Call on God

We have a wonderful promise to consider today.  Though it was written over 2500 years ago to the prophet Jeremiah, our God is unchanging and we can claim it today!  God still delights to reveal Himself when we heed His plea...'Call unto me!'

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

(Jeremiah 33:3)

God never gives commands without a reason;  His instructions always result in our good and His glory.  Prayer has many results and warrants a study in itself; today's promise though relates to the revelations God will give to those who call out to Him.  Prayer is the super highway of spiritual communication.  Prayer has a potential power to blast through earthly realities and unveil spiritual treasures beyond our experience. God is Spirit and we are made in His image.  God is willing to work in the realm of our natural bodies--to speak through circumstances--but His deepest revelations are to the spirit within. 

It is the cry of God's heart that we will commune with Him so that we can experience His all-encompassing love.  Hebrews tells us that those who seek Him must both believe that He exists and that He is good.  Faith in God's goodness allows us to place our hurts, fears and even frustrations before His healing, purifying presence.  As we cry out with those deep concerns, God reveals the great and might things we do not know and our burdens become light.  We see Him for who He is and are freed to worship without reservation.  For seeing God ALWAYS results in worship.

Don't settle for a social call on God.  Truly call on Him today...trust Him to show Himself to you and be prepared to rejoice!

Door of Hope

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor (trouble) for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

(Hosea 2:15)

Our promise to stand upon today comes from the book of Hosea.  While it is spoken particularly to the Jewish nation, it holds a truth we can build upon as well.  Despite repeated and long-term unfaithfulness on the part of His chosen people, God purposes to call them to Himself.  In Hosea, we see that God had withdrawn His blessing from the people in response to rebellion and unfaithfulness.  But God's love is never withdrawn and He still sought to deliberately drawn them unto Himself. 

God's desire is always that our hearts will be united with His in love.  He allures us and blesses us that we will move from a relationship of 'Master' to 'husband.'  In verse 15 God promises to give Israel vineyards--fruitfulness--and to use the Valley of Trouble as a Doorway to Hope.  God still uses trouble to lead us closer to Himself.  Whether the trouble is the result of our own waywardness or an other's or simply a result of our broken world, God desires to utilize the sorrows for our benefit (Romans 8:28). 

Do not wander in despair in the valley of troubles; God promises there is a door to fruitfulness and hope.  Jesus is the door...enter into Him and enjoy the glory of God.

Filled!

Our promise today is in the midst of a wonderful Psalm, so be sure to bless yourself and read the entire passage!  But for now:

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

(Psalms 34:8-10)

They that seek the Lord shall not want any good!  That is definitely a promise to rejoice the soul!  Hearts centered on God will never lack.  The focus is not on lacking 'things'--in fact, 'thing' is added into the verse for clarity but was not in the original passage.  (Thus the italics.)  So why do we not always feel that we are fully supplied?  One key is in the opening of verse 10...young lions will have lack.  Brazen, independent and self-confident hearts seek their own fulfillment--and find nothing!  It is far easier to trust in our own plans and our abilities to provide for us but the results will be empty.  Life is tough; our hearts are unfaithful and we are weak.  Trusting in ourselves will bring disillusionment, discouragement and defeat.  Trusting in God, centering our hearts on His goodness, is the key to a life supplied with all good.  God fills us with His riches when we truly revere Him.  As we taste His goodness, our hearts overflow with presence.  So next time your heart is hungry for more, purpose to taste the Lord's sweetness, praise His goodness and partake of His bounty!

God's Word

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

(Isaiah 55:11-13)

Our first 'promise' to consider and rejoice in fixes our eyes on the Word!  As water penetrates the soil of our gardens and releases the potential of seeds, the Word penetrates the soil of our soul and produces the harvest God desires.  Earlier in the passage, we are reminded that God's thoughts and ways far exceed our own.  Nothing our life produces apart from His Word will compare.  In fact, the contrast given later in the passage is pine trees and myrtle instead of thornbushes and briers!  The soul production God desires is the glorious revelation of Himself that others' lives will be blessed as well.  With our eyes turned toward God's Word, our ears tuned to His Word and our feet trodding the path lit by His Word, we are assured of 'going out in joy, being led forth in peace and hearing the rejoicing all around!  God's Word, heard and heeded will produce great results in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  He promises.  We believe!

Relying on the Promises of God

Good morning!  Before we launch into exploring God's promises, let's consider this wonderful truth:

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.  (Romans 4:21)

God's power and love will be our focus that we might thirst to be in His presence more and more!

Zeal!

We will close our Alphabet of Attributes with "zeal."  The work of Christ--our release from captivity to sin and deliverance to victory in Him--IS the zeal of the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 37:32).  Zealousness is a powerful force displayed in God and intended to be displayed in the lives of believers.

Throughout scriptures God's people are exhorted to live with zeal.  Our zeal is to be for the Lord and with knowledge--for zealousness has great impact.  Perhaps the greatest insight into the power of zeal is revealed in Song of Solomon 8:6.  The Hebrew phrase translated as "love is strong as death" could also be written accurately as "ardent zeal is as strong as the grave."  Ardent zeal and fervent love are the same; both are as strong as death itself.  Only the zeal of the Lord is powerful enough to deliver souls from death.   The passion of God was Jesus' power source and it is to be ours as well. 

Isaiah passionately prophesied of all that the zeal of the Lord would accomplish.  We see God's purposes brought to fruition in Jesus Christ.  In Christ we see the patience and perseverance needed by one consumed with zeal for God's purposes.  It is that to which we are called.  In Romans 12, Paul exhorts believers to be living sacrifices never lacking in zeal.  Only if we 'die to self' and live in Christ can our lives be powered by the zeal of the Lord of Hosts.  God's purposes in our lives will be gloriously fulfilled with His zeal.  Embrace a zealous life today!

I truly pray you have enjoyed these weeks of focusing on Jesus Christ.  In coming weeks, we will look at beauty of living in the promises God has given.  Join me and invite others!