365 Promises

[Hosanna]

Promise #96:
I will protect and carry you all the days of your life.

Isaiah 46:4 (WEB)
and even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs will I carry you.
I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry, and will deliver.

The New International Version Bible translates Isaiah 46:4 this way... Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

This is a Scripture that I often refer to when I am speaking about the importance of embracing a childlike heart even in our old age. In today's passage of Scripture, God is speaking to Israel and He tells them that He is the One who made them, He is the One who will sustain them and He is the One who will carry them all the days of their lives... even when they get old!

It doesn't matter if we are two years of age or 102, God is still our Father... And fathers look after their kids. No matter what you are facing in life, the Ancient of Days has promised to carry you and He will be faithful to rescue you in every situation where you need to be rescued.

You were never ever created to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. God is your burden bearer and He wants you to cast every care upon Him because He really does care for you. (1 Peter 5:7) He promises to protect and carry you all the days of your life!


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[Hosanna]

Promise #99:
I have raised you up with Christ to sit in heavenly places.

Ephesians 2:5-6 (WEB)
5 even when we were dead through our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Once we were dead, now we are alive in Christ. Once we lived by the laws of the flesh, now we are are led by the Spirit of God. What a contrast! Death to life. Darkness to light. Earthly to heavenly. Because of the grace (unmerited favor) of God, He has raised us to resurrection life in His Son, so that we would be seated together with Jesus in heaven!

When we read today's Scripture passage, many of us think that this is our destiny when we die and go to heaven, but Paul the Apostle is talking about a present reality, not just a 'when we all get to heaven' kind of reality.

Ephesians 2:6 in the Amplified Bible describes what Paul says this way... And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (AMP)

The spiritual reality of salvation has catapulted us into heaven right now! This is our spiritual position in Christ as we live out the balance of our Christian life here on earth. I love how the Amplified Bible tells us that God the Father has given us joint seating with Christ in the heavenly realms. We actually share the same seat as our Elder Brother because we are IN Him!

My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit would give each one of us power to grasp the eternal implications of us being seated in heavenly places right now. No matter how dismal or depressing your life might be on earth, the spiritual reality is that your spirit is joined with Jesus in heaven right now.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #100:
The good things that I have planned for you are too many to count.

Psalm 40:5 (WEB)
Many, Yahweh, my God, are the wonderful works which you have done,
and your thoughts which are toward us. They can’t be declared back to you.
If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

King David wrote Psalm 40 and in it he declares to God how wonderful His works are! David goes on to talk about the many good things that God has planned for us. Let's read Psalm 40:5 from the New Living Translation...

O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

The goodness of God has no end. It goes on forever and ever. Many times throughout the Bible, the phrase... The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever is declared. The strategy of the enemy is for us to question the goodness of God. His plan started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and it continues today. If he can get us to question God's goodness, then he can get us to not trust our Heavenly Father.

David had it right when he declared that the good things that God has planned for us are too many to count. The truth is that God is for us... not against us. He loves us with all His heart and He only wants the absolute best for our lives.

This does not mean that we will be insulated from trials and hardships along the way, but even in the midst of our struggles, there is nothing in all creation that will ever separate us from His amazing love. (Romans 8:35-39)


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[Hosanna]

Promise #101:
I will restore and refresh your weary soul.

Psalm 23:3 (WEB)
He restores my soul.
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

God created us to be restored and refreshed on a regular basis. The daily cycle of life demonstrates this as we are intended to rest (sleep) for a good 8 hours every day. Science is showing us more and more how important it is for our physical and emotional well being to be able to rest.

In today's promise, King David declares that it is God who is the restorer of His soul. The New Living Translation says... He renews my strength. The Amplified Bible says... He refreshes and restores my life (my self) The Message Bible says... you let me catch my breath.

I am not an expert in such things, but I understand from articles that I have read that up to 70-80% of physical illnesses are stress related. What that tells me is that the human body was not created to sustain a chronic amount of stress day in and day out. We all need to be refreshed. We all need our soul restored.

