Shout What God has Done

Psalm 40:1-3 - For the choir director: A psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD.

 

David…so overwhelmed by the love of God….so thankful that he had heard him…lifted him…set his wobbly feet on solid ground and helped him walk again….that he had to shout it to the world.  He penned this amazing Psalm of thankfulness to make sure that his praise was shared with anyone he could get to listen. 

 

What is really amazing is that these words are the exact story of every other person who has listened to God’s call and ask him to be Lord of their life. If we turn our troubles over to God…and wait on his timing…he will listen and lift us out of whatever pit we let ourselves fall into. He will set our wobbly …unsure…even damaged feet on solid ground and hold our hand until we get our footing again.

 

If we don’t give up during this process…cause it sometimes takes a while…he will completely exchange the pain with a new purpose…and place a need in our heart to shout to the world what he did for us. He turns our pain…our hard learned lesson…into a message of hope to others. He places a joy in our heart that satan cannot steal.  His love and sacrifice become our strength for the new days ahead…a new purpose for life that is more about others than our self.

 

I admit that some days I think I have moved past my own pain…then I realize that there is just a bit more work God needs to do on my heart. My healing is far more encompassing than the hurts I have suffered from others….or the tragedies that God has allowed in my life.  He has to remind me that Life is not about me. God has to remind me daily that the selfishness I managed to let creep into my heart needs to be totally erased….replaced with a servant attitude… so he can begin to use me to share his great message of hope to others.

 

Father…thank you for David’s great words that share my own heart. I could praise you forever and one more day and never be able to praise you for everything you did to save me. When I was broken and weak…you placed me on solid ground and held my hand.  When I was selfish and cared only about myself…you placed people in my life that helped me learn what is truly important in life.  Help me to turn the lessons you have taught me into messages of hope for others that are still trapped in their self.  Show me how to keep this wonderful peace and joy permanently in my heart…so that it will overflow to others around me every day.  Amen.

We Are Guests...Passing Through

Psalm 39:4-6 -  "LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.  My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath."  We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.

 

David’s wisdom never ceases to amaze me.  He is trying to curb his own complaining of just how hard life is at the moment…and he ends up praying and reminding himself just how fragile and short life truly is. His reflections become a humble work of few words…that remind us all just what our short life should be about.

 

God knows exactly what we need…and has a plan in place to provide for us everything in his vision. We tend to think we have to do things on our own…work for things…but in truth those ‘things’ can be a barrier to a deeper relationship with God.  Just like Jesus told the crowd on the hillside in Luke 12:30-31…  These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs.  He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

 

Those of us that have lost loved ones understand the brevity of life…and the pain that constantly knocks on the heart.  It does help to think of the wonderful life they are experiencing in Heaven….but it doesn’t help to grieve too long over their absence.  We were left with many more on earth that won’t ever see the gates of heaven if we sit and grieve over our loss. We truly only have a moment to share god’s love with all of those that have never seen or felt it.

 

It’s a good reminder for me…for I am retiring at the end of this year.  It is a wonderful promise to know that God has a plan in place to care for me...a new purpose…to touch and change lives that may not have been told about God’s love yet. Sure he had a hand in collecting the retirement account I will draw from come June…he was working his bigger plan…and I don’t need to worry about any of the other details. They will be revealed as he sees I need them.

 

Thank you God for reminding me that I am but a guest on your great planet. My days are numbered just as David’s were.  People are more important than things. I can’t take anything I collect to heaven with me…I won’t need it there anyway. Help me to always remember to enjoy the things that you have provided for me…instead of worrying about things I think I need. Open my eyes to the beauty around me…in the little things …the family…the people that surround me each day.  Help me to be a model of your great love and show them that you are the way to happiness and contentment in this short life.  Amen.

The Strength Of Confession

Psalm 38:15-18 -  I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.  For I said, "Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."  For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.  I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.

 

David did a lot of waiting…some in fields watching sheep….some in the palace of Saul playing his harp…and still more hiding in caves. This Psalm was even written when he was in physical pain from some disease…that others were even afraid to come near him.

 

His pain was so great that he felt he could not bear it...and might slip and fall in his Christian walk at any moment. He felt separated from everyone he loved…and couldn’t bear being separated from God…so he did the only thing he knew to do…confess his sins to God…and pour out the guilt and pain to him. 

 

It was his honesty with God and those around him that gave him the bit of strength he needed to wait just a bit longer for God’s answer. It was his humble confession of his sin that allowed God to strengthen and heal him from the affliction in his physical body. It was his admission of guilt that allowed God to wash him clean again in the blood of the sacrifices offered for his sin.

