Month: November 2021

Prayer Walk for Advent 2021: First Steps

Psalm 120, A Cry in Distress A Song of Ascents:

Psalm 120.

“Keep moving forward.” This is a phrase of encouragement throughout history. And this is my heart, during the advent season, filled with uncertainties and change. I ask you to join me to ascend in the Psalms through the Song of Ascents, to speak aloud the Word and pray to God to be renewed in hope and the joy of the Lord.

Here we go:

In my distress, I cried to the LORD, And He heard me.

Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.

“Yes, Lord. This is a time of divisive and hostile words. Give us discernment to hear Your voice of truth.”

What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of the broom tree!

“Lord, help us know and remember Your eyes and ears are open to everything. We only see portions, but You are a witness to each unspoken and spoken word, each motive, every action of humankind., worldwide. You are God Almighty. Together we cry out to You. The One able to move mountains.”

Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace. I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war Psalm 120, NRSV.

“We think of the day You walked on this earth, Jesus. You came in love, yet You were ‘despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . we hid, as it were, our faces from’ . . . You. (Isaiah 53: 3.)

In this dark age we live in, we cry out for Your hope and light.

We give praise to You for Your Word reminds us:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55: 8-9.

Amen and amen!”

And through the Songs of Ascents, we will continue:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth Psalm 121:1,2.

Is this not the testimony of faith through the ages?

“Lord, help us get our eyes off the circumstances, great frustrations, and misunderstandings and fix them on You.”

Where will we be if we turn from the true and living God to trust in man’s wisdom alone?

Your Word tells us, ‘. . . the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men‘ 1 Corinthians 1:25, ESV.

Thank You, Lord, that the open Word brings light to our steps:”

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night” Psalm 121: 3,4.

“Amen, dear Lord. You are my Keeper. You’re our Keeper! We walk on the solid ground of faith in You.

You’re Immanuel, God with us. To all who choose to receive Your love and gift of salvation. You’re a giver. You were willing to lay down Your life for all lives, all people, all nations, all tongues.

Nails were driven into Your hands for me.

In a world where love is defined in many ways, Your Word defines love for us:

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath] 1 John 4:10, AMP.

To know You, Lord, is to believe Your promises:

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore! (Psalm 121: 7,8. Emphasis mine.)

Amen. Amen! (Emphasis mine.)

The LORD will preserve those who trust in Him from all evil, from this time forth, and even forevermore.

P.S. Renewed in mind, heart, and soul is the reward in time aloud in God’s Truth! In response, I share a song I wrote from Psalm 95, which I plan to record with the voices of children, The Lord is a Great God:

(For anyone who has read this far, can I ask for prayer as I complete the writing of a 5-Day Huddle in Genesis / Creation?

This song will need to be re-recorded with the voices of children! If you are local to me and have a child who loves to sing and is looking for opportunity, please contact me (PM).

In time, I pray this offering to the Lord will be a resource for churches and Christian schools for simple and powerful ministry to kids! And prayerfully, I can keep putting together 5-Day Huddles throughout Genesis.)

Let me know if you’re praying! -Toni Rypkema

“Dear Lord, give us . . .

What is our request before the Lord?

Do we pray for earthly blessings and relief from trials or from the physical discomforts alone?

Or do we talk to the Lord because He is God, worthy of honor and glory? Do I pray to give Him thanks and praise, with no request?

What do we want? How do we talk to the Lord?

I have trouble sitting still. Will God be OK if I move around a pray? Yes.

And, today, I share Fanny Crosby’s old hymn of 1875, “Draw Me Nearer.”

Fanny Crosby is a wonderful teacher. Many of her hymns were prayers. I share this to be spoken (or sung) with vocal cords vibrating.

To me, it’s therapy to the soul:

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side . . . Fanny Crosby 1875

Today I ask the Lord, “Help me have a holy lifestyle. One fully pleasing You.”

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“Dear Lord, teach me to give the wholehearted prayer. Not to pray for relief from trials only, but to give You glory and praise.

Help me surrender to Your will. That I might be willing to hear Your voice in Your Word more than my necessary food or the list of things to do, or the loud call of the worldly news.

Give me fruit in my life of love: . . . (which I can’t do unless I cling to You.) You’re the Vine, I’m the branch.

Keep me connected to You that I might have joy when hearts are very heavy. Peace when fear is everywhere. Patience in hectic moments.

Kindness when it’s hard. Goodness, when I’m tempted not to what’s right.

Faithfulness when I don’t feel like doing something.

Gentleness when it’s impossible without the power of God in me.

Self-control when the last choice I want to make is self-control.

“There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Thank You, Lord that You are a gracious God, patient to wait for us to “be still.”

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Notebook Praises 4 What is Truth?

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Today definitions are changed. But God?

The God of the Bible is . . . who He says He is.

There’s no shadow of turning with Him, (James 1:17). Not ever.

God is patient. Kind. Most people think this about God, but are we hungry to know Him?

Familiar words often become blurred, but to chew on the Bible’s account of God’s nature brings a prick to every heart:

God’s love doesn’t envy.

God’s love doesn’t boast. He’s not proud. 