My prayer today is that each one of us would find the rest that we need in the midst of the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. May the Lord renew our strength, may He refresh and restore us, and as The Message Bible says... may we be able to catch our breath.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #102:
I will always build you up, not pull you down.

Jeremiah 24:6 (WEB)
For I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land:
and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

One of the ways an insecure person builds themselves up is by pulling other people down. By making somebody else look inferior, the person doing the 'pulling down' might feel superior, at least temporarily. While this is a very unhealthy way to go about life, many people think that God is waiting to do the same thing to us. He is just watching for an opportunity to criticize us and point out all shortcomings.

The truth is that the exact opposite is true. God is not waiting to find fault in us, He is looking for every opportunity to pull us up! In today's promise, we read of God's heart for His people and His desire for only good things for them. He promises to only do good things for us, to build us up and to plant us in solid ground.

Our God and Father is the most secure, loving, kind and compassionate father in the universe! He is always looking for new opportunities to encourage us so that we might fulfill our destiny as His beloved children. My prayer today is that we would simply believe that this is true. God is FOR us in every way!

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[Hosanna]

Promise #103:
I have made you a member of My own household.

Ephesians 2:19 (WEB)
So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners,
but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

When I walk into a house where I have never been before, it takes some time to get used to the new surroundings. I am usually very careful not to knock anything over and to do my best not to do anything that would offend the house owner.

However, when I walk into my own house, where our family has lived for many years, I am very comfortable with my surroundings. My wife and I travel quite a bit and there is no feeling like coming in the front door of our home after a lengthy trip and seeing familiar surroundings. The first thing I do is kick off my shoes and relax!

In today's promise, we read that we are no longer strangers and foreigners, but we are fellow citizens with God's people and we are members of His own household. Not only do we have full access to God's house, it is our house too! It is a safe place where He wants us to be comfortable and relaxed. It is a place where we can feel like we truly belong!

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would know that there is a special place in our Father's house (heart) for us. We are not strangers looking through a window on the outside, but we are joint heirs with Jesus, having full run of God's house.

Remember the words that Jesus spoke to us in John 14:1-3...
1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. (WEB)


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[Hosanna]

Promise #104:
If you make your home in Me, then no evil will come your way.

Psalm 91:9-10 (WEB)
9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

Psalm 91 is an amazing chapter for anyone who struggles with the fear of not being safe. It is a powerful picture of safety and security. It tells us that we are living in the secret place of the Most High. In today's promise we read that when we make our home in the Lord, no evil will come our way because we live in the fortress of the living God.

I am sure that many of us have watched movies or read stories of huge castles, surrounded by high walls, motes and scores of soldiers. Even that picture of safety and security pales to the sense of protection that we have when we abide under the shadow of our Papa's wing.

Jesus did tell us that in this world we will have trouble, but we can be encouraged because He has overcome the world. Living in the secret place does not mean that we are insulated from trouble but it does mean that when troubles come, He is the safe place where we can find safety and security.

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would feel the safety and security that comes from knowing that we have a refuge in the heart of our God and Father, where we can live all the days of our lives. I pray that fear would have no place in our lives as we make our habitation in the living God.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #105:
If you delight in My Word, you will be fruitful and prosperous.

Psalm 1:1-3 (WEB)
1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.

Today's promise contains the first three verses of the first chapter in the book of Psalms. What a way to start this wonderful book. These precious verses tell us that we will live a blessed life when we choose not to take counsel from the world system but to delight in the Word of the living God.

We are told that if we delight in the Lord and in His Word, we will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, always bearing fruit in the appropriate season, all the while living a prosperous life. I don't know about you, but when I read Psalm 1:1-3, my heart cries out, I want to be that man! I want to live a life that is pleasing to my God and to delight, meditate and be a manifestation of His Word to every one around me.

Simply put, God loves us and He wants to bless us in every way. When we listen to Him, when we delight in what He delights in, we have His promise of being fruitful. My prayer today is that we would all say yes and amen to this promise and claim it as our very own. May each one of us love what our Father loves, and choose to live a life of delighting in His ways.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #107:
Come close to Me and I will come close to you.

