Anyone With Eyes To See Knows This World Is A Sinking Titanic, But Jesus is On Deck! Jesus Was Able To Sleep During A Storm Because Of Who He Is; That Is The Very Same Reason Why You Can Sleep During Your Storms, Because Of Who He Is! Listen:

Anyone With Eyes To See Knows This World Is A Sinking Titanic, And If That Be So, Are We Rearranging The Furniture On The Deck Or Are We Helping To Rescue The Passengers Onto The Lifeboats. Jesus Was Able To Sleep During A Storm Because Of Who He Is; That Is The Very Same Reason Why You Can Sleep During Your Storms, Because Of Who He Is! Jesus, He's On Deck Before, During And After Every Single Storm!

Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, He's on Deck before, during and after every single storm! When the doctor gives the diagnosis, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no worries! When the bills come in, but there is no money to put out, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no fear! When the marriage foundation starts to shake, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no concerns! When friends become enemies and family becomes foes, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no more loss of sleep! If you are not getting it, do not focus on the storm, focus on your God who is still on Deck!

 For years before I started into the ministry, I’d been asking God to grow me into a woman of faith. I didn’t want to merely trust the Lord for my salvation. I wanted to trust Him with my steps on earth, too. I’d read books on faith and established habits of faith. I’d talked about faith and prayed about faith. I realized I’d been making faith too complicated.

Faith isn’t a feeling or a philosophy.

Faith isn’t a principle or a prescription.

Faith is taking God at His word.

In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul uses the story of Abraham to teach us about faith that pleases God. Though Abraham was old, and his wife was barren, Abraham believed God’s pledge to make him the father of many nations. (Romans 4:18) According to Romans 4:20, “Abraham never doubted. He believed God, for his faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised God for this blessing even before it happened.”

Matthew 8:23-27, “And AFTER HE GOT INTO THE BOAT, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly, behold, there arose a VIOLENT STORM on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; BUT HE WAS SLEEPING. And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing! And He said to them, why are you timid and afraid, O you of LITTLE FAITH? Then HE GOT UP AND REBUKED THE WINDS AND THE SEA, AND THERE WAS A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CALM (A PERFECT PEACEABLENESS). And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, what kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!” (AMPC)

I am not a regular sea traveler, so I have never been in a storm at sea, and truthfully that is simply fine with me! But I have certainly heard many sea-storm stories, especially from my friends who just about live for cruises. However, you may remember the ship from some years ago, that was making a transatlantic voyage from Liverpool to New York. And just in case you do not know the story, here it goes: One night, at a time when most of the passengers were asleep, the ship was hit by this "mega" Atlantic storm. The wind and the waves were so violent at one point they tipped the ship almost on its side, and down below, the passengers were literally thrown out of their beds! Everyone is freaking out (understandably)! I mean, this is the epitome of what I would call a rude awakening!

The interesting part of this story though? There is this one cabin, where a little girl was thrown out of her bed like everybody else and her mother was already awake from the intensity of the storm. But there was one thing different about this little passenger. YOU SEE, HER DADDY WAS THE CAPTAIN! While she was all bleary eyed, she asked her mom the only thing she really wanted to know about the situation, "Is daddy on deck?" Her mom said, "yes he is, honey." The little girl's priceless response was right to the point, "THEN I'M GOING BACK TO BED."

Sounds comical, but listen to Matthew 8, beginning in verse 5. "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him asking for help. 'Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.' Jesus said to him, 'I will go and heal him.' The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed, for I, myself, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go!", and he goes, and that one, "Come!", and he comes. I say to my servant, "Do this", and he does it.' When Jesus heard this, He was astonished, and said to those following Him, 'I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.'" (vss. 5-10)

The Amplified Bible reads like this: “As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him, and saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and distressed with intense pains. And Jesus said to him, I will come and restore him. But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured. For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him [who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming to His example in living and, if need be, in dying also], I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this with anyone, even in Israel.” (AMP)

Verse 13 tells us the conclusion of it all: "Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! It will be done just as you believed it would,' and his servant was healed at that very hour."

