A Year of Praise Awaits Us

 

¹⁷ I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

—The words of King David from Psalm 7:17

 

In a few short hours, we will have turned another page in history. An old year will have slipped away. A new year will have begun.

What kind of year will 2013 prove to be? Neither you, nor I, know the answer to this question. A lot can happen in 365 days—that’s 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes, or 31,536,000 seconds. Some of the things that happen during 2013 will seem like good things. Other things that happen during 2013 will seem like bad things.

Actually, we really can’t identify whether something is truly good or truly bad until we’ve gained the perspective of the passage of time. Often, things that seem bad, in the long range, prove to be not so bad. Similarly, some things that seemed very good at the time, when looked at through the looking glass of history seem not so good after all.

Few things are certain. One certainty we can cling to: the faithfulness of God.

As King David wrote in the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post:

I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness…

So, allow me to boldly suggest that we focus our attention on the God who loves us. Let us join in singing praise to Him for His righteousness—especially since He has given us His righteousness through the precious blood of His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:

 

 

Will you please pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

As we begin a new year, we pause to lift our hearts and voices in praise to You, O God. Your righteousness establishes us on firm ground. You have given us a sure foundation of forgiveness for our sins through the shed blood of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

During the times of trials that may await us during this new year, and also during the times of great joy, we do not want to forget that Your loving arms surround us. You protect us with Your great unfailing, undying love.

Keep us ever mindful of Your Presence in our lives. Grant us a full measure of Your special blessing. We thank You for the reality that Your love for us remains unshakable. And, we thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“The Days are Coming…”

 

⁵ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
        “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
   a King who will reign wisely
        and do what is just and right in the land.
⁶ In his days Judah will be saved
        and Israel will live in safety.
   This is the name by which he will be called:
        The Lord Our Righteousness.”

—The words of the Prophet Jeremiah from Jeremiah 23:5-6

 

Impatient…Distraught…Anxious…Anticipating…all these words describe the angst of waiting. We have spent the last four weeks celebrating the anticipation of the Incarnation of God’s only Son, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, we continue to wait in eager anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. We long to see the fulfillment of His coming to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

We need to remember—as best we can—that God’s chosen people, Israel, had waited for thousands of years for the coming of Messiah. We have now waited over two thousand years for Christ’s return. And still, we wait.

Please click here to watch a video.

At this Christmas, in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve, may our hearts remain watchful while we celebrate the reality of Immanuel—God with us.

Will you please pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

We praise You, O God, for the gift you have given us in the birth of Your Son. That You would deign to send Him from heaven to dwell on the earth: fully God, yet fully man.

May we always sing: “O come to our hearts, Lord Jesus. There is room in our hearts for Thee.”

Thank You for Your loving and tender care. And, thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“Let the little children come to me!”

 

¹⁵ People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

—The words of Luke the Evangelist from Luke 18:15-17

 

Literally tens of thousands of individuals have offered commentary on the horrific tragedy that occurred on a clear Friday morning, December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Though the victims have now been laid to rest, we must not cease to pray for their families and for the healing of the community, the state, and our nation.

Vance Perry, a master of multitrack recording techniques, has created a video to express his own tribute to those who died needlessly in Newtown. On this Christmas Eve day, please click here to watch, remember, and pray:

Will you please pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

Father, this horrific tragedy has caused a great sadness to settle over our land. We stand in shock and amazement at what has happened to these dear children and the adults into whose care their families commended them. In Your great mercy and love, be pleased to reach down and provide a comfort that only You can provide. For You, O God, have watched Your own Son die on a cruel cross of Roman torture, giving His life a ransom for many.

Even as You comfort these families, this community, this state, and our nation, we ask You to send a great, sweeping revival across our land. Yes, once again—as you have done in days gone by—we ask You to send Your Holy Spirit wih great power to irresistibly draw men, women, boys, and girls to Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We thank You that You are the God of All Comfort. And, we thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Merry Christmas from My Alma Mater

 

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

—The words of the Apostle Paul from 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

 

Please click here to watch this video Christmas card from my alma mater, Houghton College. The Houghton College Choir sings a passage from “Lux Aeterna” with video graphics produced by Houghton alumnus, Wesley Dean, from the Class of 2010.

May the Eternal Light, the Lord Jesus Christ, shine brightly into your heart this Christmas.

Will you please pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

Thank You for sending the Light of Your Son’s Presence to fill our hearts with joy. And, thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

That the Whole World May Know...

 

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
        though you are small among the clans of Judah,
   out of you will come for me
        one who will be ruler over Israel,
   whose origins are from of old,
        from ancient times.”

—The words of God through the Prophet Micah from Micah 5:2

 

Renowned television producer Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, will soon bring a 10-hour epic miniseries, The Bible, into homes across America in the spring of 2013. To give you just a taste of this magnificent production, here’s a video clip that features CeeLo Green singing “Mary Did You Know?”—a particularly appropriate song for this season of Advent and Christmas. Please click here to watch this video.

You can read more about this fabulous new miniseries at the following link:

http://thebible.publishpath.com/

Will you please pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

Father, we ask You to bless the screening of this miniseries. May Your Holy Spirit use this as a tool to reveal Yourself to countless tens of thousands of people across our land. May He draw these ones irresistibly into Your mercy and grace.

May the telling of the story of Your Holy Word bring hope, joy, and peace to many. Thank You for such opportunites to proclaim Your truth. And, thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Season of Contrasts

 

¹³ I am still confident of this:
        I will see the goodness of the Lord
        in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
        be strong and take heart
        and wait for the Lord.

—The words of King David from Psalm 27:13-14

 

The season of Advent brings with it a contrast of emotions and activities. Some feel enormous joy as they anticipate the colored lights, decorated homes—inside and out—the fun of shopping and picking out just the right gift for the special people in their lives, and a general sense of well-being. Others feel a deep sadness as they remember their friends and family who have passed on from this life to the next. The time of Advent has a bittersweet quality. It represents a contrast of emotions.

Advent also represents a contrast of activities. On the one hand it represents one of the busiest times of the year. The crowded stores. The jammed highways. The higher noise level in restaurants. The pushing and shoving as people line up to get the best bargains.

In contrast, Advent also represents a time for true Christian believers of waiting for the coming of Jesus. It’s a double waiting: waiting for the celebration of Christ’s birth and waiting for the second coming of our Great King Jesus. This waiting stands in stark contrast with the heightened activity of the season that we see in other quarters.

The Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post urges us to “wait for the Lord.” Implicit with that urging is the reality that the Lord Jesus Christ is worth waiting for. His first coming to earth granted us a full pardon for our sins, as He took our sins on Himself and died on the cruel cross of Calvary. His second coming brings to an end all the bitterness of this sin-cursed life we now live and ushers in the fulfillment of Christ’s Kingdom. The second coming completes the cycle that began with Christ’s departure when He ascended into heaven following His resurrection from the grave. It signals the beginning of an eternity with Him—never-ending fellowship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And still, we must wait. Though I have written about this before, it is appropriate at this season of Advent to speak of Felix Mendelssohn, who composed a magnificent work, “Elijah.” That work contains an equisite soprano/mezzo-soprano duet that expresses what it means to wait on the Lord. I invite you to listen very carefully to the words of this piece all the way through to the end. Please click here to watch this video.

I urge you to join me in finding some time of quiet reflection during the hustle and bustle of this Advent season. Set aside time in a quiet place to consider the true joy of this season—joy that overcomes even the deepest sorrow—joy that comes from the anticipated fulfillment of the Kingdom of God in our midst. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Will you please pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

We celebrate the birth of Your Son. What a miracle! We simply cannot comprehend the depth of Your love for us that You would send Your only Son as the One to pay the penalty for our sin.

We also wait in humble anticipation, Dear Father, for the return of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth. We long for Him to come quickly and receive us into the fullness of Your Kingdom.

Please help us during the season of Advent to fix our minds and hearts on the eager anticipation we feel for both of these most holy events. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, prepare our minds and hearts to receive Your joy, as we await the Day of Celebration.

Thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}