! 

 Psalm 33:8-9 says "He spoke and it was done...He commanded and it stood fast."

Our lives are so uncertain. We've just experienced a massive winter storm where I live that produced record amounts of snow and single digit temperatures. 
With the snow and ice come power outages and frozen pipes. When there are no shelters from the cold and wind, where do the poor homeless go?
When the storms of life come, things we normally take for granted can be temporarily ~or even sometimes permanently ~lost.

Somewhere someone is struggling with chronic pain, another is dealing with cancer, a single mom just found out her job was terminated and she has no prospects for how she’s going to support her young family. A husband was told his wife no longer loves him. A couple just learned that their teenage child committed suicide. Missionaries serving the Lord in countries hostile to Christianity live in fear that they could be martyred any day for their faith. 

 That is just a fraction of the myriad sorrows that happen to countless people in our world every day. The Lord looks down from heaven and He sees it all. He sees every broken heart and the bible asserts that He has a special bottle where He stores every person's tears. 

"You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle." ~ Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

 Yet none of us can bear a pain or any sorrow that Jesus has not first borne upon His cross where He carried in His body all the sins and sorrows of our race. 

 He knows and feels all of our pain. And because He has felt it, He understands. 
He cherishes each one of us as if we were the only one He had to care for. He stands at His Father's right Hand and He prays for our every need. 

Whatever has fallen apart or is threatening to fall apart in my world today, I can come to Jesus and ask Him to hold it together, or to hold me together by His grace through whatever crisis I must face. 

 As the Lord Jesus Christ sits at the Father's right hand in Heaven praying night and day for us all, He hears every prayer that comes before His altar. (Romans 8:34)

No one is insignificant to Him who gave His life on the cross to redeem our souls from the curse of sin and to give us eternal life.

Concerning prayer, Jesus told His disciples,  "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened."

Trust God. No matter how chaotic the world may appear at times, He is still on His throne. One of God's names is Adonai. According to the Easton's Bible Dictionary this name means one who possesses "absolute control."  

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

His Word promises “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” ~Romans 8:28 (NLT)

In good times or bad, remember always, that God’s word promises:  “Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

  PRAYER

Lord Jesus, may You hear and answer the prayers of every person who needs You to hold something together in their life today. Please fill each heart with rivers of peace and hope, and faith. Lord, I ask You to hold families together, marriages together, people's health together, their minds together, whatever is threatening to fall apart in their personal worlds today, may You by Your almighty power hold it together by Thy holy word as we trust and put our faith in You; thank You, Lord, we love You, in Jesus' mighty name, amen.

*Please take a moment to view my new music video, "God Is In Control." May the Instrumental Prayersong & Lyrics comfort and encourage your hearts. ~
Love & Blessings, Suzanne 

"Christ Holds All Things Together By His Word" ~ © 2016 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Music Video: "God Is In Control" © 2016 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Art/Photo Credits: Scripture Pic via You Version Bible App, All other Scripture Pics via Pinterest, Scripture References New Living Translation © 2013 Tyndale House All Rights Reserved. New Century Version © 2005 Thomas Nelson All Rights Reserved.

Wait On The Lord

My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him." ~Psalm 62:5 

The Strong's Bible Dictionary defines the word that the Psalmist uses for "wait" in this passage as "to be dumb, to be astonished, to stop, to hold your peace, keep silent, be still, tarry, be cut off..."

Such a definition carries several implications. 

Meditate for a moment on what it means to "be dumb..mute, silent & hold your peace before the Lord. 

Have we ever just worshiped the Lord in silent prayer; cut ourselves off from every distraction so that we can completely focus on listening to the Holy Spirit? 

This is what the Psalmist is saying. 

"For my expectation is from God..."

The word expectation means "hope, outcome, the thing that I long for."

We will not find our hope in our work, mobile devices, on the Internet, social media, or any of a number of other things that distract our hearts away from God. 

We must go into our prayer closet and get alone with Jesus Christ and worship. 

