The Overwhelming Importance of Taking Everything to God in Prayer!

19 Jul 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 July 2026   John 8:12.

John 8:12.        ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ 

Ah, Sunday, sweet Sunday! Going to God’s house to sing and praise and worship Him with other believers and renew our sprits for another week! What a glorious time it will be, as we meet and greet and encourage each other! And though some air quality warning is still in place, it’s otherwise a bright and sunshiny day with blue skies and a cool breeze, which makes it even more satisfying to journey to the Lord’s sanctuary. (smile)

And today’s song of worship is a beautiful 20th century hymn, written by Jimmy Duncan (1927-2011) and Johnny Lange (1905-2006) simply but very expressively titled ‘I asked the Lord.’ It’s strange that those two got together to write a hymn, when they were both known for more popular worldly music, like ‘My Special Angel,’ and ‘Mule Train.’ But a beautiful song was indeed created from the collaboration, so, without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, in a rich, soulful, scintillating, mid-tempo version.

Singing: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me When things weren’t going my way; And He said to me, “I will comfort you And I’ll lift your cares away.” I asked the Lord to walk with me, when darkness was all that I knew; And He said to me “Never be afraid, and I will see you through.” I didn’t ask for riches, but He gave me wealth untold, The moon and the stars, the sun in the sky, and He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, and I count all my blessings each day; For He came to me when I needed Him, I only had to pray. And He will come to you, if you ask Him to, For He’s only a prayer away…. Yes, if you ask Him to, He will come to you, For He’s only a prayer away…’

 Oh friends, that was a wonderful version! And what I truly like about the song is that it’s short and simple, but very much to the point. You ask the Lord for something within His will, and He’ll certainly do it for you. As Jesus says: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) And if Jesus says it’s so, then it is so!

And what did we ask for above there? Comfort, when things weren’t going our way. And what did Jesus promise when He told the disciples about His going back to heaven? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.’ (John 14:15-19) 

Yuh see that mih people: Jesus promised the disciples, and consequently us, a Comforter in the form of the Holy Spirit, who will live within us and transmit His messages to us. And furthermore, on the topic of comfort, listen to these wonderful words of Bruh Paul in his second letter to the church at Corinth. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) 

Now isn’t that simply awesome; the Lord comforts us so that we can comfort others. That’s the wonderful kind of God we serve my faithful brethren! And, as per asking the Lord to walk with us the darkness, listen as Isaiah pours it out: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them the light hath shined.’ (Is. 9:2) And who was that light? None other than Jesus, for as He says in one of His many ‘I Am’ statements: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)

What more can we ask for eh? And if that isn’t enough, then listen as the psalmist tells us about the Lord’s Word. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) So however you take it, once you’re in the Lord’s space, you have light now and forevermore! And though we never asked for riches, the Lord gave us wealth untold in the beauty of His magnificent universe, and eyes wherewith to see, admire and enjoy it. As Bruh David says in Psalm 19: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament (expanse of heaven) sheweth his handiwork (the work of his hands).’ (Ps. 19:1) 

Now here comes possibly the most important part of the song: ‘I thank the Lord for everything.’ Yes friends, thanks to Almighty God for all that He’s done for us, especially since we don’t deserve any of it, is of the utmost importance! And so is counting our many blessings, which is all wrapped up in these scriptures of Bruh Paul. To the Ephesians he says: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;’ (Eph. 5:18-20)

Then to the Philippians he wrote: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness, reasonableness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7) Meanwhile, to the Thessalonians, he simply says: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (Thess. 5:16-18) 

And how do we connect it all? Through the greatest privilege in the world; PRAYER! As the Lord says through Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all of your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) The message could not be any clearer than that my brethren, so please let’s take it to heart and put it into action nuh. For remember all that the Lord’s doing is for our benefit, not His. Much LOVE!

…when you embrace Jesus…the best of everything is bestowed on you like…light…life…LOVE…comfort…joy…and peace…amongst many other things…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Amazing and Overwhelming Importance of The Cross of Christ in the Christian Faith!

