Listen When God Calls

 

Zechariah 7:13 ""When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen," says the Lord Almighty."

 

My reality check this morning is this: verses like this are not easy to meditate on because we all like the warm fuzzy messages.  But the truth is, myself especially, we need to "hear" these verses too.  We need to know that God will call us at times and we need to listen to Him.  He has done so much for us and if we are truly living for Him than we should be able to hear Him when He does call.

 

Dear God, Thank You for Your precious Word which not only encourages us and gives us joy and hope but also warns us against what we should not be doing.  Please help us to learn from the mistakes which the people You've shown us in the Bible fell into.  Amen.

He Feels It Too!

Isaiah 63:9 "In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them.  In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."

 

I know I have said time and again that God is always with us, my daughter probably thinks it's my music-less theme song!  However, this verse caught my attention because it tells us not only is God with us through the hard times but He is also feeling the same pain or sorrow or other distress.  Whoa!  How awesome is our God, truly taking on all we experience and then saving us from it!

 

Dear Lord, Your love, mercy and grace will never stop amazing me!  Thank You for not only being here for me but also feeling here with me!  Please help me to remember that no matter what I may be going through You are not only here by my side but You know exactly what I am feeling because You feel that way too.  Amen.

His Joy Will Sustain Us

Psalm 51:12 "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

 

Life can throw some big punches at us and some days it may seem hard to be joyful through our proverbial black eye...but it is our choice as to how we will react.  It may be a difficult choice to say to the Lord through your tears or pain, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation..."   Yet if we cry out to the Lord that we do want to restore our joy no matter how glum things look than I would be inclined to believe that He will grant us a willing spirit so we may be sustained.

 

Dear Lord,  Thank You for Your salvation promises and for always being here for us when we cry out.  Please help us to not stray too far and to always remember that choosing Your joy will sustain us.  Amen.

Call On His Name

Acts 2:21 "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

 

Sometimes a verse says so many different things that it really seems to me to speak for itself in many ways.  Whether you take this in the context of the surrounding verse or all by itself it is pretty simple, call on His name and you will be saved.  Okay, so it is intrigal to also believe that Jesus died to save us from sin...but whether it is the last day of the world or just a moment of pain or weakness, we need to remember to call on the Lord and He will save us according to His plans and purpose for our lives.

 

Dear God, Thank You for Your many promises of salvation!  Please help us to remember to call on You when we need anything, whether in joy or pain, because You have promised to save us.  Amen.

Praise Him For Ever and Ever

 

Psalm 145:1 "I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your name for ever and ever."

 

No matter what we are going through...good times or bad times...joy or pain...we should always lift our praises to the Lord because whether we can feel His presence or not He is always with us and He wants to hear our praises, our praises are pleasing to His ears...and if there was ever someone that I want to live to please it is most definitely our loving Father!!  Are you with me?

 

Dear God, Your name shall be praised above all names until the end of time.  We thank and praise You daily for all You have given us and done for us.  May You please instill within us a praise-filled heart, mind and soul.  Amen.

Anything's Possible

Job 42:2 "I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted."

 

I think at one point or another, most of us have been told, "With God all things are possible." But how often do we forget to take these words to heart?  I know I often end up telling God how big my problem is but forget to tell my problem how big my God is...

 

Dear Lord,  Thank You for being You!  There is no other way to say it except, You are God!  Please help me to remember that no matter what I am faced with, You can do all things and You will help me through, around or out of my so-called problems.  Amen.

Our "Go-To" Guy!

Proverbs 2:6 "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

That's not to say that God will give us all the answers...sometimes we are just not meant to know why something has happened.  But the source of true wisdom is God and when we are looking for something or someone to point us in the right direction then He is our ultimate go-to guy!

Dear Lord,  I want to thank You for the wisdom which You have granted me and which You will continue to grant me as You see fit.  Please help me to remember that You will give me wisdom when I need it and please help me to know when I am not supposed to understand why so that I can let it go and let You handle it.  Amen.

His Word, Our Light

Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

 

Don't know which way to go?  Grad a Bible and God will light your way with His words.  He has given us all we need and told us how to use it.  The next questions is: Will we?

 

Dear God, Thank You for lighting my path with Your precious words.  Please help me to remember that You are always here and I can and need to turn to You whenever I need guidance and than have faith and patience for Your plan to come to pass.  Amen.

Thankful Joy

 

Psalm 126:3 "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."

 

In a world where everything emphasizes convenience and "have it all" it is easy to take one's blessings for granted.  Heat, shelter, clothing, running water, food, our family, and the list could go on and on and on because everything we have the Lord has done for us or given to us and we should be filled with joy.  Every moment of every day we should be rejoicing! 

 

Dear God,  Thank You for all the great things You have done for me!  I am filled with joy when I try to begin a list because I know I could never possibly finish thank You for all the blessings.  Please help me to keep a thankful attitude and to always allow Your presence to fill me with Your joy.  Amen.

Quick Apologies...

