A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick

God is the Creator of the world and yet wants to be your close, personal friend. He offers himself to you as so many things: support, sustainer, redeemer, and king.

He is also your "help!"

King David knew the Lord intimately and called out to God as "my help" (Psalm 22:19). When David's enemies were pursuing him, David turned to his personal God. He pleaded with the Lord for deliverance, begging God to help him overcome his enemies' schemes.

David's prayer came out of a desperate heart of faith. A prayer of desperation is the prayer that God most loves to hear from his children.

"Help me, Lord!" A three word prayer God loves to hear!

Why does he love this prayer? Because it proves our helplessness. It shows our dependence on him. And it fully acknowledges that God alone is our strength.

As we cling to God for help, we are showing our great need for him. And what's interesting is that it's often when we reach desperation - a place of complete surrender - that God responds to our prayers.

Do you need help today? Call upon the Lord! He is your personal God. Pray, "Daddy, I need help. I can't do this on my own. I am suffering, and I need you to intervene and help me. I surrender this situation to you. I trust you to deliver me in your time and in your way."

Call upon the Lord to help you today. God is your personal help in times of need.

by David Chadwick

The eternal God of the universe longs to be your king, your glory, and your support. He wants to become your personal God.

This same God who rose Jesus from the dead lives inside of anyone who places their trust in him. He deeply desires for you to know him as your personal "redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

To redeem means to take something broken and make it new, even more valuable than it was in its original form. So it can be used in its original intent.

God is in the restoration business. He wants to rescue you. To save you and repair you. To reclaim you and to fix any damage done.

The Lord, our Redeemer, has offered all of us salvation from sin. He wants to forgive you and make you new, calling you to experience a new beginning and purpose.

The life of Jesus has the ability not just to release us from slavery and shame but to launch us into freedom and joy.

Have you been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb?

Pray to God, "Lord, I believe that you are my redeemer! You have made me a new creation! The old has completely passed away! The new has come! I am redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Thank you, Father!"

I am broken. But, behold, Jesus makes all things new by his grace.

What great news!

by David Chadwick

Are you starting to believe that your God is personal to you? That he wants to walk with you, lead you, and guide you? He does!

He also wants you to know him as your support (Psalm 18:18).

Where do you first turn for help in times of trouble? To others or to God? He wants you to run to him. To be there for you as a close friend. A companion who holds your hand so tightly, you cannot fall.

Think about the support beams in a building. They exist to hold up the house or structure. It is God's deep desire to support you in this way. In every area of your life. In every trial. Through every test. In the midst of sorrow. He wants to rescue you from your enemies. From hostility. From danger. Throughout your entire life.

Imagine an invisible hand reaching down from heaven, catching you when you stumble. Ensuring you won't fall. That's the support of God (Psalm 37:24).

God is for you. He's on your side. He's got your back. He wants you to succeed. He wants you to prosper. And to use all of your gifts for his glory.

Are you on shaky ground today? Do you feel like you're ready to fall? If so, pray, "Lord, I need you. Be my support. Show me that you are my personal God. Steady me with your eternal arms. Support me when I am weak and help make me strong."

With God as your support, you never need to fear. He is always able to keep you from falling.

by David Chadwick

God wants to be your personal friend. He has made himself available to you not just as your king, but as your personal refuge in times of trouble. He is a very personal God.

King David knew God personally. When David was suffering from prolonged, unprovoked attacks by his enemies, he called upon the Lord as "My God!" (Psalm 22:1).

You may recall these same words spoken by Jesus in his final words uttered moments before his death on the cross (Matthew 27:46). Jesus knew his Father as Daddy. God. And friend.

And so should we.

Jesus came to earth to die for our sins. But he also came to model how we should live. Jesus lived with total reliance on the Father. He wants us to depend on him fully, turning to him, and trusting him at all times.

Your Daddy in heaven - who yearns to know you personally - is the Creator of the world. He established the universe. Formed the stars. Created the sun and the skies. He knows and oversees every second of your life, and his providential plan for your life cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2).

When God created you in the womb, every inch of your body was made and is now known by him. The depth and breadth of his love for you - his child - is incredible.

Pray to the Lord today, "Daddy, you made me. You know me intimately. You know every part of me and oversee every part of my life. You care for me so deeply. You are my God!"

The Lord wants you to know him as a personal friend, father, Creator, and God!

by David Chadwick

The God of all creation wants to be your friend. He is a personal God. He is your king, your glory, and your salvation.

He also desires to be your "chosen portion" (Psalm 16:5). King David knew this full well.

When Jesus saves us, God adopts each one of us into his eternal family. We have now been given access to a royal inheritance. Our birthright and our heritage as his children is eternal life!

God has chosen us as his own and blessed us immensely through his grace and mercy. Stop and dwell on that for a moment! The Creator of the world - the eternal God of the universe - pursued you. He wanted you. He chose you. Adopted you. Claimed you.

What an overwhelming and staggering realization! When you see your personal God as "your chosen portion," you also receive the benefit of him seeing you as chosen. What more could you ever want? To know you are chosen means low self-esteem disappears. Feelings of worthlessness flee. Identities strengthen, and healing occurs!

Pray to the Lord and say, "Daddy, you are my chosen portion. And you have chosen me! I am yours, and you are mine! You wanted me! Because of that, I am saturated in your perfect love."

Today and forever, dear friends, remember that God is your chosen portion and you are God's chosen one. What more could you ever want? In the reality of this truth, you will experience the fullness of the Father's love and the healing that comes from receiving it.

Rest in his steadfast love for you.

by David Chadwick

The word "personal" means "relating to or affecting a particular person." We serve a personal God. He relates to us and his desire is to affect us in the deepest possible way, transforming us more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus.

God wants us to know him as personally as King David did and to be able to describe our relationship with him in personal ways.

During a particularly difficult crisis in his life, King David described God as "my glory" (Psalm 3:3). What exactly does that mean?

"Glory" is defined biblically as praise, honor, and thanksgiving. It can also mean splendor and the eternal state of heaven.

Glory is akin to someone's reputation. So when we give glory to God, we are exalting his name and rendering a worshipful posture and good opinion of the One who has given us life. When you live for God's glory, you are living to make his name great. Respected. Honored.

King David lived to exalt the name of the Lord and to make him and him alone revered. David wanted to point anyone who would listen to him to God and make the name of the Lord more famous than any other earthly name. David lived his life to give God glory. Whether it was in triumphs or defeats, he always fell back on his deep understanding of his personal relationship with God. That's why he could call God "my glory."

Do you exalt the Most High by giving him glory? Today, join me in honoring and revering the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords: "Daddy, you are my glory. Help me to honor you with each breath I take. Help me to glorify your great name. Every good and perfect gift comes from you (James 1:17). You are the reason for every gift I have in my life, both big and small. Today and forever, I worship you."

Remember today that the glory of the Lord is personally available to you!

by David Chadwick

In case you haven't picked up on it yet, the eternal God of the universe wants to be your close, personal friend. King David knew this all too well. He didn't just see God as a far-off, cosmic deity. He encountered him as his steadfast love, his shield, and his deliverer.

Like King David, God also wants you to know him as your "King" (Psalm 2:6). Do you know why? Because that is exactly who he is - the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

An earthly king rules faithfully and absolutely over every part of his kingdom. His confidence is unwavering because nothing is outside of his sovereign control. Every decision is decided and decreed by the king.

God is the ultimate King. Psalm 93:1 says he is robed in majesty, armed with strength, and that he reigns! There is no one like him.

But there's more. Earthly kings may have a strong presence. But God is omnipresent - he is everywhere! Earthly kings may be wise. But God is omniscient - he knows everything! Every morsel of wisdom comes from him. Earthly kings are powerful rulers. But God is omnipotent - His power is infinite! He is outside of time, all-knowing, and all-powerful!

Think about it this way: If one atom is outside God's control, then every atom is outside his control. Why? Because God oversees ALL. And all means all.

God is the King of your life - working all things for good to fulfill your role in his Kingdom.

Do you know God as your personal King? Pray to him today, "Lord you are my King and the ruler of the universe! You are the only ruler of my life. Help me kneel to your authority. I want to fulfill the plans you have for me in your Kingdom. And I want to trust you with everything in my life."

