Matthew 8:25-26, Nehemiah 9:15

Matthew 8:25-26

25 They woke him and cried, “Lord save us! We are lost!” 26 But Jesus answered, “Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?” Then he stood up and ordered the wind and sea; and it became completely calm.

Beloved, often in these last weeks, sorrow and fear have overwhelmed us and we cling to You  recognising that only You have the power to save.  You who ordered the wind and the sea to be still, can also restore to order and health the disease that has stealthily entered Sandy's body like a thief in the night and it is working its evil.  But You are Lord, the Son of the Living God - all authority in heaven, on earth and in the under world has been given to You.  We believe and we shall be saved.

Nehemiah 9:15

15 You gave them bread from heaven and told them to satisfy their hunger; you made water gush forth from the rock to quench their thirst, and commanded them to go and take possession of the land which you had sworn to give them.

I thrill at the words of the prophet O Lord, for they are words addressed to You Eternal Word in whom we can confidently place all our trust.  Rock of all Ages just as water gushed forth to quench the thirst of Your people when Moses struck to rock, so water gushed from You when death was permitted to smite You and Your side was pierced and water gushed forth which brings life, new life to Your people.

Bread of Life sustain and strengthen Sandy.

Esther 14:1, 4-5, 12-14, Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8, Matthew 7:7-11

Esther 14:1, 4-5, 12-14

My Lord, you who stand alone, come to my help; I am alone and have no help but you.  Remember us, Lord; reveal yourself in the time of our calamity.  Give me courage.  Save us by your hand; help me who am alone and have none but you O Lord.

Beloved, when I call and You answer, Your answer may be something totally different from what I expect.  Help me not to assume that Your will is aligned to what I want, it may be radically different from what I expect or even desire but inspite of it may I know that You will and Your anwer is better than anything that I could conceive.

Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8

1 I thank you, O Lord, with all my heart,for you have heard the word of my lips.I sing your praise in the presence of the gods.2 I bow down towards your holy temple and give thanks to your name,for your love and faithfulness, for your word which exceeds everything. 3 You  answered me when I called; you restored my soul and made me strong.

7 If I walk in the midst of trouble, you give me life.  With outstretched arm, you save me from the wrath of my foes,  with your right hand you deliver me. 8 How the Lord cares for me! Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever. Forsake not the work of your hands.

Matthew 7:7-11

• 7 Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. 8 For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who knocks. 9 Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? 10 Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? 11 As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

My Beloved, all the Scripture passages today about asking You for what we need and in the Gospel You speak so beautifully about a father's response to a child.  Once again You remind me that God is infinitely good and all He desires for His children is that they too seek and ask for the true, the good and the beautiful.

Isaiah 55:10-11, Psalm 34:4-7, 16, 18-19, Matthew 6:7-15

Isaiah 55:10-11

10 As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return till they have watered the earth, making it yield seed for the sower and food for others to eat, 11 so is my word that goes forth out of my mouth: it will not return to me idle, but it shall accomplish my will, the purpose for which it has been sent.

My Beloved, Eternal Word, Word made flesh.  All the scripture verses that have comforted me and given me hope have issued forth from the mouth of God.  Thank You for the verses today that assure me that unlike man You do not speak idle words - Your Word is filled with power and glory.

Psalm 34:4-7, 16, 18-19

4 Oh, let us magnify the Lord, together let us glorify his name! 5 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; from all my fears he delivered me.  6 They who look to him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame.  7 When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress. 16 The eyes of the Lord are fixed on the righteous; his ears are inclined to their cries.   18 The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles. 19 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught.

Yes Lord, my heart exults and gives thanks together with the psalmist.  Each time I cried out to You, You  heard and comforted me.  You melted away my fears.  You strengthened me and gave me hope.  What would I do without You Lord?

Matthew 6:7-15

7 When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him.  9 This, then, is how you should pray:  Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, 10 your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts  just as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. 13 Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from the evil one.  14 If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. 15 If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either.

Beloved when we pray heart speaks to heart. 

This prayer is the most beautiful of all prayers because You taught it to us.  How beautifully it sums up every human need.  Our need of a Father who is wise, strong, compassionate, powerful, trust worthy and above all loving.  A Father who is ready and able to give us all that we need to help us on our journey through life and into eternity.  'YOUR WILL BE DONE,' is so often the hardest prayer to make, yet my Beloved, You know how important it is for us to surrender yet how difficult and almost impossible it often is.  We are afraid of the consequences of giving complete control to God.  What a lack of trust we have and this must distress our Father immensely.

You also teach us to pray for our daily needs - bread for today not for tomorrow.  Often we wish and pray for lots and lots of bread to last us a lifetime but our Father knows how quickly His fickle children would forget Him and begin to rely on His gifts rather than on Him, the Giver of all gifts.  All we need is bread for today and a loving trust that our Daddy God will feed us tomorrow.  How pleasing we would be to God if we put this prayer into practice every day.

Isaiah 54:3,5,8,9-10,13,17, Psalm 91:1-2,10-15, Romans 10:8, 11-13, Luke 4:1-13

Isaiah 54:3,5,8-10,13-17

3 for you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will take possession of the nations and inhabit cities that have been abandoned. 5 For your Maker is to marry you: Yahweh Sabaoth is his name. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel: He is called God of all the earth.  8with everlasting love I have had mercy on you, says Yahweh, your Redeemer.  9  I swear not to be angry with you and never again to rebuke you. 10 The mountains may depart and the hills be moved, but never will my love depart from you nor my covenant of peace be removed, says Yahweh whose compassion is for you. 13 All your children will be taught by Yahweh, and they will prosper greatly. 17 No weapon forged against you will succeed, and all who speak against you will be silenced. Such is the lot of the servants of Yahweh, and such is the right I grant them – says Yahweh.

My Beloved, what wonderful promises You make, You are God not man   so I can trust You  to keep every one of them.  Thank You Beloved.

Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15

1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who rest in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 say to the Lord, “My stronghold, my refuge, my God in whom I trust!” 10 no harm will come upon you, no disaster will draw near your home.  11 For he will command his angels  to guard you in all your ways. 12 They will lift you up with their hands so that your foot will not hit a stone.  13 You will tread on wildcats and snakes  and trample the lion and the dragon.  14 “Because they cling to me, I will rescue them,”  says the Lord.  “I will protect those who know my name. 15 When they call to me, I will answer;  in time of trouble I will be with them; I will deliver and honor them. 

Thank You for all the assurances in this Psalm.  I claim each one of Your promises for my sister Sandy, for my family and for myself.  I belong to You, I love You, I cling to You and I know You will not forsake Your own.

Romans 10:8, 11-13

 8 True righteousness coming from faith also says: The word of God is near you, on your lips and in your hearts.11 For Scripture says: No one who believes in him will be ashamed. 12 Here there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, who is very generous with whoever calls on him.13 Truly, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Once again You confirm that You are near on our lips and in our hearts.  All who believe in You will have no cause to be ashamed.  You are generous and all who call on You with faith, hope and trust will be heard and saved.

Luke 4:1-13 

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.’ Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him, ‘I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, for it has been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Scripture says: You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.’ Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said to him ‘throw yourself down from here, for scripture says: He will put his angels in charge of you  to guard you, and again: They will hold you up on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘It has been said:  You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time.

My Beloved, no love is as great as Yours You not only became one like us but You wanted to experience all the weaknesses of our poor human flesh in order that You could understand perfectly with great mercy and compassion and help  us overcome our own weaknesses.  Forty days and forty nights You not only fasted but You were tempted in every way that we are but remained sinless.  You spent that time in solitude, in prayer - filled with the Holy Spirit and One with Your Father who strengthened You and helped You to prepare for Your great mission of redemption for which He sent You and which You accepted in perfect obedience. Thank You my Beloved.

Zechariah 2:9, Psalm 23:1, Matthew 16:15

Zechariah 2:9

I will be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her in Glory.

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my Shepherd there is nothing I shall want.

 

I belong to You Beloved, I am Yours completely I shall not want because You provide for me.  You give me all I need to live a life pleasing to You.  You give me the gift of the present moment over which I have complete control and with the grace that You pour freely into my heart, and the infinite merit You have won for me, I can make the present moment a sacrament holy and pleasing to You. In this moment of now with my hand held firmly in Mama Mary's, I can do all that You tell me to do a moment at a time trusting You with my gaze fixed on Mary who directs me to do all that You ask of me.

Matthew16:15

"But you, who do you say I am?"

 

You are my beloved Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, the one, holy and mighty God.  You are my deliverer, the Rock of all Ages, the Alpha and the Omega, the First, the Last and You are Forever.  Eternal God, You are my God.