Now in this story there is a powerful insight into the kind of faith that Jesus loves - and it gets things done! It says He was ‘astonished’. I mean, this is the faith that amazes Jesus! He even goes so far as to call it great faith! Let us look at verse 10 in a few translations:

“When Jesus heard this, He was AMAZED. Turning to those who were following Him, He said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen FAITH LIKE THIS IN ALL ISRAEL!” (NLT)

“When Jesus heard this, He was SURPRISED AND WONDERED ABOUT IT. He said to those who followed Him, “For sure, I tell you, I HAVE NOT FOUND SO MUCH FAITH IN THE JEWISH NATION.” (NLV)

“When Jesus heard it, HE MARVELED, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I HAVE NOT FOUND SUCH GREAT FAITH, NOT EVEN IN ISRAEL!” (NKJV)

“When Jesus heard this, HE WAS IMPRESSED and said to the people following him, “I say to you with all seriousness that even in Israel I HAVEN’T FOUND FAITH LIKE THIS.” (CEB)

Jesus was AMAZED, SURPRISED, MARVELED, WONDERED AND IMPRESSED by this man’s FAITH! A good question to ask yourself? Would Jesus have that same response to MY FAITH? If yes, wonderful; if no, pray ‘Lord INCREASE MY FAITH’ and Help My Unbelief!

Now further on in the chapter, He says to the men who are WITH HIM CONSTANTLY, "You of little faith!" during the storm when they were freaking out, just before He "Got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it was completely calm." Astonished! Why? Because he finally found a man who understood the connection between FAITH AND AUTHORITY. The centurion said, "I say something to my servants, and they do it. I have total authority over them. But Jesus, someone I care about is in a crisis I cannot handle, but You have total authority over this illness. Whatever You say to this illness, it will do." Wow!

You see, faith is acknowledging the TOTAL AUTHORITY OF JESUS over this situation. That is what the disciples could not do in their storm. They acted as if Jesus did not have authority over the storm, BUT HE DID! He spoke to it like a parent would speak to a child ... and "it was calm."

So, the faith issue for you right now may very well be "who or what you believe" has the final authority in your situation. Will the company decide it? The economy? Is this disease going to have the final word? Your mate? Your kids? Your feelings? What the news is reporting? Or is everything in this situation TOTALLY UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF YOUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST? Yes or no! (Remember, no one can answer that, but YOU!)

If it is Jesus, then you can make that your bottom line and the panic is over! The peace that defies logic is kicking in. There is an unexplainable sense of well-being and calm that comes when you settle where the final authority is in your situation. And the shield of faith will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, because Satan cannot touch something that you have completely given to Jesus.

Matthew 8:23-27, “And AFTER HE GOT INTO THE BOAT, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly, behold, there arose a VIOLENT STORM on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; BUT HE WAS SLEEPING. And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing! And He said to them, why are you timid and afraid, O you of LITTLE FAITH? Then HE GOT UP AND REBUKED THE WINDS AND THE SEA, AND THERE WAS A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CALM (A PERFECT PEACEABLENESS). And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, what kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!” (AMPC)

Like that little girl blown around by a dangerous storm, all you need to know is if your "Savior’s on Deck." Because there is nothing He cannot handle, so you might as well go back to bed. Your Lord is in charge!

Can you imagine being trapped on a boat that is trapped during a violent storm? Can you just imagine the emotions, fears, chaos and even pain of literally being thrown around on a boat, in a storm? Sure, you can imagine all of that. Truth is that the part we struggle with trying to grasp is trying to imagine how to have the same attitude as that little girl. Is dad on deck? Yep. Okay, goodnight, I am going back to bed! Sounds insane I know! But look at what the Scripture says, “And AFTER HE GOT INTO THE BOAT…” All you need to know about your storms is simple: IS JESUS ON DECK? YES. OKAY, GOODNIGHT, I’M GOING BACK TO BED!

When the doctor gives the diagnosis, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no worries!

When the bills come in, but there is no money to put out, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no fear!

When the marriage foundation starts to shake, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no concerns!

When it seems, the children will never improve, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no stress!

When the business starts to go under, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no panic!