 

We have an even better deal with God than David did…for God sent his own son into the world to die for our sins.  He shed his precious blood to make the last sacrifice ever needed to forgive any sin that would ever be committed. His blood can wash us clean and give us the strength to turn our mistakes into messages of hope for others. His blood can give us the strength to wait on God…for his plan is never what we think it will be.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder that I am a sinner and I am constantly on the brink of falling to more sin.  Thank you for sending your son to save and sacrifice his blood for me and everyone else that will call on his name and believe.  Help me to start each day asking you to search my heart for hidden sin that might make me fall…so I can confess it to you and ask you to remove it from my heart. Amen.

Trust...Commit...Be Still...And Feel Delight

Psalm 37:3-7 -  Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 

As a young man…David spent quite a bit of time running from King Saul…who saw him as a threat to the throne. Scholars differ on the amount of time that David spent running and hiding from Saul. Some say as little as 18 months….others say it could have been up to 15 years. But whatever the timespan…God used it to allow David to reflect on his creator …and write some of the most amazing passages of the Bible.  

 

It never ceases to amaze me…that in the midst of such harsh ….emotionally trying …physically tiring meager and poor times of his life…that David wrote such wise words of faith and trust. He himself is suffering way beyond anything I have ever experienced…and he is telling all those that will listen to delight in the Lord….to rest in his timing…to stop being bitter and angry….and to not fret about any future thing.

 

Delight is defined as an experience of great pleasure...in the presence of some other person or thing. David knew that the true source of his happiness was the deep relationship he had built with God. It was this knowledge of his deep love that allowed him to experience delight in all that came his way. David knew that when we take the time to really get to know God…we begin to understand what is truly important in life…and the desires of our heart begin to take on a less selfish perspective.

 

God wants us to store the important things away in our hearts…so we can ponder them when we need a pick me up later.  God wants us to spend time with him so we can experience his presence in our lives each day…he wants us to read the wisdom he left for us in the Bible and use it to transform our lives into strong faith filled Christians that don’t fret or worry when things get rough.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that I need to always spend time with you. Keep the desires of my heart those that will help me to know you more deeply.  Help me to soak up all that you are trying to tell me from your word so that I can be happy at all times…even when things seem unsure.  I thank you for all you have done for me so far in my lifetime…for all the blessings I would not have except for you.  Help me store away the things I will need to ponder in the days to come…so that I will continue to draw closer to you…and not drift away. Amen.

Keep The Wisdom God Has Given You

Psalm 36:1-3 -  An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.  For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.  The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

 

David had a lot of time to think about the state of things around him.  This Psalm may have been written as a result of reflection about this son Absalom….who sought to kill his own father to gain access to the throne. It must have been painful for him to speak these words….and even more painful to write them permanently on paper.

 

We all know at least one person this scripture fits…they started out a great Christian influence and now they have drifted into some self-centered world of flattery and deceit. Sometimes they have no clue how bad they have really gotten…for the mirror they look in every day doesn’t show the ugliness they have let creep into their heart.

 

It is easy to look around us and judge others…but the truth is I should have the same oracle in my heart every moment of every day…for myself… and guard against these words being spoken about me. Satan easily plants a seed of selfishness…then sits back and watches as it grows into a big enough threat to harden my heart ...so I don’t see what I am becoming.

 

David clung to the hope that God’s love could fix even the evil in his son’s heart.  If it could reach to the highest heaven…and touch the sand in the deepest ocean…it could seep into Absalom’s heart and save him too. And for those of us it has saved from any wicked behavior...we understand the depth of his love that brought us out of the dark….into God’s light and salvation.

 

Father…thank  you for reminding me this morning that I must constantly guard against the selfishness that tries so hard to control me each day. Allow your love to protect me from losing the wisdom you have tried to give me….and refresh me with daily time spent with your word…so that I can recognize satan’s tricks.  Place in my heart the scriptures that I need to fight him with…so that he will leave me alone to do the work you need me to do. Amen.

Let God Be The Judge

Psalm 34:1-3 -  I will bless the LORD at all times:  his praise shall continually be in my mouth.    My soul shall make her boast in the LORD:  the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.    O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 

 

I am pretty sure that David did not write this amazing text on a Christmas day…but it is no accident that it just happened to be Christmas Eve when I read it.  God knew I would reread it on Christmas morning…and feel the truth of its words on one of the most special days of the year. 

