Category: worship

Little Pieces of Obedience

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“It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”[ 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”

Hebrews 11:17-19, NLT

The faith of Abraham is understood by believers everywhere. This simple man followed God to a obscure mountain in Judea. He came fervently, and yet logically to the command of the Lord. Abraham’s confident assurance would carry him to Mt. Moriah were he would sacrifice his son. He would prefigure God’s own sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His only Son.

There were many steps Abraham had to take: the knife, the rope, the firewood, the donkey. There was a dozen details to arrange. Abraham would have had to plan ahead of time to prepare. I’m relatively certain he had ample time to consider what he was doing. The enormity of it all would’ve been staggering.

Hebrews reveals that ‘faith’ was what enabled Abraham. It was faith followed by a dozen little acts of obedience that strengthened him to follow God’s instructions. Abraham would obey God, through faith, by doing many little things. All would lead up to the ‘big thing,’ the offering up of his only son.

Heavy doors swing on small hinges.

I believe that no act is too small. Tiny actions make for big ones. It seems that several times during our daily grind we face little choices that often determine a far greater meaning. I’ve been told that there are flowers in alpine valleys that no man will ever see. Their sole beauty is visible only to God. Obedience is often like this. But the Lord knows.

God meets every act of obedience to Him with a smiling grace.

Hebrews 11 is known as the believer’s ‘hall of fame’. In its verses we’re pounded by the idea that the faith is visible only through obedience. What we do is as significant as what we believe. It has always been so.

“…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”

Daniel 11:32, NKJV

A little obedience prepares us for bigger ones. If we won’t obey in the small ones, how will we in the big ones? The prophet Daniel spoke of a remnant that would do astonishing things, and that the core of their fame would come from knowing God. This is faith made visible. The ‘great exploits’ spring out of faith in a strong God. To be regarded in this way would be wonderful, but faith needs those little acts of obedience to be able to do the great ones. 

We must reclaim the reality that the details of our lives are not trivial.

Not Knowing Why

Joni Eeareckson Tada

I think one of the hardest parts of suffering is not knowing why.  

Especially when you’ve prayed for relief, you’ve waited, and nothing seems to change. 

And sometimes it goes on for years. 

It’s easy to speak about God’s purposes in suffering when you’re not the one going through it. It’s another thing entirely when you’re exhausted, hurting, and struggling to make it through another day. 

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17.  “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (ESV) 

Paul wasn’t at all minimizing suffering. This was a man who had been beaten, persecuted, and brought to the point of despairing of life itself.  But he understood something we can so easily lose sight of. 

Our suffering isn’t simply something we endure until we get to heaven.  God is always accomplishing something through it, even when we cannot see what that is. 

I thank God for the real life testimonies of the saints who have gone before us, and those who are faithfully enduring suffering even now. 

There is something so encouraging about seeing how God has sustained His people through unimaginable sorrow and used their suffering for good, not only in their own lives, but to strengthen the faith of others. That is such a beautiful confirmation of this truth. 

Circumstances do not always change. Pain is not always removed. But God remains faithful. 

Will you trust Him even when He doesn’t give the relief you’ve been praying for? We don’t have to pretend suffering doesn’t hurt. We don’t have to understand everything God is doing. 

But we do have to believe what He has told us. 

Not one moment of suffering in the life of a believer is meaningless. The same God who did not waste the suffering of His own Son will not waste the suffering of those who belong to Him. 

And one day, the afflictions that seem so heavy now will be outweighed by an eternal glory beyond anything we can comprehend. 

Until then, we walk by faith, not by sight.

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Wheels for the World®

Hand-delivering wheelchairs and Bibles to people with disabilities in developing countries.

(818) 707-5664 | info@joniandfriends.org,

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Our Worship Comes First

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat received terrifying news: a vast army was coming against Judah.

They were outnumbered. They were afraid. And they didn’t know what to do.

So Jehoshaphat called the people together and sought the Lord.

And God gave them a powerful reminder:

“The battle is not yours, but God’s.”
— 2 Chronicles 20:15

Then came the most unusual battle strategy.

When Judah marched toward the enemy, Jehoshaphat sent singers ahead of the army.

Not the warriors.
Not the strongest men.
The worshipers.

They went before the soldiers, praising God and declaring His goodness before they ever saw the victory.

And as they began to praise, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies, and the enemy armies turned against one another.

By the time Judah arrived, the battle had already been won.

What a picture of faith.

They praised before the breakthrough.
They worshiped before the victory.
They trusted God before they could see what He was doing.

Maybe you’re facing a battle right now that feels bigger than you.

You may not know how God will make a way.
You may not know when the answer will come.
But you can still praise Him.

Because praise isn’t pretending the battle isn’t real.

Praise is remembering that the battle isn’t yours to carry alone.

Put praise on the front line.
Let worship speak louder than fear.
And trust the God who fights for His people.

“The battle is not yours, but God’s.” 🙏🏻🤍

📖 2 Chronicles 20:15–22

Battle Belongs  · Phil Wickham ·Salt and Light, https://www.facebook.com/saltandlight.words

Listening to God’s Voice 101

mastersvoic

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.”

Matthew 13:16, ESV

There is a vast audio ocean that surrounds us.  Did you know that in the room where you are reading this, that there are “voices” going on? You just don’t see or hear them unless you have your radio or television tuned in to the right frequency, or they’re just too far away. We live in this golden age of Bluetooth, and cell phones. ( I suppose that they have positives, but also negatives.)

There is a frequency that we must lock into, where we can hear important things (or block-out confusing sounds.) But the Holy Spirit really wants to talk with us.  We soon understand that He wants us to communicate with Him. He yearns for a dialogue with us,  just like He had once a long time ago in the early chapters of Genesis. (Gen. 3:9)

“Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. Gods voice in response to mine is its most essential part.”

Andrew Murray

Knowing that I’ve been created in His image I can ponder the visible, which is a shadow of the real world. Mankind in general, creates and communicates–this is what we do–because it’s how God acts. After all, we are in His image. Just look at a mountain or an apple tree, in a way they explain God, if we can listen with our hearts. We will hear Him.

He is always speaking, but we’re not always listening.

The attribute of listening is amazingly profound.  Forty years ago, I listened to my local radio station while I’m driving. When I moved away from the radio tower, the signal got weaker and weaker. But if I turned the car around and drive back into town, the signal becomes stronger and I can hear it again.

In the same way, we stop hearing God when we drift away from Him. But if we will turn around and come back to Him, we’ll hear His voice again. The closer we are to God, the clearer we can hear Him. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

Dear one, if you foster listening to Him you’ll be really hearing, and that is why God created you. Hey. Read your Bible, and ponder a passage, and then prepare to hear Him.

 

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