Run With It: 2012

Monday, December 31, 2012

Teach the Children

Monday, December 31, 2012, 4:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “In Harmony” playing in my mind.

In Harmony / An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-15

Love each other truly.

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil.

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor.

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction;

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil –

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

http://originalworks.info/in-harmony/

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 78 (quoting vv. 1-8 in the NIV 1984): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2078&version=NIV1984

O my people, hear my teaching;

listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

what we have heard and known,

what our fathers have told us.

We will not hide them from their children;

we will tell the next generation

the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

his power, and the wonders he has done.

He decreed statutes for Jacob

and established the law in Israel,

which he commanded our forefathers

to teach their children,

so the next generation would know them,

even the children yet to be born,

and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their trust in God

and would not forget his deeds

but would keep his commands.

They would not be like their forefathers—

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose hearts were not loyal to God,

whose spirits were not faithful to him.

In Parables

When Jesus walked the face of this earth during his time of earthly ministry, he often spoke to the people in parables. Matthew, in the gospel of Matthew, stated that when Jesus spoke in parables that it was a fulfillment of these words spoken by the prophet in Psalm 78 (see Matt. 13). So, in a sense, these are also the words of Jesus Christ, as well as all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (see 2 Tim. 3:16). So, although these words in this psalm were penned by the psalmist, they are the very words of God, and are profitable and beneficial to us even today to teach, counsel, encourage, rebuke, correct and to train us in righteousness.

“Hidden things” revealed in the New Testament was often a reference to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which was prophesied concerning by the prophets of old. “The mystery kept hidden for ages and generations,” according to scripture, is “Christ in you” (in the saints of God), “the hope of glory” (see Col. 1:25-27; Rom. 16:24-26; and 1 Co. 2:6-8). Although the prophets of old foretold the coming of the Messiah and of our great salvation, it was not revealed or fully realized until the coming of Jesus Christ, his death, his resurrection, his ascension into heaven, and his sending of his Holy Spirit to indwell true followers of Christ. As well, our salvation will be completed when Jesus Christ returns for his bride (his saints).

Hear and Listen

We are counseled and/or instructed here to hear and to listen to this teaching. Although it was most certainly intended for the people of that day, evidenced by the historical references to Jacob, a.k.a. as Israel, and references to the law, the teaching still has relevance to us today when understood in light of the things once hidden but now revealed.

God decreed statutes (rules) for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which were then passed down from generation to generation so that future generations would, as well, put their trust and hope in God - so they would not forget his deeds, but would keep all his commands. Jesus Christ is the embodiment and fulfillment of the law (see Matt. 5:17). The law was put into effect to lead us to Jesus Christ (see Gal. 3:19-24; Eph. 1:10). And, Jesus Christ, as well, demands our obedience (see Luke 9:23-25; Matt. 28:19-20; Jn. 14:15).

A Rebellious People

The other objective of passing down these Biblical and prophetic teachings from generation to generation was so the next generations would not be like their forefathers – “a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him,” said the psalmist. And, then he recollected the many ways in which the previous generations of God’s people had been rebellious, disloyal and unfaithful.

Although God had miraculously delivered and provided for them time and time again, the people of God turned their backs on God, they did not keep his covenant, and they refused to obey his laws. They forgot his miracles, they continued to sin against him, they practiced idolatry, they rebelled against him, and they tested him with their continual demands for more from God while they were not willing to give God what he deserved, desired and commanded of them, his children, i.e. their obedience, love, submission and respect. God was angered with them because “they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.” So, God sent judgment upon them.

“In spite of all this, they kept on sinning,” so he judged them again. When he judged them, they would seek him, but then the psalmist said that they began to “flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities… Time after time he restrained his anger… he remembered they were but flesh.” His people often rebelled against him and grieved him because of all their sin. “They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols,” and the list of their sins against God goes on and on.

Rules and Grace

A lot of professing Christians are under the assumption that now that we are under grace by faith in Jesus Christ that we are no longer under rules. Some even take it so far as to suggest that repentance (turning from sin) and turning to God in faithful obedience are not required for salvation. Oh, how wrong! Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny (die to) himself and take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow him in obedience (see Luke 9:23-25). As well, we read in Eph. 4:17-24 that the way we come to know Christ is through putting off our old lives of sin, by being transformed in heart and mind via the power and working of the Holy Spirit within us, and by putting on the new “man,” created to be like Christ in true righteousness and holiness. And, the New Testament is filled with rules for daily Christian living. We don’t earn our salvation through following a set of rules, yet obedience to Christ and to his commands is a requirement for our salvation.