 

This text sums up all that we should think is important on this Christmas morning.  We should stop and take a moment ….or longer to bless the Lord…and boast of all that he has done….even if all of it is not what we thought we wanted. If you read the rest of this chapter…it is full of God’s great promises if we reverence him…cry out to him…trust him….and fear him.

 

It is the day we picked to celebrate Jesus’s birthday…the greatest present ever given to the world. And even though most believe that the actual birth of this gift was sometime other than this day…it really doesn’t matter.  For me it is like the promise that he will return some day to take all of us who believe to Heaven one day.  We do not know the time…or the day….but we trust deep in our heart that it is always near. Christ …the promised Messiah was born….grew into a ministry…gave his life to save us all …and raised because of his innocence and pure heart to give us the greatest gift ever given to man.

 

Father…this Christmas day I stop to thank you for all you have done.  I boast of your love…and pray that you will help me really grasp what it means to bless your name…constantly…no matter what life throws at me.  I have tasted your great love…and it is indeed good.  It has sustained me and helped to weather some great storms in the last 4 years. I thank you for helping me to find a deeper relationship with you…and pray that you will draw me even closer in the days you grant me after this.  Amen. 

Brag On God This Christmas

Psalm 34:1-3 -  I will bless the LORD at all times:  his praise shall continually be in my mouth.    My soul shall make her boast in the LORD:  the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.    O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 

 

I am pretty sure that David did not write this amazing text on a Christmas day…but it is no accident that it just happened to be Christmas Eve when I read it.  God knew I would reread it on Christmas morning…and feel the truth of its words on one of the most special days of the year. 

 

This text sums up all that we should think is important on this Christmas morning.  We should stop and take a moment ….or longer to bless the Lord…and boast of all that he has done….even if all of it is not what we thought we wanted. If you read the rest of this chapter…it is full of God’s great promises if we reverence him…cry out to him…trust him….and fear him.

 

It is the day we picked to celebrate Jesus’s birthday…the greatest present ever given to the world. And even though most believe that the actual birth of this gift was sometime other than this day…it really doesn’t matter.  For me it is like the promise that he will return some day to take all of us who believe to Heaven one day.  We do not know the time…or the day….but we trust deep in our heart that it is always near. Christ …the promised Messiah was born….grew into a ministry…gave his life to save us all …and raised because of his innocence and pure heart to give us the greatest gift ever given to man.

 

Father…this Christmas day I stop to thank you for all you have done.  I boast of your love…and pray that you will help me really grasp what it means to bless your name…constantly…no matter what life throws at me.  I have tasted your great love…and it is indeed good.  It has sustained me and helped to weather some great storms in the last 4 years. I thank you for helping me to find a deeper relationship with you…and pray that you will draw me even closer in the days you grant me after this.  Amen. 

God is Watching Us...EVERYTHING We Do

Psalm 33:13-15 and 22 - 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.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

 

No title is written on this Psalm as the others before it.  Maybe we are to assume that David wrote it…because he wrote most of the others…or perhaps someone else wrote this Psalm. I am pretty sure this one wasn’t written on Christmas Eve…or had anything to do with Santa Claus…but I couldn’t help but reflect on the possibility that Santa got the idea to watch us…keep a list and check it twice from God…maybe even from reading this Psalm.

 

Whether you believe in Santa or not….the spirit he represents would have made God proud.  His loving heart works all year to make toys and gifts for all.  He unselfishly loads a sleigh with all his gifts and leaves his home each Christmas Eve.  And with some supernatural power that I will assume is God’s…he breaks all the rules of time to deliver to the whole world’s population of children…of all ages… all his precious gifts in 12 hours of nightfall…or 24 if you think about the way the sun rises at different times around the world.

 

He still comes to my house…even though my children are grown.  I hang my stockings each year…adding girlfriends and possible spouses…and somehow they get filled with the traditional gifts each year. A pack of cards…some guitar picks and new strings for the boys…jewelry or makeup for the girls…a new flashlight…some candy and smelly stuff. He knows if they have been good or bad…and leaves them presents in spite of any mess ups they have committed.  To this day they have never gotten coal…even though they deserved it some years.

 

I will admit that I put way more hope in God that I do in Santa.  Santa is just a means to keep the child alive in my heart each Christmas. God is truly the one who keeps track of all I do…good or bad…and amazingly ..he loves me in spite of anything bad I have let satan trick me into doing.  And when life has given me coal a couple of times…God has squeezed it with his supernatural power and love and turned it into a beautiful diamond…a little rough around the edges…but the potential to shine bright to the world if I let him keep working on me.

