Hands

I am sitting here looking at my hands. They now have many brown spots that we call 'age spots'. (Maybe they are sort of like the rings on the tree, the more rings, the older it is. With hands, the more spots, the older the person.) The skin itself is beginning to get that transparent look, and when pinched up, it stays up. I remember as children when my siblings and I would do that to my grandmothers' hands, we would laugh and giggle.

But these hands have not always been this way. There was a time very long ago when they were much smaller, chubby and dimpled, and they would reach up and grab the big hand of my father or mother and feel safe. Even when my own children were small, these hands were smooth, slender, the skin tight, and there were no spots. They would reach down and grab the small hand of my son or daughter to keep them safe. These hands would throw a ball, color a picture, or wipe a tear. But time brings about changes, and the young become the old. Just as the dark hair turns white, so the hands change and begin to show their age.

As I sit here musing over my hands, I am reminded of another pair of hands, the hands of our Saviour. He used His hands to touch the blind, the sick, the dead; bringing healing and life. It was His hands that were nailed to the cross in my stead. It is by His hands that I am held. He has said "He holds me in the palm of His hand" and "No man can pluck me out of His hand". (John 10:28) In Isaiah 49:16 it says: "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands". Wow! Thank You, Jesus, for Your precious Hands.

My Prayer A Day

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me
Bless His Holy Name." (Psalm 103:1)

I have now completed 366 days of "A Prayer a Day" beginning on January 22 of 2008. My prayer is that if just one person has been blessed by one of these prayers, it will not have been in vain.

This coming year I plan to still have a blog, but not every day. I plan to just 'blog' from my heart once or twice a month, (or more if the Lord so leads). God is so good, and it amazes me that someone just browsing the Web finds their way to these blogs. May Jesus Christ be Praised!

"I will lift up my hands in Praise to Him" (Psalm 63:4)

He Provides My Needs

Promise of the Day:
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:
for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
(Psalm 9:10)

Prayer:
"My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19) This says "according to". You, who own every thing will take care of all my needs according to all Your riches, so I lack nothing. Matthew 6:28 states we are not even to be anxious about clothes. Verse 32 states our Father knows we have need of all these things. You are even aware of our physical needs, and You are aware of our emotional needs. You are always aware and with me and will not "forsake them that seek You". Amen

Faithful Lord!

Promise of the Day:
Know therefore that the Lord thy God,
he is God, the faithful God,
which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him.
(Deuteronomy 7:9)

Prayer:
Holy Lord, You are my God and King. You are the life in me, and You watch over me. You know when I sit down, and when I rise up. If I go into the lowest part of the earth, or rise to the highest heavens, You are there. You have said You will never leave me, and You are a Faithful God. My faith may be weak, but I thank You that You are ever faithful, and I can lean on You and rest. You love me with an unwavering love. You are my Faithful Lord. Amen

He Shall Return

Promise of the Day:
He shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds. (II Sam. 23:4)

Prayer:
O My Lord, You have promised and so I know You will do it. You will come again, and what a glorious day that will be! We live through this night, this dark world, now, but then comes the morning. A morning without clouds and with You as the light. All sin will be gone and life will be the victor. There will be no need of the 'sun, for we will have the 'Son'. My hope is in You; even so come quickly, Lord Jesus! "Watchman, what of the night?" The watchman said, "The morning comes." (Isa. 21:11,12). Amen

Hearing Your Voice

Promise of the Day:
I will hear what God the Lord will speak:
for he will speak peace unto his people,
and to his saints. (Psalm 85:8)

Prayer:
Open the ears of my heart dear Lord, I want to hear You. You speak with a 'still small voice', so I must be still and listen. I want to be like Samuel as a child, when he said 'speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.' Teach me to listen, and to understand as I read Your Word. Your voice was what brought the world into being. Genesis states "God spoke" and it was all so. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, by the breath of Your mouth. Amen

The Lord's Voice

Promise of the Day:
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
This is the way, walk ye in it. (Isaiah 30:21)

Prayer:
Lord, thank You that You not only lead me, but You walk behind me as my rear guard and You walk beside me to carry the load. You surround me with Your protection, but as this verse states, You speak to me, You warn me of dangers and give Your approval. All I have to do is take time to listen. If I will listen to your 'still small voice' guiding me, You will help me avoid a lot of mistakes and heartaches. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah! Amen

Talking to the Father

Promise of the Day:
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Prayer:
Dear Lord, When Your disciples asked You to teach them to pray, You told them to first say "Our Father". And we are to come boldly, as a child would come to her father. Also, we are to ask in Your name, and according to Your will, and it will be given to us. How privileged we are that You, the creator of all, wants me to talk with You, and to come to the Father directly. You want me to "dialogue" with You. I say with the Psalmist in Psalm 100: I come into Your presence with praise and thanksgiving". You in turn give me mercy, grace and peace. Thank You Father, You are so good. Amen

