Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
Wilderness // Jeremy Camp
Today’s Gift of Grace is Holy Determination
Open the Grace {Day Twenty-Five} 40 Gifts for 40 Days
Lord, You chose the hard way.
As we look to You—our souls find strength to endure..
To deny our flesh with all its whims & desire.
Help us to draw courage from Your example.
May we be filled with Holy Determination to walk through the wilderness seasons of our lives.
Trusting you’ve gone ahead of us— preparing the way.
“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for
he is good; his love endures forever.
Though this was likely David’s psalm, it was also Jesus’ psalm. “This is pre-eminently the triumph song of the Christ, He the ideal Servant, He the perfect Priest, He the Leader of the people. How much all these words meant to Him as He sang them on that night in the upper room.” (G. Campbell Morgan)https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-118/
Today’s Gift of Grace is Crowned With Confidence
Open the Grace {Day Twenty-Two} 40 Gifts for 40 Days
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 118: 1 ESV
Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.”
The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Psalm 118: 14 ESV
Today’s Gift of Grace is His Unfailing Love
Open the Grace {Day Twenty-One} 40 Gifts for 40 Days
“This is the shortest song in the whole collection, but there is none greater or grander in its expression of praise.” (G. Campbell Morgan) “Martin Luther devoted thirty-six pages to this psalm, expounding it in four important categories: (1) prophecy (the Gentiles will participate in gospel blessings), (2) revelation (the kingdom of Christ is not earthly and temporal but rather heavenly and eternal), (3) instruction (we are saved by faith alone and not by works, wisdom, or holiness), and (4) admonition (we should praise God for such a great salvation).” (James Montgomery Boice)https:// enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-117/
Father, we lift up every tribe, tongue, & nation.
May our hearts be knit together for Your glory & purpose.
How great is Your Love toward us.
Faithful in all Your ways.
Oh that our lives would reflect Your nature in the earth.
Amen.
For there is neither Jew nor Greek; slave nor free; male nor female; for all of us are one in Christ.
Galatians 3:28
We’re at the halfway point of our Lenten journey…
A good time to take pause & consider what the Father might be speaking to our hearts.
Today’s Gift of Grace is 10 Questions to Consider…
Open the Grace {Day Twenty} 40 Gifts for 40 Days
{1} What Gifts of Grace do I see in my everyday rhythms?
{2} Do I practice praise through every circumstance?
{3} Does familiarity keep me from seeing areas where I might need change?
{4} Am I willing to do the deep work—practicing presence over perfection?
{5} Where am I spending my time, energy, & finances?
{6} Is making space for rest a priority or even a possibility?
{7} How do I practice gratitude?
{8} In what ways can I experience receiving His strength in my weakness?
{9} What am I willing to give up in order to live a fully surrendered life?
{10} Is prayer the place I go for peace?
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
Today’s Gift of Grace is A Declaration of Deliverance
Open the Grace {Day Nineteen} 40 Gifts for 40 Days
Psalm 116
I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
V 1-2
I love you, Lord.
A song of simple expression.
In a desperate season
& as long as I shall live.
“They say that love is blind; but when we love God our affection has its eyes open and can sustain itself with the most rigid logic. We have reason, superabundant reason, for loving the Lord.” (Spurgeon)
The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
V 3-4
A foretelling— A Declaration of Deliverance, Death, & Resurrection
“Oh LORD,
I implore you,
deliver my soul!”
Our cries of desperation,
He hears every one.
“This form of petition is short, comprehensive, to the point, humble, and earnest. It were well if all our prayers were moulded upon this model; perhaps they would be if we were in similar circumstances to those of the Psalmist, for real trouble produces real prayer.” (Spurgeon)
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
V 5-7
In utter delight & desperation the psalmist gives praise.
You’re gracious
You’rerighteous
You’re merciful
This place where our souls find true rest,
is where we can return to over & over again.
“Whenever a child of God even for a moment loses his peace of mind, he should be concerned to find it again, not by seeking it in the world or in his own experience, but in the Lord alone.” (Spurgeon)
For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
V 8-11
A powerful expression of praise,
a reflection of the greatness of the deliverance…
In the depths of distress,
still I will praise you!
“ I believed, therefore I spoke…”
A prophetic declaration over what looks like death.
A confident stance in the face of adversity.
“By a man’s walk is understood his way of life: some men live only as in the sight of their fellow men, having regard to human judgment and opinion; but the truly gracious man considers the presence of God, and acts under the influence of his all-observing eye.” (Spurgeon)
What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
V 12-14
The psalmist chose the way of gratitude.
Taking in, calling out
A constant interplaying of thanksgiving & response.
“We can do this figuratively at the sacramental table, we can do it spiritually every time we grasp the golden chalice of the covenant, realizing the fulness of blessing which it contains, and by faith receiving its divine contents into our inmost soul.” (Spurgeon)
Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
V 15-19
Each verse a reminder of the words Jesus & his disciples sang as they rose from the table and walked toward the beautiful-terrible Way. (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26)
Powerful & Prophetic
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Once & For All
Though death is a curse and an enemy, it is still precious because it removes the remaining barriers between God and His saints, and is the doorway to an eternity of perfect fellowship. “Death to the saints is not a penalty, it is not destruction, it is not even a loss.” (Spurgeon)
God I Look to You, Jenn Johnson
Today we make a Declaration of Deliverance over every dead situation…
We find rest in knowing that salvation is the final word!
Continuing in prayer, today we look at Psalm 115. Traditionally, Psalms 113-114 would have been sung before the Passover meal, and Psalms 115-118 were sung afterwards.
These are the Psalms scholars believe Jesus and His disciples sang after The Last Supper:
“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Matthew 26:30 ESV
///
“Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield. House of Aaron, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.
The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the Lord— small and great alike.
May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord.” Psalms 115:1-18 NIV
Today’s Gift of Grace is Trust in the Lord.
Open the Grace {Day Eighteen} 40 Gifts for 40 Days
There’s a blessing that comes when we trust in the Lord alone.
No other name.
Jesus.
Today we choose to take every stress and pressure, every situation and circumstance…
This week we focus on the third Pillar of Lent—Prayer.
This second Psalm of the Jewish Hallel is entitled A Song for Passover (TPT)—it’s one Jesus would have spoken at the time of Passover during Holy Week.
With this Psalm, God’s people gave thanks for His saving grace when the children of Israel were set free from bondage.
Today, as we pray together, let’s give thanks for all His saving grace—we receive it today.
“Many years ago the Jewish people escaped Egypt’s tyranny, so that Israel, God’s people of praise, would become his holy sanctuary, his kingdom on the earth.
The Red Sea waters saw them coming and ran the other way! Then later, the Jordan River too moved aside so that they could all pass through.
The land shuddered with fear. Mountains and hills shook with dread.
O sea, what happened to you to make you flee? O Jordan, what was it that made you turn and run?
O mountains, what frightened you so? And you hills, what made you shiver?
Tremble, O earth, for you are in the presence of the Lord, the presence of the God of Jacob.
He splits open boulders and brings up bubbling water. Gushing streams burst forth when he is near!” Psalms 114:1-8 TPT
Today’s Gift of Grace is Salvation
Open the Grace {Day Seventeen} 40 Gifts for 40 Days
THE PEARL COMMUNITY 