Whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
and will be secure, without fear of evil.
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. § He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty … His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Your life is hidden with Christ in God. § He who touches you touches the apple of His eye. § Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord … The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. § God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” § “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” § I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
Prov. 1:33; Ps. 90:1; 91:1, 4; Col. 3:3; Zech. 2:8;
Ex. 14:13–14; Ps. 46:1–2; Matt. 14:27; Luke 24:38–39; 2 Tim. 1:12
My kingdom is not from here.
This Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. § Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.
He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. § He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. § He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
John 18:36; Heb. 10:12–13; Matt. 26:64;
1 Cor. 15:25; 15:57; Eph. 1:20–23; 1 Tim. 6:15
When I was small, my grandmother lived right across the street from where I lived with my family. Whenever I got sick or just wanted someone to read to me or sew for me or fix me something special to eat, I went across to her house. She taught me, read to me, played with me, fed me, and nursed me. When she died, I felt as if a part of myself had died. To this day, in unguarded moments, I still weep with that yearning, homesick feeling just to hear her voice or to see her smile or to feel her hug.
Paul says it is all right to grieve, even so many years after her death. But I am not to grieve as one who has no hope, because we believe that the same Jesus Who died on the cross to offer us forgiveness of sin, and the same Jesus Who was raised from the dead to give us eternal life is the same Jesus Who one day will come again! And when He comes, “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.” When He comes, He will bring my grandmother with Him!
Praying in the Holy Spirit.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. § We … have access by one Spirit to the Father.
O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.
The Spirit … helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. § This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. § When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication.
Jude v. 20; John 4:24; Eph. 2:18; Matt. 26:39;
Rom. 8:26–27; 1 John 5:14; John 16:13; Eph. 6:18
There is hope for a tree, if it is cut down,
that it will sprout again, and that its tender
shoots will not cease.
A bruised reed He will not break. § He restores my soul.
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. § No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. § After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this.
Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me … He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.
Job 14:7; Isa. 42:3; Ps. 23:3; 2 Cor. 7:10;
Heb. 12:11; Ps. 119:67; Ezra 9:13; Mic. 7:8–9
When Jesus confronted a man beside the pool of Bethesda who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, He asked, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6, NIV)
At first, it must have sounded like a thoughtless question. Surely anyone who had been lying down for so long would want to get up. But Jesus knew it can be easier to lie on a cot letting people wait on you hand and foot, than to pick up all the responsibilities of life that are required when you can walk. The man answered that he did want to get well, and immediately Jesus told him to pick up his pallet, and walk. And the man did.
How do you and I show our eagerness to receive all that God has promised us? One way is through persistent prayer as we ask God for change, seek His Word about the change, then persistently pray until He brings it about. If you have asked God to change your circumstances in some way, claiming His promise for yourself or for a loved one, what are you doing to demonstrate your faith?
The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
It will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious. § I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. § I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” § Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. § “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.
John 6:37; Ex. 22:27; Lev. 26:44; Ezek. 16:60;
Isa. 1:18; 55:7; Luke 23:42–43; Isa. 42:3
The Son of His love.
Suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” § Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! § The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins … And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love.
The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. § Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
Col. 1:13; Matt. 3:17; Isa. 42:1; John 1:18;
1 John 4:9–10, 16; John 17:22–23; 1 John 3:1
