Words of life | God’s Promises

Words of life | God’s Promises

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

Psalm 91:14-16 (ESV)

“Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

Reflection:

When we think of God’s promise to Abraham, He brings all that He is and enters into a covenant with this mortal man. There is nothing that Abraham can offer God, as if God were in need. In this psalm, we see a similar gap between what we bring and what God provides. The writer does not bring anything that God needs. All he has to offer is his heart. On the other hand, God brings all that the writer needs and more.

What is it that you need at this time? Where can you find it? Where can you go to see your needs fulfilled? Is it a place, is it a person or is it an organisation? God’s promises in these few verses show us a picture of the one true source, God Himself. God’s heart towards those He loves can be measured in this way, He gave His Son in your place. Knowing this, it moves our heart to love Him and to want to know Him.

Prayer outline:

Reflect on each of the following promises, taking note of how God has fulfilled these to you and write them down.
I will: rescue him, protect him, answer him, be with him, deliver him, honour him, satisfy him, show him My salvation.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

Words of life | Song of Praise – 3

Words of life | Song of Praise – 3

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

1 Chronicles 16:28-34 (ESV)

“Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”

Reflection:

What strikes me so much in this passage is that praising God is something that not only we as humans were created to do, but all of creation. Everything God has created declares His splendour, His majesty, His greatness. He is so worthy of praise and adoration that even the rocks would cry out if we stayed silent (Lk. 19:40). We see God revealed through His creation as it sings and testifies of His goodness and favour. What a God is this, that everything His hands have made declares His glory?! And this God chose you and me to be the crown of His creation. This God chose you and me to be vessels of His love, peace, joy, righteousness, hope, glory. Let us declare, along with all of creation, that “The Lord reigns!”

Prayer outline:

God, You are truly worthy of all the power and the glory and the majesty forever and ever. Creation sings of Your splendour. In this time of turmoil all around us, help us to choose to declare Your praises, along with the works of Your hands. Holy Spirit, raise up a song among the nations that “The Lord reigns!” Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your goodness toward us. Thank You for the strength that is found in Your joy. May Your joy abide in us at this time so that “our joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Let Your joy be made known through us at this time, oh God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

Words of life | Song of Praise – 2

Words of life | Song of Praise – 2

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

1 Chronicles 16:23-27 (ESV)

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendour and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place.”

Reflection:

These verses have various action words in them: “Sing”, “Tell”, “Declare”. Praising God isn’t something we can do passively or (only) on the inside. It isn’t meant for us; it is meant for God and – as we read above – for those around us to know His glory. Praise is a declaration of who God is and what He has done. It proclaims truth and hope. In these times when our hearts may feel weary or at war, afraid or anxious, overwhelmed or utterly helpless, praise announces to our soul, our neighbours, the spiritual forces of evil, that God is the LORD. There is none higher than Him, none more worthy of praise, none to be feared but Him. What can this declaration of praise look like in our personal lives in this season? In our homes, but also in our communities? Is my daily declaration one of fear and complaint or of trust and truth of who God is?

Prayer outline:

Father God, You are the great I AM. You are the LORD and “greatly to be praised”. Though the earth may give way and the mountains may be shaken, You, oh God, are unshakeable. Your covenant with Your people is everlasting. Your promises are true and will come to pass. Holy Spirit, stir a new song of praise in our hearts in this time of uncertainty. Guide us to make Your glory known in all the earth. Jesus, be magnified, we pray. Amen.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

Words of life | Song of Praise – 1

Words of life | Song of Praise – 1

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

1 Chronicles 16:8-13 (NLT)

“Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds. Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD. Search for the LORD and for His strength; continually seek Him. Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given, you children of His servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, His chosen ones.”

Reflection:

Praise is a powerful weapon. It shifts our focus away from ourselves and our circumstances and onto the Almighty God. It reminds us of His character, His faithfulness, His love. He is unfailing and unchanging, even when everything around us is not. There is such security to be found in that; a steadiness that cannot be shaken as our feet are placed upon the Solid Rock.

In the piece of scripture, David is encouraging the people to “proclaim His greatness”. For David, we see this is the overflow of his heart; he cannot keep quiet about all that the Lord has done. In the Psalms we see that, no matter what the situation, David always resorts to praising God for who He is. God’s worthiness of praise is not dependent on our circumstances; He is and forever will be worthy of all honour and glory.In this challenging time, the world around us needs to hear about our God and all that He has done. As we have this time to draw closer to God and know more about who He is, let’s find ways to share that truth with those around us. “Let the whole world know what He has done.” Let’s find ways to declare the greatest truth ever known: our God saves.

Prayer outline:

Holy and sovereign God, You are worthy of praise. You are unchanging. You are the Alpha and the Omega. You are Creator God. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present. You are magnificent and majestic. Your glory fills the earth. Jesus, as Easter draws near, help us remember all that You have done for us. May the overflow of our hearts still be a song of praise to You. In this time of desperation around us, and even within us, may our voice be a voice that declares Your greatness, Your unfailing faithfulness, Your sovereignty, Your eternal hope, Your salvation. Jesus, You are what we need and what the world around us needs so desperately. Holy Spirit, stir our hearts towards praise, towards declaring Your truth. Help us point the world to You, God. Amen.

  • Write a psalm of your own declaring “God’s greatness” and His “wonderful deeds” in your own life.
  • Listen to the song “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin to help put God in perspective of how magnificent He is.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

Words of life | Anxiety and fear – 3

Words of life | Anxiety and fear – 3

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

Luke 12:6-7 (ESV)

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.  Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Reflection:

Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you are left wondering, “Did they ask me or did they tell me?” Was it a command or was it a request? What is Jesus doing in this passage? Is He commanding us to “Fear not“, or is He suggesting to us that we need not fear? I do not believe Jesus is suggesting to us there is a possibility that the sparrows go unnoticed before God, nor is Jesus suggesting God roughly knows how many hairs are upon your head. Jesus is decisive in what He says, “Not one of them (sparrows) is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” Therefore, I believe He remains decisive in what follows, “Fear not.” Sometimes we need more than a suggestion; we need a firm but loving instruction, “Fear not!” Our heart and soul need that reassurance, especially now! We need to remind ourselves, “Fear not,” when we watch the news or when we walk through the grocery aisle or when we look at the bank balance. We are precious before our Father in Heaven. He knows us, loves us, and encourages us, “Fear not!”

Prayer outline:

Father, You know the number of hairs on my head. You know my thoughts, my delights, my fears. You know all there is to know about me, and still You chose me. For this I praise Your name! Open my ears to hear Your words, “Fear not.” Strengthen my soul within me. May I move from fear to faith and from anxiety to hope. May I know the love that knows me so well. This I pray in Your name Jesus. Amen.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

Words of life | Anxiety and fear – 2

Words of life | Anxiety and fear – 2

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

Psalm 27:1 (NLT)

“Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”

Reflection:

“It’s not about you.” You have probably heard this many times. Parents, preachers, teachers; we all use it at some stage. I am sure though, that the person using it is trying to show us that our actions and desires affect those around us. Yet, in this Psalm, David uses words like: my, I and me. He expresses all that God is doing for him. I would probably have reminded David, if I was standing over his shoulder, as he penned the psalm, “David, it is not all about you. For God so loved the world, David, the WORLD.” Yet, on the cross we see Jesus, in the very act of taking away the sins of the world, reaching out to a thief. He then makes sure that Mary, His mother, is looked after. After all, He told us how the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to rescue the one.

Be encouraged, God comes to YOU at this time, and every time. The Lord is YOUR light, YOUR salvation. YOU do not need to be afraid. The LORD is YOUR fortress, He protects YOU from danger. Why then should YOU tremble?

Prayer outline:

  • Write down how God has come to YOU over your lifetime.
  • Reflect and remind yourself of His faithfulness, His love, His grace. 
  • Confess the truth of Psalm 27:1 over your life.
  • Commit it to memory, even if all you manage is, “The LORD is my light and my salvation

Find the whole Words of Life series here

Words of life | Anxiety and fear – 1

Words of life | Anxiety and fear – 1

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Reflection:

This is a well known scripture. I am sure many of you have prayed it through, stuck it up on the fridge or encouraged little ones with it. Rightly so! It speaks straight to the heart of what many of us face, namely, anxiety. 

Firstly, Paul recognises that we do feel anxious at times. Fear and doubt creep in, our thoughts of hope are stolen from us and our mind runs down a path shadowed by despair. His instruction is clear: “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” If need be, do this over and over and over again. His promise is true, His peace will guard your heart and mind.

Secondly, Paul directs us to place boundaries in our thought life, a list by which our thoughts should be characterised. Maybe that means placing guards on social media, news broadcasts and controversies (1 Tim 6:4).  Start your day in God’s Word, not in Facebook; play worship music at home; let prayer and thanksgiving be the last act of your day before you close your eyes. Paul puts it better, “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things,” and, “Put it into practice.”

Prayer outline:

  • Express your anxiety, share with Him how you feel. 
  • Rejoice and give thanks to God.
  • Tell Him what you need and what your requests are .
  • Ask Him for the grace to change habitual thinking and to have His Word replace negative thoughts.

Find the whole Words of Life series here