Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

Sometimes we wonder if God hears our prayers. We pray and plead, and then we wait. Sometimes, the waiting is the hardest part. But we can rest assured that God does hear us when we call - He will answer our prayers and give us a new song, a hymn of praise to sing of our joy!

Take Abraham for example. He prayed and asked God for a son; twenty-four years later. God granted his request and Isaac was born. "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" the angels asked Abraham in Genesis 18:14. In the heart of Abraham was song of hope, a song of peace - God had blessed him with a child.

We can have that same joy when we put our trust in the Lord! We can sing a new song, one of hope and peace, liberation and victory. "The music He gives sets the nations free." As His children, we know He hears our prayers as well as our praises. His song sets us free!

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 7:37-38 If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.

When we come to the end of a long and tiring day, when our strength and energy are depleted, we need something to revive us. As a long, cool drink of water quenches our thirst on a sizzling day, so we need something to quench our thirst for meaning behind all of the endless activity of life. The world offers only empty platitudes, leaving us dry and unfulfilled.

When we let Jesus quench our thirst, however, we find that He fills us up to overflowing. As the psalmist said, "My cup overflows" (Psalm 23:5). And He fills us with living water. As He told the woman at the well, "The water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life" (John 4:14).

So Jesus says to you, "If you are thirsty, come to me!" (John 7:37) When you thirst for meaning, purpose, revival, or restoration, you need only to seek the Lord and ask for more of the living water. All you could ever need or desire can be found in Him, and He is faithful to satisfy.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Psalm 95:6 Cone, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Kneeling humbly at the feet of Jesus is the highest place we could be. Two women who were contemporaries of Jesus found this out themselves.

Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, welcomed Jesus into her home. While her sister was preparing the meal, Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus listening to what He said. Jesus praised her, saying she had chosen what was better - spending time with Him. Her devotion was more important than anything else (Luke 10:38-42).

At another time, Mary again sat at Jesus' feet, this time pouring expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and wiping them with her hair. Her sacrifice provided a lesson for the disciples about the divinity of Jesus (John 12:1-11).

In a separate, yet similar incident, a woman referred to only as having "lived a sinful life" entered the house where Jesus was a guest and knelt at His feet. She, too, poured perfume on His feet and it mingled with her tears. Jesus extended the ultimate gift to her for her love and devotion when He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven" (Luke 7:38-50).

We, too, will find our highest glory and our highest calling when we humbly kneel at His feet.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Acts 2:21  And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, for that name brings life and power to all who call. His name is many different things to many people, and each name describes His attributes.

He is the Lord of Glory, Lord Almighty, and the Kin of kings - strength, power, and majesty pour down from His throne. He is the Eternal Father - we can run to Him with our problems and He will lovingly guide us. He is the Bread of Life - He sustains us and provides for our most basic human needs. He is Yahweh, Redeemer, Deliverer - He purchased our freedom with His own blood as the payment for our sins. He is Messiah, Jehovah - the Anointed One who delivers us. He is the Prince of Peace - no one else could bring peace to our hearts, minds, and souls. He is the Soon and Coming King - those who know Him will meet Him in the air.

Every aspect of our lives is enveloped by the many names of the Lord. He brings light to the darkness and healing to the broken spirit. When we seek Him in all of His righteousness and glory, we find exactly what we need, for He is everything to everyone in every situation. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

1 Corinthians 2:12  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

A true desire to change comes from a heart that trusts in Jesus. Before we put  our faith in Him, we could not understand spiritual things. We couldn't comprehend God or how He could possibly work in our lives.

While no one, believer or non-believer, can ever fully comprehend God, by the help of His Spirit we can be led to obey and grow. The Spirit will whisper in our hearts and fill us with the desire to follow the Lord.

In 1 Corinthians 2:14, the apostle Paul tells us that those without the Spirit of God cannot understand or accept the things that come from the Spirit. Why? Because the lines of communication were never established. Because they were not willing to change, to grow, or to obey the Spirit of the Lord.

Praise the Lord that He provided His Spirit to those who trust in Him. He has taken away the desires that drive us from Him and has replaced them with the desire to follow Christ. No matter where He leads, we will follow. We will trust and obey.
Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

The Bible is full of people praising God. They loved to praise Him then just as we love to praise Him today - probably for many of the same reasons.

Just as in biblical times, we praise God for providing our basic needs, for teaching us rules to live by, for giving us wisdom and power, for healing our brokenness, and most importantly for His holiness and His love which endure forever.

Sing hallelujah and lift up His holy name. Praise and exalt the Lord on high for He has done great things!

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Acts 17:28 "For in him we live and move and have our being."  As some of your own poets have said, "We are his offspring."

When we awake each morning, some of us hop out of bed and greet the day with a smile; some of us hit the snooze button and groan as we pull the covers over our head. Eventually, we face the day - we "live and move and have our being."

No matter how we greet the dawn, we should be thankful for each day we are given. Whether you've jumped out of bed in joyous anticipation or are still hiding under the covers, you can take a few moments to pray - asking God's guidance for every step of your day. In Him you live and move and have your being - so ask Him to make you a good example for Him throughout your day, at work, at school, in the store, on the road. Ask Him to keep you keenly aware of His presence to guide, help, and comfort each step of the way.

Then get  out of bed and, if you can do it, sing unto the Lord! If you can't sing that early, then just tell Him of your love - He is the reason you live. Need some early morning exercise? Dance before Him - He is the reason you move. If your voice leaves something to be desired, then just make a joyful noise - He is the reason you have your being!

--Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,