The teachings of scripture are passed down from generation to generation for the same reasons that the people of God of old passed down the teachings to future generations. The teachings of God’s word is passed down to future generations so that they will put their “trust and hope in God - so they would not forget his deeds, but would keep all his commands,” and so they will not be stubborn and rebellious like their forefathers, who were unfaithful to God and who did not keep his commands.

God’s grace does not set us free from obeying Christ’s commands for our lives, nor is it a free license to continue in willful and unrepentant sin. Our God is still a jealous God who does not want us following after other gods and our own selfish desires, but who wills and purposes that we live holy lives, pleasing to him, which is our reasonable worship of him (see Ro. 12:1-2).

Seek the Lord / An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

http://originalworks.info/seek-the-lord/

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Thankful

Sunday, December 30, 2012, 5:36 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me this morning with the song “Thank You, Lord” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 71 (NIV 1984):

In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;

turn your ear to me and save me.

Be my rock of refuge,

to which I can always go;

give the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord,

my confidence since my youth.

From birth I have relied on you;

you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.

I will ever praise you.

I have become like a portent to many,

but you are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled with your praise,

declaring your splendor all day long…

But as for me, I will always have hope;

I will praise you more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteousness,

of your salvation all day long,

though I know not its measure.

I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord;

I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,

and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

Even when I am old and gray,

do not forsake me, O God,

till I declare your power to the next generation,

your might to all who are to come.

Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,

you who have done great things.

Who, O God, is like you?

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,

you will restore my life again;

from the depths of the earth

you will again bring me up.

You will increase my honor

and comfort me once again.

I will praise you with the harp

for your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praise to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will shout for joy

when I sing praise to you—

I, whom you have redeemed.

My tongue will tell of your righteous acts

all day long,

for those who wanted to harm me

have been put to shame and confusion.

In His Righteousness

God’s righteousness can be defined in terms of his divine and sinless perfection; his holiness, justice, faithfulness, purity of heart and motive, honesty, and his love.

In God’s justice, he could not let sin go unpunished, so he sent his Son to earth to die on the cross for our sins, so that through faith in Jesus Christ we might be made right with God, having Christ’s righteousness credited to our account (see Rom. 3:21-26). Through Jesus Christ’s shed blood on the cross we are rescued (delivered; saved) from slavery to sin, from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal damnation), and we are set free to love, serve and obey our Lord in humble submission to his will for our lives.

We come to faith in Jesus Christ via repentance and obedience. Scripture teaches us that the way in which we come to know Christ is through forsaking (dying to) our old lives of living for sin and self, being transformed in heart and mind via the power and working of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, through following Jesus in obedience, and through being reborn into new lives in Christ, “created to be like Christ in true righteousness and holiness.” [See Luke 9:23-25; Eph. 2:8-9; 4:17-24; Rom. 12:1-2; and John 3:1-21, et al.]

My Rock of Refuge

When we invite Jesus Christ into our lives to be our Lord (master) and Savior of our lives, he comes to dwell within us in the person of his Holy Spirit whom he promised to send in his place when he left the earth and went back to heaven after his resurrection from the dead. When Jesus Christ was alive on this earth he was with people physically, but when he left this earth he sent his Holy Spirit to live within all of his true followers, so that he can be with all of us 24 hours a day seven days a week. Because Jesus Christ’s death split the veil in the temple in two that stood between us and the presence of our holy God, we can now approach the throne of God’s grace with confidence to help us in our time of need.

Jesus Christ, via his Holy Spirit, is there with us always to offer comfort, encouragement, counsel, direction, knowledge and understanding, insight into the truths of God’s word, correction, rebuke, instructions in righteousness, and to daily deliver us from wickedness and from temptation to sin, and even from our own selves sometimes, as well as to deliver us from the fear of men and what men might do to us, and/or from their evil influences.

When the world is crashing all around us, and things in our lives are not going according to our plans and purposes, we can count on God/Jesus and his faithfulness. He is in absolute control of all things, and his purposes cannot be thwarted. He knows exactly what we are going through, he allowed it in our lives for a purpose, and so we must trust in his sovereign grace, knowing that he will work out all things for good for those who love him and who have been called according to his purposes. He is our hope even when all else seems hopeless! He is our refuge in the storms of our lives. He is our fortress and our refuge.

