Message summary: God's strength is our ongoing need. Yesterday's strength is inadequate for the challenges of this day though we can build on the foundation that is already laid.
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"O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress" (Isaiah 33:2).
In 1941 Thomas Obadiah Chisolm wrote:
"My income has not been large at
any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."
What a perspective from a man who had served as a minister for only one year before resigning due to poor health.
He could have easily slipped into a state of unproductive despair or even bitterness.
However Chisolm wrote over 1,200 sacred poems over his lifetime, the most familiar being "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" which he wrote in 1923, over 100 years ago.
"Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine with ten thousand besides."
Some of you are dealing today with a
distressing and confusing season in life. At times that season is short, but at other times you wonder if it will ever end. You may be, as the Apostle Paul testified, "hard pressed on every side and perplexed" (2 Corinthians 4:8).
May today's first Bible text, which is a prayer, bring encouragement for today and reserve for tomorrow.
The petition in this prayer is so simple:
"O LORD, be gracious to us." Our Lord is
always gracious toward us even though the critical problem at hand may overshadow God’s gracious ways toward His children. It’s His nature to be loving and gracious.
"We long for you." Here we have the essential key, a longing for God. That's such a key and yet I will candidly admit that I don't always long for the Lord as I should. There are so many distractions in life, some good, others bad!
Jim Gambini, a former pastor, writes:
"The great danger the Christian faces is two-fold: because life on the planet is so ‘uncertain’ one temptation is to trust God to make us more secure through the accumulation of things or power/authority. The other temptation, if we already have accumulated plenty of this world’s goods, is to rest in what we have."
"Be our strength every morning". God's strength is our ongoing
need. Yesterday's strength is inadequate for the challenges of this day though we can build on the foundation that is already laid.
"Our salvation in time of distress." God is always our present help and salvation in the time of any trouble or distress.
Today be encouraged by these truths as you join us in crying out "O Lord" to the One who is able and willing to provide for all our needs because He is forever faithful.
Be encouraged
today, Hebrews 3:13
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we look to You this day to bring us word of Your unfailing love, for we have put our trust in You. You are our strength every morning and our security at night. Your steadfast
love reaches to the heavens and Your faithfulness fills the skies. There is no one like You that provides for our every need, for You are our salvation in times of joy and in times of distress. It is under Your protective wings that we will find refuge and safely abide. We thank You for Jesus in whose name we pray.
Amen.
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