The Trial of our Faith

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:1-5

Duane Mayfield, my husband, stayed in three different hospitals and a nursing home, beginning April 29, 2007, when he collapsed. We arrived in the U.S. in April 2007, from Israel, to begin our fund raising tour for Horizon Ministries. While serving in New Orleans for two weeks as Chaplains with Billy Graham Evangelical Association, Duane became very weak. A week later he collapsed and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Houston, TX. During the following weeks he suffered with a severe blood infection, double pneumonia, aortic heart valve damage, two strokes, brain swelling and an aneurism any of which could have killed him. May 17, the doctors placed a shunt in his head to relieve his severe brain swelling. May 24, he had brain surgery to remove the aneurism. On May 28, the shunt was removed from his brain. May 29, he was transferred to a Rehab Hospital. They believe all this was as a result of spider bites in March, in Jerusalem, which caused severe blood poisoning but which we had thought was healed after treatment.

I, Ruth Mayfield, Duane’s wife and co-minister, have been held up a shield of faith for Duane and our ministry. Together with our prayer partners and friends we trust God to miraculously intervene in order that His plan and purpose for our ministry, our marriage and our lives will be fulfilled.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

God has a plan, not only to heal and deliver us, but God has promised that our latter days shall be greater than the former days (Haggai 2:7-9). We live by faith, trusting God to receive enough support through our ministry website ( www.horizonministries.org) and occasional speaking engagements in the US, in order to continue to serve in Jerusalem, Israel. God is our provider. Duane, after pastoring many years in CA, volunteers on the leadership team at Narkis Street Congregation, Jerusalem (www.narkis.org ). Our personal ministry in Israel takes many forms. We network with other ministries as well as minister to individuals. We have the privilege of serving Jews, Arabs and Internationals in our ministry. We also minister in Uganda and have several invitations to other countries. In the U.S. we share about our experiences and walk of faith, and how all this enables us to live by faith in Israel.

Throughout Duane’s medical ordeal, I continued to stand and pray to expose the enemy and reveal God's glory as we have traveled through this valley of trial and miracles. Through all of these events from one hospital to the next, we saw the signature of God in various places as He has put believing doctors and healthcare workers there to encourage us when we needed it most while providing for all our needs. If Duane’s collapse had happened in Israel, they would have transported him to the states because of insurance issues and he probably wouldn't have survived. Instead, the Lord directed our steps to be in Houston, TX where the best medical care could be received. The Church at Houston which had invited us to speak, hosted us during the initial two months of this trial, welcoming us into their homes and their hearts. They visited us in the hospital as if we were their own family—the family of God as in the Book of Acts. God bless each one of them, our family and our ministry partners, who have faithfully prayed and stood in faith with us through all of this.

God could have healed Duane instantly, but He has chosen this path of faith to full recovery for us and those who are praying with us. Medical professionals continue to be amazed as they look at his medical history and his current progress. Brain trauma as extensive as Duane has experienced, takes many, many months of intensive therapy to achieve the best recovery, depending on the amount of permanent damage to tissue. (There was a lemon size area in the right frontal lobe of Duane’s brain that was caused by the first stroke, and unknown amount of damage from the severe swelling from the center of his brain, the second stroke and an aneurism.) Amazingly, the neurosurgeon gave permission for Duane to travel a 6 hour flight only one month after surgery—normally this amount of recovery would take 3-5 months. Duane has no paralysis, no motor skill impairment, no speech impairment and only diminishing, minor memory issues. His strength and endurance though abated continue to improve. Praise you Jesus!

Duane spent a month in the hospital and ICU, another month in a rehabilitation hospital, then 5 weeks in a nursing home. He was released in August from the nursing home into home care. In mid-October he was released from all home therapy. He completed medical tests for his heart and brain in November. As a precaution doctors will continue to monitor the heart valve damage, but he has no restrictions to his activities or diet and requires medication only to alleviate the heart valve leakage. We expected to return to Israel in November. However, December 6, he had successful surgery for a blocked urethra. December 28, he was taken to emergency and admitted for sudden excessive bleeding—a late result of that surgery. At that time, Duane received four units of blood and another severe infection was discovered. God intervened again. They determined that the infection was confined to his bladder requiring only strong oral antibiotics.

