Lord, you alone understand my needs, you alone know the burdens of my heart, you alone hold my future in your hands, and because you live, because I serve a living an understanding God, I can face tomorrow, I will face tomorrow with confidence, not worrying about my needs of today, for you oh Lord will provide, you are my Jehovah Jireh, you are my Rock, my Shield and Hiding Place and in you I put my trust, for all that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe it to your glory. So today, I will thank you for the blessings that I have received, for I know that you are great and that you do wondrous things for those who walk according to your ways, so continually teach me your ways O Lord, so that I may always walk in your truth. All this I ask in you precious name. Amen.

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; he is also to be feared above all Gods, for all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens, honor and majesty are before him, strength and gladness are in his place. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Let the whole earth tremble before him. Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” Oh, give thanks unto the Lord for he is good! For his mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16

There is much work to be done in the service of the Lord, so we should stop worrying about the things we hold dear to in this life, the things we would have to lose, refusing to let go, so that God could give us better things, so that God could use us for his service. We need to stop thinking about what others will say and go where the Spirit leads us, for in order to lead positive and fulfilling lives we must to stop thinking negative thoughts, listening to those negative voices, and focus instead on the positive forces in our lives.

Help us to help each other, Lord, each other’s cross to bear; let all their friendly aid afford, and feel each other’s care.” Be a friend to someone today. Say something uplifting, do something encouraging.

The Lord delivers the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no help. The Lord who have shown us great and severe troubles shall revive us again, he promised that he will increase our greatness and comfort us on every side. The Lord is our strong refuge, we will hope continually and praise him more, our mouths shall tell of his righteousness and his salvations all the day, for we do not know his limits. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only does wondrous things for us. Praise and bless his name forever!

“For who is God, except the Lord? Who is a Rock, except our God?”  He arms us with strength for every battle that we face, his right hand holds us up, he subdues our enemies under our feet, he sets us in high places, he enlarge our paths under us so that our feet slip not, he lights our way in the darkness, he makes our paths smooth before us, he lifts us up above those who rise up against us, and he is a shield to all those who trust him. What a mighty God we serve! The Lord lives! Blessed by my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Martha said to Jesus, “But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you”. Martha believed, and that is all we need this morning, faith in God, to believe that he is able to do all that we ask. God is saying to you who are dead in trespasses this morning, “Lazarus come forth!” God is able to say this morning to all those wrapped up in the bondage of sin, “Loose him and let him go”. But, will you believe that God is able to birth new life in you? No matter where we have been or what we have done, God loves us unconditionally, and just like he wept for Lazarus, he is daily weeping for us who continue to grieve his spirit in thought, word and deed, yet, he promised, that if only we believe, that we would see the goodness of the Lord. What a mighty God we serve! He does these things so that we could believe. So whatever you are going through, God can bring you out, just believe. Praise the Lord!

Please take a moment to thank the Lord for the blessing of the past week, and for the promised blessings of this new week. God is good – all the time – God is good! Thank him. If it had not been for the Lord on our side, where would we be?

Thank you, Lord, that I could cast all of my cares on you, and know that you will take my yoke upon you and give me rest. Lord, when the worries of this life threatens to overwhelm me, I am thankful that I could run to the Rock that is higher and greater than I, my God who is the Rock of my refuge, the Lord who has been my defense, and the Rock of my salvation who will settle any disquietness within me. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me?

Oh, how good and joyful it is to come into the presence of the Lord, and to serve him with gladness, for all the many good things he has done for us. Lord, we are truly thankful for your goodness and we bless your holy name, we will enter into your courts daily with thanksgiving and into your courts with praise, for we have been assured of your goodness and your mercy which endures forever. Oh, when I think of the goodness of Jesus and what he has done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah, and I thank God for saving me. I will forever praise the Lord, and bless his holy name!