NEVER ONCE
You never know what a day might bring. Last Friday I planned to take my grandkids out for the afternoon. As I met up with them at our office, I heard their mom calling them to prayer. They just got word their cousin had broken his his leg while skiing. A day that should have been filled with thrills for him ended in disaster. A break so bad he needed surgery at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis. We all gathered to pray once again. It’s what we do whenever there’s a need. Our grandchildren have witnessed many answers to prayer.
Take the healing of their Pa’s shoulder and miraculous provision of a state-of-the-art prosthesis; or the healing from my fall and broken hip in Honduras; or the protection over their Daddy last spring when he suffered a massive seizure; or the reversal of a grim diagnosis in our grandson’s vision; and against all odds, the miracle of their baby cousin’s birth this past October. In all of these situations, our grandchildren learned to pray because it was modeled for them. It’s what our families do because we live in a close personal relationship with the Lord. And it’s what we all did again last Friday. Thankfully, their cousin is now home recuperating with a good prognosis. People have been praying. And through all of these difficult situations, there’s one thing we know. We have never walked alone.
Scripture Reading:
Psalm 16:8
I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 105:4
Look to the Lord and his strength; seek His face always.
Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 14:5
For God is present in the company of the righteous.
Questions to consider:
1. Where have you set the Lord?
2. How can you increase in stability?
3. What are the rewards of living in close relationship to the Lord?
4. What might horses and chariots refer to in our culture today?
5. What encouragement do you find from these verses?
Summary:
I love the words of Matt Redmond’s worship song, Never Once.
Standing on this mountain top looking just how far we’ve come.
Knowing that for every step, You were with us.
Kneeling on this battle ground seeing just how much You’ve done,
knowing every victory was Your power in us.
Scars and struggles on the way;
but with joy our hearts can say; yes, our hearts can say:
Never once did we ever walk alone; never once did You leave us on our own.
Through every trial and victory, God has been by our side. He’s promised never to leave or forsake us. He’s promised to hear us when we cry to Him. At the beginning of this new year, our family has the assurance that God is always with us. His presence is where we find joy and strength. My prayer is for 2015 to be a year of renewed relationship for us all. Remember, it’s not about religion. It’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s why He came…so we’ll never walk alone. Never once!
Wonderful lesson again – GOD is so good to each one of us. I have learned to put the LORD first in everything in my life and sometimes when we do not put HIM first in our lives – then many things happen to us. We must always wait on the LORD and not get impatient in our waiting time. The LORD will always show us the path for our lives if we just ask HIM – we will always find the pleasures of serving HIM with all our heart and soul.
You and I must always seek the LORD for HIS strength – always seek HIS will in our lives. When we seek the LORD all things fall into place in our lives. I just do not know what people do without the LORD in their lives – HE always comes first in our family with prayer – worship – faith – love – encouragement to others. Love to feel the presence of the LORD in my life at all times. Just HIS name whispered is wonderful and HE loves to hear from each one of us every day of our lives. Thanks – Karen – another wonderful lesson – things we can think about each day in our lives.