The total hospital and doctor bills were close to $500,000. To our surprise, Duane did not have adequate insurance. God used government and charity resources to eventually cover 90% of the bills. We are confident that the Lord will make a way to cover every last medical bill. Duane now has medical coverage for all future treatments as well. Father God is an amazing provider as we diligently serve Him and place our trust in Him.

We spent ten months living with gracious friends and family, having to move every two-to-three weeks from place to place for Duane’s treatment. We returned to Israel February 5, 2008 to gradually resume duties at Narkis and our ministry. Duane is now recovering from overall weakness. His endurance increases with each passing day. We are seeing God's Hand and giving Him Glory every single day as we see Duane respond to therapy and gain strength and stability on the road to full recovery. He is an awesome God! His Ways past finding out!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth allthine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life fromdestruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who
satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the
eagle's.PSALMS 103:2-5

Pray with us:

• That Duane will have the mind of Christ, full clarity of mind and without ever having any residue of weakness, exhaustion or confusion.
  
• Speak the Life of God into every cell of Duane's body and brain. All brain trauma and heart valve leakage will disappear without any residual affects and he will be stronger than ever.
  
• Wisdom and Direction—That we will continue to allow the Lord to direct our steps and provide for us His way.
  

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

To God be the Glory, Great things He is doing every day!!

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Devotional: Psalms 119:1-8

a Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It's 176 verses are purposefully divided into sections by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

a -Aleph
The psalmist's assumption is that it is most desirable to be "blessed". Blessed are the undefiled, those who walk in holiness, a living transcript of the ways of God (2 Corinthians 3:3).

How do we enter into such blessings? Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. This is the key to this portion of Psalms 119, and indeed to the key to salvation. We know that salvation is not found in purely obeying the letter of the Law, but in loving the Lord with all our heart, our soul, mind and our strength. The writer is using a continuous present tense. You can't find Jesus one day and keep Him in your pocket for the rest of your life and expect to be blessed. Seeking God is a process which takes place over your entire life-time. God promises to respond to our seeking Him (2 Chronicles 15:2, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 29:13).

It is this kind of seeking God which enables us to hold the ways of God in high esteem because we love Him. Our love for God and His grace, give us the sincere desire and ability beyond ourselves to obey the Law. The Word of God tells us that in the latter days, God will write His Law on men's hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). His Love will at that point constrain us to reject the ways of evil, and embrace Righteousness and Truth.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

THE ONE IN WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED--WALKING WITH HIM TO MOVE MOUNTAINS by Victoria Boyson

"Jesus is all, and as we abide in Him, we have access to all that we need: all power, all wisdom, and all strength."

All we will ever want, need, or desire is found in Jesus Christ. If we lack power, wisdom, or prosperity, we will find it in Him. He is, and He has all that we will ever need. We have no lack when we are in Him.

Jesus told His disciples, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

If we pull away from the Vine, who is Christ, we will discover we have little power to affect this world on our own. But when we are connected to the Vine, our source of power, we find that we are able to do all things through Him!

Our source of power is not found in ourselves, but as we abide in Christ, we have all the power we need. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7).

Knowing Him
If we abide in Him and His words abide in us, whatever we ask will be done! When we first come to know Jesus, we mainly know Him through the experiences of others or through the Word of God. But as we seek to know Him for who He is and develop a relationship with Him, we find a place of great power and authority in the supernatural realm. We can indeed do as God does, who "calls into being that which does not exist" (Romans 4:17).

Instead of spending all our time rebuking the enemy, we will find that when we are abiding in Him, we simply say the words and find the enemy fleeing. It is not us or our words that the enemy fears, but it is our connection to the Vine that terrifies him. As long as we will abide in Him, we have all the power we need. Our words have great power in the supernatural realm as we ABIDE IN CHRIST.

His Wisdom
Have you ever faced a problem and you just did not know what to do about it? Well, in Jesus, we find the answer to all life's problems. He is our source of great wisdom. He has the answer to every question. He knows all and, as we abide in Him, we have access to all the wisdom of the ages. Our wisdom is only limited by our level of intimacy with Him.