God doesn’t dishonor others.

God’s not selfish. He’s not easily angered.

God does not keep a record of wrongs.

God takes delight in truth, not evil.

God always protects. God always trusts. God always hopes.

God perseveres through everything.

God’s love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13.)

“God is love” 1 John 4:8.

Do we (really) want love?

We must seek the true and living God!

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” John 17:17.

We’ve got a choice to make. To believe or not to believe the Holy Bible proclaimed to be the truth of God.

And who’s Jesus?

From Genesis to Revelation, God speaks a Scarlet thread to tie and hold each Book together.

To open the Bible is to hear God’s heart. His story. His plan. His promises. Everything about life for humankind is written.

What happens when the Book is closed? We can see this, today the truth is what you make it. But is this true?

We believe many things. The human mind, heart, emotion is expressed in words—communication. Words have power.

We follow words . . .

how can we hear the true voice of God?

Faith. ” . . . faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17.

The testimony of every believer in God is summed up in the first four verses of the Bible. I’ll share an example with my testimony:

God created me. Then my life was dark and empty, (because of sin). “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters,” (Genesis 1:3). (My body consists of 73% water. My interpretation.)

The Spirit of God was patient to wait as His presence remained and . . .

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light” Genesis 1:4.

Many testimonies speak of chaotic beginnings, brokenness, darkness, emptiness, pain, and hurt. Then, . . . the Rescuer came.

Chaos turned to light. Old became new.

Do believers have perfect lives after Christ? No way, but directed by the Spirit of God, the Word of God, the Father of Light who delights in His children—yes! Perfectly covered by His blood. Renewed in His love.

Jesus:

“He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God” Revelation 19:13.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” John 1:1-4.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6.

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” Revelation 1:1,3.

Truth? Jesus said, “I Am.”

Let the little children sing about “All Things New:”

P.S. Please spend some time talking with the Lord today. This day, may you ask Him in your life and say, “I’ve made Him mine!”

Notebook Praises: God said, “Let there be . . . and it was so.”

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We give praise and glory to God because He IS GOD.

His Word is “perfect, refreshing the soul,” Psalm 19 reminds us: “The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward” Psalm 19:7-10.

Are we going through a great trial? Yes, most people are challenged today, some are in crisis.

How is gold purified? Yes, fire.

And, there are times the Lord allows great trials that feel like a fiery furnace.

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, He draws near to the brokenhearted.

May we receive His Word and rejoice – even in hard times.

Why? Because God is faithful. He hasn’t left us, orphans. He is speaking. We must take time to talk to Him.

When we open His Word, we’re allowing Him to speak to us. What does He say about hard trial:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6,7.

“Lord help us hear Your voice and block out all others. Give us ears to hear what You have to say to us. We need to know You more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Today, I pray that the Lord keeps us “rejoicing in Him” no matter what! God said, . . . and it was so! We CAN trust Him for what concerns us today! Amen!

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Notebook Praises Plus (a bit of) My Cancer Story

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men,” (people). “The Lord is at hand” Philippians 4:4,5.

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Today.

Yesterday.

Moving forward.

I can take joy in the Lord. I can’t always have joy in my circumstances, the weather, my location, or my past, but I can always take joy in the Lord.

He alone is good.

He’s holy. Perfect in all His ways. He’s the lover of our souls. Patient, gracious, slow to anger, kind. The Lord God Almighty.

He’s completely trustworthy, yet at times, hard for me to trust. If it wasn’t for His Word, my thoughts would believe He’s the opposite of all He is.

He allows great trial, confusion, pain.

Do I believe Him when everything falls apart?

His Word tells me He knows my name. Do I believe this in the moments when I can barely remember my own?

He hears the worries I have, my cries, my tears.

But doubt sometimes floods my being to bring me down as a sickness.

My faith fails, (past, present, and future), yet God remains faithful and true. No matter what.

“You’ve got cancer.”

My diagnosis, not someone else. This was trial number three, not one.

I lost faith, became afraid, yet in the fight, my sister told me, “Toni, the people who keep faith do best.”

Where else could I go? I looked to the Lord.

He helped me through my failures and gave me the strength to trust Him, (one day at a time) with eleven healthy, full-term births, and four miscarriages along the way.

The Lord upheld my marriage, year after year for better, worse, sickness, health, richer, and poorer.

The trials opened my eyes to the presence of the Lord, His keeping power and grace. Only one set of footprints could be found in the sand. Jesus carried me with compassion, grace, and love that bore all my “stuff.”

He brought “prayer warriors,” from all over the map. Food, gifts for the kids, desserts, cards, phone calls . . . the Lord was a present help. He was with me. He brought family, friends, songs, hymns, His Word.

I put all my eggs in one basket. The Jesus basket.

Cancer opened my eyes to many failures and sicknesses in my heart. When we pray prayers like, “Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting,” you better believe, God will answer. (Psalm 139:23,24).

Cancer gave me more than it took away, it gave me an increased faith in the true and living God.

After my third chemo treatment, I came home feeling very sick. The sickness was to begin in a day and a half, not an hour and a half. The kids were spending time with a neighbor.

