It Is Well With My Soul

Ps.146:1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!

There is a song by this title,"It is well with my soul" that I was reminded of this morning by a lady who lost her husband to the recent tornadoes. She recounted the story behind the song, written by a man, who had lost his four daughters to a tragic accident. Horatio Gates Spafford wrote this song as he and his wife were on a ship that was passing near the place where his four daughters had perished during a cruise that ended because the ship was hit by another ship and sank. Earlier they had lost their only son to scarlet fever. During the great Chicago fire, Spafford lost vast real estate investments.

It Is Well With My Soul by Horatio Gates Spafford

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Refrain: It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. Can you have this peace? Yes you can, Christ gives this peace! He is there for you and will never leave you! Yes, we will praise His name even in death! For He is our Lord! We will praise his name even in sickness! For He is our Lord! In hard financial times, we will still praise His name! For He is our Lord! 1 Pet.1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Why do we suffer? Is it something we did? Or is it just the fact that we live in a fallen world? Sin causes heartache, that is why we should hate sin and flee from it! John 9:1-3 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. God will use our test of faith to teach us. James 1:2-3 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. We can console each other by sharing our faith as we walk through trials. 2 Cor.1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. So you see, a man who suffered the loss of his children and his vast investments back in the eighteen hundreds can share his trials with us today through a song. Just as Job, in the Old Testament, never cursed God when he lost everything but praised Him with his every breath. We, who have faith in the Lord, can say"It is well with my soul"! Lord, I pray for Your tender mercies to fall on Your servants. Give us peace that the world can't understand. Let them look at us and say  "How can we get that peace". We will tell them of the hope we have in You! Amen

July Bible Reading

Date               Old Testament                      New Testament

July 1              Job 21, 22                           Acts 10:1-23

July 2              Job 23, 24, 25                     Acts 10:24-48

July 3              Job 26, 27, 28                     Acts 11

July 4              Job 29, 30                           Acts 12

July 5              Job 31, 32                          Acts 13:1-23

July 6              Job 33, 34                          Acts 13:24-52

July 7              Job 35, 36, 37                   Acts 14

July 8              Job 38, 39                         Acts 15:1-21

July 9              Job 40, 41, 42                   Acts 15:22-41

July 10            Psalms 1, 2, 3                    Acts 16:1-15

July 11            Psalms 4, 5, 6                    Acts 16:16-40

July 12            Psalms 7, 8, 9                    Acts 17:1-15

July 13            Psalms 10, 11, 12             Acts 17:16-34

July 14            Psalms 13, 14, 15, 16       Acts 18

July 15            Psalms 17, 18                  Acts 19:1-20

July 16           Psalms 19, 20, 21             Acts 19:21-41

July 17           Psalms 22, 23, 24             Acts 20:1-16

July 18           Psalms 25, 26, 27             Acts 20:17-38

July 19           Psalms 28, 29, 30            Acts 21:1-14

July 20           Psalms 31, 32, 33            Acts 21:15-40

July 21           Psalms 34, 35                  Acts 22

July 22           Psalms 36, 37                  Acts 23:1-11

July 23           Psalms 38, 39, 40            Acts 23:12-35

July 24           Psalms 41, 42, 43            Acts 24

July 25           Psalms 44, 45, 46           Acts 25

July 26           Psalms 47, 48, 49           Acts 26

July 27           Psalms 50, 51, 52          Acts 27:1-25

July 28           Psalms 53, 54, 55         Acts 27:26-44

July 29           Psalms 56, 57, 58        Acts 28:1-15

July 30           Psalms 59, 60, 61        Acts 28:16-31

July 31           Psalms 62, 63, 64        Romans 1

For I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
Job knew no matter what, he expected to be in a better place, Heaven. He knew that a Redeemer was coming and he had placed his hope in Him and he would not be moved!! He believed in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. He believed that the Redeemer would sit in judgement on the people of this world. Do you have the hope that is found in the Redeemer? The one that was sent by God to show mercy and was scorned by man! His name is Jesus Christ, and He was sent to take away the sins of the world.
John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Prov.8:23 I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.
The Son of God was there when the world was created by God the Father! He was ordained by God the Father to do His will. And in obedience to his Father, He willingly laid down his life for you and me! The gravity of this statement ruptures my soul! My throat is constricted with pain at the thought of the love that this took! Not love for man, but love for His Father! How deep this love is, man can not understand and I don't think we should be able to, at least not in this life! We were bought with a price, the sacrifice of God's Son!
1Cor.6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Roman 3:22-25 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
Sinner, prepare to meet your Maker! 
Lord, I can only declare the truth of Your Word. It is there for all to see. Whether they believe and receive Your word is for You to decide. I believe Your word and it says,"I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion and mercy on whom I will have mercy". In Jesus name, Amen.
Deut.4:29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Hearing the Voice but Seeing No One