 

Thank you God for the great saints that have modeled for us the true meaning of love.  I thank you for what Santa Claus represents this morning…and thank you for the many gifts he has brought to my family over the years. I pray you give him travel mercies as he delivers his presents tonight…. and that some of that great love he has will spill out of the sleigh as he travels…. and fall on the people of the world…so we can keep his spirit of giving alive all year in 2014.  Amen.

Confession Is More Than The Words... "I'm Sorry."

Psalm 32:1-5 -  Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. "Selah"  Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. "Selah"

 

This song was written at a very humble time in David’s life. Most commentator’s felt he had just experienced the cleansing of God’s forgiveness after he had been convicted of his sin with Bathsheba.  He felt blessed…forgiven….covered.  His heart was bursting with thankfulness that God loved him enough to let him have another chance.

 

His song describes what happens to our spirits when we try to cover up the sin in our lives…once we know it is there. David’s heart was so heavy after Nathan had confronted him with his sin. He had let satan trick him into thinking that he could love any woman he wanted as king…and even murder her husband to cover the accidental pregnancy that resulted from his sin.  Nathan had to smack him right in the face….so to speak…with a story that spoke of exactly what David had done…to help him see the hold satan had gotten in his life.

 

David’s confession let God know that he was sorry for what he had done….so God could begin the process of forgiving David….and place the control that satan had on David’s life back in God’s hands where it belonged.  God washed the sin away….removed the guilt…..covered the sin forever…and even cleared the record so David could start over…smarter…wiser….less prone to be tricked by satan the next time he came sneaking around.

 

We need to remember one thing about David’s confession. It was not just the magic combination of simple words….”I’m Sorry.” David’s confession came from the deepest part of his soul.  He told God that he was a horrible person for what he had done…he named the sin in his life and admitted what it had done to separate him from the God he loved so much.  He asked God to forgive him…and made sacrifices to him in the Tabernacle to atone for the sin.

 

Jesus made it possible for us to be forgiven in an even simpler way.  He has already paid the price for any sin we will ever do ….when he died on that cross to save us.  All we have to do is search our heart for sin that satan has tricked us into doing…..tell God we realize it has corrupted our hearts….and ask him to forgive us.  If we have let the confession come from the deepest part of our hearts as David did…Jesus is quick to ask his father to forgive us.  His cleansing forgiveness transforms our lives into miracles of mercy…and we become living examples of David’s words that were so important that Paul repeated them in Romans 4:7-8…  "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that I might have sin in my life that has gone unnoticed.  Help me today to search my heart for any of that hidden sin…so I can confess it and let you wash it out of my life.  Thank you for forgiving me already of so much …and allowing me the second chances you have already provided.  Help me to see the ways you can use my forgiven sin to speak to others who are still hiding from you.  Help me to always let confession be a daily part of my time with you…so I am not tricked as easily by satan’s lies and tricks. Help my confessions come from the deepest part of my heart…so that you know I am truly sorry and want to you to transform me into a better person. Amen.

Praise God With A Praise Sandwich

Psalm 31:1, 5, and 24 - To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

 

One second David is praising God and telling him he trusts him more than anything…the next he is venting the deep sadness that creeps into his heart.  Then after he has vented to God the deepest hurts in his soul…his finishes his prayer with more one praise. His wise words never cease to amaze me…his heart so full of confusion….and deep pain…yet he uses words that show his trust is fully in God…no matter what.

 

I love his concept of venting to God in this Psalm…he places his vent between two times of praise...a praise sandwich I will call it. If you really think about it …his ‘praise sandwich’ shows a level of trust most of us never reach while we live on this earth. He comes to God to purely worship and praise him for who he is…even using the same words Jesus did on the cross to place his entire life in God’s hands.

 

His vent was just a way to unload the pain and heaviness of his burdens…he knew in his heart that God had it all under control…but putting his pain into words made it more real for him…. it made it easier for him to identify what he was letting go of…to completely let go of what was bothering his spirit.

 

I will admit that I have not got a clue what complete trust is. I strive for it…but know in my heart that I am so very far away from really ‘getting’ the deeper meaning that David…and Jesus….and Stephen (read Acts 7:59) understood in their hearts when they “committed their entire spirits” to God’s hands. So I will begin to use David’s praise sandwich to keep showing God I am trying.

