"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." Psalm 56:3
I'm going to be all over the map--or Bible!--tonight as the Lord has used many Scriptures in the last few days to really minister to me.
I have a plan to read through the Bible that I really like. I've used it for nearly 10 years now, and am always amazed at how the Lord weaves my readings together! I usually read 3 chapters in the section of the Bible for the day (more on that in a little bit), 2 Psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs daily. I used to read 5 Psalms to get through the whole book of Psalms every month, but I felt I was just racing through them, so I cut it back to 2. I still get through the entire book of Psalms maybe 4-5 times a year, which still isn't bad!
My "plan", which I found somewhere on the internet in 2000 or 2001, was this:
Monday- Law Books (Genesis through Deuteronomy)
Tuesday- History Books (Joshua through Esther)
Wednesday- Poetry Books (Job through Song of Solomon--but I skip Psalms and Proverbs when I come to them as I read them monthly)
Thursday- Major Prophets (Isaiah through Daniel)
Friday- Minor Prophets (Hosea through Malachi)
Saturday- Gospels (I added through 2 Corinthians to this)
Sunday- Epistles (Galatians through Revelation)
This has worked very well for me, and I share it in case it helps someone else! I usually end up reading through the Bible in 15-18 months.
Sometimes I get "behind" my schedule, due to things that come up (or insane times like the 4-H Fair!), but I am awed at how God arranges my "readings" to speak to me in just the situation I'm in--even if it's "behind schedule"!
Thursday was like that. I was reading in Isaiah, and chapter 7 had a lot of encouragement. I still don't read everything that I can on what's going on in the world (I would only need to read my Bible to see that, too, lately!), but I have read a little. It can be very disconcerting, to say the least. But as I've "preached" before, where is our focus to be?
Not on circumstances, whether personal or national or global.
But on God. God Almighty. THE Omnipotent (that's ALL powerful), Omniscent (ALL knowing), Omnipresent (ALWAYS everywhere) God!
In Isaiah 7 Isaiah is comforting Ahaz with God's omnipotence. We have to remember, when evil things are happening, that evil is not in control. God is. Always. No matter how it looks. It's a matter of our eyesight--is it on things seen, like Elisha's servant, or things unseen?
"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
"And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." II Kings 6:15-17
So Isaiah is telling Ahaz, "Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of thse smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah." (Isaiah 7:4)
The Jewish Tanakh reads, "Be firm and calm".
Doesn't sound like he needed to be fretting and fearful! In fact, I believe God tells us in His Word to "fear not" over 350 times, and He certainly says to "fret not" many times, too!
Also, God had told Isaiah to take with him his son Shearjashub. In those times, you didn't just name your son "Pete" because you liked it, or because you wanted to name him after Great-Great-Grandpa. Names had meanings. Shearjashub means "a remnant will repent". I wish I could remember the sermon Ray Wenger had preached on this very subject a few years back! But can you imagine King Ahaz, concerned and fearful about Rezin and Pekah coming against Jerusalem, but not able to prevail against it (Isaiah 7:1)? Then here comes the prophet, the man of God, with a word from the Lord. Not only that, but he is bringing his son....whose very name means "A remnant will repent".
I believe there is a dual meaning here. Isaiah goes on to say that Rezin and Pekah will not be successful (verse 7). But also I believe God is saying, "Keep your heart soft, Ahaz. Repent. I will take care of your enemies, but don't make Me your enemy by being stiffnecked." We see a few more verses on a warning:
"If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be establised." (verse 9)
Will we look to the help of man? Do we depend on the right circumstances, the right leadership, the right laws, the right whatever to save us?
Or on the Lord God?
In verse 13 God says, "hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?"
Why did He say that? Because Ahaz, because the people of Judah, were about to put their trust in the aid of Assyria instead of their Lord. He had told Ahaz to ask a sign, and Ahaz "piously" refused, not discerning why Isaiah said what he did.
How many times is God offering us a word of encouragement, asking us to put our trust wholly in Him, and we've already made up our minds to trust in man or man's ways?
Ouch!
Later in Isaiah 8, God gives Isaiah clear direction, which really spoke to my heart.
"For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy (Tanakh--conspiracy), to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid..
"Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. (Hold Him in awe--Tanakh)." Isaiah 8:11-13
Again I am reminded of Whom I should fear---and it's not the circumstances around me! It is the Only One Who has the answers, that is truly in control of the whole earth--God Almighty!
So today, I read in Matthew 10:26, 28, and 31:
"Fear them not therefore.......And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell...Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."
That's pretty clear! I am to fear nothing but God Himself! And I am to put my trust in nothing but God Himself!
During my reading time this morning, I got interrupted. During that time I became aware of some not-so-great news of some of the things going on in the nation. When I returned, I was ready to read Psalm 108. The timing was, again, perfect!
Right off the bat, I read:
"O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
"Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
"I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto Thee among the nations." verses 1-3
WOW! I am to fix my heart on Him!!!
The whole Psalm is SO good, but it ends as good as it starts:
"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He is is that shall tread down our enemies."
I am not saying that I expect to avoid all suffering. I have been through too much already to buy that! BUT, through all I've been through, the loss of our son 19 years ago, Anna's auto-immune disorder 10 years ago, Bekah's accident 5 years ago, Dallas' accident almost 5 years ago, my dad' decline in health and death, helping my mom, miscarriages.....I've been through too much and have seen God's hand, even in the midst of suffering, to not believe that He will take care of me and my own.
But I have to surrender it all to Him.
Andrew Murray said, "It is only the fully surrendered heart that can fully trust God for all that He has promised."
I have a note to that paper in my Bible. "If I am fearful/doubtful/fretful--it is because I have not fully surrendered an area of my life to Him."
My life, my finances, my family......ALL must be surrendered, or I will make decisions out of fear.
And you can bet they won't be His decisions!
