"Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep..."

One night before climbing into bed, Brad knelt with his mother to pray. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray Thee Lord, my soul to keep; if I should die before I wake...” There was a long pause and suddenly he stopped praying.

“Go on,” said his mother to encourage him.

“I can’t,” he cried and ran from the room.

A few moments later he returned and finished the prayer, “I pray Thee Lord my soul to take.”

“What happened?” his Mother asked.

“Well,” he confessed, “just before we knelt to pray, I went into James’ room and took all of his toy soldiers and hid them. Then I hid his tanks, cannons and trucks so he couldn’t see them. And after I started to pray I had to stop and make everything right because I knew that God wouldn’t hear me.”

Many times we pray and get no answers. Often we think that God is not willing to hear us or unable to help us. But that is not true.

We cannot knowingly have sin in our hearts and lives and go to God and expect Him to answer our prayers. If we expect God to hear and answer our prayers we must make things right first.

Said the Psalmist, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” It is only when we willingly confess and forsake our sins that we can expect God to answer our prayers. It may be time to stop in the middle of a prayer, right some wrongs and then pray.

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to accept the fact that we cannot expect You to answer our prayers if we keep sin in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Triumph Through Tragedy

A fierce tornado destroyed his home. Finally, when the rains stopped and floods subsided, he returned to look at the damage. All had been destroyed. His home was gone. His belongings had been washed away. There was little more than the foundation and piles of rubble.

But as he stood at the site, dazed and discouraged, he noticed something shining in the midst of a pile of debris. As he looked closely at the glimmering object, he discovered it was a large piece of gold bullion. He did his best to find the owner but to no avail. No one knew where the gold came from or who it belonged to.

After waiting for weeks for an owner to come identify the gold he was told by his attorney and the police department to keep what he had found. What the flood destroyed and took from him also brought him wealth.

Many of us have stories that are similar to this one. What we once viewed as a tragedy turned into a triumph. What we once believed was a trial and time of testing eventually turned into a gracious gift of God’s grace as He protected us from being destroyed by the Enemy.

Beethoven, the great musician lost his hearing but became a great composer and his music still lives. John Bunyan was thrown into prison and forgotten for years. But through his adversity he glorified God by writing Pilgrim’s Progress. Fanny Crosby lost her sight but wrote over 6,000 Christian songs.

“We went through fire and water,” wrote the Psalmist, “but you brought us to a place of abundance!”

Prayer: Enable us, Father, to trust in the wisdom of the plan You have designed for each of our lives as we follow You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 66:12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.

He Rules Forever

He who created all things rules everything! Kingdoms that were once great and powerful can no longer be found on a map. Nations that were once feared and wealthy are now weak and impoverished. Countries that once were respected are now looked upon as failures.

God has been, is and always will be the Creator-Ruler.

His sovereignty began when the universe began and kingdoms, nations and countries were in existence according to His divine plan. He reigned before time began and will continue to reign even when clocks cease to tick. “He rules forever by His power.”

His eyes are never closed as He watches over every nation. Deeds that show compassion and deeds that are cruel do not escape His careful observation. Though He is invisible to us, nations are not invisible to Him. He is aware of every citizen in every country and carefully records the actions of the rulers and leaders. “His eyes watch the nations,” wrote the Psalmist.

The rebellious and unrighteous, the godless and the god-restricting will not escape His judgment. No nation has ever succeeded when they have rebelled against God, His laws or His truth. Nations sin, people sin and God warns them and waits for them to repent.

If they repent He spares His judgment and voids the punishment that is rightfully theirs because of their sin. But when nations continue to sin they will collapse from within or be destroyed from without.

Only nations who have honored God have survived.

Prayer: We pray, Father, that our nation will repent and return to our heritage that once followed Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 66:7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations—let not the rebellious rise up against him.

The God Who Can

God often brings a difficult situation into our lives so He can turn it into a delightful memory so we can remind ourselves of His love and mercy. Often when we face an impossible dilemma, He turns it into a blessing that will provide a story of His incredible power that we can share with our children. There are times when He turns overwhelming obstacles into great opportunities to demonstrate His power and terrible times and trials into triumphs and testimonies of His strength.

David wanted to remind the children of God about the greatness of God and wrote, “He turned the sea into dry land (and) they passed through the waters on foot – come let us rejoice in Him!”

The children of Israel were on their way to the Promised Land. When they came to the coast, they made their camp. Suddenly they turned around and saw their enemy coming to destroy them. Before them was the sea. Behind them was their enemy. When they looked at their options, they came to the conclusion that they would either drown or be destroyed. But God was there.

And as He was with them He is with us! God is always between His children and the catastrophes of life. He never abandons us when we face the difficult decisions or demands of life.

If God could turn the sea into dry land and if the children of Israel were able to pass through the waters on foot, He can do the same for us today. With problems before us and danger behind us He can deliver us.

Prayer: Give us a faith, Father, that will overcome every fear we face trusting in You alone to deliver us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 66:6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot — come, let us rejoice in him.

Evidence And Facts!

“Take nothing on its looks. Take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule!” wrote Charles Dickens in Great Expectations.

Years later, a fictional detective, Sgt. Joe Friday became famous for the phrase, “Just the facts, Ma’am. All I want are the facts.” If there were no facts there could be no reliable evidence.

“Shout for joy to God, all the earth...Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power...All the earth bows down to You,’” wrote David.

Everywhere David looked, he saw God’s “awesome deeds.” And these “deeds” provided all the “evidence” he, and those who met with him in worship, needed to have to believe in the God of Israel.

These “awesome deeds” can be seen in His-story: God judging and punishing those who were disobedient to Him; those who broke His laws and disregarded and disobeyed His commandments. They paid the price. His-story also includes examples of His countless blessings and unending love, mercy and grace that He graciously blest those who trusted Him. He protected them and provided for their every need as long as they were obedient to His Word and His ways. And He still does.

The Bible contains all of the evidence that is needed for us to see the “awesome deeds” of God. In His-story He gives us “evidence” and “facts” that are undeniable.

Christian faith is a faith established on truths that cannot be denied. With David we can “Shout for joy!”

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see Your mighty acts of strength and power and shout for joy as we worship You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.