Faithfulness

Hoping for Help

Kenneth1 Comment

Lamentations 3 The Message

It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

19-21 I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
    the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
    the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
    and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
    He’s all I’ve got left.

25-27 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
    to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
    quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
    to stick it out through the hard times.

28-30 When life is heavy and hard to take,
    go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
    Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
    The “worst” is never the worst.

31-33 Why? Because the Master won’t ever
    walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
    His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
    in throwing roadblocks in the way:

34-36 Stomping down hard
    on luckless prisoners,
Refusing justice to victims
    in the court of High God,
Tampering with evidence—
    the Master does not approve of such things.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

That Rock

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Psalm 61
1
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
4 See the source image
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.[b]
5
For you, God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6
Increase the days of the king’s life,
his years for many generations.
7
May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
8
Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
and fulfil my vows day after day.

There has and will be times that we need God to protect us from the devil because we are only human and from time to time things are sent to tempt us, sinful things. It’s at times like these we need the Lord the most and we should come to him in prayer and sing his praises once again

 

Why don’t you lead me to that Rock that is higher than I
Oh lead me, yes Lord lead me
Why don’t you lead me to that Rock that is higher than I
Thou hast been a shelter for me
Well if you go down in yonder fold and search among the sheep
My brother thou hast been a shelter for me
Well you’ll find Him there so I am told with those He loves to keep
My brother thou hast been a shelter for me
If you’ll go in to the wilderness where dying ones are lost
My brother thou hast been a shelter for me
Well you’ll find Him there to heal and bless no matter what the cost
My brother thou hast been a shelter for me

Covid-19 – Mental Health and your Faith

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Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com

Lamentations 3 New International Version 

16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;
    he has trampled me in the dust.
17 I have been deprived of peace;
    I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, “My splendour is gone
    and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

This week in the UK marks mental health week and as some of you may know I suffer from Epilepsy which is controlled by medication.

I would be lying if I said Covid-19 hasn’t affected my mental health because it has because I still although on medication I am not completely free of seizures. there has been a slight increase during lockdown.

I also feel that my seizures have a phycological feeling to them as I feel as if I am not worried about anything.

There are many hymns and music help me with my faith, I have selected this one for what it says in verse three

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

[Chorus]
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

[Chorus]

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

[Chorus]

Doubting Faith

KennethLeave a comment

Lamentations 3 New International Version

2 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassion’s never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.

No doubt you like I have had many times where we have had cause to doubt our faith and this can sometimes make us feel quite down.

What we have to remember in situations like these is that the Lord is with us ‘though we may not think or feel his presence at the time’ guiding us.

If we loose faith in God especially, in order to get it back we have to come to him in prayer, because our God is a faithful God. This is only one of the hymns I turn to at times like these as I think the words are just beautiful.

Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
And Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all amine, with ten thousand beside

Great is Thy Faithfulness
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me