I woke this morning early, couldn't really sleep. I decided to get up, make some coffee and pray. As a mother of 5, homeschooling, babies, errands, chores and life tends to leave me with little bits of pieces to get some undisturbed time with God. I know it's a season and it can become so constant and routine that is can become easy to just "get by" spiritually. I love when I have those moments when the house is quiet and it's just me and God. It's those times that I can hear more clearly what the Spirit is saying, intercede for those placed on my heart and petition the Lord. It's during that time I can really let my gratitude flow for all He has done, all He is doing and all He is going to do.
As I was praying this morning the Holy Spirit kept prompting me to pray the word "preserve" over people; whether individual, my children, myself or marriages. I almost felt like someone who didn't know what else to pray so I kept saying the same word and almost surpised myself when I did. It came with the sense and even spoken, 'Lord preserve __________, in these days as they are shortened. The days aren't what they were."
The mood of the prayer was asking Lord to preserve in these days because they are different than they were, they are shorter.
When I finished I got up to look up the word preserve. I use the word, I know what it means but wanted to see exactly what the word meant.
Webster's defintion gives 4 defintions (basically to protect, maintain, save, and reserve for special use). I was amazed and encouraged as to what the Lord was saying.
1 : to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction : protect
2 a : to keep alive, intact, or free from decay b : maintain
3 a : to keep or save from decomposition b : to can, pickle, or similarly prepare for future use
4 : to keep up and reserve for personal or special use
I will go through each one and expound on what I feel the Lord was saying in this. The word preserve in the Bible is "natsar" and means to keep, watch, guard, preserve, keep close, hidden things...
1. The Lord will keep safe from injury, harm or destruction. He is your protector. Even as things may come against you, He will be your protector.
Psalms 140
1Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.
3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah
4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.
5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah
6 I said to the LORD: “You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.
7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
Lest they be exalted. Selah
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;
10 Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”
12 I know that the LORD will maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
2. The Lord will keep you alive, intact and free from decay, only He can maintain you. The world will try and tear you down, discourage you, the problems in life may eat at you but if you walk and abide in the Lord, He will maintain you. This verse shows that we can run to Him, that He is our refuge, He alone will maintain us.
Psalms 61
1Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my vows.
3. To keep or save from decomposition. This is similar to the above definition but the difference here to me is that not only will He keep you from this decay and maintain you, He will also save you from it. We no doubt get ourselves in places where we look back and think, how did I get here, where did I turn off the road. As you come back to Him, He can save you. The verse below is the condition of the world we live in now, but the Lord will save you.
Psalms 12
1Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2They speak falsehood to one another;
With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.
3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that speaks great things;
4Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"
5"Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he longs."
6The words of the LORD are pure words;
As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.
7You, O LORD, will keep them;
You will preserve him from this generation forever.
8The wicked strut about on every side
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
4. To keep up and reserve for personal or special use. I love this one. He is reserving you for His personal and special use!! How awesome. This passage was a prophecy about Jesus, and as partakes with Him the Lord will use us in His will, for His special purposes!
Isaiah 42:1-9
1“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
5 Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “ I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the LORD, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Oh Lord! Preserve us. We thank You for Your care, Your watchful eye and Your shielding hand. You love us, You will keep us, protect us, save us, mainatain us and as we yield to You, You will use us for Your special purposes! In Jesus name, Amen.
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