God's Glory Church

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves the humbled in spirit. — Psalm 33:19
The morning my son Allen was born, the doctor sat in the chair by my bed and said, “Something is wrong…” Our son, so healthy on the outside, had a life-threatening defect and needed immediate surgery.

When the doctor says that “something is wrong” with your child, everything in life changes. Fear of the unknown future can break your spirit and you can barely move forward, desperately needing God’s help. “Why would a loving God let this happen?” you think. “Does He really care about my child? Is He with me?” These and other thoughts shook my faith that morning.

Then my husband Hiram came and heard the sad news. When the doctor left, he said, “Jolin, let’s pray.” I nodded and he took my hand. “Thank you, Father, for giving us Allen,” he prayed. “He’s yours, God. Not ours. You loved him before we knew he existed. And he’s yours. Be with him when and where we can’t be. Amen.”

Hiram was always a man of few words. But that day, when my heart was broken, my spirit was broken, and my faith weakened, God gave him words that I could not have said. In those moments, firmly holding my husband’s hand, in deep silence, swallowing tears, I felt that God was very close.

How has God through other people strengthened you when your spirit was broken? Psalms can help you pray if you can’t find the right words.
The best friend is the one who prays for you.
Author: Jolene Philo

The author of the 27th Psalm deliberately focuses attention on one of the most important aspects of our spiritual life. Throughout the scriptures we learn about the importance of God’s presence.

It is in God’s presence that we find strength and hope (Psalm 27:1). Also, in God’s presence our enemies lose their power over us (Psalm 27:2-3).

In Psalm 27:4, the author expresses his desire to be in the house of God, to contemplate God’s beauty and to be in His presence in the temple. In the Old Testament, God’s presence was primarily in the temple. But spending time with God, the psalmist found hope and restoration for his soul.

Thanks to Jesus, God’s presence is no longer confined to the temple. His presence is now available to us through the Holy Spirit who lives within believers. Now we have access to God’s presence at all times.

Just as the psalmist desired to be in God’s presence, we should also desire to be with God as much as possible. It is in God’s presence that we find hope, joy, beauty and restoration of our weary souls.

It is important that we spend time with God every day. We can do this by regularly reading the Scriptures and meditating on what we read. We can also spend time in prayer talking to God about what is happening in our lives. Another way to spend time in God’s presence is simply to be aware that He is with you as you go about your daily tasks each day.

Test me, O God, and know my heart, examine me, and know my thoughts. — Psalm 138:23
When my husband Dan and I decided to take care of our elderly parents, the first day we held each other’s hands felt like we were about to jump into the abyss. Little did we know at the time that the greatest of the challenges ahead would be to allow God to search and shape our hearts, to allow Him to use this time in such a way as to transform us into the likeness of Jesus.

In those days when I felt like I was flying into an abyss in free fall, God revealed the secret things in my heart, hidden motives, fears, pride and selfishness. Where I suffered spiritual defeats, He showed His love and forgiveness.

The pastor told me then: “The best day is the day when you first see yourself with your own eyes – hopeless without Christ; and then you see yourself with God’s eyes – complete in Him.” This is exactly the kind of blessing I have received in my life through the ministry of guardianship. When I saw what God created me for, I stopped in my tracks and ran crying into His open arms. I tearfully cried out to God, as the psalmist once did: “Test me, O God, and know my heart” (Ps. 138:23).

I pray that you too will have such an experience – that when you see your heart in the midst of difficult circumstances, you can run with tears to the open, loving arms of God, who always grants forgiveness.

Dear Father, today I confess a desperate need for Your love, wisdom and grace. Explore and know my heart. Fill my life with Your grace and mercy, so that my heart receives healing.
Restlessness comes – strength disappears; let’s run to God – strength returns.
Author: Shelley Beach

If you’ve ever experienced a severe storm or natural disaster, you know how important it is to have a safe shelter for your protection. Whenever there is a threat, we need something stronger than that threat to protect us.

