September 7 ~ Deuteronomy 26:15
Our LORD, look down from your temple in heaven and bless your people Israel. You promised our ancestors that you would give us this land rich with milk and honey, and you have kept your promise.
(Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.)
Here’s a challenge for you. Take a piece of paper and draw a vertical line down the middle of it. On the left-hand side, start listing all of your blessings. Nothing is too small to list, from waking up this morning to that test you aced last week or the clean bill of health you just received. Then on the right, list your needs and concerns… all of your worries, the people whose problems and needs concern you, the things you need God to help you with. Now take a look at the lists.
Do you see how much God has blessed you already? Do you see how He has given you “land rich with milk and honey” and kept His promise? And the amazing thing is that He continues to bless us! Yes, our list of needs and concerns may be long. Yes, we may have problems. But God is meeting these needs… He is solving our problems at every turn… He is pouring out blessings on His people… us! Thank Him for this… praise Him for being so generous, gracious and merciful. And stop often to list – and count – your blessings. See how wealthy you really are!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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September 6 ~ Deuteronomy 1:11
God has even promised to bless us a thousand times more, and I pray that he will.
(Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.)
Recently I heard about a church in Arkansas where the pastor stood before his congregation one Sunday morning with a collection plate full of money. The pastor said something to the effect of, “Today, we’re going to do something different. God has blessed this church. But I know some of you are hurting. Some of you have great needs. So today, instead of putting money into the plate, I want you to come forward and take out what you need.” There was $5,000 in the plate. At first people were reluctant, but the pastor kept pleading for them to come, and slowly, some moved forward. One took $500, while another took $50. In the end, $3 were left in the plate.
After the service, one man who had gone forward and taken money was very shaken. He felt guilty for doing so, but his family was truly in need. A member of the congregation approached him and said, “God told me that you didn’t take enough.” The man was astounded, but the fellow member said, “God told me you need more than you took.” And he handed this man a check for $500.T
his man had been reluctant to take all that he needed, yet God knew how great his needs really were. And God wanted to bless him. The man was a former missionary, and since returning to America, he and his family had found getting back on their feet and into mainstream life a challenge. God knew this man was faithful and a good servant, and he wanted to bless him. But the man was hesitant to ask for all he needed.
How often do we do this? How often do we at least try to limit God because we will not ask for His blessings or His help? I’m not saying we should start asking God for every whim or earthly possession our heart desires. But if we have a need… if we are truly seeking God and His will, we need to humbly ask Him to help us… to bless us and our family. And then… we need to believe that He will do this! It’s a two-part process… we can’t receive unless we believe. Be sure that you include both sides of this equation. God has promised to bless us a thousand times more… and I pray that He will bless you greatly.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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September 5 ~ Genesis 48:16
…and his angel has kept me safe. Now I pray that he will bless these boys and that my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac will live on because of them. I ask God to give them many children and many descendants as well.
(Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.)
A few years ago, friends of ours were expecting their second child. The pregnancy appeared to go well, and everything was in place to welcome a new baby into the world. With about two weeks to go before the due date, the doctor delivered devastating news… there was something terribly wrong with this baby. Simply put, her brain had not developed. The condition is known as hydraencephaly – the development of a brain stem and cerebrospinal fluid, but no brain matter. The babies usually live only a few hours to as much as a day or so. Apparently this condition is more common than most people realize.
I remember when my friend told me that her doctors had explained this all to her. I kept saying, “Maybe they are wrong… we will just pray that everything is okay.” But she insisted the doctors were certain of this diagnosis, and she had studied the stories on the Internet of several other families who had experienced this tragedy. The course of action was for this mother to go through “normal” labor and delivery, which meant waiting with this knowledge for two agonizing weeks. The baby girl was born. She lived almost two days. All of her family members got to hold her and hug her and tell her how much she was loved. She was given a name. To look at her, you would never know a thing was wrong in her little body, but she slowly drifted away into the waiting arms of Jesus.
Since this experience, I have looked at the delivery of a baby with new eyes. No longer do I assume that most babies are born healthy and whole… zillions of things could go wrong or complicate this process. This summer, my family welcomed two perfectly healthy baby boys into our clan, and we are looking forward to the addition of a great-niece in November. I have always prayed for safe delivery of babies… and my prayer list is filled with names of children who are precious to me. I continually ask God to bless them and prosper them as they grow. And I thank Him over and over again for the safe, healthy delivery of so many beautiful little ones in my circle of family and friends.
But we must all pray more for our children and babies – those in our own families as well as others’. We must all pray that God will give the prospective mothers good health and keep their developing babies safe. We must ask God to give these children good health, and wonderful loving homes with parents who provide adequate care and nurture - and teach them about Jesus. We must ask God to show us ways to do our part in this growth and nurture. And we must thank God for these children… for their health and well-being… and for the many ways they will continue the work of furthering His kingdom as they grow in stature and wisdom. Israel did not take the blessing of children and the responsibility for their nurture and upbringing lightly… and neither should we.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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September 4 ~ Genesis 28:3-4
I pray that God All-Powerful will bless you with many descendants and let you become a great nation. May he bless you with the land he gave Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.
(Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.)
Have you ever taken a box of dominoes and lined them up one behind the other, slightly spaced, and then touched the first one? What happened? Artists (and people with way too much time on their hands!) spend hours creating elaborate patterns with dominoes and then making them fall. But the point is, one domino falling doesn’t mean much… but when it touches another, and another, all sorts of things can happen.
So it is with prayer and the blessings of God. We are not only promised blessings and answers for ourselves… but God has promised to bless the descendants of His faithful servants. He has promised to work in the lives of those around us. Our prayers and faithfulness have a “domino effect!” Knowing this, shouldn’t we be motivated to do more… to pray more fervently… to live more faithfully? Shouldn’t we desire to spend as much time as possible in God’s presence, garnering His favor and blessings – for ourselves and those in our path? Isn’t it time we stopped selling the power and blessings of God short and started expecting great things?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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September 3 ~ Genesis 27:28-29
God will bless you, my son, with dew from heaven and with fertile fields, rich with grain and grapes. Nations will be your servants and bow down to you. You will rule over your brothers, and they will kneel at your feet. Anyone who curses you will be cursed; anyone who blesses you will be blessed."
(Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.)
Have you ever read the book The Prayer of Jabez? In this book based on a somewhat obscure scripture passage in 1 Chronicles about a man named Jabez, and a small, simple prayer he uttered, author Bruce Wilkinson shows the power of a few short sentences spoken in prayer. The prayer begins, “Please bless me and give me a lot of land.” Really? We should ask God to bless us and “give us a lot of land?” Isn’t this a vain request? No!
We don’t ask God for enough. Oh, I’m not talking about material things, like cars, houses, money, or even relationships (like a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse). And “land” here doesn’t refer, literally, to land – although in Jabez’ day, that was part of it. I am talking about blessings of another kind… meeting our daily needs (mentally and physically) and those of our loved ones, giving us opportunities to share our faith with others – and to be a blessing to them! Jabez didn’t pray selfishly… he asked God to bless him and meet his needs… and to increase his opportunities to bless others. It was like, “Give me the strength and stamina to do even more for you, Lord!”
Do you pray like this? Do you pray generously and ask God for all He wants to give you – and a chance to do more for Him? Are you limiting God with your prayers… or do you approach Him with arms wide open and say, “Give me all You’ve got!” with the confidence He will meet your needs and see that you are successful? God has promised to bless us… and those around us... if we will take that first step toward Him. What are you waiting for?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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September 2 ~ Psalms 41:13 & 72:19
You, the LORD God of Israel, will be praised forever! Amen and amen.
We will always praise your glorious name. Let your glory be seen everywhere on earth. Amen and amen.
(Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.)
Who among us doesn’t recognize McDonald’s Golden Arches, or the red roof of a Pizza Hut? We often refer to soft drinks as “Cokes”, tissues as “Kleenex” and photocopies as Xeroxes. We readily recognize so many products around the world, and we don’t think twice about plastering their logos on billboards, clothing… you name it!
But how often do you see someone wearing a t-shirt that mentions God? About the most many of us muster is a subtle cross on a chain or leather string around our necks. We tend to slide our Bibles in cases and covers with decorative (or very plain) exteriors. We will wear Razorback “everything” from head to toe, but we keep our honor of God pretty much to ourselves.
Don’t misunderstand me… I am not saying we all need to buy T-shirts that say “God Rocks” and wear them… or that we need to start advertising our faith on billboards. But I am saying that we need to be more open about our praise and honor of the God of the Universe… we need to let His glory shine like the morning sun. We need to stop playing, get serious, and share God every chance we get… with everyone we meet! When we hear good news, instead of saying, “That’s great!” why not say, “Praise God!” When someone asks you how you are doing, why not say, “I’m blessed” – or “God is so good to me,” rather than, “I’m fine.” It’s a matter of adjusting our attitude… and changing a few habits.
God deserves this. We owe it to Him to honor His glorious name every chance we get… and we need to look for more opportunities to do so!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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September 1 ~ Nehemiah 8:6
Ezra praised the great LORD God, and the people shouted, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the LORD. Ezra praised the great LORD
(Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.)
When I read this scripture, I considered that it is very similar, especially in theme, to the scripture passage for the previous devo. I mean, how many ways can we say that we need to praise the Lord? And then it hit me… we can’t talk often enough about praising the Lord!
So often we gloss over this. It’s as if we say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know… we must to praise Him.” We follow this up with a requisite (and probably half-hearted) “Oh, thank you Jesus. We praise you, Father.” Why do you think The Lord’s Prayer starts with...“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name”? Do you see how important this is? Praising God should be a huge part of our prayers, no matter what is happening or what else we are lifting in prayer.
Is God so egotistical that He won’t work unless we build Him up with praises? Absolutely not! We could praise God 24/7, and we still would not come close to giving Him all of the glory and honor He deserves. Praising God should be a time in prayer when we stop and say to ourselves, “Whoa… wait a minute! We are talking to Almighty God… our Heavenly Father… and He is listening! We should tell God, as best we can, how much we love Him… how amazing His love makes us feel, and how grateful we are that He takes time to not only listen to our prayers – but answer them!
When you pray, don’t rush through your time of praise to get to your own needs… give God glory and honor… praise Him and worship Him. He already knows your need and the purpose of your “visit,” and He will answer. Perhaps the most important thing we can do is to show our gratitude.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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