Isaac: A life of Receiving God’s Promises (04-05-20)

Isaac: A life of Receiving God’s Promises (04-05-20)

Hymns

Speak, Lord, in the Stillness

Words: Emily May Grimes (1920)
Music: Micah Shumway


1
Speak, Lord, in the stillness,
While I wait on Thee;
Hushed my heart to listen,
In expectancy.
Speak, O blessed Master,
In this quiet hour;
Let me see Thy face, Lord,
Feel Thy touch of power.

2
For the words Thou speakest,
They are life indeed;
Living bread from heaven,
Now my spirit feed!
All to Thee is yielded,
I am not my own;
Blissful, glad surrender,
I am Thine alone.

3
Speak, Thy servant heareth,
Be not silent, Lord;
Waits my soul upon Thee
For the quickening word.
Fill me with the knowledge
Of Thy glorious will;
All Thine own good pleasure
In Thy child fulfill.

4
Like a watered garden,
Full of fragrance rare,
Lingering in Thy presence,
Let my life appear.

This week’s featured hymn is “Speak, Lord, in the Stillness” by Emily May Grimes (1920) using the tune written by Micah Shumway. This is a wonderful hymn that has a laser focus on desiring to hear the Lord’s word.

I like the thought contained in the first line that mentions ‘the stillness’ and later in the verse it mentions ‘this quiet hour’. We can be honest when we say just how busy our lives and the world is (though there have been some interesting changes in recent weeks). Things are hardly still and hardly quiet ever! If you don’t have a regular practice of this, I would STRONGLY encourage you to set aside some time during the day (mornings seem especially good for whatever reason) to take some time to pray and spend time with Jesus in the Bible. Keeping this practice has changed my life. The point is that we need time when we can focus and seek the Lord, put down our smartphones and laptops and all the other distractions, and enjoy His presence, and hear His word. For some of us, ‘the stillness’ sometimes needs to be more figurative, where in the midst of the day’s craziness, we can still have a heart that is focused on the Lord and seeking His speaking throughout the day.

This song is so enjoyable. It invites the Lord to speak. It begs the Lord to speak. It expects the Lord to be faithful to us and give us His life-giving word, which can be considered our daily bread (Matt. 4:4, 6:11). The words that Jesus speaks are spirit and life (John 6:63) and when we touch His living word we can be energized, strengthened, watered, growing, and changed.

May the Lord make us all like little Samuels, saying, “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:10), fully surrendered to the Lord, to do His will, and for His pleasure. May we be full of expectation that, as we ask for and seek His word, He will be faithful to give it to us (Matt. 7:7-8). Especially in these strange times when we may have a little more time than usual, may our mornings and days be full of Christ’s life-giving word!

— Ian Konopinski

Fall Afresh

1
Awaken my soul, come awake

To hunger, to seek, to thirst;
Awaken first love, come awake
And do as you did, at first.

Chorus
Spirit of the living God, come fall afresh on me,
Come wake me from my sleep;
Blow through the caverns of my soul,
Pour in me to overflow.

2
Awaken my soul, come awake

To worship with all your strength. (x2)

Bridge
Show Your shining face,
Let Your Spirit come invade.

We are certainly all experiencing many new challenges. Most of our lives are usually so busy, and we are constantly rushing from one thing to another, struggling to keep up with the world’s busy pace. Many of us now are going through something totally new and different. Many of us are confined to our homes with many restrictions. Instead of either wallowing in our perceived lost freedoms or twiddling our thumbs while watching our 101st movie on Netflix, how about we open to God and allow Him to bring us into a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior? Why not use this time to invite the Lord in to “blow through the caverns of our souls” and even to fill us more until we overflow with His Spirit? Perhaps the Lord has something very specific that He would like for each one of us to gain and experience during these unprecedented times.

This is, in part, why I feel like this song, “Fall Afresh” by Jeremy Riddle, has been on my heart. I am stuck in a certain place for the time being, but, by the Lord’s mercy, I want to seek Him and be filled with Him more during this time. May all of our days be so filled with His shining face, the Spirit of the Living God filling us, overflowing in us, and going even deeper in us! I invite you to join in and sing this song together with us, and allow the Lord to touch those deep parts of our hearts that He has yet to reach, being open to His moving and speaking.

— Ian Konopinski


Children’s Content

He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands

Coloring Page


Abraham and Sarah


Message

Message given by Rex Beck for April 5, 2020

GENESIS 21:1-10

Isaac Is Born

21 The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”

GALATIANS 4:21-31

Bond and Free

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

GENESIS 26:12-13
12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.


A message for your enjoyment throughout the week

Visions and Revelations

by Titus Chu

Click to view Titus Chu's third message

6 thoughts on “Isaac: A life of Receiving God’s Promises (04-05-20)

  1. The Lord has provided all the blessings for His children. Let us be those receiving all that the Lord has prepared for us. We can be like Isaac a man in resurrection enjoying all the blessings. Thank the Lord for His provision for us.

  2. Amen. Speak to me Lord. You are Living The Bread of Heaven! You are The Bread of Life! Thank You Lord.

  3. My grandchildren and I listened to the children’s song, “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.” We enjoyed it.

  4. This week I pray that I and all of us could quiet our hearts and hear the Lord’s special speaking. May we all receive God’s blessing like Isaac receive them in simplicity.

  5. Praise the Lord that our life is a life of receiving all of God’s provisions! And He has given us the Holy Spirit to live out the life of receiving. It’s not dependent on our own effort but on His Spirit within us.
    And I like what was shared about using this time with the craziness going on to be open and allow the Lord to bring us into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Maybe there’s something specific the Lord wants us to gain and experience during this time. I want to be open for that.

  6. May our life be “A life of Receiving God’s Promise” —
    In the N.T. the name ‘Ishmael’ is not mentioned, rather ‘Isaac’ been mentioned many times. Human labor without the Lord is not recorded; may we have a life of receiving God’s promise.
    “AMP 4:28 But we, brethren, are children like Isaac, born in virtue of promise.”

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