God Did It
God Did It
Psalm 33:6-9
Tamika Brown
This week on our Lenten journey, our prayer focus is This Far by Faith – Being Faithful for what God has done (past), what God is doing (present) and what God will do (future). Faith is defined as confidence or trust in a person or thing; a belief that is not based on proof. We have come this far by confidence, trust, belief in things unseen. We have come this far by standing on God’s word.
Those of us who are familiar with early hip-hop are likely familiar with the phrase “word is bond”. It was popularized in much of New York hip hop from Rakim to LL Cool J to Wu Tang Clan. It was used as a signifier that whatever was said was true and verifiable.
Biblically, we can see the roots if the phrase. Jesus said, “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). In Matthew 12:34 we are admonished to make the best use of our words, because words express what is in our hearts - “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of”.
Ok Tamika, thanks for that lesson, but ma’am what does that have to do with the text? Verse 9 says “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm”. Do you know how much power there has to be behind words to COMMAND things into being?? I imagine a lot!!
What that means for you and me is that we have to put some POWER behind our words. Although we don’t possess the power to command things into being in the same manner as God does in the text, we do have the power to make sure our word is bond! We have to show up, we must be consistent and we must ACT upon our FAITH. It is through these things that our promise is made manifest.
We cannot just SAY we want our children to thrive, we have SUPPORT them. We cannot just SAY we love our neighbors as ourselves, we have to SHOW that love. We cannot just SAY we want our church and community to thrive, we have HELP make them better. We cannot just SAY “my word is bond”, we have to SHOW that talk is cheap!
This Far By Faith means that we don’t rest on the laurels of our ancestors, it means we reach back to the teachings, we add to them so that we are planting seeds on fertile ground for the harvest tomorrow.
God did it and so can we. BY faith. IN action.
Prayer:
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way (past); Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light (present), Keep us forever in the path (future), we pray. Amen
[from, Lift Every Voice and Sing]
Psalm 33:6-9
Tamika Brown
This week on our Lenten journey, our prayer focus is This Far by Faith – Being Faithful for what God has done (past), what God is doing (present) and what God will do (future). Faith is defined as confidence or trust in a person or thing; a belief that is not based on proof. We have come this far by confidence, trust, belief in things unseen. We have come this far by standing on God’s word.
Those of us who are familiar with early hip-hop are likely familiar with the phrase “word is bond”. It was popularized in much of New York hip hop from Rakim to LL Cool J to Wu Tang Clan. It was used as a signifier that whatever was said was true and verifiable.
Biblically, we can see the roots if the phrase. Jesus said, “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). In Matthew 12:34 we are admonished to make the best use of our words, because words express what is in our hearts - “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of”.
Ok Tamika, thanks for that lesson, but ma’am what does that have to do with the text? Verse 9 says “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm”. Do you know how much power there has to be behind words to COMMAND things into being?? I imagine a lot!!
What that means for you and me is that we have to put some POWER behind our words. Although we don’t possess the power to command things into being in the same manner as God does in the text, we do have the power to make sure our word is bond! We have to show up, we must be consistent and we must ACT upon our FAITH. It is through these things that our promise is made manifest.
We cannot just SAY we want our children to thrive, we have SUPPORT them. We cannot just SAY we love our neighbors as ourselves, we have to SHOW that love. We cannot just SAY we want our church and community to thrive, we have HELP make them better. We cannot just SAY “my word is bond”, we have to SHOW that talk is cheap!
This Far By Faith means that we don’t rest on the laurels of our ancestors, it means we reach back to the teachings, we add to them so that we are planting seeds on fertile ground for the harvest tomorrow.
God did it and so can we. BY faith. IN action.
Prayer:
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way (past); Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light (present), Keep us forever in the path (future), we pray. Amen
[from, Lift Every Voice and Sing]
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