I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Psalm 66:17-20 (NIV)
In 1997 I made a note beside that 20th verse. “A promise†Twelve years later, I can say that I was right about that. God has not rejected my prayers and He has not withheld His love from me.
This week Henry and I shared/discussed God’s silence. I hope you grabbed and thought about what Henry said when he stated that God being silent was not a bad thing. In the silence is often when I truly sense God’s tangible presence.
I remember stories that my mother told me of the Great Depression. She and my father both came from farming families in the Midwest. My mother’s family had little before the 1930’s but her stories were not about the lack but instead of how they overcame the difficulties. I believe that perspective came from their deep-rooted faith that God, who loved them and had great power, would see them through with enough bread for each day. Now we are faced with great difficulties and it is again time for deep-rooted faith.
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)
I have chosen to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge Him as my Savior and Lord. And so no matter what today or tomorrow brings, I will continues to live by Jesus’ example of mercy, grace, faithfulness, and joy. I will seek Him in Word and prayer so that my faith is deep-rooted. And I will give thanks every day for all that God has done, is doing, and will do. It is Life – abundant Life.