Getting God's Attention

Promise of the Day:
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord. (Psalm 121:1,2 NASB)

Prayer:
Dear Lord, You are always ready to 'help' me. I always have had Your attention! I think I spent a few years hoping I did not have Your attention, though. But Your word states that it was while I was a sinner You died for me. You are God and You were able to look down through the ages from the Cross, and see me. O how it must have broken Your heart, to give Your life and yet I still tried to hide. Your love is "written in red" and You have looked beyond my faults and given me Your attention and Your love! Thank You, Lord. Amen

Forever in His Hand

Promise of the Day:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27, 28)

Prayer:
O Lord, thank You for this promise! I know that once I am Yours, I am Yours forever. You are able to keep me from falling into the traps of sin as long as I keep my gaze on You. With this New Year ahead of me, I give myself to You anew. I want to not only be presented to the Father as 'faultless', but I want to hear Him say 'well done'. I am so eager to have You come, Lord Jesus. I keep scanning the sky and saying "maybe today". O Lord, to You be the glory and majesty, both now and forever. Amen

Success In His Work

Promise of the Day:
"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
(Philippians 2:13)

Prayer:
You are IN me, dear Lord. It is You that gives me the desire to do Your will, but even more so, it is You who makes it possible. With You, all things are possible. When You begin a good work in me, You will complete it. If there are road blocks in the way You have told me to go, You will clear the way. O Lord, I have nothing to fear, because You are with me; Your rod and staff comfort me and at the end of the journey I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen

My Faithful Lord

Promise of the Day:
"...See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands."
(Isaiah 49:16)

Prayer:
Lord, this verse has always impressed me. I am not sure if you have actually inscribed my name on your hand, or perhaps it is the scars that are in Your hands. These scars You will have throughout eternity, and they were put there for ME. You are the Lamb slain, worthy to receive honor and glory and power. You bought me with a price, Your life. You will never leave me (Joshua 1:5). Deuteronomy 7:9 states You are the "faithful God", and Zeph. 3:17 states You rejoice over me. The fact that You 'rejoice over me' is a 'wow' thought! It goes on to say You rejoice with gladness and singing. O Lord, You are faithful and Your promises are true and I am secured and guided by Your faithful Word.
Amen

No Other Name

Promise of the Day:
"Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven." (Psalm 148:13)

Prayer:
Jesus, the mere mention of Your name brings peace to the troubled soul. The mere mention of Your name has changed a life from sin-sick, to joy. The mere mention of Your name can change a bitter, unforgiving spirit into love. O Lord, Your name is Wonderful. You are the mighty King, master of all. Neither the heavens, or the earth can contain Your glory. And You are mine! You have made me one with You, a child of God, joint heir of all things. If ever I felt like shouting it is when I think of Your name, Jesus! There is none other!
Amen

'Feeling' Your Presence

Promise of the Day:
"Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth."
(Psalm 119:151)

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I thank You that Your nearness, Your very presence does not rely on how I 'feel'. When I have been very low, the shadows very deep, the darkness as a veil, then I must just trust. You have said You are near, Your presence goes with me and You are God so You cannot lie. No matter how I 'feel' or what my circumstances, You have given Your promise. While 'feeling' is nice, the 'knowing' is best. As I face a new year, I say with Moses, if Your presence does not go with me I do not care to go forward, but You have promised; therefore I can face a new year one day at a time. You are one with me as we go forward. Your word is truth. Amen

Without Fault!

Promise of the Day:
(Revelation 14:5)
"They are without fault before the throne of God." (KJV)
"No lie is found in their mouth; they are blameless." (NASB and NIV)
"No lie was found to be upon their lips, for they are blameless (spotless, untainted, without blemish) before the throne of God." (Amplified)

Prayer:
Lord, no matter how it is worded, I am Justified! Just as if I had never sinned! Thank You, Jesus, that because of You I can boldly come before the Father, pure and faultless, reflecting You. Because of You I am holy and blameless and without reproach in His sight. You have also promised that You are able to keep me from falling into the trap of sin again, so that not only am I forgiven, but sin can no longer control me. Thank You for the power, through the Holy Spirit, to keep from stumbling. Within me, I have the fullness of the Godhead. This is so awesome! To You be glory and majesty and power forever! Amen

Keep the Lion Away

Promise of the Day:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith.
(I Peter 5:8,9)