 

Father…thank you for teaching me yet another lesson in your true meaning of trust.  Help me Lord to begin to praise you more than I vent my pain….and always end my prayers wit a praise of who you are and what you have done to save me. Show me how to deepen my understanding of your love for others….so that I can begin to grasp what you really mean by trust.  I place my full life in your hands…even though I don’t really know what is coming next.   I know in my heart it will be better than anything I have ever experienced up to this day.  Amen.

Have You Found Your Joy This Morning?

Psalm 30:2-5 -  O LORD my God, I cried out to you for help, and you restored my health.  You brought me up from the grave, O LORD. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.  Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.  His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning.

 

David understood the full power of God’s anger.  He lost a precious son once…because he had conceived him in great sin. His whole town was besieged by a horrible plague once…because one of the men he had chosen to help move the ark tried to touch it. But David tells us here that God’s discipline does not last our whole lifetime….he restores our joy….even reestablishes us with his grace and mercy to be stronger and more successful than we were before.  

 

David tells us here to sing to him…give thanks to him…to cry at night when we need too…but get up the next morning and feel the sweet joy of restoration fill our hearts with the power to go on and find new purpose for the pain we suffered.  God wants us to learn from the discipline he allows in our life…that we need to change…be transformed by the renewing of our minds….as Paul says in Romans 12:2.

 

It’s easy to praise God when we see him heal someone from a fatal health condition…..cancer….heart conditions galore…aneurisms…or perhaps blood clots.  It’s harder to praise and thank him when the prayers are answered with no healing…and death comes knocking at the door of your loved one. We can’t see…we can’t feel…the joy they feel as they stand in God’s presence.  We only fill the emptiness of the space they once occupied in our lives.

 

I know all great losses are not the result of some sin we harbored in our lives….but the concept David is trying to teach is the same for all sadness and mourning.  David was explaining to us why he changed his clothes and washed his face when he heard of his son’s death in 2 Samuel 12.  He even went to the temple to praise God ….to begin anew walking in God’s purpose and strength for the days to come.  David is telling us not to live in the past…to let it go…and start the next morning we wake with a new purpose in our heart…so God can use the pain he helped us endure to help others.

 

David’s right folks…I know first hand the pain of loss.  There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss the gift God gave me for 4 short months.  Mitchell’s love restored the abandoned feeling that gripped my heart after the divorce. He helped heal my broken heart and teach me what true love really is. I have to thank God for our sweet 3 months of dating…and the wonderful month of marriage he blessed me with before he called him home to heaven.

 

To be honest…God used his death to teach me some valuable lessons about myself….how I needed to be more attached to God than a person in my life. I began the blog because Mitchell once told me I needed to write. He was basing that on some very cheesy e-mails we sent first thing when we got to our different schools to teach ….but God used the memory of those words to tug at my heart till I sat down for the first time to process what I had read in his great Bible each night.

 

Oh father…how I thank you for the last 3 years of Bible reading and writing.  It has given me new purpose and kept me from crying non-stop because I lost Mitchell. I have been blessed so many times to hear that you are using the simple words you help me write each day in countries around the world. I praise you …like David did…for helping me to wash my face and find new purpose for my pain. I thank you for the short time you gave me with Mitchell and how you used him to heal my broken heart. I pray this morning that you help me keep the joy I feel in my heart forever….so strong that satan can never trick me into being sad again. Amen.

Give Honor To God....And Tap Into His Great Power

Psalm 29:1-2 and 11 - A psalm of David. Give honor to the LORD, you angels; give honor to the LORD for his glory and strength. Give honor to the LORD for the glory of his name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.

 

David realized whether things in his life were good or bad...happy or sad…full or empty…that God deserved praise and honor. He simply honored God…just for being God.  He wanted to recognize him for the glory of his name…for the splendor contained in his holiness. David wanted everyone to share in his great epiphany.

 

It really is one of the great cause and effect relationships of how God works.  We praise him for who he is…and we receive his great power and strength in our own lives.  We worship God…just because he is holy…and we receive the peace that surpasses understanding. We give honor to God just for being in charge…and he blesses us with contentment in all situations.

 

Paul was taught this lesson one day as he rode to persecute more Christians.  God knocked him right off his high horse and blinded him till he could soften his heart enough to hear his voice.  And he must have learned the lesson really well…for it was later in Ephesians 1 that he wrote these great words of truth in verses 18-20   … “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.  I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.”

