How Great is Our God

Genesis 12:1-4
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed....Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran

When I read this passage, I was amazed at the level of faith that it took Abram to pack up everything he owned, and leave his family, his heritage, his land and go off to some unknown place. God said it and he did it. Not only did he just up and leave and go on a huge walkabout through strange lands, he did this when he was 75 years old!! 75 is OLD!! 75 is past retirement age here. He was a white haired nomad. And he up and left, in anticipation of the promises that God made. I am especially glad God kept the promise that "all families on earth will be blessed through you" We are certainly blessed because Abram acted in faith. 2000 years a go that blessing came to earth to offer us salvation and relationship with God.

Abram had to make a painful decision to leave his family, leave everything he had ever known, leave his friends and all that was comfortable and head off to literally God knows where. God promised him that he would make him a great nation - even though at 75, he had no children. His wife was past child-bearing age. In the natural, this was an impossible promise to keep. But God did it - 25 years later, God gave Abram a son - Isaac. God kept every single promise he made to Abram because he acted in faith and did what God asked of him.

MY PRAYER
Lord I want to obey your every word. Help me be like Abram, who didn't question you but obeyed and in return received so much blessing. Abram's faith is a faith I want to emulate. Lord I believe in the promises you have made me, what you have said you are going to do, how you are going to use me. I will do anything and go anywhere you tell me to, so these can come to pass. You are worthy of all the praise, and all the glory, all the honor. Amen.

Sorry everyone. I've had some crazy times over here. I've just wrapped up my university year with a big research assignment. It's been consuming my thoughts and time. I've not had the mental capacity to write something meaningful in here.

But even when I am crazy busy and when I am consumed by stress and assignments and journals. When I feel like I'm in the middle of a snowball effect, I know that God is my epi-centre. I know that God is my peace in my whirlwind moments.

1 Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. During times of craziness, this verse comforts me. I have a confession to make, I have control freak tendencies. I like my world to be ordered. Everything has it's place, everything has to be catergorised and put into it's little box. When things are out of order in my life I tend to spin out and feel like I am losing it! It's just the way I am. My Mum is like it. My Aunt is like it. This doesn't control me, because there are just some things that I can't control, and this where I have to hand it over to God. But know that God is a God of order - and knowing this makes me feel a heap better about life's crazies.

MY PRAYER
Thankyou Lord for the strength to get through these last few weeks. Thankyou that you are with me and giving the peace that passes all understanding. Thankyou that you never change, and I can rely on you at all times. Amen

MY PRAYER
Beautiful Saviour. Mighty and great God! Lord and Father - hear my heart's cry, hear my prayer, hear my spirit yearn for you. I am desperate for you. Fill me completely. I am nothing without you - I am dust on legs without you. Everything I am, everything I do - it's for you. Every skill I have, every talent I have - it's for you. For your glory, for the benefit of extending your kingdom.
Lord my spirit yearns for so much more. I want more of you. I want more of what you have in store for me. I want more. I want to know you more.
Lord in these times of I am unsure of what is going to happen, I want to rest peacefully, knowing that you have it under control. And while I wait for your purpose and plan to come into being, I will worship you. I will praise you. My heart will sing How great is our God! Let this season of waiting be a season of waiting with you, growing closer and more intimate with you. Let this time not be wasted in just waiting, but a time of knowing you so much more.

Psalm 119:45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.



MY PRAYER
Lord, I want you desperately. I want to know you deeply. I want to be so close to you. I want to walk in complete freedom, the way that you have intended for me. As I devote myself to reading and studying your Word, I pray that you will reveal yourself to me and that each word I read will impact my life. I don't want to read the Bible like a novel, or a newspaper, I want these words to be life changing and world shaking. I look forward to this liberating life and I thankyou for it Lord. I love you Lord, and I worship you. You are all that I want. In your freedom I will live. I offer devotion.

Today as I was seeking God - just relaxing in his presence, the verse "Taste and see that the Lord is good" came to mind. I looked it up and read the entire Psalm. These words really spoke into my spirit. One phrase sums it up... HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD???



1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!



MY PRAYER
Thankyou Father for this timely message from heaven. I want to be joyful in the knowledge that you are handling everything. Thankyou for the blessings you give your people. Thankyou that you alone are the source of joy and confidence.
You are amazing! How great is our God!
Amen.

I have sung this song so many times - but today it took on a new meaning for me. I've always known it was about complete surrender, but today it was my heart's cry. In this time in my life, this song really spoke to me. I hope it blesses you today as you worship a great and mighty God.



MY PRAYER
Thankyou Lord that we can abandon ourselves and give ourselves to you into your trustworthy and capable hands. I give everything to you - I trust in you, I believe in you. As I take my first steps into the unknown, I do it holding your hand, and knowing that you are with me. I love you Lord.
Amen.

Continuing on with the study I am reading.

This study was written by Joel McClure. He gave 5 metaphors to describe the aspects of Christ-like leadership - and the second one was The Shepherd: the Leader as Nurturer.

Nurtering comes naturally to me. I am a Mother of three children. I have to younger brothers, one who I particularly nurtured.
Nurture defined is: foster: help develop, help grow.

In leadership, their is nothing more satisfying than watching the people you lead develop and grow! I love the training, the mentoring, the encouragement, the challenging - all aspects of helping someone grow into a role or as a person.

I believe nurturing to be vitally important in team building. Especially developing their spiritual lives. It's human response to arc up about this, and reject the very idea that they will have to be accountable. But how can a leader not be a shepherd to the people that they lead? Jesus shepherded his disciples. Sure, he hung out with crowds of people, but he spent a good deal of time, growing, training and developing his 12 disciples.



What would happen to a group of people when they aren't nurtured? I wonder if it's the same as when a child is not nurtured. When a child is not nurtured, he or she becomes stunted in it's emotional and develepmental growth. The people of God cannot be effective if they are stunted in their spiritual and developmental growth. This is not what God wants for his kids.

MY PRAYER
Lord thankyou for showing me the importance of nurturing in a leadership role. Thankyou that you shepherded your disciples so that they were fully equipped to go out and preach the gospel. Thankyou that because of this nurturing we can all know you in a real way.
Amen.