Debbie Taylor Williams
Praise to God Our PRESERVER
Friends, the attributes and names of God that you receive every morning were scheduled before Hurricane Harvey. As I have reviewed them prior to them going out, I’ve been shocked by the images and attributes that were pre-selected. We can’t help but recognize that God’s nature speaks of more than the temporal. God is eternal, and His nature reflects His eternal perspective and promises.
“The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.,”
Have you ever thought of God in terms of being your Life PRESERVER? The Hebrew word, “preserve,” means keep, guard, protect, saves life. A PRESERVER is “someone who keeps safe from harm or danger.”** No doubt, our Lord fits the description. Satan has a domain of darkness. (Colossians 1:13) God has a domain of light where Jesus reigns in love. God rescues every single person who calls out to Him. He transfers the repentant to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)
We understand the need for someone to come and save us from raging waters. Do we understand the need for Jesus to come and save us from raging sin? God sent Jesus to earth to save us from drowning and dying in sin as assuredly as rescuers were sent to save those dying in flooding waters.
We understand the need for being saved from physical death. Do we understand the need for being saved from spiritual death? Who do we know who needs to be saved? Will we go to them and tell them about Jesus?
Lord, we praise You, the Only One to whom we can look to PRESERVE our life, our soul!
**http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=preserver
Praise to the LORD
“‘I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.’”
As we’ve studied, there are times when God announces, “This is who I am. This is my name.” Such is the case in Isaiah 42:8, when God announced, “I am the LORD, that is My name.” In the same breath, He explains what it means that His name is LORD. It means He will not give His glory to another. It means that our praise is to be given to Him and Him alone. His pronouncement should cause us to ponder, “Have I given my praise to anything or anyone besides Him?” If so, we must bow before the LORD in repentance and profess Him LORD of all.
Heavenly Father, You alone are LORD. Forgive us for putting anything or anyone before You. We bow in humble reverence and praise.
Praise for God’s Voice of POWER
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Worship the Lord in holy array.
The voice of the Lord is upon many waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord is over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful.
Have you ever noticed how a child responds to one person’s voice…
but perhaps ignores another’s?
God’s voice is powerful. He speaks and when we turn around…
…we can’t help but ascribe to Him the glory due His name.
If we feel like we don’t hear God speaking, maybe it’s because we’re too preoccupied. Like the child engrossed with his toys, maybe we’re engrossed with our homes, work, even ministries. God’s voice is rich in love and power. If we feel we don’t hear God speaking, maybe we need to listen with our eyes.
Lord God, You are the VOICE OF POWER who spoke our world into existence and life into our spirits. We give You praise, honor, and glory!
© www.debbietaylorwilliams.com
Praise to the God of all WISDOM
“For the Lord gives WISDOM; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Proverbs 2:6
Are you in the midst of making a decision? Do you wonder what the best course of action is regarding work, parenting, a relationship, or finances?
If ever there was a time to follow the path of wisdom, it’s now.
Wisdom for the road before us. Widsom for how to proceed.
Proverbs reminds us that the Lord is the source and provider of wisdom.
How blessed we are to be able to go to our Heavenly Father, read His ways, pray, and receive His wisdom. When we don’t know which path to follow, we can follow our hearts to His heart.
GOD OF WISDOM, we praise You that we can come to You for heavenly wisdom. Thank You for providing it when we seek You.
What’s In Your Hand?
“The Lord is my portion,” Psalm 119:57a
Would you like a helping of mashed potatoes? How about gravy on your turkey? As Thanksgiving approaches, images of buffet lines with mouth watering foods appear on magazine covers and cooking shows. “I’ll take a portion of that,” we say in relation to food. But how often do we consider the Lord as our Portion? We may admit we’re familiar with “The Lord is my Shepherd,” but not, “The Lord is my Portion.” Lately, I’ve been struck by this verse. Why? Because I’m not always mindful of it. Although the Lord has given Himself to me to satisfy my deepest needs; too often I grab from the world’s buffet. I hold to a loaf of what someone said that hurt me. I refill my cup with their critical words. I empty my plate only to refill it with the same temptation. The result? I’m left longing. But what if instead I turned my back on the world’s buffet and reached for the a heaping portion of the Lord? What if I took a slice of the bread of life and read a chapter in the Bible? What if I drank in the living water of His Spirit? The fact is, “The Lord is my Sheperd,” but He’s also, “…my Portion.” I’m reaching for Him this week. How about you? What’s in your hand?