Praise Him!

The psalms offer us so many words of encouragement and hope, and they teach us much about praising and thanking God in all our circumstances. This psalmist was evidently being attacked or oppressed by the grasp of evil and cruel men. His enemies spoke strongly against him, and those who waited to kill him conspired together against him. Evidently his hardships were a sign to his enemies that he was forgotten and forsaken by God, so they took this as an opportunity to overtake him, because they assumed there would be no one to rescue him. The psalmist also recognized that God had his hand in his troubles, as well. In other words, he acknowledged that God was in complete control over all things, and so that meant God had allowed these troubles in his life for his divine purposes.

In all these things the psalmist said that he would ever praise the Lord. In fact, he said that his mouth was filled with God’s praise, declaring his splendor all day long. Wow! And, he continued by saying that he would praise God “more and more.” He said: “My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.” Completely unaware of the limit or the extent of God’s love, grace and mercy, and not having knowledge and understanding of God’s ultimate plan of salvation for mankind, still the psalmist praised God for all that he could see and understand, and even what he knew was the goodness of God not yet seen. What an awesome example to us!

Not only did the psalmist privately praise God and give him honor and glory for all who he was and did and for what was not yet seen of his mighty acts, the psalmist made proclamation of God’s mighty acts. A proclamation is a public announcement of something. To proclaim something is also to declare someone to be who he or she says he or she is, or to show or reveal clearly what something is [Resource: Encarta Dictionary]. So, the psalmist made public testimony to God’s saving grace, his righteousness, and his marvelous deeds. As well, he prayed for God’s protection and mercy over his life until he was able to declare the power of God to the next generation. What an awesome goal and vision!

Hope in Him

The psalmist put his absolute faith and trust in Almighty God, no matter what came his way. He knew that God would restore his life again, whether in this life or the next. Since he mentioned that he knew God would bring him up from the depths of the earth, it appears he may have been speaking of the time when he would be resurrected from the grave at the time Jesus comes to receive his bride to himself and we are all with the Lord forever. Then we will be perfectly restored, our tears and pain will cease, and we will enjoy our eternal home with God forever. And, we will forever praise our Lord! Amen!

Lessons to Learn

From this psalm we learn that God is our deliverer and he is our salvation. He is our refuge during the storms of our lives. We can trust him and praise him no matter what is going on in our lives, because we know he is in control and he allows all things in our lives for a purpose. We learn the importance of trust, hope and confidence in the Lord at all times, and especially we are encouraged to praise the Lord in all circumstances at all times. Beyond that we also gain understanding into the importance of making public testimony of his saving grace and all that he does on our behalf for our good. No matter what others may say about us, too, we should give it over to the Lord, and trust him to work it all out, and we should not fret or worry but always trust God. “Who, O God, is like you?”

Thank You, Lord / An Original Work / May 19, 2011

Thank You, Lord, for saving me;

From my sins set free.

Crucified and risen Lord,

They hung on a tree.

They thought they had finished You.

You came back to life;

Triumphed over hell and sin;

You gave eternal life.

Thank You, Lord, for victory

Over all my sin,

So that I might live with You;

You cleansed me within;

Filled me with your love and pow’r;

Give me strength each day,

So that I might live for You,

To love You and obey.

Thank You, Lord, for your return.

Soon You will arrive

To receive Your bride to You;

Meet You in the sky.

You’ll wipe away all our tears;

Free us from our fears;

Crown our heads in victory.

We’ll praise You with our cheers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuNbMIAx_kQ

Friday, December 28, 2012

How Awesome!

Friday, December 28, 2012, 3:00 a.m. – I woke up very early this morning. The time on the clock read 2:18 a.m. The song “Not Be Silent” was playing in my mind. I tried to fall back to sleep, but to no avail. My husband was wide awake, as well, so we both got up. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 66 (NIV 1984):

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious!

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing praise to your name.” Selah

Come and see what God has done,

how awesome his works in man’s behalf!

He turned the sea into dry land,

they passed through the waters on foot—

come, let us rejoice in him.

He rules forever by his power,

his eyes watch the nations—

let not the rebellious rise up against him. Selah

Praise our God, O peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard;

he has preserved our lives

and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, O God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

You brought us into prison

and laid burdens on our backs.

You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance.

