God, The Comforter - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 22, 2023

Comfort. It's an interesting word that can mean different things under different circumstances. How would you comfort a crying child with a scraped knee, for instance? Would you give a hug or a kind word? How about a kiss on the wound or a piggyback ride? Would you do the same for an elderly man who recently lost his wife? Of course not. In that situation, your way of comforting him could be by visiting him regularly to keep him company. Or, you might stock up his home with food. You could maybe help him clean up his home or run some of his errands.

As we can see, the form of comfort will be different depending on what happened. Yet, the objective is the same - to support the person and take their mind off the problem, even if temporarily.

Despite our best intentions, human beings are limited in how much comfort they can offer. God, on the other hand, can do so much more for a person in need of comfort. There's a reason why He is called the God of all comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3, meaning He can be the comfort a person needs no matter what they are going through. There is no limit to how He can comfort those in need or how much comfort He can provide.

And that's why we must go to our God for all the comfort we need. In fact, when we don't turn to Him, we are liable to make mistakes and sin. The Israelites made this error when they were at the base of Mt. Sinai (Exodus 32). At that time, Moses had gone up the mountain to meet with the Lord and had been there for a while. The people doubted whether Moses would return and wanted the solace of a god they could see. They then asked Aaron to build them a golden calf - an idol. Instead of calling on the God who had miraculously led them out of Egypt, they turned to a man made object for comfort.

We do the same thing in our own way. A coworker upsets us and we go home fuming. What do we do? We call someone and say disparaging things about the coworker, thereby engaging in gossip, slander and possibly more. We could have simply expressed ourselves to God before venting to someone else. Had we done so, our anger would have been blunted, so we could have simply shared facts without being mean in our speech. What about when we come home after a particularly stressful day? Instead of first dumping the burdens of the day at God's feet or thanking Him for getting us through it, we sink into the sofa and turn on a program that doesn't require much thought. Another option is that we open our devices and scroll mindlessly on social media. Or, we open a bottle of wine and sink our sorrows into that.

The list of ways that we turn to everything other than God for comfort is endless. Yet, God wants to be our first port of call when we are going through things. We shouldn't deprive Him of His responsibility to shower us with comfort and His great desire to show us His compassion. We should call on God, the Comforter. We should lean on His shoulder and speak to His ever-listening ear.

We simply need to ask for God's comfort. After all, we are told to ask in order to receive in Matthew 7:7. There is ample scripture to help us, such as Psalm 71:21 which states, You will increase my honor and comfort me once more. We can also remind the Lord of His duty to provide comfort via Isaiah 51:12 - I alone am the one who comforts you. Why, then, are you afraid of mortals, who must die, of humans, who are like grass? (GWT). There is also Psalm 23:4 - Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

And when we have received the Lord's comfort, we can praise with Isaiah 49:13 - Shout for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, And break forth into singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted (AMP).

No matter the issue, don't hesitate to ask God to be your comforter. Call on Him to wrap you up in His arms. Ask Him to be whatever you need Him to be in the troubling moments. God loves each of us and wants us to consider Him capable of comforting us in our times of need.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you.

Why does God bless us? - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 19, 2023

How many of us are looking to be blessed? I know I am. And yet, how many of us understand that there are principles underlying the receipt of God's blessings? We have to be aware of them so we not only step into the blessings we seek, but also maintain them once they arrive.

One such principle is found in Psalm 105:43-45 - He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD. This scripture praises God for leading the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, a land of milk and honey i.e. blessings. Do you notice the reason given for why God did this for the people of Israel?​

"...that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws..."

In essence, the Lord chose to bless them so that they would obey Him.

As much as we want the Lord to bless us, have we considered that His blessings are to help us submit to Him? His blessings are a vehicle to encourage His people to depend on Him even more. God isn't interested in doing things for people that will lead them away from Him. Or, that will allow His blessings and gifts to fall into the hands of the enemy. That said, He has given everyone the ability to choose and if someone opts to turn from Him after being blessed, there will be unpleasant consequences.

Many of us want God to bless us, but in the deepest part of our hearts, we want to take those blessings and use them to do what we desire. As a result, there is no room for what God wants us to use those blessings for. And we wonder why the things we've desperately prayed for aren't forthcoming. James 4:3 - When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

God isn't interested in blessing us so we can flaunt what we've received on social media or elsewhere in society. His blessings are for us to obey Him as well as to walk in fear and trembling of Him. It is so we can remember to obey and serve the God who did the things He did for us. And to do so faithfully. His blessings aren't about us. They are about Him - a way to bring glory to Himself and show to all that He alone is God.

So, how many of us are looking to be blessed? And now that we understand why God blesses people, what needs to change in us so that God's blessing and gifts to us will honor Him? Can we truly say that we are the ones who would still obey Him if He were to bless us in the manner we are praying for? Or, would we make His blessings about us and not about Him? We each have to take time to honestly consider these questions and see how we measure up.

May the Lord help each of us to adopt a heart posture of submission. May we be the ones He can count on to obey Him even after He opens the heavens over us. IJMN, Amen.

Do God's Will - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 15, 2023

Matthew 12:50 - For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

I recently spent a little time with today's anchor scripture and for the first time in my life, it got me very excited. Jesus told each of us the way to become more than just his followers. The way to become family with Him. And the tip is simple - do the will of His Father.

And now, you're asking, what exactly is the will of God?

That's a fair question. I remember wondering the same when I gave my life back to the Lord, after thinking (very wrongly, if I may add) that I could take control of my life and do something with it. But, I digress... I also wasn't sure what God expected from me. However, He was kind and showed me that He wanted me to regularly spend quiet time with Him, study the Bible, and give Him praise. Then, He taught me to pray for others, to give to the less fortunate, to tithe, to Sabbath...

Seems like a long list and I can imagine why someone would think so. However, I have seen how God has helped me add these things slowly over time and in that way none of it seemed like a burden. And, I have to say, I have seen the benefits of doing the will of God - it has led to intimacy with Him. He nudges me in the direction I should go and helps me stay out of trouble, because believe me, I sometimes have a knack for it.

It makes sense that doing the will of God brings us into His family. This is why God made provision for all who believe in His Son to receive Holy Spirit and we are told in Romans 8:14 - For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Thus, Holy Spirit acts as a guide - the Voice of God - telling us where to go (Isaiah 30:21). And when we do His will, we become the family members to Christ Himself, and enjoy the benefit of Holy Spirit.

That same Holy Spirit also helps us understand God's will for us. One day, the Lord may fill you with joy and cause you to worship Him hard for five minutes. A few days later, He might send someone your way who needs a comforting word that He will place on your lips. On another day, He may place a burden on your heart to pray for someone you know. And as we obey these instructions, we can eventually become like those Jesus spoke of in John 15:14 - You are my friends if you do what I command.

May the Lord help us. May He graciously show us how to do His will so we can become the true family member's of Christ, the genuine children of God, who Jesus can call His friends, IJMN, Amen.