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Let Him Keep You
Andrea Lende • August 8, 2020
Acts 16:30-31
Let Him Keep You
You may also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Let-Him-Keep-You-ehrth7
Daily Word:
Acts 16:30-31
“And he brought them out [out of the dungeon] and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?”
“And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you and your household as well.”
Our story starts where Paul and Silas had been put in prison.
They had been whipped and were thrown into the deepest part of the prison so they would not escape.
As they were praying and singing songs of praise to God all the doors of the prison were opened.
However, no one left.
The guard, seeing the open doors, was about to put a sword through himself, but Paul stopped him.
Paul told him they were all still there.
No one had escaped.
The guard wanted to know how he could be saved once he observed this miracle.
Paul’s response is precious.
It is perfect.
It is holy.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping].”
I love the Amplified version’s interpretation of the phrase, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”.
First, “[give yourself up to Him]”.
For some, that is nearly impossible.
I have had so much resistance in my spirit to completely surrender.
And then when I think I have fully surrendered I find another piece of my mind or soul that needs more surrender.
This is a continual process.
Fortunately, the Lord doesn’t require us to be perfect but just asks us to be open to His leading.
So, when He shows me another area that I need to surrender, I do that, and then I do it again.
The next part of the meaning behind this verse is, “take yourself out of your own keeping”.
As adults we pride ourselves in being independent.
After all, it took at least eighteen years to become independent.
And then we are asked to stop taking care or our own selves and let the Lord care for us.
Not just let the Lord take care of us, but “entrust yourself into His keeping”.
As we go through this life it seems that trust is something that we start losing because of the trials we go through.
We tend to trust less as we are hurt by others.
But the Lord is asking us to trust Him.
He is asking us to put ourselves in His care and quit worrying about all that is happening around us that may affect us.
He is our protector.
He is our provider.
As these difficult days continue, the words in our verse today spoke very loudly to me.
Today I choose to let the Lord care for my needs and will stop worrying about everything that could impact me, and trust in God.
May you find that as you let the Lord take your burdens from you that He will care for you in all ways and keep you from harm.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that I need to let go of my burdens and worries and trust in You. Thank You for reminding me that You are my caregiver, protector, and provider. Thank You for Your Word that continues to show You as the God of miracles and the God of mercy. You, Lord, are asking for my heart. Help me fully surrender to You. As You show me one more piece of my mind or soul that I have held on to, help me surrender it to You. Thank You for taking care of my every need. Thank You for watching over me and working in every circumstance of my life. Help me trust in You more – believe in You more. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for me so that I can be fully Yours, Lord. Help me serve You today. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM taking care of you in every way, My child, and am always watching over you.
Response: Thank You, most merciful and loving 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.