In that quiet place our Lord will whisper His truth to our hearts.  Our love and knowledge of Him will grow as we practice waiting on Him in the silence of the holy place of our hearts. 

For He is our heart's truest desire and we will find all of our deepest longings fulfilled in Him.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, draw us closer to Your holy heart and help us learn to be still before You in prayer as we worship You; to wait on You, to listen for Thy still, small voice. We love You, in Jesus' name, amen.

Unto The Least of These "Wait On The Lord" © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Bible Verse King James Version

Our Brief Sojourn

Recently, a friend told me the sad news that she'd had a death in her family. Yesterday my son called to ask for prayer and told me that his precious wife, our daughter-in-law, had been hit head on by another vehicle as she was pulling out of their garage on her way to work. 

Miraculously, she sustained only minor injuries, but her car was totaled and she could have been killed.

I praise our merciful God for sparing her life!

Our sojourn on this earth is so brief. Moses wrote in Psalm 90:10, 12: 

"Our days may come to seventy years,or eighty, if our strength endures;

Lord, Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Life is also so random. Anything can happen at any time any day. But when you know and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ you have full assurance of your eternal dwelling place. You know that His word promises He will never forsake those who have put their hope in Him. All those who have committed their lives to Christ are sealed with the living Spirit of Christ. They are eternally inseperable.

Copyrighted//Source: Pinterest

Charles Haddon Spurgeon is one of my favorite Bible teachers. A reformed Baptist preacher, he lived and preached in England during the 19th century. He wrote many sermons, devotionals and inspirational books. 

The following excerpt is from his devotional "Morning and Evening." May it bless and comfort you as much as it did me.

Morning, June 29

"Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."

1 Thessalonians 4:14

Let us not imagine that the soul sleeps in insensibility. 

"Today shalt thou be with me in paradise," is the whisper of Christ to every dying

saint. 

They "sleep in Jesus," but their souls are before the throne of God, 

praising him day and night in his temple, singing hallelujahs to him

who washed them from their sins in his blood.

The body sleeps in its lonely bed of earth, beneath the coverlet of grass. 

But what is this sleep? The idea connected with sleep is "rest,"

and that is the thought which the Spirit of God would convey to us. 

Sleep makes each night a Sabbath for the day. 

Sleep shuts fast the door of the soul, and bids all intruders tarry for a while, 

that the life within may enter its summer garden of ease. 

The toil-worn believer quietly sleeps, as does the weary child 

when it slumbers on its mother's breast. 

Oh! happy they who die in the Lord; they rest from their labours, 

and their works do follow them. Their quiet repose shall never be broken…”

__________________________________________________________________________________

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, please bless and encourage all those who have suffered the loss of loved ones or friends this week, or who will soon face such grief. Thy word says You are close to the brokenhearted and that You bind up their wounds. Fill their souls with rivers of Thy love, grace, peace and hope; give them faith to know that their loved ones are safe with You. Thank You, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen. 

Excerpt From: Charles H. Spurgeon. “Morning and Evening: Daily Bible Readings for Every Day of the Year.”

Unto The Least Of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

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

Faith is the Two A's

Faith is The Two A's

The following devotional "Faith is The Two A's" was written by  Reverend Donald Peters, the Pastor of our church. 
He'd preached a wonderful sermon on Faith and then included this excellent devotional from it in our bulletin last Sunday. He graciously gave me permission to share it on my blog.

Faith is the two A's: 
Accepting what God says and Acting upon it.
His Word is the Fact, and on that we Act.

Four Ways to grow our FAITH:

1. FOCUS primarily on God, rather than circumstances.
   When Peter focused on Jesus, he was able to walk on water. 

"You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 

 Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth."~Colossians 3:1-2 (ERV)

"We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne."
 Hebrews 12:2 (ERV)

2. Read the Bible thoughtfully and unhurriedly, allowing it to sink into your soul.
Romans 10: 17 reminds us, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (KJV)

Psalm 1:1-3 (KJV) "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." 

3. Pray to the Lord from the heart, because the Christian has a personal relationship with Him.

Psalm 62:8 (KJV) "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us."

