There are two things that really stood out to me from our Spoken Word Bible Plan readings for today. The first is from Psalm 31. David was crying out to God for help, but along with this he was reminding himself of how the Lord had already delivered him in times past. We MUST base our faith on the Word of God (Romans 10:17), but when the circumstances SEEM to be so contrary to the promise, then we must encourage ourselves in the Lord the way David did! He did it by remembering past victories! He reminded himself that God was faithful! HE never changes (Hebrews 13:8)! Look at these verses for an example of how to think and what to say to keep yourself in faith during times of testing, trial and temptation! Verses 19-24:
19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere,and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men! 20 In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots of men; You keep them secretly in Your pavilion from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed be the Lord! For He has shown me His marvelous loving favor when I was beset as in a besieged city. 22 As for me, I said in my haste and alarm, I am cut off from before Your eyes. But You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to You for aid. 23 O love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully pays back him who deals haughtily. 24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!
Notice that it is "in the secret place of Your presence" that the Lord our God hides us from the attacks of the enemy (Psalm 91)! Love, pray for, encourage and assist your fellow believers in Jesus, our brothers and sisters in the faith, when they are undergoing tests, trials and tribulations, but NEVER attribute these to God! The promise is that He WILL hide us! COUNT on it, no matter what happens to others! We do NOT know their lives and whether or not they had the same faith in this promise. If we base our faith for even a moment on the experiences of others, it ceases to be faith, which is based solely and completely on the Word of God! You may be ridiculed for your stance, but you WILL be walking in the promise! AMEN!
The second thing that really stood out to me came while I was reading Acts 3. We see that Peter and John were going in to the temple "at the hour of prayer". This was three o'clock in the afternoon, one of the three times a day (9am, 12, 3pm) that "The Amidah", or "The Standing Prayer", was said in the temple. This had been going on since 450 BC and the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. One of the portions of this prayer is a prayer for healing.
"Heal us, Oh Lord, and we will be healed; save us and we will be saved. For You are our praise. Oh grant a perfect healing to all our ailments, for You, Almighty King, are a faithful and merciful healer. Blessed are You, O Lord, the healer of the sick of His people Israel."
We've mentioned before that this man had heard this prayer because he was laid daily at the gates of the temple, but he was never able to stand with the rest of the congregation to pray! NOW, he went in "walking and leaping and praising God"! The thing that really came to my attention was the fact that this prayer for healing was prayed three times a day, EVERY DAY, for about 480 years and yet the people had not seen healings such as the ones that Jesus performed! This makes it all the more bizarre that the religious leaders would refuse to recognize that Jesus was Who He said He was! Have you encountered people who, in spite of all the evidence, refuse to believe the Word of God and the God of the Word? Take heart! They did the same to Jesus! Just continue to walk in the Light of His Word and be the example to those around you, all the time praying for them to see and receive! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "God Who Saves":
Shalom in Him!
