My Prayer – Lord, there are times in the last couple of years that I’ve had a lot of stress and anxiety—but when I cast all my cares on You, just as You said in Matthew, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:28-30, I really do find rest, peace, and joy—a real strength that comes from You. Thank You, Lord Jesus.
I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him,
and he answered my prayer. Rescue me, O LORD, from liars and from all deceitful
people. O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your
punishment? You will be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing
coals. How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar. I
am tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace; but when I
speak of peace, they want war! Psalm 120:1-7
Meditate. Search for peace.
Prayer. The psalmist is calling
out to the Lord—rescue me. Help me, Lord. How many times have you done just
that? Prayed for God to help you? Are you seeking His peace—searching for goodwill?
There have been many times in my life that I have done just that—called out to
the Lord—help me! Give me Your peace. I love the Lord, my God, with all my
heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength—and without Him I would be
friendless, hiding away in a dark place. With Him, I am filled with His peace
and joy in my life…in my heart. His love shines through me and ministers to
others—which blesses me even more. I praise my Lord and Savior. Peace—not war.
Joy—even in the midst of trial or sorrows. Joy is a state of mind—not always a
state of jubilance. Remember how an angels declared the birth of Jesus to the
shepherds:
Suddenly,
an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory
surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't
be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great
joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born
today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign:
You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a
manger." Luke 2:9-12 (Underlined for emphasis.)
 |
| The shepherds came to the stable to see... the newborn King--Jesus the Messiah. Glory to God in the Highest. Peace on earth--in your hearts and home. |
Joy—inexplainable. The shepherds then experienced a massive number of angels who praised God.
"Glory to God
in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." Luke
2:14
Peace. Peace on earth and in the hearts of those who
believe in Jesus as the Son of God…and as the Savior of the world. That is a
frequent holiday greeting. Peace and joy in the present moment—for those who intentionally
seek the Lord. God answers prayers for those who seek Him and faithfully follow
Him. I sought the Lord for peace, joy, and strength in my life. He answered my
prayer.
Verse of Salvation ~ God, for whom and through whom
everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only
right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit
to bring them into their salvation. ... Because God's children are human beings—made
of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human
being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil,
who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have
lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:10, 14-15
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment