Will you consider taking up the Hebrews 11:6 Challenge in 2023?

About the Book: 

The spark that ignited the writing of HE IS! is Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (NKJV). Will you consider beginning the Hebrews 11:6 adventure? In his deepest trials of life, Mark embarks on a quest to know God more fully and intimately through prayerful meditation on the Scriptures. He confesses that he has been a part of three main groups in this world: those who deny that God exists, those who don’t know if there is a God, and those who believe in God. Each meditation includes reflection questions that ask readers to consider topics such as whether they find comfort in sometimes not understanding God, how they feel about awesome truths regarding God, and how knowing a particular attribute of God might change the way they think and act. Ignite your faith, learn more about who God is, and help spread the Word with this book of devotional meditation by inviting others to join you in a group study. 

Awards:

American Writing Awards 2022 Finalist in the Religion Category 

About the Author:

Mark R. Worden is a lifelong learner and a student of God’s Word. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Bible and Teaching Bible. He has served as youth pastor, missionary, and teacher at a Bible institute in Manaus, Brazil, and pastored a local Montana church for six years. Along with being a licensed property manager, he is a self-employed handyman, and enjoys woodworking on the side.

Excerpts from 3 Editorial Reviews:

• Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars by Edith Wairimu I loved the personal anecdotes included which help expand the work and show how knowing God applies in everyday life. The reflection questions included at the end of each meditation allowed me to pause and internalize the messages. I also found the scriptures included for further reading and meditation helpful in learning more about each attribute of God. Ultimately, the work guided me in developing a more intimate relationship with Him and reminded me about who God is. I loved that the work is backed by biblical passages that support its discussions. I also found the work uplifting as it shows God as personal, all-knowing, and merciful. He Is! Knowing God Through Fifty Scriptural Meditations by Mark R Worden is a powerful and hope-filled work that expands on who God is. Recommended to any reader who wants to grow in their knowledge and relationship with God. 

• Reader Views – 5 stars by Lily Andrews “He Is!: Knowing God Through Fifty Scriptural Meditations” by Mark R. Worden is a landmark volume and a one-stop believer’s guide, well-choreographed and presented to elucidate the character and personality of God, backed up with over eight hundred biblical scriptures and well-researched phrases. [It] is a precious read and is a stunning tool that leaves you meditating on God’s word. It is not a “feel good” devotional, rather it is blissful with substance and content challenging the followers to dig deeper into their relationship with the Creator. It is truly a resource that edifies and liberates your heart. 

• BookViral – 5 Stars by anonymous Mark Worden offers us his own personal spiritual reflections in ‘He Is’-Knowing God through 50 Meditations’. Taking phrases and passages from scripture and pondering on each ‘God is’ phrase, Worden encourages his readers to reflect deeply on the multi-faceting representation of God found in the Bible, how God is evident in nature and creation, and in how he interacts with humankind. Worden interweaves frank and self-sharing personal experience into his writing, demonstrating how belief in God and who he is can have a profound and last long effect on life and happiness, as well as presenting him as an all-encompassing being who can have a powerful influence in and on lives, and who works through others to support and provide. ‘He is’-Knowing God through 50 Meditations’ could be ideally studied in sections as a group Bible study guide, or alternatively as a personal journal from which to springboard to personal scriptural meditation and is highly recommended.

More information:  www.heisministries.net

Will you consider the Hebrews 11:6 challenge for 2023? A slow read through this book may be of help and could be life changing. Find more information here: https://www.heisministries.net/

Links to the Knowing God Devotionals on the Theme: God Is!

My theme for these devotionals is  from Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. “
My goal is to write 52 devotionals – 1 for every week of the year!
I hope you will be blessed and built up in your desire to know God by reading the devotionals and meditating on the Scriptures listed after each devotional.

Knowing God Devotionals on the Theme: God Is!

by Pastor Mark Worden – email: worden.mark@gmail.com

© January, 2013

Devotional 1:  Seeking Idols or God in the New Year

Devotional 2:  God Is!

Devotional 3:  God is Light!

Devotional 4:  God Is Beyond Us!

Devotional 5:  God Is Knowable!

Devotional 6:  God Is Near!

Devotional 7:  God Is Merciful!

Devotional 8:  God Is Holy!

Devotional 9:  God Is Perfect in Justice!

Devotional 10:  God is Righteous!

Devotional 11:  God is Judge!

Devotional 12:  God Is The Lawgiver!