Prayer:
Oh Lord, Reading this verse could put fear in my heart. Satan is alive and well and seeking anyone who is vulnerable. He looks for the weak spots, he waits until we are physically weak, or despondent. If I do not keep my thoughts on You, my own fleshly nature will give him weak spots as targets. He will see my fear, he will know if I am lonely and jump on that, or put doubt in my heart. O Lord, You have said that perfect love casts out fear. Your love for me IS perfect. Your love is so great I can not explain it, and it is that love that keeps the lion away. "O love that will not let me go." Amen

All Is Possible

Promise of the Day:
"...Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?..."
(Isaiah 50:2)

Prayer:
You have no limitations, my Lord. Only my unbelief can hinder Your working. But even then You can use my mistakes, my wrong choices, my sins, to draw me to Yourself. What man and Satan mean for harm, You can turn it around and use it for good. You are truly the God of the impossible. Your Grace has no limits and it is by Your Grace I am saved. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your blessings and Your amazing Grace. Amen

Come As a Child

Promise of the Day:
"Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." (Mark 10:15)

Prayer:
The Joy of the Lord is Your strength (Neh. 8:10). Lord, to have Your Joy in me is in itself a renewal of my spirit. A child is easily renewed. A child is eager to learn; a child does not hold grudges. A child looks to the parent for his needs to be met; a child will often reflect the attitude of the parent. Joy and strength will be passed on to that child. So it is even more so with You and me, Lord. You always have joy, You always have love, and You always have peace. These are attributes which You willingly share with me if I will just accept it as a child would. We think of children as weak, and You say Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. So I wait upon You, dear Lord. I willingly seek to be like Jesus, to love, live and laugh with my Lord. Amen

My Wish List

Promise of the Day:
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)

Prayer:
One of the best ways, Lord, for finding You is to spend time with You. Now that I have made a holy habit of reading Your Word and spending time with You each morning, I know I have come to know You better. Yet I have so far to go. I wish to draw near to You all the day long. I wish to always be at Your throne of Grace. I wish to walk with You all the day as Enoch did. I wish to be able to talk with You as Moses did, face to face (or as it says in Numbers, 'mouth to mouth'.) O Lord, draw near to me that I might feel Your very presence. I seek You with all of my heart! Amen

I Wish to See Jesus

Promise of the Day:
"...Sir, we would see Jesus." (John 20:21)

Prayer:
O Lord, I have said it before and I say it again 'I long to see You, to see Your face; I long to hear Your voice and feel Your touch'. The more I know You, the sweeter You grow. You are the desire of my soul, dear Lord. Now I can only imagine what it will be like, but some day I will actually see You. Then I shall see the scars on Your hands, and kiss the scars on Your dear feet. Then I shall gaze into Your face and look into Your eyes, the very eyes of God. O, I wish to see Jesus! Amen

Love One Another

Promise of the Day:
"I give you a new commandment that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another." (John 13:34)

Prayer:
My Lord and my God, Thank You for Your love to me. My prayer is that I will share this love with others. Love is one of Your attributes, and one that is shared with me, so I must pass it on. I keep the words to the song "If I can Help Somebody" in the front of my Bible. I keep it here to remind me that if I can help somebody, show someone the way, bring some beauty to the world, then my living is not in vain. I do want to be a reflection of You and Your love. I know if I reach out to others, I will not be downcast because I will not be thinking of my own needs. You are with me, You carry my burdens, so I in turn will help another and show them Your love. You are the light and life and love in me. Amen

He Goes Before

Promise of the Day:
The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:8)

Prayer:
O Lord, I am so thankful to have Your promise of going before me. The old year is past, so I will forget the past. With this promise that You go before me, I need only to follow in Your footprints. Knowing that I am kept in the palm of Your hand; I therefore know that nothing can touch me without going through You first. There is nothing that can remove me from this place of Safety. In Romans 8:38, 39, Paul says "for I am persuaded that neither death not life, nor angels nor principalities not powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." So as we begin a New Year, I will cast all my care upon You. Anytime I don't know what to do, I will remember that You are there, going before me, and all is under Your control. Amen and Hallelujah!

He Stands Between the Years

Promise of the Day:
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Prayer:
Holy Lord, You are all I need as we begin this new year. As Moses said in Ex. 33, if Your presence does not go with me then I do not want to move on. But You have promised Your presence to go with me. And today as we stand on the brink of the New Year, Your light is shining ahead to guide my steps, and You cast Your shadow over the past year covering all the heartaches, mistakes, or failures that have been in my life. So, forgetting the past I will press on to the goal, looking to You, my guide, to light my path, and afterward You will receive me to glory (Psa 73:24). Praise Your Name, O Holy Lord! Amen