A Deer’s Feet

Posted on by korgrocker

“God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.”
Psalm 18:32-34 NLT

There are times when we come across a photo or video of a deer standing in some seemingly impossible place, causing us to wonder how it managed to get there. The terrain on which it stands contains sheer walls of rock, with the narrowest of ledges, with no apparent way of access, and in a place where even its fiercest predators are unable to follow. There is a verse at the end of Habakkuk that repeats David’s claim about how surefooted a deer can be – “The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19). The scriptures in Habakkuk and Psalm 18 give credit to God because He is the One who makes “me as surefooted as a deer“. Psalm 18 repeats the verses in 2 Samuel 22, written at a time when David gave God the glory for rescuing him from all his enemies and from Saul, a fitting song of thankful praise for a lifetime of experiences of God’s provision. 

Of course, in the natural world, a deer’s ability to climb heights confidently and sure-footedly is all due to God’s amazing design. He made the deer in the first place with this amazing gift. In the spiritual world, though, there are significant parallels, lessons for us pilgrims. We face into obstacles just as difficult as the terrain facing a deer. What “mountains” are there before us? Seemingly impassable obstacles that prevent us from fulfilling our missions or that stunt our growth. Or situations that need a spiritual surefootedness to navigate, without falling into an abyss of death and destruction. David was certain that God had made him “as surefooted as a deer”, but that wasn’t something special just for David. He pressed on regardless of any “mountains” in his way, defeating giants in the process. We pilgrims are also potentially surefooted, because we have the Holy Spirit living within us, enabling us to “accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”(Ephesians 3:20b). 

There are a number of parallels with the troubles affecting Habakkuk and our world today. He starts, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save” (Habakkuk 1:2) and continues in the next two verses, “Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralysed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted”. I can just imagine this prophet today proclaiming the same complaint to God. But the account of his conversation with God continues and he “trembled inside” when he heard God’s remedy for a stubborn, idolatrous and rebellious people. But that didn’t shake his faith in God, and we read Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” And he finishes his book with the message that whatever comes his way, he will be resourced by the Lord, who “makes [him] as surefooted as a deer …”.

God will resource us with all that we need to be overcomers when faced with all the challenges of living in a wicked and sinful world. We may not be protected from the same issues that impact everyone living on Planet Earth, but we will be able to rise above them, as “surefooted as a deer“, keeping our eyes fixed on the One who gives us strength. David trained to be a warrior over a long period of time, strengthened by his relationship with God. He became surefooted by taking risks and attempting to climb the mountains before him. And so it is with us today. We will not suddenly face a situation with a new-found ability to deal with it. We train and strengthen our ability to fight the battles against the “ … evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12) by developing our relationship with God, and developing our faith-muscles by taking risks for God. We pray, and read the Bible. We fellowship with other believers, persevering and overcoming all the “mountains” we find on our journey to glory. There is no other way. A deer didn’t wake up one day and say to itself “I’m going to climb that mountain”. It developed the ability of sure-footedness by putting into action all that God had created within it. And we praise and worship the One who made us and who rejoices in us as we, feebly at first, but growing in ability, journey towards Heaven and bringing down the strongholds we face with our abilities to be as surefooted as a deer.

Dear Lord God. You created us in Your image for Your glory and pleasure, Please keep us safe on our journey through life, day by day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Who Is God?

Posted on by korgrocker

“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.”
Psalm 18:30-32 NLT

‭‭David knows much about God, but he still asks the question, “Who is God”? David gained his knowledge of God in all those long hours while he guarded his father Jessie’s sheep, as he tinkled away with his harp, making up songs of worship and praise, and praying to his Lord. And David would have experienced the loving touch of the Lord, the answers to his prayers, all the time developing a relationship based on love and trust. So David’s question was crafted, not so much because he didn’t know the answer, but because he marvelled about God’s unique place in his world. He was saying that there was only one Being, God Himself, who was capable of doing all that He had done, and continued to do in David’s life. There was and is only One God who is the totally unshakeable Rock, solid and dependable for ever. 

