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Has the Lord Ever Forsaken You?

Today Somebody Prayed for You

Today’s Bowl of Encouragement by Herb Cotton

Bible Text for Today’s Meditation and Application:

Psalm 9:10 King James Version (KJV)

10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

My Reflections on the Word of God Today:

In the Bible, we see so many examples of how the Lord has been faithful to His people. Everyone has a story of the good times and the bad times, but the testimony of the saints of every age is that God is good, and that He never fails His people when they put their trust in Him with their whole heart.

What is your testimony? What is the story of your life and how the Lord has treated you? Are you able to sing, “He’s A Good, Good, Father? If not, why not? Is there any reason why you can’t start right now?

There are days when life gets hard that we need to pause and take the time to count our blessings and see how God has brought us through it all; yes, I say through it all. Can someone declare, “God has been mighty good to me, and I praise Him with my whole heart?”

If so, why not begin right now and sing praises to the Lord who is God all by Himself; He is sovereign over all, and He wants to be Your God.

Psalm 147:1 King James Version (KJV)

147 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

Prayer Offered to Our Father in Heaven:

Father God, with grateful hearts, we lift our voices together in praise and thanksgiving to You. Father, there is no one like You. We delight to be in Your presence and know Your peace in our hearts. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

God Speaks – Hear The Word of God

The Wisdom of the Proverbs:

Proverbs 22:17-19 (NLT)

17 Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction.

18 For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart and always ready on your lips.

19 I am teaching you today—yes, you— so you will trust in the LORD.

The Encouragement of the Psalms:

Psalm 46:1-3 (NLT)

1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude

The Hope of the Old Testament:

Job 40:6-9 (NLT)

6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:

7 “Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.

8 “Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right?

9 Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his?

Job 42:4-6 (NLT)

4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’

5 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

The Gospel Message:

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NLT)

1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.

2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

Observation:

My prayer for you today is that, by faith in God, you will be able to say what Job said after all the suffering he had in his life.

Job 19:25-27 (NLT)

25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.

26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!

27 I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!

Prayer:

Father, help us never to forget that You are God and that we are not. Father, we praise and thank You that You know our frame, and You remember that You made us out of dirt because You said it in the Bible.

—

1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

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Where Is Your City of Refuge?

Text:

Proverbs 18:10-11 (NLT)

10 The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.

11 The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.

Observation:

Do you go to the place of the godly or the place of the wealthy? God has made you a free moral agent. You get to decide who you will follow. Notice what Jesus said; it’s the season to listen to God speak.

Matthew 6:24 (NLT)

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

The God who created you is surely able to take care of you; to feed you, and protect you.

This God who loves you with an unfailing love will give you the wisdom that you need to make godly choices, and to live a godly life. Meditate upon what He did for David.

Psalm 73:23-26 (NLT)

23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.

26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

There is more. Look at what He did for Solomon, David’s son, and successor as King of Israel.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NLT)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

Prayer:

Father God, we humble ourselves in Your presence. Father, we unite our hearts together to join with David in singing praises to You; there is none like You.

Psalm 145:1-3 (NLT)

1 I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever.

2 I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever.

3 Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.

Father God, we seek shelter under the cover of Your everlasting arms. We unite together in this prayer in the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

—

1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

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https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

What Is So Powerful About God’s Presence?

Text:

Isaiah 30:15 (NLT)

15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.

Observation:

This song, by Chris Tomlin, is playing as I sat down to write today’s devotional:

“Love so amazing
Love so amazing
Chorus:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all”.

God planted in my heart a big dream last month. I took the first step three weeks ago to turning that dream into a reality.

Today I am in day six of seven of pausing before continuing the next phase of the project.

On day three I read Isaiah 30:15, which is our focal verse for today’s devotional. This verse is an affirmation that taking a pause was a good idea.

I am being so blessed by the peace, joy, rest, and refreshment I am finding in living in the presence of the LORD, and listening to Him, and reflecting upon what He is saying to me, and taking the steps He reveals to me through the Word of God

When we devote the first fruits of our time to God, He will do more in the remaining time than we could ever do if we forfeited the time we spend with God.

The song, “I am Thine, O Lord, I have Heard Thy Voice” by Fanny Crosby informs and inspires me.

“I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith,

And be closer drawn to Thee”.

Prayer:

Father God, Sovereign Lord, my dear Father, it is such a privilege and pleasure to abide in Your presence.

Father, Your voice is so sweet to the ears of our heart. We listen with awe in Your presence.

Father, we realize that in quietness and in trusting confidence, we shall receive the strength and courage we need to fulfill your tailored made purpose and plans for our life.

Father, I pray we will be numbered with those who will do Your will and not those who would not. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

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How Reliable Is Your Protection?

Text:

Psalm 18:30 (HCSB)

30 God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

Observation:

I’m pretty sure that I could get a consensus, even in this divided nation, that we live in an imperfect world, and that it is populated by imperfect people.

However, there is some extremely goodnews hidden in all of the bad news that you see and hear everywhere you turn. In this noisy world, we need to take a few moments to get away, and find a quiet place to reflect, review, and repent.

Psalm 46:10 (HCSB)

10 “Stop {your fighting}—and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”

Today I invite you to think about these three important declarations of the Psalmist in our text.

God’s way is perfect.
God’s word is pure.
God’s work is protection.

The truth is this: God provides perfect, pure, protection. There is no one you can turn to in this world that can do for you what God can do for you.

What we need in hard times is to hear someone speak the truth. We need a truth teller. Listen to the words from the lips of Jesus that are aimed at your heart.

Allow what Jesus said to His disciples during some hard times that they were experiencing, and hard sayings that He spoke into their hearts.

John 6:64-68 (KJV)

64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Who do you believe? Who are depending upon for perfect, pure, protection? Where is your hope for the future?

Prayer:

Father, I stand is awe in Your presence, and give You the glory, honor, and praise that You alone deserve.

Father, I am so grateful that we have a God in whom we can trust with our whole heart.

Father, I ask for an outpouring of love from the hearts of Your people to a needy world. Father, we need help, and we have hope that is grounded in the truth. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Romans 5:5 (ESV)

5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry