Morning & Evening

June 17th "save, o Lord"-Psalm 12:1

THIS PRAYER IS REMARKABLE FOR ITS BREVITY, but it may be offered HUMBLY, REGULARLY, and PROFITABLY . david was saddened that the numbers of the faithful were so small, and therefore he lifted up his heart in supplication: when the creature failed, he flew to the Creator. he evidently felt his own weakness, or he would not have cried for help; but at the same time he obviously intended to give himself for the cause of truth, for the cry "save" is inapplicable where we do not exert (use, put to use) ourselves. note the DIRECTNESS, CLEARNESS OF PERCEPTION, and DISTINCTNESS OF UTTERANCE in this petition of few words, distinguishing it from the long, rambling outpourings of certain professors. the psalmist runs straight toward his God with a well-considered prayer; he knows what he is seeking and where to seek it. Lord, teach us to pray in the same direct manner.

THE OCCASIONS WHEN PRAYER IS NEEDED ARE CONSTANT in providential afflictions how necessary prayer is for tested believers who find all other helpers failing them. students in DOCTRINAL DIFFICULTIES will find help by lifting up their cry of "save, o Lord" to the Holy Spirit, the great Teacher. spiritual warriors in INWARD CONFLICTS may send to the throne of grace for reinforcements, and this will be a model for their request. those who are engaged in HEAVENLY TOIL may in this way obtain grace in time of need. seeking sinners, in DOUBTS AND ALARMS, may offer up the same simple supplication; in fact, in all these cases, times, and places this will serve the turn of needy souls. "save, o Lord" will suit us in living and dying, suffering or working, rejoicing or sorrowing. in Him our help is found; let us not be slow to cry to Him.

THE ANSWER TO THE PRAYER IS CERTAIN, if it is sincerely offered through Jesus. the Lord's character assures us that He will not leave His people; His relationship as Father and Husband guarantee us His help. God's gift of Jesus is a pledge of every good thing; and His sure promise stands, "fear not, I will help you"

therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

HEBREWS 12:1-3 ESV

How He Loves Us-David Crowder

He is jealous for me,
loves like a hurricane,iI am a tree,

bending beneath the weight of His wind and Mercy.
when all of a sudden,
i am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory,
and I realize just how beautiful You are,
and how great Your affections are for me.

and oh, how He loves us so,
oh how He loves us,
how He loves us all

yeah, He loves us,
oh! how He loves us,
oh! how He loves us,
oh! how He loves.

we are His portion and He is our prize,
drawn to redemption by the Grace in His eyes,
if Grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
and Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
and my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
i don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
when i think about, the way…

and oh, how He loves us so,
oh how He loves us,
how He loves us all

You are all of me

my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, i dare not trust my sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name. on Christ the solid Rock i stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

the terrors of law and of God with me can have nothing to do, my Savior's obedience and blood hide all my transgressions from view.

i rest my faith on Him alone Who died for my transgressions to atone.

Micah 7:18-20

who is a God like You, Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy

You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as You pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.

God is absolute truth. He is eternal life, and gives it to us abundantly when we cry out to Him. He keeps His promises as He shows His faithfulness to me, my friends, and other Christians.

God does not fear death, sickness, anxiety, regrets, anything. and what a great King to serve under and be in His arms for comfort and peace when we fear these things.

for God, who is Almighty and Powerful...who created EVERY little speck of this universe, every creature, creating air and the things we need to survive....for Him to have compassion on me. someone who fails every day. who has wrong motives, can get angry, impatient, stressed..what exactly do i have to offer the world??

nothing.

and yet God, in all His Kindness, has compassion on me. to take the time to teach me what it means to be loving, kind, caring, patient, slow to anger...

sinless--through His Word, His music, His church, His people.

and even when i mess up while learning through His example, He keeps His promise to still be faithful and loving towards me for the rest of my life, even into Heaven...

isn't He amazing?

God...my heart aches. really bad.

my mind...racing.

my eyes...losing vision..

my words...lost.

contemplation

lately, i have not been able to concentrate on much...except for the fact that i need God so much in my life. at points in our lives, we'll all feel this way..and yet the ONLY answer to this problem is to go dig deeper into God...

but then that's not even the first thing that even comes to mind. we're so silly. the moment it's apparent we need to meet God, we run away like the lost sheep that we are, but God graciously keeps running after us to turn us around in the right direction.

ever since i became a Christian, i have been going to nearby churches. ones i could walk to when i was at school without a car. almost every church i have visited, i have gotten so much fruit out of them. and now here i am, finally able to call a church my home. this is it. plant many seeds here, serve the body, and gain much perspective on who God is and strengthen my relationship with Him, grasping the deep, deep affection He has towards me that i don't deserve.

but lately, my love and desire to go to church has dwindled. i don't know why. but as taught from a Big Meeting last night, i am sinning. i am violating God's will, His obedience, His power....to do things the way i want, to follow my own selfish desires. much of which is just to sleep in. to sleep in and waste the day. instead of just missing church to have my own quiet time and praying time, i end up just sleeping the day away, not afraid because i have plenty more days to read God's Word.

then the minute i finally get out of bed, i just have this guilt on my shoulders. "why did you have to sleep that extra hour or two? the day is almost over and you could have done so much!" my Bible and prayer journal just sit somewhere collecting dust after all these days of me just sitting on the sideline...sleeping.

i know with all my heart that God didn't just sacrifice His Son so that i could sleep all day and night and not have a conscience to learn or do anything productive. i know that i was not meant to sit on some bench and not take action when He gives me opportunity.

i need to keep swimming towards the deep end. not feel comfortable just because i can stand in a couple feet of water. you don't need faith for that. what i need to do is take courage, because even though whatever is out there, the harsh waves, the bottomless stretch that awaits for me out there...i need to stand on my faith in knowing that God will carry me through. He didn't do what He has done for me, spend all this time teaching and blessing me [with so much] for me to just drown and be scared for the rest of my life.

God has taught me well in His Word to make sacrifices for Him. God has given me much faith to be bold and re-draw my boundaries.

so i want to take another stab at this swimming thing and not retreat back to the shallow end just because i can and just because i know that's where familiarity is.

"As your days, so shall your strength be."
—Deuteronomy 33:25

i can finally see that You're right there beside me.

i am not my own, for i have been made new.

please don't let me go, i desperately need You.

i am not my own, for i have been made new.

please don't let me go, i desperately need You.

Until the Whole World Hears-Casting Crowns

Lord i want to feel Your heart
and see the world through Your eyes
i want to be Your hands and feet
i want to live a life that leads

ready yourselves
ready yourselves
let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night
ready yourselves
ready yourselves
may the powers of darkness tremble as our praises rise
until the whole world hears Lord we are calling out
lifting up Your name for all to hear the sound
like voices in the wilderness we're crying out
as the day draws near
we'll sing until the whole world hears

Lord let Your sleeping giant arise
catch the demons by surprise
Holy nation sanctified
let this be our battle cry

we'll sing until the whole world hears
we'll sing until the whole world hears

want to be Your hands and feet
want to be a life that leads
to see You set the captive free
until the whole world hears
and i pray that they will see more of You and less of me
Lord i want my life to be the song You sing
until the whole world hears Lord we are calling out
lifting Your name up for all to hear the sound
like voices in the wilderness we're crying out
as the day draws near
we'll sing until the whole world hears
we'll sing until the whole world hears
we'll sing until the whole world hears
we'll sing until the whole world hears
we'll sing until the whole world hears
we'll sing until the whole world hears