Graves Into Gardens – Psalm 30:10-12

 

This is Namma for Christ with the one hundred seventy-eighth inspirational message dated Thursday, February 11th, 2021. The title of this message is “Graves Into Gardens – Psalm 30:10-12”.

The scripture is taken from the thirtieth chapter of Psalms – the tenth through the twelfth verses:

 

Psalm 30:10-12

 

¹⁰ Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper!”

¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
¹² To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

 ••• PLEASE NOTE - THIS MESSAGE WAS WRITTEN FEBRUARY, 2021- WHILE OUR WORLD WAS STILL IN THE MIDST OF THE “CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC”. 

Recently, I was listening to my favorite Christian radio station, 99.1 STAR FM, and I heard the below song, “Graves Into Gardens” by Elevation Worship featuring Brandon Lake.

I wanted to further research the song’s meaning, therefore I searched the internet – and below is what I found:

 

“Elevation Worship recently announced the name of their new album “Graves Into Gardens.” They released their first single with the same name as the album, and it is full of powerful lyrics. The second part of the bridge says, “You turn graves into gardens, You turn bones into armies, You turn seas into highways, You’re the only One who can.” The theme of the song is that God is an expert in taking what is broken and turning it into something beautiful. This is a truth seen time and time again in Scripture and I believe it’s a powerful principle for us to hold on to during this Covid-19 crisis. Yes, there are a lot of unknowns at the moment. Will the economy collapse? Will we lose our jobs? Will I get sick? But in the midst of all of that, we must ask ourselves, “Can God take this broken situation and make something good out of it?” The Bible time and time again tells us the answer is - Yes!

So what does this mean for us?

So what does all of this have to do with the Covid-19 pandemic and all of its consequences? Well, when we take a look at how God likes to work, we can find hope. Yes, the Covid-19 pandemic is bad. Yes, the fear of losing your job is very real and valid. Yes, the economy slowing down is not a good thing. But, I know a God who time and time again takes what is dead, what is messed up, and what is hopeless and uses it for His glory. What if the Covid-19 pandemic turns our nation back to God again? What if the vulnerability of all of this softens the heart of a friend or a co-worker and they get saved? What if social isolation provides much needed time with God and with your family? Or what if God is able to do something far greater in each individual’s life than we can imagine, no matter the circumstance?

I know this is scary. It may even get worse.

 

But my God turns graves into gardens, bones into armies, seas into highways, and I know He will do it again. Take heart and have faith. What the enemy means for evil, God turns it around for our good.”

Below are associated bible verses – (that are related to the below song’s lyrics):

 

Isaiah 41:18

I will open rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.

 

Ezekiel 37:1-3

37 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ³ And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

 

Ezekiel 37:10

¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

 

Isaiah 61:3

³ To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19

¹⁸ “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.

PLEASE – REMEMBER, as Ephesians 3:20 reminds us – GOD CAN DO ANYTHING:

Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 

Lastly Jeremiah 32:27 confirms that NOTHING is too hard for GOD –

Jeremiah 32:27

 

²⁷ “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

 

God can do ANYTHING – NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD!

 

 

Please enjoy the below song, “Graves Into Gardens” by Elevation Worship featuring Brandon Lake (with lyrics). Please meditate and treasure the great LOVE that God, your Creator and Father in Heaven - has for you!

 

 

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

(If you can’t see the below video: Please scroll down to the end – Under the rectangular box labeled “Home” – please click “View web version”. You will automatically be taken to the top of the message – please scroll down to the “end” of the message to view the video. Please press play to enjoy the song/video).

 

BE BLESSED!

Miracles – Exodus 3:3-4 – God’s Call

 

This is Namma for Christ with the one hundred seventy-seventh inspirational message dated Sunday, January 24th, 2021. The title of this message is “Miracles – Exodus 3:3-4 – God’s Call”.

The scripture is taken from the third and fourth verses of the third chapter of the book of Exodus:

Exodus 3:3-4

New King James Version

 

³ Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

⁴ So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the

midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

 

The first word of the title is also the name of the below inspirational song/video, “Miracles” (with lyrics) as performed by Christian artist Colton Dixon. 

This song, “Miracles” is a song I recently heard on my favorite Christian radio station STAR 99.1FM. The song’s upbeat tempo and the song’s melodious tune “caught my attention” – the first time I heard it -  therefore, I wanted to share it.

 

I have provided the below supporting scriptures - as taken from the third book of Exodus when God used a “miracle” - to get Moses’ attention – right before God called Moses to rescue and lead His Israelite people from Egyptian slavery:

 

Exodus 3:1-4

New King James Version

 

Moses at the Burning Bush

  Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. ³ Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

⁴ So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

 

Exodus 3: 7 & 9-10

 

⁷ And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

 

⁹ Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰ Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

The above passage describes when God “called” Moses to “Moses' CALLING” – to lead the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

 

These verses (in Exodus 3:1-4) describe how God used the “MIRACLE” – of a BURNING BUSH (a bush that burned – but was not consumed) to GET MOSES’ ATTENTION!

This “CALL” – shows how GOD will “USE ANY MEANS NECESSARY” – TO GET OUR ATTENTION!