I will come to your temple with burnt offerings

and fulfill my vows to you—

vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke

when I was in trouble.

I will sacrifice fat animals to you

and an offering of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats. Selah

Come and listen, all you who fear God;

let me tell you what he has done for me.

I cried out to him with my mouth;

his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened

and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise be to God,

who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld his love from me!

Refining Process

In the process of refining silver, the scrap silver and silver ore must be heated to a high temperature in a furnace specifically designed for that purpose, in order to separate the pure silver from the dross (trash; waste; junk). [Resource: eHow.com]

All throughout Biblical history, both in the Old and in the New Testament times, God allowed or he brought upon his people times of trial and hardship in order to test the purity of their faith in God, i.e. he took them through this refining process. God did not need this in order for him to know if his people were true to him or not, so the test was not for his benefit, but he tested and tried his people in order to refine them, to mature them, and to remove all the impurities (the dross) from their lives, i.e. to separate the impure from the pure.

So, when we go through difficult times that test our faith, and we allow God to work his will in our lives and to change us where we need it, these trying times should strengthen our faith, should teach us perseverance, should grow us and mature us spiritually, should deepen our understanding of who God is and how he works in our lives, and they should also help to strengthen our resolve to live holy lives committed unto God/Christ Jesus.

If and when we respond appropriately to God’s refining process in our lives, the end result should be that God is able to remove the dross (junk; trash; waste) from our lives, we should be transformed in heart and mind, and we should be made new in Christ Jesus. This refining process is not for the unsaved to find Christ in salvation, though that, too, may be a result of this process, but this is to revive the hearts of professing followers of Jesus Christ by moving them to willingly let go of all the junk in their lives that stands in opposition to God’s holiness and righteousness, and then for them to be refreshed spiritually in their commitments to obey Jesus Christ in all ways and to follow him wherever he leads us.

How Awesome!

This psalm recollects God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt and his miracle of parting the waters at the Red Sea so that they could go across to the other side on dry ground.

When the king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had left Egypt, “Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds” about letting the people go, and they pursued them. When the Israelites saw the armies of Pharaoh approaching, they cried out to God. Moses told the people: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13-14 NIV 1984).

Moses, on God’s command, stretched out his hand over the sea, “the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Yet, when the Egyptians pursued the Israelites into the sea, God commanded Moses to stretch his hand over the sea again, only this time to send the sea back into its place. The Egyptians who were pursuing the Israelites drowned in the sea, so God physically delivered his people out of the hands of their enemies (see Exodus 14).

When we respond in faith and obedience through this refining process God allows and/or brings about in our lives, we, too, will experience the awesomeness of God in how he works in our behalf. And, we will experience his deliverance on multiple levels, too.

Deliverance from Sin

The most important deliverance we will ever come to know in this life is our salvation from death to life by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son. Jesus Christ came to earth, took on human flesh, became a man, suffered as we suffer and was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, and then was hung on a cross to die, although he had committed no wrong but had done only good. Yet, this was God’s plan that he would suffer and die for our sins so that we could go free, not only from eternal damnation (the ultimate penalty of sin), but so we would be free from slavery to sin, and so we would be free to live for God in true righteousness and holiness.

We come to faith in Jesus Christ via repentance and obedience (see Luke 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24). We willingly choose to die to our old lives of sin, to be transformed in heart and mind by the working and power of the Holy Spirit of God within us, to turn to follow (obey) Jesus Christ with our lives, and to surrender our wills to the will of the Father in heaven. When we do this, and we allow the Holy Spirit of God to do his work in our hearts in taking us from death to life in Christ, then we are delivered from slavery to sin, which the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery in Egypt symbolized. And, we are brought into God’s eternal kingdom, which their crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan River also symbolized, as they were being brought into the Promised Land, which symbolized our eternity with God.

Daily Deliverance

Yet, they did not immediately enter into the Promised Land. God took them through a time in the wilderness in order to test them. Most of them flunked the test. They chose, instead, to follow the gods of their own stomachs (appetites), they disobeyed God, they turned to other gods, and they grumbled against Moses, God’s servant.

