Quick Thought for Meditation – Seen of Angels – In the Garden; Luke 22:43

Luke 22:43

“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.”

This instance of the Lord being seen of angels while in his human form upon the earth occurs in the Garden shortly before he is arrested and headed for the cross.  The Lord has just prayed regarding the cup passing from him, or what he is about to endure for the sake of his people, and this angel appears unto him.  Much like after the temptation in the wilderness the angel comes to minister unto the Lord, this time in the form of strengthening him.  Certainly, the God of all the earth does not need one to comfort or strengthen because he is the source of all comfort and strength.  But the human side needs strengthening.  What comfort this ought to provide to us as believers.  If the angels came to comfort the Lord, certainly he will send his angels to strengthen us in times of need as well.  May the Lord bless you this day.

Quick Thought for Meditation – Seen of Angels at Birth; Luke 2:13-14

Luke 2:13-14

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

The scriptures teach us that the Angels in heaven have many characteristics but one of the greatest is a curiosity regarding the affairs of men.  They are especially curious regarding the work that was done by Jesus Christ for our salvation.  Here we see an event that took place shortly after the birth of Christ.  An angel has appeared to the shepherds in the field and then the angel is joined by the heavenly host.  They have looked upon Jesus as a babe.  These angels that have been in heaven with Christ Jesus, who have witnessed the work he has done in the life of his people for centuries, have now seen Christ in all his glory as a babe born unto a woman.  Certainly this event must have brought many questions to their mind but the questions are not what scripture presents.  Rather, the angels go and sing his praises unto those that need to hear them.  The Lord was seen of angels at his birth and they spread the message of his glory.

Quick Thought for Meditation – Times of Distress; Psalms 120:1

Psalms 120:1

“In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.”

Such a simple thought and yet so profound a promise.  There are many terms in the scripture that describe the hard times in our lives: temptation, trial, adversity, hardship, distress, etc…  Each of these words carries a unique meaning for the child of God.  The idea of distress packs a peculiar punch though.  Distress is not just your daily trial – kids screaming, boss unhappy, car won’t start – distress reaches the point that you are helpless and can only cry out for another to save you.  The promise contained in this verse is that even when you have reached the point of not being able to help yourself and can only cry out with a whisper the Lord will still hear you.  These are not pleasant places in our lives but the Lord is still our rock even in our worst of times.  Let us strive to seek the Lord before we reach these low points but at the same time we feel comfort that no place is too low for the Lord to reach.

Quick Thought for Meditation – A Perfect Ally; Romans 8:31

Romans 8:31

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Alliances are an important part of the history of every nation especially in our modern world.  Wars are won and lost based on the allies that a nation secures.  Political races are directly impacted by the support of certain allies.  Personal lives, jobs, and marriages are affected by alliances as they form and fall apart.  There is nothing in our lives that is not touched by this concept.  However, the truth about all of these alliances is that they rarely last and even if they do the strength of the alliance is always changing.  In contrast to this we have one ally that never shifts and never fails.  Paul declares the truth in this verse that if Christ is on our side, if Christ is our ally, then no one can stand against us.  Whether that be eternally or here in time we know we have the Perfect Ally for our battles.

Quick Thought for Meditation – A Friend and Brother; Proverbs 17:17

Proverbs 17:17

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

It would be a lovely thing if for every natural brother and great friend this statement from the book of Proverbs were true.  However, when it comes to our brothers here on this earth and our friends in this lifetime they often fail us in the times we need them most.  Thank the Lord this verse was not referring to natural things for if that were the case the scriptures would have been proven untrue a long time ago.  So who does this refer to?  This verse is referring to the greatest brother and the truest friend a child of God has and that is Jesus Christ.  He is a our friend and brother for we are joint heirs with Christ and he has declared us to be his friend.  Truer words have never been spoken than Jesus Christ is there for us at all times and present in our adversity.  May we always be thankful that Jesus Christ is our friend and brother.