Where Am I?
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You. How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, And by Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength. And by Your favor our horn is exalted.”
The answer to “where am I” or better “where have I been” is I’ve been:
–Blessed with joyful ministry opportunities.
-Sick with a stomach virus. Then….
-Blessed by being well enough to go with Keith on our 40th Anniversary trip; where unfortunately I was sick half the time. But, only HALF the time.
Where am I now? HOME! Yeah, there’s nothing like crawling in your own bed. There’s nothing like kneeling in my home spot with the Lord to start the day. I apologize that the following is so long, but I’ve MISSED being with you. 🙂
Psalm 89:14-17 touched my heart today as the Spirit applied these verses to my life. Is there anything for you in these verses? Let’s break them down. Let’s do more than say, “what beautiful words;” because they hold insight for how to live and where we are to be.
Verse 14a. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;” What is at the foundation of God’s throne? Righteousness and justice. Where do I want to be? At God’s throne – worshipping Him. If that is the case, then I need to be living rightly; not sinning.
Verse 14b. “Lovingkindness and truth go before You.” The same holds true here. God’s presence is where we find joy. This verse tells me that “lovingkindness” and “truth” surround God. They go where He goes. If I’m not filled with lovingkindness, I’m not walking with God. If there is any deceit or dishonesty in me, I’m not walking with God. If we’re out of sorts and unhappy, what is our state of “lovingkindess and truth”?
Verse 15. “How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance.” This verse is talking about who is blessed and knows joy. The people who are blessed and joyful are walking (in step with) in the light of God’s countenance. They’re so close to Him, they see His countenance. And, as they look at His countenance, they see He’s not worried. He’s not fretful. He’s peaceful. And so, they relax. They’re blessed. The joyful sound of His close footsteps beats on their heart. They walk in the light of His countenance rather than let fear, anger, or defeat control them.
Verse 16a. “In Your name they rejoice all the day,” This is easy. What we set our face on is what we reflect. Look in the mirror all day and you see every wrinkle, spot, failing. Look up at Jesus and you see righteousness, hope, and power. It’s our choice upon which we focus all day.
Verse 16b. “And by Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength. And by Your favor our horn in exalted.” Strength is a beautiful thing. Look at a well toned person and you can’t help but admire the beauty of God’s creation. People are looking for soul strength. Spiritual strength. Emotional strength. It’s not found in our humanity, but rather our spiritual oneness with Jesus. It comes from heaven through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Be a demonstration of the glory of God’s strength to someone today.
WHERE ARE WE IN LIGHT OF PSALM 89:14-17?
I Forgot to Rejoice
A few days ago I was feeling STRESSED! Yes, I had begun my morning in praise and prayer. Yes, I had read my Bible and been blessed and encouraged. But LIFE STILL HAPPENS, doesn’t it. And, life can be stressful. Rather, it is stressful. Jesus said, “in the world you HAVE tribulation.” Not, “may have” tribulation. So how do we handle the stress that accompanies tribulation? Christ’s remedy is for us to REJOICE. “Rejoice?” we might ask. Are you kidding me? I’m stressed. I want to scream. I want the world to stop and me to jump off. Rejoice? And that’s where I was a few days ago. I spelled it out for my sister in a text. “I’m so STRESSED.” My phone rang the next instant. Linda didn’t say “Hi, honi,” like she usually does. There was no small talk. Instead, what fell on my ears were the Scriptures at the end of this post. I encourage you to put your name in the blank and then hear the words as coming straight from Jesus’s heart; because He loves you and is there for you in your stressful situations. AFTER you hear His words of comfort, please click HERE and then share this post on facebook or forward it to your friends. If you’re watching the videos that follow, it will help to get the word out on PRAYER if you click the “thumbs up” in the upper right portion of the video. The reason I’m asking you to share what’s going on with the prayer journal is because God has stirred many people’s hearts to become more passionate and purposefully in their prayer lives. Many have order the prayer journal and we’re all anxiously awaiting a new shipment of the journals so everyone can begin journaling. The reason I’m asking you to share this post is because many people are feeling stress for lots of different reasons. Please receive the encouragement for yourself; then share the reminder that even even in the midst of stressful times, our Lord is with us, He’s on the throne and we can can REJOICE in that. Now, from God’s heart to yours.