When the church starts emptying out, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no anxiety attacks!

When the job of 20 years lays you off in 2 minutes flat, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no nervous breakdowns!

When the loan is denied, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no flipping out!

When the tuition goes up the same time your paycheck goes down, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no more pulling out your hair!

When friends become enemies and family becomes foes, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no more loss of sleep!

If you are not getting it, do not focus on the storm, focus on your God who is still on Deck!

Mark 4:35-41, “On that same day [when] evening had come, He said to them, let us go over to the other side [of the lake]. And leaving the throng, they took Him with them, [just] as He was, in the boat [in which He was sitting]. And other boats were with Him. AND A FURIOUS STORM OF WIND [OF HURRICANE PROPORTIONS] AROSE, AND THE WAVES KEPT BEATING INTO THE BOAT, SO THAT IT WAS ALREADY BECOMING FILLED. But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? AND HE AROSE AND REBUKED THE WIND AND SAID TO THE SEA, HUSH NOW! BE STILL (MUZZLED)! AND THE WIND CEASED (SANK TO REST AS IF EXHAUSTED BY ITS BEATING) AND THERE WAS [IMMEDIATELY] A GREAT CALM (A PERFECT PEACEFULNESS). He said to them, why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (not firmly relying on trust)? And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?” (AMPC)

Luke 8:22-25, “One of those days He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, let us go across to the other side of the lake. So, they put out to sea. But as they were sailing, He fell off to sleep. AND A WHIRLWIND REVOLVING FROM BELOW UPWARDS SWEPT DOWN ON THE LAKE, AND THE BOAT WAS FILLING WITH WATER, AND THEY WERE IN GREAT DANGER. And the disciples came and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing! AND HE, BEING THOROUGHLY WAKENED, CENSURED AND BLAMED AND REBUKED THE WIND AND THE RAGING WAVES; AND THEY CEASED, AND THERE CAME A CALM. And He said to them, [Why are you so fearful?] Where is your faith (your trust, your confidence in Me—in My veracity and My integrity)? And they were seized with alarm and profound and reverent dread, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this, that He commands even wind and sea, and they obey Him?” (AMPC)

Jesus was able to sleep during a storm because of Who He is; That Is The Very Same Reason Why You Can Sleep During Your Storms, Because Of Who He Is! Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, He's On Deck Before, During And After Every Single Storm!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com

Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday morning at 5:30 AM CST & 6:30 AM EST on The Now Network http://www.theNOWnetwork.org

ROKU, Cable & Online

https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday

We Are In A Season Where Many Are In Need Of A Spiritual Refreshing. I Love The Word Refresh. A Perfect Word To Describe Starting Again. The Word Refresh Means “To Give New Strength,” And “To Reinvigorate.” Could You Use Some Spiritual Refreshment?

We Are In A Season Where Many Are In Need Of A Spiritual Refreshing. I Love The Word Refresh. It’s Such A Perfect Word To Describe Starting Again Or Returning To Something. The Word Refresh Means “To Give New Strength,” "To Give Energy To" And “To Reinvigorate.” Could You Use Some Spiritual Refreshment Right Now?

At the beginning of the year (2023), God gave me two words for the year that stayed close to my heart. The two words were Refresh and Release. Throughout the year, my sermons/messages have been centered around these two words during this season of preparation. God wants us to release people, places, and things that have been a hindrance to our spiritual life. God knows what we need, and He knows that His children need a refreshing. Many have been overwhelmed, exhausted, weary, and "BUSY". All we must do is come. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But so many times, we are too busy, and we have tried to quench our thirst elsewhere.

Jesus takes up this cry in John 7:37 and informs any who are listening that He is the water that quenches the desire of the thirsty soul. He then declares that out of us can flow rivers of living water (v.38). Not only can we have our thirst quenched, but we can be a source of water for others.

Do you long for intimacy in worship?

It is not just a listening experience; it is a journey of soaking worship. It is a place of intimacy with the Father, a place where the heart longs for His touch.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? But we won’t live in the reality of it until we ourselves come. Until we admit our thirst and come and drink, we will not have water to give to others.

