Praise His Almighty Name!

The Worst of the plagues of Exodus

Exodus 9:13 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Exodus 9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

By far, the worst of the plagues of the plagues of Egypt was not the visual or physical torment. The worst was the plague upon the hearts of Pharoah and the people. When the heart is hardened and blind, it cannot see the superiority of the magnificent God, whose mercy we live under day by day. Lack of thankfulness for His past blessings is blinding. Lack of consideration that we are borrowers of His air and land and life is truly hardening. It seems that in childbirth there is a moment where that is the case. No matter the prayer that is offered, there is a blinder that comes upon the soul where you can see no way out. We call this transition, it means that the baby is just about to be born. In childbirth classes, we prepare the mother for that one moment in time that is the trial of her faith that she will be able to be delivered. Shame on us, who have received the mercies of God in Christ, to be blind to the God of the mercies. Shame on us, to the extent that we have withheld praise and worship to the God who has given us all things richly to enjoy. Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered. God, we pray for softened hearts and open eyes to see Your goodness and mercy, even in the clouds of difficulty that occasionally rise in our lives. The sweet mercy of a softened and contrite heart is a blessing. The hardness of heart and the blindness of eye that keeps the knee from bending and the voice from giving praise is the worst plague. Bless us, Lord to know You and see You in the graces and in the mercies and in the pains. Amen You inhabit the praises of Your people.

Prayer for the nation, prayer for my soul, prayer for my family, Not in that order.

Jesus, keep me near the cross. Children being taught in school and things on the ballot, too wicked to describe. I didn't know that was a sin, the children say. We read the scriptures and we spoke to them and they look you in the eye and say the Holy Spirit convicted me of that sin on this or that day and nobody told me before that. It is amazing that one word from the Holy Spirit trumps a life of Christian instruction. Shame on us for showing the children choices of sin and not instructing them in the right way. The pleasures of sin seem right for a season and pleasant, but afterward their fruit is death. Thank God for the Pastors who are holding up the "Bloodstained banner of our Lord" in the forum of public opinion. Help us, Lord to overcome, by the word of our testimony and the Blood of Jesus. Help us to use the experiences of Lot and Jonah and Ruth and Daniel and those who grew up in the wicked godless world to guide us through this dark season of our nation's history. Let us be those who stake our claim to the righteousness of Christ and the presence of our God in our homes and worship, for the glory of God and not for our own exaltation. Build Your Church, Dear Lord, that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it and give us the gumption to do exploits in Your name. Life and Health and healing and redemption and growth and peace and freedom and deliverance, in Your Name, Lord Jesus. We trust You for more than we have seen. Be exalted, in our world. Amen.

Enjoying the access to the presence of God

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Pr. 27: 22

The presence of God was bought by the blood of the Lamb. We, through our circumstances, in the midst of the vicisitudes can either enjoy the presence of ourselves. I am here. We say. I am taking my own autograph, enjoying the presence of myself in my trouble. I cry and mourn, I am here. But, through praise, through the sacrifice of praise, we can enjoy the presence of God in the midst of the troubles that we endure. The mortar and the pestle are in the hands of the Master. We can, either justify the foolishness of our own existence. I am truly still a fool, no matter how the Master touches and crushes. Enter the seasoning, I pray, in the midst of the situation. God, I pray that my foolishness will be seasoned with You. My foolishness is clinging until the blood of Jesus and the praise of God calls my Savior to inhabit the praises of His people. I live below my privilege of the presence of God, when I cry without praising and acknowledging that God is above it all. He is with me in the storm. Cover my foolishness, in my praise, I pray.

I need Thee, Oh, I need Thee!----Uphold me with Thy free Spirit, Don't take Your joy from me.

We have so much more than godly Job, in our sufferings. He said though, He slay me, yet will I trust Him. We have the sacrifice of Christ and the presence of God to comfort us in our sufferings and the fellowship of the Spirit in the presence of His people in worship. We have the Word of God, inscripturated and hopefully written upon our hearts and still we ask for our own autograph in suffering. I am here. God are You here? God is there. We must know Him there. Season me with Yourself, Dear Lord, in the sunshine and in the bray.