We’ve just had an amazing holiday. Four of the highlights of our holiday involved water. In each case the area immediately around the water was really dry. The water had either travelled long distances in creeks and rivers or had come from deep underground. The results were amazing.
The life and beauty generated by the water attracts people from all over our country to these places. The vegetation, birds, and fish that are part of the spectacle are all dependent on the water but, no doubt, don’t give it a thought, just take it for granted.
We’re also dependent on water and can’t live without it. We might also take that for granted but we shouldn’t.
Water is one of God’s good gifts. All the water we saw on our holiday fell as rain at some stage even if it was no where near where we saw it or many years before. Without continuing rain all these places would eventually go dry. Thank God for his life-giving rains.
God declares his commitment to supply the needy with water through the prophet Isaiah. He says,
When the poor and needy are dying of thirst and cannot find water, I, the Lord God of Israel, will come to their rescue. I won’t forget them. I will make rivers flow on mountain peaks. I will send streams to fill the valleys.
Dry and barren land will flow with springs and become a lake. Isaiah 41:17f
We saw some examples of this prophecy fulfilled at Innamincka, Lawn Hill National Park (pictured), Dalhousie Springs, and Lake Eyre. Amazing!
Even more amazing is the living water that wells up within us, the Holy Spirit, to satisfy our spiritual thirst. John records these words for our encouragement,
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.” Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him. John 7:37-39a
God supply your needs and quench your thirsts, today and always!
by Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
No-one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame … (Psalm 25:3a).
Read Psalm 25:1–10
The writer of this psalm certainly knows a lot about the ‘Lord, my God’ in whom he puts his trust. This is one of King David’s psalms, and he should know*. David’s life was full of experiences that tested his relationship with God. From killing bears and lions while tending his father’s sheep (1 Samuel 17:34–37) to slaying Goliath and then taking on some of the largest neighbouring armies around and defeating them also.
But David also had to learn some difficult life lessons. As a harpist, he supplied soothing music to a boss (King Saul) who didn’t always wake up on the right side of the bed and needed calming. There was also learning to dodge the occasional spear hurled his way (1 Samuel 18:10,11). David had to learn to trust an unlikely ally in the king’s son (Jonathan) and be guided by his spiritual mentors in the prophets Samuel and Nathan. He committed major adultery and murder and lost a child. All along, he could see God’s hand guiding him through life, teaching him lessons, revealing his plans and protecting him from his enemies.
By the time he wrote this psalm, he could write with a lot of confidence in what the ‘Lord, my God’ had done for him. But David didn’t stop there, and neither should we. Whether God has answered a few prayers and revealed some amazing truths in your life, or whether you’re just starting out on your faith journey, these words are such an encouragement.
David is asking God to ‘show me your ways, Lord’ (verse 4), ‘guide me in your truth and teach me’ (verse 5) because his hope is in him ‘all day long’. With all the praise due to his name and all the accolades David could shower upon his great God, this psalm encapsulates so much of God’s character from one who learned firsthand over many years.
Reflect on your life and journey with God, and then re-read the psalm and put yourself in David’s place. List what stands out to you.
O Lord my God, I praise you for all the amazing ways that you protect, guide and strengthen your people, especially me. I ask that you never stop creating in me a new and clean heart that forever sings your praises. Amen.
*Read all about King David’s life and be inspired by his journey with God in 1 Samuel 16 through 2 Samuel, and until 1 Kings 2:12.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife, Angelyn, are now empty-nesters living in Port Kennedy in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth. Steve says that he sees every day as a gift from God, allowing him to discover new ways to journey with Jesus and learn more about the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as how his Heavenly Father wants to use him in some small or great way.
by Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled … (Matthew 26:53,54a).
Read Matthew 26:47–56
I read that a Roman legion had 6,000 soldiers. How amazing would it be to have the capacity to call on more than 70,000 angels to look after you in some of life’s toughest moments? Jesus did. I could’ve used just a couple of them back in my school days to get rid of a mouthy older kid in the playground and certainly in the sports arena. Some people are just painful and bullies. Come to think of it, I’ve come across a couple of them throughout my adult life. Sadly, I keep reading and seeing how an imbalance of power gets to intimidate, harm and even kill the so-called lesser person.
Our society, and indeed our church, runs campaigns to end things like domestic violence and bullying in the workplace. We’ve created safe place and child-safe strategies and policies. I really wish and pray that the legions would step in and protect the innocent and vulnerable. And I certainly can’t see the will of God being done as evil seems to run rampant. I struggled with this one. So, what can we learn from today’s lesson?
Jesus said he had 12 legions of angels at his disposal by simply calling on his Father to intervene. Jesus’ arrest would have been a no-contest event, but that was never God’s intention. His plan of salvation needed to unfold, and it included Jesus having to suffer incredibly so that you and I would ultimately be free from the effects of sin.
We believe and confess that our Almighty God can do anything, but so often, we want the easy way out. Maybe, just maybe, God lets us enter many of life’s toughest situations with the end goal in mind. If life were so easy, how would I learn to trust him no matter what? How would I ever learn patience? And I can see my pride levels rising as I cruise through without any obstacles to test my resilience or reliance on his strength.
Keep struggling with this one, but continue trusting in a God who has your back.
Almighty Heavenly Father, teach me your ways and help me always trust you no matter what happens in this life. I thank you for the best life that’s still coming through faith in Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife, Angelyn, are now empty-nesters living in Port Kennedy in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth. Steve says that he sees every day as a gift from God, allowing him to discover new ways to journey with Jesus and learn more about the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as how his Heavenly Father wants to use him in some small or great way.
by Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’ (Matthew 26:39).
Read Matthew 26:36–46
The prayers below could be lacking something. If they sound familiar, give yourself a point.
- Dear God, please give us a fine day on Saturday so that the family gathering in the park can be a success and we all have a great time. Amen.
- Dear God, please help our dog respond to the medication so that she doesn’t have to suffer and gets well soon. Amen.
- Dear God, of all the beautiful people in the world, why is Grandma so sick? Please make her better so that we can spend Christmas together again. Amen.
These prayers are great. They call on God to do what we can’t do as people. Control the weather (1), provide healthy pets (2), and heal the sick (3). I have prayed these sorts of prayers all my life. It’s what I’ve been taught to do. It’s what I desire to have happen for the wellbeing of all … or is it?
Without sparking a huge debate so that my email inbox or phone doesn’t go ballistic, could it be possible that by stopping the prayers as I have, they are missing what God’s will is actually trying to bring about? As a result, am I open to that so that his will might be done?
Consider this:
- What if God sent rain because a drought was in progress?
- What if God wanted to show that some people care more about their pets than their family?
- Grandma has a beautiful faith. What if God is calling her to heaven?
Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane reveals more than just his desire to have the cup of death taken away from him. Although it would suit him from a human perspective to be spared the impending agony, his prayer also shows how he is reliant on his Heavenly Father’s will to be done as he surrenders in complete obedience. ‘Yet not as I will, but as you will’ (verse 39).
Consider adding these words to your prayers more, and be at peace with God’s response.
Heavenly Father, help me to trust you more, so that your will is also my desire. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife, Angelyn, are now empty-nesters living in Port Kennedy in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth. Steve says that he sees every day as a gift from God, allowing him to discover new ways to journey with Jesus and learn more about the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as how his Heavenly Father wants to use him in some small or great way.