Wednesday, July 13, 2016

July 13, 2016: Here I Am, Lord

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 195  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Chris Tomlin leading in worship and singing … Here I Am To Worship, expressing our attitude of worship when we come to be alone with our Lord in a time of solitude with the King of the Universe.


Highlight Passage:  Matthew 14:23 [NKJV] …  
23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 
… Jesus needed His alone time with His Father.
===========
Highlight Context – Matthew 14:22-33 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK 
… There were trying times when Jesus needed to get alone with His Father for regeneration and direction.
===========      

Reference Passage #1 … Luke 5:16, 6:12, 23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK 
… Jesus often went off ALONE to pray and be with His Heavenly Father

Reference Passage #2 … John 17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  
… The real “Lord’s Prayer”

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, David McCasland, wrote about solitude and prayer:  During a concert, singer-songwriter David Wilcox responded to a question from the audience about how he composes songs. He said there are three aspects to his process: a quiet room, an empty page, and the question, “Is there something I should know?” It struck me as a wonderful approach for followers of Jesus as we seek the Lord’s plan for our lives each day. 

And essentially, … that’s why you find me here each day. I come here daily to this quiet place at my desk; and I begin my day by asking my God to use various devotional thoughts by authors I trust, … all of whom are reflecting on God’s word, such as the Our Daily Bread devotional, to let me get closer to my heavenly Father, … praying that He’ll reveal Himself to me, … and asking for His Spirit-generated enlightenment and empowerment. And everyday He delivers His truth for me to use in my own life and to share with others.

That was Jesus’ M.O., wasn’t it [?], … to get off alone with His Heavenly Father, praying for renewal and for the Holy Spirit to show Him the way to walk … and the power to do His Father’s will. That’s what we see in today’s highlight ODB passage from Matthew 14 just after Jesus had fed the thousands and just before He was about to walk out on the water to His Disciples and show them His Lordship. And I figure, if Jesus needed renewal and direction by getting alone with His Father, … so do I!

And so, … everyday you’ll find me here - or in some quiet place of solitude - beginning my day in prayer and in God’s word, seeking my Lord’s renewal and direction. How about you, my friend, … how will you begin your day?

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Lord, … getting alone with You each morning is so wonderful. Thank You for guiding me and empowering me with Your truth again today.  Amen    

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

No comments: