Psalms 57:1-3 ESV
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!”
I just had a conversation with my oldest son and with his
wife and with my husband on this subject last evening. We covered several different
subjects just in a casual conversation, but it led into talking about the
sovereignty of God over our lives and how we need to view the circumstances of
our lives from a Biblical perspective which is that God is in control of all
things, and so nothing comes into our lives but what God allows it and he
allows it for a purpose to teach us something or to strengthen us in our faith,
etc.
Life has its challenges. Some of them are fairly minor and
others are major or somewhere in between minor and major. I was relaying to
them how five months ago I had some dental work done and the insurance company
said they did not have enough information, so the dental office and I complied
with them in sending more information, and then they wanted more, and so we
sent more. And then they decided to deny the claim and to close the case
because they said they did not get the information requested.
So I called them on the phone and they said they did not
request all the information that they requested and that we didn’t have those
conversations and that the pile of papers they had sent me that was sitting in
my lap did not exist. They did not come from them. Wow! I didn’t know what to
do with that. First time for that one. And so the dental office refiled the
claim with them only for them to deny that one for it was a duplicate of the
other one. And I don’t want to have to call them again, but I know I must.
The only way I can deal with stuff like this, which is
totally out of my control, is to give it over to the Lord and to ask him to
work his will in the situation. I remind myself that God is in control and that
he allowed this in my life for a reason, so perhaps there is something I need
to learn from this, or this is an area in my life where I need to grow and to
be strengthened, for my nature is to retreat, honestly. Things like this wear
me down physically and emotionally. I am not naturally a strong person. So God’s
will be done.
Psalms 57:4-6 ESV
“My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, 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 set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves.”
In this world of ours and increasing in nature and occurrence
on a daily basis are men and women who tell lies by habit and by practice and
for nefarious purposes. Many of them are politicians who are heads of
governments or who serve in governmental positions. Many are preachers and
pastors and evangelists and authors of “Christian” books. Many are newscasters
and actors and sports heroes and CEOs of corporations and heads of financial
institutions or tech companies or pharmaceutical industries, etc.
But this is epidemic in our society today, so lies abound on
all fronts, and it appears that most people tell lies by habit, and this
includes many who profess faith in Jesus Christ. But since it appears that the
majority of people tell lies, at least here in America, it is hard to believe
anyone. It is hard to trust anyone these days. We have to listen to all
cautiously, testing everything we hear and read while calling on God for wisdom
to discern truth from lies. For disinformation is running rampant.
And sadly there are many people who tell lies in order to attempt
to trap others in their lies or to make them fearful. They slander others out
of hatred and jealousy and bitterness of spirit and in order to bring them
down. And they lie about others in order to turn other people away from them,
again out of spite and unforgiveness. Or else they do so for the purpose to
deceive others into believing their lies because they are really trying to turn
people away from the real Jesus and from the real gospel of Christ.
Many people today are teaching a false gospel which has no
basis in the Scriptures other than a shell of what the Scriptures teach. For
they teach Scriptures outside their context and then they twist them to say
whatever it is they want them to say. Or they don’t even have to use Scriptures
anymore, for if a person is highly admired, he/she can say most anything with
never backing it up and people will quote it because he/she is the one who said
it, regardless if it is true or not. So test what you are hearing.
Psalms 57:7-11 ESV
“My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!”
Going back to the story of my situation with the dental
insurance company, this must be my resolve. My heart must be steadfast
regardless of what they end up doing. I can’t let them bring me down. God is
still in control! And with regard to those who tell lies, the same thing. My
heart must remain steadfast in my Lord no matter what lies people are telling,
and even if they are lying about me. I must not let their lies discourage or
dishearten me. I must remain steadfast in my Lord despite my circumstances.
I must not let them rob me of my joy, but I must continue to
sing and to make melody and to praise the Lord. No matter what today or
tomorrow brings my heart must remain steadfast and I must continue to sing and
to rejoice in my Lord and in my salvation. I must continue to remind myself
that God is in control over all things and that He’s got this, no matter what
it is and no matter how minor or major it is. And I must rest in the Lord and
in his strength and wisdom and give my circumstances all over to him.
Give
Me Jesus
Oh,
What Gladness!
An
Original Work / December 2, 2013
Give me Jesus. He’s my Savior.
I’ll walk with Him in His favor.
I’ll abide in His love always;
Follow His ways to the end.
Jesus is the Son of God.
He died upon a cruel cross.
He’s forgiven all my failures
By His mercy and His love.
Give me Jesus – His compassion,
And His mercy; loving kindness.
Let Him teach me how to love Him,
And to please Him. He’s my friend.
Jesus died for all our sin
So we could have eternal life.
He will free you from your bondage
If you trust Him with your life.
Give me Jesus. Let me trust Him.
May I listen to His teachings.
May I follow where He leads me
In His service. He’s my Lord.
Jesus Christ will come again
To take His bride to be with Him.
Oh, what gladness; free from sadness
When I meet Him in the air.
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