But today, many ask the question, “Who is God”? We can type that question into Google, and end up more confused than ever, because of the plethora of faiths and the different belief systems that all claim to know the answer. So it is probably not very wise to look for a quick answer that way. Of course, we pilgrims turn to the Bible for our answers but also we look around us and see God’s handiwork in all that we see. Genesis 1 describes a God who created the universe, including the world on which we stand. And around us are the results of His creation, life so perfectly made and self-sustaining, with the minerals and elements that make that life possible. The evidence is so strong and indisputable that the Bible is disparaging about those who deny His hand in Creation; in fact such Creator-God-deniers are called “fools” (Psalm 14:1a, “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God …”). And throughout the Bible we see a love story developing, as our Creator God yearns for a relationship with His created people, mankind, a story that culminated with a Cross that sealed God’s total and unshakeable commitment forever. 

In a world that is constantly shaking, with wars, famines, strife, and devastating natural events such as earthquakes and volcanoes, men and women look around for something that is solid and permanent. And end up looking in all the wrong places. They strive for financial security only to find that the world finance system is built on a very shaky foundation, a bit like quicksand, ready to suck into obscurity all those who trust in the pounds and dollars of this world. Human beings look for some way in which they can take control of their destinies, unable to bear the pain of insecurity and fear for the future. Many people, of course, understand that there has to be an eternal and supreme being, because such knowledge is hard-wired within all of us, put there as part of God’s creation. But instead of reaching out to the true God, they concoct all sorts of idols, who they claim can answer their eternal question, “Who is God”. Without realising it, and lacking understanding, they worship man-made edifices that go just far enough to start to relieve them of their pain. Of course other people deny the existence of any Being, man made or otherwise, claiming that the world around us is all an accident, without realising that such a belief becomes an ideological idol in its own right. But David knew the answer to the world’s dilemma – he asked “Who but our God is a solid rock?”, knowing that it is only God who can provide the security that mankind’s heart desperately yearns for. 

Of course we remember how the Apostle Paul came to know Christ. He thought he was following God when he set about arresting all followers of the Way, the early Christians. But then something remarkable happened. We read in Acts 9:3-5, “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!” Paul asked the question “Who are you, Lord?” and the answer from Jesus turned his life around. Paul’s view of God was skewed by a wrong interpretation and understanding of Scripture, something that we must all be conscious of. Some Christians have a tendency to remove from the Bible the bits they don’t like, or think don’t apply today, or add bits to the Bible that they think should be there. A dangerous position to be in?

We pilgrims don’t have to ask this question, “Who is God” because we know the answer. And we find truth and completeness in our knowledge of the only God that there is. We align our lives to Him, with thankful hearts because we managed to find the narrow gate that leads to eternal life. We bow at the feet of the One who, from His eternal perspective, chose us to be His people. Ephesians 1:4-5, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure“. And to all those around us who claim to have found “god” by some other route, we turn to the words of Jesus Himself, recorded by John in a conversation with His disciple, Thomas. “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is only one way to Heaven and that is through Jesus. 

Father God. Please help us on our journey of becoming “holy and without fault”, and in the process please help us to give an answer to the questions from those around us, about who You are. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

They Were Confused

Posted on by korgrocker

“He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds. Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused. Then at your command, O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.”
Psalm 18:9-15 NLT

David wrote that “great bolts of lightning … confused” the people, his enemies. Lightning still frightens people today of course, but nowhere near as much as it did in Biblical times. We “more enlightened” people in the 21st Century understand how lightning develops and how the effects can be avoided, to an extent.  However, we can’t stop it and we can’t control it, and the reason is because it is something that happens because of the physical properties of the planet on which we live. I would suggest that God’s design for Planet Earth has been corrupted by sin, and there is a consequence for the evil that takes place upon its shores. We know of course that God’s design, His creation, was perfect because we read in Genesis 1:31, “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day”. Interestingly, there is no mention of lightning, earthquakes, disease, famine and any other negative event in the Creation account. Just perfection, even extending to human beings. But after sin entered the world, a curse was introduced. Genesis 3:17, “And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it”. So perhaps lightning is part of that curse.

