“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the Lord– For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all.”
Jeremiah 31:12 NKJV
The above portion of scripture makes me think of time spent with Jesus, our Lord and King. Such time causes the soul to be as a garden– well-watered from His everlasting spring.
And gardens are always in need of guidance, or else, they will only run wild. Look to your life’s divine Gardener, trusting in Him, for you’re God’s beloved child.
P. A. Oltrogge
“…she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’
“Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).”
John 20:14-16 NASB
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 NIV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6
…from a Morning Glory to an Evening Primrose, God’s creativity and love of beauty shows…
P. A. Oltrogge
“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” Psalm 65:8 NIV
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night, That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Dear Father in Heaven,
You’ve told us that we should be bold in coming to Your throne of grace; so, Father, as Your child, I come boldly to that place.
Jesus taught us to pray, and we thank You for our daily bread; yet there’s something I’d like to add for the hours in the day ahead…
“Give us this day our daily”…miracles, is that for which I ask. You’re a miracle-working God; I know You’re more than up to the task!
“On earth as it is in heaven,” is prayed for Your will to be done, which is an appeal to see Your goodness, as stated perfectly by Your Son.
I wonder if a day went by, when Jesus was ministering on earth as a man, where His disciples didn’t see the miraculous within the day’s span.
If so, it might have been because of a lack of the faith to expect. To be expectant of daily miracles, is something I shouldn’t neglect.
P. A. Oltrogge
“And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ So the Lord said, ‘If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17:5-6
“Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah” Psalm 68:19
“But thanksbe toGod, whogivesus the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:15-23
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” Ephesians 3:20-21
Matthew 6:8-13 The Lord’s Prayer
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
“There are only two ways you can live: by faith or by sight.” Quote/Keith Moore…See: http://www.faithlife.org
I Never Learned to Doubt, book by Jesse Duplantis, under Store, at: http://www.jdm.org
Thank you, Lord, for your care and even miracles in our daily lives and especially for any of your children who are going through difficult circumstances….
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:2
…and all of Psalm 91
Scriptures: NKJV
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On a walk through the woods, I hoped, one day, that I could expect to see…one of God’s beautiful creatures darting out by me… Likewise, may I learn to expect the answers I’ve been praying about. I may not know when, but I can expect that they’ll come darting out.
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“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:11-12
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13
Perhaps, like myself recently, you were believing for something big, but things didn’t turn out as you’d hoped and prayed. At such times, I think we must persevere. As the old hymn goes, “Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before…”
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” Psalm 42:11
Rachel Shafer has written a book, Expect God. She also shares messages, such as “The Power of a Song,” via you tube and her website: www.rachelshafer.com
Peter and John went up together to the temple at the ninth hour, which was the hour of prayer. There was a man laid daily at the gate, lame from his mother’s womb, who asked charitable alms from those who entered there.
Seeing Peter and John about to enter, he asked alms of both of them, too. Then Peter, with John, looked directly into his eyes, telling him to look at them; and he began to tell the man of something better they could do.
That through faith in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he could rise and walk–a far better gift than silver or gold. Then Peter took him by the right hand and lifted him up. He received strength in his feet and ankle bones upon Peter’s hold.
The exact words that Peter said to the man were “Silver and gold have I none…” Then he told him of that which he did have to give–a gift of healing, through the name of Jesus, God’s Son.
The man who’d been lame began leaping, walking, and praising God at the temple’s “Beautiful” Gate. He entered the temple with them, and Peter went on to share with the people that it was the power of Jesus’ name that had changed that lame man’s fate.
Excerpt from Acts: “Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, and faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.’” Acts 3:11-16 NKJV
Peter continued, saying that Christ had been crucified by them in ignorance, but that He had fulfilled all that the prophets had foretold. Now, forgiveness of sins and salvation could be theirs through Jesus–again, a gift from God far greater than silver or gold.
P. A. Oltrogge
The Greek adjective used to name the gate can be defined as ‘1. happening or coming at the right time —2. beautiful, fair, lovely’. Some scholars believe the word may refer more to ripeness than to beauty.
Lord, cause our faith to be ripe to believe we receive of Your help when we pray….(in reference to Mark 11:24)
As an important addition to this poetic account, see today’s post by Dutch Sheets: http://www.givehim15.com
You can also read of amazing miracles taking place presently at a tent crusade, conducted by Mario Murillo, in Tyler, Texas, at his blog. (I sometimes find that his website or blog do not connect from this blog, so it’s best to just find those via an internet search.)
While we are so grateful and thank God for healing through those working to help us in the medical field, this Porch post today is focusing on divine healing…Joseph Prince’s Daily Grace Inspiration today also reminds of healing through the partaking of communion, looking to Jesus and the cross: http://www.josephprince.org
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 (NASB, Ryrie Study Bible)
A portion of scripture to hold onto when things seem impossible or very dark….
is Psalm 27:13-14…it’s like suddenly hearing the song of a meadowlark.
God desires to answer your prayers far more than you would realize–
Believe in seeing the goodness of the Lord, rather than fearing that He denies.