I want to thank each of you who may be reading these Daily Verses.  I apologize that I have not kept up with posting these for the past few weeks.  I hope and pray God is with you and that His presence is felt every day of your life.

Love through Christ,

Niki

May God Bless You...

 

Numbers 6: 24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace."

 

Some days all I need to keep smiling is a gentle reminder that God truly wants to bless me and shine on me and give me peace...then I pray that I may shine for God as He is shining on me.  That He may shine through me so that I can maybe be a blessing to others who need to be shined upon as well.

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for all Your many blessings in our lives, for shining Your precious face upon us and for giving us the ultimate peace.  Please help us to remember these words and to shine for You.  Amen.

1-18-2008: God's Power

 

I Corinthians 2:5 "so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

 

Sometimes when I open my Bible to leaf through it while trying to listen to what God may be speaking in my heart that day I find myself reading a verse and getting this, "oh, okay God, I get it" reaction.  I am usually in need of the very same things I write about through His blessings and inspirations here.  I've been learning more and more about the Bible, about God and about myself every morning and every weekend when I write these emails and I thank you each for allowing me to share these moments with you.  This verse says to me that faith is not to be placed in things of this earth, in men of this earth but only in God.  Also, it reminds me that when I feel my faith is not strong enough for the challenge that God's power is and so I need to call on Him...in bad times and in the good to praise Him, thank Him and to serve Him.

 

Dear Lord,  Thank You for Your power in our lives.  Please help us to remember how big our God is when our faith may falter and start to cry out about how big our problems are.  Amen.

 

Sorry today's got so long!!

1-17-2008: Divine Protection

Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

 

Can I shout AMEN in an email?  Here's an awesome, real life, just happened blessing of protection: First let me say that my husband is alright because of God's divine protection...but he got into a one car wreck this morning on his way home from work...there is not quite an inch of snow on the ground here and it has switched to freezing rain so he left early knowing the roads would be bad and turns out they are pretty treacherous.  Anyways, hubby was driving in the right lane of the interstate going really slow because the roads are so slick.  This semi-truck came flying by him and when the truck passed him the wind it created sent his little "weighs nothing" Mustang into a hydroplane that spun him around and threw him across the lanes towards the left side concrete barrier, he was able to keep it off the wall the first go round but then his bumper made contact during the second spin.  So here it is 6 am and I have been up for 2+ hours already, nursing his nerves with Hot Cocoa and listening to him tell me how he "knows how the NASCAR guys feel when they hit the wall."  By the grace, love and protection of God hubby's physically okay other than being really shaken up.   So again I say, can I shout AMEN in an email?  I hope ya'll have a blessed and protected day!

 

Dear Lord, from the depths of my heart I thank and praise You for protecting my husband and delivering him safely home to us.  Thank You for always protecting and delivering us when it is according to Your Will.  Please help us to always remember that when we come through something scary in one piece that it is not luck but Your divine intervention.  Amen.

1-16-2008: Tough Times

  2 Timothy 2:3 "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus."

 

When you are going through a tough time it is easy to wonder where God is and why He isn't answering your prayers.  However, God may be answering your prayers in a way you weren't expecting...He may be saying endure this hardship, I am here with you and I will hold your hand or carry you but this is something you will need to live through.  God does not cause bad things to happen in our lives but He may use those bad things to make us stronger...and to bring us closer to Him.  So cling to God in every situation and together we will watch our faith in Him grow bigger and stronger!

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for Your promise to always be with us.  Please help us to feel Your presence in our lives, even through the bad times.  Please also help us also to remember that we should endure the bad times as a good soldier of Your cross.  Amen.

1-15-2008: God is our God

Psalm 48:14 "For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end."

 

God is our God, you would think it is that simple.  But do we always put God first in all that we do?  If not, than how can we claim that God is our God?  We need to put Him first, seek Him first, love Him first and serve Him first.  This is my personal goal for 2008 - to let God be my God and to always let His ways become my ways. 

 

Heavenly Father,  Thank You for being my God!  Please help me as I struggle to put You first, to seek You, love You and serve You first and foremost above all else.  Amen.

1-11-2008: Walk in Truth

3 John 4 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

 

Ok, so I know that John is talking to Gaius here but I'll bet God feels that same way....He's most likely very pleased to hear us walking in truth.  So the question begs, are we?  In God's eyes there is no such thing as a little white lie, He judges all lies the same: a lie is a lie. Let's try our best to tell the truth always, no matter what and when need be as gently as possible.

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for sending Your Son to show us what the Truth really is!  Please help us to shed any untruthfulness we may have previously spoken.  Help us please Lord to walk in the truth, in Your truth and to serve You in all we do.  Amen.

1-10-2008: Dream Big In God

Habakkuk 3:2 "Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord, Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."

 

Wow!  I heard this verse quoted on the radio last night along with a message that often time we limit God by our dreams and prayers being too small.  We need to be humble and vague and let Him send us into awe with what He will accomplish in our lives!

