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The Lord Is Near

May 15, 2017   

The Lord is Near

God is great, and He is greatly to be praised. We are in an awesome season of the presence of the Lord. I believe that He is positioning some of His churches, in this region and state, to create an atmosphere relevant to revival.

When true revival comes, brought on by repentance within the church, it will burn like a fire. The fire will spread to other areas as well.

It is the way it has always been.

Mother’s day, is an amazing day of honor and tribute. It is a day we give tribute to our mothers who have passed on. We also honor the moms who are still with us.

My mom was awesome. She was my strongest advocate. She was also, funny, opinionated, and loud.

She would often speak without thinking. These traits worked well with my dad. He was quiet, and simply listened when she got on a rant.

I took after my dad. “Not”

In the Bible there was a woman named Hannah. Her husband had another wife as well. This other wife had children but Hannah had not given birth. Yet she was Elkanah’s favorite wife.

1 Samuel 1:9-11 NASB

9 Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the door post of the temple of the Lord.

10 She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.

11 She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

Hannah dedicated her son to the service of the lord, and Samuel became a prophet in Israel. The prophet that anointed David king.

I know this sounds weird but it has always sort of made me think of my mom. She gave birth to me , 3 months short of her 44th birthday. Because of her age, I was supposed to have died before birth.

To make this very long story short, one day I asked mom if she had dedicated me to the Lord.

This was her reply. There was a very well known Pastor, named J.C Hibbard. He Pastored the Gospel Lighthouse in Oak Cliff. He had hundreds in his congregation. Mom watched him on tv. On a Sunday morning she wrapped me up, took a bus, and walked in his church, all the way to the pulpit, during his sermon. He stopped preaching and asked mom what she needed.

She wanted him to dedicate me to the Lord. He fulfilled her request, mom left and came home.

Her love and courage will be with me always.

She felt the person who laid hands on me, and prayed, should be someone with anointing. Someone she had a connection with.

I want to move from this, and share some words of encouragement.

Philippians 4:5-7

5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Amp

5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.

6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.

7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

There are four words that moved me. “The Lord is Near.”

The word Lord from the Greek means, He to whom a person or things belongs, the possessor or disposer of a thing. The word near means, near of place or position, those who are near access to God.

There are those who believe this passage is referring to the second coming of Christ. “I do not believe this.”

Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, (and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”)

I believe the Apostle was confirming these words of Christ.

He will be with us in the end, but He is with us now. He is near when we need Him. Every step, every season, of our lives.

It is His goodness that we embrace, as we walk out our purpose. What an awesome Father.

#lovewins #hopelives