This also applies to our everyday life. We experience attacks from our spiritual enemy and other dangers in life. Sometimes we need to be rescued from our thoughts and habits. Other times, we need someone to help us heal from something we can’t handle on our own.

Scripture calls God our refuge and refuge. As God’s children, we can rest in His strength and power, knowing that He is able to protect us from any situation we may face.

Since God created us, He really does know what is best for us. He knows how to protect our souls and keep us from danger.

However, we must turn to Him when we need help. We cannot rely on His presence unless we spend time with Him. He is a refuge for those who actively trust Him and seek His help. No matter what challenges you face, God can help you get through them.

The best way to seek help from God is through prayer. Spend some time talking to God, telling Him how you feel. Ask Him for what you need. If you seek His presence and trust in Him, He will protect you and keep you safe.

When you walk with a friend, you should keep up with each other. If one of you rushes ahead or lags behind, you are no longer walking together. Something similar happens when it comes to walking with God.

The Apostle Paul said:

“Since the Spirit is the source of our new life, let us follow the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25

When we trust Jesus as our Savior, we are given the gift of grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Simply put, the Holy Spirit is God. God gave us! The Holy Spirit leads, directs and works in us and through us.

There are times when we are tempted to outrun the Spirit. Because, if we’re being honest, He doesn’t always move as fast as we’d like. We may even question whether He moves or whether He cares. This is why walking with God requires patience.

There are other times when we are tempted to fall behind the Spirit. Because sometimes He can lead us somewhere that might make us a little uncomfortable. It requires effort, determination, physical and emotional strength. This is why walking with God takes courage.

We can keep pace with the Spirit by keeping close to Him—attentively, talking to Him, reading His Word, and being in fellowship with those who love Him.

Тому що, коли ми зобов’язуємося триматися близько Нього, одне можна сказати напевно: Святий Дух направлятиме вас на кожному кроці.

In an ever-changing, ever-moving, ever-changing world, we can count on God’s unchanging nature.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews put it this way:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8

The name for the three separate parts, or “Persons” of God, is the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the Son – Jesus Christ – is the purest reflection of the Father, who never changes.

When you discover the awesome mystery that is God Who became flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ, you will notice that He said such bold things as, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30 NIV). “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) and “And now give Me glory with You, Father, the glory that I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5)

John described Jesus as the Word: “Before the world was, the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

God said of Himself, “For I am the Lord your God, and I do not change” (Malachi 3:6 UTT). This unchanging quality is called the immutability of God.

From generation to generation, God is an immovable rock where we can firmly establish our faith.

God cannot lie. He cannot be unjust. He is always good. He is always faithful. He is absolutely perfect. He is self-sufficient. He is ever-steady and permanent, enduring and eternal.

If your world is shaken, or if everything around you seems to be changing, or if you have trouble distinguishing between solid rock and quicksand, you can trust, count on Jesus, and place your hope in Him.

He is not only your righteous Savior, but also your unchanging God.

There are various times throughout the Bible when God tells someone not to be afraid. Each of these moments occurs when the listener has every reason to be very scared.

One such case involves Joshua, the leader of Israel after the death of Moses, who led the Israelites to the promised land (see Exodus 3). He had to lead over a million people to the place God had promised, and that meant going through difficult and frightening situations.

In the midst of all this, God commanded Joshua to do two things:

To adhere to the Word of God and to be strong and courageous, because the Lord was with him. (See: Joshua 1:7-9)

In Matthew 28, Jesus says something similar immediately after His resurrection. He was with His eleven disciples and said to them:

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 (translation by Turkoniak)

Jesus tells His disciples two main things:

To keep His word (“go and teach all nations”) and assures that He will be with them.

God is always the same. He was the same God who gave Joshua His word and promise of presence, and He is the same God who gives us His Word and assures us of His presence. We are known, loved, and cared for by a faithful, constant God—and He will never leave us.