19 May 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 May 2026   1 Thessalonians 5:9.

1 Thessalonians 5:9.         For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

And then it was Tuesday; meaning all the Victoria Day celebrations over, and we need to get back to the daily grind and common task, called work. (smile) Let’s hope the celebrations were enjoyable but were not overdone, that we took the sage advice of Cousin Sol and Bruh Paul and exerted a modicum of circumspection, (smile) and also that there weren’t a lot of sick calls to work this morning, for that just spoils the employer’s attitude over public holidays, especially when they have to still pay their employees.

As for me, I didn’t do any real celebrating, but I did get to begin my summer ritual of sitting  on my front porch and watching people go by with their many dogs and few children. Ah Lord eh! Dogs seem to have taken first place over children. And it’s amazing what you can see and hear while people pass by and don’t even notice you, although you’re sitting in full sight. You can only shake your head and wonder what’s happening; what our world will be like some fifty years hence, that is if we haven’t totally destroyed it by then.

Anyway before I came down to write the Bit, I had a breath of fresh air and felt the sun strong on my arthritic bones. Oh what a good feeling that was! As they say, you never know the good things you have until you no longer have them. And sadly, it seems like this spell of summer weather will end sometime this week and we’ll go back to temps in the mid-teens or thereabouts. Hopefully that will be just for a short while though, and we’ll soon get the real heat, when we’ll begin to complain about how hot it is, and how it’s too hot. (smile) We’re never satisfied are we?

However, on this warm, sunny May Tuesday, we’re going to declare a 10th Century African Prayer, found in the Toronto Anglican Diocese 2025 publication ‘Prayers Through the Ages,’ Daily prayers for spiritual renewal. So please pray with me: ‘The cross is the hope of Christians The cross is the resurrection of the dead The cross is the way of the lost The cross is the saviour of the lost The cross is the staff of the lame The cross is the strength of the weak

The cross is the doctor of the sick The cross is the aim of the priests The cross is the hope of the hopeless The cross is the freedom of the slaves The cross is the power of kings The cross is the water of the weeds The cross is the consolation of the bondman The cross is the source of those who seek water The cross is the cloth of the naked We thank you, Father, for the cross.’

And do we ever thank the Lord for the cross, because it’s the basic foundation of our faith, of all that we are and stand for! Yes friends, without the cross of Christ we’d all be lost forever in the darkness of the devil and this evil world. But through the coming of Christ and his death on the cross, our sins have been forgiven and we’ve finally seen the light; Jesus, the light of the world! As He so rightly said: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And that’s why we Christians have the life of light, as well as the light of life! (smile) 

And isn’t it amazing that the cross is truly the basis of all the prayer states: ‘The hope of Christians; the resurrection of the dead; the way of the lost; the saviour of the lost; the staff of the lame; the strength of the weak; the doctor of the sick; the aim of the priests; the hope of the hopeless, the freedom of the slaves; the power of kings; etc. etc.’ Yes my brethren, the cross of Christ holds the answer to every question and problem our world has or can ever devise. That’s how important it is. We can run to it for whatever we need, whatever ails us or is trying to tear us apart.

At the foot of Christ cross, we can place all our worries and ailments and receive hope for the future. Nothing else in this world has the power to do that! No wonder the cross has become the symbol of Christianity, because it’s everything to us. It’s where the forgiveness of our sins was purchased, with Jesus, even as He hung on that old rugged cross, asking ‘Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do.’  (Luke 23:34) Yes, those who crucified Christ, had no inkling whatsoever of what they were doing. They thought that they were getting rid of an opponent, but the truth was that He came to earth to be crucified and pay our sin debt. So what they were doing was just the playing out of the Lord’s plans.

And Christ’s resurrection on the third day, made our lives even better, for not only were our sins forgiven, but with His resurrection, we also received the totality of salvation and eternal life! All thanks and praise to our wonderful God! It’s As Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. ‘For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together (encourage each other), and edify (build up) one another, even as also ye do (are doing).’ (1 Thess. 5:9-11)

That’s it in a nutshell, my fellow believers! God, through Christ, made a way for us, where there seemed to be absolutely no way. So please, let’s not abuse or reject it, but gladly grab hold of it, cherish it, and stay with it until the end! Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

And if we truly meant it, then we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…the cross of Christ…the symbol of everything good and true…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien