A Heart to Heart with the Father

Day 1

God is... All Powerful

Bible Reading: Psalm 66:1-7

On Christmas Day, 1999, I wrote, Sometimes I go about my daily life taking God for granted. I know Him as my personal Savior, but I want a deeper understanding of who He really is and the power He displays. I am beginning to understand who I am because of Him. I want to know Him better and have a closer relationship with Him.

As I focus on God’s omnipotence, there is nothing with which to compare it. Many experienced ministers and writers have written about this and probably all of the other subjects that I will cover, but somehow God chose me to do this work. This calling overwhelms me. These thoughts are only a reflection from my own personal experience as a child of this mighty God.

What is the epitome of human power? We look at some world leaders and see the authority they wield through their positions. Many times, they keep their people under bondage and terror as they seek to control their every move. Some are so egotistical in their domination that they erect monuments and statues of themselves. In fact, the Russian leader, Vladimir Lenin, is embalmed and on display in a glass coffin in Leningrad (city also named after him). We certainly have had more than our share of examples in the twentieth and already in the twenty first century.

The psalmist wrote, For by His great power He rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance Psalm 66:7 (NLT). I love this verse because even though our world is crazy right now and we face numerous threats from terrorists and evil in other world leaders, we can be confident that the God of the universe sees it all and His ultimate plan will prevail. What a comfort He is in troubling times!

God’s mightiness is a secure and enduring source of love and grace that transcends anything that we could ever imagine. For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth Psalm 103:11 (NLT).

Personal Note:

As I ponder this gentle God who is so loving and kind to all who have accepted Him, I know that He also rules with an iron fist those who are disobedient to His calling. Yet He is consistently fair and perfect in all of His dealings.

As I start giving you glimpses into my personal notes, I am hopeful that you will see the growth the Lord has performed in me. In addition, maybe someone along the way will be able to relate to where I was, where I am, and where I can be in relationship with this powerful God I serve! I am glad that I am able to call Him Father!

Prayer:

Father, You hold the world in Your hands and watch over the actions of every country, and nothing goes unnoticed by You. Thank you for giving me confidence in knowing that all things are in Your mighty hands, so I need not worry. I thank You because, even though You are all-powerful, You love me with a gentle love that surpasses anything that I could ever imagine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Reflections:

Day 2

God is... Faithful

Bible Reading: Psalm 18:25-29

My husband Don and I have been married over fifty-five years. It is becoming more and more rare to see such long-term commitments. When I married at age eighteen, marriage was the ultimate goal for most young ladies. We just wanted to be married, raise a family, stay home with the children, and remain faithful ’til death do us part.

Many marriage vows today, however, do not even include those words in them. In fact, many couples write their own vows to each other, and I think some are very beautiful and touching, but others have little or no commitment attached to them. Marriage, as I experienced it, is very old-fashioned and outdated. With so little commitment in our society, it is hard for some to understand this depth of promise to one another. We fall far short of what God considers faithful, let alone understanding His reliability in this. In the Psalms we read, For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation Psalm 100:5 (NLT).

Wow! What a loving, mighty and faithful God we serve. He will never leave us nor forsake us Deuteronomy 31:6b (NIV). It takes His great strength and power to love us even when we are unlovable to Him. He will not walk away when we get angry with Him. He will never divorce us, or leave us, even when we leave Him.

This is a hard concept for us to imagine. Nevertheless, God does not ask us to understand His fidelity, He only asks us to step out in faith and accept it. Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands Deuteronomy 7:9 (NLT). Faithful, unfailing love, what more could we want?

Personal Note:

No matter whether I am unwavering in my faith or not, God is always steadfast and ready to forgive me and help me grow stronger in Him. In addition, if I let Him, He will take me to heights and places that I never dreamed possible. He never fails me. Sometimes I can get so involved in my own busy life that I give little or no thought to Him. How rich my life is, however, when I talk to Him and get to know Him more intimately each day. What a blessing to know that He lavishes His love on me when I keep His commands. What a faithful God I serve!

Prayer:

Oh Father, thank You for your unchanging ways. Forgive my complacency; and teach me more about Your reliability. Help me to grow in You, that I may experience more of the richness of your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Reflections:

Day 3

God is... Ever-Present

Bible Reading: Psalm 9:4-10

In October 1998, I found out that I had breast cancer. There is something about hearing the word cancer, connected to you that is startling! It knocks the props right out from under you. My best option was to have a complete mastectomy to make sure that I would have the best result possible.

Whenever we go through deep waters, like a death of a loved one, a life-threatening disease, a divorce or any other thing that is life-changing, we are always at a crossroad. We can choose to become bitter or better. It seems like it takes the hard times in life before we realize that God is always there for us. When things are going well, we sometimes get a little too busy for devotions or prayer; and pretty soon we find ourselves not as close to God as we were when we were going through our trial.

When we pray and yield our life anew and put the situation in God’s hands, He will always bring us closer to Him. There is an old hymn titled, He’s Only a Prayer Away. God is present always! In good times or bad, He will unceasingly be there for us. Psalm 9:10 reads, Those who know Your name will trust in You; for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You (NIV). What an awesome Scripture! Our God is ever-present. He will never forsake us!

Personal Note:

My decision was clear, I had the mastectomy and have been cancer-free now for over ten years and I know that God has a real purpose for my life. When you face something like cancer, you find out what is important. Family becomes more precious, priorities change; life, and how you live it, becomes of much greater value.