What an incredible reality for you to be reminded of today: The sovereign King of the universe is your personal God. Rest in that truth!

by David Chadwick

God is our refuge and strength. He wants to be a very present help to us in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). He desires to have a close and personal relationship with each one of his children.

King David also describes his relationship with God by calling him "my deliverer" (Psalm 18:2)? We, too, are invited into that kind of personal relationship where we know God the same way.

God wants to protect you and keep you. He wants to give you peace and to deliver you from your enemies. Jesus said this to us in John 16:33: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

We are going to face problems in this world. And every single one of us will experience enemies. Satan is the most obvious enemy. He is the evil one assigned to relentlessly pursue us. He wants to control our lives, use us as his pawn, trap us in sin, and keep us in a prison of discouragement and despair. He desires that we feel entrapped with no hope.

But God. Rich in mercy. Abounding in love. He came to set us free!

The Lord's gracious gift of mercy delivers us from our sin. When we become entrapped, overwhelmed or burdened, turn to Jesus. He forgives us and sets us free, washing away our mistakes and giving us new life and hope.

Jesus said to pray like this: "Deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). Do you know God as your deliverer?

Today, confess your heart to the Lord: "Father, I'm a sinner. Thank you for your gift of grace. Daddy, deliver me from evil - both from enemies who are after me and from my own fleshly desires. You are my deliverer and I love you!"

In this life, you will have many afflictions and enemies, but the Lord will deliver. The victory of Jesus has overcome the world.

by David Chadwick

As Christians, we serve a personal God. He is close to us in times of trouble. He is our salvation and our light. In him, we find perfect peace and protection.

God is also our personal stronghold (Psalm 18:2). You can run into his arms to find rest. As your stronghold, he will guard and protect you as any loving Daddy should.

Picture a citadel guarded by strong ramparts. Perhaps a moat surrounding the stronghold, filled with water. That is who our great God is! He is a personal citadel. A strong place of refuge and our first line of defense. The Creator of the world offers protection to us in times of need and gives us strength far greater than any opponent we will ever face.

Romans 8:37 says that we are more than conquerors through Jesus. Because of Jesus, we now have access to an impregnable stronghold. One with walls that are too high to be scaled, a moat too deep to swim through, and weapons too powerful to overcome.

Do you know the Lord as your personal stronghold? Do you run to him in times of need? You can run to him, straight into his castle, pull up the drawbridge, and be safe from your pursuing enemy. If not, God wants to reveal himself to you as a stronghold today. He wants to take hold of your life and show you his strength.

Join me in praying this prayer: "Lord, you are my stronghold! In you, I take refuge and find retreat from the cares of this world. I can run into your arms and am promised to find rest and protection. You promise me protection from harm and the ultimate gift of eternal, heavenly peace."

Now, run into the arms of your Daddy. And experience your personal God as your forever stronghold.

by David Chadwick

The eternal God of the universe wants to be your close, intimate, and personal friend. As a hiding place, a shield, and a rock, he has been on a rescue mission for all of time to save the world from the curse of sin.

God loves the world (John 3:16) and wants everyone to experience his steadfast love and his loving kindness (Psalm 144:2). The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases (Lamentations 3:22-23).

The Hebrew word for steadfast love is "hesed." It is a love based on covenant commitment, not a contract. God's "hesed" love is a love that is loyal and faithful. It never ends. Even when we fail and flee, God is faithful to persist in love and pursue us to return to Him. Since he made the covenant, he will always honor it.

Exodus 34:6-7 uses the word "hesed" and says, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast "hesed" for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin… to the third and the fourth generation."

For a moment, picture a rushing river that flows relentlessly no matter what. If you were to dam it up, it would find a way to keep flowing. Obstacles and barriers would not be able to stop its flow. This is how God's steadfast love is toward you. A never-ending love that keeps flowing. It never gives up.

Have you had an encounter with the steadfast love of a personal God? If not, today is the day to ask God to show you his steadfast love. Pray with me today: "Daddy, thank you for the gift of your steadfast love. Your loving kindness is meant to transform me. Thank you for the cross. It is big enough to cover all my sins. Your love endures forever."

Enjoy the steadfast love of a personal God. It is a love that is extended to all generations and never runs out!