As well, when we invite Jesus Christ into our lives to be our Lord and Savior, by faith, we don’t immediately die and go to heaven (our Promised Land). Most of us will still have time on this earth in which to grow in Christ, to serve our Lord faithfully, to be his witnesses to the regions beyond, to love others, to share the truth of the gospel, to teach others to obey Christ and his commands, to fellowship with Christ’s church, his body, and to draw near to our Lord in close communion with him, at which time we will listen to what he says, and then we will obey what he shows us. This time on earth between our initial faith in Christ and our ultimate reward in heaven will bring along with it hardships, persecutions, famine and sword, i.e. trials to test our faith and to refine us like silver, in order for us to be refined and purified by God’s grace in order to make us holy.

And, God has many levels of deliverance in mind for us during this time, as well. His deliverance from sin at our salvation is not the end of the story. Daily he delivers us from temptation, if we let him, and he gives us the wisdom, strength and power to resist Satan and to draw near to God. He supplies us with spiritual armor (see Ephesians 6:10-20) with which to fight off Satan’s attacks against our minds and hearts, and he daily fills us with his calm reassurances, reminders of his many promises to us, and his love and his peace. As well, he counsels us and directs us in the way we should go. How awesome are his works in our behalf! How awesome are his deeds! All we have to do is to listen and to obey, and his grace supplies us with the ability to even do that and so much more!

Not Be Silent / An Original Work / December 3, 2012

Based off Psalm 30

O Lord my God,

I’ll exalt You.

I called for help,

And You healed me.

O Lord my God,

You brought me from the grave.

You spared me from hell.

Sing to the Lord,

You saints of His;

Praise His holy name today.

Weeping may

Remain for a night;

Joy at break of day.

Our debt He did pay!

O Lord my God,

I said, “I will

Ne’er be shaken.”

Secure, I felt.

O Lord my God,

You forgave me.

Confident I stand in You.

When I could not see

Your face I was dismayed.

I called to You.

O Lord, You are my help.

You were merciful to me;

By Your grace set free!

O Lord my God,

I’m so thankful for

Salvation through my Jesus.

You turned wailing

Into dancing;

Clothed me with

Your joy today,

That my heart may sing

To You and not be silent.

Praise Your name.

O Lord my God,

I will give you

thanks forevermore.

My Lord, I adore!

http://originalworks.info/not-be-silent-2/

http://youtu.be/Z5C9l2v2xFU

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Faint of Heart

Thursday, December 27, 2012, 4:57 a.m. – The Lord Jesus woke me with the song “A Believer’s Prayer” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 61-65 (quoting selected passages from the NIV 1984):

Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah

For you have heard my vows, O God;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name…

O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me…

When we were overwhelmed by sins,

you forgave our transgressions.

Blessed are those you choose

and bring near to live in your courts!

We are filled with the good things of your house,

of your holy temple.

You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,

O God our Savior,

the hope of all the ends of the earth…

My Cry

The psalmist David prayed to God. He described his emotional state of mind as having grown faint of heart. He was short on courage and/or was feeling timid, perhaps. Or, he may have been disturbed in heart and mind by some type of difficult circumstance he was facing. Or, he could have been feeling very emotionally weak and in great need of the strength of the Lord in his life in order to keep going, and to be able to meet the challenges yet to face him. He was crying out to God, so something was certainly troubling him in his spirit. As was often the case, he was confronted by enemies all around him; with those who made slanderous accusations against him, and who hotly pursued him with the hope that he would be taken down. There were many who sought to take his life, yet God was his strength, hope and sustaining force through all of his troubles and difficulties.

Perhaps today you can identify with the emotions of the psalmist. Maybe you are being faced with some very challenging and difficult circumstances in your life right now that are pulling at you and/or are weighing you down emotionally. You may even be experiencing enemy forces coming against you in hot pursuit, perhaps merely through the attacks of Satan on your emotions, mind and/or body, or possibly there are other human beings, even family members, fellow Christians, neighbors and/or friends who are presently standing strong in opposition against you because of something you believe in and/or are taking a stand on, or for whatever reason they may be against you. As well, you could be mourning over the loss of a loved one, or the loss of a job or some other tragedy in your life.

I know from personal experience that these types of situations can be physically and emotionally draining, and can sap you of all your physical and emotional strength so that you may wonder how you will keep going. The temptation may be strong to just give up and/or to give in to your flesh and/or to withdraw and sink into self-pity and/or depression. It is hard to be rejected and/or hated and/or misunderstood, especially by those you love. It is difficult to have slanderous accusations made against your character and for people to believe the lies being told against you. It is tough when you treat others with kindness and love only to have them treat you with disdain in return. And, although we are to count it all joy when we suffer for righteousness sake, it is not always easy doing that. So, that is why we, like the psalmist, must cry out to God for his strength and help to make it through.

