Amos 4:13 NIV  He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name.

As God’s dear children we can have confidence that there is nothing that we may face, that God Almighty cannot handle.  God has the solution to every problem, because he knows what is best for us.  We cannot even imagine the faithfulness of God.  It is always present with love.  For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies (Psalm 57:10 NIV).  Our hearts should be open to hearing the words of God so that we can know the paths that we should take. God would not lead us to a place and then leave us. There is no power greater than God’s power.

God is Almighty.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21 NIV).

Often times your emotions will try to guide you into doing or saying something that is wrong.  You may know that it is wrong, but have reasoned in your thoughts that you will repay the person for an injustice that they did to you.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19). Walk as dear children of God, and do what is right.

Matthew 24:42-44 NIV  ⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him

Are you ready? That is the question that many of us have heard, when someone has come to provide transportation to a particular destination.  Usually the person who is picking us up has informed us of what time they are coming.  If we are not ready, they will wait on us.

This will not be the case when the Lord comes back. We don’t know when the Lord is coming back, but we should be ready for His return. There will not be additional time to prepare to get ready. If we are not ready to go back with the Lord, we will be left.  Now is the time to be sure that you are ready to go back with the Lord.   No one knows when the Lord is coming back.

Are you ready?

Jeremiah 14:7 (NIV)  Although our sins testify against us, do something, Lord, for the sake of your name. For we have often rebelled; we have sinned against you.

In this particular text in Jeremiah, it was not just the evidence of natural drought that affected the plants, trees, and animals.  The drought was the effect of Judah breaking covenant with God.  In Jeremiah 14:7 we find confession of sins when calling on the Lord.

If we experience Spiritual drought there is a simple solution that we should consider.   We can go to God in prayer.  We may beware of what may be hindering our daily devotion with God, or perhaps we do not.  If that hindrance is sin, 1John 1:9 says:  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

God loves us. Jesus came to bring us the living water, so that we will not experience a Spiritual Drought.  Daily we can drink from the fountain that will never run dry.

Proverbs 19:21 NIV  Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails

Although you may make plans for your week in advance, there is no guarantee that everything will go as you plan.  There are circumstances that arise that you were not expecting. These unplanned circumstances may be: sickness, unemployment, repairs for cars ….etc.

God is aware of these unplanned circumstances.  It may not look good, or feel good when these things happen.  God loves you and instead of complaining we should learn to give thanks.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (NIV).

In these circumstances we must remember consider trusting God for the purpose.  Romans 8:28 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (NIV).

Genesis 32:25 (NIV)  When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.

We will have struggles in life that we do not understand, and think that we are in the struggles alone. If we are children of God, we are not alone. If God initiates the struggles, there is a purpose. Often time what we desire to do is contrary to his will. If we will just trust God, we will discover a deeper relationship with our creator the, almighty God.

Jacob’s struggles lead him to seek God and trust Him. When we have struggles we should continue to have faith in God and trust His promises.

James 3: 16-18 NIV ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

The decisions that we make in life does not only affect us, but others.  We should consider whether we a striving for, confusion or peace.  Sometimes what we want to do is not God’s will.  Taking the time to consult God before making decisions will result in the behavior that leads to the fruit of righteousness.

Genesis 15:2-6 NIV  ² But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” ⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[d] be.”.⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness .

When you are obedient to God you are trusting in the will of God for your life.  God knows what is best for you, and when you rely on your faith in God you can believe the promises.  Your present circumstance does not mean that the promise will not be fulfilled or was not meant for you.  If God has promised you something it will come to pass.

Abram was about 75 years old when God called him and made promises. Abram obeyed God and it was about 25 more years before he had a son. Obedience is important when God has instructed you to do something. After the obedience comes the blessing.

You may not fully understand, but it is important to have faith in God. Obedience to God may mean that you have to move away from the familiar, and trust God for your future.

Psalm 18:6 NIV   In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

There are many who have made the statement, “I can’t pray,” when asked to pray. Perhaps even you have made that statement.   One of the reasons some give this response to prayer is because of feeling that their words are not powerful enough to be heard or answered.

Prayer is just having a conversation with our heavenly father (God Almighty). Prayer is a two way conversation.  We talk to God, and we listen as he talks to us.  Our voices may be different, but God will hear each prayer. There is no certain number of words to use when you pray.

There were 2 blind men who had a simple prayer according to Matthew’s gospel.

And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David”(Matthew 20:30 NIV)!

God wants to hear from us, and answer our prayers!

Matthew 14:30 NLT But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Drowning can take on several forms depending on the situation.  Most commonly people identify drowning when a person has been overtaken by water.

The word drowning is also used when a person has a deadline or a responsibility that is overwhelming.

Peter walks on water as long as he was looking at Jesus.  When he focused his attention on the wind and waves he begins to sink.

A lesson that we can learn from Peter is to keep our eyes on Jesus, and not on the situation. With Jesus help we can accomplish things that appear to be difficult or even impossible.