Read Psalm 91
I. TRUSTING HIS PRESENCE 91:1-2
II. TRUSTING HIS PROTECTION 91:3-4
III. TRUSTING HIS PEACE 91:5-6
IV. TRUSTING HIS PERSPECTIVE 91:7-8
V. TRUSTING HIS POWER 91:9-13
VI. TRUSTING HIS PROMISES 91:14-16
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Fall 2020 Newsletter.
Read 1 Kings 18
Would you keep on praying until the “rain” of God’s blessing falls in a great spiritual awakening, or, until Jesus comes…?
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Summer 2020 Newsletter.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. — Ephesians 6:18
As I write this newsletter, we are still under lockdown due to COVID-19 and under a curfew due to rioting in our streets. Our circumstances seem to be out of control with angry, frustrated rhetoric coming at us from all sides. Our perspective can be distorted if we give in to fear and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Yet could it be that what the enemy has intended for evil, God is using for good?1 And could the good coming out of these terrible times be God’s people turning to Jesus in repentance of sin, crying out for Him to return to us in order that once again, we would receive His blessing? May it be so!
On Pentecost Sunday, May 31st, I felt led by God to offer a prayer initiative, Turn to Jesus: Calling Women to Pray. While the pandemic was the original catalyst, the chaos, confusion, and violence that followed the senseless killing of George Floyd seemed to underscore that the timing was Spirit-led. The following are some online testimonies from those who participated.
I’m convinced that Heaven was moved in answer to the hundreds of thousands of us who prayed on Pentecost Sunday. Thank you for participating. But our work of prayer is not finished.
I was reminded of this when the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown loosened and businesses began to reopen, allowing me to meet a friend for lunch at a local restaurant. As we sat down in the booth, we almost immediately plunged into a conversation about the national unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s horrific murder. In a few moments, we were served by a young African-American man who was wearing a large black face mask. After the server had left to turn in the order we had given him, we bowed our heads and my friend asked God’s blessing on our meal. When she lifted her head, I blurted out regretfully that we should have asked the waiter if we could pray for him. When he returned to bring us our order, I told him we had just prayed, and I wanted to know if there was anything we could pray for him. He immediately gave us a request, then to our amazement, he held out his hands, bowed his head, and waited for us to pray! We took his hands and I prayed as he had asked. When I concluded the prayer, his eyes were filled with tears. He said he was trying hard not to cry…that we had no idea all that he was going through. And he thanked us. For praying. Such a simple act that meant so much to all of us.
The experience led me to recommit to not just a set-aside-time of prayer as we had in Turn to Jesus, but to obey Paul’s exhortation, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.2 Join me in being alert and Spirit-led in prayer for people all around us with whom we interact. Through our prayers, let’s move Heaven on behalf of another person.
For His Glory,
1 Genesis 50:20
2 Ephesians 6:18
Being prayed for by Pastor David Anderson and his wife Amber at Bridgeway Community Church.
Praying for a Samoan American soldier in Jerusalem.
Praying for an African ambassador in India.
Praying for hotel workers in Hyderabad, India.
Read 1 Kings 18
Available October 6, 2020
In this powerful new volume, Anne gives readers a starting point for their own daily encounters with the One who listens to every heartache and who delights in giving every good gift out of His abundant grace and mercy.
When you PREORDER THE LIGHT OF HIS PRESENCE before October 6, you will receive free digital bonus gifts to enjoy!
If you would like to receive AnGeL Ministries’ full newsletter by email or postal delivery, click here to sign up for our free resources!