James 4:8 (WEB)
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

I love this promise from God in today's Scripture verse. God is waiting for you and I to come close to Him. Through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, He has made the first move and has come as close to us as possible. All we have to do is simply acknowledge His willingness to come close to us and take a step towards Him.

Just like the father in the Prodigal Son story in Luke 15, God is waiting and watching for us to turn to Him in order that He might take us up in His arms and embrace us for the rest of our lives. He is not expecting us to jump through all kinds of hoops to get to Him, He just wants us to turn our hearts toward Him today.

My prayer is that we will all realize the truth that God is waiting for us to come close. May each one of us have the courage just to take one baby step toward our Heavenly Dad and watch how He responds. When we come close to our Father, He is ready, willing and able to come close to us!


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[Hosanna]

Promise #108:
You can trust in Me, for I am your strength and your song.

Isaiah 12:2 (WEB)
Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation.”

God loves it when we trust Him. Trusting God is truly committing our lives into His care and not trying to manage life all on our own. In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are encouraged to trust in the Lord with all our heart and to not lean to our own understanding. God wants us to lean into His care today and not depend upon our own ability to manage life.

When we realize that our God and Father is indeed trustworthy, then we will not be afraid of anything that comes our way. We will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the LORD is our strength and our song and our very salvation. However, before we can truly enjoy the benefits of living a fearless life filled with God's strength and His song, we need to deal with the trust issue.

God wants to restore childlike trust to each one of us. The trust that was broken when we were little children can be restored in our relationship with our Heavenly Dad because He is indeed trustworthy in every way. My prayer is that we would all would trust in our Abba more today than we did yesterday and that our ability to trust in God would increase every day for the rest of our lives.

God is our salvation. We will trust in His goodness and not be afraid. He is our strength and the song that we sing every day. Hallelujah for such a wonderful salvation!


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[Hosanna]

Promise #109:
My gentleness will enlarge your life.

2 Samuel 22:36 (WEB)
You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
Your gentleness has made me great.

In today's Scripture verse, King David is making a declaration that God's gentleness has made him great. The Hebrew word for 'great' is pronounced 'rabah' and means to increase, excel, abundance, enlarge, etc. David acknowledged that it was the kindness and gentleness of God that was the reason for the expansion in his life which led to his greatness.

It is God's love for us that makes us great. Not our own ability to manage life. A friend of mine says that we can never be worthy enough for love, but it is love that makes us worthy. David knew that this was the secret to his own success. It wasn't his own ability that made him great, but the kindness of a God who loved to show him mercy.

The gentleness of our God makes us great too. Jesus told us that we would do greater things than He did because He was going to the Father (John 14:12). My prayer today is that faith would rise up in our hearts because of the kindness of our God and Father. It is the love that He has for us that will make us great.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #110:
I do not show favoritism in My family.

Ephesians 6:9 (WEB)
You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening,
knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,
and there is no partiality with him.

In today's Scripture verse, Paul the Apostle is giving instruction to the Church on how masters should treat their servants. He reminds them that they also have a Master in heaven who doesn't show favoritism so we should be careful not to mistreat those who are under our own supervision either.

Ephesians 6:9 in the New International Version Bible says it this way... And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. (NIV)

God does not play favorites! Every son and daughter is equal at His table. Of course we are called to submit to every authority that God has instituted in heaven and on earth, but it is clear that God does not favor one of His kids over the other. The truth of the matter is that we are ALL His favorites!

There is only one speed in which our God and Father can love... and that is with ALL His heart. In John 17:23, Jesus while praying to His Father says... I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (ESV)

The Father loves you and me with the same love that He loves Jesus! It is a wonderful thought to think that we are loved that much, but it is true. God does not show favoritism in His family. He loves ALL of us with ALL His heart.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #111:
I have chosen the poor to be rich in faith and heirs of My kingdom.

