Joey's Journal - September 16, 2006
Gracious Father, I offer You all my thoughts, works, joys and sufferings of this day. May they be acceptable and pleasing to You. May Your wisdom and guidance be with me as I reflect on Your Word. Lord, let my day be filled with Your grace of patience, humility, mercy and love for the people I interact with. May I try to follow Your Ways showing kindness and forgiveness to those who offend and hurt me. And, my I completely submit to Your authority leaving the controls of my life to You. Praise and glory be always with You.
Father God, I thank You for the protection, provision and guidance in our lives. May Your angels continue to watch over Joel in school and Joshua at home and shield them from all mishaps and illnesses. May Your healing hand be with my wife to be restored spiritually to You and be guided to submit to You. Take care of all who are dear to me and keep them safe and sufficiently provided for. All in the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
My Reading - Psalm 41
The Lord protects the poor and keeps them alive!
Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort. ‘O Lord,’ I prayed, ‘have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.’ But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. ‘How soon will he die and be forgotten?’ they ask. They visit me as if they are my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere. All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst for me. ‘Whatever he has, it is fatal,’ they say. ‘He will never get out of that bed!’ Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! I know that you are pleased with me; for you have not let my enemy triumph over me. You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever. Bless the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives forever from eternal ages past. Amen and amen!
My Reflection – I must confess that there were times I was in the hospital that my pride got a stronghold on me and I struggled with the thoughts that did not please God. As David lamented on this psalm ‘ Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back!’ Evil thoughts came to my mind like, if I were not in Surabaya, this accident wouldn’t have happened; if I stayed in the city and didn’t work that day; this wouldn’t have happened and, lastly, if I had put my safety belt on and watched the road ahead of me, I wouldn’t be in this situation in the hospital, unable to move. Why was I posted in Surabaya? Was it because of what I did or didn’t do for the company that resulted to being posted there? These were the thoughts that I had to struggle with and they were not pleasing God at all.
When I finally repented of my many complaints and submitted myself to the Lord, it dawned on me that the Lord allowed these things to happen for the greater glory of His Name. It wasn’t until I said, ‘Lord, I have complete trust in Your Ways and the purpose You have in my life’, did I picture what I had to do to please and glorify our Father. The Lord pointed out for my being involved with the church’s Special People Ministry; to speak and testify to fellow wheel-chair bound people of God’s love and compassion to them, and to edify and motivate them to know He has not forgotten them. They must continue to seek the Father and obey His Will and His blessings will be with them. He will not forsake His children!
My Prayer – Father God, we oftentimes forget that You want nothing but the best for us. Yet, in our material world, we would rather strive for earthly gains like financial security, notoriety in our careers or healthy bodies. We fail to recognize that You would want us to give glory to Your Name by living godly lives and testifying of Your goodness and blessings bestowed on us. You are the great provider, the greater healer and our faithful Father, who gives all these blessings to us. No wonder we fail to recognize that all these come from You and not from our own doing. May we submit to You and thank You for the many blessings You have given us. All these in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
by Joey B.
Father God, I thank You for the protection, provision and guidance in our lives. May Your angels continue to watch over Joel in school and Joshua at home and shield them from all mishaps and illnesses. May Your healing hand be with my wife to be restored spiritually to You and be guided to submit to You. Take care of all who are dear to me and keep them safe and sufficiently provided for. All in the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
My Reading - Psalm 41
The Lord protects the poor and keeps them alive!
Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort. ‘O Lord,’ I prayed, ‘have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.’ But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. ‘How soon will he die and be forgotten?’ they ask. They visit me as if they are my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere. All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst for me. ‘Whatever he has, it is fatal,’ they say. ‘He will never get out of that bed!’ Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! I know that you are pleased with me; for you have not let my enemy triumph over me. You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever. Bless the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives forever from eternal ages past. Amen and amen!
My Reflection – I must confess that there were times I was in the hospital that my pride got a stronghold on me and I struggled with the thoughts that did not please God. As David lamented on this psalm ‘ Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back!’ Evil thoughts came to my mind like, if I were not in Surabaya, this accident wouldn’t have happened; if I stayed in the city and didn’t work that day; this wouldn’t have happened and, lastly, if I had put my safety belt on and watched the road ahead of me, I wouldn’t be in this situation in the hospital, unable to move. Why was I posted in Surabaya? Was it because of what I did or didn’t do for the company that resulted to being posted there? These were the thoughts that I had to struggle with and they were not pleasing God at all.
When I finally repented of my many complaints and submitted myself to the Lord, it dawned on me that the Lord allowed these things to happen for the greater glory of His Name. It wasn’t until I said, ‘Lord, I have complete trust in Your Ways and the purpose You have in my life’, did I picture what I had to do to please and glorify our Father. The Lord pointed out for my being involved with the church’s Special People Ministry; to speak and testify to fellow wheel-chair bound people of God’s love and compassion to them, and to edify and motivate them to know He has not forgotten them. They must continue to seek the Father and obey His Will and His blessings will be with them. He will not forsake His children!
My Prayer – Father God, we oftentimes forget that You want nothing but the best for us. Yet, in our material world, we would rather strive for earthly gains like financial security, notoriety in our careers or healthy bodies. We fail to recognize that You would want us to give glory to Your Name by living godly lives and testifying of Your goodness and blessings bestowed on us. You are the great provider, the greater healer and our faithful Father, who gives all these blessings to us. No wonder we fail to recognize that all these come from You and not from our own doing. May we submit to You and thank You for the many blessings You have given us. All these in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
by Joey B.
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