Romans 8:26 (KJV) "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

4. Act on what the Lord reveals to you through the Word and prayer, for faith is incomplete until we do.


James 1:22 (ERV) ^"Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves."

James 1:25 (NASB) "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."


“But My righteous one will live by faith." ~ Hebrews 10:38 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, Thy Son Jesus Christ said that if we had faith even as small as a mustard seed we could move a mountain. We ask You to give us more faith. Fill our hearts with faith, hope and rivers of peace; may we always remember that You are in control and have engraved each one of us on the palms of Your almighty hands. May You meet the needs of everyone praying this prayer, In Jesus' name we ask, we love You, Lord, amen.

"Faith is the Two A's" ©  2015 Rev. Donald Peters All Rights Reserved.  Photo Credits via Pinterest Scripture Quotations: Easy To Read Version Bible (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by World Bible Translation Center,
New American Standard Version Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960,
New International Version, NIV® Copyright ©1973,
King James Version (KJV) (Public Domain)
Prayer: S.D. Harden Unto The Least Of These © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

You Are Never Alone

Christ Prays For Us" © Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

                  ~Romans 8:35-39 (NLT)

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? 

Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, 

or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 

As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; 

we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, 

who loved us. 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. 

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, 

neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—

not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—

indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us 

from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

During the Middle Ages, pious Christians believed that if your life was beset with afflictions and trials it was a sign of God's great favor.

The New Testament mentions suffering at least 33 times. The apostle James wrote, 

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (James 1:2-4 NLT)

St. Peter wrote, "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world." 

~ 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NLT)

Sometimes when we are facing difficult circumstances or any sort of trial, we may feel all alone, as if we have been abandoned by God or that He does not love us as much as He loves others.

Even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself cried out in His pain on the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:45)

Pain has a way of isolating us, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual pain, it makes no difference. It makes us feel alone and abandoned. 

However, God assures us in His word in Psalm 139 that we are never alone, that He is ever present with us. 

He promises us that He will never forget us in this beautiful verse from Isaiah:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

And not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Surely they may forget,Yet I will not forget you."

 (Isaiah 49:14-15) NKJV

We also have the comforting assurance that even if no one else is praying for us on our journey, there is One up in Heaven who is always praying for us, night and day. 

He knows each one of us intimately for He created us, He knows our every need and all of our hopes and longings. 

His prayers that He prays for us are always answered. He will never give up on us. 

No one else may know my name, but Jesus Christ, our Heavenly High Priest, knows me. 

He loves each of us so much, that He has engraved a picture of us on the Palm of His hand. 

"See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me."(Isaiah 49:16) NKJV

He cannot, nor will He ever forget about us. 

We may imagine that He has forgotten us sometimes but God's word assures us that the One who is praying for us night and day is always thinking about us. 

"I am poor and weak, yet the Lord is thinking about me right now!" ~(Psalm 40:17 ERV)

The Psalmist wrote, "How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day Your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, You are still thinking of me!" (Psalm 139:17-18 TLB)

The One who "ever lives to make intercession" for us is constantly thinking about us, praying for all of our needs. 

He is at the right hand of His Heavenly Father, the Bible says, pleading for us.

And nothing will ever be able to separate us from His immeasurable love toward us. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving everything to us when You gave us Your Son Jesus Christ to be our sacrifice to redeem our souls from the penalty of sin and death. Thank You that Thy word promises that Jesus is our High Priest forever and able to "save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV)

Thank You for such wonderful promises from Thy word. 

Father God, we love You and praise You for forgiving our sins and for giving us eternal life in Christ, in Jesus' name. Amen. 

"Christ Prays For Us" ~ 5" inch x 7" inch, Double-Matted Fine Art Print. Copyright © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

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Unto The Least Of These, © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Scripture Verses New King James Version Bible © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. 

(ERV)Easy To Read Version © 2006 World Bible Translation Center

(TLB) Today's Living Bible © 1971 Tyndale House Publishers 

(NLT) Holy Bible New Living Translation © 2013  Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.