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Be Strong and Courageous
Andrea Lende • November 29, 2020
Psalm 31:23-24
Be Strong and Courageous
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Be-Strong-and-Courageous-en4fbh
Psalm 31:23-24
“O love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully pays back him who deals haughtily.”
“Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!”
King David’s words encouraged me today.
First, he says to love the Lord.
Yes, we do love the Lord.
And His promises are wonderful for those who love Him.
David says the Lord preserves us.
He keeps us.
He maintains us.
Even when people treat us with disdain or deal wrongly with us, the Lord protects us.
The Lord will deal with those who treat us poorly.
It is not up to me to right the wrongs of others.
If I keep my mind on those things my heart turns hard.
So, I allow God to avenge all that needs to be avenged.
I keep my eyes on Him and ask for peace and a loving heart.
King David tells us to be strong and have courage.
We must know the Lord comes to our aid in all situations and in all circumstances.
No matter how bad things look to us, the Lord is working it all out for our good.
Our eyes may see destruction, but the Lord is a God of restoration.
He will restore us in every way.
We must wait upon God.
Hope in God.
And wait expectantly on Him.
He is a God of miracles.
Our miracle awaits!
The Lord doesn’t need our help for a miracle.
He simply needs us to keep believing.
Believing in Him and His power.
Believing in His goodness.
Believing He has the perfect plan for us.
Today I choose to hope in the Lord and wait expectantly on Him as He works all things out for His glory.
May you find the Lord is faithful to you and will keep and protect you as you wait upon Him.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your promise to keep watch over me and protect me. Thank You for Your unending faithfulness to me. Thank You for working in every area of my life as I wait up on You. Strengthen me in all ways and impart courage in my soul as I face the challenges ahead. Help me be strong as trials come my way, Father. My hope is in You. I wait expectantly on You as You work every circumstance out in my life for Your glory. You are my Redeemer, my Restorer, and my Shield. You cover me from all danger and keep me in Your care. Keep me at Your feet as I wait. Help me look to You for all I need and not give my attention to the world. You are all I need, Lord. You are my Keeper. Keep me Yours, Lord. Keep me Yours. Help me bless someone this day, Father. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM watching over you and caring for you, My child.
Response: Thank You, Almighty God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.