A God of Wonders

Wonderful Promises
Joshua 21:1-22:34

"So the Lord gave the people all the land he had promised their ancestors. The people took the land and lived there. The Lord gave them peace on all sides, as he had promised their ancestors. None of their enemies defeated them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. He kept every promise he had made to the Israelites, each one came true." (Joshua 21:43-45)

The Lord has promised us so many blessings- the promise of a personal relationship with Him, the promise to hear our prayers, the promise of guidance and teaching through the Holy Spirit, the promise of love and forgiveness, the promise of salvation and an eternal life in heaven... And we need only to look back on history to see how faithful God is in all of his promises. "Great is thy Faithfulness" is a song I love to sing, to remind me that "[h]e kept every promise he made to the Israelites, each one came true." Lord, thank You for Your wonderful promises and how you are so faithful to each and every one of them.

Wonderful Peace
Psalm 46:7-11

"The Lord All-Powerful is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender. Come and see what the Lord has done, the amazing things he has done on the earth. He stops wars everywhere on the earth. He breaks all bows and spears and burns up the chariots with fire. God says, 'Be still and know that I am God. I will be praised in all the nations; I will be praised throughout the earth.' The Lord All-Powerful is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender." (Psalm 46:7-11)

What a beautiful poem on which to reflect this morning! Lord, how I love these words... "Come and see what the Lord has done, the amazing things he has done on earth." How could I not sing this every day, praising You for all the blessings You have poured out on my life and the lives of others. This morning I rejoice in a wonderful family that is so open and trusting and loving- no matter what. I rejoice in the mountains that seemed to smile down at me during my run. I rejoice in my friend Ke who is coming to know You and considering baptism. I rejoice in all of my friends from GCF and especially our wonderful Bible Study- I thank You for all of these people who are such blessings in my life.

But Lord, the other part of this passage talks about peace... "be still and know that I am God." I love the song "Peace Pilgrim's Prayer" and hope we might sing it at YAC this summer. And these simple verses are a reminder that I come before you for peace... a peace that we all need at this busy, hectic, stressful time of the semester. This is something I need right now- worried about my paper and how to begin writing it... a restless night of contemplating 'dual ergative languages.' And while not considering comparative linguistic, I know I am not the only one on this campus with a someone worried soul. Overwhelm us with Your peace, Father.

Wonderful Miracles
Luke 13:1-21

"'This woman that I healed, a daughter of Abraham has been held by Satan for eighteen years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be freed from her sickness on a Sabbath day!' When Jesus said this, all of those who were criticizing him were ashamed, but the entire crowd rejoiced at all the wonderful things Jesus was doing." (Luke 13:15-17)

I love to read of the miracles Jesus performed with a heart so willing to listen to those in need. The synagogue leaders were angry at Jesus, but Jesus was the one who decided to work on his day off. And he decided to do so out of his great compassion and love for this daughter of Abraham. And while the synagogue leaders were grumbling and complaining, the crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things they saw Jesus doing. Lord, I also rejoice in the wonderful things You do today.