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Time Out for
God Devotional Ministry By Danna Appleby God’s Love Letter to You God is love. 1 John 4:8 You may feel insignificant and as if you don’t matter, but God
thinks otherwise. In fact, He
thinks you’re something! I
know that for sure, because God’s Word is a love letter with your name
written all over it.
God’s Word says you were created for
His glory and in His own image.
You were formed by His hands for He is the Maker of all
things. He thinks so highly
of you that your name is engraved on the palms of His hands and the very
hairs of your head are all numbered.
(Eph. 1:12; Gen.
1:27; Ps. 119:73; Jer. 10:16; Is. 49:16. Mt. 10:30)
Before God formed you in your mother’s
womb, He knew all about you. He made you beautiful and set
eternity in your heart. You
are fearfully and wonderfully made.
It was He who gave you life and breath and everything else, for in
Him you live and move and have your being. (Jer.
1:5; Ecc. 3:11; Ps.
139:14; Acts 17:25,
28)
God says He knows when you sit and
when you rise. He understands
all of your thoughts even from afar.
He knows all of your ways for it was He who created you. There is not a word that forms on
your tongue that He doesn’t know. There is no place you can go that
His Presence is not there for He is always with you. (Ps. 139:1-7, Mt.
28:20)
God says when you obey Him you will be
His treasured possession and He will look upon you with favor. Then you will sparkle like a jewel
in a crown. (Ex. 19:5; Ez.
6:9; Zech. 9:16)
God says He longs to be gracious to
you for you are the apple of His eye. His thoughts toward you are as
countless as the sand on a seashore.
(Is. 30:18; Ps. 17:8;
Ps. 139:17-18) God says He isn’t a far away or an
angry God, but He is the complete expression of love. He desires to lavish His love on
you because He is your Father.
He is faithful to all He has promised and loving toward all He has
made. Nothing can separate
you from His love. There is
no width or length or depth or height to God’s love for you, for it is
endless! He has loved you
with an everlasting love and has drawn you with His loving-kindness. (Ps. 145:13; Jer.
31:3; 1 Jn. 3:1; 4:10; Eph. 3:17-19)
God says when you go through difficult
times, you can rest assured that as a shepherd carries his lambs, He will
gather you in His arms. The
Great Shepherd will uphold you when you fall, lift you when you are bowed
down and quiet you with His love.
(Is.
40:11; Ps. 145:14; Zeph.
3:17) When your burdens are so heavy you
can’t bear them for another moment, cast your cares on the Lord for He
cares for you. Though you
stumble, He will uphold you with His own hand. He will have compassion upon His
afflicted ones. (1 Pet. 5:7; Ps.
37:24; Ps. 9:12)
There is no question that you can find
comfort in your heavenly Father. He says when you grieve; He will
give you peace because He promised to comfort all who mourn. When those times come, pour out
your heartache to Him and He will be attentive to your cry for He is
gracious. As soon as He hears your
voice, He will answer you.
Then gladness and joy will overtake you and sorrow and sighing will
flee away. (Mt. 5:4; Ps. 34:15;
Is. 30:19; Is. 35:10) If you need someone to listen, you can
always count on your loving Father to do that for He is your greatest
encourager. Cry aloud to Him
and He will answer you from His holy hill. (Ps. 10:17; Ps.
3:4)
When you need to feel that God is
near, do not worry that He has deserted you; for He is there in your
midst. He will never leave
you nor forsake you. He is a
helper to the fatherless and will strengthen you. Never fear that He will not stand
with you because He is your refuge and a very present help in time of
trouble. (Zeph. 3:17; Ps.
10:14; Is. 41:10; Ps. 46:1; Heb.
13:5) If you’re wondering how you’re going
to pay your bills, Jehovah Jireh, your Provider will meet your every
need. There is nothing He
will withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Mt. 6:31-33; Ps.
84:11)
God says He has great plans for your
future. He will never stop
doing good things for you and He is able to do more than you could
possibly imagine.
(Jer. 29:11; Jer.
32:40; Eph. 3:20) What are the desires you hold within
your heart? When you make
your delight in God, He will give you the things you’ve hoped for and will
satisfy your soul. Nothing is
impossible with God and nothing too hard. (Phil. 2:13; Ps.
37:4; Is. 58:11; Luke 1:37; Gen.
18:14) You do not have to fear when the enemy
of your soul throws his fiery darts for he cannot harm you. When you belong to the Lord, you
are hidden with Christ in God.
Then as you use the Word, your shield of faith, on that sly fox you
will be able to quench every dart that comes your way. But always remember that the
battle is the Lord’s.
(1 Jn. 5:18; Eph.
6:16; Col. 3:3; 2 Ch. 20:15)
Keep in mind that when you have faith
in God and diligently seek Him, He is a rewarder of those who
believe. And with faith the
size of a mustard seed you can move mountains. (Heb. 11:6; Mt.
17:20) When your heart is broken, the Lord
says He will bind up your wounds.
For when the righteous cry out, He hears them and delivers them
from all of their troubles.
(Is. 61:1; Ps. 34:17;
Ps. 147:3) When you get tired and weary and feel
you can’t go another step, God says come to Him and He will give you
rest. Take His yoke upon you
and learn from Him because He is gentle in heart and with Him you will
find rest for your soul. His
yoke is easy and His burden light.
(Mt.
11:28-30)
God says if you have transgressions,
when you confess them, He will be faithful and just to cleanse you from
all unrighteousness. He knows
the secrets you hold within your heart, but though your sins are as
scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Then He will take your sins and
hurl them into the depths of the sea and He will remember them no
more. (1 Jn. 1:9; Ps.
44:21; Is. 1:18; Micah 7:19; Jer. 31:34; Is. 43:25)
The Lord says He will watch over you
for He is your shade at your right hand. He will keep you from harm for
the sun will not harm you by day or the moon by night. He watches over your going out and
your coming in both now and forevermore. (Ps. 121:5-8)
The Father goes on to say in His Word
that when your life’s journey must end, He will guide you safely to Mount
Zion, the heavenly city where He lives and where countless angels
abide. He tells us further
that, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the saints,” and
He will welcome you Home. (Heb. 12:22; Ps.
116:15) Then one glorious day, God says He
will send His Son at the appointed time and a time that He alone
knows. The trump of the
archangel will sound and if your body is in the grave it will rise to meet
your Savior in the air. The
living who have longed for the Lord’s appearing will then rise to meet Him
also, and the saints of God will rejoice for all eternity. (Mt. 24:36; 1 Cor.
15:51-52; 2 Tim. 4:8)
And Jesus, God’s Son bids us come and says:
Behold,
I am coming soon! My reward
is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has
done. Rev.
22:12 Prayer: Father, thank you for everything you
tell us in your Word that gives strength and help. When our hearts need lifting, you
do just that. When there
seems to be no where to turn, you are with us to help in every
situation. How can we ever
think of not turning to you when you have so much love to give? How can we even think twice about
turning away from you when you’re so filled with compassion? Where could we go but to you,
Father? We’re so thankful
that we have you to turn to in times of sorrow, in times of great need and
in times of desperation.
Thank you for being so near and so dear! I love you because you have turned
your ear to me and I will call on you as long as I live. (Ps. 116:1-2) In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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