It was a joy to worship with you on the first day of 2023! Is there a more excellent way to begin? Maybe we should do that every year regardless of the day on which the new year begins. Through song, prayer, the reading of Scripture out-loud together and through the Word of God preached, we declared to one another and to our God that he is strong, capable, the initiator of relationship with us, and we are weak, unable even to pursue that relationship apart from his presence.
The beautiful truth we saw is that through Jesus, the Father yearns for us to come into his presence where he proclaims to us his vision for our lives. And then he invites us into that vision and asks us to walk with him, calling upon him all along the journey for the help, the wisdom, the courage necessary to complete the work he has begun in us. You see, he created us to journey with him as dependent children ever drawing from the abundance of his presence.
And this is where the battle will always be for us. The demons of hell will fight against this kind of dependence, this kind of submission to God’s vision for our lives that is found in his word. They will sow lies in our minds with worldliness to create fear and doubt even as Satan did in the garden. They will do anything to turn our gaze from the presence of the Father. For you see, they know that as we remain in the presence of our Father with eyes fixed on him, calling out to him, a courage to do his will is created even when our good Father asks us to walk with him through a difficult valley.
For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. (2 Sam. 7:27)
Oh, may 2023 find us courageously calling on the Lord as David did with our eyes fixed on the Father who is working/building his good purposes in our lives.
The Father Is Working His Good Purposes
Jubilee Family,
It was a joy to worship with you on the first day of 2023! Is there a more excellent way to begin? Maybe we should do that every year regardless of the day on which the new year begins. Through song, prayer, the reading of Scripture out-loud together and through the Word of God preached, we declared to one another and to our God that he is strong, capable, the initiator of relationship with us, and we are weak, unable even to pursue that relationship apart from his presence.
The beautiful truth we saw is that through Jesus, the Father yearns for us to come into his presence where he proclaims to us his vision for our lives. And then he invites us into that vision and asks us to walk with him, calling upon him all along the journey for the help, the wisdom, the courage necessary to complete the work he has begun in us. You see, he created us to journey with him as dependent children ever drawing from the abundance of his presence.
And this is where the battle will always be for us. The demons of hell will fight against this kind of dependence, this kind of submission to God’s vision for our lives that is found in his word. They will sow lies in our minds with worldliness to create fear and doubt even as Satan did in the garden. They will do anything to turn our gaze from the presence of the Father. For you see, they know that as we remain in the presence of our Father with eyes fixed on him, calling out to him, a courage to do his will is created even when our good Father asks us to walk with him through a difficult valley.
For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. (2 Sam. 7:27)
Oh, may 2023 find us courageously calling on the Lord as David did with our eyes fixed on the Father who is working/building his good purposes in our lives.
Pastor Dan