 

God wants us all to understand…he sends us lesson after lesson…but we must not have soft enough hearts…cause we still don’t get that we can all have the same power of Christ that allowed him to rise from that grave….or the power to heal in a simple shadow that crosses a sick man’s path (Read Acts 5:15-16)….or use a simple rod that God placed in our hands to lead others to God’s great love(read exodus 4).

 

Father…I once again ask you to help me believe…as the father in Mark 9:24 cried to you…I join him in asking you to strengthen my faith in your great power.  Help me to see what is in my hand…and exactly how I am to use it for your glory.  Knock me off my high horse if you have too…and do what it takes to help me believe in every ounce of power and strength that is available to all those who believe in you. Amen.

Believe In Advance

Psalm 28:6-9 - Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. The LORD protects his people and gives victory to his anointed king. Save your people! Bless Israel, your special possession! Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them forever in your arms.

 

It’s hard to believe that moments before David wrote these words he was begging God for mercy and help. His words sound like someone ecstatic from a wonderful moment of blessing. David had somehow hidden away the joy of God in his heart…so he could tap into it any time he felt down or fearful.  He was even able to praise God in advance for what he was going to do.

 

David’s secret was a continuing relationship with God that believed God was going to deliver him from anything the world could throw at him. It’s kinda like that feeling we had as children…when we still believed that Santa was real….and anything we asked for would be under that tree Christmas morning….no matter how unreasonable it seemed to our brain. Then we grew up…lived in a home unable to afford the luxury we asked for…or for some other reason we did not get what we asked for…and we  stopped believing.

 

David never stopped believing in God. As he grew…he maintained his strength by praying and reading the scriptures.  He poured his heart out by singing praises…even when he didn’t see any tangible blessings in his life.  He knew …that he knew… that he knew that God would show up…and give him exactly what he needed…exactly when he needed it.

 

I want to grow up some day and be strong like David was….able to believe that good is waiting for me…even when the world shows me sadness and pain. I am not there yet….but I am trying.  I read that Bible every day…and I try to pray every day….so someday…I may get there. Somehow I have to change my … “maybe I will get there” …mentality to a … “God is going to get me there”…mindset.

 

Father….you know exactly what I need…and exactly when to give it to me so it will help me the most.  Oh how I want to believe …I cry out like the father in Mark 9:24…  "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Set my mind and my heart so completely on you that the world cannot get me off track again.  Show me how to trust you like David….and praise you through the storms of life.  Help me release all of the past that makes me feel sad…and only use those memories that will help me be who you need me to be in the present….or will train me for some purpose in the future. Amen.

Plug Into The Source....24/7

Psalm 27:1 and 8 - A psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation -- so why should I be afraid? The LORD protects me from danger -- so why should I tremble?

My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."

 

David knew how to deal with fear.  He faced it head on ….holding onto God’s hand.  He stayed as close to God as God would allow…and let the light of God’s salvation illuminate the darkness around him.  He listened when God called him to come and talk…and kept God’s arms of protection wrapped tightly around him.

 

Fear…left to grow and fester inside our hearts…eventually traps us inside a dark world of doubt.  It tricks us into thinking the power has gone out…and the lights don’t work anymore.  We become so powerless that we just sit there…and don’t even reach for the light switch anymore.

 

David was telling us the secret was to keep in close contact with God. He was telling us the secret to keeping fear from setting up camp in our heart is to constantly stay in contact with the only source of light that can provide us salvation. He was telling us to stay in God’s presence 24/7.

 

I am not sure I understand what it truly means to live in God’s sweet presence 24/7. I have already admitted that I let fear and sadness take hold for small amounts of time …..periodically.  I am like most….taking the light for granted most of the time….till God allows it to be turned off for a time. Then I sit for a while…wondering where the switch is….then I run full on till I am sitting in God’s lap.

 

I know that one of the secrets to seeing the light 24/7 is opening that Bible every day. The other is keeping an attitude of prayer. The constant communication with God keeps our heart and eyes and ears open to God’s voice….it gives us the strength to wait out the power outages around us…for God’s power will never run out.  Isaiah 40: 28-31 says… “ Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that I have a direct hotline to the best power source that exists.  Help me to never let darkness trick me into sitting still again…but to be still and let you speak to me in the darkness…and wait for you to turn the light on again. Help me to stop taking the light for granted…but find a way to be with you 24/7…so the beam of light will always be visible by my heart…. bright….ready to chase any darkness that threatens me away. Amen.

Worship...Make Everywhere Your Sanctuary

Psalm 26:6-8 and 12 -  I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O LORD,  singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles.  I love your sanctuary, LORD, the place where your glory shines.

