INSPIRATIONS
You will discover several different and hopefully uplifting things within this page. There will be Scriptures to hold you up and encourage you,as well as short articles and prayers from "The upper room" and other wonderful books. You will also see special widgets (the special boxes of other internet sites.) Simply click on the widget of your choice and it will take you to that personal site. In designing this site, we discovered so many wonderful sites out there which could offer more encouragement, support and information than we alone could hope to do. And our hearts desire is to offer up as much hope to your hearts as possible.
Our Song Of Zion
"By the rivers of Babylon - there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion" -
Psalm 137:1-4
As I read the words of Psalm 137, I feel the pain and anguish of the people who were exiled to a foreign land with no hope of ever being able to return home. In exile, the people felt that God had abandoned them and that they could no longer rejoice.
When we face physical problems, the death of loved ones, or other loss, the resulting sadness can seem like exile. But as I listened to the words of the psalmist, I was reminded the the good days are not behind any of us. We are assured that whatever our exile may be, God is with us. And because God is with us, we have nothing to fear. We can sing our songs of Zion and praise God - who is near us, who is our comforter, and who never abandons us.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for reminding us that regardless of where we are and what we are facing, we are not alone because you are with us. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, "Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Amen
Thought for the Day: By the rivers of our "Babylon," we can still sing of God's faithfulness.
Sherry Brooks Martin (South Carolina)
This was taken from May-June issue of The Upper Room
***************************************************************
Scripture: "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31
***************************************************************
"What breath is to the physical body, hope is to the human spirit. Hope is what consoles us. It is the fuel that energizes us, gets us up in the morning, and propels us through the day." - John R. Claypool from his book, "The Hopeful Heart"
This following music video is a very powerful drama. It tells of Jesus' awesome love for us. He is the one who gives us life, and it fills Him with joy to bless us. He is with us, meeting our needs and joyously dancing life's dance with us. But there is so much in life which can seduce us away from Christ and into a world of destruction. Lust, money, peer pressure, drugs, alcohol,media hype, and ultimately possibly death. But Jesus has not left us. He never will. He is still there loving us, begging us to return to Him. But He will never force us. All these things of the world can build a wall between us and Jesus, or become like a spider's web. They are deceptive, even attractive and seductive. How could they be bad? But slowly, they become our world, and Jesus is pushed aside. But He never leaves us. This drama very vividly shows Jesus' undying love for us. He went to the cross for you, that you may have life. Please, know that He is there for you. Fight! The destructive ways will fight back but none is greater or stronger than our Savior Jesus. No matter what you may have done, He loves you with all His heart.
"You'll never walk alone" That is so important for each of us to know. During the storms when we may feel beaten down, hold your head up high and walk on! For you will never walk alone. Here is a breath taking video of Elvis singing just that. As you watch and listen I pray that you may feel yourself being empowered. Hold your head up high and do not give up!