Acts 9:1-7 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
No one standing before the men to be seen speaking, this is the power of God. His voice came from the heavens. Saul was to be used by God, even though he was an enemy of the cross. He had been previously persecuting the believers, even sending some to the executioner.
Acts 26:14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
Notice Saul says, I heard a voice, apparently the men with him only heard noises, something like thunder.
Acts 9:8-9 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Saul is dumbfounded at what has happened to him, he has been struck blind! The Lord is about to reveal His plans for Saul! In a dream, the Lord spoke to Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, where Saul was headed. He told him that Saul was coming and that he would lay hands on him and he would regain his sight. Ananias told the Lord he had heard of this Saul, how he had persecuted many of the faith.
Acts 9:15-16 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." So Ananias went to Saul and at his touch, the scales fell from his eyes. He regained his sight and was immediately baptized. He went to the synagogues and proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God. And all who heard knew he had been the persecutor of the faithful were amazed by the power of God. God can take the vilest offender and change his heart.
Precious Lord, change hearts today with the truth of Your Word. All have hope in You. Amen

Death/ Our Return to Dust!

Job 14:10 But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he?
Job 16:22 For when a few years have come I shall go the way from which I shall not return.
Ps.104:29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. You can't take it with you:
Luke 12:20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
1Tim.6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
Fear judgement:
Matt.10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Heb.9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment
Death because of sin:
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--
God will end death:
1 Cor.15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Secure in life and death:
Romans 14:8  For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's
Don't boast in tomorrow:
James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
Hope when we grieve:
1 Thess.4:13 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope
Victory in Christ:
1 Cor.15:55-57 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Life in Christ:
1 Cor.15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Eternal life through Christ:
2 Tim. 1:10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
Salvation through Christ:
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Only one way to God:
1Tim.2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus
One time sacrifice:
Heb.10:12-14 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,  waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Lord, Your Word is good! It is clear and precise and will change people. It is indeed true, the truth will set you free! Be free from Satan by the power of Jesus Christ! Amen
John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Hand of the Lord/ Yahweh/ Jehovah/ Ail Shaddai/ Elohim

Job 12:9-10 Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The hand of the Lord is with us. To build us up for His glory or to allow calamity to strike for the testing of our faith for His glory!

Yahweh or Jehovah: literally means "He who will be", occurs around 6,829 times in the Old Testament. Yahweh was revealed to Moses as God's new memorial name.

Ex.6:3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.

The difference between Ail Shaddai and Yahweh is that whereas the former only denotes past and present , the latter is prophetical, and therefore full of meaning concerning God's purpose and plan for salvation.

Ail: the Hebrew word"Ail" rendered as the word "God" and frequently combined with the word Shaddai,
thus meaning "God Almighty", occurs about 250 times in Scripture. It's primary meaning is "strength".

Shaddai: the plural form of the Hebrew word Shad, derived from the root word Shadad, to be strong or powerful; therefore it means "mighty ones". It appears 48 times in the Bible and is rendered "Almighty".

Elohim: Hebrew word translated "God" and appears about 2,600 times in Scripture. He is Creator and Sustainer off all that exists

We get a small peak at who God is through these names and their meanings. He is not just Creator but He is the first and last, meaning He has no beginning or no ending. He is "I Am"!
Ex.3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
Rev.1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
God is self-existent, He is eternal and unchangeable, He is incomprehensible, He is faithful, and there is none besides Him!
Lord Almighty, You alone have all power. The power to judge, to test, to pardon from Hell through Your Son, to show mercy, to have compassion, to create life and more, and to separate the spirit from the body. Lord, we are under Your care and we need You! Amen

Watcher of Mankind

Job 7:20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?
God cares for us in a way we can never understand! He is keenly aware of our sin! We are His creation, the work of his hands, and we can't grasp that. We get a small glimpse when we think of our children and know the love we have for them.
Job 7:17-18 What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?
I can remember the desperation that you feel in a crisis without leaning on God! You must never let the devil get a foothold, go to the Lord's word! We are guilty before God for our sin. We better plead guilty and ask for mercy.
Job 9:28 I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent.
When we have Christ, we are covered by His care.
John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
1Peter 5:6-10  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
We will fail and sin but we can boldly come to the throne of grace if we repent.
Heb.4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Heb.3:6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
There is going to be a judgment for all people!
2 Cor.5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Christ will be the judge!
John 5:22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son
John 5:27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Christ is waiting for you! He accepts you as you are! His word will change you! Please ask for His gift of salvation! Admit you are in need of a Savior! Read His word and be prepared for the miracle that will happen in your life! Repent and walk in faith!
Sweet tender Jesus, there are ones searching for the meaning of life. They are in need of a Savior and You are the only hope they have. Capture their hearts today for Your kingdom! May You receive honor and glory in all things. Amen