Instead of a hymn or song this time, I leave you with a video of Josef Tson, a pastor from Romania. This video is from 1989, when he was exiled from his country before communism fell. It's an hour long, but please take time to watch it. We have so much to learn here in America. If our goal is to survive, we'll compromise. If our goal is to glorify God, and we have surrendered all to Him, keeping our hearts pure before Him, then we will see Him move mightily on our behalf, even if it means death. You can't have the faith of Daniel or Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego unless you are willing to glorify God to the end! Remember Jesus' words in Matthew 10:32-33,
"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven."
Oh, may we be found a pure and spotless Bride, bringing glory and delight to our Bridegroom by confessing Him always!
Thanks for bearing with my extra long post today!
May the God of Peace and Comfort bless you abundantly as you seek His face above all!!!
Here is the link for the video of Josef Tson-- Revival Forum. You will need to scroll about halfway down. I could not get the audio alone to work, so I clicked on the video one and was able to watch it. Here is the description of the video:
"Exiled Romanian pastor Joseph Tson shares how the brutal persecution in his native land in the early 1970's led many to the great sin of desiring to survive. Revival occurred when repentance and surrender to Jesus Christ were preached. He shares a very strong warning against the weaknesses that have crept into American evangelicalism, such as replacing 'commitment' for 'surrender' and 'servant' for 'slave'."
As usual, I am a day behind! (Or maybe I'm 5 days ahead?! )
I had a wonderful "revelation" in the Psalms last week and want to share it.
Psalm 25:7
"Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O Lord."
In the Jewish Tanakh, it reads:
"Be not mindful of my youthful sins and transgressions; in keeping with Your faithfulness consider what is in my favor, as befits Your goodness, O Lord."
The thing that really struck me this:
If I want the Lord to remember me according to His mercy, to consider what is in my favor......then shouldn't I do the same with others?!
To think of and remember others according to the mercy I want Him to show to me!!!!
Ah, too often it is "one weight for me, and a different weight for you" which the Lord clearly condemns! (Proverbs 20:10)
We want a lighter "weight" when it comes to judging our actions and intentions, but a heavier one for others! I liked how Coach Grant Taylor, the character in Facing the Giants, put it when talking to a player, "You can't judge your dad by his actions and yourself by your intentions."
But too often I fall into that trap! Oh, Lord, deliver me!
I am going to write out this verse and put it on my mirror. I need that daily reminder that if I want mercy, I must show mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
I pray you will show others mercy-- remember them, think of them, with the same mercy you want your Heavenly Father to remember you by, think of you with, and show you.
"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
"I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies."
I've said before that I don't read a lot of the news, etc. It's not that I want to keep my head in the sand, but you can get your focus off Him and onto "the troubled sea around you" and sink--really fast!!!
Many of the things I have seen in the past week are cause for "wild alarms", yet, my hope, my stay, is upon my ROCK. THE Rock.
Psalm 18:4 says, "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid."
Do you feel like the floods of ungodly men are overwhelming? Making you afraid?
Isaiah 59:19 is a good verse to remember! "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."
Psalm 18:17-18: "He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay."
What a precious promise!!!
Again in Psalm 18, verse 36: "Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip."
I don't necessarily think these verses mean we won't suffer, that we will be delivered out of all painful and frightening circumstances, but I do think it means He will be with us, that He will give us His strength. That He will be our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer, our Buckler and our High Tower.
Proverbs 18:10 says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."
One of my desires is to study the names of God. One of the sad things about the English language is that we have the same word for many different meanings. For example, love. We love our family. We love the dog. We love ice cream. In other languages there are different words that mean love, but you understand there is a different word for each because there are different levels and depths of the meaning of "love"!
It is the same with God's names. Such rich treasures waiting to be mined from learning His names!!!
I believe instead of spending time wringing my hands (and heart!) over the issues that are "coming in like a flood", I will spend more time learning His names, which represent His character to us. I will lift up His name as a "standard" against the enemy tide coming in. I will run to His name as a mighty fortress where I will not fear "them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Mt. 10:28).
Our souls are infinitely precious to Him--He died for us!!!
When we see how precious we are to Him, we know that He has a plan. The enemy has not taken God by surprise. He wants us to run to Him in prayer, to pour out our hearts and fears to Him--the only one who can do anything about it all, anyway! And in that place, He imparts to us His peace, sweet peace.
And direction. If He wants us to act on something, He will direct that--again, if we're expending all our energy to fight the enemy (one of his favorite ploys, remember!), then we have that much less energy to praise our God, our Rock, our Mighty Defense! (Remember Jehoshaphat!)
And JOY! Psalm 32:10-11 "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."
How do we get that joy? That deep, abiding peace and joy that is not dependent on circumstances? How can we say, like Habakkuk, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
"The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places." Habakkuk 3:17-19
We can only get to the place where we will praise Him for Who He is no matter what, by spending time in His presence!
Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
If you are afraid or tempted to be, spend time with your Savior. "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7
Where is your heart? Failing for fear? Or fixed upon THE Rock?!
"Hear my prayer ,O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness."
"I stretch forth my hands unto Thee: my soul thirsteth after Thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
"Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.
"Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto Thee to hide me.
"Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou are my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
"Quicken me, O Lord, for Thy name's sake: for Thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble."
Psalm 143:1, 6, 8-11
"But mine eyes are unto Thee, O God the Lord: in Thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute." Psalm 141:8
Where is our focus? On world events? Swine flu? Are we trying to figure out what we can do?
Are we fearful? Worried?
Should we be?!
That last verse, Psalm 141:8 makes me think of the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat instituted a lot of reforms when he became king. Scripture records this statement about him, "And the Lord was with Jeshoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; but sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not after the doings of Israel." (2 Chron. 17:3-4)
In chapter 20, the children of Ammon and Moab came against him. What did he do? Did he wring his hands and pace the floor? Did he call a meeting of his choice generals to discuss a game plan for defense?