 

Dear Lord,  Thank You for Your Word in which You have revealed to us the awesome things You have done since You created time.  Please help us to step outside our box of thinking parameters and ask simply that You may "renew them in our day," for You are a limitless, awesome and merciful God and we are humbly and eternally grateful for Your grace.  Amen.

1-9-2008: Standing Firm?

I Corinthians 10:12 "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"

 

Some days it seems that just when everything is going right then something or someone comes along to ruin it all...am I right?  I'm starting to think more and more that these moments when it seems things are abruptly changed from great to near opposite are tests of our faith.  Can we stay faithful and full of God's love, peace & happiness even through the strife?  Are we truly standing firm?

 

Heavenly Father, Thank You for all of Your promises, grace, love and Your most precious Word.  Please help us to remember that no matter what we are going through we may turn to You in prayer and read Your Word to get us back on track and truly standing firm.  Amen.

1-8-2008: Our Strength

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

 

This verse has been running through my head for the last few days, only I had to search my concordance to find it in my Bible.  We all have days where it feels like everything around us or everything that is being asked of us may seem like more than we can deal with.  However, in this verse and so many others, He reminds us again and again that He is our strength and He gives us what we need to face each moment of every day.

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for being my strength!  Thank You for giving me all I need to get through everything this life may throw at me.  Please help me to remember that You are my strength and that You give me strength whenever I am faced with something or someone which may make me feel weak and incapable.  Amen.

1-7-2008: Crying Out in Good Company

Psalm 86:3 "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long."

 

Ever had one of those days where you cry out to the Lord either aloud or in your mind all day long without a seeming end?  One of those days where it seems "everything's gone wrong?"  The comfort I find in this verse is that even the most faithful servants of God, such as David, had those days and still clung to God and to their hope in Him.

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for the examples in the Bible that remind me that even when I stumble I can still keep sight of You.  Please help me to remember that You are holding onto me even when I feel like I have been crying out to You all day long.  Amen.

1-4-2008: Believing is seeing

John 4:48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 

 

A lot of the Christmas "stories" I heard and watched this Christmas included some sort of defining moment about believing in santa and it would be said, "Seeing is not believing...believing is seeing."  I read this verse and it reminded me we should not need to see miracles, signs and wonders in order to believe.  Rather we should believe and then we will begin to see that everything around us is a miracle!

 

Heavenly father,  Thank You for everything we take for granted, air we breathe, clothes we wear, food we eat, cars we drive and millions of other every day miracles!  Please help us to believe firmly in Your Word that me may see there are miracles all around us every waking moment.  Amen.

1-3-2008: Wait for it

Habakkuk 2:3 "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

 

Have you ever felt like the waiting was taking forever?  I don't doubt it because all around us they are making ways for things to be faster, more convenient and less of a wait! God has a perfect plan with perfect timing and if we let Him be in control then it will all work out the first time according to His will.  However, it is when we become impatient, grab onto the wheel to steer for ourselves and ultimately rush into the wrong timing that things fall apart so soon after we get what we wanted and though we needed right then. 

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for being in control of my life.  Thank You for guiding my footsteps towards Your perfect plan for me.  Please help me to remain patient and faithful to Your will remembering that Your timing is always better than my own.  Amen.

1-2-2008: God is our refuge

 

Psalm 16:1 "Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge."

 

How many times have you been faced with returning to work after a nice long vacation?  How tired and not in the mood were you?  Maybe you love your job and were looking forward to it...for me I take refuge in God knowing He will keep my mind, body and soul safe as I journey back to work this morning after being off for a week and a half.  He knows our needs and He supplies them graciously and in abundance!  If we ask for refuge from whatever we need saving from than He will most certainly be with us.

 

Dear God, Thank You for always being with me and keeping me safe and protected in Your refuge.  Please help me to remember that You will provide for my needs and will save me according to Your perfect plan for my life.  Amen.

12-30-2007: Good Medicine

Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

I have read that laughter is literally good medicine, it boosts your immune system.  Well, if it is in the Bible then it definately did not surprise me that "modern science" found its benefits!  The opposite can be true too so please remember to not take life too seriously, remember to take the time every day for something that is positive and will make you laugh a true and hearty laugh.

Father, Thank You for laughter and happiness and all the benefits that come from them!  Please help me to remember that You not only want us to be happy but have made us so that a cheerful heart is truly good medicine for our bodies, minds & souls.  Amen.

12-28-2007: God is watching us

Thank you all for your patience and understanding with me and my "dissappearence" this past week.  We are still on vacation but I should be in a better position to continue my daily verses from here forward.  Have a blessed day!!!

Psalm 121:8 "The Lord will watch your coming and going both now and forevermore."

This is very reassuring as we prepare to brave the still falling snow here in the cold & Windy City suburbs.  In life it gives me great comfort to know that God is always watching me.  We never need to feel alone because time and again He has told us He will be with us, He is watching us and He will never forsake us.

Dear God, Thank You for watching and protecting us always!  Thank You that You are ever keeping us in Your protection and that You allow Your favor to go before us in all we do.  Please help us to always remember that You will protect us and are always knowing when we need You most because You are truly watching us always. Amen.