Psalm 138:1-3 ESV
I give you thanks, O
Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your
holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your
steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called,
you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
I have so much to be thankful for to my Lord. First, he
delivered me out of my slavery to sin, he made me into a new person in Christ
Jesus, and he gave me meaning and purpose to my life, which is to live for him
and for his glory, praise and honor. He lifted me out of that slimy pit of sin,
and he empowered me to walk now in his righteousness and holiness. Amen!
Also, although I had sinned against him greatly, and I had
wandered from my pure devotion to him, for a time, he restored me to himself,
and he gave me a new ministry for his honor and praise, although I was so
unworthy to be given such an honor as this. And, he has blessed me tremendously
in ministry in giving me all that I need to do what he has called me to do.
He has always provided everything that I need, though not
always everything that I thought I needed. And, sometimes he provided what I
thought I didn’t need and what I didn’t want, either, but truly what I did
need, for he always knows what is best for me, even when I don’t. So, I thank
him and I praise him for it all, because he knows my needs better than I do,
and he is always looking out for what is best for me.
I thank him for the good times and for the bad times, for
even through the bad times he is helping me to grow in him, and to mature in my
walk of faith, and he is developing within me perseverance, strength, purity,
steadfastness, obedience, and a strong commitment to him, and a deep desire for
him above all else.
The bad times are a lot of what he used to prepare me for
this ministry, too, so that I would say what he wants me to say, and do what he
has called me to do, without fear of what others will think about me or say
about me, and without fear of what they might do to me, too.
In fact, he began preparing me for this ministry many, many
years ago (over 40 years ago) when I was reading in the Bible about the call of
Jeremiah (See Jeremiah 1). He told me then that he was calling me to say
whatever he commanded me to say, but that I was not to be afraid of any opposition,
for he would give me his strength.
Psalm 138:4-6 ESV
All the kings of the
earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your
mouth,
and they shall sing of
the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is
high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
All the kings of the earth are not yet giving God thanks and
praise, but one day all people will bow down to God, and every tongue will
acknowledge God, even if now they deny him (Rom. 14:11).
Yet, as I read this about singing of the ways of the Lord,
it reminded me that music has always been a part of my life, and that part of
the ministry the Lord has given to me is writing music and lyrics, which he
gives me for his praise, glory and honor. And, so I am so thankful to him for
this gift of music.
And, the Lord did and does regard me, the lowly, and part of
the way in which he has shown me regard is by giving me this gift of music and
singing for his honor and praise. And, this gift serves two purposes. For one,
the songs are all scripture (or scriptural principles) put to music, so this is
a way I am able to have scripture in my head all the time, because I remember
words better when they are put to music.
So, the Lord uses these songs in my life all the time as a
way to encourage my heart and to counsel me in the way in which he wants me to
go. And, so I thank him and I praise him for the gift of music as a way to have
the word of God implanted in my mind so that the Lord can use that in my daily
life to encourage my heart and to direct my path.
The other purpose of this gift of music is to share it with
others for their encouragement, too. For, the scriptures teach us that we are
to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs for our mutual
edification and strengthening in the Lord. And, the Lord, too, has me include a
song in the daily devotions he has me write, too. So, all of this is for his
glory and honor, and to give him thanks and praise for all that he has done.
Psalm 138:7-8 ESV
Though I walk in the
midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your
hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill
his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures
forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Oh, this is so true of my life! Although the Lord has
blessed me with much good, in the way we often think of as good, i.e. with the
things that we enjoy, he has also allowed much trouble (difficulties) in my
life, too. But, again, these have been for my good, both to help me to walk in
holiness before him, and to prepare me for the ministry he has for me to do.
And, when I have surrendered to him and I have submitted to
his purposes in these troubled times, he has carried me through every
difficulty. He has filled my heart with hope and with purpose, and he has given
me his strength to endure and to be stronger in him because of it.
He hasn’t always delivered me from my enemies in the sense
of removing from me their attacks against me, but he has delivered me from
letting their attacks or their rejections of me discourage or dishearten me to
the point of me giving up. He has helped me to put on the armor of God daily to
fight off those attacks and to put on the truth of God’s Word, and thus
defeating the enemy, Satan, from accomplishing his evil will against me.
So, the Lord is fulfilling his purpose for me, even in these
troubles, and I believe that good is going to come out of them all one day, if
not soon. For, the Lord is not without purpose in what he does, and in what he
allows to come into our lives. He will work all things for good for those of us
who love him (who obey him) and who have been called according to his purpose.
I think sometimes that people think of God’s love as
something that keeps them from ever having to go through bad times, but it is
because he loves us that he allows us to go through these times, for they are
for our good, to make us holy, to conform us to Christ’s likeness, to purify
our hearts, and to strengthen us in our walks of faith in Christ to where we
will walk in faithfulness to our Lord without wavering.
So, even if we feel that he has forsaken us, he has not, if
we are truly his. Just because he allows us to go through tough times doesn’t
mean he isn’t there or that he doesn’t care. He will never leave us or forsake
us. And, he truly is going to work all for our good. So, we have to believe
that. We have to hold on to that when the bad times come, which they will. And,
we have to believe that he is all powerful and that he is completely sovereign
over every aspect of our lives, and that he has a purpose for it all.
Mighty in Power
An Original Work / June 17, 2019
Jesus, our Savior, reigneth forever;
Mighty in power, His name we honor.
He’s our refuge from all evil.
God our righteous, He’s our fill.
He satisfies us with all His blessings.
We magnify Him. Our praise to Him sing.
Glory and honor, praise to the Father,
Perfect in wisdom, He is our vision.
He delivered us from all sin
So, in Christ, we’d be forgiven.
He purifies us. His love will guide us.
He is beside us, holy and righteous.
Our Holy Spirit, comfort in sorrow,
Strength in our weakness, hope for tomorrow.
He gives courage to be bold in
Witnessing for Jesus Christ.
He teaches all things about our Savior.
New life in Jesus, we found His favor.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
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