Verses 3-4 tell us. "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord."
Amazing! Not a call to arms, but a call to prayer!!!
Later in verse 12 he voices the same statement as the Psalmist, "O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee."
There is SO much being thrown at us today. In all areas, it seems, the foundations are slipping and things seem to be running amuck. It's easy to feel helpless, angry and/or frustrated. I can hardly e-mail or call or write my elected officials about one topic before I'm made aware of several more that could possibly impact me negatively (and not just me, but all of society!). How can we keep up? And sometimes it would seem nobody really cares what their constituency thinks--they vote the way they want to anyway.
I'm sure every generation has seen many things take place that made them think, "Surely Jesus' return is imminent!" But then life goes on, and we get complacent again....for awhile!
Of course we who love the Lord should be looking for and longing for His return, just as an engaged young woman anxiously awaits her wedding day! But we might not long so much for the trials and tribulations we must endure until He comes!
It is quite easy to get our eyes off Him and onto the world events taking place (and at a rather rapid pace, I might add!) and be anxious--but not for Him! We worry about the economy, health concerns, our rapidly disappearing rights, whether the Illuminati really are controlling the world, weather craziness (we had a tornado go through here last week--I'll be posting about that next Thursday! )....there are a host of things to occupy our thoughts, make our hearts quake in fear, and simultaneously get our eyes everywhere but where they should be.
On Him.
King Jehoshaphat's story has encouraged me SO much! The Ron Auch books I've been reading have so focused me back on prayer. How many times have we said, "Well, all I can do is pray."
WHAT are we saying?! "All" we can do is pray? We should be saying, "YES! I can pray!"
I think we have gotten into a rut of running through our daily list of needs and wants, that we forget what prayer is really for--communicating with our Creator, Savior, Redeemer and Heavenly Bridegroom!
Can you even imagine a bride-to-be who can't see her bridegroom until their wedding a few months away, calling him up and saying, "Now, John, I would really like you to be sure to find a nice place for us live. And don't forget to take care of the tux rental for the wedding. Oh, and could you till up some space for a garden? I'd like to plant a garden after we get back from the honeymoon. Speaking of the honeymoon, could you please be sure to get a great view of the ocean? And I would really like to fly so we can get there sooner. I need to go now--oh, and I love you! Bye!"
What kind of a relationship is that?! It's not!!! And yet that is how we treat our wonderful Savior, Who died to restore our relationship to Him. And all we can think about is how nice Heaven will be while we sigh and toil and think everything here depends on us doing the right things.
(Can you hear Jesus saying, "Martha, Martha, [insert your name here!] thou art worried and troubled about many things....)
It doesn't all depend on us doing a single thing. It depends on us being with Him. Working with Him. Walking with Him.
"But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
Can you imagine? No matter what happens in this world, our relationship with Christ, our ability to pray and converse with the Creator of all the universe can never be taken away! So shouldn't we be spending more time with Him now, in this moment?
Remember the Lord appearing to Solomon, and saying in that famous passage 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
We like to quote that verse, but I'm not sure we really understand it.
We get all focused on the "heal our land" part, and sometimes think we have to do a lot of it. But did you notice what we are actually supposed to do?
Humble ourselves.
Pray.
Seek His face.
Turn from our wicked ways (that's repentance).
Then He hears.
He forgives.
And HE heals.
He wants us to seek Him, just for Him. Not for His gifts alone.
What ever happened to Jehoshaphat? Did he come up with a grand scheme to route the enemy?
Weellll...he didn't. But God did! He told Jehoshaphat through a prophet, "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's....Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you."
What an amazing "battle plan"! And Jehoshaphat worshipped God after receiving this word!
You can read in 2 Chronicles 20 about how God's plan worked! And how Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go out before the army to praise the beauty of holiness and to say, "Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth forever."!
Singers! Now who'd have thought of that?!
God!
In all that is going on around me, in all the turbulent and troubled news reports (which I don't read all of them, by the way, preferring to keep my focus on Him!), in all the "what ifs" and things that could make my heart melt into a puddle of fear.....I choose to keep my eyes on Jesus. As I spend more and more time with Him, just basking in His presence, adoring Him, loving Him and praising Him, the less these things move me. I am not as anxious as I once was, because I know God can do more through a yielded and quieted soul full of Him than an anxious and fretful soul that is squeaking by on fumes. If I try to "do things" out of a heart of fear, I will not hear Him and could actually be expending energy He wants to use elsewhere.
We cannot legislate morality. We can't make everybody behave because the right people are in charge.
But we can be Jesus to a hurting, dying world. We can show them a better way. We can turn the other cheek. We can have the quiet assurance that "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me"--He has it ALL under His control.
I can walk with Him, touching Him by faith and letting Him fill me, permeating me with His presence so that I can anoint all I touch with His presence.
If I must suffer for righteousness' sake, I want to make sure it's HIS righteousness and not my self-righteousness! I want to point others to Him--if they look to me and my "standards" or my "beliefs", they may have something to refute or mock or pick at. But if they must look to Jesus, then they must make a decision of what to do about Him. I want to be the clean vessel He flows through, not clogging up the flow with my bright idea of how the battle should go!
There's a time to write, and fight, and stand.
But first we must be on our knees and praising. (and singing!)
Let's take the events going on around us as a call to prayer!
I hope everyone isn't getting tired of me talking about The Heart of the King by Ron Auch! Again, this book has blessed me in so many ways! I just finished it today--176 pages, one for each verse. And I'm going to go through it again!
The reason I love Mr. Auch's books is that they focus on our relationship with Christ. Not "doing things for Christ" but "being with Christ".
That is what the Christian life is all about. That is why He died--to restore that relationship so we could walk and talk with God as Adam did. That is what He wanted all along--to have fellowship with us!!!!
How it must grieve Him that we want to hand Him a list in prayer, go on and "do things for God" more than we want to just spend time with Him!
Can you imagine handing your husband a "Honey-Do" list, and THAT was the main sum of your relationship with Him?! It wouldn't be much of a relationship, would it!!!
Psalm 119:176 says, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant; for I do not forget Thy commandments."
Some thoughts from The Heart of the King:
"There is a reason why we are called sheep and why Jesus is called the Good Shepherd. Sheep don't have a lot of common sense......We need to be led. we don't even know enough to stay on the straight and narrow path. We need a shepherd who will continualy and gently guide us.
"In this verse, David is expressing how we would be naturally lost without a shepherd....He is expressing a complete dependency upon his Shepherd.
"Fortunately for us we have a Good Shepherd. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, continually, gently, compassionately, corrects us. How fitting for David to finish this great Psalm with a focus on the One who perpetually seeks us out.
"Our Good Shepherd seeks us out. This is the One who deserves all our praise. This is the One to whom we owe our life!"
I am so grateful He does seek us out, especially when I go down the wrong path. He doesn't let me go, saying, "Well, she'll learn her lesson! I've told her and told her." He gently, compassionately seeks me out. I might not listen, but the consequences I may suffer are not a big "I told you so!" from God! They are the results of the path I've chosen. It grieves His heart that I choose to go away from Him instead of trusting His leading and following.
I'm sure you've heard this analogy before, but there is a difference between "driving the sheep" vs. "leading the sheep". When we drive the sheep, there is fear, trampling, bedlam......when we lead them, it means we've developed a relationship with them to where they trust us, and then we just need to "speak the word" and they follow.
Christ is the ultimate Good Shepherd! He longs to spend time with us, so we can get to know His voice. Then when He speaks the Word, we just follow. We can trust our loving Shepherd to guide us in exactly the right pastures for us. Maybe it looks scarey, maybe it doesn't look exactly like what we had pictured, but with our hand in His, we trust. And then we find out that "In His presence in fulness of joy" (Ps. 16:11) and that He has led us "beside still waters" and "in green pastures". Sweet, nourishing pastures!
From The Seven Spirits of God by Ron Auch:
"Human nature hasn't changed much during the intervening centuries. As Jesus calls us to surrender our dreams of an earthly kingdom, we, too, feel uncomfortable. Yet He continues to beckon uncompromisingly, instructing His followers to die to self, to all their selfish aspirations for life. He wants us to be able to say with Paul, 'I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me' (Gal. 2:20). He doesn't want to be number one on our list; He wants to be our entire list. Jesus doesn't want to be our number one love; He wants to be the only love of our lives. He becomes this through our own willful dying to self, surrendering control of our lives and letting Him establish His character in us. That is what the fullness of the Spirit means: demonstrating all seven qualities of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit." (pp. 21-22)
I had a busy day yesterday at a baby shower then shopping (of course, JoAnn's was one of them! ), so I'm posting my Saturday Psalm and Praise a bit late!
I hope you're not tired of hearing me tell you that The Heart of the King , by Ron Auch, is an excellent book and worth every penny!
I had planned to write something else for today, then during my quiet time this morning, I read another selection from this book. If you haven't read my blog before, this book is a devotional of sorts based on the 176 verses of Psalm 119. Believe me, you can find a lot of meat in each and every page! It is available from Amazon (click here), and you can see some of the pages to get an idea of the rich treasure found in this book! If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm very focused on relationships! And this book focuses on our relationship with God.
The verse that I was reading this morning was verse 83: "For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget Thy statutes." (He uses the NIV in the book, so it reads, "Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your decrees.")
"Years ago in the eastern countries bottles (pouches) were made of skin. In order to have a hot drink, people would hang the pouch (bottle) in the smoke of a fire. With time the outer skin became parched and shriveled. In this verse, David likened the exhausted state of his body and mind to a wineskin in the smoke. David had such a pure heart that he said in essence, 'Even though my body and mind are completely exhausted, I won't forget Your decrees.'
"David did not have a martyr complex. Like any of us, he did not relish his suffering. He wanted deliverance! However, in the midst of his suffering, he learned a great lesson--never give up on God. What hope is there if we become bitter against God? I have heard some say, 'God didn't answer my prayer, so I gave up on Him.' Do they think their prayer will be answered sooner by giving up on God? David did not forget God's decrees or decisions. He walked as God directed him, even in the midst of suffering. Even in a time where everything seemed to be going wrong, he walked with his God.
"The prophet Habakkuk gave us some good advice. 'Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, thought the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls [you can insert your own dilemma here], YET WILL I REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOR' (Hab. 3:17-18). The prophet in essence said, 'Even though everything on God's green earth is going wrong, I will still rejoice in the Lord.' Habakkuk knew you never give up on God. We would be wise to follow the apostle Paul's advice in Philippians 4:4, 'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!'
"As you meditate on this verse, ask God to help you rejoice in Him even in the midst of trouble."
(I might add that the short thoughts at the end of the past two verses talked of having a heart fixed on His Word, and to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus! Both of those are necessary to be able to rejoice in Him even in trouble!)
This certainly spoke to me.....I have been fighting being bitter at the circumstances I am in by no choice of my own. I wanted to have another baby. My family was soooo looking forward to another little one! Disappointment is hard!
But yes, what good does it do to be bitter and angry at God? It's like biting the hand that feeds you!
And yet God, in His ever merciful love, tenderly cares for us and gently leads us back to Him. Another thought from this book, a few pages back: "How many times have we cut out the very heart of God through our own disobedience to Him, and yet found that His greater concern was for our well-being?"
Reading the selection for the verse today really spoke to me. It is a choice--my choice! I WILL rejoice! No matter how wrong everything looks, no matter how bleak, how impossible, how unfair, how WHATEVER......I WILL REJOICE IN GOD MY SAVIOR! Psalm 35:9 "And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His salvation."
If there is NO other reason to rejoice--I can just rejoice in HIM and His salvation He purchased for me!
Anything else is just icing on the cake!
Psalm 13:6 "I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me." And Psalm 116:7 "Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for He hath dealt bountifully with thee."
Yes, return to my rest-- in His arms of love! Isaiah 30:15 "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not."
So I come, Lord. YES, I come! I return, I will rest, I will trust. Then shall I be saved from bitterness. Then will my heart be quiet and trusting in you, and in You is my strength!
May You not say to me, "Trisch, I held out My hands of love and mercy to you, but you chose to turn away." ("...and ye would not.")
Father, I'm Home.
"Ye shall have a song, as in the night...and gladness of heart....and the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard." (Isaiah 30:29-30)
There's within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
"Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still,"
In all of life's ebb and flow.
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,
Discord filled my heart with pain;
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
Stirred the slumbering chords again.
Feasting on the riches of His grace,
Resting 'neath His sheltering wing,
Always looking on His smiling face--
That is why I shout and sing.
Though sometimes He leads through waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
See His footprints all the way.
Soon He's coming back to welcome me
Far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown,
I shall reign with Him on high.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus--
Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.
I pray you have a song in your heart--a song of praise that no matter what is going on around you, even inside you, HE can bring peace, quietness, rest.....if you only return to Him and choose to rejoice in Him!
This past week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. I am so thankful for the unchanging Word of God. I am also grateful that my Savior is personal--He cares for me in an intimate way. Just this morning I read Jesus' words in Luke 12:7 "But even the very hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." I don't usually like commentary Bibles for my regular reading, but this Bible I am currently reading through is the Defender's Study Bible. The note Dr. Morris has on this verse includes these words, which really spoke to me concerning the "suffering" I am going through. "The lesson of Job 38-39 is relevant. These chapters describe in detail the providential care of God for His animal creation. Job was concerned that God had forgotten him, but God had reasons for permitting Job's sufferings of which Job was unaware. No matter what problems may come, we may be confident that God cares and is in control (Rom. 8:28)." (italics mine)
There are times, when my heart is sore, I just ask the Lord, "Please give me a Word!" and He usually does! Sometimes not right when I want it, but definitely when I need it!
I have had a few nights of not sleeping well, and instead of laying in bed wishing I could sleep I get up. In fact, one night I had my quiet time "early" at 5 a.m.--except it was late because I had been up since 2:30!!! I went to bed at 6 a.m. when my husband got up! But the Lord met me in those early hours of the day and soothed my hurting heart.
I have been going through Kay Arthur's Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days (I've had it for 10 years, started it, then it got lost in the back of my bookcase!). That late night/early morning, I was going through a few days' worth of lessons as well as reading in The Heart of the King (I highly, highly recommend this book!). I felt like the floodgates of Heaven opened and poured out abundantly on me!
Psalm 119:47 "And I will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved." Here are some thoughts from The Heart of the King :
"When we love something, we submit to it. Submission requires that we bring ourselves under the authority of the one to whom we have submitted. In that light, our only life comes through our obedience to that one.
"Obedience should always be the result of submission. When we simply are obedient to someone, we tolerate their rules. However, when we submit to someone, our obedience is coupled with a desire to obey. The basis for such submission is love, and that love compels us to obey. Obedience to God based solely on what one should do, without a desire to obey, may in essence mean there is no submission at all.
"David said that his delight was in the commands of God because he loved them. Through his obedience, he found life."
"God is found in the obedience of men. To enter into the presence of God, we must submit to Him. There is more to following God's commands than simply doing them. In our desire to do them, we find the life of God."
I hope I don't lose you in my rabbit trails here! I am going to jump to Kay Arthur's book now, and then I will share my thoughts and what I believe God has shown me through these verses and these books.
If you are not familiar with this book, it teaches you how to pray based on the model Jesus gave us--The Lord's Prayer.
"The condition (she's referring to John 15:7) is that you are to abide in Him and His words are to abide in you. This condition is the key to knowing the will of God." p. 92
"I believe discerning God's will is a spiritual art learned by sitting at His feet. Go back to the Lord's Prayer for a minute. Remember it begins with worship of the Father and moves to allegiance and a heart's cry to do His will...its' a longing, a willing submission. Did you notice that no requests have been made? Here, Beloved, is the key. Before you ever ask God for anything, you need to wait before Him, to abide in:
"1. His relationship to you...as your Father.
2. His sovereignty...for He lives in Heaven, ruling over all.
3. His holiness...His attributes that make Him God.
"When you take these things into consideration, submission to His will follows naturally. Do you want your own way if it goes against His best, His purpose, His will for you?" (p. 96, italics mine)
"As you abide in Him through worship and time in the Word, His words will abide in you. Then, because you know His will, you will be able to ask according to His will." (p. 97)
"We who were dead and have been granted life ought now to respond by living for Him, not according to our way, our dictates, our thoughts, our evaluations, or our desires, but in total submission to whatever God wants to do with us or through us." (p. 98, italics mine)
"But we also need to spend time simply sitting at the feet of our Lord, listening to Him. Then whatever He tells us, we are to do.....Learn to sit at His feet and listen. Don't be in a hurry." (p. 105, italics mine)
Both of these books brought out some thoughts that really blessed me. I thought of how I want my children's hearts. You can't get your children's hearts by pushing them off on others, spending too much time in front of the tv or computer, running to all kinds of "good things", and not spending time with them.
It takes spending time with them, getting to know them! Just like God does with us--if we let Him!!
Will I spend time with Him? Getting to know and love Him? Then obedience will be easy and bring life! He has invested greatly in my life---as I should in my children's lives, to get and keep their hearts. And that takes time.
As I spend time with my children, they learn to love and trust me. They see my character. So it is with God. I fear too much of the time, we lay out our "grocery list" of requests before the Lord, ask His blessing, and off we go. Then we complain "our prayers don't get past the ceiling!" That is not spending time with Him!
Can you imagine if our children came to us, let us know all their requests, asked us to say okay, then left? Is that a relationship?
I am just a babe in this "listening" at the feet of Jesus! I love to talk!!!! I wrote out a progression:
1. Time
2. Trust
3. Love
4. Obedience
5. Fellowship--sweet blessed fellowship with Him! (dwell securely in His presence!)
6. Blessing! LIFE and freedom and JOY! (Psalm 16:11)
We spend time with Him, getting to know Him. Then we see He is worthy of our trust--His character is of the highest caliber! Then we can't help but love Him, which makes submission an act of love, not duty! Once we get to that place, we have sweet, unbroken fellowship with Him! We can dwell securely in His presence, and remember, His presence sets our hearts FREE! Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullnes of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Revelation 1:5 tells us the great investment Christ made in our lives: "And from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."
I have been meditating on Proverbs 3:5, and God brought to mind Pr. 23:26 as well. I saw a definite correlation between the two:
Pr. 3:5 "Trust in the Lord, with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."
Pr. 23:26 "My son (or daughter!), give Me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways." ("The eyes are what actually fill the heart." Ron Auch)
Trust in Him--you must give Him your heart to show your trust.
Don't lean on your own understanding--when you get your eyes off your ideas of how things should be, you are free to turn your eyes to HIM and see His ways! You must turn away your eyes from beholding worthless things--worthless baubles, ideas, lies, worldly "treasure". Psalm 119:37 "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way." There it is again--trust in Him--give Him your heart--turn away from vanity, and then---don't lean on your finite understanding. Observe His ways. THEN YOU WILL BE QUICKENED--MADE ALIVE IN HIS WAY!!!!!
Pr. 3:6 "In ALL thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Isn't that what we all want? For Him to direct our paths? To know we're on the right path? Remember Kay Arthur? ABIDE in Him and His Word. Start with worship and submission and saturating yourself in His Word. When you start there, you almost don't need to make a request!!!!
Psalm 16:7-11 "I will bless the Lord, Who hath given me counsel: my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope (dwell securely). For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart:
Give Him your heart
Turn from vanity--lies, worthless thoughts and things
Set Him always before you
Bless the Lord
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
Let your eyes observe His ways
Be made alive in Him
Keep Him at your right hand
He will give you counsel
He will show you the path of LIFE
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and HE shall direct thy paths.
Your heart will instruct you (from being focused on Him)
You will not be moved
Your heart is glad and will dwell securely in Him
You will have fulness of JOY in His presence, His pleasures
And your heart will be FREE!!!!
I'm not sure I can convey all these verses have ministered to my heart! The bottom line is:
Spend time at His feet. Get to know His heart. Trust Him with my heart. Love Him with ALL my heart! Fill my heart with His ways, His goodness. Obey Him out of heart of love. Dwell securely with Him.
Then I find LIFE, FREEDOM, JOY---
BLESSING!!!!!
Blessed be the Name of the Lord! He cares for me---much more than many sparrows!
When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings--name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings--ev'ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings--money cannot buy
Your reward in Heaven nor your home on high.
So amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged God is over all;
Count your many blessings angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.
Count your blessings name them one by one,
Count your blessings see what God has done!
Count your blessings--name them one by one
Count your many blessings see what God has done!
I sing through the shade and the sunshine,
I'll trust Him whatever befall;
I sing for I cannot be silent--
My Father planned it all.
In sorrow He's my comfort,
In trouble He's my stay,
He tells me every care on Him to roll:
He's the Lily of the Valley,
The Bright and Morning Star,
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
I've found a friend Who is all to me,
His love is ever true;
I love to tell how He lifted me,
And what His grace can do for you.
He saves me from every sin and harm,
Secures my soul each day;
I'm leaning strong on His mighty arm;
I know He'll guide me all the way.
When poor and needy and all alone,
In love He said to me,
"Come unto Me and I'll lead you Home,
To live with Me eternally."
Saved...... by His power divine,
Saved.....to new life sublime!
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,
For I'm saved, saved, SAVED!
Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.
No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.
God will take care of you,
Through every day, O'er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since 'tis my God that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me;
By His own hand he leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
I pray that something here will bless you, encourage you, or comfort you. It is just the overflow of what I am learning, as I try to rest in Him. I am still struggling--an open-handed "why", yet a surrender of my heart and life to the Master Potter's hands. I go back to Andrew Murray's words which I have quoted before:
"First, He brought me here, it is by His will I am in this strait place: in that fact I will rest.
Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.
Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and work in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last, in His good time He can bring me out again--how and when He knows.
Let me say I am here,
1) By God's appointment,
2) In His keeping,
3) Under His training,
4) For His time."
May your time at His feet be blessed--and if you're going through a trial, use this time to draw closer to Him. Hudson Taylor said it doesn't so much matter what the pressure is, but where it lies. See that it doesn't come between you and Him, but that it presses you ever closer to Him.
1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say, that His mercy endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that His mercy endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that His mercy (lovingkindness) endureth for ever.
5 I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear....
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise Thee: for Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
26 Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed You out of the house of the Lord.
Psalm 147:3 "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds (sorrows)."
These verses really ministered to me yesterday. It is so easy to give thanks to the Lord when things are going well and we feel blessed. It is a "sacrifice of praise", to give thanks when things are NOT going well or we don't necessarily feel His blessings.
And yet, if we keep our focus on Him, and all He has done, and what He went through to purchase our pardon AND to restore our fellowship with Him......
Then we can't help but praise Him. Yes, even in the midst of tears and sorrows, when our heart is breaking, yet we can still choose to rejoice (118:24).
This is what I had to do yesterday.
I had started having some problems earlier in the week, so was on bedrest. Thinking I had just overdone it a bit. When things seemed to get a bit worse instead of better, my midwife and I agreed that I needed to know what was going on, as decisions needed to be made on what we were going to do this weekend. (We have another family Thanksgiving today.)
