Unlike a Mule

Friday, January 06, 2012, 3:00 a.m. – The song, “How Great Thou Art,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 32-33 (quoting 33):

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

My Understanding: Psalm 32 is a psalm of confession of sin and praise for God’s forgiveness. The psalmist spoke of how, as long as he had unconfessed sin in his heart, God’s hand was heavy upon him, and he was weighed down with the guilt of his sin. Yet, once he acknowledged his sin to God, and he no longer covered up his iniquity, the Lord forgave the guilt of his sin. He, thus, proclaimed how joyful and peaceful is he whose sins are forgiven; whose sins God does not count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit.

The psalmist cautioned his readers and listeners against being stubborn like a mule, which has no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle in order for it to submit. And, he warned of the many woes that face those whose deeds are wicked. He was basically saying that we should not have stubborn and rebellious hearts that refuse to repent of our sins and thus we must have to go through great suffering in order for the Lord to turn us in the right direction. God will discipline those he loves. “When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” (I Co. 11:32 NIV). Though, not all discipline is the result of our sin, but is for the purpose of making us holy.

Then, the psalmist called upon the godly to pray to the Lord. God is their hiding place. He will protect them from trouble and surround them with songs of deliverance. He will instruct those who are in a right relationship with God - by God’s grace and through faith in Jesus Christ, via repentance and obedience - in the way they should go. He will counsel them and watch over them. His unfailing love surrounds the man or woman who trusts in the Lord. The righteous, i.e. “all you who are upright in heart,” then should be glad, and rejoice, and sing to the Lord.

Sing to the Lord

Psalm 33 picks up right where Psalm 32 lets off, because it begins by calling the reader and/or the listener, i.e. those who are righteous, to sing to the Lord. The righteous are not those who are merely good deed doers, but are those who have come to true faith in Jesus Christ by God’s grace via repentance (turning from sin) and turning to walk in obedience to Christ. They are made righteous, not because of the things they have done, but because of what Jesus Christ did in dying on the cross for our sins, and in being resurrected back to life in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin so that we could go free – free from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternity in hell), and free from the control of sin over our daily lives. And, it is because Jesus came to set us free from the control of sin over our day-to-day lives that he will use his divine discipline to correct us and to bring us back when we stray away from his perfect will for our lives by falling into sin’s deceitfulness all over again.

Yet, when we confess our sins to God, and we submit to his will for our lives, then we can walk about in freedom, because Jesus has set us free from that control of sin, i.e. from that grip that sin had on our lives. Then our hearts can truly sing praise to the Lord for the great things He has done! We can shout for joy at our newfound freedom! “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” In other words, it is God’s holy word that convicts of our hearts of sin, and his words are true, and it is because he loves righteousness and justice, and because he loves us, that he will discipline us when we go astray, in order to bring us back into a right relationship with him. I am so thankful he loves me that much!

Stand in Awe

When we consider all the mighty works of God’s hands, it should cause us to stand in awe of, to respect, admire, honor, and to revere our God for who he is and for all he has done. And, if we truly are honoring, respecting and revering the Lord, then it should bring us to our knees in humble obedience to his words, and it should lead us to honest confession and repentance of all sin. We cannot honor God if we are doing it with our lips only. Our lifestyles must match our words. Our praise to God for all he has done must be evidenced in how we live out our daily lives. That is truly how we praise him and honor him.

Because God is God he will foil (hinder) and thwart (frustrate; prevent) the selfish plans and purposes of people and nations. He will allow evil to reign for a time, but not forever. He will show mankind how futile it is to put their trust in man and in the works and idols of men, which offer them no hope of salvation. Because he is a God of love, and because he loves righteousness and justice, he will judge and discipline mankind in order to bring men and women to repentance. His plans will stand firm forever, and “the purposes of his heart through all generations.” And, his main purpose for mankind is that we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that we come to repentance and obedience in humble submission to God, and that we walk in daily fellowship with our Lord, honoring him as holy, and allowing him to do his work of grace in our hearts in transforming us into Christ’s likeness, i.e. in making us holy. Joyful and peaceful are those whose God is their Lord and master.