Today, think about how you can teach others about Jesus and His words. How does His Word and His presence make you strong and courageous? Before this time ends, thank God for His promise to be with you always.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:16
The Washington Post newspaper published an article under the title “Death Challenge: The Latest Project of the Tech Titans.” In it, journalist Ariana Cha talks about the great attempts of Peter Tlie and other tycoons to increase the length of human life to infinity. They were ready to spend billions of dollars on this project.

But they were a little late. Death has long been defeated! Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

However, it is necessary to clarify something: our bodies will die – and nothing will change that. But that part of our being that thinks, reasons, remembers, loves will never die. It is about the most important component of our nature – what we call “I”.

And now the most important thing: such a life is God’s gift! All that is needed to receive this gift is simply to accept the salvation that Jesus offers. Clive Lewis, thinking about this spiritual truth, compares the gift of salvation with “laughter in the dark”, that is, with something that is very easy to respond to. “It’s too simple,” someone will say. That’s right. God loved us very much before we were born and wants us to be with Him forever.

Dear Jesus, I believe that You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I want to accept You as my Lord and Savior – and follow You. Please forgive my sins and help me, starting from this moment, to live a life pleasing to You.
Christ replaced the black door of death with a shining gate of life.
Author: David Roper

Think back to a time when you were worried. How did you deal with it? Maybe you tried to distract yourself or maybe you let your mind run over your problems. It is natural to want to respond to our worries this way, but God shows us the best way to respond.

Shortly before Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples that He was leaving them. Worried about life without Him, the disciples wanted answers. But instead of giving them the answer they hoped for, Jesus told His disciples to be in the world and not let their hearts be troubled.

Imagine how this must have disappointed His followers. They felt that Jesus was coming, but they tried to reconcile what He was saying with their ideas about the future.

They questioned His words because they could not understand them.

Likewise, we can quickly try to find solutions to our problems when we are worried. We can allow our understanding of current events to cloud our thinking and affect our conversations with God. But God’s purposes are beyond what we can see and understand.

Коли Ісус сказав учням бути в спокої і не хвилюватися, Ісус бачив за хрестом Його воскресіння, Його повернення на небеса і пришестя Божого Святого Духа.

Likewise, He sees beyond our situations.

Because we live in an imperfect world, we will face disappointments and difficulties, but because we serve a good God, He sees beyond the bad things we go through. He sees our future full of hope.

Jesus told His disciples to be still because He wanted them to trust Him. Likewise, God wants us to be at peace in any situation as we trust Him to work things out for our good and His glory.

So take some time today to think about some of the situations that cause you anxiety. Then take a moment to tell God that you trust Him in each of these circumstances. Imagine that you give Him every anxiety and allow Him to give you His peace in return.

We are busy people.

Між роботою та домом, сім’єю та друзями, насиченими розкладами та нескінченними завданнями виникає спокуса поспішати крізь наші дні, навіть не зупиняючись, щоб підняти очі.

But God, speaking through the psalmist, said:

“Enough of the struggle,” He says, “know that I am your God.” I am the conqueror of nations, then I am the Lord of the earth.”
Psalms 46:10

When was the last time you were intentionally still (not just when you were sleeping)? When was your body and mind still enough to recognize that God is God?

Contrary to the past, what will you choose today? You can close this app, check “Time with God” on your to-do list, and go about your business as usual. Or you can let the knowledge and truth of God bring peace to your troubled heart.

There is something about silence that makes us go beyond ourselves. There is something in silence that heightens our awareness and need for God.

It’s one thing to acknowledge God with our words, but it’s another thing to put Him above all the good, the bad, and the unattractive in our lives—to live in such a way as to honor and magnify Him.

The day will come when, whether we are ready or not, God will reveal Himself fully. The day will come when, whether we like it or not, every secret will be revealed. The day will come when, like it or not, He will be exalted above the nations and honored throughout the world.

But you don’t have to wait to worship Him. You don’t have to wait to call Him your God. You don’t have to wait to make Him Lord and King of your life.

You can rest easy right now and know that He is God.