When all things seem lost - put it between the Cherubim

In my pursue to listen to the Bible in a year I have come to the 2 Chronicles chapter 32

The following story is a good reminder of God's intervention when a battle in the spirit seem to be lost from the beginning. But God changes what seems impossible into victory and he proves to be the sovereign God.
King Hezekiah was faced with an enemy army that outnumbered his army with thousands of soldiers. The enemy also ridiculed Hezekiah's faith in God and God himself; which in the end was a fatal mistake of the enemy.
Whatever comes against me I can put it before the Lord and ask him to deliver me from evil. And he will do it in his own amazing way.
Sincerely yours, Ida

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

⁹ Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

¹⁰ “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? ¹¹ When Hezekiah says, ‘The LORD our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. ¹² Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

¹³ “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? ¹⁴ Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? ¹⁵ Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

¹⁶ Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the LORD God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ The king also wrote letters ridiculing the LORD, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” ¹⁸ Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. ¹⁹ They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. ²¹ And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.

²² So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them^[c] on every side. ²³ Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations

Don't leave God alone! Keep on praying!

From a newsletter from pastor Francis Frangipane I share this quote:

"You may be a pastor of a church or an intercessor or a parent. Regardless, whoever you are praying for, you must have this attitude: "Lord, I am not letting You alone concerning my loved one."

When I pray, I never pray for divine wrath to fall; I always pray for mercy and grace. I agree with God that wrath is justified because of man's sin, yet I plead with God for mercy and correction.

The Result
The result of Moses' intercession is utterly amazing: "So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Exod. 32:14).

May this be a revelation to us all! Moses' prayer changed God's mind!

Much of how God relates to the future of a nation is based upon how the people in that society pray. The Spirit has made one truth plain to me: The future of a society does not belong to sinners; it belongs to those who pray. Thus, Jesus tells His disciples that whatever two of them agree on "about anything that they may ask" (Matt. 18:19), it will be granted by the heavenly Father. Two or three servants of God who refuse to abandon their faithfulness in prayer can release the mercy of God into their world.

For Moses and the Israelites, the outcome was profound: "the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Exod. 32:14).

Think of it: prayer changed the mind of God.

Lord, thank You for always remaining open to our cries. Help me to persevere, to give You no rest, until You fulfill Your highest purposes with my family, church and nation. Thank You that one voice is not too feeble that You cannot hear it. Master, I stand in the gap for those I love. Reveal Your mercy to them.

---adapted from a chapter in Francis' book,
The Power of One Christlike Life

http://www.frangipane.org/

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Valentine's Day

Dear Reader,

Stumbled upon some sweet cards made by Melody Lea Lamb. You can find her cards here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MelodyLeaLamb.

It is said there is at least three Saint Valentine legends about a man who was killed for his faith in Christ and for disobeying the Roman emperor of the time. Although it is a commercial day for most people and few know the background of the celebration I think that it is nice to send a message of love and give presents. Those days are few and why not brighten up somebody's day more often with a flower or a card just to show that I/you care.
Sincerely yours, Ida

You are not to go back that way again.

Dear reader,
Israel was saved from Egypt into the promised land. The Red Sea made a sharp distinction between what was in the past and what was God's plan for the future. Life never became the same again for the Israelites and it will never be the same again for you and me when we are saved through Jesus Christ. God never said it would be easy; not even safe living as a Christian, but it is a life with hope and trust and peace in a chaotic world.
Don't look back and wish for yesterday. Don't keep "treasures" from the past in your life that will bring you down.
Leave the old house gods and burn them one by one; because you are free from slavery and can rejoice in the new life with Jesus Christ.
Sincerely yours, Ida

Would God recognice himself?

Dear reader,

I watched a TV sermon yesterday and the lady preacher asked a question that stuck in my head.
I cannot quote her exact sentence but the meaning was :
When you describe God to other people will He recognize himself?

People tend to fall into one or the other ditch where He becomes either a jovial old grandpa who consents to everything or a thunder and lightning God who is always looking to beat people over the head with the law and its requirements and will never be satisfied.
Where would I begin or what could I say if I had only a minute or two to explain who God is? Both the preacher and I came to the same conclusion; we have to start with Jesus. It says in the Bible that God has summed up all things in Christ:
God saves through Jesus; he cares about me because of Jesus; he has promised to be my protector because of Jesus; I have a helper the Holy Spirit through Jesus; my whole life here and in eternity depends on Jesus and if I except his gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I have started to listen to the Bible and have finished Deuteronomy today. I need to listen to 4 chapters a day to finish the Bible in a year but this has become a need and when I have listened to the required chapters I think "just one more" and although you might think the Old Testament will be hard and boring to listen to it is exciting when you search for Jesus in it.

When Jesus walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24. Now that would have been a Bible study to yearn for!

Once upon a time I was a person who used to see God as a judging and angry God no matter how hard I tried to live up to his expectations. He had been described to me that way more often than he was a loving and caring God ... even for me. But John 14:9 where Jesus said "he that has seen me has seen the Father", opened my eyes and it was such a joy to recognize the real image of God which is Jesus. Jesus is the key to God.
"Joh:10:30: I and my Father are one."

Sincerely yours, Ida