Over the past few weeks at Valley as we have been looking at what has historically been called the Lord’s Prayer, I have found myself dwelling on the opening words of Jesus: Our Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:9) These words remind us that we are not alone, that we are loved and cared for by our Father and that the resources of our God are available to meet our needs.
They are words that answer the deep question of the human soul: Is there One who watches over me, is there One who cares for me? To which the answer comes back as a resounding yes; there is One, our Father in heaven, who says to us in Isaiah 41:13-14: I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid…for I myself will help you."
Over and over again, in the pages of the Bible we are given an incredible picture of God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, who is our Heavenly Father. He takes us by hand and walks with us through all the ups and downs of life; but especially when the journey becomes more difficult, the path seems unclear and we wonder where we can find strength to carry on for another day.
When you are weary, exhausted, weighed down by the cares of life, even fearful, there is One who walks with you, who loves you and cares for you. In my own journey I continue to learn that when I am weary, God is not; when I am exhausted, burdened by the cares, the uncertainties of life, God is not; when I am afraid, I need only to trust His faithful love.
One of my favourite passages all of scripture speaks to us about this aspect of God’s nature; Psalm 121. I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? (Psalm 121:1) The Psalmist says when I look around me, it can be scary. Where do I turn to find help, strength and courage?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (121:2) This a confession, a statement of what the people of God believed.
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (121:3-4) These are words of assurance; our heavenly Father is always watching over us, guarding our steps.
The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. (121:5-6 ) Just as shade provides protection from the sun’s heat, God protects, He shields those who belong to Him. Day or night, there is no time when we are not under the watchful eye of our God; His protective care abides with us throughout our days here on earth.
The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (121:7-8) He is the God who walks with you, watching, guarding our steps, protecting and screening us from those things which would seek to harm us. Even when we can't see clearly the path ahead of us, even in the dark night of our soul, when we can't make sense of what is happening to us or around us, God in His infinite wisdom and His outrageous compassion Is at work in our lives.
My friends at Valley, rest assured; God has not abandoned you, He has not, will not, can not forget you. He is the God who sees, the God who cares. Sometimes we just need to pray: God, help me to see beyond the darkness, to see You; to have enough faith and courage to take His hand, knowing He will walk with me, He will renew my strength and whisper words of life and hope into my broken heart.
The God who never slumbers or sleeps, the God who walks with you, never gets caught off guard, He never gets rattled, He never wonders, He never waivers, never becomes undone, never shrinks back in fear -- He our heavenly Father.
Our God, who is big and strong and filled with compassion and love has a heart that breaks at the sight of injustice and evil. He is for His people, jealously guarding those who belong to Him. He is passionate toward the poor and the lonely, He delights in showing mercy, He is the lover of your soul.
He walks with you when nobody else will or can; He is always with you, and will be until that day when He’s says, ‘take my hand and let’s go home.’ He is the eternal, ever-faithful, never changing, sovereign God. He is indescribable; He is irresistible. He is the God who walks with you.
He is our heavenly Father, and for me, that’s enough!
They are words that answer the deep question of the human soul: Is there One who watches over me, is there One who cares for me? To which the answer comes back as a resounding yes; there is One, our Father in heaven, who says to us in Isaiah 41:13-14: I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid…for I myself will help you."
Over and over again, in the pages of the Bible we are given an incredible picture of God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, who is our Heavenly Father. He takes us by hand and walks with us through all the ups and downs of life; but especially when the journey becomes more difficult, the path seems unclear and we wonder where we can find strength to carry on for another day.
When you are weary, exhausted, weighed down by the cares of life, even fearful, there is One who walks with you, who loves you and cares for you. In my own journey I continue to learn that when I am weary, God is not; when I am exhausted, burdened by the cares, the uncertainties of life, God is not; when I am afraid, I need only to trust His faithful love.
One of my favourite passages all of scripture speaks to us about this aspect of God’s nature; Psalm 121. I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? (Psalm 121:1) The Psalmist says when I look around me, it can be scary. Where do I turn to find help, strength and courage?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (121:2) This a confession, a statement of what the people of God believed.
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (121:3-4) These are words of assurance; our heavenly Father is always watching over us, guarding our steps.
The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. (121:5-6 ) Just as shade provides protection from the sun’s heat, God protects, He shields those who belong to Him. Day or night, there is no time when we are not under the watchful eye of our God; His protective care abides with us throughout our days here on earth.
The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (121:7-8) He is the God who walks with you, watching, guarding our steps, protecting and screening us from those things which would seek to harm us. Even when we can't see clearly the path ahead of us, even in the dark night of our soul, when we can't make sense of what is happening to us or around us, God in His infinite wisdom and His outrageous compassion Is at work in our lives.
My friends at Valley, rest assured; God has not abandoned you, He has not, will not, can not forget you. He is the God who sees, the God who cares. Sometimes we just need to pray: God, help me to see beyond the darkness, to see You; to have enough faith and courage to take His hand, knowing He will walk with me, He will renew my strength and whisper words of life and hope into my broken heart.
The God who never slumbers or sleeps, the God who walks with you, never gets caught off guard, He never gets rattled, He never wonders, He never waivers, never becomes undone, never shrinks back in fear -- He our heavenly Father.
Our God, who is big and strong and filled with compassion and love has a heart that breaks at the sight of injustice and evil. He is for His people, jealously guarding those who belong to Him. He is passionate toward the poor and the lonely, He delights in showing mercy, He is the lover of your soul.
He walks with you when nobody else will or can; He is always with you, and will be until that day when He’s says, ‘take my hand and let’s go home.’ He is the eternal, ever-faithful, never changing, sovereign God. He is indescribable; He is irresistible. He is the God who walks with you.
He is our heavenly Father, and for me, that’s enough!
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