Devotional 13:  God Is King!

Devotional 14:  God Is Sovereign!

Devotional 15:   God is Good!

Devotional 16: God is Faithful!

Devotional 17:  God Is True – part 1

Devotional 18: God is True – part 2

Devotional 19:  God is Wise!

Devotional 20: God is Powerful!

Devotional 21:  God is Spirit!

Devotional 22: God Is our Father!

Devotional 23: God is our Shield! I Know!

Devotional 24: God is Witness!

Devotional 25:  God Is Unchanging!

Devotional 26: God is One!

Devotional 27: God is Eternal!

Devotional 28:  God Is the Giver of Life!

Devotional 29:  God is the Creator!

Devotional 30:  God is our Guide!

Devotional 31: God is Our Shepherd

Devotional 32: God is Jealous

Devotional 33: God is Angry!

Devotional 34: God is Forbearing!

Devotional 35:   God is Patient!

Devotional 36: God is Kind

Devotional 37: God is Not Partial

Devotional 38: God is Gracious

Devotional 39: God is Omniscient (all knowing)

Devotional 40: God is our Physician!

Devotional 41: God is All-Present (Omnipresent)

Devotional 42: God is Infinite

Devotional 43: God is Provider – Jehovahjireh

Devotional 44: God is Peace – Jehovahshalom

Devotional 45: God is our Banner – Jehovahnissi

Devotional 46: God is our Comfort

Devotional 47: God is a Consuming Fire

Devotional 46: God is our Comfort

Have you ever experienced having the wind knocked out of your lungs?  If you have, you will likely never forget that frightening experience. Sometimes life brings blows that figuratively knock the wind out of us—emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  Can you remember a time when you were without strength, hope, and the will to go on as you sat “gasping for breath”?   A situation where everything seemed to be tumbling down upon your head and you felt so very weak?   Where did you find comfort in your time of distress and need?  Often God uses others to point us to Himself when they have previously experienced God’s comfort.  

The Psalmist of Psalm 71 testifies that focusing on who God is during trying times brings comfort to those who trust in who He is.  After dwelling on the righteousness and mighty deeds of God the Psalmist says in verse 21-22a, “You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God.”  Hope and comfort came as the Psalmist remembered God’s character!  Comfort was also something that he expected to experience “again”.  Once you find your comfort in God you realize that none other gives such comfort as He gives. 

Again the Psalmist shows that meditating on God’s faithfulness to His word brings comfort as Psalm 119:48-52 reveals, “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes. Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O LORD.” 

Comfort is something that you really don’t understand until you have been comforted in God, because truly He is the “God of all comfort” as 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 makes absolutely clear: 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

I would encourage you to list out the times and ways in which God has comforted you.  Then ask God to help you share His comfort with others.  There is more than enough comfort in our great God to spread around to a world in need of His comfort.  

May the Lord help us to live out the Apostle Paul’s admonishment in 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

  

With Prayer, Mark         © January 2013         Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God is our Comfort

Psalm 71:19-21, Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?  You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

Psalm 86:15-17, But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

 

Isaiah 40:1-2, Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 

Isaiah 49:13, Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. 

Isaiah 52:9, Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 

Isaiah 66:12-13,  For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

 

Jeremiah 31:12-13,  They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. 

Act 9:31, So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

 

2 Corinthians 7:5-7, For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

New Year Devotional: Seeking Idols or God in the New Year

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Download: http://pastormarkworden.sermon.net/da/1199923943
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May the Lord grant you a blessed New Year!  As I typed the previous greeting, my mind wondered, “What would make this coming year more blessed for me and those whom I’m writing?”  How we answer that question will reveal what is really important to us.  Our answer will reflect whether we think of blessings in God’s terms or our terms.  If we seek the blessings of life without seeking the Giver of blessings, we make the blessings an idol that comes before God.  We must guard our hearts from seeking some possession, position, or person that we think is necessary to bring blessing and happiness.  Anything or anyone that we put before God becomes an idol.  We would do well to start the year out in self-examination by asking this question: “Is there something or someone in my life that is more important than God?”  Whatever it is is your idol!
I believe that having lives truly blessed of God will require us to acknowledge our idols, pull them down, and cast them out of our hearts.  Then we need a growing and deepening knowledge of our God by seeking Him diligently through His natural revelation (His creation) and His special revelation (the Scriptures). Paul’s prayer for the believers at Ephesus reveals our need for knowing God:

Eph 1:16-21, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (emphasis added).