For those of us who fear (honor and respect) the Lord, and who hope in his unfailing love, he watches over us. He may not keep us from physical suffering, and we will all die a physical death one day, unless we are alive when Christ returns for his bride. There are no promises that we won’t be mistreated, face injustices, be persecuted, and/or even put to death for our faith in Christ Jesus, for our testimony of his saving grace, and for the sake of the full gospel message. Yet, the Lord Jesus will keep us safe in our relationship with him, he will provide a way of escape out from under the temptation to sin, he will fill us with his peace and joy, even in times of great distress, he will give us guidance and direction when we are confused and we wonder which way to go, and he will nurture us with his love, encouragement, and his tender mercies, which are new each morning.

So, when going through times of great difficulty we can place our hope in the Lord, and we can wait for him to act on our behalf according to his righteousness and justice and mercy, for he is our help and our shield, and none other. True freedom is freedom of the Spirit, even when under physical constraints. True hope is in our relationship with Jesus Christ for eternity, not in external circumstances. True peace is not based upon what is happening all around us, but is founded in true faith in Jesus Christ. So, our hearts can rejoice even if all hell is breaking loose all around us, because we trust in the Lord and not in mankind. God’s love will see us through any and all circumstances we must go through in this life. And, he will see the righteous safely into his eternal kingdom. So, we should never lose hope!

HOW GREAT THOU ART / Carl G. Boberg and R.J. Hughes

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Grief and Shame

Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 5:38 a.m. – The song, “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 27:

Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

My Understanding: My Lord is my light (truth), my salvation and the stronghold of my life. Jesus Christ left his home in heaven, he came to earth to be born of woman and to take on human flesh. He suffered as we suffer, and so much more. We can’t even possibly imagine the pain he went through physically, and the pain of unjust suffering, let alone the pain of taking upon himself the sins of the entire world. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed (see Isaiah 53).

We come to faith in Jesus Christ by God’s gift of grace given to us so that we can believe, repent (turn from our sins), and turn to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. When we come to him in such faith, he pardons us and he forgives us our sins so that we can live with him forever, and so we can be free from the control sin has had over our lives. Jesus came to set us free, not only so we can go to heaven one day when we die, but so we can be free to walk in victory over sin while we still live on the face of this earth. He came to give us new life in Christ Jesus so that we no longer walk in the ways of the flesh and of the world.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, and through what he did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, we can have confidence that God is with us, that he will never leave us or forsake us, and that he will continue to deliver us from our foe, Satan, who is bent on trying to bring us back under his power. When Satan comes against us, we do not have to be afraid of his attacks, because Jesus Christ already conquered him when he died on the cross and when he rose from the grave. So, he is a defeated foe! And, we just need to daily put on the armor of God (see Ephesians 6) so that we can take our stand against our foe, the devil.

• The belt of truth buckled around your waist (arming ourselves with the truth)
• The breastplate of righteousness in place (being in a right relationship with God)
• Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace
• The shield of faith, with which to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one
• The helmet of salvation (to protect our minds from Satan’s accusations)
• The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (fight lies with truth of word)
• Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests
• Be alert (watchful; discerning), and always keep on praying for all the saints

Instead of fearing Satan’s attacks against us, we can be confident in our relationship with Jesus Christ and in knowing that we have eternal life in heaven with God, and that Satan cannot separate those who are truly the Lord’s from their relationship with Jesus Christ or from his love for us. We can dwell in the presence of the Lord all the days of our lives, and gaze upon all his beauty and majesty. In days of trouble, hardships, and difficulties, he will keep us safe in our relationship with him. He understands our pain and sorrow, and he will be with us to give us comfort and healing. Then, we can sing and make music to the Lord.

The Lord is our helper. Even if everyone else forsakes us and rejects us, he will receive those who are truly his into his bosom, and there he will care for us, guide us and direct us, and show us his ways, and lead us in a straight path. He often allows us to go through times of great suffering in order to drive us to his breast, and to move us to a closer and more intimate relationship with him, and to lead us to follow him in all our ways, so that he can teach us his ways, and so he can direct us in that straight path. So, when we go through such times, we just need to yield our lives and circumstances over to him, and trust him to work in them and in us what he wants to do in order to make us into the people of God he wants us to be. Lord, move me to obey you in all things.

