A Year of Providential Care and Encouragement for the Future.

A Year of Providential Care and Encouragement for the Future.

Typically the week between Christmas and New Year’s is quiet for me, and this year was no exception. This year I drank richly in the presence of all my family being together. In the last few days of the year, I usually begin to organize my receipts and records to compile on my schedule C for taxes and quietly take stock of the previous 12 months.

In this process, I will slowly read through my prayer journal from the last year and see prayers answered in amazing ways and lessons taught by God’s grace. Some I’m still chewing on. This year, I was able to recount a few truly miraculous answers from God’s loving providence. The landscape included such graces as the right medical provider coming on the scene at just the right time and family medical bills being forgiven.

Other touches from Heaven reminded me of God’s faithfulness and thus His calling us to rest in Him.  As I reflected on these provisions this past week, I was reminded of God meeting the Hebrew’s daily needs in the history of Exodus as they wandered and waited upon Him in the wilderness.

Along with the events and answered prayers I recorded, it was interesting to review the scriptural passages that I had meditated on over the year. Some of these came to mind in prayer, daily life, or my yearly systematic reading of His word. Altogether, my quietness this past week reminded me of God’s faithfulness.

Below I’ve recorded a number of the verses that found their way into my prayer journal for 2022. Some of them were in application to something I was praying about at the time. Some caught me off guard and were out of nowhere. Some were not for me but an application for others, the church, and society. They are a reminder of God’s providence, Christ’s love, and the Spirit’s guidance. As we bring 2022 to a conclusion, they might be of encouragement to you as we move into 2023.

 

What about you? What are some lessons from the past year for you?

 

Some of the texts from my 2022 Prayer Journal.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Titus 1:8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, and who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

Philippians 4:6-8 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Psalm 31:14-15 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.

Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Psalm 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

Isaiah 54:2 Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

Psalm 18:19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Isaiah 54:4  Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

Psalm 131 My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. 3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

Psalms 107:1-3 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

1 Chronicles 22:13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

Revelation 2:17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.

Psalm 68:28 Summon your power, God; show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.

 

Did any of these speak to you?  Are there Biblical passages that ministered to you this past year?

 

 

When God Broke Through!

When God Broke Through!

I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with the virgin birth as is recorded in the Bible. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a home with a Biblical worldview and have always had some experience with church and reverence for the Bible. I know others are skeptical, though. Sometimes the doubt of the virgin birth is slow and casual. For others, there is a harsh and blatant rejection. “It’s impossible and a stupid idea,” they say. Something akin to Greek mythology. For me, it’s simple. If there is a God, and most people believe in God in a general sense, then why would the Incarnation be an impossibility? I mean, God can do anything.

But I wonder if the wrong question is being asked. It’s not so much about the how as the why. Is the virgin birth of Jesus through Mary necessary? That depends on who we are and who God is. Often doubt of the Virgin birth is not as much about the physical but the spiritual. To accept the Virgin birth is to admit one’s need for the Incarnation.

The Incarnation is a theological term, taken from Latin, simply referring to God taking on flesh. The Incarnation is then a greater miracle than the virgin birth. The apostle John refers to this miraculous conception by noting, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Because the man, Jesus, was not the product of natural conception, he was not marred by the sinful nature passed on from Joseph all the way back to Adam. Jesus went on to live a perfect life which none of us has done. This brings power to his death, burial, and resurrection 33 years later. Because Jesus was and is divine, he was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Because he rose from the dead on the third day, he proved his power and divinity. The resurrection of Jesus also confirmed that his sacrifice was sufficient for our sins.

Maybe that’s the real reason people reject virgin birth. To accept it leads to the conclusion that we need the Incarnation; we need God’s forgiveness. Admitting that need means we are not as good as we think we are. We have sinned against a Holy God, and it is only through the grace of His Son, Jesus, born of a virgin, that we can find peace through his sacrifice.

Christmas is many things. Ultimately it is a reminder of the power of the Incarnation. It is a reminder that God, because of his immense love, took on flesh to dwell among us and save us.

The warm Christmas plays and children’s toys are always a good thing. But the real power comes in the reality of God breaking into humanity to save me and all who would come to Him.

That is Christmas, and that is the most excellent news of all.