My Sanctuary

The psalmist’s salvation was his God and his hope and faith in his Lord. He knew instinctively to call upon God whenever he was facing trouble. He trusted God with his life, and asked for his leadership and guidance in knowing what to do and in how to respond appropriately to his circumstances. The Rock that was higher than the psalmist was his Lord, Jesus Christ, God the Son. In his Lord he took refuge, especially when his foes pressed hard against him.

The Lord was his sanctuary, i.e. his shelter in a storm, his protection and his safe haven. The word sanctuary is also used to describe the Holy of Holies, i.e. the inner sanctuary of God where his presence dwelt. Now that sanctuary is in the hearts of true followers of Jesus Christ, and we can go to meet with God any time of day, any day of the week, and at any location. So, when we call on God it does not have to be in a particular way or at a specific time or even at a set location. We can go to him anytime in prayer and talk with him just like we would a best friend. We can pour out our hearts to him and tell him all our troubles, and trust him to meet all of our needs.

The psalmist longed to dwell in the tent (sanctuary; temple) of the Lord forever and to take refuge in the shelter of his wings (like the wings of a mother bird protecting her young). Oh, that we would all have that kind of relationship with Jesus Christ to where we long and hunger for our times with him each day, lest our times alone with him become routine and nonproductive because we are just going through the motions. Oh, that we all had that kind of passion and desire for our Lord and for his presence! And, oh, that we would all take our “marriage” vows to our Lord Jesus seriously and that we would honor him in all that we do. Oh, that we would all be very in tune to God’s voice and presence with us when we lie down to sleep at night, when we wake in the morning, and throughout the day, so that we would desire nothing more than to please him in all we do and say.

My Praise

The psalmist knew what it was to truly fear (respect; reverence; obey; and to stand in awe of) God Almighty. He loved God with all his heart, mind and strength. And, he regularly praised God for all his awesome deeds, both those done for the psalmist personally, and for those done in behalf of all mankind and all living things. He praised God for the heritage God had given to him and to all who feared (reverenced; respected) God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. He praised and thanked God for his love, faithfulness and protection. He respected God for his power and his glory and he thanked him for all his many provisions. He adored his Lord for the personal relationship he had with him to where he could go before the Lord and pour out his heart and know that God would hear him and would answer him. And he expressed gratitude in his heart for God’s many acts of righteousness – for his forgiveness of sins and for his salvation.

The psalmist expressed his praise for God in many ways. He verbally praised, reverenced and thanked God through written and spoken word and through song. He also showed appreciation for God through the fulfillment of his covenant vows to God.

Our covenant vows to God today are much like the ones expressed by the psalmist. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we make an agreement with God to turn away from a life of sin and to turn to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ and to his commands for our lives (see Eph. 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-25; Rom. 12:1-2). Yet we understand that this is not of our own making nor can we do this in our own strength and power. Even the ability to believe in Jesus Christ and to turn from our sins and to walk in faithful obedience to Christ is a gift of God’s grace and can only be accomplished in the power and strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit of God within us, as we cooperate with that work.

I pray today that each one of us would fulfill our covenant (marriage) vows to Jesus Christ, that we would long for his presence, and love our times alone with him each day, and that we would continually praise him in all things; and give him the respect, honor and reverence he deserves - with our mouths, with our hearts, and revealed and evidenced through how we live our lives each and every day for him and for his glory.

A Believer’s Prayer / An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart,

Lord, I pray to be Yours,

And Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus,

You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride,

I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

http://originalworks.info/a-believers-prayer/

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Ravenous Beasts

Wednesday, December 26, 2012, 3:57 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “He Keeps Me Singing” playing in my mind.

There's Within My Heart a Melody / Luther B. Bridgers

There's within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low:

Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,

In all of life's ebb and flow.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

Discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,

See his footprints all the way.

Soon he's coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;

I shall reign with him on high.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go.

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 57 (NIV 1984):

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,

for in you my soul takes refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God Most High,

to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.

He sends from heaven and saves me,

rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah

God sends his love and his faithfulness.

I am in the midst of lions;

I lie among ravenous beasts—

men whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

They spread a net for my feet—

I was bowed down in distress.

They dug a pit in my path—

but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah

My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music.

Awake, my soul!

Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Enemies

The psalmist described his enemies as lions and ravenous (hungry; greedy; predatory) beasts whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

A lion is a predator: “A carnivorous animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals in order to survive; a person, group, company, or state that steals from others or destroys others for gain; a ruthlessly aggressive, determined, or persistent person” (Encarta). Lions mainly sleep during the day but are awake at night. According to Wikipedia.org, “lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day.”

In terms of this speaking of humans as his enemies, the psalmist described his enemies as those who are aggressive, greedy, cruel, merciless, who take advantage of others for their own personal gain, who will devour and destroy others for their own survival, and who steal from, lie to, and cheat others for their own advantage. They may also be, like a lion, those who are generally lazy and idle and who just sit around watching and waiting for their prey. As well, teeth are what we use to eat (devour) our food, so this is speaking metaphorically of them using their mouths (speech) and tongues to take apart, and to destroy others.

These enemies, though, were not far away from the psalmist. He said that he was in their midst and that he lived among them. In Psalm 56 the psalmist spoke of men who hotly pursue him and who press their slanderous attacks against him. All day long, he said, “they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.” That sounds much like the description of the lion. And, in Psalm 55 he described his enemy as one who was once his companion, his close friend, and as one with whom he had once enjoyed sweet fellowship in the Lord. So, not only were his enemies those among his own people, but they were those with whom he had once had sweet fellowship in the Lord, and who had been his trusted friends.

The sad reality is that some of our fiercest enemies may also be those from within the church, or even in our own families, or who may have once been our closest friends.

Refuge

The psalmist, nonetheless, took refuge in the Lord. He looked to the Lord for his comfort, safety, protection, counsel and joy. The psalmist also understood the sovereignty of God, which is where he received his peace, even during this time of great personal trial and disaster. And, this is key to our survival, i.e. when we comprehend, not just with our minds but in our hearts, who God is and his purposes for our lives, we come to realize that God is over all, above all, is all powerful, and he will see that his purposes for us will be fulfilled. Nothing can touch us but what God has allowed it, and has allowed it for a purpose, so we never have to fear men or what they might do to us, because God has it all under his control.

There is no point in worrying about what people are saying about us, because we have no control over other people’s tongues. We have enough trouble controlling our own. We cannot control what other people do or say, but God can. And, God, in his perfect timing, will bring the enemies of the cross of Christ to justice. Yet, we pray for their salvation, and we pray for revival in the church, and for our fellow believers to turn their hearts back to God in repentance and obedience to his commands, and we pray that we may, as well, be drawn to God’s breast in daily purification of our sins and in choosing to walk each day in faithful obedience and surrender to God’s will for our lives. And, then we leave our enemies in God’s capable hands and trust that, in due time, he will rescue us from their evil attacks.

Praise!

One of the greatest remedies for discouragement or fear due to being oppressed by the enemy of our souls is praise. The psalmist, even though his enemies were fiercely attacking him with their tongues, trusted in the Lord, his faith unwavering, and he sang songs and made music in his heart in praise to God. When we put on praise in place of fear, and we sing songs of praise to God, or we sing scriptural songs that speak encouragement and strengthening to our hearts, it lifts our spirits and it gives us courage to keep pressing on. Singing songs of praise to God defeats the enemy of fear, and our faith is renewed.

Yet, this is not just about singing or saying words to God that praise him, but it is about praising God with our lives in living holy lives pleasing to him. And, it is about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the regions beyond, and taking the praise of God to the ends of the earth. In other words, our praise and our singing should not be kept private and just for our own personal edification, but it should be shared with others throughout the world so that they, too, can be encouraged and strengthened in their faith, and so that they, too, can praise God in the storms of their lives and when their enemies are fiercely attacking them, as well.

Our greatest enemy is Satan. He is like a lion crouching in cover just waiting for someone to devour. We resist him through our praise, because praise to God dispels the lies of Satan. The more we refuse Satan’s lies against our minds, and the more we choose to praise God, instead, the stronger our resolve becomes to keep on following the Lord Jesus no matter what may come our way. We praise God not only for what victories we can presently see in our lives, but we thank him and praise him for the hope of future victories, and for the hope of his soon return for his bride, and for his kingdom reign on the earth when our enemy will be bound, and we will be with our Lord Jesus forever!

When Morning Gilds the Skies / Unknown / tr. Edward Caswell; Robert Bridges / Joseph Barnby (Laudes Domini)

When morning gilds the skies,

My heart awaking cries: