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December 11, 2012
** Join us for Day 3 of The Festival of Lights (see link below).
Day 36
The Hand that Moves
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Dear Praying Friend,
As we draw near to the celebration of Christmas we want our focus to be on all the hope, joy, and expectation that comes with this holiday. The last thing we want to capture our attention during this season of hope and joy is a personal crisis or national disaster. Unfortunately, every day we are faced with minute and monumental circumstances that can change our world and turn things upside down, whether we are prepared for it or not.
Today, as we begin our meditation of Psalm 102, the title indicates the writer to be an afflicted man, and as we continue to read we discover his lament was over a national disaster. This psalm is the fifth of the penitential psalms, and it is also a messianic psalm. Whether it be a flood (Genesis 6), a rain of burning sulfur (Genesis 19), a national crisis (Esther 3), or any other national disaster (Jonah 3), we can be assured that when the Lord begins His divine intervention in history the earth is sure to shake.
This week may we remember, as we come before the Lord in prayer, that the earth may be shaking, and the labor pains intensifying, but our God is never changing and He is doing something miraculous in the midst of the challenges we are facing (reference Psalm 75:3). For a moment, consider how spectacular the presentation of the Lord was that night in the field, when after 400 years of silence all heaven broke loose in an angelic chorus announcing God's greatest production in history to date:
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host
appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'"
(Luke 2:13-14)
Dear Heavenly Father, how glorious and wonderful You are. You are a God of countless wonders, and even though You are never changing, You never cease to astound us with amazing reminders of how great and awesome You are. With a simple word You move the winds and calm the sea - You astound us with Your majesty, even in the midst of the simple, mundane moments of life. Your word, that controls the heavens, can calm my fears and bring peace to my troubled mind. Your Word restores my soul and refreshes my spirit. We stand in awe of Your perfect timing, as you illustrated, after 400 years of silence, the most profound and perfect utterance of Your Word in the person of Jesus Christ - our Messiah, Savior, and Lord. The Word became flesh, making His dwelling among us. There are times when we are caught in the wonder of your Majesty and all we can do is sit in silence, basking in awe of Your wisdom and beauty. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. No single word can encompass all that You are. El Shadday, El Roi, Yahweh, Adonay, Elohim, Yahweh Yireh, El Elyon, Abba - You are too wonderful for words. You spoke it all in the name of Jesus Christ. No other word can compare. Hear our hearts, listen to our cries, we are overcome by Your love for us. We have nothing to offer except our hearts. We are ruined for this present world. Our one desire is to be with You. To dwell in the shelter of the Most High. To gaze upon Your beauty. To live forever in Your presence. How we long for and anticipate that glorious day! All glory and honor and praise belongs to Your wondrous name. In the wonderful name of Jesus we pray. Amen..
Steadfast in prayer,
Traci Alexander
Trumpet and Torch Ministries
Psalm 27
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Prayer Scripture References: Psalm 23:3; 27:4; 91:1; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:9-11; 8:24; John 1:14; Acts 3:19. |
