Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone; the Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine.)
Hebrews 4:14-16; “Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens; Jesus the Son of God; let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Isaiah 45:22-24; “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; from My mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return; to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.”
If the above passage sounds familiar, turn to Philippians 2:9-11; “Therefore, God has highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow; in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Isaiah was written between 600 and 700 years before Jesus walked this earth. We must remember that our Heavenly Father, including Jesus and the Holy Spirit, have no beginning and will have no end. Our Triune Godhead is eternal. Also, it’s difficult for some to understand that God is not regulated by any measure of time as we are. In Genesis 1 we’re told about the Father creating day and night and sun and moon during His creation of the heavens and the earth, and all that dwells on the earth.
After the first sin in the Garden of Eden, God made some changes because of the evil serpent, who is actually a fallen archangel, Lucifer. This is all found in Genesis 3, and in verse 15, He states, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
The “He” is Jesus, and the offspring of the serpent would be the fallen angels or demons who chose to follow the devil. At this time, Jesus knew He would have to eventually provide our pathway to Heaven, or all mankind would be lost forever.
In the Old Testament was the law, which the Father gave to Moses. There were blood sacrifices required even though they could never be permanent. Priests of the Temple would be required to make the sacrifices according to the law, and all who were in the will of God would be covered temporarily. Hebrews 10:3-4 shows that up to Calvary, more sacrifices had to be made. “But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
Long before our Savior came to this sin-filled earth, He knew the Father could not accept anything but pure, sinless blood to be a permanent payment for our sins. He also knew that not everyone would receive and accept Him, as told in Matthew 7:13-14. This is when Jesus told us of the two pathways leading into eternity. One pathway is wide and the way easy that leads to destruction. The other is narrow and hard and leads to eternal life with Him in Heaven. The “hard” part of the narrow pathway is believing that it is a gift that we cannot earn or buy.
Jesus also knew that more people would accept this world and what it supposedly has to offer than to receive and accept His free gift of eternal Salvation. He told His disciples in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Bible prophecy tells us that toward the end of this age, there would be many changes, and not all for good. What we are seeing in the world today is as if we’re living those prophecies word for word. Christians are being singled out for persecution, and some places on this earth for martyrdom. Even in America we feel the animosity toward us growing stronger every day.
For true believers, our hope and strength and trust come through our Jesus. In 1855, Joseph Medlicott (1819-1886) wrote a song, “What A Friend We Have in Jesus.”
1.) What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in Prayer. Oh, What peace we often forfeit; Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in Prayer.
2.) Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in Prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in Prayer.
3.) Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior still our refuge; take it to the Lord in Prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in Prayer. In His arms He’ll take and shield thee; thou will find a solace there.
In this wonderful hymn, we’re encouraged to take our thoughts and wishes to the Lord in prayer. Please know, Our Father is never too busy to listen to our prayers. Jesus encouraged His followers to pray, and He is there right now to listen to us.
For anyone who may say they don’t feel comfortable or know how to pray, just tell the Father your thoughts. No special incantations or certain words are necessary. Please remember this is your Heavenly Father, Shepherd, and Holy Spirit. He knows our thoughts before we even speak, but He loves for us to “talk” to Him anyway. Jesus told us that when we pray, we should ask for our daily needs, praise the Father for loving us, ask forgiveness for sins we’ve committed, and just tell Him your feelings. For anyone who may be a mute, your thoughts are “heard” loud and clear by the Father.
Long drawn-out messages are definitely not necessary. Sometimes, even a single sentence will do. There have been times that I’ve felt the Lord helped me with an issue, and my whole prayer is, “Thank You, Father. You helped me at a perfect time.”
Every day, I thank my Savior for loving us as He does, and for my being a part of His precious flock.
If you have not received and accepted Jesus as your Savior, today would be a great time to do so. All who will call out to Him to be forgiven and to be saved will have the Holy Spirit come to live within them, and will be ready to rise up to meet the Savior in the air when the Rapture takes place.
Those who don’t will go through the most terrible seven-year period of time that this earth has ever experienced.
Romans 10:9-13 gives the simple steps to Salvation. The only hard part is believing it’s true. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us we’re saved by grace through faith, and not by any works, as stated earlier.
John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 specifically state that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, no matter what false prophets may try to tell you. Don’t take the chance of being left behind, as the call could come any day – any minute – now.
Mara-Natha! Come, Lord Jesus!