“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” Luke 18:1.
Perhaps, this is one of the greatest teachings of Billy Graham for this dark hour we live. This old picture speaks to me to “be still.” To hear God’s voice immediately changes me from fret and fear to faith.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10.
The surrender to agree, at such a time as this, yields hope in me. This picture speaks the glory of surrender in me.
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Yes, I will be still. I will pray and cry aloud. I will hope in God who is able, I will seek His face. Join me to read aloud the transforming hope and light of God’s Word:
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord Psalm 27:4-14.
Our eyes look up, our ears are eager to HEAR Your voice.
Speak Lord, your servants hear. As Habakkuk in his day with questions, “Where are You, Lord,” we will pray and hear:
“I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected” Habakkuk 2:1, NKJV.
Then the Lord answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
“Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith Habakkuk 2:2-4.
“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.
Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;
there is no breath in it.”
The Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him” Habakkuk 2:18-20.
“But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:31.
Dear God, help us walk in a manner that fully pleases You. Keep us praising You in the spirit. This is where we find You close by, in a heart of praise.
This is my Bible song of encouragement today, as I ask the Lord to fill me with His great love and grace in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation:
“Being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it . . . Philippians 1:6. For He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world 1 John 4:4.
Just keep praying and singing. God’s in control.
If you are encouraged today, let me know!
Not in the mood for the Christmas cheer? Think on Jesus. He’s the reason we bring in the tree each year.