The LORD Has You On His Heart

The LORD Has You On His Heart Exodus 39.8-21 Twelve stones, one for each of the sons of Israel. Photo of High Priest Personal, one on one 8.3 billion people on the planet right now and God knows each one. Each son of Israel was distinct, you could tell them apart individually. The Bible is a very personal book. From Genesis to Revelation we are on a first name basis. Adam to Jesus! This breastplate had some weight… carrying people on our hearts does but it is a joyful burden. * We know God carries us on His heart because He has told us. Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved." When any Israelite would look at the High Priest, he would see the stone of his tribe on the heart of the High Priest. He would remember that his tribe began with a family, one of the twelve sons of Israel, whose name had been changed from Jacob. * We know that God carries us on His heart because He is our Shepherd. Isaiah 40.11  He tends His flock like a shepherd:     He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart;     He gently leads those that have young. Sheep are helpless. They cannot survive without the care of a shepherd. You do not find them wandering around in the wild. You will find all kinds of animals in the wild, even feral cats. They can and do survive on their own, but a sheep or lamb, never. Because of this the Shepherd develops a close relationship with the sheep. There is a lot of interaction. My grand dog, Reese. They need to be led and they want to be. Sheep are natural followers. Bell Sheep will lead them to slaughter. I have watched a number over the years. They need to be led to be fed. They need to be groomed. They need medical attention, anointing of oil. They need to be watched, lest they are attacked or wander off. They need the security of the love of the Shepherd. A sheep without a shepherd is a distressed one. Confused, dazzled, wandering When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9.36 * We know the LORD carries us on His Heart Because He Prays For Us. He prayed for us. John 17. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in you. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one— 23 I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent Me. 26 I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” He prays for us. Luke 22. 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus is praying for you and I right now! Romans 8. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus Who died—more than that, Who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. I have often said that it would be wonderful to hear those prayers of Jesus! Here’s Larry. You know he cares for that flock. May he have wisdom and strength. There is _____. She cares so much for her family. Give her answers to her prayers. Don’t let her faith fail. There is _____. He is such a strong witness. Help him to continue. Here is _____. She is worried about how she is going to make ends meet. Reassure her she will with Our help. He prays for us because He cares for us. Friday night, the end of a challenging week. Some friends texted me, took me out to a cozy little Italian place and before the meal after I had said a blessing on the food, they both prayed for me. What a means of Grace! Jesus came through! Whatever you need, Jesus is praying for you, right now! * We Know the LORD carries us on His Heart Because He Provides For Us. That is in one of His Names: Jehovah Jireh, The LORD provides or in the Mount of the LORD, It will be provided. Genesis 22.1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the Lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. Not only did Abraham show God his love but far greater, God showed Abraham His Love. Olean, Thanksgiving 1980. We were a family of 5 by then. At the end of the service in that little chapel, the Sunday School kids came in up the front aisle and put canned goods, dry goods, and fresh vegetables on a table. Then the last one came up with a Turkey, a paper one, which had a tail of dollar bills, enough money to buy a Butterball Turkey with! It was for my family. Little did they know we would not have Thanksgiving Dinner that year if not for them! We took everything home and put it all on the table and gave thanks together as a family for God taking care of us, for Him providing for us. In the early 1990’s, when the church here was going through a very lean time I went without a salary for almost a year. Only the treasurer and the board knew. We prayed for God to provide and He did!!! My oldest daughter needed a computer. The school was beginning to require type written reports. I had told her we would get one. Then when we explained to the girls that I was going without a salary for almost while my oldest daughter said, “Dad you said we would get a computer. Now we will not be able to!” Around that time the LORD had given me a verse, Isaiah 8.18 “Here am I and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, Who dwells on Mount Zion.” There was a couple in the church at that time. They were upgrading their computer. He said to me, “We are giving you our old computer.” It was the one my girls had played games on when we would go to their home in West Islip after services on Sunday Nights. I remember when he set it up for us. God came through again. Whatever you have need of today, God can provide. If you are praying He will answer. * We know the LORD Carries Us On His Heart because We Call out to Him in Times of Trouble. Even people that do not believe call out, “Oh my God.” God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. Ecclesiastes 3.11 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD. Genesis 4.26 Heart to Heart. He carries us on His heart, placed eternity in our hearts so that there would be intimate conversation. How appropriate to have this breastplate made for the High Priest! How wonderful that Jesus is our Great High Priest and that He carries us on His heart. He is only a prayer away. * The LORD has you on His Heart and He Wants You In Heaven With Him. It is noteworthy that Revelation 21.19-21, lists the foundations of the city walls in the New Jerusalem and they are listed in the opposite order from the breast piece. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. John 14.1-3 He is preparing a place for us. John 17. 24 “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved me before the creation of the world. If you life is marred or ruined today, He can make it anew. That is His Word in Jeremiah 18 at the Potter’s House. Today, before we leave, before we eat together, let’s talk to the LORD. Let’s do so with the confidence that He cares, is listening and will provide. Let’s thank Him for the past blessings and trust Him for our current needs. Let’s put our unknown future in the Hands of God Whom we know.