My Verse and Word for 2019

If you would like to listen to today's devotional, please click here

 Dear Friends,
My Verse and Word for 2019

As has been my practice over the last few years I like to choose a verse and a 'word' for the coming year. 

I think I said in my blog post for 2018 (you can read it here) how choosing a word for the year has become more and more popular. There are now quizzes you can take to provide you with your word for the year. Some may find this helpful but I prefer to take the time to seek God and ask him to reveal the 'word' and verse for the year. I wait for one to resonate in my soul. One which I sense is right just for me.


My word for this year is FAITH.



Lawrence Richards writes this in his book,  "Encyclopedia of Bible Words":



"Faith is a personal response to God and a complete commitment of ourselves to him...faith calls for a continuing relationship of response to Jesus' word...faith transforms human beings, bringing us life that is eternal and can be experienced now. Through faith we come into a relationship with God in which he commits himself not simply to declare us righteous but also to make us truly good persons."



So, why faith?
Photo by antonio ochoa on Unsplash

  • I am so grateful for God's faithfulness to me and his commitment to me. There is nothing that can ever break this. He will never stop being faithful because this is who he is. He has shown it time and time again throughout history and throughout my own life. I know I can fully trust him with my whole being because he is faithful.
  • Any faith I have in God is because he has gifted it to me. My faith is in response to his faithfulness. 
  • I long for a stronger faith which is evidenced in my actions. To exercise my faith in the small things and the big things. To act in faith and trust God for the outcome. I believe my faith in God will grow stronger as I continue to be in relationship with him and spend time in his presence. 
  • I want to look back on this year and see it as one in which I have sought, with the Holy Spirit's help, to live my life faithfully committed to God.
My verse for the year is one I was actually drawn to back in the Autumn months of 2018. I'd never noticed it before, perhaps because this time I was reading it in a different translation. 

Then, a few days after reading it, a friend shared with me a verse which was very meaningful to her and it 'just so happened' to be the same verse. I have a real sense that God is wanting to draw his people back to himself. Not just one or two of us, but all of us. 

Here is my verse:

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”

And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

Psalm 27:8 (NLT)



It's rare for us to hear the audible voice of God. But each one of us can learn to hear God speak to our hearts. It's that 'knowing' deep within us that God has spoken. That's what I felt deep within as I read that verse and my heart was moved. It's hard to put into words what this verse means to me, but I'll try the best I can...

Isn't it wonderful that God says to me and to you "Come and talk with me"? Not 'to me' but 'with me'. Can't you hear his heart's desire in those few, small words - his desire for relationship, for connection and communication? For me to enjoy time with him when he can share what's on his heart with me and when I can share what's on my heart with him. When we can truly listen and respond to each other. How beautiful is that?! How incredible, that the Almighty God, the one who created the universe and holds it all in his hands, desires to share intimately with me and with you. It's almost beyond my understanding!

Then comes my response to his invitation, because that's what it is, an invitation. It's not a command from an egotistical King wanting to be pandered to or flattered. This is an invitation from our loving Heavenly Father who longs to just be with us and for us to know him as he knows us.


And my response is "Lord, I am coming". Eagerly and with joyful anticipation, I come to him. Forgetting all else. Letting go of anything else that vies for my attention and bringing my whole self before him - body, mind and soul. Knowing that he is offering all of himself to me.


At first, I questioned whether there is a connection between my word and verse for the year. Usually, it's an obvious one to me, but this year it was not quite so obvious. However, I do believe the two are connected. It's the gift of faith which draws me into relationship with God. It's his faithfulness which draws me closer to him. And my faith grows stronger as I am rooted in him and keep connected to him by choosing to live in his presence.



Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 (NLT)

I believe flowing out of those times of connection and communication will come the courage and confidence to live a life of faith and one which also glorifies him.

To Think About:
What is your heart's response to God's invitation to "Come and talk with me."?

If you haven't already done so, will you take some time during the coming week and through January and ask God to give you a particular verse and/or word for this year? What does he want to say to you regarding that verse or word?

I would love to hear what your verse and/or word is for 2019. Please let me know in the comments section. In this way let's encourage one another on our journey of faith.

Vicki

If you enjoyed reading this devotional blog, then you may like to know that I have two devotional books both of which are available to buy from Amazon. (The content of these books is material adapted from past blog posts.)




This is my latest book, published in November 2018.

"Dear Friend...52 Weekly Devotions to Encourage, Challenge and Inspire" Volume 2. 

The book's format is the same as my first one with the added extra of room for journalling after each devotion. To learn more, click here













"Dear Friend... Vol 1 is available from Amazon as a paperback book and also to download on Kindle.


To learn more, please click here



















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