Dear __________, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. … practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9
Heavenly Father, thank You that we can rejoice in You no matter what is happening. Thank You that You are KING, on the throne, and in control.
To You, LORD, I Lift Up My Soul
When we enter our prayer time in the mornings, it’s a miraculous experience. Long before man invented the cell phone, God created us with the capacity to commune with Him and He with us. Our spiritual wiring is activitated when we repent and call on the Lord Jesus for salvation. Just like we may receive a credit card in the mail, but have to call the number on the label to “activate” it; so God has reached out to us in Jesus Christ. We need only call on Him. We confess, “JESUS is LORD” and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. He equips us with the Holy Spirit. THAT’S WHY I’M SO GRATEFUL to be ABLE to LIFT UP MY SOUL to HIM EVERY MORNING.
What I record in my Prayers of My Heart Journal most often begins with PRAISE. For instance, my morning reading of Psalm 50 beginning with verse 1 is, “The Mighty One, God, the LORD, has spoken, and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.” In the first column of my “Week At A Glance” (labeled LORD), I record Mighty One Who Speaks. I momentarily ignore the columun lines and write across the page, “Speak to our hearts. We listen, respond, and obey.” That’s a good prayer request, don’t you think? And, it was prompted by God’s reminder to me of WHO HE IS. I then record specific requests for loved ones, friends, our church, and nation.
To You, Oh LORD, I lift up my soul. What a blessing to be able to do that every morning.
Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion TIP: Read a Psalm or Proverb every day. Look for a way in which God reveals Himself. Use your praise of Him as the springboard for your prayers as in the above example.
Inspirational!
Prayer journaling, for me, is inspirational!
Why? First of all, prayer is not just about us pouring out our requests to God, but also about God pouring His will into us—what He is doing and accomplishing.
Can you imagine the disciples “telling” Jesus where they were going next on their missionarg journey, how they were going to get there, and who they were going to heal? I
nstead, we find the disciples following Jesus and listening to His instructions.
Yes, at times they questioned Him. “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and You are going there again?” (John 11:8). But then they listened and followed.
Many times I’ve knelt with my Bible open 
and my prayer journal in hand, not knowing how or what to pray. But in those times of silence, the Lord directed me even as Romans 8:26 says. In those times, the Holy Spirit brings to mind prayer requests that have direction and insight that I would not have thought of. The joy of being led by God’s Spirit and recording His requests is dynamic and didactic when we kneel with Bible and journal in hand. It’s two-way communication with the Father.
On the paper you see only words, but in lives you see change as the dynamic Spirit of God the Father moves on behalf of His children and kingdom.
Prayers of My Heart prayer journal
FULLY ASSURED in the WILL of GOD
“laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.“
Wednesday I was a guest speaker for The God of Hope Ministry, which has a “faith dorm” at the Lockhart Prison in Texas. During a break, an inmate approached me and asked how she could know if something was of God or Satan; how she could know if something was right or true. I was thrilled to encourage her that she could look to the Bible; that it is God’s words and she could be fully assured in it. Have you ever floundered with a decision? Have you ever wavered between knowing if something was wrong or right to do? Because believers are set apart in Christ, we have the blessing of trustworthy guidelines for how to live. We have assurances and promises on which we can depend. We can be fully assured that if God said it, it’s true. We can live day by day fully assured in the will of God.
Heavenly Father, it’s a blessing to know that I can be fully assured in all Your will. Help me walk faithfully in Your will today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.