And notice that it speaks of His goodness in “the land of the living;” it’s not pointing to after we die.
God has answers, and His love is great…He’s heard your heart’s every cry.
So be strong and courageous and wait on the Lord, as the Word has stated.
He has the perfect timing and plans–a truth which needs never to be debated.
P. A. Oltrogge
And if you’re going through something which is particularly stormy, it will be good to remember, too, “This I know, that God is for me.”
“Then my enemies will be turned back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.” Psalm 56:9
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills– From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
Lord, you are the source of my help on any given day. You made the heavens and the earth–On you, my hope will stay.
I will look even to the hills–On their horizon, I’ll always see, through the eye of faith, my Savior, heading down with help for me.
P. A. Oltrogge
“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.” Psalm 121:3-8 NKJV
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 NKJV (and entire Psalm)
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. God is to us a God of deliverances; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death.” Psalm 68:19, 20 NASB
“Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:47 (words of David to the Philistine, Goliath)
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint…” words of Jesus, in Luke 18:1 KJV
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 NKJV
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” words of Jesus in John 14:27 NKJV
…our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth–in whom we’ve placed our faith and who we look to, pray to, and offer our praise. Jesus is Lord!
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
“Fresh as a dewdrop,” My Word is to you. Go to it daily and find things new. You’ll find the familiar in it as well– Of comfort, wisdom, and truth it will tell. At times, for direction, it gives a faith hint, Bringing light to your path like a dewdrop’s glint. Fresh as a dewdrop, I want to impart More of its treasures into your heart. Like finding the dewdrops, you can depend On My being there always to instruct and befriend.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV
“I will never forget Thy precepts, for by them Thou hast revived me.” Psalm 119:93 KJV
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort….” 2 Corinthians 1:3
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NKJV
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26 NKJV
“Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17 KJV
“…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].” Isaiah 26:3 AMP
“Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 AMP “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Romans 8:31-34
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint….” Luke 18:1
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 KJV
You don’t have to faint inside
when, in Jesus, you abide.
He’s King of Kings and Lord of Lords;
by faith in Him, we’ll reap rewards.
Use your voice; be bold to say…
satan’s schemes can’t have their way.
As “living stones,” we’re not alone–
Christ is our “Rock” and Cornerstone.
Pray and speak in faith–resist every fear.
Faith is the victory…God’s Word is clear!
P. A. Oltrogge
“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
“Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,”
and
“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
“They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
1 Peter 2: 4-10 NKJV
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:3-5 NKJV
“I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NKJV
“No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn. This (peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition) is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And this is their vindication from Me” says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17 AMP
“…The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” Psalm 145:13-14 (New International Version)
by J. Vetter Guest Contributor
Perhaps that’s where I first went wrong–believing walking with the Lord was just that–only a walk. Lately, it seems like the speed has increased, and I have to run to keep up! There have been a few times I’ve “hit the wall” too. So I searched out what it means to run a marathon.
First, you need to train–not just any way you want to, but by listening to experts and following a schedule. Then, you need to eat the correct foods, drink appropriately, and learn to pace yourself.
But the most important thing is realizing you will “hit the wall” sometime during your race; and that doesn’t mean it’s over. It means if you keep on going, you will make it! Others go through this and still finish the race.
Legend has it that marathons got their beginning when a Greek messenger was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens, announcing that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. He ran the entire distance without stopping, and then burst into the assembly exclaiming, “We have won!” before collapsing and dying.
We, too, have a message–that we have won–and to proclaim it fully, we have to die to only focusing on ourselves or the problem or, better put, the magnitude of our race.
One of the walls we hit in our Christian race is discouragement. There are times when we feel nothing is changing and our prayers are not being answered. Perhaps an affliction increases its grip with a fury that cries “unfair.”
We may think our race is just our own, but the Christian race is also a team effort. We’ve got to take a drink from that brother or sister on the sidelines. We’ve got to cheer and encourage others in their race and be able to accept words of encouragement from others along the road. One of the interesting aspects of participating in a marathon is that few people enter expecting to win. Their goal is to finish.
Another wall is believing the lie that we really can’t make it. I listened carefully to the interview with Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger as he described what he felt when he realized his plane was about to crash land in the Hudson River (January, 2009). His initial reaction was that he couldn’t believe this was happening to him. However, on the heels of that thought, he also proclaimed, “I was sure I could do it.” He was a man confident of his training and his experience. Because he was at the helm, 155 people survived that day. Incidentally, he also gave credit to the crew, passengers, and the first responders by sharing his belief that the miraculous outcome was a team effort.
Another stumbling stone is fear. Perhaps the fear of making a mistake. I believe a person who is afraid of making another mistake won’t make any significant steps further in his race. That’s why we are told in scripture to forget the past. “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (New King James Version)
Sometimes during our struggles, we forget the message of Hebrews 12:2-4, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because he never lost sight of where He was headed–that exhilarating finish in and with God–He could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourself flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (Message Bible)
The Porch of the Lord 