We went to the hospital for an ultrasound, and found that the baby had died a few weeks ago. Instead of being a solid 12 weeks, the baby was only 9 1/2 weeks. And no heartbeat.
I am no stranger to losses--I have had a stillbirth and 12 miscarriages before this. But none of the miscarriage babies had lived this long. The doctor explained that I was going to have a bit more difficult time. I know that's his job, to inform me (and thank the Lord, he is a Christian man who is pro family!). I am praying for as easy a passage as possible, with no need for medical intervention.
As I had a few moments when the ultra sound technician went to find the doctor, I had a talk with the Lord. It was my "surrender" time. I had hoped that the Lord would do for me, like Job, and give me as many on Earth as He took to Heaven. So I reminded Him that this didn't even things out very well! (I really believe the Lord can handle my weird sense of humor! And I still have hope that we will have more, whether we "even up" down here or not!)
And I told Him that He has seen me through far worse--I had to walk the same halls I walked yesterday a little over 4 years ago when my husband had a terrible accident that by all accounts, should have taken his life. Losing our first son was hard, too, and up until that accident was the worst thing---but Dallas was with me then.
During his accident, I was alone. Except for God. I had lots of friends and family supporting me, but you know--the late night, when no one is around, it's just you and God. I was the one who had to make decisions--without the ability to ask my dear sweetie what he thought I should do. I had to learn to "listen" to my Heavenly Father. To let Him hold my hand, hold me when I cried in the night.
I know He will see me through the next days, weeks....months and even years, because I never forget the little "holes" in our family. But I will see them all in Heaven--I have HOPE! And I have the indwelling Holy Spirit and God's Word to comfort and strengthen me.
"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord." I would have claimed that for this precious baby, who was so wanted by us all. Yet the Lord speaks a different "interpretation" to my spirit:
"YOU will not die spiritually, wallowing in bitterness, but you will LIVE, and declare My works. You will put your trust in ME, even when you don't understand, for that is what true love and faith are---to trust the Beloved, that He only has your best in mind, no matter how it looks at the time. "
For my best and His glory. That is what life on Earth is about. NOT just about me. NOT about feeling comfy and getting everything going my way. If everything went wonderful for Christians, there wouldn't be an empty church in the world!
But will we follow Him when things are hard? Will we trust Him?
Psalm 119:34 "Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."
"The greatest understanding we can attain is knowing that we can trust God even though we cannot fully understand Him. This is why Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." We must realize there is a vast difference between our understanding and God's. When we consider the incomprehensible qualities of God, including His unfailing love, we begin to realize that God understands from a perspective we simply do not have, and will never have.
"Mrs. Albert Einstein was once asked to explain her husband's 'Theory of Relativity.' After pondering the question for a moment she stated, 'I cannot explain his theory at all, but I know Albert, and he can be trusted.' In a similar way, the parent-child relationship requires the same development of trust over time. There are times when a parent will ask a young child to simply obey them. The child may reply, 'I don't understand why I should obey.' The parent responds with , 'You don't need to understand, you just need to obey!' There are some things parents cannot explain to their children and children cannot understand because they lack the experience and maturity of the parent. However, if a child will simply trust and obey, it will work to his benefit. The songwriter had it right when he wrote, 'Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.'
"As you meditate on this verse, consider whether you trust God's understanding and simply obey, or whether you require Him to first explain according to your undestanding before you obey."
(taken from The Heart of the King by Ron Auch, bold emphasis mine)
The Lord has given me many comforting Scriptures, and I'd like to take the risk of this becoming a book in itself and share a few more with you. (I know some may say I'm in danger of prooftexting, but I'm not basing my doctrine on these, they are just what stood out to me as I was reading, and I believe the Word is living and active and He can use any portion to comfort our hearts, as long as we're not so twisting it to make it mean what we want so we can then do what we want. For me, for now, this is His Word to me, to comfort my heart.)
Isaiah 30:29, 30 "Ye shall have a song, as in the night.....and gladness of heart.....And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard..."
I truly believe that as we surrender to His sovereign will, and trust Him even when we don't understand, we will hear "His glorious voice" speaking to us through His Spirit and His Word.
Isaiah 51:3 "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."
At first our thanksgiving may be a choice more than a feeling. More of a duty than a delight. But as we continue to seek His heart, seek Him with our WHOLE heart, I believe He gives the joy, the gladness, and the voice of melody--He gives us a song! Even in a sad song, we can give Him the glory by saying, "Lord, I will trust You, no matter what, whether I understand or not! I will declare to all who will listen that 'Thou art good, and doest good' (Psalm 119:68). 'I will love You, O Lord, my Strength!' (Psalm 18:1)"
I hope this blesses and encourages you, whether you are going through a death in your family, death of a vision, or even something less traumatic--yet it's still major to you. Through your tears, may you look up and gather strength from your Rock, your Fortress, your Mighty Redeemer, and let Him carry you.
God can be trusted
Even when you don't understand.
Will you simply obey?
Remember His unfailing love. All is for your ultimate good and His glory.
Yes, even when our hearts are breaking--there's Glory on the other side!!!
May you be blessed by His love besetting you behind and before, His hand laid upon you, and underneath His everlasting arms upholding you.
It Is Well
(Horatio G. Spafford, 1828-1888)
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."
It is well (It is well)
With my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well
With my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well (It is well)
With my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well
With my soul.
My sin-- O the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin-- not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well (It is well)
With my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well
With my soul.
And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
Kelly at Generation Cedar is offering a Thanksgiving Special on her e-books and Scripture Songs cd! You can get $2 off any product (see my sidebar--I have most of them listed there! You can get a description by clicking on the link). Just type in the code THANKSGIVING to receive the discount! Getting Your Children to Obey is a nice, concise guide to child training. I feel it sums up the best of many "methods" ( I know that word is overused, but you know what I mean!)!
