FOR THY GREAT MERCIES!

 

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

 

FOR THY GREAT MERCIES!

 

Dan 9:18

18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

 

          Daniel, the outcast captive, was praying for his homeland. The Babylonians had swooped down upon the city that was “called by His name” and had scattered the inhabitants. Daniel prays for forgiveness. “O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.” Dan 9:16

 

          The matrix of prayer is always the understanding of our sin! God opens the door when we knock with confession! Daniel confessed the sins of his people – and his own sins as well. It is there that he begins. Note again what he says: “for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”  God in His grace gives us what we don't deserve, and God in His mercy doesn't give us what we do deserve. Warren Wiersbe

 

          We can’t shout at God! We can’t complain that we have been unfairly treated by the One who orchestrates the cosmos! We deserve everything we are suffering and more. When we pray, we kneel upon grace and bow before the altar of mercy. We dare not ask for justice lest our condition become worse. We ask for undeserved kindness. We ask for divine pity.

 

What a remarkable ministry Daniel had in Babylon! He was counselor to four kings, intercessor for the people of Israel, and a faithful witness to the true and living God. If you find that you have been carried away captive, maybe you need to open your window and pray!

 

Lord, we do not come before you based on our righteousness – but for Thy great mercies. Grant our petitions and restore your glory. AMEN

 

HE IS MY ROCK!

 

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

 

HE IS MY ROCK!

 

Ps 18:2-3

2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

 

          The world seems to be riding a wave of wild lunacy driven by hedonism and fueled by ignorance. A steady diet of breaking news is disturbing to the soul. The very soil beneath my feet seems unstable. I need a rock to stand on, and I have found such a rock in Jesus Christ.

 

          The word “rock” as it is used in our Bible portion is not a rock to be thrown but a lofty and craggy fortress. Because it is high, the one sheltered can look down upon the fray below. Because it is rugged, access is limited. It is a place of safety. There the birds sing, and the brooks laugh along far away from the clang and clatter of machinery and conflict. There the dew drenched moss cools our feet, and the air is swept clean.

 

          In the rock I am nourished and refreshed. There the bees have found a safe place to make their hives. “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” Deut 32:13

 

Edward Mote has written this familiar song.

 

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

 

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

 

Dear Lord, How I need you to be my Rock today. Be for me a place of surety, safety, and supply. AMEN

 

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!

 

Monday, February 16, 2026

 

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!

 

Matt 5:14-16

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

A candle may resent the flame – but will always yield to it.

 

          Like a candle, we may resent the heat of the flame of ministry. We know that this flame will gradually wear us away, but we also know that this is our purpose and reason for existence. Fancier candles may give off their sweet perfume but that is not their essential purpose or design. They are to give forth light and to do that they must yield to the flame. We care because God’s care has been melted and formed within us. It is part of who we are as believers. We respond because the spirit of the Good Samaritan has been poured into us. We shine because the master regularly trims our wick.

 

          You too are a candle, formed and poured by the Lord. Do not resist the flame of obligation and duty. Do not hide your light under the basket of selfishness. Take your place on the candlestick and let your light shine. Men will see your good works and understand that God is at the center of them. Glorify God today! Go! Shine!

 

Dear Lord, I yield to the flame today! Use me to send forth your light. AMEN