You Are Not Alone

Fresh Manna 2008© by Pastor Tim Burt

Psa 119:49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.

The other day I asked my son Peter how a particular situation went. He was in a teasing mood and started to give me this wild bogus answer just to see how long he could tease me before I caught on. It didn’t take long but then I wanted the real answer. Teasing can be fun for a little bit but then you want to get down to the truth.

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t tease? He doesn’t. People are casual about their words and even about their commitment and promises but God isn’t. He means what He says and He has said all that He means. His promise is just that – a promise! Hebrews 6:17-19 in the Living Bible says it like this. “God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those He promised to help would be perfectly sure and never need to wonder whether He might change His plans. He has given us both His promise and His oath, two things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to tell a lie. Now all those who flee to Him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know without doubt that He will give them the salvation He has promised them. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven…”

The entire Bible is full of promises that God made to man as a part of the covenant He entered into with us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:29 says, “And now that we are Christ’s we are the true descendants of Abraham, and all of God’s promises made to him belong to us.”

When my kids were little, they’d always ask, “Can we walk up to McDonalds and get an ice cream cone?” The answer would usually be “maybe.” A maybe almost always meant yes and they knew it. When I said “maybe” they were excited because they knew I’d cave in. Only once in a great while did a maybe turn into a no.

Today’s Fresh Manna says, “Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.” That is what God’s word gives us – hope! When God gives hope, it’s not the same as my “maybe.” His hope is encouragement that comes from a yes – from promises He has already promised to us. His hope is “yes.” When I see a promise from God’s Word that applies to my life, by faith it becomes a “yes” in my life and produces great hope. It lifts me from the despair negative circumstances could present. It’s called a hope because it’s up to me to believe and have faith in that promise. If I do, it produces the hope – then the assurance, then the confidence that ushers in the promise.

If you belong to Jesus and truly love Him and do your best in living for Him, the promises of His word believed will always encourage and lift your heart. See for yourself. Read these as promises written by the hand of God to you personally and see if they don’t spark your hope and faith!

Psa 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (He is your refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble.)

Psa 54:4 Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Psa 72:12-14 He will take care of the helpless and poor when they cry to Him; for they have no one else to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and needy and will rescue them. He will save them from oppression and from violence, for their lives are precious to him.

Heb 13:6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be
afraid. What can man do to me?”

Psa 84:11 For Jehovah God is our Light and our Protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from those who walk along His paths.

God wants to encourage our hearts and like a loving father, He has made may promises to us. They are activated within our heart through our personal faith and trust in Him and in His Word. You and I are not alone in the things we face. We are not alone in the places where we need to stand strong against the enemies within our lives. God is a loving father and He doesn’t tease especially when it comes to the well being of His children.

Stand in and rejoice in the promise of His Word today. You will see His hand and His love toward you. Ask with a fresh asking today and let the Lord reveal His care, compassion and love to you. Psa 146:5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/