NOT LUCK BUT LIFTED UP
December 17, 2018
Prayer: Thank you that my life is not based on luck, but the prayers that are lifted up.
Scripture: The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. 9 Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him. 11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales ? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? 14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding? Isaiah 40:8 -14 NAS
I love to read Isaiah chapter 40, I want to encourage you to read the whole chapter sometime this week and mark it so you can go back to it in times of doubt or trouble. In my Bible the Chapter is titled, “The Greatness of God.” This chapter is a rousing reminder of the strength, power, love, nurturing, and wisdom of our Creator God. He has always reigned and always will. He is powerful enough to set the mountains into place yet nurturing enough to lead and carry His creation to safe keeping.
He is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge and understanding; no one informs or teaches Him but rather, He is the ultimate teacher, who gives these to us. We consult Him, but never inform Him. He knows what we need before we even ask, yet waits patiently for us to ask so that we realize our dependency on Him and can witness His goodness. Many people speak of “luck.” There is no such thing as luck. God is not random, look at the words Isaiah used when He describes God’s activity from the beginning: measured, marked, calculated, and weighed. He is not a God of chaos or random luck, He is our hope, our Shepherd, our good news.
Prayer does not inform God of your need or circumstance, it invites Him to have His will in it. If anything matters to you, pray about it. Do not ever think that a need or issue is not important enough. Do not let Satan convince you that you should keep quiet because there are others who are “suffering more than you.” Lifting your voice in prayer shows God that you recognize your humble dependency on Him and that your trust that He is more than able to do abundantly and exceedingly more than we could ever think or imagine. Prayer voices our trust in Him to glorify Himself in our need at the right time in the right way while we carry on with today’s opportunities and blessings. Max Lucado says, “God places Himself between you and your need and at the right time, He gives you exactly what you need.” I know that while you are waiting for a certain need to be filled He will also give you the patience and strength to wait upon Him if you ask. His promises and power give me the patience to persevere and to abide in Him with perpetual prayer. There is no power in “luck”; not in lucky charms or four-leaf clovers, not in a rabbit’s foot, not even a fortune cookie.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]