Elihu, one of Job’s friends, said this, “See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea. …  He fills his hands with lightning bolts and hurls each at its target. The thunder announces his presence; the storm announces his indignant anger” (Job 36:30, 32-33). Elihu’s perception was that God used lightning as a punishment for an evil people. At the very least it would “confuse” or frighten them, providing a warning that there was, and is, a God in Heaven who one day will judge the evil and wickedness that takes place on the earth. But lightning also demonstrates God’s power and authority, right from His throne. Revelation 4:5, “From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God”. This was a vision given to John of God’s power and authority, because human beings were unable to create such a phenomenon on a Heavenly scale. Yes, people can create sparks, but what are they compared to God’s lightning bolts?

But David wrote that the peoples were confused by the lightning bolts. Other translations introduce a different perspective, building a picture of God’s enemies being “routed” or “vanquished”. Certainly a well aimed lightning bolt or two would soon disrupt an army on a battlefield. But today, the confusion is a good description of something out of mankind’s control. In a society that thinks they can do anything, something uncontrollable like lightning confuses them. After all, they say, we can split the atom, we can produce devices that fly, we can create mobile phones and so on, so why can’t we control the weather? And at that moment confusion creeps in. Doubts form, and people wonder about whether or not there might indeed be a higher power beyond their understanding. 

We pilgrims believe in, and follow, a limitless God, who power is far beyond human comprehension. After all, what is a lightning bolt compared to the plethora of created heavenly beings, the stars and planets, that populate the universe? We should therefore be grateful that lightning is constrained as it is. There are many confused people walking around our streets, not sure how or when their lives will end, and the inclusion of Heavenly power events just adds to their confusion. But we pilgrims look on at the electrical storms and are reminded of our amazing Creator God who allows the occasional lightning bolt to confuse and frighten those who deny that He exists. The superstitious cover up the mirrors and cutlery, but we know differently, and offer up our praise and worship to the all-powerful God.

Dear God. You are the powerful One, the Name above all names, the King of all kings, the Lord of all. Amen.

We Don’t Understand

Posted on by korgrocker

““In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.” Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.””
John 16:16-18 NLT

The disciples were unable to get their minds around what Jesus was saying. They knew that something significant was about to happen, because of what Jesus had already told them, but the details of what that was eluded them. But would we have been any different, had we been standing in their shoes at that time in history? All they could do was to store away what they had been told, in faith that Jesus knew best and in the knowledge that He spoke the truth. Even today there are things about the future that we don’t understand. The disciples were facing into something imminent, but we have in the Bible many Scriptures that point towards Jesus coming again to this earth but we don’t know when. His return may be imminent but it also could be a long way off, beyond our life spans. And the vary nature of the events that precede this momentous occasion elude us. We have some hints and even some facts, but no details.

So how do we pilgrims handle future events in God’s Kingdom? As with those first disciples, it all boils down to faith. We have plenty of Biblical examples of men and women who didn’t fully understand what was coming, but they trusted in God. Think about Noah. We can read about the story in Genesis 6 to 9, but his faith lasted a hundred years as he built something the world of that time had never seen before – a boat. A large boat big enough to contain pairs of all the animals and birds present on earth at that time. Consider the ridicule from the people around him, and probably his own family as well. The engineering challenges in trying to build something that was, in those days, cutting edge technology and with a poor selection of tools. That took extraordinary faith. 

We pilgrims look around us and find that there is much that we don’t understand. And that is not just things in the Bible – it includes so much in our world as well. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 8:17, “then I saw all that God has done. No-one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no-one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it”. We will never be able to fully understand all that goes on; only God, the Creator of this world, knows. Even today, scientists are constantly finding out new things about our world, but to ordinary men and women like ourselves, we have faith in our Creator God. We do not fully know and understand all that the future holds, but we do know the One who holds the future. That’s good enough for me.

Father God. You are the One who has the whole world in Your hands. Society around us fearfully goes about its business, without the assurance that You are in control. But we know differently, for which we thank You. Amen.

Uselessness

Posted on by korgrocker

“These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.”
2 Peter 2:17 NLT

Still referring to false teachers and false prophets, Peter defines them as being “useless”. Harsh words perhaps? But words that describe the pointlessness of being someone who is preaching against God’s plans and ways or distorting His message. In the context of God’s kingdom, they add little that is positive and much that is negative. So Peter describes them as being “useless“.

A big question sometimes asked is about the purpose of life. What are we humans here on Planet Earth for? Are we here, as some will claim, by accident? Are we too just the useless result of our circumstances? The product of a mix of chemicals formed by chance on a lump of rock that happened to end up at just the right distance from a source of light and heat, creating an environment conducive to the formation of life? That is what many evolutionists would have us think. Unfortunately for them, the facts don’t fit in with their theories. We pilgrims know how we got here, because the Bible tells of how it happened. The Genesis account describes the formation of our planet, and then there is the verse, “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7). And the man, Adam, ‭‭was given a job to do, “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it” (Genesis 2:15). He was useful, and, better, he was being useful in a way that aligned with God’s desires for him. We can read on in Genesis, and find that farming for food to live on was the first physical priority. So mankind had to be useful in the sense that if they weren’t then human beings would probably have died out through starvation. And we can see that even us pilgrims have to be useful in our societies where keeping alive is the main requirement. Of course, this is a simplified picture, but it doesn’t answer the question, why are we here? Or, what is the purpose of life? 

We turn to the Bible for meaningful answers. Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived, concluded after wrestling with these questions, “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Another perspective we must consider is that we pilgrims, Christian believers, are assured of a future beyond the grave. One day, our physical bodies will die. This wasn’t God’s plan, because He originally created perfection, but through sin, our bodies will be corrupted and will die. But because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, He has granted us eternal life. When we die, our spirits will live on with God in Heaven. This will be the time when we will receive a new body. We read in Philippians 3:21, “He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control“. 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands“. 

So we can see that to be useful, we have to have a relationship with God, and work to provide for both ourselves and our families. Those false teachers were going to find, according to Peter, that their uselessness will lead to an end of the “blackest darkness”. The Westminster Shorter Confession says that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. So in whatever we think or do, is our main focus God, or our own selfish desires? Do we align ourselves to God’s ways, or get absorbed into a society where the main driver is sin? There is no middle ground.

Today we pilgrims have an opportunity to shift our focus from the natural to the spiritual, as we do every day. From our mundane existence into something so amazing and wonderful that it is breathtaking in its implications. We don’t have to wait until we pass over the Great Divide into God’s presence before we can “enjoy Him forever“. He is with us now. We can reach and touch Him. He is that close. There is a poem, which includes, “Two men looking through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars.” Where are we looking today? A useless life will only find mud, but those who are useful will find the stars. Let’s embrace the Creator of those stars today while we have the opportunity.

Dear Father God, our amazing Creator. We reach out to You today, and pray that in whatever we are doing, we will be useful to You and Your purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Lord’s Thoughts

Posted on by korgrocker

“For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?”
Romans 11:34-35 NLT

Again Paul dives into his memories and quotes two Old Testament Scriptures, one from Isaiah and one from Job. He was surely well versed and even “steeped” in the Jewish Scriptures, making it all the more remarkable that he was able to embrace the Christian faith. But then he had a life changing encounter with Jesus back on the Damascus Road. 

