Tag Archives: God’s Sovereign Provision

Jesus Knows, Always Did, Still Does??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #222

22 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Call To Look Unto Jesus!, God Is In Charge, God Knows, God Knows His Own, Jesus Is Coming Again., Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus Knows, Jesus Knows YOUR Storm, Search me O God?, Seasonal or Steadfast?, Seeing Truth, Sovereignty, Speaking The Truth In Love, Trusting God, Trusting Jesus?, Truth, Truth is True, Try yourselves

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Jesus Knows, Always Did, Still Does??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #222

I’m sorry I’ve been so remiss in writing but there have just been lots of distractions and activity at our house, so I have a brief, but I pray, an important word for us today.  So often we all get distracted and forget our true north—yet God is ever present to hear, and to guide, if we will but heed to His guiding hand.  I remember an old gospel song that I love, “The Unseen Hand” by A.J. Simms, and it just spills over into my heart with the reminder that Jesus’ hand is ever with me—and He’ll be with you if you but stop, look and listen to His voice speaking to your heart!

I have only one main passage to share with you today, and for many, if not most, it is at least, in part, a familiar Psalm.  Yet so often we skim over the familiar things and miss the important principles that God wants us to take in.  I simply ask you to rehearse it through and take it into your heart.  May God remind us of His eternal care for His own—in fact for all, but so many just pass His care off as coincidence, or chance, or just ignore it.  I implore you to take it in, and if you don’t know Jesus, call to Him and He will respond.

“But without faith

it is impossible to please him:

for he that cometh to God

must believe that he is,

and that he is a rewarder

of them

that diligently seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God,

and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands,

ye sinners;

and purify your hearts,

ye double minded.”  James 4:7-8

And the Psalmist David gives us an amazing reminder that God made us, and He keeps His own, and HE knows where you are!  He knows where you have been, and He’s always been just a prayer away—and He still is!

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,

thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down,

and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue,

but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before,

and laid thine hand upon me.

 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit?

or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 

8 If I ascend up into heaven,

thou art there:

if I make my bed in hell,

behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me,

and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;

the night shall be light about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;

but the night shineth as the day:

the darkness and the light

are both alike to thee.

13 For thou hast possessed my reins:

thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise thee;

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works;

and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee,

when I was made in secret,

and curiously wrought

in the lowest parts of the earth.  

16 Thine eyes did see my substance,

yet being unperfect;

and in thy book

all my members were written,

which in continuance were fashioned,

when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me,

O God!

how great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them,

they are more in number than the sand:

when I awake, I am still with thee.

19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:

depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

20 For they speak against thee wickedly,

and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee?

and am not I grieved with those

that rise up against thee?

 22 I hate them with perfect hatred:

I count them mine enemies.

23 Search me, O God,

and know my heart:

try me,

and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way

in me,

 and lead me

in the way everlasting.”   Psalm 139:1-24

Be sure to not miss those last two verses, they are one of my continual prayers.

Amen and Amen!!!

Our God Still Reigns!!! A Word from THE WORD!!! #213

26 Friday Apr 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, Glory To God, God Is In Charge, God Knows, God Still Reigns, God's provision, God's Time, Sovereignty

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Our God Still Reigns!!!  A Word from THE WORD!!! #213

Just one passage for today, and it says it all.  Don’t let the world get you down, press on, keep standing, keep your eyes on Jesus, and remember we Win!!!

“And a voice came out of the throne, saying,

Praise our God,

all ye his servants,

and ye that fear him,

both small and great.

6 And I heard as it were

the voice of a great multitude,

and as the voice of many waters,

and as the voice of mighty thunderings,

saying,

Alleluia:

for the Lord God omnipotent

reigneth.”  Revelation 19:5-6

Amen and Amen!!!