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

Text: Attrib. To Bernard of Clairvaux; trans. by Paul Gerhardt and James W. Alexander
Music: Hans L. Hassler, 1564-1612; harm. by J.S. Bach, 1685-1750
Tune: PASSION CHORALE, Meter: 76.76 D

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown:
How pale Thou art with anguish,
With sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
Which once was bright as morn?

What Thou, my Lord, has suffered
Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love for Thee.

Be near when I am dying,
Oh, show Thy cross to me;
And for my succor flying,
Come, Lord, to set me free:
These eyes, new faith receiving,
From Thee shall not remove,
For he who dies believing
Dies safely through Thy love.

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 3:15 p.m. – The Lord put the song in my mind, “To My Beloved.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 24:

Of David. A psalm.

1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah

My Understanding: The psalm begins by letting the reader know that God is absolutely sovereign over all the earth and over all the people on the earth. He owns it all. He is the creator-God. He is in control of all things. So, we never have to fear the future or what is going to happen to us if our lives are in his hands through genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and as lived out in our daily lives and our relationship with him.

The psalmist expounds on this idea of the need of being in a right relationship with God/Jesus Christ in order for us to be in fellowship with our Lord, for us to come to him for aid in times of need, and for us to receive vindication (exoneration; pardon; forgiveness) from our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And, this belief is supported by Jesus Christ’s teachings, by the teachings of the apostles, and by the whole of the New Testament.

The psalmist said that if we want to come before God in fellowship, in prayer, and in communion with him, seeking his face, his guidance and his direction for our lives, we need to have clean hands and a pure heart, and we need to not lift up our souls to any idols or swear by what is false.

Vindication from God

It is through the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for our sins, that we are able to enter into such a relationship with Jesus Christ (with God). And, when we enter into that relationship with him, through faith, he cleanses us of all sin, he forgives us, and he pardons us so that we don’t have to face the ultimate penalty of sin, i.e. eternity and eternal punishment in hell. He frees us because of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, so that through the blood of Jesus we are able to enter into fellowship with our Lord, and we may “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16 NIV ’84).

When we come to Jesus Christ in genuine faith, by God’s grace, and through repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to Christ and to his commands - which is the working of the Holy Spirit of God in our hearts and lives, as we cooperate with that work - we are given clean hands and a pure heart with which to serve our Lord Jesus in faithful service to him. As a result of that working of grace of the Spirit of God in our hearts, our faith in Jesus Christ should thus be evidenced by our walk, producing fruit in keeping with repentance. It is by God’s grace and through the working of the Holy Spirit within us, though, that we are able to walk in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, and to produce such fruit in keeping with repentance. We cannot do this in our own flesh. This is a God-thing!

Yet, while we live on this earth, and while we are still in these fleshly bodies, we will still be vulnerable to temptation to sin, yet Jesus Christ is there to keep us from falling and to provide a way out from under giving into temptation if we will listen to him and obey him. If we choose to go our own way, instead of listening to and obeying the Lord, and if we hold that sin in our hearts and do not come to repentance, it will break our fellowship with the Lord and it will hinder our prayers from being answered. We must remain in Christ through faithful obedience and through not living in sinful rebellion against God and his commands, if we want God to hear us, and if we want him to answer us in our times of need (see John 15).

Mighty in Battle

If we want the King of glory, Jesus Christ, to enter into our circumstances and to answer us in times of need, we need to lift up our heads in prayer, and call on him in confession of sin, so that the gates of our hearts will be open to receive from the Lord Jesus what he has for us. He is mighty in battle, and he will come to our aid if we open our hearts wide to him through humble surrender and obedience to his commands to live holy lives pleasing to him. Then, we can be strong in the grace of Christ, and we can win the battle against the enemy of our souls, because Jesus Christ already won, and he has given us the victory, too, when we choose to daily put on his full armor with which to fight off our enemy, Satan:

• The belt of truth buckled around your waist (arming ourselves with the truth)
• The breastplate of righteousness in place (being in a right relationship with God)
• Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace
• The shield of faith, with which to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one
• The helmet of salvation (to protect our minds from Satan’s accusations)
• The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (fight lies with truth of word)
• Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests
• Be alert (watchful; discerning), and always keep on praying for all the saints

To My Beloved / An Original Work / November 14, 2011

Based off I Pet. 5:6-9; Eph. 6:10-20; Jms. 4:4-10

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Put on His full armor in your fight
Against the enemy of your souls,
And resist him with all your might.
Take up the shield of your faith within you.
Salvation’s helmet – you put it on.
Put on the belt of truth,
And walk in the Spirit,
And you’ll not be ashamed.
Love your Lord Jesus; call His Name.

Call on your Lord and Savior, Jesus, and
Make Him Lord and King of your hearts.
Obey all of His teachings He has given
To you to follow in all His ways.
Repent of your sins. Return to your God.
Follow Him where’er He leads you now.
Humble yourselves in full
Surrender to His will
For your lives today.
Bow before Him, and humbly pray.

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Obey your Lord in ev’rything, always
Keeping His teachings in your hearts near you.
Walk with Christ in ev’ry way.
Resist the devil. He will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and He’ll be near you.
Wash your hands you sinners
And double minded.
Weep and wail o’er sin.
With Christ, your new lives begin.

http://youtu.be/PLMZdBxhE3I

"My God, my God"

Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 8:44 a.m. – the Lord woke me with the song, “Be Still My Soul,” playing through my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 22:

A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 “He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

My Understanding: This is a prayer of David, and yet prophetic in parts, as well, concerning Jesus Christ’s crucifixion on the cross for our sins when he prayed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had taken upon himself the sins of the entire world on the cross where he died, so his soul was forlorn – lonely, neglected, abandoned, sad, and suffering greatly, so much so that he felt as though his own Father had forsaken him. Jesus was scorned by men, despised by the people, mocked, and insulted because of who he said he was, and because of the things he taught and did that did not go well with the establishment of his day. They pierced Jesus’ hands and feet, and they divided his garments among them, and cast lots for his clothing. Hebrews 2:17-18 says this about Jesus:

“For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

So, when we are going through times of great suffering, and when we find ourselves in circumstances of our lives where we identify with many of the words of the psalmist, and we are experiencing the pain and the anguish of unjust suffering, we can rest assured that Jesus Christ knows and understands all that we are going through, and he has not forsaken us, even though we may feel at times as though he is far off and that he has forgotten about us. If we are truly his, and we are placing our trust in his hands, he will be faithful to accomplish in our lives every good purpose that he has for us through whatever trials we may be up against, because we serve a faithful God.

As a result of David’s deliverance, he proclaimed that he would declare the name of God to his brothers, and in the congregation of the saints of God he would praise the Lord’s name. As well, he would call upon those who fear the Lord to praise the Lord, and he would call all those who are in God’s family to honor and to revere God. He also declared that he would fulfill his vows to God before all who fear the Lord. And, as a result of this newfound faith in God, many throughout the earth would remember God and would turn to the Lord. They would bow down before him, they would worship God in humility and repentance (turning from sin), and future generations would be told about the Lord, too.

God is in control of our lives. Nothing going on in our lives escapes his notice. Nothing can happen to us but what God allows it and he allows it for a purpose. God even allows us to go through great trials, times of severe testing, and times when we will be treated just like Jesus was treated; times when we identify with the psalmist. Sometimes we are treated thus because of sin in our lives, and other times we may be treated thus when we are living in a right relationship with God, and thus we are being treated unjustly. Yet none of us is completely sinless and none of us has reached perfection, so God allows us to go through such times to purify our hearts, to revive us, to strengthen us in the faith, and/or to bring us to the place where we no longer live for ourselves or our own desires, but we are determined that we will spend the rest of our days living out and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And, as a result of the changes in our own hearts, and our newfound commitments to serve the Lord Jesus, and to be his witnesses to others, and even calling others to faith and commitment to the Lord, as well, many will hear the gospel message, and many will turn to the Lord Jesus in faith. And, because of that, future generations will also be told about the Lord.

So, what I believe this is teaching us is that we need to trust the Lord Jesus in whatever trials he may take us through. We need to bow before him, seeking his face, inquiring of him as to what changes he wants to make in our hearts and lives, and we need to allow him to work a transformation of his grace in our hearts so that we come out of the trial with a much stronger commitment to obey him and to be his witnesses in word and deed to the world around us for Jesus Christ, so that many can hear the gospel, and so that many can come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and Lord (master), too.