Will you pray this prayer for yourself and others? Can we really go another year without becoming more serious about seeking God?  We have not because we ask not!
For the past few years I have been  seeking to know God better by searching the Scriptures and writing on the theme “God Is”.  The Bible is replete with verses and passages that tell us about who God is and how we can relate with Him.  My theme verse for the devotionals is Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (emphasis added).
May this coming year be filled with adventure in diligently seeking to know God! Will you join me in a quest to know God more fully and intimately as you seek Him?  We can find our greatest satisfaction, pleasure, and fulfillment in Him and Him alone!  May “grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2). 

Blessing to you in this New Year!

Sincerely in Christ,

Mark

Selected Bible Verses to End and Start the Year

Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Revelation 5:11-13, “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”

Isaiah 40:25-31, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”
“Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Matthew 9:36-38, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Devotional 42: God is Infinite

Many doctrinal statements and creeds refer to God as being infinite.  According to Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary the word infinite means, “Without limits; unbounded; boundless; not circumscribed.”  He mentions that the word can be “applied to time, space and qualities.”  Then he says, “God is infinite in duration, having neither beginning nor end of existence. He is also infinite in presence, or omnipresent, and his perfections are infinite.”  Clearly, the man who gave us our first American English dictionary had a high and reverent view of God.  No doubt, he came to have this understanding of God through the Scriptures.  How do you view God?  Do you see Him more clearly through your Bible reading?  Do you think of him as beyond measure and without limits in His Being and Nature? 

Having covered many of God’s attributes in these devotionals, we can sense that they all seem to have this infinite quality of being without limits and boundless.  However, there appears to be only one verse in the KJV that directly uses the word infinite in relation to God.  It is in reference to His understanding.  Psalm147:5 says, “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”  The ESV translates the verse this way, “His understanding is beyond measure” which clearly gives the meaning of being infinite.  Logically, for God to be infinite in understanding He would also have to be infinite in knowledge (omniscience), infinite in location (omnipresent), and also infinite in time (eternal). Furthermore, God’s infinite understanding makes His love, grace, mercy, kindness, and judgment without measure as well. Truly our God is infinite or without limits in all of His attributes!

So then, how can the truth about God being beyond measure affect our daily lives?  I find it instructive that the Bible specifically says that God’s “understanding is infinite” because each day we, His creatures, need to understand.   We will never have true understanding in this world until we acknowledge God!

First, we must live our lives knowing and acting upon the truth that understanding is a gift from God:

Exodus 31:3, And I have filled [Bezaleel the son of Uri] with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

It then should not be surprising that Scriptures tells us “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).  Can you see how understanding becomes synonymous with knowing God?

Secondly, we must avoid the daily temptation to lean upon our own understanding by remaining humble and dependently trusting of God:

Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Thirdly, we must call upon the Lord for wisdom and understanding as Scripture exhorts us to do:

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Knowing God, whose understanding is infinite, is awe-inspiring!  Let’s worship Him together!

With Prayer, Mark       © October, 2012         Scripture quoted without reference: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Infinite in Understanding

Job 12:13, With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. 

Psalm 147:1-7, Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!

 

Isaiah 40:28, Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

1 Chronicles 22:11-13, [David speaking to Solomon, said,] Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you. Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. 

1 Kings 3:7-12, [Solomon prayed,] “And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 

1 Kings 4:29-31  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 

Daniel 1:17, As for these four youths [Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego], God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 

Colossians 2:1-3,  For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

1 John 5:20, And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Lastest "Knowing God" Devotionals

What a blessing to write for the Glory of God!

Devotional 34: God is Forbearing!

Devotional 35:   God is Patient!

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year in Christ!

With prayer. Pastor Mark

God is our Guide!

One of my favorite quotations from the Old Testament is from Abraham’s servant when he had returned to Abraham’s homeland to take a wife for Isaac.  After experiencing God’s guidance in answer to prayer he said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen” (Genesis 24:27).   Can you look back in your life and see how God has led you “in the way”?  You might want to list them out on a piece of paper or a journal. After making your list, praise and bless God for His guidance that Abraham’s servant attributed to God’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness”!  God certainly leads us in His love and faithfulness for He is a good guide.

One situation that I would have to put on my list of times in which God led me in the way would be when we followed the Lord’s direction in joining a certain mission board to go to Brazil as missionaries. We had just finished their required seminar classes in Ohio and needed to travel back across the country to Washington to start deputation in the Western states. We only had $150.00. We prayed for God’s guidance and provision for the trip.  God led us to look up a friend in Minnesota, whose father offered me a temporary job on the spot.  He needed someone to be the hands for his plumber who had just broken three fingers. So, I learned how to clean drains and sewer pipes, a skill which God would use in Brazil as I maintained mission property.  God’s leading also opened up a door to witness to the plumber for three weeks. Having had opportunity to serve others, we were back on the road and heading west.  On a Sunday we came to a small town in eastern Montana that bears my family name—Worden.  God directed our timing to have arrived about the time that evening church services would be starting. We found a church with open doors and sensed God’s peace about attending.  We met and had great fellowship with the pastor and congregation.  Without any solicitation, the pastor took up a love offering after the service to help us on the way.  I give God thanks and praise for He provided for us and led us while we were in the way.

God’s guidance may not always be so obvious. However, He is always directing those who trust Him and look to Him even in the mundane routines of daily life. God leads us daily by giving us wisdom and truth. He even gives His Spirit to believers to guide them into all truth as Jesus told His disciples, saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).  We still have the truth that the Spirit of God revealed through the Prophets and Apostles in the Word of God which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). God guides us through His Word.
Many of the Psalms contain examples of how to call upon God for guidance and praise Him for this gift:

Psalm 5:8, Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

Psalm 25:5, Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

In a previous devotion—God is Eternal, I listed out God’s eternal gifts. Well, we need to add one more. Psalm 48:12-14 indicates that God’s guidance is eternal, “Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.”

Will you wait for God’s guidance as you are in the way?  He will surely guide you if you call upon Him and seek truth and wisdom from His Word—the Bible.

 With Prayer, Mark

© September, 2011  Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Guide

Exodus 13:21, And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

Psalm 5:8, Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

Psalm 25:5, Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 27:11-14, Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalm 31:3-4,  For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;  you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.

Psalm 37:23-24,  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.  KJV

Psalm 43:3-5, Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Psalm 48:12-14, Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.

Psalm 73:24-25, You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

John 16:13,  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

James 1:2-8,  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

God is the Creator!

A Shepherd’s Musings Devotional – Week 34-35 – God is . . .


In our last devotional we focused on the truth that God is the giver of life. Let’s broaden our perspective and consider that God is also the Creator of everything!  The first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, states this as fact, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  In thinking of God the Creator let’s consider two questions: what does this reveal about Him and how should this truth affect us?


1. God alone is sovereign over our lives; therefore, He is worthy of our respectful fear.  He determines when we are born and when we die. We should acknowledge and take comfort in His powerful sovereignty over life.  A person’s birth and death is no accident with God! Psalm 104:29-31 says, “When you [God] take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works.” Furthermore, the “Time Poem” of Ecclesiastes explicitly states that there is a “time to be born and a time to die.” Then the writer draws an appropriate conclusion and application in Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.”  Do you have a healthy fear of God your Creator?   Jesus explained it this way, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5)!

2. God is supremely wise in all He does; therefore, He is worthy of our trust: A healthy view that God is our sovereign and wise Creator helps us to trust Him.  This is true especially when we don’t understand the trials and difficulties of life that He purposefully designs for our good. This is what God through the prophet Jeremiah beautifully portrays by analogy for the children of Israel, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? Declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel’” (Jeremiah 18:1-6).  The Apostle Peter encourages followers of Christ with these words, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19).  Is there a difficulty or trial in your life in which you need to trust your faithful Creator?  He deserves your trust.

3.  God is gloriously powerful; therefore, He is worthy of our worship!  Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Sometimes we may be tempted to question God because of the circumstances of life, but as we wait upon Him in fear, trust and worship, He will surely help!  Isaiah’s words are a challenging comfort, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God’  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:27-31).

With Prayer, Mark

© August, 2011  Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is the Creator

Hebrews 11:3, By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Psalm 33:6, By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

Psalm 102:18, Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:

Isaiah 42:5, Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:

Isaiah 40:28,  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 43:1,  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

Isaiah 45:8,  “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it.  Isaiah 45:12,  I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. Isaiah 45:18,  For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Mark 13:19,  For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.

Colossians 1:15-17,  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Romans 1:25,  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

1 Peter 4:19,  Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

John 1:1-3, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Hebrews 11:2-3,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Revelation 4:11,  “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”