There are times in our lives when our “focus” might be on other things, people, problems, or our circumstances – BUT, GOD wants us to be available to listen to HIM and to FOCUS on HIM!

As believers in Jesus Christ – God has a calling, a purpose and He has plans for each of our lives!

May we do as the below verses state in Isaiah 55:6-7 and “seek the Lord while He may be found”:

 

Isaiah 55:6-7

New King James Version

 

⁶ Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

 

Also – Hebrews 12:1-2 remind us to keep our focus on the Lord – and to “LOOK TO JESUS” (see below):

 

Hebrews 12:1-2

New King James Version

 

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Remember - when we pray and ask God to be with us - there’s nothing that we need to fear.

God wants us to seek Him in ALL THINGS:

 

Philippians 4:6-7

New King James Version

 

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Pray and ask the Lord to fulfill His plans for your life.

See Jeremiah 29:11 below –

 

Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version

 

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 

Remember – God LOVES YOU! He wants what is BEST for you and HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU - see the below verse:

Hebrews 13:5b

New King James Version

 

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

 

Please enjoy the below inspirational song/video, “Miracles” (with lyrics) as performed by Christian artist Colton Dixon. 

 

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

(If you can’t see the below video: Please scroll down to the end – Under the rectangular box labeled “Home” – please click “View web version”. You will automatically be taken to the top of the message – please scroll down to the “end” of the message to view the video. Please press play to enjoy the song/video).

 

BE BLESSED!

 

No Weapon – Isaiah 54:17 – God Is Mighty

 

This is Namma for Christ with the one hundred seventy-sixth inspirational message dated Sunday, January 17th, 2021. The title of this message is “No Weapon – Isaiah 54:17 – God Is Mighty”.

The scripture is taken from the seventeenth verse of fifty-fourth chapter of the book of Isaiah:

 

Isaiah 54:17

New King James Version

 

¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

 

 

 

The first two words of the title are also the name of the below inspirational song/video, “No Weapon” (with lyrics) as performed by Gospel artist Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ. This song, “No Weapon” is based on the above bible verse as taken from the 54^thchapter of Isaiah. The words (of this verse) are spoken by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah - as “comforting and reassuring” to the Israelite people – and “to us” – as “believers” in our Lord’s protection.

The below verse – as taken from 1st Samuel is associated with the “Our Daily Bread” message included below:

 

1st Samuel 17:47a

New King James Version

(NKJV)

 

⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s…

 

For many years, I have enjoyed reading the daily inspirational messages as provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries in their publications of  "OUR DAILY BREAD".  

I recently read the message for the day (for January 16th, 2021) and found it to be so inspiring, memorable and “thought-provoking”.  

 
 I wanted to share this message with you (see the below message). Our Daily Bread Ministries has the website of:  www.odb.org so that you can read and enjoy life-changing wisdom of daily inspirational messages based on scripture from the Bible. Please read and enjoy:

Mighty

[Goliath] looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy.

1^st Samuel 17:42

ODB background scripture: 1^st Samuel 17:32, 41-47

 

 

Baby Saybie, born as a “micro-preemie” at 23 weeks, weighed only 8.6 ounces. Doctors doubted Saybie would live and told her parents they’d likely have only an hour with their daughter. However, Saybie kept fighting. A pink card near her crib declared “Tiny but Mighty.” After five months in the hospital, Saybie miraculously went home as a healthy five-pound baby. And she took a world record with her: the world’s tiniest surviving baby.

It’s powerful to hear stories of those who beat the odds. The Bible tells one of these stories. David, a shepherd boy, volunteered to fight Goliath—a mammoth warrior who defamed God and threatened Israel. King Saul thought David was ridiculous: “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth” (1 Samuel 17:33). And when the boy David stepped onto the battlefield, Goliath “looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy” (v. 42). However, David didn’t step into battle alone. He came “in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel” (v. 45). And when the day was done, a victorious David stood above a dead Goliath.

See the below background verses –

1^st Samuel 17:41-47

 

⁴¹ So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. ⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

 

No matter how enormous the problem, when God is with us there’s nothing that we need to fear. With His strength, we’re also mighty.

 

By:  Winn Collier (for Our Daily Bread)

 

Reflect & Pray

When do you feel small and insignificant? How can you see God present with you and strengthening you despite insurmountable odds?

God, I feel tiny today. Left to myself, there’s no way forward. But I trust You to be with me and guide me. I’m trusting in Your strength.

 

Remember – God LOVES His children and He will PROTECT HIS OWN - see the below verses:

 

Psalm 46:1

New King James Version

 

God is our refuge and strength,
A  very present help in trouble.

 

Isaiah 54:17

New King James Version

 

¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

 

 

Please enjoy the below inspirational song/video, “No Weapon” (with lyrics) as performed by Gospel artist Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ. 

 

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

(If you can’t see the below video: Please scroll down to the end – Under the rectangular box labeled “Home” – please click “View web version”. You will automatically be taken to the top of the message – please scroll down to the “end” of the message to view the video. Please press play to enjoy the song/video).

 

BE BLESSED!