Be Still, My Soul / Katharina von Schlegel / Jean Sibelius

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in every change God faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future, as in ages past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9zHn4QSH-8

The Brokenhearted

Monday, January 02, 2012, 11:18 p.m. – The Lord woke me with the song, “Before the Throne of God Above,” playing in my mind. He also woke me with a quote from Psalm 34, vs. 18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 34:

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.

1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

My Understanding: This psalm and this song offer much encouragement to the afflicted, the fearful, the poor and needy, those in trouble, the troubled at heart, those under attack from an enemy, the repentant and the sorrowful over sin, the brokenhearted, the crushed in spirit, those who are in Christ Jesus by God’s grace and through faith, and for the Lord’s servants who call upon him and who take refuge in him. The Lord will answer, and he will deliver his servants from all fears, and will save the humble of heart out of all troubles. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

The psalmist calls on the saints of God to fear (stand in awe of; respect; honor; and obey) the Lord, “for those who fear him lack nothing.” Then, he said that he would teach the children of God what it means to fear the Lord. If we love life and we desire to see many good days, we need to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking lies. We need to turn from evil (repent of sin) and do good; seek peace and pursue it (see vv. 9-14). And, we need to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in humble obedience and surrender to his will.

Then, we can come before the throne of God with confidence and assurance that God will listen, and that he will answer our prayers, because our names are engraved on his hands and are written on his heart through faith in Jesus Christ. Then, when Satan tempts us to despair because of sins previously committed, but now forgiven by Christ’s blood, we can look to Jesus and be reminded that Jesus paid for and put an end to our sin. Because he paid for our sin when he died on the cross, through faith in him our souls are counted free. Therefore, we have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven; and we are his forever.

Before the Throne of God Above / Charitie L. Bancroft / Vikki Cook

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is “Love,”
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart,
I know that while in heav’n He stands,
No tongue can bed me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there! The risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!

One with Himself I cannot die,
My soul is purchased with His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, My Savior and my God.

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/beforetg.htm

A Robe of Pure White

Monday, January 02, 2012, 2:48 a.m. – The Lord woke me around 2 a.m. I lay in bed praying for my son. Then, the Lord put this old song in my mind, “The Windows of Heaven are Open.” So, I got up to hear from the Lord. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 15-16 (NIV 1984):

A psalm of David.
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things
will never be shaken.

A miktam of David.
1 Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.

2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.

5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

My Understanding: The Bible says there is no one who is righteous, no not one. We all like sheep have gone astray, and each of us has turned to his own way, yet the Lord Jesus has laid on himself the iniquity (sin) of us all. Jesus died for all of our sins. He took upon himself the punishment for our sins so that we could be free, and so that we could be at peace with God. By his wounds we find spiritual healing for our souls (See Romans 3 and Isaiah 53).

The only way we can be made righteous is through faith in Jesus Christ, and not of ourselves or our own good works, because we have all sinned, and thus we fall short of attaining a right relationship with Almighty God. It is only by God’s grace, through Jesus’ death for our sins, that we can truly be made righteous. We know from reading all of the New Testament that this faith includes repentance (turning from sin) and obedience (turning to follow Jesus Christ and his will for our lives), yet even repentance, faith and the ability to obey are gifts from God, and are done in the power of the working of the Holy Spirit within us as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts and minds.

So, when we read the Psalms, we must read them in light of the New Testament (in the Bible), and in light of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins, so that we know and understand the true source of righteousness, Jesus Christ (God). So, those who may enter into heaven and into the gate of our God’s holy city, his true church, are those who have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ, and not by any other means. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9 NIV ’84).

Yet we also know from reading the New Testament (in the Bible) that faith is proved genuine by our actions and the fruit (outgrowth in our lifestyles) of our faith. So, although we do nothing to earn our salvation, and we don’t attain heaven through good works done in the flesh of man, still our salvation is not entirely absent of works, yet these works are done in the Spirit of God as an outgrowth of our relationship with Jesus Christ, by faith. And, that takes me back to Psalm 15, which describes some of these fruits of our righteous relationship with Jesus Christ, which is a work of God’s grace in our hearts. Some of the fruit that should be evident in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ includes speaking the truth, not slanderous, does our neighbor no wrong, is not insulting or demeaning of others, honors those who fear the Lord, keeps his oath to God, even when it hurts, and does no harm to the innocent. Yet, even in Christ we are still sinners, so although these traits should be evident in our lives, our salvation is no guarantee that we will live perfect lives while we are still in these flesh bodies, yet our goal should always be to please God.

So, when we do sin against God, we are to come humbly before him in repentance and obedience to him and to his commands for our lives. If we run after other gods that are not God, our sorrows will increase. The Prodigal Son of scripture learned this the hard way, and we all have the potential of being prodigal children if we choose to go after other gods while ignoring the one who died to set us free from all that. Yet, if we come humbly before God, confessing our sin, and choosing to walk in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, we will have peace with God and with his Son, Jesus Christ, and truly the windows of heaven will be open to us and God will pour out his blessings into our hearts and lives. Our hearts will rejoice and our bodies will rest secure, because Jesus has made known to us the path of life.

The Windows of Heaven are Open / Unknown / Artist: Gaithers

The windows of heaven are open,
The blessings are falling tonight
There's joy, joy, joy in my heart
Since Jesus made everything right
I gave Him my old tattered garments
He gave me a robe of pure white
I'm feasting on manna from heaven
And that's why I'm happy tonight.

1) Why are you lying face down in the dust
Your accusers have all run away
And I don't condemn you, you're free to be clean
Get up and start a new day

2) Son, the path you have chosen has taken you far
Now you're homeless and sick and afraid
But there's a party and music to welcome you home
And all the expense has been paid

The Chains of Injustice

Sunday, January 01, 2012, 5:03 a.m. – I woke this morning with the song, “By Your Grace,” playing in my mind. The Lord also put this quote from Isaiah 58:6 in my mind: “Loose the chains of injustice.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 58 (NIV 1984):

True Fasting

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

My Understanding: God told Isaiah to shout it aloud, to not hold back, to raise his voice like a trumpet, and to declare to God’s people their rebellion and their sins. In the Bible, trumpets were used to give announcements or declarations, to give a call to battle, for the calling of assemblies, as a musical instrument of praise at processions, ceremonies, feasts, and sacrifices, etc., for the proclaiming of kings, and/or for giving alarm in cases of danger. Resource: http://www.bible-topics.com/Trumpet.html. In 1 Corinthians 14, the trumpet is mentioned in connection with giving a clear and intelligible call for battle so that the people can prepare themselves for warfare (spiritual). So, for Isaiah to raise his voice like a trumpet meant that he was to make the message clear, and it was to be a strong message that would get the people’s attention, and that would call them to some kind of action.

He was to declare to God’s people their rebellion and sins. Their sins were two-fold: 1) They practiced empty ritualistic worship of God, and 2) They practiced injustice.

Empty Worship

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are to be in close, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We should desire to daily sit at his feet, to inquire of him, and to want to get to know him, etc., so that we can know his will for our lives, and so we can follow him and obey him. That is one of the reasons we should pray, and it should be the reason for spending time with the Lord in his word each day. Yet, it is possible, because we are also human beings, that we may turn this time of personal worship of our Lord into empty ritual, absent of true confession, thanksgiving, seeking God’s face, and followed up by true obedience to his commands. Yet, we may think that we are truly worshiping God when, in fact, our worship of God may be in form only, but not truly from the heart.

We may go through all the rituals of worship – prayer, reading God’s word, fasting, worship, etc., thinking we are connecting with God, and that he is hearing us, when just the opposite may be true. We may even have the outward appearance of being spiritual beings who seek God out, who seem eager to know his ways, thinking we are doing all the right things, and thinking that we have not forsaken God because of all the religious practices we are involved in, asking God for just decisions, and seeming eager for God/Jesus Christ to come near us, and to comfort, counsel and direct our steps. And, after doing all of this and more, we may be guilty, as well, of coming to God in prayer and wondering why he has not noticed all of our sacrifices we have made for him, and why he is not answering our prayers.

And, this may be God’s answer back to us, as well, that we are going through the forms of worship, but we are not truly worshiping God in the way he requires of us. We are doing what we please (want; desire), yet we are not seeking God’s face to see what pleases him and what he desires for our lives. We may, as well, be guilty of taking selfish or unfair advantage of another for our own personal gain, in order to fulfill our own selfish desires. As well, we may be guilty of going through the motions of spirituality, and looking as though we are sincerely trusting the Lord with the circumstances of our lives, all the while we are taking matters into our own hands by quarreling and fighting with each other in order to gain the advantage over our opponent. God says to us even today that if our worship of him is in form only, but our lifestyles do not match our forms of worship or our outward displays of trust and hope in the Lord, we should not expect that God will hear or answer our prayers. We are just talking to the wind.

Loose the Chains

So, for God to make himself perfectly clear in what he is saying here, he lets us know exactly the kind of fasting and worship of him that he requires of us. He desires that we loose the chains of injustice, i.e. to release a person from feelings or circumstances that restrain or confine, which in this case involves unfair or unjust treatment. [Resource: Encarta Dictionary.] In order for us to physically do this, we would have to have knowledge, I believe, of the injustice and what we could do to loose those chains (bondage). It appears to me that this would specifically apply to those who are involved in the unjust treatment of another, as they would have the knowledge and power to act in reversing their unjust treatment. Those who are treating others unjustly may be aware that they are doing this, or they may think they are doing right, when they are not, so this would require them to seek God’s face for the Lord to convict their hearts of any unjust or unfair treatment of another, so that they could have the opportunity to make that situation right, and to make amends. So, each of us needs to go before God humbly, and ask him to reveal such situations to us.

Next he says we need to share our food with the hungry, provide shelter for those who are in need, to clothe those who are without anything to wear, and to not turn away from the legitimate needs (food, shelter and clothing) of our own family members. If we practice our Christianity in a way where we help people in need instead of taking advantage of them, i.e. if we repent of any known sins in our lives and choose to follow Christ and his commands, then God says our light will break forth like the dawn, and our healing will quickly appear. Then our righteousness (via our relationship with Jesus Christ through his salvation) will go before us, and the glory (praise; adoration; honor) of the Lord will be our rear guard, because we will be in a right relationship with Jesus Christ, and because we will be honoring and giving our respect and obedience to our God, and those will be what protect us, and what are necessary in order for God to hear us and to answer our prayers when we cry for help. If we are holding sin in our hearts and/or we are refusing to obey our Lord in any areas of our lives, we cannot expect our Lord Jesus to hear and to answer our prayers.

So, if we do away with the mistreatment of other people (yokes of oppression; false accusations; and/or deliberately harmful speech intended to cause pain to another), and if we satisfy the needs of the hungry (physically and spiritually) and the oppressed, then God will answer, and our light (of truth) will rise in the darkness. The Lord will guide us always, and he will satisfy all our needs, even when things may look utterly hopeless outwardly. Then, we will be able to rebuild our lives that were ruined through sin and through sin’s deceitfulness, and we will be able to uproot those harmful and wrongful foundations of our lives we were brought up under. We will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, etc., because God will work his revival and healing in our hearts and lives in breaking those chains of bondage to sin in our lives, and releasing us to walk in victory and obedience with our Lord Jesus Christ. As well, we will be able to help others to know how they, too, can be set free from the chains of their pasts, and chains of sin that have taken them captive.

True freedom from our yokes of slavery to sin comes through our absolute faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins so that we could go free from the ultimate penalty of sin, and free from the control of sin over our daily lives. We come to him by his grace and through faith – repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to his commands.

By Your Grace / An Original Work / June 27, 2011

Speak Your words to my heart,
Let Your grace and love impart.
Be to me all I need
To love and serve Christ my King;
To love and serve Christ my King.
Change my heart; be like You;
Let me love and serve in truth.
Guide my steps ev’ry day,
As I bow my knees and pray;
As I bow my knees and pray.

Love You, Lord. You love me.
You died so that I’d go free
From my sin; pure within;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin.
Invite You in my heart;
Now I have a brand new start.
Repented of my sin,
So that I’d be cleansed within;
So that I’d be cleansed within.

Live for You ev’ry day,
List’ning to the words you say.
Make You Lord of my heart;
Be Your witness, grace impart;
Be Your witness, grace impart.
Obey Your ev’ry word;
Do the things I’ve seen and heard.
Your word, Lord, in me burns,
While I wait for Your return;
While I wait for Your return.

http://youtu.be/ikIhIASOw1c