He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:5, 6.
From the stars that in their trackless course through space, follow from age to age their appointed path, down to the minutest atom, the things of nature obey the Creator’s will…. He who upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without a fear. When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father.—Steps to Christ, 85.
God is constantly employed in upholding and using as His servants the things that He has made. He works through the laws of nature, using them as His instruments. They are not self-acting. Nature in her work testifies of the intelligent presence and active agency of a Being who moves in all things according to His will…. It is not by inherent power that year by year the earth yields its bounties, and continues its march around the sun. The hand of the Infinite One is perpetually at work guiding this planet. It is God’s power continually exercised that keeps the earth in position in its rotation. It is God who causes the sun to rise in the heavens. He opens the windows of heaven and gives rain…. It is by His power that vegetation is caused to flourish, that every leaf appears, every flower blooms, every fruit develops.—The Ministry of Healing, 416.
With God at Dawn p. 22
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Prayer Requests
—-Today is a new day in history of our divided country. Let us pray for peace in all cities and for all leaders. Michael
—-I need prayers and I wasn’t sure where else to go. I lost my baby at 18 weeks pregnant just over 1 year ago. I finally got pregnant and am 6 weeks. I am having complications and have to go have an ultrasound in about an hour to see if I’m having an ectopic pregnancy. I could use all your prayers for me and my sweet babe Kell
—-Pray for our daughter Carrie this morning. Having surgery this morning on her leg she broke almost three weeks ago. John and Crystal
—-Please pray for my post open heart patient. Emerson
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Dear Friends,
When my children were young, we would play a guessing game called “who am I?” The person who was “it” chose a Bible character and the rest of us took turns asking questions until we guessed correctly. It was a lot of fun. Being rather competative by nature, I would choose a little-known person in order to win. One Bible character that I used was Jephthah. His was a sad story found in Judges 11.
“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?” Jephthah became their captain “and Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” It was a rash vow that never should have been vowed. He was victorious, but what a price he paid. ” And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.”
How often when we are troubled on every side we, like Jephthah, make vows to the Lord. When our world seems to be crashing in around us, when surrounded and overwhelmed, we often promise our Great Deliverer things nearly impossible to keep if He will only deliver us; but as soon as He does, we forget our vow, or if we do keep it, we do so begrudgingly or half-heartedly. Yet, our Great Creator does not forget our promise to Him. Solomon warns us, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?…but fear thou God.” Eccl 5:4-7 Good counsel.
May we be very careful what we vow before the Lord. And, if we do vow, may we promise as did David, “I will pay thee my vows, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.” Ps 66:13,14 May we “offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay [our] vows unto the most High.” Ps 50:14
Rose