Laying down on the couch, eyes closed, I felt death in my bone marrow.

My body was rocked hard with the chemo. It wasn’t used to anything meds, ever. Not even for childbirth! But, fighting cancer, . . . I did the chemo.

Did they give me too much Adriamycin?

Shouldn’t I be seeing lights? It’s so dark. I thought I was going to die. Darkness was there, but then . . .

I had a vision. (I know you’ll think I’m crazy,) but a door opened in the darkness and light came through.

Two, healed, but nail-pierced hands stretched out of the open door. Then words (which I had read thousands of times from my favorite children’s book by Glen Keane), came to mind:

“Not all know Me as their King.”

That was it.

This was huge!

I had the assurance I was to live. But even more.

The Lord enlisted me in His army. He gave me work to do.

Weeks later, when I was strong enough to return to church, a guest Missionary pastor highlighted on the screen a verse from Philippians 1:25,26.

“And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ . . . “

Again, the Lord was speaking, “Toni, you’re going to make it through this horrible sickness and multiple trials, but you will now share joy and faith in My name with others.”

Yes, “Rejoice in the Lord, and again I will say, rejoice!”

I will never be ashamed to share the Good News of the One who has saved my life for salvation and every continuing day on this thorny earth.

While I have my being, I’m living for Jesus. He’s the only One Who truly, completely, perfectly Loves. (Period).

Jesus loves me, you, every human being on this planet. We all need Him.

This is not a religion. This is life, hope, peace, and love. This is what the world needs . . .

Do you know Jesus as your King? Perhaps the time is now.

Notebook Praises Day 2

“Make His praise glorious . . .

Sing out the honor of His name; . . .

Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!

. . . All the earth shall worship You ” Psalm 66.

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When I speak aloud the Word of God, I’m renewed with hope. We can rejoice in the LORD always because God is who He says He is!

He doesn’t change whether we believe Him or not. God is God.

If there is any doubt in your heart whether you belong to the Lord, . . .

make this day, the moment you seek Him. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He will. The Bible is His love letter. Jesus. Loves. You. And me. And every single person on this planet.

Period.

Ask the Lord to help you understand. Ask the Lord to speak in regards to your pain and loss.

The gospel message is the same. The Good News of God makes no changes, ever.

The Lord is a faithful God. Psalm 66 reminds us to sing out the honor of His name.

The Bible helps us focus on the grand power and goodness of God. God’s Word is living, soul transforming. The Word of God lifts us above anxious thoughts. We can’t worry and speak a dozen names of God at the same time.

Almighty God – The Anointed One

(Lord my) Banner – (Giver of) Counsel

Compassionate God – The Chosen One

A Crown of Glory – A Costly Cornerstone

Deliverer – Elohim

El Elyon (God Most High) – Exalted One

Hungry for more? The simple reading of a few names of God makes us hungry to read more:

Jesus is:

Enthroned in rainbow colors – Faithful

Forgiver – The First

Friend of Sinners – Fountain of Life

Gracious God – Glorious

Giver of the Spirit – Great Reward

Holy – Healer

Change happens. We were created to worship God and when we do, we have peace. He is the Prince of Peace.

Can we “Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works!”

His greatest work is His sacrifice on the cross for each of us. He became the Passover Lamb, (another one of His wonderful names). By believing in His work of death on the cross, our sin is put on Him:

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Talk to Him today. He knows your heart already. He can cleanse and make all who believe a new creation. His other outstanding work is His resurrection. Each is great. Miraculous. Jesus rose from the dead.

He helps us rise to new life.

Yes, all who come to Jesus and believe in the sacrificial love He gave on the cross will be saved. Born again with living hope.

The Bible tells us so!

Let the sound of children minister the glorious gift Jesus gives when we believe in Him:

John 1:12 / 2 Corinthians 5:17


Psalm 66: Say to God,
“How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
 All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

 Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
 He turned the sea into dry land;
They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

 Oh, bless our God, you people!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
 Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
 For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
 You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,

 Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.

 If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!”

Talk to someone about what you’ve received from the Lord, today!

A Month of Thanksgiving to God Creator of Heaven and Earth

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Who will join me, (along with many from my church) in a month of an “Attitude of Gratitude?”

This month, let’s make the choice to deny our flesh and ask the Lord to grow us in Him, His grace, His love, His forgiveness: His Holy Spirit, our Comforter, and present help in trouble.

Help us put off our “self” and put on Christ and His Spirit of love by believing in Him and His great sacrifice He made for us.

Jesus took all the pain on the cross that we, who believe receive great gain.

Can we think about His sacrifice and deny our flesh in some way? Join me to hunger more for Him and ask to “eat” time in His presence, hope in His strength, and be empowered by His grace.

“O how restless is the foe Jesus’ kingdom to overthrow.

Shall not we as zealous prove to proclaim redeeming love.

Let us publish saving grace, scatter life in every place . . .

Dare the world and satan’s frown – turn his kingdom upside down!” (Words penned hundreds of years ago, author unknown):

We are thankful dear Lord that You are on the throne!

Help us know Your Good News above the news of this day:

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46: 10.

We believe in Your Word. Help our unbelief!