Alone

God, my God!

    Why would you abandon me now?

2 

Why do you remain distant,

    refusing to answer my tearful cries in the day

    and my desperate cries for your help in the night?

    I can’t stop sobbing.

    Where are you, my God?

(Psalm 22:1-2 TPT)

Alone.

There are many ways to be alone.  In a crowd. On a plane. In peace and quiet. Awaiting a phone call.  In a hospital bed. In an empty house.  In a bubble bath. On the top of a mountain.  Depending on your circumstances, being alone can be bliss or excruciating.

Having an hour alone when you have very small children is a sweet gift. It's as if Jesus envelops you in a hug and his love and encouragement so you can keep going. 

Lying in a hospital room, alone in the middle of the night, awaiting test results may be dreadful. But you are never truly alone if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus was alone in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He asked his friends to pray with him and they fell asleep. But at least the Father and Holy Spirit were still with him. 

But on the cross he was even more alone - forsaken completely by the Father and the Spirit.  Alone in a way absolutely none of us understands.  After being One with the Father and Spirit from before time began, after creating, dreaming, planning the redemption of humanity, and working to guard and guide the chosen people, in those hours on that cross Jesus was totally, completely, utterly alone. 

Hear that again:

Jesus was

Totally

Completely 

Utterly 

Alone.

He was alone so we don't have to be.

He endured the utter abandonment of the rest of the godhead so that we could be enfolded in the Beloved.

He took our sin upon himself so we could be forgiven and come into relationship with the Holy God.

He became the proverbial bridge between humanity and God so that we would never have to be alone again.  Not in a crowd or on a plane or in a hospital bed or in an empty house.  Emmanuel - God with Us - is with us.  Always.  To the end of the age.  We are never, never, never alone. Nothing can separate us from this Love.

God will never fail us or abandon us. Ever.  

Emmanuel,

Thank you for enduring the utter abandonment on the cross so that we could come into relationship with you.  Thank you for enfolding us into the holiness of the Beloved and for promising that we who know your name and put our trust in you will never be forsaken or abandoned.  Thank you that you are our God who strengthens and helps us, the One who holds us up with your victorious hand. When we are facing circumstances that make us feel totally alone, remind us that you personally go ahead of us and will never leave or forsake us - never, ever, ever fail or abandon us.  In Jesus's name we pray, Amen. 

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46 NKJV)

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." (Psalm 9:9-10 NKJV)

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT)

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NLT)

"And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 NLT)

March 11, 2021 Prayer - Psalm 73 - Encouragement in the face of wickedness

God of Justice,

Thank you for your goodness and mercy to those who seek you and whose hearts are pure before you.  Thank you that when we see the wickedness in this world, we can be reminded that you are God.  You do not sleep or grow tired or weary; you do not leave or forsake those you have called as children.   Lord God Almighty, sometimes it seems that the arrogant, wicked, prideful, and malicious of this world have no problems. Their evil imaginations have no limits and they seem free from common human burdens.  Yet, surely, you place them on slippery ground where they can easily be swept away and destroyed by terrors of your true justice.  Sometimes in this world we become grieved or embittered as we watch the apparent success of the ungodly.  Yet, your word says that those who are far from you - who are unfaithful to you - will perish.  You promise that the power of the wicked will be broken, but you uphold the righteous. You, God of Truth, guide us with your counsel.  You, God of Justice, encourage us with your Justice.  We have nothing in heaven or on earth that is as valuable as you are, Lord.  Our flesh and heart may fail, but you are our strength and our portion forever.  It is good to be near you, our Sovereign Lord and Refuge.  Guard us and guide us, we pray in Jesus's name.  Amen.

"Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:4 NIV) 

"Do you not know?

    Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

    and his understanding no one can fathom." (Isaiah 40:28 NIV)

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV)

"When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." (Proverbs 21:15 NIV)

"The power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous." (Psalm 37:17 NIV)

1

"Surely God is good to Israel,

    to those who are pure in heart.

2 

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

    I had nearly lost my foothold.

3 

For I envied the arrogant

    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 

They have no struggles;

    their bodies are healthy and strong.

5 

They are free from common human burdens;

    they are not plagued by human ills.

6 

Therefore pride is their necklace;

    they clothe themselves with violence.

7 

From their callous hearts comes iniquity;

    their evil imaginations have no limits.

8 

They scoff, and speak with malice;

    with arrogance they threaten oppression.

9 

Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

    and their tongues take possession of the earth.

10 

Therefore their people turn to them

    and drink up waters in abundance.

11 

They say, “How would God know?

    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 

This is what the wicked are like—

    always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

13 

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

    and have washed my hands in innocence.

14 

All day long I have been afflicted,

    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 

If I had spoken out like that,

    I would have betrayed your children.

16 

When I tried to understand all this,

    it troubled me deeply

17 

till I entered the sanctuary of God;

    then I understood their final destiny.

18 

Surely you place them on slippery ground;

    you cast them down to ruin.

19 

How suddenly are they destroyed,

    completely swept away by terrors!

20 

They are like a dream when one awakes;

    when you arise, Lord,

    you will despise them as fantasies.

21 

When my heart was grieved

    and my spirit embittered,

22 

I was senseless and ignorant;

    I was a brute beast before you.

23 

Yet I am always with you;

    you hold me by my right hand.

24 

You guide me with your counsel,

    and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 

Whom have I in heaven but you?

    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 

My flesh and my heart may fail,

    but God is the strength of my heart

    and my portion forever.

27 

Those who are far from you will perish;

    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

    I will tell of all your deeds." (Psalm 73 NIV)

Prayer for March 5, 2021 - Tenacity, Restoration of the U.S.

Tenacious God,

We your faithful people sing the praises of the Lord, for we know your anger and our weeping may stay for the night but rejoicing comes in the morning.  Thank you that you go before us and never leave us or forsake us.  Thank you that we do not fear or suffer discouragement because you are our God.  Father, we ask you for the fulfillment of the dreams you have given to tell us your plans for this nation.  We ask for a tenacious spirit to be imparted to the Spirit-led Church in America. Give us fervent passion to see Your kingdom come, Your will be done in this nation. May we fight for Your purposes as we would fight to save our lives. Bring fresh revelation of Your plan to use America as a strong voice on earth for the gospel of your Kingdom. We pray that this would be revived in our day. We are not of those who turn back. We have put our hand to the plow and we will persevere until we see the total restoration of America. We will plow, Father, until we see the fires of revival burning across this nation and other nations of the earth. We decree over Washington D.C. that the evil strategies of darkness will not prevail. Those who do not want us to be a nation that follows God and His Word, will not succeed in stealing America’s destiny. We ask You, Father, for a complete overhaul of our nation’s capital. We ask for righteous leaders who boldly honor You and Your ways, who love life and protect the babies. We ask for leaders who honor Your definition of marriage and covenant keeping. And we petition You for government leaders who believe in and speak Truth. We pray these things in Christ’s name. Amen.

“God’s Word is perfect in every way; how it revives our souls!

His laws lead us to truth, and His ways change the simple into wise.

His teachings make us joyful and radiate His light; His precepts are so pure!

His commands, how they challenge us to keep close to His heart!

The revelation-light of His word makes my spirit shine radiant.

Every one of the Lord’s commands is right; following them brings cheer.

Nothing He says ever needs to be changed.” (Psalm 19: 7-9 TPT)

"Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;

    praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,

    but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

    but rejoicing comes in the morning." Psalm 30:4-5 NIV)

“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:62)

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV)

...never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.  Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.” - Winston Churchill

* adapted from https://www.givehim15.com/post/march-4-2021