A Sovereign God??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #191

28 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Father's Love, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Amazing Grace, Glory of God, Glory To God, God Is In Charge, God Still Reigns, God's Time, God's ways are not our ways, God's Wisdom, Gratitude, Sovereignty

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A Sovereign God??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #191

 

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,

and as the voice of many waters,

and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,

Alleluia:

for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad

and rejoice,

and give honour to him…”. Revelation 19:6-7a

I watched a movie on television recently, one that I had seen before and remembered it being a good flick; but this time I was watching intently (rather than between tasks) and it struck me how something seemingly innocent, was a direct challenge to what I know that scripture teaches.  What’s that, you might ask?  Well the movie’s main characters had opposite outlooks, one who believed that some unknown cosmic force ordered circumstances, while the other said that it was random chance, which science or mathematical probabilities could often explain.  Well, my friends, this is just not biblical, true, or acceptable to those who believe in Almighty God, Jesus The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

Scripture is replete with direct statements of God’s total sovereign control; and while this isn’t something that most people think about, it is the absolute foundation of our faith.  It is one of the things that brings me hope, comfort and insight into the things happening around us.  I have taught the Book of The Revelation on numerous occasions, in depth, teaching people that they can understand much of this great book (and yes there are some things that were even hidden from John; and note that this is THE Revelation—no “s”).  And like the familiar adage, “How do you eat an elephant?”, we know of course, the answer comes, “ONE Bite at a time!”  And that is how you must approach all of scripture but particularly the Book of The Revelation (and if you’ll read the title, you’ll see it’s The Revelation OF JESUS, not the revelation of specific events as such, or even the horrific things that are held in check at this time but will come in God’s time!  It is the revealing of God’s plan for His Son’s victorious coming, to judge and rule this present world in person, and eternity after that (and there is an “after that”).

Because God IS in charge, we as believers can stand confident in God’s total sovereignty in all things.  So I simply want to give you some food for thought today as you face life and its trials where ever you are!  You can depend upon God’s almighty hand at work not only in His own, but in all things!  Let’s peruse some passages of scripture in this regard, and I pray will help you to “withstand in the evil day” (See Ephesians 6:10-19).  And just on a side note, if you read my posts on Facebook there is a simple text post, but also a link to the Bible Ballistics website where it is printed with scripture in color as well as in a grammatical diagram of sorts, to help clarify our understanding (I think it’s helpful).

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:

for we know not what we should pray for

as we ought:

but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us

with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts

knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,

because he maketh intercession for the saints

according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things

work together for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow,

he also did predestinate

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

that he might be the firstborn

among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate,

them he also called:

and whom he called,

them he also justified:

and whom he justified,

them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things?

If God be for us,

who can be against us?”  Romans 8:26-31

When we learn to walk in the peace, and trust in God’s sovereign control, the confidence we find is unequaled; I can testify to God’s faithful provision and care in the midst of some of life’s greatest heartaches, for I know who IS in control!  HE has never failed me, and HE won’t!  And just a note on the big, scary “predestination” subject, it is used here of our state IN Jesus, not how we got saved.  I have no intention of trying to explain God’s foreknowledge and how that works out in humankind.  I will simply say that we must let scripture say what scripture says, and the same Word of God that talks about “predestination”, “election”, and “choosing”, also says clearly that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. (See Romans 10:13, John 3:15-16) We humans have an affinity for making what is simple for God, hard for people to understand.  So for today, we’ll just leave this discussion for another day.

Let’s peruse some passages that confirm God’s total control over all things.  I pray that you will find comfort, peace, and even some answers to question that may have plagued you.  God loves you and has things in control—even though on our human side of things they are totally askew; God still does “Reign”!

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering,

and come before him:

worship the LORD

in the beauty of holiness.

30 Fear before him,

all the earth:

the world also shall be stable,

that it be not moved.

31 Let the heavens be glad,

and let the earth rejoice:

and let men say among the nations,

The LORD reigneth.”  1 Chronicles 16:29-31

And a word from Isaiah:

“Therefore my people shall know my name:

therefore they shall know in that day

that I am he that doth speak:

behold, it is I.

7 How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,

that publisheth peace;

that bringeth good tidings of good,

that publisheth salvation;

that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”   Isaiah 52:6-7

Just a few of the many references from the Psalmists also help:

“The LORD reigneth,

he is clothed with majesty;

the LORD is clothed with strength,

wherewith he hath girded himself:

the world also is stablished,

that it cannot be moved.

2 Thy throne is established of old:

thou art from everlasting.” Psalm 93:1-2

“The LORD reigneth;

let the earth rejoice;

let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.”   Psalm 97:1

“O worship the LORD

in the beauty of holiness:

fear before him,

all the earth.

10 Say among the heathen that

the LORD reigneth:

the world also shall be established

that it shall not be moved:

he shall judge the people righteously.”  Psalm 96:9-10

Now, two final passages from the Psalms.  One a reference to God’s sovereignty, the other a picture of what our response ought to be:

“The LORD reigneth;

let the people tremble:

he sitteth between the cherubims;

let the earth be moved.

2 The LORD is great in Zion;

and he is high above all the people.

3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name;

for it is holy.”  Psalm 99:1-3

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD,

all ye lands.

2 Serve the LORD with gladness:

come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the LORD he is God:

it is he that hath made us,

and not we ourselves;

we are his people,

and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

 and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him,

and bless his name.

5 For the LORD is good;

his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth

endureth to all generations.”  Psalm 100:1-5

Amen and Amen!!!

What ‘Ya Doing With Today??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #181

02 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in God Still Reigns, God Who Sees, God's Faithfulness, God's got you and me!, Sovereignty, TODAY, Today and Forever, Today is the day of Salvation, Today IS Today!, Trusting God, Trusting Jesus?

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What ‘Ya Doing With Today???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #181

Just a brief Friday word of encouragement for “Today”!  I pray that you are looking up rather than around!  For while the world is totally unpredictable, our God is worthy of praise each and every day, and HE has total Sovereign Control.  Learn to rest in Him no matter what you see with your eyes!

Just a word about this passage from Psalm 118, for we usually only quote verse 24, but when you see it with the preceding verses which refer to Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and hell, we have a renewed hope, joy and purpose to press on.  May you willfully rejoice in JESUS today!  Today is in His hands, they were when the Psalmist wrote this, they were when Jesus paid for our sin on the cross, they were when HE rose up from the grave, and they are NOW—today, as we look to HIM in everything.  Don’t let the enemy and his “wiles” distract you!

“The stone which the builders refused

is become the head stone of the corner.

23 This is the LORD’S doing;

it is marvellous in our eyes.

24 This is the day which the LORD hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:22-24

Amen and Amen!!!

Resting IN HIM Is A Must!!! Bible Ballistics: BBs #790

22 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by in Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Commitment Or Convenience, Daniel Prayed--Will You?, Daniel's choices, Daniel's Prayer, Faithful, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Faithfulness, Remember, Resting In Jesus, Resting Or Wrestling?, Safe Place

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #790   Resting IN HIM Is A Must!!!

 

I hope this finds you enjoying spring; here in Oklahoma it’s been a revolving-door spring, with 90’s one day and 60’s the next, but I’m so glad to see green grass, daffodils, and looking forward to the Iris to bloom.  The beauty of God’s creation is such a blessing to me, and I pray that it is to you.  I am sitting here watching my hummingbird feeder (I finally have one little bird coming), and even had a visitor to my seed feeder, which pleased me greatly.  I miss the cardinals but, in our apartment, we are too far from the trees to see many of them.  I say all this to remind us that we can take comfort and joy in all of God’s creation, and it can be balm to our soul.

