verseoftheday

Friday! Proverbs! We're in Prov 16, and the next 3 proverbs, 29-30, are all about the sin that lurks in our hearts, and in our world. It's all there, gossip, leading others astray, the violent and the deceptive. Read them as they're instructive, but I'd rather focus on one word from Proverbs 31 today...it's a word translated noble, or excellent in v 10 & 29 to describe the Prov 31 woman's character and actions. However that word, "ha-yil" is a word that means "army", strength, power, it describes a valiant woman. Courage, strength & valour in the Bible are not the domain of men only, but are also found in the heart and deeds of valiant women. Maybe you know someone who shows courage and strength in adversity, who is doing good work, who could do with hearing a blessing or thanks from you today. Or maybe there's someone who needs encouragement to see the valiant person within that you see. Maybe it's your wife, mum, sist...

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength... Isaiah 40:31 AMP "Those who wait" appears to be plural...so we aren't to do this waiting, expecting, looking for, hoping thing on our own. It's so much easier to be hopeful with someone else, to share our burdens, our hurts, our sorrows. When we're waiting on God it's better to do that in community - that's what we're designed for :) When we're together, waiting, we get to share our stories, to see a bit of Jesus in one another, to learn to give a little more, to forgive a little more, to love a little more. Don't waste your waiting. Don't wait alone. #wait #strength #inthistogether #walkingeachotherhome

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength... Isaiah 40:31 AMP Such an interesting description of "wait"; expect look for hope in What is it I've wrapped my hopes, expectations, my future in? At different times it may have been my education, my work, my bank account. Another person, a holiday, a business, a gym subscription. An inner world, or just shaking off the shackles and doing whatever I wanted... expect look for hope in For a while one or more of those things may have given strength. But eventually, they drained it. Depleted. The promise here is if we wait on the Lord, Yahweh, put our hope and expectation in Him, let Him hold our future, there's new strength to be found. Not the old, ordinary, rely on me only strength. New strength. I just need to choose to wait on Him. #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #choose #wait #strength

They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem. Psalms 84:7 NLT The psalmist destination in this song is Jerusalem. Jerusalem = the place, the city of peace. As he takes us on this journey through the valley of tears, digging in, waiting on God to turn the valley of tears into a place of flourishing, of life, his eye, his mind is set on pilgrimage...to the place of peace. Our minds too can be set on that place, the new Jerusalem, the place that Jesus blood gained us entry to. When we're in the valley, set our minds on the place of peace #valleyoftears #ourmindissetontheplaceofpeace #with #through #strength #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #psalms #psalm84

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5 NIV Blessed are those who rely on their own strength? Blessed are those who have it all together? Blessed are those who never need anyone? Blessed are those who find strength in you (& the you is found in the previous verses - Yahweh) It's OK to acknowledge our weakness, our failure, our hurts... Our hearts are set on pilgrimage - literally the highway. The road The journey Our hearts are set on the journey. Where we are is not the destination, not the endpoint... Our strength is in God, and our mind is set on the journey - in that we find blessing :) #theroad #inthistogether #blessing #strength #lifeisajourney #psalms #psalm84