Wonder Working God Lamentations 3:22-26 Hebrews 13:5B-6 Psalms 118:5-9 Hebrews 11:32-40 Isaiah 40:25-31 Psalms 115:9-11 Psalms 18:30 Genesis 18:14 01.17.20

WONDER WORKING GOD

BREAD

²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”  ²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; ²⁶ it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.  Lamentations 3:22-26 (NIV)

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ⁶ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:5B-6 (NIV)

⁵ In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. ⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me? ⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. ⁸ It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. ⁹ It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Psalms 118:5-9 (NIV)

 ³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷ They were stoned ; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. ³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰ God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Hebrews 11:32-40 (NIV)

²⁵ “To whom will you compare me?  Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?  ²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.   Isaiah 40:25-31 (NIV)

⁹ O house of Israel, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.  ¹⁰ O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield. ¹¹ You who fear him, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.   Psalms 115:9-11 (NIV)

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.   Psalms 18:30 (NIV)

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD?   Genesis 18:14 (NIV)

BUTTER

“God does wonders.  A soul not persuaded of this is uneven and unstable in the course of obedience.  Every threat from man dismays him.  He has eyes to behold the power of man, but lacks a spiritual eye to see God at his back.  The Christian’s comfort also increases when we trust in God’s almighty power.  Many fears like waves roll over us.  He who sees himself folded in almighty arms, O how he mounts up before the wind with his sails filled with joy and peace! Let storms arise, this one may sing merrily with the sharpest thorn at his breast.”  William Gurnall

“The mercy of God is that attribute which we, the fallen, sinful race of Adam, stand in greatest need of, and God has been pleased, according to our needs, more gloriously to manifest this attribute than any other. The wonders of divine grace are the greatest of all wonders. The wonders of divine power and wisdom in the making of this great world are marvelous; many wonderful things have happened since the creation of the world, but none like the wonders of grace. ‘Grace, grace!’ is the sound that the gospel rings with, ‘Grace, grace!’ will be that shout which will ring in heaven forever; and perhaps what the angels sung at the birth of Christ, of God's good will towards men, is the highest theme that ever they entered upon.”  Jonathan Edwards

“The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder.”    G. K. Chesterton

“God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.  Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill He treasures up His bright designs and works His sovereign will.  You fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.  Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace; behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.  His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.  Blind unbelief is sure to err and scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.”  William Cowper

“The only Christ for whom there is a shred of evidence is a miraculous figure making stupendous claims.”     C. S. Lewis

“At times you will feel as the Israelites did before I worked through Moses to part the Red Sea. They gazed with fear into a sea of hopelessness as their Egyptian enemies headed toward them. However, as My people discovered, hopelessness is just an illusion created by the enemy. The truth is, there is no such thing as a futile situation. I am the God of hope, even when everything you love and live for appears to be drowning. When you can’t swim any longer, I am your lifesaver. I am the author of your life who can rewrite and transform any tragedy to triumph. I am the one who will work all things together for your good even when it appears all has gone bad. When you don’t know what to do, be still long enough to allow Me to calm the storm in your heart and part the sea that seems to lie in the way of My promises for you. If you will wait on Me, you will witness My wonders!”   Sheri Rose Shepherd

“There was a majesty in the early saints, who dared to do at God's command things that human reason would condemn.  Whether it be a Noah who is to build a ship on dry land, an Abraham who is to offer up his only son, a Moses who is to despise the treasures of Egypt, or a Joshua who is to besiege Jericho for seven days, using no weapons but the blasts of trumpets, they all act upon God's command, contrary to the dictates of human reason; and the Lord gives them a rich reward as the result of their obedient faith. Would to God we had in contemporary Christianity a more potent infusion of this heroic faith in God. If we would venture more upon the naked promise of God, we would enter a world of wonders to which as yet we are strangers.”  C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

“God can work wonders if He has a suitable man.  Men can work wonders if they let God lead them.”   E.M. Bounds

“The ordinary moments of today are miraculous answers to long-ago prayers.”  Ann Voskamp

“We will never put God in a nice little convenient proverbial box of our own makings and imaginations.  He is so totally other – His thoughts are not our thoughts neither His ways our ways.  His paths for us are always perfect and pleasing and have our best interest at heart though most often unimaginatively hard.  His ways may not lead us into comfort and painlessness.  Indeed, His children should not expect to be carried into heaven on a bed of down though He can do so if He so desires.  More often than not, His ways lead us into circumstances ‘far beyond our ability to endure’ to demonstrate to the unbelieving world (and to ourselves for that matter) His power in our lives whether it be by miraculously changing our circumstances or just as  miraculously (or even more so), by changing our hearts through the circumstances. His good ways will always lead us on paths of conformation to the fullness of His precious Son – that’s the purpose.  He wants us to be like Jesus – whatever it takes - and we want that too.  That is the abundant life.”   BHY

HEART SAVOR

·         God’s faithfulness is new every morning.

·         When the Lord is our Helper, we need not be afraid.

·         God gives strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak.