To Bring Him Joy

What in the world does this mean? How do you do this? This is a phrase out of Romans 4 speaking of Abraham.  In the Old Testament we read that God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was not far behind him. Abraham and Sarah had long given up on having children, Sarah even laughed at the idea. Abraham said that their bodies were as good as dead.  I think this is what it means when it says "in hope he believed against hope".  All the odds were against them, if you looked at them and their circumstances there really was not any hope for them to have a child.  So why did Abraham have hope why did he "believe against hope".  For that you have to look at the surrounding verses in Romans 4.       "As it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not ex...

             " Lord , how long will You forget me? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?    How long will I store up anxious concerns  within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me?    Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes;  otherwise, I will sleep in death. My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.    But I have trusted in Your faithful love;  my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.    I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously. " Psalm 13 HCSB How I identify with this Psalm of David.  So very often I feel as though God is far off or that I am a continual failure.  I have struggled with this downward spiral thing a great deal in my life.  I feel as though Satan has my number on speed dial.  He rea...

 (This is actually something I wrote quite a while ago but felt that I should share it with you.  I hope it is encouraging to you. God is so very faithful.) “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 One of the areas that I am extremely weak in is time. I just don’t do time! I am not usually aware of it passing by and am quite shocked sometimes when I find out how much of it has passed by! So it is quite funny of God to use me to do something in His perfect timing. This whole story is about weakness and strength, who has it and who doesn’t and what God really considers to be strength. In April or May of 2005 I happened...