Our land can be a barren wasteland or a well-watered garden. The difference lies in the amount of water that is received. This water is freely available, but if we want it, we must come. There is no price, but it costs us much. To simply come and receive means that we stop our activity, wait in His presence and drink deeply of the water that He came to give.

If we want the rivers to flow, we must first come to the waters and drink.

Are you thirsty for His presence? I Love The Word Refresh. It’s Such A Perfect Word To Describe Starting Again Or Returning To Something. The Word Refresh Means “To Give New Strength,” “To Give Energy To,” And “To Reinvigorate.” Could You Use Some Spiritual Refreshment Right Now?

Times of refreshing do not come from striving to read more of the Bible or praying for a certain period each day. Biblical spiritual refreshing is simply coming to Jesus. His invitation to each one of us is simply "come to Me" (John 7:37). Jesus’s sermon on the mount in John 7:37 encourages us to find refreshing in Him alone. When we stand in His Presence and allow Who He is to satisfy our souls, our parched hearts are soothed and refreshed.

I love the word refresh. It’s such a perfect word to describe starting again or returning to something. In fact, I even use it as a computer term. Sometimes, when I’m working on my computer, leave it for a while, and then come back, things freeze up. Certain programs aren’t working properly anymore. So, I have to refresh my computer screen. And there are times when that means I need to completely reboot.

Sometimes we need a reboot in the Christian life as well. Sometimes, we need to be refreshed because we find ourselves tired and exhausted. Here’s what Jesus says: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NLT).

On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the people, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19 NKJV).

The word refresh means “to give new strength,” “to give energy to,” and “to reinvigorate.” Could you use some spiritual refreshment right now? The place to find that is from God Himself.

1. Refreshed in the Word of God

The Bible is very specific about how we can find refreshment for our souls. For example, Psalm 19 says, “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul” (verse 7 NKJV). We will find spiritual refreshment when we read and study the Bible.

Of course, it isn’t always an emotional experience when we open the Bible and read it. But this is not about emotions; this is about replenishment. This is about restoration, getting perspective on life, and getting direction from God. And as you open the Bible, the Word of God, it will refresh your soul.

Have you ever been reading the Bible and suddenly a verse seemed to jump off the page? Maybe it was a verse you’ve read before, but amazingly it had a new meaning and applied to your situation. That is finding refreshment from the Word of God.

2. Refreshed by Selflessness

You also will be spiritually refreshed when you think of others more than yourself. I know this is counterintuitive to the selfie culture in which we’re living. People are trying to get more followers on social media and are very aware of their image. And sadly, we’ve heard stories of people who have literally died trying to get the ultimate selfie.

The truth is that when you stop thinking about yourself so much and instead think about others, it will refresh you spiritually. The Bible tells us, “Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25 NLT). As you’re giving to others, you’ll find that you’re replenished yourself.

3. Refreshed Through Prayer

There is also refreshing power in prayer. Why do we put off prayer? Why do we avoid praying? Allow me to offer some observations. Maybe we don’t pray more because we think we don’t have the time.

But is that true?

How much time do we spend on social media every day? The latest research says that people in the United States check their Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts 17 times per day. That’s once every waking hour.

Imagine if we prayed 17 times a day instead of checking our social media. John Piper put it this way: “One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.”

How true is that? Then factor in all the hours we spend binge-watching shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or some other outlet. We can waste so much time. So let us not say that we don’t have time to pray. The fact is that we will make time for what matters to us.

Maybe we don’t pray because we don’t think prayer is all that important. Of course, we never would admit that outright. But do we really think it’s important? I can assure you that it’s very important.

Why Prayer Is Crucial

The Old Testament book of Joshua tells a story about the Israelites who were led out of the bondage of Egypt into a new land flowing with milk and honey. But there was an obstacle in their path: the mighty city of Jericho, a huge fortress. There was no way they could bring it down militarily, but God had said He would give them that city.

So, they prayed and called on God, and He gave them a battle plan, which I have to admit was pretty unorthodox. They marched around the city, yelled, and blew trumpets. But it worked. The walls of the fortress crashed down, and they took control.

After that there was another little city called Ai, which was much smaller than Jericho and not nearly as difficult to conquer. They didn’t pray about that. They thought Ai would be a piece of cake because they had taken down Jericho. But when they went in, they were soundly defeated because they didn’t pray about it.

We need to pray for everything. The Bible tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). Notice it doesn’t say that “in some things” or in “only the big, scary things” we should make our requests known to God. Rather, it’s “in everything” that we should make our requests known to Him.

Maybe another reason we don’t pray more is because we don’t think that prayer really works. Again, we wouldn’t admit that, but it may be the case. Let’s understand what the objective of prayer is. It is not to align God with our wills; it’s to align us with His will. God is not a genie; He’s our Father in Heaven.

If you’re studying and memorizing Scripture and understanding the message of the Bible, then your desires will change. Thus, your prayers will change as well.

Do you want to be spiritually refreshed? Then study the Bible, the Word of God. Put the needs of others above your own needs. Spend time in God’s presence through prayer. Then you’ll find the refreshment you’re looking for.\

REFRESHMENT, AND RESTORATION

That kingdom will be, first, a kingdom of refreshment, everlasting refreshment. We need refreshing in this life again and again. We need to lay our heads down and go unconscious for seven or eight hours a night, or we get crabby and really depressed. In the age to come, it may be that we’ll sleep, I don’t know, but whether we wake or sleep, whether there’s the rhythm like that or not, it’s going to be perfect refreshment every time you need it. We will mount up with wings like eagles. We will run and not grow weary. We will walk and not faint. It will be Perfect.

The second characteristic of this kingdom is that Jesus is going to be there as the king. It speaks. “He will send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus” “Acts 3:20). And He will establish His kingdom on the earth, erect His throne, and rule His kingdom. And I believe that my own refreshment and yours will come from looking into the face of Jesus again and again and again and again.

The third characteristic of this kingdom is that it will mean a restoration of all things. As you look at the world today things are not as they should be, and we often want to ask, “What is God up to? Where is God in a world with so much agony, so much tragedy, so much futility, so much frustration, so much immorality, and so much corruption? Where is God?” The answer is that He reigns and He’s coming. And when He comes, there will be no more guilt, no more pain, no more suffering, no more frustration, no more corruption, no more decay, and no more futility. It will be as it was in the beginning before the fall, only better with no possibility for the fall.

God will meet the needs of our weary, overwhelmed, and exhausted soul.

First, God fulfills his hope-giving promises in spite of, and even through, the opposition of ignorant people. Second, God wipes away all the sins of people who repent, and nobody needs to go out of this room carrying sin in their life. God, in the twinkling of an eye, takes it away when we turn to him. And third, he will establish the kingdom of Christ on this earth, and it will be a kingdom of refreshment in the presence of the Lord, along with a restored creation where there is no futility, no frustration, no sickness, no pain, no tears, and no sadness anymore. 

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com

Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday morning at 5:30 AM CST & 6:30 AM EST on The Now Network http://www.theNOWnetwork.org

ROKU, Cable & Online

https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday

When You’re Struggling to Make It Through the Day. Ever Have Days When You Wonder How You’re Going To Make It Through The Next 24 Hours? Sometimes, Your Strength Runs Out, Or Maybe Your Hope Wears Thin, And You Still Have Challenges To Face.

A Prayer When You’re Struggling to Make It Through the Day: “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all day.” – Psalm 52:1

When You’re Struggling to Make It Through the Day. Will Praising God Help Us While We Wait? Ever Have Days When You Wonder How You’re Going To Make It Through The Next 24 Hours?  Sometimes, Your Strength Runs Out, And You Still Have More Hours To Go Before Bedtime. Or Maybe Your Hope Wears Thin, And You Still Have Challenges To Face.  We Are All Waiting — whether waiting for answers to our prayers, waiting for someone, waiting for changes, or perhaps waiting for our own return home. 

Will Praising God Help Us While We Wait Wait? Praising God while we wait on Him can strengthen our faith, bring blessings and miracles in our lives, encourage others, and will obviously bring delight to Him. The Bible tells us that it is good to praise God and give Him thanks in all circumstances.

