Re:Verse passage – Judges 8:18-34 (day five) “Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;” One of the issues I encountered most from as a Youth Minister was teenagers saying, “I am doubting my salvation and if God is even real, Can you help?”
My first question to them was always, “When was the last time you were reading God’s Word and praying daily?” The answer almost always was something like “Well, it’s been a while”.
A daily time with God in His Word and in prayer, helps us remember (in moments of thanksgiving, praise, and petition) God’s strength, love, and faithfulness, to name a few. Paul says to pay close attention and constantly listen to the Lord. Here’s how he illustrates it. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5. Moment by moment. The Holy Spirit will call out the cadence, set the gate of each step. He has the path and pace chosen, will we walk with Him? Daily in His Word, Weekly with His body, moment by moment in prayer. When we do, we remember, we stay in step, our doubts or struggles find peace and power.
How’s your daily time with God in His Word and in prayer?
Here’s extra reading/worship (if you have time). A prayer of confession and dedication. A reminder of how easy it is to “forget” and a reminder of who God is.
Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of God’s unchanging love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Scott,
Thank you for your thoughtful insight and beautiful words of song. I’m going to sing that for the rest of the day. I love the way starting with songs that will continue to run through heart and mind makes me feel close to the Lord.
Ditto to Martha’s comments.
I sang it in my mind as I read the words. I love how the hymns support the teachings of the Bible & reinforce them in our minds.
This hymn is Dave’s and my favorite one! Apparently, writer Robert Robinson lived out the struggle of being “prone to wander.” These lyrics are a sinner’s cry for help!