I have taken a stand, and I will publicly praise the LORD.

 

One thing David loved was the house of the Lord. He felt near to God …feeling his very presence when he entered the gates. This Psalm may have even been written about the tented tabernacle he constructed for the Ark.  Even though he knew it was not the permanent home of God…he felt a connection here that fed his soul like no other place.

 

We all have our favorite places to worship…even our favorite songs. They help put our minds and hearts in the right attitude…for God to speak deeply to the needs we walk in with….and the sins we have covered up. We share David’s love of the sanctuary where we feel his touch on our heart and he convicts us to be better people for him.

 

There is one advantage we have over David’s time….we carry God’s very sanctuary with us wherever we go. Paul wrote this truth in 1 Corinthians 6:19.  It says… “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” What an awesome promise…to be able to enter his presence anywhere we go.

 

Maybe that is why I feel a closer connection to God near a river. The rushing water….the pure sound of the water pounding continuously over the rocks…moving constantly toward a new location…calms me…enlightens me…lifts my spirits when I am down. I used to seek the river out when I was a teen…and had a car to drive wherever I wanted.  I would sit and pray…and always felt better when I left.

 

There are also those times that I need the corporate worship of a church family.  There is nothing like a service of collected Christians…with hearts and souls raised in public worship and praise to God. It recharges the tired and weary temple inside me…and gives me energy to continue to do the job God calls me to do each day.

 

That must be how David felt….praying to God in his sanctuary …as close to the Ark as he could go.  He could pray there…and recharge his soul.  He could cry out his needs…he could shout his praise for all he had done…not just for himself… but for all that had been done for the people before him.

 

Thank you God for reminding me this morning that I can worship you anywhere.  Help me to search out new places throughout my day to publicly praise and thank you for all you have done.  Show me how to find the same closeness I feel near a river wherever I go.  I love you Lord…and praise you for loving me…even though I don’t deserve it. Show me how to worship and love you everywhere I go….throughout my day. Amen.

Growing Up....Milk Or Solid Food

Psalm 25:1-5 - To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;  in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.  No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.  Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;  guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

 

David’s many Psalms span the emotions we feel throughout our lives. This one speaks of his trust in God…even though he felt penned in on all sides. He was begging God to get him through another uncertain time…and reveal just enough of the bigger plan for his life to help him find hope and strength.

 

We’ve all been there…faced uncertain times…been confused at the many choices in life we can make. We have all felt like David at some point in our lives….but do we always react with as much confidence as he did?

 

I have to admit that I am weak…frail…needy….even sinful.  At my lowest times… a fog of funk surrounds me and traps me in my house.  I even sidestep church those weekends…just wanting to lay on the couch and watch movies…not wanting to explain to anyone how down I feel.  I never feel any better for the choice to retreat from the world for those few days.

 

God is loving…forgiving…merciful…all knowing. He alone knows the plan he has to lift me out of the funk…for he always does.  Sometimes I see the reason I let myself be trapped …..and sometimes I don’t.  But I am always assured that God is watching over me.  This time he sent a sweet friend to check on me...and pray for me. He knew just what I needed….and sent it to me…even though I didn’t deserve it.

 

This scripture reminds me that it all boils down to how mature in God we are…so I guess I have some more studying to do…to learn how to kick satan to the curb the next time he attacks my emotions. The writer of Hebrews 5 must have been writing to people just like me….for he explains it so well. He said in verses 12-14… “ In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” 

 

David must have felt the same way throughout his life….for he goes on to say in verse 8-9…. “The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray.  He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way.”  David knew…no matter what...that God would always be there…he just had to ask for his help.  And he always did. He always asked God to teach him just a bit more about his love….so he could move out of his pain and find new purpose for the sins he committed through forgiveness.

 

Father…teach me more about you this morning…just enough to lift me out of the funk fog that settled over me this weekend.  Guide me….show me your paths….help me uncover the work you have for me to do. Defend me from satan’s attacks…pardon me from all my sins…and help me grow up and stop drinking pure milk all the time. Instill in me a need to know more about you…and start feeding off the solid food that Paul spoke of. Thank you for the friends…that you sent to help me…and pray for me.  Thank you for not letting me stay down…but showing me the way out …again. Amen.