“For the hurt of the daughter of my people

am I hurt;

I am black;

astonishment hath taken hold on me.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead;

is there no physician there?

why then is not the health of the daughter

of my people

recovered?”  Jeremiah 8:21-22

Jeremiah grieved for the spiritual condition of his people, and I feel much the same way, yet Jeremiah asked the question, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?”; for he knew that Gilead (a region in Israel known for its healing balm) had a balm for physical healing, yet his people were still in need of spiritual healing, yet had no desire for it!  How like our culture today, yet are we hurting for the condition of our world?  Are we throwing up our hands in frustration, or praying for our country?  How do we do that?  We can take a lesson from Daniel (and while we won’t look at all of chapter 9 here, I encourage you to spend some time in this portion of Daniel), and humbly identify with the sin and desperate spiritual condition of our nation’s people, seeking God’s face for mercy and help!  Notice that Daniel was in God’s Word and what he saw brought the need of prayer to his heart and mind!  What are we reading?  Watching?  Jesus, please help us to remember to “rest” in YOU, not the world, feasting on YOUR Word, and learning to not only rest in YOU, but to also walk and work in the power of YOUR precious Holy Spirit!

“In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood

by books the number of the years,

whereof the word of the LORD

came to Jeremiah the prophet,

that he would accomplish seventy years

in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 And I set my face

unto the Lord God,

to seek by prayer and supplications,

with fasting,

and sackcloth,

and ashes:

4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God,

and made my confession, and said,

O Lord, the great and dreadful God,

keeping the covenant and mercy

to them that love him,

and to them

that keep his commandments;

5 We have sinned,

and have committed iniquity,

and have done wickedly,

and have rebelled,

 even by departing from thy precepts

and from thy judgments:

6 Neither have we hearkened

unto thy servants the prophets,

which spake in thy name

to our kings,

our princes,

and our fathers,

and to all the people of the land.

7 O Lord,

righteousness belongeth unto thee,

but unto us

confusion of faces,

as at this day;

to the men of Judah,

and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and unto all Israel,

that are near,

and that are far off,

through all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and unto all Israel,

that are near,

and that are far off,

through all the countries whither

thou hast driven them,

because of their trespass

that they have trespassed against thee.

8 O Lord, to us belongeth

confusion of face,

to our kings,

to our princes,

and to our fathers,

because we have sinned

against thee.

9 To the Lord our God

belong mercies

and forgivenesses,

though we have rebelled against him;

10 Neither have we obeyed

the voice of the LORD our God,

to walk in his laws,

which he set before us

by his servants the prophets.”   Daniel 9:2-10

What does this have to do with rest?  Good question.  As we think about the life of Daniel, we find that scripture has nothing negative to say about this faithful man of God; this man who was a teenage captive of the Babylonians when they conquered Jerusalem, yet he had made up his mind to be faithful before his GOD regardless of his circumstances, and we can have that same confidence when we learn to rest in God in total obedience with a commitment to faithfulness before HIM (Dan. 1:8).  Notice that Daniel never says “they did….”, but we; even though he was personally innocent before God (see chapter 6:22), yet he identified with his people’s sin.  Oh, to be found faithful before God, even when that means I must learn to “rest” in HIM, not depend upon ‘self’ as I identify with other’s failures! Ouch!

The Psalmist says it better than I can:

“Fret not thyself

because of evildoers,

neither be thou envious

against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down

like the grass,

and wither

as the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD,

and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land,

and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD;

and he shall give thee the desires

of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD;

trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness

as the light,

and thy judgment

as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD,

and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself

because of him who prospereth

in his way,

because of the man

who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger,

and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself

in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off:

but those that wait upon the LORD,

they shall inherit the earth.”  Psalm 37:1-9

And just some food for thought about “rest”—it can also include: rely upon God, run to God and not the world, relax in God’s total sovereign control, and rehearse continually what I know to be the true, reliable and proven character of my God by staying in HIS WORD!  Fret not—but rest IN HIM!

“Study

to shew thyself approved unto God,

a workman

 that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing

 the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15

And just an observation: if we are called to “rightly” divide God’s Word, it can also be “wrongly” divided; and if we haven’t “rightly divided” for ourselves we will be subject to believing the “wrongly divided” opinions of the world!

Amen and Amen!!!