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1 Walk Towards Life1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 33 He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; (Psalm 107:1-9, 33-37 New International Version)
A tremendously terrific Thursday to you, Friend, is my prayer for you. I pray God bless you with opportunities to serve Him. May you bless others today. Pray for one another. Pray for those who have asked prayer from you. Make a positive difference in the world today!
The Bible has many references to joyous reunions that God and God's people tell of. And this psalm is a song of hope that those reunions will come in God's time and plan. In the few days that I have been making new friends through their enrollment into their school's insurance programs I have heard many stories of those who have been lost in the past few years due to many reasons. One woman last summer discovered that her husband, whom she thought was watching television, was no longer present in spirit, for his spirit had departed for another place. After his funeral, her oldest son was invited by friends to take a trip into Mexico to rest and relax to help him unwind from the stress of his father's death and funeral. While on this trip, the son went for a walk alone. He went missing and was found days later, shot through the eye, dead. A colleague of mine, some years ago, lost her oldest daughter to the man she was married to, for he killed her in a rage; and due to the racial climate of the state where the murder occured, this pastor fought for and lost custody of her only grandson, and was even denied visitation rights to that child. There were more stories and more tears associated with loss and with hope for one day being reunited with those who have departed. It is important to note that the reunion and power to bring back the lost.
The reunion will also include those who chose to wander off on their own, seeking a new home according to their needs and desires and far from God; these too will also be brought back by God because of His great love for us all. And no matter how far they have wandered, God's loving and listening ears, hears the cries of the repentant and leads them home. The thirsty find drink and the hungry find their fill for their stomachs. Even the parched lands will transform into rivers and streams that will bless the land with fruit and other blessings; the evil will see the opposite happen; prosperous land will become deserts. But the faithful and the returned will find the city where God has invited them to live; and there they planted, not only crops of things for harvest, but roots of the heart where love would bless all residents. Thanks be to God.
The world is counting on God but for now, the world turns to us to be the light and love of God to all people. Heaven truly can become a reality in our lives, the believers of God who can truly make a difference for the good now. Let God's light and love shine through us always.
PRAYER: Lord of the Universe, Father of us all, make us more like You so that we can bless the earth. Help us truly bring Your kingdom here as it is in Heaven; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show the first glimpses of Heaven to someone today in a way that blesses them; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Receive my blessings of joy and hope,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
