Friday Jan. 27th-Restoration and Salvation! ~ Psalm 80

                                                Restoration and Salvation!

Today's Scriptures: Psalm 80 & John 15:1-11

Lord, we Your children acknowledge You as Lord of our lives.  We know of Your mighty power and the works that You have done in our lives and in the lives of others.  Yet there are times of doing things in our own strength and we wonder why our prayers are not being answered?  You are the vine and only abiding in You will we will produce fruit.

Verses 1-3 God’s people are crying out to the Good Shepherd. They acknowledge Him who led Joseph like a flock, and that He is enthroned about the cherubim. They are crying out for Him to stir up His power and save them. 

Verses 4-7 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies,

how long will you be angry with our prayers?

⁵ You have fed us with sorrow

and made us drink tears by the bucketful.

⁶ You have made us the scorn of neighboring nations.

Our enemies treat us as a joke. Psalms 80:4-6

How is your prayer life?  Do you spend time in prayer with Him, acknowledging Him as God?  Do you pray His will be done in your life?   Do you just quickly say a prayer half-heartedly and expect that He will answer? When you say you are going to pray for someone, do you? When telling someone you are going to pray for them, stop right then and there and pray with them and also ask the Lord to remind you to pray for them, because we often get busy and forget.  Sometimes He has to get our attention and I think He often uses our lack of time spent in prayer with Him to do just that. 

 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

When we pray and make our requests known to Him with thanksgiving, He gives us His peace that will guard our hearts and minds in Him.  So when our requests keep coming to mind let us continue to thank Him for the answers that are on the way.  

Vs. 17-19. The Messiah, the Protector and Savior of the church, is the Man of God’s right hand; he is the Arm of the Lord, for all power is given to him. In him is our strength, by which we are enabled to persevere to the end. The vine, therefore, cannot be ruined, nor can any fruitful branch perish; but the unfruitful will be cut off and cast into the fire. The end of our redemption is, that we should serve Him who hath redeemed us, and not go back to our old sins. Psalms 80:17 [Matthew Henry]

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides- To continue permanently or in the same state; to be firm and immovable. in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Pause & Reflect:

Where are you abiding these days?  

What gets you through the trials and temptations of life? 

Let's Pray:

O Lord, You are the true vine and we are the branches,  help us to stay connected to You.  It is only through You that we can bear fruit.  Help us to be in continual communication with you, to walk through this day focused on You, because in Your presence is fullness of joy.  Help us to be vigilant in guarding our hearts and minds in You.  Teach us to number our days, so

that we may  present to You a heart of wisdom. Lord, thank You for all that You are doing in our lives.  We wait expectantly for You! Amen.

Lyn