“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever. He remembered us in our weakness. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.”Psalms 136:1, 16, 23, 26 NLThttps://www.bible.com/116/psa.136.1,16,23,26.nlt
The congregation hears the story of God’s faithful love and responds, “His faithful love endures forever!” Line after line, verse by verse, God’s faithfulness is recounted for His people and if they remember nothing else, they know God loves them and He always will!
Last Sunday, I was encircled by my family who joined hands, hearts, and minds to pray for me during my upcoming surgery. Tears flowed freely as each one of us recounted God’s faithfulness to us as a family, entrusting our futures to Him in faith. I am still overwhelmed by the sincere, heartfelt prayers of God’s children, my brothers and sisters in Christ, on my behalf! I was able to hear their prayers voiced aloud, but I know many others pray silently, individually, collectively and all of these prayers rise to God who hears and answers!
Even more than this, the Holy Spirit and the Son, who sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, intercede for me, translating “groaning that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26, 34)
“God talking to Himself, as any parent often does, is prayer. God knows everything that is going to happen. He is omniscient. That means He knows the past, the present, and the future all at once. He already knows what’s going to happen in my life this afternoon… next week, next month, next year, and the rest of my days. It also means He can pray about it before it happens to me! (Talk It Over, Rick Warren, 2/20/21)
I am deeply grateful to be loved with an everlasting love and surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses to the life of faith!
“As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”2 Corinthians 1:18-22 NLThttps://www.bible.com/116/2co.1.18-22.nlt
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