Rejoice

I'm gonna dance and praise Him
It doesn't matter what comes my way
The greater One lives inside of me
His name is Jesus
I'm born a winner
More than victorious
I'm a heir of the kingdom
Filled with the Holy Ghost

Seek the Lord, take up your position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord

2 Choronicles 20:1-22
I so love this story about Jehoshaphat and lessons within it. When Jehoshaphat heard that the
men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were coming against him, he proclaimed a fast for all Judah so they could seek help from the Lord. He didn't try to work things out on his own, he fully trusted in the Lord's ability to deliver and help him out. He turned to God in prayer and fully trusted His promise of deliverance. That was his first port of call! 

I could imagine the size of the army that was coming against him. In verse 12 it says
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” The thoughts that were probably running through Jehoshaphat's mind. He knew that they couldn't face this army alone but he knew that the great God that they served had the ability to turn impossible situations around. He admitted, Lord we have NO power to face this vast army. We do not know what to do but OUR EYES ARE FOCUSSED ON YOU! Despite what's happening around us Lord, our eyes are glued on You. All our trust and hope is directed towards You, fully trusting that You alone will deliver!

And I love the Lord's reply in verses 15-17, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’

I thought about how many times the Lord continuously reminds me that the battles I face in life are not mine but His. Often I try to fight with my own human knowledge, strength, finances etc. The
Jehoshaphat story reminds me to seek the Lord, take up my position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give me,

When  Jehoshaphat heard from the Lord, he bowed down with all his people to worship God. Some Levites praised the Lord with very loud voices! On the morning of the battle, Jehoshaphat encouraged his army by saying "Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 
 He then led his army out, praising God for what the Lord was about to do, At the end of the story,
"As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. ²³ The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another."

 What I love about this story is the fact that Jehoshaphat chose to fast and pray when he was overwhelmed with the news of the impending attack. He fully trusted His God to help him! He worshiped and praised Him! "Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his^[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

And his God delivered!  

Today is a new day

Today is a new day. It's a gift from above so smile. It's not over! Take courage and keep going!

Reaching for You

...You have overseen my life

And brought me to redemption

And I know that

You're not finished with me yet...

Praise the LORD -Psalms 103

I have personalised this beautiful Psalm. PRAISE THE LORD!

Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits—
who forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases,
who redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion,
who satisfies my desires with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

LORD, You work righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 

 You made known Your ways to Moses, Your deeds to the people of Israel:
LORD, You are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
You will not always accuse, nor will You harbor Your anger forever;
 You do not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is Your love for those who fear You;
As far as the east is from the west, so far have You removed our transgressions from us.

 As a father has compassion on his children, so You, LORD, have compassion on those who fear You;  for You know how we are formed, You remember that we are dust.
Our life is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone, and in its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting Your love is with those who fear You,
and Your righteousness with our children’s children

With those who keep Your covenant and remember to obey Your precepts.

 LORD, You have established Your throne in heaven, and Your kingdom rules over all. 

 Praise the LORD, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding,
 who obey His word.
 Praise the LORD, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will.
Praise the LORD, all His works everywhere in His dominion.

 Praise the LORD, my soul.

Creation Praise

I enjoy my early morning walks because it gives me a chance to reflect upon things that are happening with and around me. Everything is still (besides the early commuters making their way to work) and you hear the birds begin to greet the new morning.

Reading Psalms 19 reminds me of how creation continually praises God our creator-every moment. It's like watching a movie clip. Let's begin...........look up to the heavens...

The heavens declare the glory of God
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

How do they praise God?
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
They 'pour forth speech' through the sunshine, rain,
the different seasons. At night, the moon and stars speak.

There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

What else?
The heavens is like a tent for the sun.
In the heavens, He has pitched a tent, which is
like a bridegroom coming forth from His pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

And what does the sun do?
It rises at one end of the heavens,
and makes it circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

To me, the sun is like the glory of God, as it makes its daily triumphant sweep across the whole extent of the heavens. It pours out its heat (felt Presence) on every creature.

What does this tell us/me about our Creator?
Through Him, all things were made.John 1:3 and He is a God of order.
For night and day to keep rolling, creation to keep sustaining itself, they testify of the existence, goodness and faithfulness of the One who created them!

The song by Marc Byrd/Steve Hindalong, "God Of Wonders' is so true. Part of the song is:

Lord of all creation,
Of water, earth and sky.
The heavens are your tabernacle.
Glory to the Lord on high.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy.
You're holy,holy
The universe declares your majesty
You're holy,holy
Lord of heaven and earth.

Awesome and most loving Father, just as Your beautiful creation praise and greet You each morning, may I also praise and acknowledge You each moment. Amen.