Stirred By The Scriptures

I prayed recently for a friend to be encouraged.  Yesterday God answered that prayer, not in the big way I had wanted - but He did bring encouragement.  The truth is I needed to see that maybe as much as my friend did.  Thank you Lord.

I came across this prayer in the Psalms.  It is recorded as a prayer of David - I believe it could be the prayer of many of us today.

“Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.  Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” - Psalm 4:1

I encourage you to pray the prayers of scripture as you seek to know God and walk together with him.

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you… blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18)

Two great bookends - God’s longing to give to us and happiness found in waiting on him. Over and over the scriptures reveal to us that God wants to give us grace, mercy and compassion. His desire is to bless us out of his character and in the relationship he has provided us in Jesus. The question we must answer is whether we will wait for him. God’s timing can often leave me doubting and even wondering where he is. Those are the times I return to the truth of God’s Word and choose to stay there.

Here is something to think about:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think on such things.” Philippians 4:8

Paul gives us a wonderful filter for how our minds can be protected in the battle for what we think about. There are times when we are amazed as to what comes out of our mouths. The truth it is began with what I filled my mind with. Be careful what you think about.