God rules sovereignly from Heaven but not arbitrarily. In the Unseen Realm, “God [Hebrew, ělôhîym, ruler, judge, divine one, angel] has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [Hebrew, ělôhîym] He holds judgment” (Psalms 82:1 ESV). With the Supreme Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25), both Abraham and Moses pleaded cases before His court and won (Genesis 18:25; Numbers 14:13-20). Why should Yahweh allow Himself to be persuaded by a mere mortal in prayer? “Remind Me of what happened! Let’s debate! You, prove to Me that you are right [Hebrew, tsadeq, acquitted, justified, vindicated, declared right]!” (Isaiah 43:26 NET). God desires us to enter into intimate relation with Him to form a more perfect union, when we argue our case in the Courts of Heaven using all our intellect, understanding, experience, emotion, and feeling, thus bonding to Him with all our strength for eternity.
Author: Ken
God Has Got Your Back
“I’ve got your back” is what we would hear from a trusted friend, who is looking out for our best interests, like ‘eyes in the back of our head.’ When a military formation advances or especially retreats, a rear guard must protect its interests from behind. David had his Jonathan looking out for him, where he wasn’t looking. Most importantly, Jehovah looks out for those who put their confidence in Him. “For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward [Hebrew, ‘âsaph, rearguard]” (Isaiah 52:12 KJV). God has got your back is the assurance of all those who put their trust in Him.
Thou Maintainest My Lot
“The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot [Hebrew, gôrâl, pebble used for systematically making decisions, e.g., die (singular) or dice, as in casting lots]” (Psalms 16:5 KJV). Yahweh takes all chance out of maintaining the life and circumstances of those who are trusting Him. We make a great mistake, when we do not teach this as a foundational principle to all those who receive the religion of Jesus Christ. The Good Shepherd alone is capable of maintaining us to perfection and to the end — even those with failing health, diminishing mental capacities, feeble social circumstances, a difficult physical situation, frail financial means, or dire political position. Pray for all those the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Asking God As Friend
We come to God in the first place because He is our Father, but we are emboldened to pray because He is our Friend. Friends help friends. “And He said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves” (Luke 11:5 KJV). We know that our Friend is well able to give us what we need because He is God Almighty. Even Jesus made it clear we are His friends. “Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14). Here, prayer graduates to intercession for others.
Approaching God As Father
Our most natural approach to God in prayer is as Our Heavenly Father, because Jesus instructed us to pray that way (Luke 11:2). Paul added, “ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Abba is a term of endearment, like daddy. Father is a term of authority showing position and priority. We are attracted to pray because He is our Father. Not only has He given us the gift of salvation through Christ, but He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit as our New Covenant birthright. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13 KJV).
All of Creation Speaks to Us
God is separate and distinct from His creation, yet He speaks to us through it. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3 KJV). Someone views a scenic panorama and another asks, “What does it say to you?” Tom Hanks in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), standing on a steamer trunk floating in the middle of the ocean, in front of an enormous moon rising on the horizon, semi-deliriously remarked, “Dear God, whose name I do not know — thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG [you are]… thank you. Thank you for my life.” In that scene, John Patrick Shanley’s cinematic parable on mortality communicated what he heard God say about God’s vastness. Can we say nay?
Is That Really God’s Voice?
Why all of a sudden this discussion about God’s voice? Because we need to rethink what has always been setting before us. If God is really speaking to us in more ways than we thought, we would behave differently. For example, in the OT, the young child Samuel heard someone’s voice at night. He thought it was Eli the priest calling to him. This occurred two more times, until “Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child” (1Samuel 3:8 KJV). The next time Samuel heard the voice, Eli instructed Samuel to say, “Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth” (3:9). We are like Samuel, when we adjust our thinking about God’s voice. But, this means God is preparing us for something special. Amen?
Analysis: ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl Ad
Super Bowl LVIII ended with an overtime touchdown win for Kansas City over the 49ers. Congratulations Kansas City! Two ads for $100 million promoted a non-sectarian Jesus washing the feet of the needy — “Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet. He gets us.” It drew criticism from those who felt the money would have been better spent on the homeless than informing us that Jesus gets us. Perhaps the ad was more directed to the religious. It is true Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38 KJV), but the True Good He did would be lost, if the abundant life Jesus represents is not embraced. The True Good of our existence is our knowledge of Christ. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8). May the Spirit of God teach our hearts the richness of the knowledge of Christ for every complexity of life.
Voice of the Good Shepherd
I was always taught that the Voice of the Good Shepherd was simply listening to the Word of God to direct me. But, I didn’t think God was audibly speaking to me. I still don’t think He has to audibly speak to me, but He can. The important point is listening for His voice. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27 KJV). God does not need sound waves to carry His voice. If it comes from God, it will not contradict His Word. It may sound basic, but we should not stumble, if someone tells us, “God said this to me.” We are His sheep, aren’t we?
Good Thoughts: Only From God
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17 KJV). Substitute “thought” for “gift,” and it becomes clear our “good” and “perfect” thoughts come from God alone. What about all the other thoughts? We choose to whom we subject our thoughts — all of them. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Thought warfare is Total Warfare for God.
We Need A Miracle 
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