James 2:5 (WEB)
Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world
to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

The gospel is good news for the poor. Jesus told us in Matthew 5 that blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3). In today's Scripture, James is reminding us that God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs to the glorious kingdom that He promised to all who loved Him.

May this promise give strength to the weak, hope to the hopeless and encouragement to every person who feels like they are not living 'on top of the food chain' in the system of the world. God is for the underdog. He has always been for the lowly heart because He Himself is lowly in heart.

The kingdom of God is a kingdom where the weak will be made strong, the poor will be made rich, and the foolish will be made wise (1 Corinthians 1:26-30). The more that we see that the gospel is about God doing for us what we could not do for ourselves, the more we will rejoice in His promise to make us rich in faith and heirs to His glorious kingdom.

For me, this really is good news! ...That means I qualify!


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[Hosanna]

Promise #112:
Ask Me for wisdom and I will generously give it to you.

James 1:5 (WEB)
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.

God loves it when we ask Him for things we need. In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus encourages us to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking and our Heavenly Father will give us what we need. In today's promise, we read that we can ask God for wisdom and He is glad to give it to us.

We all need wisdom to navigate through this life. So what wisdom do you need today that you do not yet have? The New International Version Bible says James 1:5 this way... If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Simply ask your Heavenly Papa for the wisdom you need and He will generously give it to you without finding fault in your asking. God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children. As a matter of fact, every good and perfect gift comes from Him because He is the Father of Lights (James 1:17).

My prayer is that we would all live our lives looking to our Dad for heavenly wisdom, knowing that He is ready, willing and able to generously pour out all the wisdom that we need when we need it.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #113:
I will give you power to know the vastness of My immeasurable love.

Ephesians 3:17-19 (WEB)
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love
which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Today's promise is part of the amazing prayer that the Apostle Paul prays for the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 3:14-21. In this prayer, Paul makes his requests known to the Father from whom His family in heaven and earth is named after (verses 14 & 15) that He might strengthen our inner man by the power of His Holy Spirit.

The whole point of this prayer is that the Holy Spirit would root us deeply in the love of God so that we would have power to be able to know (grasp, understand) the vastness of His immeasurable love that has been given to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The love that God has for us cannot be comprehended any other way. It is far too great for us to be able to grasp in our human understanding. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to make God's love a reality to us. In Romans 5:5, Paul says that God has poured out His love into our hearts by His Spirit.

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would have a love encounter with God through the personal working of His Holy Spirit. I pray that the Spirit of God would give us power to grasp how deep, how wide, how long and how high His love is for us and that we would be filled to the full measure of God's fullness with His everlasting, unending love!

Father Heart Communications

 

[Hosanna]

Promise #114:
Wait patiently for Me and I will hear your cry.

Psalm 40:1 (WEB)
I waited patiently for Yahweh.
He turned to me, and heard my cry.

It was King David who wrote this psalm. He was a man who knew a lot about learning to be patient in the midst of extreme hardship. As a teenage boy, he was anointed king of Israel by the prophet Samuel, only to then wait many years to see it come to pass. In between the promise and the fulfillment there was much heartache and suffering.

Not long after the promise, things were looking good for David. He slayed a giant named Goliath, married the king's daughter and was a national hero in Israel. Then for reasons outside of David's control, his father-in-law, King Saul, became jealous and decided to hunt David down to kill him.

For many years, David was on the run, hiding in caves and hanging out with some of the most disreputable men of the day. But then a series of events happened that made him king of all Israel. After much heartache and disappointment, David finally saw the fulfillment of God's promise that he would one day become king.

So when David says, I waited patiently for the Lord and He heard my cry, he knew what he was talking about. No matter what trials you are facing today, God is faithful. As we continue to look to Him to fulfill all the promises He has made to us, may we find strength and encouragement in today's promise... Wait patiently for Me and I will hear your cry.


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[Hosanna]

Promise #115:
Even when you are weak in your faith, I will remain faithful to you.

2 Timothy 2:13 (WEB)
If we are faithless, he remains faithful.
He can’t deny himself.”

This is an absolutely wonderful promise! What a picture of the love and kindness of God! Even when we struggle in our faith, He will remain faithful to us because we are part of Him and He can't deny himself. The New Living Translation says ... If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

The Bible says in 1 John 4:16 that God is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes the attributes of love. God will remain faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him because that is who He is. Love believes all things, hopes for the best, never gives up. If you are struggling today with your faith, don't give up because God won't give up on you! He loves you with all His heart and He has promised to be faithful even in the times when you are not.

My prayer for each one of us today is that we would see our God and Father for who He really is. He is the complete expression of love and His desire is that we would yield to His relentless pursuit of our hearts and simply let Him love us more today than He did yesterday.

Father Heart Communications

 

[Hosanna]

Promise #116:
Seek My kingdom first and everything you need will be given to you.

Luke 12:31 (WEB)
But seek God’s Kingdom,
and all these things will be added to you.

Today's Bible verse is an excerpt from a larger text found in Luke 12:22-34 where Jesus is talking about some of the major things we worry about... Food, clothing, shelter. He encourages us not to worry about these things because we have a loving Father who has promised to provide for us. Jesus uses illustrations of the birds of the air and the lilies in the field to get His point across, that God provides for all that He created.

The premise of today's promise is this... Your Father in heaven knows what you need and He will be faithful to provide because that is what good fathers do for their kids. Since we do not have to carry the burden of looking after ourselves, we can be free to focus on our Heavenly Father's kingdom and be about His business.

Personally I have found this text of Scripture to be very challenging at times in my life. Jesus actually says that we do not need to give any thought for our life. I don't know about you, but I find that difficult to comprehend. Yet, Jesus told us that it is possible to live such a care-free life that we can actually live without worry.

My prayer today for all of us is that we would take God at His Word. I know if we can truly do this, the end result will be a life free from worry and anxiety to the degree which we can trust Him with our lives. When we seek Him with all our heart, He looks after all of the other details in our lives!


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[Hosanna]

Promise #117:
My Spirit will lead you into all truth and show you what is to come.

John 16:12-13 (WEB)
12 “I have yet many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.
13 However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth,
for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak.
He will declare to you things that are coming.

I had an experience a few years ago where I had to speak at two churches in the same Sunday morning. They were a 15 minute drive apart and I only had 15 minutes to get from one church to the other. Both churches were in the country so my car's GPS didn't work. I had no idea how to get to the second church from the first church's location.

Needless to say, I felt a little stressed about how I was going to get there without instructions. One of the leaders of the first church saw my discomfort and volunteered to drive her car in front of mine so that she could lead me to the second church. I was so relieved that I didn't have to try and negotiate the varying speed limits, tricky turns, etc. all by myself.

It was a beautiful autumn morning and I can remember just enjoying the drive as we drove by corn fields being warmed by the bright sun. In the midst of this experience, I felt the Lord speak to my heart and say... "This is what it feels like to be led". Immediately I was aware of what the Lord was saying to me.

Because I was simply following the car in front of me, I did not have to take the responsibility of navigating to my destination. All I had to do was simply follow. When we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God, we can relax and simply follow where He leads. Romans 8:14 says... For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (NIV)

Today's promise says that we don't have to chart our own course in life. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us in all truth and all we have to do is simply follow Him. Hallelujah! That is wonderful news!


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[Hosanna]

Promise #118:
One day, I will wipe away every tear and take away all your pain.

Revelation 21:4 (WEB)
He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”

Today's promise tells us of a day that is coming when God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eye. On that great and glorious day, there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more reason for tears and no more pain.

All of the memories of the suffering of this world will vanish in the light and love of our Father's embrace. God Himself will wipe away every tear that we have cried and He promises to take away all the pain that we have suffered on this earth.

May this promise bring hope to those who are in the midst of difficult circumstances. May this promise bring comfort to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. One day, we will see Jesus face to face and we will be taken up on the lap our Heavenly Father.

May this promise bring much joy to our hearts and anticipation to living forever in the embrace of the One who loves us with an everlasting love.

Father Heart Communications