Approach God With A Pure Heart...Be Honest...Even With Yourself

Psalm 24:  1 and 10 - The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;  for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory. "Selah"

 

David may have written this Psalm for the return of the Ark from Abinadab’s house to Jerusalem. The commentaries said it may have been used as a sort of choral chant every Sabbath to request the gates of the temple to be opened for worship. The people would chant…. “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” from verse 7 and the Priests would answer them with verse 8… “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”

 

The exchange was repeated twice in David’s Psalm….perhaps as a way for the people to really focus on why they had come to worship that day. The priests had to say their part twice too…perhaps to focus on who they were asked to minister to. It must have been a great thing to watch….all the Israelites gathered at the gates…and all the priests just inside.  I just bet it prepared them for a great time of prayer and worship once the gates were open and they were allowed inside.

 

God required them to come inside the temple…seek him to identify sin in their lives and offer sacrifices to wash it away. It simply said they had to have pure hearts. It spoke of the need to be completely honest…with God and ourselves.

 

Honesty is so important to a pure heart…the honest heart can see God’s glory…so worship is more intent….more real. The honest heart admits every tiny thing it has done wrong…and allows God to plant a seed of blessing in the space that we emptied out. Each sin that is removed and washed clean with Jesus’ blood…is replaced with a goodness that God will use later in our lives to help him minister to others.

 

Dishonesty builds a wall of self-deception …that blocks our communication with God.  Satan plants seeds of doubt and destruction each time we allow a lie…small or big….to slip from our mouth. There are tons of other scriptures about the dangers of lying… this one in Matthew 12:37 kinda sums them all up… “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

God created this world…he owns it…he rules it…he is in control of it.  We are called to be caretakers…and keep our hearts as pure as we can…to run from the temptations of lying…for any reason. Our pure heart will be able to see God in his holiness…and talk with him…and hear his plan for how he wants to use us. Our pure heart will more quickly travel through the trials that he allows in our lives to train us for later in the ministry he has planned for us.  

 

Father…thank you for loving me so much that you keep reminding me of my need to purge sin from my heart...and uncover all the things that keep me from hearing your still quiet voice. Let me wake each morning and call out to you to open up the gates of communication between us…so I can come in and see your glory…and it can help me see the hidden sin in my life.  Be my great priest…that asks me who you are….so I can quickly answer back that you are my savior and redeemer…my best friend…my life. Uncover any sin in my life this day…so I can walk closer to you…and seek to do only your will in my daily actions and thoughts. Amen.

Let God Be Your Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6 - The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

 

The David that wrote these beautiful words was a man who had lived many days of life with his heavenly father. He had held the lowly position of shepherd boy…and served as a mighty king.  He had felt the goodness of the kings court…and suffered the pain and agony of running...hiding from his enemies. God had been teaching him how to have a heart just like him.

 

I had been anticipating all day that I would be reading the 23^rd Psalm. It has always been one of my favorites…even one of the few entire chapters I had memorized as a child….so I couldn’t resist seeing if I still knew it by heart. My pen wrote word for word…leaving out only a few phrases…the green meadows…the anointing of oil….the paths of righteousness…the goodness and mercy that followed David forever.

 

David had built such a deep relationship with God that he was able to explain it in these 6 short verses. He trusted the great shepherd with his very life….and the contentment he felt from the leading of God in green meadows…still waters…or darkest valley…defined his humble attitude of praise for the things God had done for him.  He looked forward to the great feast that awaited him at God’s table in Heaven…where he would live forever.

 

I couldn’t help but think that the phrases that had slipped my memory had a message for me. Perhaps I lack experience in those areas…and that is where I need to spend more time with God. I need to strive to be more positive in this negative world we live….content with the season of life and circumstance that God has placed me. I need to search more diligently for my anointing…his call on my life to serve and be a shepherd to others. Perhaps I am sorely lacking in righteousness…and need to pray for forgiveness…and mercy to learn to follow him even deeper…and purge even more sin from my soul.

 

I know one thing for sure…this chapter of Psalms is still one of my favorite all time scriptures. Its words speak of the great peace that passes understanding that I can have if I cling to God…no matter what life circumstances I find myself.  It reminds me that God loves me more than I love myself…and he will always be there ready to help me…no matter what traps of satan I allow myself to fall into.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that you are my shepherd…and all I need in life is to follow you beside the waters of life…because whether your hand leads me to a green pasture…or a dark valley …you are beside me every step of the way…holding my hand. Help me to deepen my relationship with you…and hold your hand a little tighter….so you can show me the next part of the path of righteousness that will lead me to your purpose for me here on earth.   Give me a vision of the table you have prepared for me…when you call me home to live with you forever. Amen.