Category: Awe

Awe at the Display of God’s Power

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awe, Healing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Stand in awe, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2023-02-09
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 9:38-43
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 38  … a man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, this boy here is my only son, 39 and a demon keeps seizing him, making him scream; and it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth; it is always hitting him and hardly ever leaves him alone. 40 I begged your disciples to cast the demon out, but they couldn’t.”
41 “O you stubborn faithless people,” Jesus said to his disciples, “how long should I put up with you? Bring him here.”
42 As the boy was coming the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus ordered the demon to come out, and healed the boy and handed him over to his father.
43 Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of the power of God.

APPLICATION: Back in the beginning of this chapter, Jesus gave His disciples power to go out and preach the Good News and cast out demons. Don’t you know that the crowd was no different then, than we are today, and they just flocked in to see how Jesus would respond to this father who reported that His disciples were unable to cast the demon out of his son? Were they given the power, and now lost it? Did they run out of that supernatural power? But wait, that was covered in Romans 11:29 where it reads that God’s power would never be withdrawn from those He gifted. However, this may be a good time for us to review the origin of our gifts – for it is a gift of God. Divine followers of Jesus Christ may be blessed with a gift of God and they may have power from on high to heal, to counsel others, to teach others, or even have evangelistic gifts, and there may come a time when they find those gifts weaning away from them. Why?? Well, Jesus covered this for us in the Scriptures also, for in Mark 9:29 Jesus said: “This kind [of unclean spirit] cannot come out by anything but prayer [to the Father].” God forbid if we ever take it on ourselves to think that ‘we’ have any healing power. Only through the power, and the blood of Jesus Christ alone, might we ever be honored with Him using us to lay hands on anyone so that He can bring about healing. No matter how gifted we feel that we are, we might have even been one of the most gifted witnesses in the whole country, we will be ineffective today if we have not been maintaining that gift by prayer and fasting, by spending time in the presence of God. Now, being in the presence of Jesus, of course He was able to heal the young boy of the demons that impacted him on a frequent basis. But notice the crowd when they witnessed this healing – they were struck with awe and wonder! They witnessed for themselves the love, compassion and healing power of this man they had heard so much about. One Bible version says that they had a time of clapping and praising God. Do you recall the last time that you were struck with awe at the miracles by God in the life of someone at your church? Hopefully this is not just a private affair that takes place at the altar after a sermon, and not shared with the congregation to celebrate this power of God released in response to the faith of a believer. Friends, we must never forget that the God we serve today, is the same God that we read about in the Bible, learn about in Sunday School and hear from our pulpits when our pastor shares what God has laid on his heart for His people. This is not ‘pie in the sky’, but this is true power from our all-powerful God! Worship Him, my friend. Call on Him for your needs, and call on the pastors and elders of your church to pray over you in faith, believing in the power of Almighty God. Let the church come alive with times of awe and celebration! It will rejuvenate us to go on in victory to win the unsaved and heal the sick – in Jesus’ Name!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The crowd was struck with awe at the power of Almighty God! I believe that will bring revival to a church that sees this happening on a regular basis!

PRAYER: Praise the Lord God Almighty, our God’s not dead, but very much alive because we see Him at work in our own lives and in the lives of His church! He healed the young man in our story today, and He still has the power to heal today, if only we will give Him the opportunity to use His power in our lives. Thank You Jesus! You are our mighty and awesome God, and we humble ourselves before You like this hurting father did for His demon-struck boy. Needs are numerous in my life, in the life of my family and also in my church, oh God. Please move in miraculous and mysterious ways in these needs so that Your church might be revived and renewed in their mission. I pray that every reader and listener of this devotional will catch a glimpse of the powerful God that we serve and call Father. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

I Stand In Awe Of Him

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awe, Awesome God, Creator, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

Friday, 2019-05-10

Bible Reference: Psalm 33:6-9
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text:
6 The Lord merely spoke,
    and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
    and all the stars were born.
7 He assigned the sea its boundaries
    and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,
    and let everyone stand in awe of him.
9 For when he spoke, the world began!
    It appeared at his command.

OBSERVATION: A medical doctor will be recognized for his/her extraordinary study of a particular disease, and should he find a cure for that disease, he would be highly recognized and respected, in some cases, throughout the entire world. We are reminded in the Scripture that our world was without form and substance at one point, yet the Almighty God who created you and me, also created everything in this world. Let’s just meditate on, and soak in, the awesome power of our God, the very One that we call ‘Father’!

APPLICATION: There are a number of hymns written about the awesome power of God. Many of these were written from personal experiences where God’s power became very real to the songwriter through a personal encounter. My prayer today is that each reader of this devotional will not just read the Scripture verses, and/or my humble commentary, but that they may catch a glimpse of the enormous power of our God, and experience the love, compassion and power of the Creator of this earth in a very personal way today. Perhaps on your way to work, or to the store, or on the hunting/fishing grounds, you might see more than just trees and animals, or possibly fish jumping from the waters. But that you may be awed by the beauty of the forest; the purpose of the animals; the variety of the fish in size, color and taste; the vastness of the ocean; and the purpose of the sun, rain, moon, etc. I pray that you may imagine a world without these things, and then be reminded of the only way that they came into existence and the great purpose for which God created them. Now, may I suggest that you re-read the focal verses again? Notice carefully how the Psalmist reminds us that God didn’t just create water and allow it to flow all over the wonderful lands that He created, but instead He formed reservoirs to retain that water, so that everything else could survive! He didn’t just create you and I, and place us on land that He created, without first providing fruit, fish, animals, water, etc. that would provide food, milk, and everything else that we need to flourish! Friends, I trust that you will catch a glimpse of my awesome God today, and that you may be refreshed as you are reminded of all that He meticulously provided for His children. Also be reminded that God has everything covered right up to, and including, our eternal destination after we leave this wonderful world. To understand more about this, and how you might be a part of this type of eternity, please read my Footnote, and take time to click on the included links. God loves you more than anything you could imagine. Allow this miracle-working God to be a part of your life both now, and throughout eternity.

PRAYER: I stand in awe of You mighty God! Thank You for allowing me to participate in, and bask in, Your awesome goodness here on earth! I am also especially grateful that You have me covered right through eternity also, and I thank You for drawing me to Yourself. Lord, You are good and Your mercies are with me always. Please humble the hearts of my readers today, so that they too may be drawn to You and the everlasting hope that only You can provide. Please forgive us Lord when we take Your many gifts, and Your precious blood for granted. Life is meaningless without You Lord, for we need You every hour of every day. AMEN!

In Awe of Our God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Awe, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Psalm 33: 6-9 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.  He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.  Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him.  For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

THOUGHTS: I believe that if the news channels announced that a certain man was coming to our town who could do miraculous things, we would probably all head out to the largest stadium in the area to see him, witness his miracles, and even take our sick and disabled to receive a touch from him, with hopes that they would be healed. In fact, we would probably even go as far as kneeling before him as we plead for his touch, and I know we would brag about him all over town as we see his works performed. I also believe we would pay good money to get into the stadium to see this man. But wait a minute, the last time I went to church I was told about a man who did the same thing as already described, and the audience (congregation) didn’t seem anywhere as excited as if they would have attended the stadium that I mentioned above. In fact, their lips seemed sealed when they left the sanctuary also. What’s with that? Friends, the Psalmist is reminding us again today that our God made everything that exists today, right down to the very air that we breathe, the sunshine that we enjoy and depend on for certain vitamins, the rain that blesses our crops, the cold that ripens our citrus, the family that we often hang around and the boss that created job opportunities for us. In fact, nothing would exist had it not been for God. But take note of this as you celebrate Christmas this year – our God is so awesome that He miraculously impregnated a virgin girl with a baby boy – His Son, we know as ‘Jesus’ – the One who ultimately gave His life so that lost sinners like you and I could have the means of getting into heaven to live eternally with He and the Father (God). The Psalmist suggests that as we recognize the awesome power, love and protection of our God, then perhaps we would stand in awe of Him, worship Him with thankful hearts, have a yearning to know more about His teachings, and praise Him for all that He provides for us every day. Collectively, these very actions constitute ‘church’ friend. It’s not a big secret place set aside for only a select group, for this God that I described, and that the Psalmist described, is supreme to all inhabitants of this earth. One God, for us all. So please be encouraged to visit a church this weekend as we stand in awe of our God and celebrate the many blessings that is ours, because of who He is and for all that He does for us!

PRAYER: Father God, so often we lose sight of the awesome God that You are, especially at those times when everything around us appears to be so huge and insurmountable. Yet, the Psalmist has reminded us that You created everything from nothing at all, just using the awesome power of the only true God of this universe. What a privilege it is to call You Father, for who are we that such an awesome God should consider sending His only Son as our redemption from sin? Obviously You loved us more that we can humanly imagine. Thank You Father! Thank You Lord Jesus! May we always be found in an attitude of worship, and may we always seek opportunities for corporate praise, worship and a message from Your Word. In humble thanksgiving and awe, I praise You Heavenly Father, and ask these requests today, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!