The first Scripture he quoted from was from Isaiah 40:13, in a section labelled “The Lord Has No Equal” in my Bible translation. Isaiah wrote, “Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?” (Isaiah 40:12-14). These questions seem so obvious that it is a wonder that they were asked in the first place. But in Isaiah’s day perhaps the wonder of the world around him caused mankind to question how it all happened. Our specialists in earth sciences today issue the results of their investigations and research, puffed up with their “factual” explanations of how it all happened. But we have to go to the Creator of the Universe for the answers because there is so much that neither we, nor the so-called experts, know anything about.

There is much going on around us that seems inexplicable. The mother who has lost a child to war, or a businessman whose company has collapsed, or a footballer struck down with motor neurone disease. A nation suffers from famine, or earthquakes. And people and national leaders come up with advice of how God should run the world, and how they would do it so much better. They perhaps question if God knows what he is doing. They try and offer advice – “If it was up to me, I would …”.

We pilgrims know that there is a God in Heaven. And we acknowledge that we could never know His thoughts. But Isaiah 40 famously ends with these much-quoted verses, “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31). 

We pilgrims “trust in the Lord” knowing that there is no other way. And through His Spirit we too can “soar high on wings like eagles”, never needing to fret over our lack of understanding of God’s thoughts and ways. We trust that He is a God of righteousness and justice. We know that He is behind our every breath. And freed from the worry of finding answers to seemingly inexplicable world and societal events, we can perhaps have a glimpse of God’s perspective, as we soar high above all that is going on. We read the news reports and feel God’s pain with the sinful practices of men. We experience our own challenges, with health or finances, with family difficulties – the list seems endless sometimes – but we trust that our loving Heavenly Father is there with us, holding our hands and even carrying us through the pain. Perhaps answers will only come when we see Him in Heaven. With David we acknowledge Psalm 18:30-31, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?” There is no other way.

Dear Father. You have supplied us with spiritual wings to allow us to rise up above circumstances. Please forgive us for the time we spend worrying about what is happening around us and instead please help us to trust in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jars of Clay

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“No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.”
Romans 9:20-22 NLT

Paul picks up the story of a potter, working with clay, and making a number of different jars. He probably remembered the Scripture we looked at recently – Isaiah 45:9, “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’” It may be difficult for us proud people to accept, but we are no different really to a clay jar. God made us, and the potter made a jar. Both very different in complexity and function, but created nevertheless. But the analogy has other implications – a person can end up either a thing of beauty or something else. 

I spent time yesterday with a two-week-old baby boy and his loving parents. Enjoying the marvel of creation, and this perfect new life. A new entry into this world with so much potential. The analogy with the clay pot ends here, because this new life will grow and develop from a baby into an adult. Not so for our clay jar. But we must never forget that God brought the new baby into this world. The go-to Scripture is in Psalm 139:13-16, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed”.

Somehow, as I look at myself and who I am, unique in every way, I think of the loving Father who formed me. He put together a design just for me, and brought it to fruition. And looking at myself in this way puts a different complexion on how I live my life. I have only God to thank. He didn’t make a failure. He made a person that started right at the moment of conception, that grew under His careful and watching eye into who I am today. Yes, sin has taken its toll, corrupting and distorting, but He allowed for that through Jesus and His sacrifice at Calvary. And one day God will give me that perfect body we read about in 1 Corinthians 15:53, “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies”. 

Let us pilgrims take a fresh look at ourselves today. We thank God for making us just as we are, not as who we would like to be. He had, and has, a plan for each one of us, and put us together in a way that will enable us to fulfil that plan. How amazing is that! We don’t have to fret because other “clay jars” seem better than us. We are just as God wants us to be. After all, he is the Master Creator Potter, perfectly skilled in His craft. And after He made us, He destroyed the moulds. The blueprints were discarded. And yesterday’s new baby is another unique creation, with plans and purposes already set out for him.

Dear Father God. We thank You for new life. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a new baby coming into this world. I pray a blessing on the new baby introduced into my family, through Your grace and design. And in this time of spring, I thank You for making all things new. Amen.