When David felt desperate, He cried out to God. He reminded himself of God’s faithfulness and love. David’s prayers from the book of Psalms have helped people get through hard days for almost 3 thousand years.

When we wonder how we’re going to make it through until bedtime, we can hold on to this truth: “The steadfast love of God endures all day.”  

Friend, no matter what obstacles you face, God’s love will see you through. No matter how tired you feel, His love will sustain you. No matter how great your fears are, His unfailing love surrounds you. And no matter how far you wander from your faith, God’s love will be there when you get back. 

David faced an actual, physical enemy when he penned this verse. You probably don’t have someone trying to hunt you down, but maybe you face challenges that threaten to undo you. Stress that wears you down. Worries that leave you frazzled. Whatever problems you’re navigating today, you can rest assured: The steadfast love of God will outlast them all.  

God’s devotion to His people is written all over the pages of the Bible. Psalm 13:6 gives us words to declare in our challenges: “I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Romans 8:37-39 reminds us that nothing and no one “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Whether life is smooth sailing or choppy waters, we need constant reminding of God’s affection for us. Let’s ask God to pour His love into our hearts. Let’s meditate on it and intentionally accept it.

Today, if you feel tired, anxious, or irritated, how about whispering to yourself: “The steadfast love of God endures all day”? God stands at your side, ready to sustain and guide you through any challenge. 

Let’s pray: 

Lord Jesus, quiet my mind and heart as I draw near to you for a few minutes and meditate on your great love. Thank you for demonstrating your love for me on the cross. I thank you for dying to give me life, and I praise you for your victory over sin and death. Thank you to the Holy Spirit, who never leaves me and constantly reminds me of your caring presence. 

Your love is deeper than oceans and higher than the clouds. It surrounds me and goes before me. Pour out more of your love into my heart that I might be filled to overflowing and reflect you to those around me.

Remind me of your presence, your faithfulness, and your power to strengthen and sustain me through difficult days. Help me remember my problems and trials will disappear, but your love will remain forever.

What if God Doesn't Change Our Circumstances? Many of our prayers involve asking God to change something in our lives. We ask for healing, rescue from pain, for a better life, and for stable situations. We often ask God to change our circumstances, and there is a biblical model for this happening. Throughout Scripture, we see stories of God’s redemption in impossible circumstances. This miraculous intervention occurs as Daniel walks out of the lions’ den unharmed, as Moses walks out of the Red Sea on dry land, as David walks out of battle with Goliath, and as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walk out of the fiery furnace unburned.

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve can deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” - Daniel 3:17-18. The miracle is that they safely walked out. 

Will Praising God Help Us While We Wait? Praising God while we wait on Him can strengthen our faith, bring blessings and miracles in our lives, encourage others, and will obviously bring delight to Him. The Bible tells us that it is good to praise God and give Him thanks in all circumstances.

Praising God will surely help strengthen us while we wait on Him. It is a practical and beneficial way to express our faith in God and acknowledge Him for who He is and for what He has done.

We are all waiting — whether waiting for answers to our prayers, waiting for someone, waiting for changes, or perhaps waiting for our own return home. Sometimes the wait is longer than we expect, but sometimes we do not anticipate what we wait for happens sooner.

For some people, waiting can be boring — they feel uncertain or restless, hence they decide to take shortcuts, which unfortunately often leads to disappointments. And even worse is when people deliberately choose to commit sins because of impatience, as displayed by the Israelites impatiently waiting for Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 32).

In our world today, waiting can be very challenging, especially when the cultures of instant gratification and performance-based competition are exalted. People tend to dislike the idea of waiting and delay, often caused by fear of missing out, and thus self-reliance manifested in extremely hard work becomes sort of the way of life.

In contrast, Scripture teaches us to be patient, hopeful, and faithful in times of waiting. In moments like these, we have a choice — whether to draw near to God or to draw away from Him.

Giving praises to God is a practical and beneficial way that draws us closer to Him. In fact, praising God is one of the purposes He has given us as believers.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).