“…Now show me Your glory.” — Exodus 33:18
The coronavirus pandemic this Spring has put everyone in a hard place. Many of us have been either locked down in our homes, quarantined, or even hospitalized. Businesses and restaurants and beaches have closed; schools and churches have moved online; even legislators are contemplating voting from home, as we are all urged to keep a social distance from each other in order to protect ourselves from this highly contagious, deadly disease. The hosts for my upcoming speaking engagements have canceled their events; my doctors have canceled my appointments; and I find that I, too, am isolated. I’ve been reminded of a dramatic scene in the Old Testament…
When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God agreed, but specified that Moses would only be allowed to see the backside. In other words, Moses would only see God’s glory as he looked back. He placed Moses in the cleft of a rock…in a hard place…as He covered Moses with His hand, to reassure him of His presence. Then God removed His hand, and Moses must have felt abandoned. Forsaken. Isolated. Alone.1 But it was just then that God caused His glory to pass by Moses. God’s glory was not a shining cloud, but a fresh revelation of His character: And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.’ 2
In the past four years, I, too, have been placed in the “cleft of a rock”. A hard place. My husband’s sudden, unexpected death; my father’s death three years later; my diagnosis of cancer and the subsequent surgery and follow-up treatments have been personally and equally as hard as the place in which we now find ourselves as a nation. But…
As I have looked back, I have seen God’s “glory”. I have experienced God’s faithfulness to meet my needs, His grace to pour out His blessings through family and friends, His strength to enable me to endure triumphantly, and His goodness to bring me through one day at a time. The vision of His glory enabled me to maintain my joy, my inner peace, and the steadfast hope that God was in control and would work out all things for my good.3
In what hard place has God placed you? Do you find yourself today in “the cleft of a rock”? Your situation may be directly related to the coronavirus, or it may have nothing at all to do with it. But do you feel isolated from others, lonely, abandoned as you wonder where God is?
If you are in a hard place, ask God to show you His glory. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a fresh, personal way. He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.4 So…Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.5
Who knows? As you look back on the hard place in which you find yourself, you may discover that it actually has been the place of your greatest blessing because it was there that you experienced a fresh encounter with the living God.
For His Glory,
1 Exodus 33:18-23
2 Exodus 34:6-7
3 Romans 8:28
4 James 4:8 NKJV
5 Hebrews 10:22
With my oldest daughter, Morrow, looking on, my younger daughter, Rachel-Ruth, and I spoke to a gathering of over 200 Christian women leaders in the beautiful backyard of a friend’s home in Santa Barbara, CA. What a privilege! We shared the urgency of the hour, challenging them to maintain their walk with the Lord, share the Gospel, and make disciples of their children. It was a blessing to stay afterwards and visit with those who had come.
Pastor Ray Bentley gave me the privilege of speaking at his three worship services at Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, CA. Following the 3rd service, I had the time to pray with those who responded to the invitation, indicating they wanted to invite Jesus to come into their hearts in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Praise God! Many did!
I was invited by Pastor David Anderson to speak at all three Sunday morning services at Bridgeway Community Church in Columbia, MD. From the time I arrived until the time I left, I was bathed in prayer by his elders, his leaders, and himself. In answer to prayer, God poured out His Spirit on all of us.
I. IN THE DESERT
*Describe a spiritual “desert.” See Exodus 15:22; 16:2-3.
*Where did God’s people see the LORD in Exodus 16:10?
This latest edition of the 365-day devotional features a larger trim, enlarged print, and a fresh design, breathing new life into a title that has been loved and appreciated for over 15 years. Each dated devotional in The Joy of My Heart includes a Scripture verse and reflections from Anne on topics such as eternity, grief, and faith.
If you would like to receive AnGeL Ministries’ full newsletter by email or postal delivery, click here to sign up for our free resources!
I. IN THE DESERT
II. IN THE DARKNESS
III. IN THE STORM
IV. ON THE MOUNTAIN
Mountains can represent peaks and high points in our lives, but they can also represent difficulties, obstacles, hardships, and stress because of the effort required to “climb” them.
The Bible says, now we see through a glass darkly…but one day we will see Him face to face (I Corinthians 13:12). Would you ask God to show you His glory even now in the midst of your desert, darkness, storm and mountain-sized hardship? Then open your eyes and look up, look around, and look back….
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Spring 2020 Newsletter.
