Welcome to Psalms Of Hope with Samantha Landy, author of over 20 books, businesswoman, magazine columnist, Bible teacher, international conference speaker, and distinguished woman of the year from Northwood University. The scripture says in Isaiah 55 11, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
It is Samantha’s desire to fulfill this scripture, encircling the earth with God’s word and God-honoring music, bringing the message of Jesus and his love to you. And now, here’s Samantha.
Welcome. Well, I’m so happy we have this time together. I love that you’re joining me today, and I envision each one of you, some I’ve met and many I hope to meet in the future.
So today, I’m just going to call this program Good and Plenty, with lots of ideas to encourage you. And of course, I’m going to play some wonderful music for you, too. I do have to admit that I have a sweet tooth.
Of all the candies I love, Good and Plenty is near the top of the list. Life is good when I have a handful of those luscious sugar-coated licorice pieces. You know, interestingly, my son Randall loves them, too.
I guess it’s time to send him a box of the good stuff. Well, you know, there are a lot of good things we can experience in life. But like a feast of the Good and Plenty licorice candy, the goodness is soon over.
Even the best of things can leave us feeling empty and even regretful if we put all of our hope in that one event. So when King David declared in Psalm 16 2, You are my Lord. Apart from you, I have no good thing.
That intrigues me. I wonder, when was the last time we embraced God as the ultimate good in our life rather than some event or even some person? But then David continues, explaining just how good God really is.
In Psalm 16 verse 1, he says that God is our preserver. Verse 4, our heritage. Verse 7, our council.
And in verse 11, he writes that God is the one who makes known the path of life for us and fills us with joy. Oh, now that’s what I call good. Yes, as we think of God and his provision for us, I think we’ll be able to sing along with this group called Women Together in Worship as they sing, You are worthy of my praise.
Yes, truly God is worthy of our praise. Well, I’m so thankful you tuned in today. You know, a writer friend of mine, Julie, wrote about how excited she was when she found out that an astronaut would be taking a copy of Our Daily Bread with him into outer space on the shuttle Atlantis.
She quickly looked to see which of her devotionals that she had written in that issue that he’d be reading. The idea of having her words read in outer space seemed, well, pretty amazing, she said, for a small town kid. And then she had another thought.
Why do I consider this such a big deal? When I pray, my words are heard in heavenly places and the God who created the universe listens to my words. Why be more awestruck when a human reads my words than having the Almighty God hear what I pray?
Yes, those special events in our lives are for us to enjoy. But when we put them in a level of importance that we think we have to have it to make us happy, it often loses its joy, doesn’t it? Do you want to feel good about your life?
Well, I have the answer for you. It’s not things or events that will make you happy. The Apostle Paul spoke about it in 1st Corinthians 10-4.
He wrote, And by a miracle, God sent them food to eat and water to drink there in the desert. They drank the water that Christ gave them. He was with them as the mighty rock of spiritual refreshment.
Yes, it’s that spiritual refreshment from the Lord our rock that gives us joy.
Oh, thank goodness, if we have Jesus in our heart, then our foot is on the rock, Jesus. Well, I’m Samantha Landy, and my theme for this program is Good and Plenty. It’s actually the name of a licorice candy that I love, but it’s also a good description of God.
He is a good God, and he has plenty of miracles to shower upon us. Now, most people would agree that life is a mixture of good and not so good and sometimes even bad. But through the years of walking with Jesus Christ, I found that the more I keep believing his promises, the more I can see good in my life.
However, bad things do happen, and there is evil in the world. But there was evil in the world at the time the apostles lived, too. In fact, Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome and said, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Yes, we may be surprised when self-centeredness, resentment, or anger takes the stage within our fellowship or our marriage or any other relationship. But the Apostle John exhorts us to be patient and humble, to desire, to restore our relationships, to follow after good. Well, as the minister friend of mine says, God is a good God, and he desires to bless his children.
And it’s in learning more about God and his wonderful promises in the Bible that makes it possible to really believe that God is a good God. Well, there’s a wonderful song that is My Heart’s Cry, and I hope it is yours too. Here is Frank boggs singing.
Oh, I want to know God more. I hope that’s your hearse cry today too. I’ve been talking about God being a good God in this program, and recently I had the joy of experiencing the beauty of a good and generous God.
While visiting my younger son Randall and his wife Kay in Spokane, we had lunch at the Davenport Hotel. It’s an old opulent hotel from a bygone era. But what reminded me most of God’s generosity was the largest arrangement of flowers I think I’ve ever seen sitting on a polished antique table in the middle of the lobby.
The flowers were bursting with color arching way over my head, and the fragrance from the wondrous variety of flowers was amazing. Yes, God created such variety. In fact, I posted the picture on Facebook this morning.
And other memories that come to my mind are walking out in the mountains in Montana with the pine needles crunching under my feet, releasing the rich scent of pine, or the marvelous high-flying clouds changing colors in the sunset, or the honking of a flight of geese high in the sky as they wind their way south for the winter. These and many more images come to my mind, created by the generosity of our loving God. Ephesians 3.20 reminds us that he is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than we can ask or think.
Yes, his grace is sufficient for any difficulty that comes our way. No wonder King David rejoiced when he said, How precious is your loving kindness, O God. Well, there’s a song that says, That’s really true, isn’t it?
And here are the festival singers. The wonder of it all.
And you too can have that same assurance. No matter how much you’re struggling in your life, God does love you and cares for you. You can turn to him.
He is a trustworthy, faithful God. Well, as I shared last week, so I can get an accurate picture for Psalms Of Hope on your station, I’m going to ask you to do something for me. Sometime in the next few days, I want you to send me a note with $5 tucked inside.
If you wish, you may go to my website and check the donate button there and support me with $5. Of course, you’re most welcome to send a larger gift. But most of all, I just need to know you are listening to Psalms Of Hope.
And if you’ve written before, please do join me in this project also. So get your pen ready. The announcer will give you my contact information.
And if you have a prayer request or comment, I’d love to receive that as well. We do take praying for our listeners seriously. And I will write you back.
You may be a new listener, but don’t expect other people will write in. I need to hear from you too. Your response will tell me that you want this radio ministry to continue on your station.
Well, I’m calling this letter project Dollars for Doorways. In Revelation 320, Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.
Well, every radio station I’m on is a doorway.
Thank you for listening to Psalms of Hope with Samantha Landy. Email her at samanthalandy.com. That’s landy.com.
Your gifts help to keep Psalms of Hope on your station. If you wish to write, you may do so at PO. Box 1103, Florence, Montana, 59833, USA.
To connect with Samantha, find her on facebook.com/thesamanthalandy.
That’s facebook.com/thesamanthalandy.
Please comment on her page and share it with others. We pray that God, the source of our faith, will give you love, joy, peace, and hope as you trust in Him.