Therefore, as we wait, we are to praise God instead of committing sins. Praising God while we wait on Him can strengthen our faith, bring blessings and miracles in our lives, encourage others, and will obviously bring delight to Him.

Praising God Strengthens Our Faith. Abraham waited 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise. Notice what he did while he was waiting: Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God can do whatever He promises (Romans 4:20-21, NLT).

The faith of Abraham is our example. He gave glory to God — in other words, he praised God — while he was waiting for God to fulfill His promise to make him the father of many nations through his son, Isaac (Genesis 17:1-21). Abraham did not wait until the manifestation of God’s miracle to praise Him, which otherwise does not require much faith.

One of the best ways to express our faith in God is by praising Him even before we receive the answers to our prayers or see the fulfillment of His promises.

As we praise God, we are reminded again of His greatness and goodness, and so as we remember all His benefits, our faith grows stronger (Psalm 103:1-2). And as we wait for Him, our strength shall be renewed (Isaiah 40:31).

Praising God Activates His Miracles in Our Lives

A popular story from the Bible that we probably heard in Sunday School is about Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:16-34). They were thrown into prison with careful guarding after a wrong accusation, however, what happened next is remarkable:

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose (Acts 16:25-26, NIV).

God’s power was manifested through the praise and worship, and brought, not only the miracle of deliverance to Paul and Silas, but also, even remarkably, resulted in the miracle of spiritual conversion of the jailer and all his household (Acts 16:27-34). 

Praise to God has also related to healing (Jeremiah 17:14; Psalm103:3).  Praising God Encourages Others. Not only is praising God beneficial to us, but it can also encourage others. Our faithfulness or endurance, regardless of the circumstances, can be a powerful testimony that edifies people around us.

This is especially true because our praises to God come from our hearts, led by the Spirit. Hence, the word of God that we proclaim through our praises will build the faith of the hearers (Colossians 3:16; Romans 10:17).

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16, NKJV).

We can also learn from the story of a blind man (Luke 18:35-43). He was desperately waiting for divine healing when a multitude told him that Jesus was passing by. And he persistently cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” before he finally received his sight. Notice what happened afterward:

And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people when they saw it, gave praise to God (Luke 18:43, NKJV).

Physical blindness might not be our problem today; however, we were spiritually blind before believing in Christ (John 3:3). Have we then experienced a moment — like the blind man — where our praises to God draw all people around us to worship Him as we are healed from spiritual blindness?

That is the moment we are born again and receive a new heart (i.e., spiritual sight) to see the Kingdom of God. Praise the Lord for our salvation! (Isaiah 12:2).

Praising God Brings Delight to Him. The Bible tells us that it is good to praise God and give Him thanks in all circumstances. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NKJV).

In doing so, we bring delight to God as we are doing His will. Therefore, we can be confident that as we praise, He provides. Praise is the most direct avenue of demonstrating our total dependence on God and trust in Him alone.

Praising God is also the most practical way of expressing our delights in Him. As we delight in the Lord, He shall give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).

We can learn from King David and the prophet, Habakkuk for their passionate love for God, expressed through their songs of praises to Him:

Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus, I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name (Psalm 63:3-4, NKJV).

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls — Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation (Habakkuk 3:17-18, NKJV).

Why Does This Matter?

Praising God — either through songs, poetry, prayers, or writings, — will surely help while we wait on Him. It is a practical way to express our faith in God and acknowledge Him for who He is and for what He has done.

We must believe that praising God with grace in our hearts brings many benefits in our relationship with Him. However, people might draw near to God with their mouth, and honor Him with their lips, but their heart is far from Him (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8).

Therefore, we must continually remember that our praises should flow from the heart that has been transformed by the Spirit. And we are to do it in the name of Jesus.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess His name (Hebrews 13:15, NIV).

Finally, as we praise God, we trust that He works for those who wait on Him.

For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him! (Isaiah 64:4, NLT).

God alone deserves all the glory, so let Him do all the works in us and through us! Praise the LORD. Amen.

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com

Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday morning at 5:30 AM CST & 6:30 AM EST on The Now Network http://www.theNOWnetwork.org

ROKU, Cable & Online

https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday