Alleluia! sing to Jesus!
His the scepter, his the throne.
Alleluia! His the triumph,
his the victory alone.
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion
thunder like a mighty flood.
Jesus out of every nation
hath redeemed us by his blood.
Alleluia! not as orphans
are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us,
faith believes, nor questions how;
Though the cloud from sight received him
when the forty days were o’er
shall our hearts forget his promise,
‘I am with you evermore’?[1]
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”[2] ___________________
Beloved In Christ,
How necessary I make time to read the Bible. This life is full of distractions, stressful situations, demands, at times overwhelming decisions where anxious feelings want to dominate and the peace of God is far off. No! I must engage in the battle! God reminds me through the Scriptures how he relates, comforts, empowers, and bestows wisdom, especially as we diligently seek him through the Bible. “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”[3]
The world system, materialism, covetousness, the flesh, arrogance, pride, etc., hence, this is the nature of the warfare we daily fight against! Therefore, we rely on, feed, digest, hide within, reflect, essentially fill our heart, mind, and soul with Scripture to adequately equip us to stand and indeed fight! We too are encouraged by Paul’s inspired words to Timothy, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith….”[4] Moreover, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”[5]
I get discouraged, you do too. The psalmist had his human struggles too. “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Honesty. I ask why at times. However, the fight of faith continues and I pray you too find much encouragement through meditating, reflecting, enjoying our God through the Bible. “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”[6] Therefore, “In the Lord I take refuge….”[7]
I am convinced that reading, meditating, and reflecting through the Bible helps me pray more effectively. Every week brothers meet to pray, faithfully we seek our gracious God. In preparation, I have grown to love the opportunity to reflect and encourage you through the Scriptures, listening to and reflecting hymns. Therein is the power of the Holy Spirit to indeed warm my heart and enjoy fellowship with our ever-present God. Sister/brother, be encouraged this day and always, especially as you pursue our God through his living Word. John Piper’s reflection closes nicely.
“In meditation, we pause and reflect over his words. We roll them over in our minds and let them ignite our hearts — we “warm ourselves at the fires of meditation.” We pose questions and seek answers. We go deep in God’s revelation, take it into our very souls, and as we are being changed by his truth, we respond to him in prayer. As Matthew Henry says, “As meditation is the best preparation for prayer, so prayer is the best issue of meditation.”[8]
Alleluia! bread of heaven,
here on earth our food and stay!
Alleluia! here the sinful
flee to thee from day to day.
Intercessor, Friend of sinners,
earth’s Redeemer, plead for me.
Where the songs of all the sinless
sweep across the crystal sea.
Alleluia! King eternal,
thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia! born of Mary,
earth thy footstool,
heaven thy throne.
Thou within the veil hast entered,
robed in flesh, our great High Priest.
Thou on earth both Priest and Victim
in the Eucharistic Feast.
______________________
Sisters are meeting to pray! First Baptist. 1912 Arnold Way. Alpine. 0900.
You are invited! With joy gals meet to pray and seek our gracious God. Go encourage and be encouraged. Invite a friend. Thank you faithful sisters who love Jesus and readily love others. Indeed! Gals from different churches joining at the cross to pray in unity! Precious.
Brothers are meeting too! Mountain View Bible. 2710 Alpine Blvd. Alpine. 0730.
By the grace of God brothers have been meeting week after week for a number of years now. Diverse guys from various fellowships. We value all men who love Jesus and want to pray together. Don’t hesitate, join us for an hour if your schedule allows. We encourage, enjoy hanging out for a few, then we intentionally pray. As always we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our time together. Truly, a sweet hour of prayer.
Your brother In Christ,
Randall:).
[1]http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/a/a213.html[2] Colossians 3:16
[3] Psalm 9:9-10
[4] 1 Timothy 6:11-12a
[5] Psalm 1:1-2
[6] Psalm 10:14
[7] Psalm 11:1a
[8] Warm Yourself at the Fires of Meditation https://www.DesiringGod.org
Warm Yourself at the Fires of Meditation
We were made to meditate. One reason our hearts are so cold is because we don’t intentionally take time to warm …