Isaiah 43 - "When He Was On The Cross, I Was On His Mind"

Last night as I was praying for a family who lost a loved one suddenly the Lord brought Isaiah 43 to my mind. The first seven verses of this chapter are about how God's love is always with us. It is with us in the 'good' days and it is with us in the 'bad' days. His love is forever. It is where we find the strength to go on after losing a loved one. His love is where comfort and peace are found when the 'what ifs' come into our minds. Just as Sharon sang on Sunday, "when He was on the cross, I was on His mind." God gave His Son Jesus to die for all. I know I do not want His death to go in vain. I strive to walk in obedience to Him so He will be pleased. I desire to see more people not only come into relationship with Him but then to die to self so He is the Lord over their lives. When a loved one dies, there are so many emotions we go through but His love is there for us. We do not have to fear anything when He is our Lord. He will provide all our needs. He will provide the needed finances, peace, wisdom on decisions that must be made at such a time, etc. Plain and simple. He will provide. He provided for the Israelites as they went through the wilderness and as they passed through the Red Sea. He loved them and desired to see them love Him back. The same can be said for all today. He loves us so greatly and desires to see us love Him back. He desires to be our strength in the times of storms. He desires for us to not be fearful even when the storms come in our life. Verse five of Isaiah 43 reads, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you..." He never leaves us but is always right there to give us comfort, peace, strength or whatever we need. The enemy may try to cause problems in the middle of such circumstances as a sudden death. He knows the emotions are high and may try to play on them. But when we are strong in our faith we know the Father's love is covering us and protecting us. We must be on guard against any door the enemy may try to open and make sure to keep it 'locked' with prayer and God's Word in our heart.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for giving comfort and peace to our dear friends. Thank You for loving them so greatly through these tough days. Father, I thank You we were there for them yesterday and for the words You gave us to share. Lord, today is the first day they woke up without their loved one on this earth. I pray for Your peace to come down upon them in a mighty way. I pray Your strength will enable them to stand firm against the enemy. Father, I not only pray for this family but also for the families who are hurting from recent deaths. I continue to pray for Jeremy's family who are dealing with many firsts. May You continue to strengthen each one on their new walk without their loved one. Lord, I also pray for a richness in my spirit to be more loving. I pray for a different, new way to come down upon me today to be You to others. May You cleanse me so I can show more of Your actions, words and attitude today. Thank You Jesus for being My Protector. Amen.