I think this event was also very instrumental in my quest to know my Father better. God is nearer to me than ever. One of my favorite verses is in the psalms: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble Psalm 46:1 (NIV). He is always right there to cherish me and hold me close so that I can weather whatever life brings me. There is nothing greater than that!

Prayer:

Oh Father, I praise You because You are always with me. Help me to seek Your presence with all of my heart as I learn more about You. Thank you for Your steadfast love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Reflections:

Day 4

God is... Unshakable

Bible Reading: Hebrews 1:8-12

Remember Y2K? That was when we were sure that the computer world was going to crash around us and uncertainty was at a high peak. The hype was at a volatile level and the spirit of fear was all around us. Today I feel more unrest than ever, but I have comfort in knowing that God sees and knows everything. What a blessing this is in a world which is constantly changing. It is so unstable, and we have no security in anything around us. Since September 11, 2001, our lives have taken a dramatic turn, not only in America, but also around the world. Much of the world lives in constant terror.

We have been blessed in this country so far, because our principles have been founded on the Word of God. Nevertheless, much of that is changing. We pray for God’s mercy to prevent any terrorist attacks, but we live with the constant threat. It is great to know that though everything is becoming consistently more unstable, our God is unshakable. You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain Hebrews 1:10,11a (NKJ).

Even though we live with unrest every day, it is wonderful to know that we do not have to worry. We serve an immovable God who holds the world in His hand and has everything in His control. His ultimate plan will prevail! The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes Psalm 33:10 (NLT).

No matter how insecure our surroundings feel, God has all things under His control and will fulfill His purpose for our land. He is a just God who knows everything and has a purpose for all things. In Revelation 3:1 John wrote, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things and by Your will they exist and were created. (NKJ). What a comfort!

Personal Note:

Paul wrote another verse that I love, Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe Hebrews 12:28 (NIV). No matter what terror and unrest surrounds me, I know that I can put my trust in my Father and that brings me peace and comfort. Thank goodness, I serve an unshakable God.

Prayer:

Oh Father, I praise You because You are steadfast in all Your ways. Help me to seek Your presence with all of my heart, in the good times as well as the bad, as I learn more about You. Thank you for Your steadfast love, which can never be shaken. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Reflections:

Day 5

God is... Unchanging

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:6-12

God is our sure foundation; He is consistently immovable. His ways are so far above ours that too often we are confused because we feel like nothing is happening the way we planned it. Life never seems to quite work.

The problem is that we are trying to make our lives work, rather than allowing God to work His awesome plan through us. Jeremiah wrote, ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT).

Why is it so hard for us to give up our flighty ways? Often we change our minds as often as we do our shoes. It is difficult to have a solid future with such a changeable, uncommitted attitude. I really believe that our society is messed up today due, in a large part, to our lack of commitment to almost anything and everything.

We are a very bored society. We change jobs frequently so that we can climb another rung on the ladder of success. We discard marriages because of incompatibility." Anything that is the least bit distasteful we throw out like trash. It is hard for us to imagine the world of fifty years ago, let alone a century ago.

I recently saw a movie, The Time Changer that was a revelation to me. It took place in 1890 and featured a professor who was an innovative thinker. He wanted to loosen a few rules that couldn’t hurt anybody, but then a colleague who was an inventor of a time machine, finally moved him forward through time one hundred years. He saw for himself what compromise had done to the society.

We may try to change and weaken our resolve all we want, but we cannot improve on a perfect God who is rock-solid and unmovable, who we can count on for all of our needs. Malachi wrote, I am the Lord, and I do not change Malachi 3:6a (NLT). Now that is as clear as it gets!

Personal Note:

From my journal on New Year’s Eve 1999: The hype surrounding the turn of the century is electrifying. We are watching the whole world celebrate the birthing of the new century and they are doing it with huge fireworks displays all over the world. We still have some uncertainty concerning whether our electronic system is going to be successful in making all of the necessary changes to a new century, but it is looking more hopeful.

Little did I know that much worse was yet to face us less than two years in our future. The September 11, 2001 attack on our country changed us all.

Prayer:

Oh, my Father, I praise You and thank You that I can count on You in a world that is ever changing. I praise You that You are steady and unchangeable. Help me to learn to rely more on Your plan for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Reflections:

Day 6

God is... In Charge

Bible Reading: Daniel 4:28-33

How arrogant we can become as human beings. God can bring kings as well as individuals to their knees if we show no regard for Him. Consider King Nebuchadnezzar who had thrown three of God’s children into a fiery furnace yet they survived because God was with them. Afterwards, the King acknowledged God’s power and authority. Daniel wrote, It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation Daniel 4:2-3 (NIV).

It seems the King understood how mighty our God is! However, in the next verse, the king had a dream so terrifying that he called together all of his wise and talented magicians and diviners in the land and told them his dream, but no one could interpret it.

Finally, he called Daniel who told the king the bad news that God would take away his kingdom from him and that he would go insane. He would eat the grass of the fields like an animal and remain deranged until he would acknowledge that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men.

It took the king seven years before he would bow his knee, as he lived like an animal on all fours, grazing like a cow. His hair grew as long as eagle’s feathers and his nails looked like bird’s claws. Finally, the king raised his eyes to heaven and really repented of his arrogance.

After he repented, God not only restored his kingdom, but it was even better than before. The king finally was able to give all praise and glory