May God Turn His Face Toward You

Our sins separate us from God and cause Him to hide His face from us. This puts up a wall of separation between Him and us that will not allow Him to hear our prayers (Isaiah 59:2). When the Lord turns His face away from someone, He cannot bless them. When we are unwilling to abandon our sinful ways, this causes Him to withhold His mercy and compassion on us and He cannot pardon us when we indulge in activities that grieve His heart (Isaiah 1:15). Due to our choices, He allows us to waste away in our sin (Isaiah 64:7).

God will not listen to the sinner; but He always listens to the righteous who live a Godly lifestyle (John 9:31; Job 35:13). God is eager to wash away the stain caused by sin in our life (Isaiah 4:4). The prospect of being outside of God’s grace is horrifying to a Believer, but to those lost in sin it is just another day in the world. They have nothing to compare it with. They are accustomed to their sin separating them from God (Ezekiel 7:22).

The hope of humanity is to turn to God so that He can turn His face towards us. When the Lord turns His face toward us, He gives us peace and unfailing love (Psalm 31:16, 29:11; Numbers 6:26). He is gracious to us, blesses us and teaches us His decrees (Psalm 67:1; Psalm 119:135). He restores us when we fall (Psalm 80:3,7). All we need to do is to repent and He will have mercy on us and grant us His strength (Psalm 86:16).

He calls us to humble ourselves and to pray, to seek His face and to turn from our wicked ways. He hears us from heaven, forgives us for our sins and restores our heavenly inheritance to us (1 Chronicles 7:14). He never turns from us in our distress. The God of the universe actually condescends to bend down and listen to us and to answer us swiftly when we call to Him for help (Psalm 102:2). He turns His ear to us and quickly comes to our rescue. He is a strong fortress for us and He saves us (Psalm 31:2).

God is with the godly, watching over us wherever we go. He brings us back into the realm of His provision. He will never leave us and He will always do what He promises (Genesis 28:15). He blesses us no matter where we live or what we do in life (Deuteronomy 28:3). He guards our steps, because we know that it is not by our own strength that we prevail (1 Samuel 2:9). Through faith, we are shielded by God’s power until the coming of eternal salvation, which is ready to be revealed in the last days (1 Peter 1:5).

God places His angels around us to protect us in everything we do. They lift us up and guard us from any harm (Psalm 91:11-12). He never sleeps and He watches over us day and night. (Psalm 121:3). He is our confidence (Proverbs 3:26). He delights in us and gives us a firm foundation (Psalm 37:23). He is a righteous God who searches minds and hearts. He brings the violence of the wicked to an end and He makes the righteous eternally secure (Psalm 7:9).    Prayer: Lord God, bless us abundantly, keep us in the palm of Your hand, be gracious to us in our trials and shortcomings and make Your face shine on us (Numbers 6:24-25). Keep us as the apple of Your eye; hide us in the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 17:8). Save us and bless us with Your inheritance. Be our shepherd and carry us forever in Your everlasting arms (Psalm 28:9). Thought for the Day: May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.  - Numbers 6:25

 

Our Help in Time of Need

Read: Psalm 119: 114-115

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

This life is full of trouble and trials. We just come out of one trial and another one starts right up. Negative emotions such as depression, stress and anger grow out of the soil of constant hardships, unless we keep our focus on Christ. We learn God’s ways through our afflictions (Psalm 119:71). In this world, we are guaranteed to have tribulation. We can be encouraged, however, because Jesus already overcame them for us and gives us His peace, as we keep our focus on Him (John 16:33; Isaiah 26:3).

There is no need for us to have fear or to panic when something goes wrong. It is simply a new adventure, a new opportunity for God to be strong in our behalf. He is our God and He strengthens us, helps us and lifts us up in His hand (Isaiah 41:10). He has not given us a spirit of fear, but with the tribulation we find His power, love and clarity of thought (2 Timothy 1:7). We can run to Him and find safety no matter what we are experiencing. Even repeating the name of Jesus provides us with a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). He is always with us and we shall not be overcome by our trials (Psalm 16:8).

There is no reason for us to be afraid, even in the face of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunamis. He is our refuge, our strength and is always near to provide help in our times of trouble (Psalm 46:1-3). He puts a new song in our hearts, because He is our salvation. He causes us to rejoice because we see His hand in our lives (Psalm 40:3; Psalm 118:14-16). He is a shield. We can run to Him and be protected in our trials. We hope in His Word and He protects us from evildoers as we walk in His ways (Psalm 119:114-115).

No matter what assails us in life, we can cast our cares and burdens on the Lord. He promises to sustain us and not to ever allow the righteous to be overcome as we cry out to Him in prayer during our distress. He will always hear us (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 120:1). He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We can run to Him and be safe (Psalm 133:2).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You give your peace to us in every situation. It is not the temporary peace that the world offers to us, but continual peace that rides us safely through every storm of life (John 14:27). You shared so many truths with us during Your lifetime on earth that teach us to find Your joy as our strength through all of our tribulation (John 16:33). Keep us in perfect peace as we focus our thoughts on You. We trust in You (Isaiah 26:3).

Thought for the Day:

The Word of God gives us life and comfort in our affliction. – Psalm 119: 50