It isn't enough to just pray; to truly effect the realms of darkness, we must pray with the wisdom of the Lord. His wisdom can only be obtained by abiding in Him. When we try to acquire God's wisdom through our own minds and methods, it becomes, at best, a perverted mess. We become puffed up and of little use to God.

As we abide in Christ, He shows us how to pray and who to pray for. And when we are led by His Spirit, we can effectively target the enemy. We can hit him with great accuracy and not wear ourselves out with repetitious, complicated prayers and methods. Jesus is all, and as we abide in Him, we have access to all that we need: all power, all wisdom and all strength.

The Good Shepherd
Even our ability to abide in Him is found in Him. As we seek Him, He draws us to Himself. He is truly the Good Shepherd that David spoke of in Psalm 23 (paraphrased):
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall never be in want, because in Him I have all I need. My Loving Shepherd anticipates my needs and provides for me before I even know I am in lack. He leads me to places of blessing where I can rest. He restores my soul with His peace and comfort, and makes me righteous so that I may become one with Him.

I shall have no fear, because even in the face of death He prepares a feast of blessing for me to enjoy as my enemies look on in defeat. He gives me all I need and fills me with His power. His goodness and loving kindness are with me as I walk and live in Him. I will never ever leave Him, because He holds me close and keeps me walking with Himself. I will abide with Him forever!"

In the midst of the fiercest battle, I experience the greatest peace--I enjoy the greatest joy. Though satan rages, I still experience the feeling of God's protection and love. I am made fearless, because His perfect love for me casts out all fear (see 1 John 4:18).

This Bears Repeating
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the Vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me" (John 15:4).

Our authority does not lie in ourselves! It is a trick of the enemy to get us to focus either on our greatness or our unworthiness and take our eyes off Him. It is not about us at all, but Him. Only as we abide in Him will we have lasting victory and fruit.

It is God's will that we bear fruit, but we cannot apart from Him. We will only exhaust ourselves, and our work will not be of lasting value to the Kingdom. Only in God are we victorious. He is our platform of power; apart from Him we can do nothing!

To Know Him
"I know whom I have believed" (2 Timothy 1:12). Of course you believe in Jesus, but do you believe, trust in, and rely on Him? Do you believe in the greatness of His power? Are you proud of who He is and what He's done? Are you putting ALL your faith and trust in Him, or are you holding back a bit of your heart just in case He does not come through for you? If you know the One in whom you have believed, you will walk in His power and authority.

If we truly know God and how great our God is, we will move mountains for Him. The great problem today is our lack of knowledge of who He is and how awesome He is. If we could indeed see His greatness, we would walk in a spiritual authority that would astonish the world.

Our relationship with God determines the authority we walk in everyday. Without a relationship with Christ, we are only walking blindly through this life, guessing at what we believe is God's will for us. If we truly know Him, we will walk confident in His authority as His messengers. We will not hold back from aggressively believing in His power and trusting in His power to raise the dead to life.

In John 4:10, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you; 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." Jesus said to her "If you knew (Him)" you would ask and He would give. The answers to all life's problems are found in those words, "If you knew."

We should seek to know God--not just know about Him, but know Him. As His children, our prayer should be that He would help us to know Him. For if we know Him, we will become His ambassadors on this earth and do the things He did. If we know Him, we will be His friend and bring His light into the darkness. As we begin to know Him, we can experience His glory and power--and then walk in it.

We don't have to be satisfied with knowing about God, we can truly know Him. We can walk with Him like Enoch walked with Him. And, knowing Him is more wonderful than anything else in this life. He is Life! He is the air we breathe and the reason we live!

The more we know God, the greater our faith in Him becomes, because we begin to see just how awesome He is. When we see how big He is, our faith in Him rises, and we see there is nothing He cannot handle. All things were created by Him and all things are summed up in Him (see Colossians 1:16).

How Big is Your God?
One day when my son Cole was only four years old, he was riding in our car with his daddy. They were both very quiet, just enjoying the ride and being together, when suddenly Cole spoke up. He said, "God must wear a really big shirt!" At four years old, as he sat silently in our car, the God of the universe was revealing Himself to this young man. Cole's remark was evidence that he knew God. Even as a child, and maybe especially as a child, he could understand that if God was big enough to hold the whole world in His hands, He must wear a really big shirt.
It was especially important to Cole to know that his "God-friend" is really big, because he has always been small for his age. So, to know that he had a really BIG God, who wears a really big shirt, was comforting to him. Do you feel that way sometimes? Do you need to know how big your God is?

To find a mental picture of how big God is, we can look at Isaiah 66:1. The Lord describes Himself, "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me?" If God's throne is the Heavens and this enormous world of ours is His footstool, He must, indeed, wear a really big shirt.

Can you see now how big God is? And, this great big Daddy God loves you and wants to be your friend. He wants to take care of even the smallest details of your life. He loves you, and you can take refuge in Him and live confidently in His love for You.

Can We Trust Him?
When we understand His greatness and believe in His power, we will move mountains for Him and astonish the world. As we know Him and how much He loves us, we will walk in His authority and power; then our light will shine before all men, that they might glorify our Father in Heaven (see Matthew 5:16).

Asaph prayed in Psalm 83:18, "Let them know that You, whose name is the Lord--that you alone are the Most High over all the earth." He prayed that we would understand--He is Lord of the Heavens and of the earth; He is Lord over every living thing. Every knee will bow and confess His Name, because He has created all things.

We do not put our faith in a little God, but one who created all things. He really is an awesome God and no matter how big our trouble looks, He is bigger. He laid the foundations of the earth and commands the sun to rise each morning. He told the seas how far to come up shore and understands the expanse of the earth (see Job 38:4-18).

He is able to take care of us at all times. He is able to keep us from falling. He is able to keep us in victory and power.

Pray this with me: Dear Father, release me from the shackles of my fleshly knowledge of You, and show me just how awesome You are, so I might be found in You, and reveal Your greatness to a world that needs You desperately. Help me to know the One in whom I have believed.
In Jesus' name, amen.

Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries
Email: victoria@boyson.org

reposted from the Elijah List http://www.elijahlist.com/

Devotional: Psalms 103

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul. Psalms 103:1-22

This Psalm of David is a Psalm of Psalms. It brings us into the absolute high praises of God. Beginning with David's revelation of God's mercy shown to himself, his pen aptly reminds us of our own blessings and His mercies in our lives. David begins by addressing his own soul. Regardless of any thoughts or emotions, he reminds himself of God's absolute forgiveness which cancels the effects of sin--sickness, disease, death. Rather than receiving what we deserve as sinful men, God instead grants blessings of protection and provision. David acknowledges God's strength for the elderly and the oppressed. He recognizes it is the Lord who not only commands, but also is the executor of righteousness and justice for the widows and orphans--the poor and the oppressed. God is GOD.

The Psalm continues with further reminders of Moses--both his personal relationship with God and as the deliver, prophet, and law giver of Israel. Moses was the man to whom God spoke "face to face". He then brought all that God taught him to the people of Israel in the form of the written law. God confirmed His Word given through Moses by the signs, wonders and miracles shown to all Israel. The law teaches us how to worship God, pointing out man's ultimate inability to please God by perfect obedience--and yet the focus AGAIN is God's mercy. He remembers we are dust! We are His creation--unable to redeem ourselves--in desperate need of His saving grace. God's provision for removing our transgressions for those who fear Him--provides everlasting access to the throne room of grace, the inner courts of heaven.

What does it mean, "for those who fear Him"--"for those who keep His commandments"? The outward signs that you have a reverent respect or fear of God could be shown by whether or not you keep His commandments--the Law. But, if you are a really disciplined person you could appear to be keeping the Law--but your heart would be the proof of whether you are obeying because you love God and want to please Him, or because you want to avoid the consequences of disobedience. The first commandment is to love the Lord God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength--if you can't choose that as the primary objective in your life, the other commandments can only be obeyed to avoid the consequences or for your own pride--to look good to others or even to God. But God knows our hearts. It takes a heart turned completely toward God to begin to understand His ways, His perspective, His love for us and others. David had such a heart and this Psalm is written from the perspective of this kind of relationship with his God. David was not perfect. He recognized and admitted his sin, his mistakes, his need for God's forgiveness--without pride or excuses.

David's love and gratitude for the Lord crescendos in an appeal beyond the praises of his own soul and the men and women of God's creation to all the angelic hosts. He recognizes that they of course have purpose in God's Kingdom and in His plan of redeeming creation and he invites them to join in this song of high praise. This is a song of praise of God Himself, not merely the things He has done--but who He is. David's invitation for all of creation is unabashed, unreserved praise for Almighty God. I pray that you and I can enter in today to this high form of worship with pure hearts and self-abandoned love for the King of the universe, blessed be His Holy Name!

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.

Devotional: Psalms 91

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalms 91:1-16

Psalms 91 is a Psalm most noted for being a Psalm of protection. Many a soldier goes off to war, even today, with this Psalm on the lips of those he knows who have promised to pray for him. The soldiers themselves who know the Bible will recite it and pray it for themselves and their comrades. My oldest son was one of those who had committed this Psalm to his heart when he was 5 years old and was thankful for the promise of God and the prayers of us who not only prayed this Psalm for him daily--but really believed that God would protect him. And He did!

My son has many testimonies today of God's saving grace in wartime. Against the wise advice of his mother, he was not always able to stay in his M1 tank. There were 3 day missions where they hid in the bushes waiting for snipers to set up near them to attack the passing convoys. There were the never ending roadside checkpoints where suicide bombers and various stressed and crazy people do dangerous things. Even their camp had incessant barrages of RPGs as they walked from barracks to mess and dove under the tanks for protection when they heard that familiar whistling sound of an incoming RPG.

We know of a young man here in Jerusalem who is in the IDF reserves and served in the Lebanon war, in July 2006. This young man is a believer and was on the front lines. The battle was so intense at times that he was known to be shouting Psalm 91--in the midst of firefights. His testimony to his fellow soldiers, as well as to us, was he trusted God for deliverance. He was also heard shouting, praying in tongues, as he fought with his troop for their lives. Once they took refuge in a house which was then attacked with anti-tank missiles. If you recall the destruction they cause you will know that God spared them--as the building remained intact and they were safe inside. Another time this young man found himself face to face with a grenade launcher pointed at him, not 3 feet away. There was a white blast and the attacker disappeared--God's grace left this young man unharmed.

Psalms 91 was the first scripture our family memorized together. Our faith took us through difficult times with growing faith in God's promise of protection and grace for whatever circumstances we found ourselves in. We lived this Psalm, we believed this Psalm, and all the rest of the Bible, as we grew in the Lord.

I would like to point out to you the last few verses of this Psalm where the wording changes from a prayer of protection to an answer to the prayer. God Himself answers this heart cry of His servant. The psalmist's cry is a cry of faith. He has seen God's hand move on his behalf and he expects that the Lord will be faithful to do it again and again--not only for himself, but for all those who put their trust in the Lord. It is not so much the words that he uses, he is only recalling to God the Father what He has already done and promised. This man knows the value of dwelling in that secret place in God. It is his unwavering faith, his confidence in the Lord, that God calls setting his love upon me--which moves God's heart to answer so tenderly. Can you just picture Father God looking down toward his beloved--a man who was not perfect, yet his heart responds completely toward God on every occasion of chastisement and correction, trials and attacks.

This love the Father has toward us whom He has created, is that same love that brought His Son, Jesus, to this earth to die for our sins--that we might be forever reconciled to God. When we respond to God with the kind of absolute love and trust that reflects His Love, it touches his heart. Just as when a toddler steps into Daddy's shoes and tries to imitate his father, God is moved by our admiration. His love is stirred and He responds with the promise to always respond. God not only will send his angels, but He Himself will respond to our need. We have God's attention, we have been given the gift of His favor and blessing. He only desires our loving, trust which results in absolute obedience and a burning desire to please Him. As we dwell in this place of trust in Him, we abide in His shadow of protection and blessing. Nothing can harm us, no weapon formed against us can prosper. Hallelujah!

Copyright © 2007 by Ruth Mayfield All rights reserved. These articles may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, by including this notice.