Psalm 35:11-18 – Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;…
It’s been a while since we last gave you an update. Much has happened. In John 4:34 Jesus says: “My food is to do the will of the Father and to accomplish His work.” He followed up on His Word by remaining in constant communion with the Father through prayer. Jesus’ example is why meet on a regular basis to pray. Over the past 5½ years, the Lord has made us apply and believe that the end result of what we do in obedience – is up to God. It’s essential that we remain fed by His Word and prayer. We operate on the truth that nothing is impossible with God.
There is s shortage of Bibles in the Sikasso Region of southern Mali, and the Bibles are desperately needed because of an increasing number of new Christian believers. In the past, Islamic extremists destroyed Bibles first when attacking villages. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) recently replaced 1,200 Bibles, but that number represents only a fraction of what is needed in the area.
I am not sure there is a more encouraging verse to lift up the downcast soul, to recover the Satan-buffeted believer, to strength the bruised reed, and enflame the heart of a flickering wick than today’s scripture, Zephaniah 3:17. Go back and read it again slowly, asking the Spirit of God to warm your heart with its truth.
Three of the most deceitful and soul-damaging sins we may commit are complaining, procrastination, and discontentment. Today we focus on the topic of discontentment. Here we find an attack on God’s character. Discontent says, “God, I don’t deserve this treatment and I deserve more from You than I have.” Don’t go there. We don’t want what we really deserve from God.
Life is full of burdens. Life is hard. Life is trying. We are confronted with much this side of heaven which seems to overwhelm us, drown us, and if not careful, will cover us with a blanket of hopelessness. Yet for the Christian, we have a Burden Bearer who knows our weaknesses, cares for us with a love beyond description, and comes alongside us to be our burden-bearer.