Finding Financial Freedom is her story, and if you've heard of Dave Ramsey, you'll recognize some of her "steps"! I feel she distills it nicely and shows you how a real family is doing it. Sometimes I read these wonderful books, but I need a little more help getting it where "the rubber meets the road"! Kelly's book does a good job of that! (Actually, ALL of her books do!)
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I'm doing a little different take on Jacque's Saturday Psalm and Praise! I had a busy weekend, and Saturday I was trying to sort through all those partially started and such projects, then Dallas and I had a nice long afternoon/evening together! We went to Ft. Wayne and did some "shopping"--for free!!! We had a gift card for Sears and got some things there, then went to Texas Roadhouse (actually, he would say we came for Texas Roadhouse, and just happened to do some shopping! ) YUM!
Soooo...I didn't get my Saturday Psalm and Praise done. But what I want to share will fit quite nicely with Thanksgiving (including the "song", as you will see!).
I have been reading a wonderful book entitled The Heart of the King by Ron Auch. (Be sure to peek inside!!) It is a verse by verse "devotional" of sorts on Psalm 119. It is just a beautiful jewel of a book!
From the back flap, this might give you a glimpse of his heart for this book:
"Pray-Tell Ministries' sole pupose is to challenge the Church back to prayer. However, odd as it may seem, prayer is not the ultimate goal of this ministry. Ron's desire is to get people to want God. The lack of prayer comes from the lack of desire for God. You cannot have great desires for God and remain prayerless."
From his commentary on verse 2, "Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart." :
"Whether self is an idol or not is determined by our prayer life. If we spend relatively small amounts of time in prayer, it's because we are not God-centered, we are self-centered. We cannot just have prayer in our life. All Christians have some type of prayer in their lives. We must have a prayer life, which, when defined, means someone whose very life comes from their time of prayer. That life is centered around prayer."
Yes, I was very convicted by those words!!! And a few days before I read and meditated on those words, our pastor had challenged us on.....you guessed it! Our prayer lives! Many Godly men and women have said that they "have so much to do, I must spend 2 hours in prayer daily". Ah. Where are my priorities?!
From commentary on verse 15, "I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways.":
"No wonder God said David was a man after His own heart. David was absorbed with his God. He would meditate and consider the precepts of God."
"Without the daily practice of being in the presence of God and meditating on His Word to us, we tend to lose the reality of who God is. We don't lose our theological definition of God, we simply lose a real living sense of who He is. There is a great difference between the God we know in our head and the God we know in our heart. The head is full of rationale while the heart is full of emotion. The head takes a very legal look at God and bases its obedience on that. The heart takes a very loving look at God and bases obedience on that. The head cannot change the heart but the heart can change the head.
"It's the heart that is changed through prayer and meditation. When we give ourself over to time in the presence of God, we are making ourself a living sacrifice. Through that, our heart begins to conform to the character of God. As the heart changes, the head follows suit. Eventually we are transformed by the renewing of the mind. Ultimately we take on the mind of Christ because we have taken Christ into the heart.
"When we know God in the heart we tend to be more obedient to Him."
Many times I've met Christians who have more of a "head knowledge" of Christ than a "heart knowledge". They are sincere, but I feel they are missing the most important part of our salvation in Christ--our relationship with Him!
On another verse, he shares this gem that really spoke to my heart:
"When we follow God in His decisions we walk with Him. God rarely asks us to go do something for Him. He primarily asks us to go with Him. The work of God is not something we do on our own. It is something we do with God." (emphasis mine)
Isn't that profound?! How many times have I found myself trying harder, to do something for Him (whether some good deed or trying to pray more or be more righteous...) when what He is asking is that I walk with Him?! As I walk with Him, He is my strength, my guidance, and He will not allow me to go off on my tangents--nor will I want to!--because I am walking side by side with my Heavenly Bridegroom and Lover of my soul! But when I get farther away, dropping my "Daddy's hand" as it were, looking down those seemingly lovely "bunny trails".....well, my eyes are no longer on Him, my heart's desire is no longer wholly for Him, and now I'm not walking with Him.
For Thankgiving, the MOST important blessing is our relationship with Him! I leave you with this final commentary on verse 12, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord: teach me Thy statutes.":
"In essence the Psalmist is saying, 'Through praise I learn Your decrees (statutes or decisions) because I am bringing myself under You.' Bringing ourself 'under' is what submission means. It means we are giving our will to God. We can now pray with Jesus, 'Not my will but Thine.'
"Through submission, we gain a teachable spirit. Praise makes us teachable because of the submissive spirit we must be in, in order to worship God. The true worshipers not only worship in spirit but also in truth. We come into truth through being teachable. God does not force feed us. He waits for our spirit to open to Him so that He can gently teach us of Himself. Matthew 15:8-9 syas, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain.' They worshiped God, but it was futile because their hearts were not pliable.
"'The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him' (Ps. 25:14;KJV). The secret of the Lord Himself cannot be learned through study, but through submission. There is no way our limited minds can understand the Lord. A person's spirit must commune with His Spirit. This is done through true worship of God. As we worship Him and lay our lives in His hands, we begin to understand things about God that cannot be understood any other way. We learn more about God through submission than we do through self-exaltation. Pride is a lifting up of ourselves. Submission is a lifting up of God. When we bring ourselves down and worship from a position of lowliness He is exalted." (emphasis mine)
I pray that will minister to your spirit as greatly as it did/does mine! This book is well worth the price! He suggests taking an hour to go through a section of Psalm 119 (8 verses), and pray and meditate on the verses. I find that is too big of a "bite"! I usually take 1-2 verses at a time, and maybe get through 4 in a day. I did get in 8 today because I spent some extra time I don't usually have during the weekdays.
I leave you with the beautiful piano duet my daughters have been practicing:
1 "The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice, let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2 "Clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne.
3 "A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about.
4 "His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
5 "The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 "The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory.
7 "Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship Him, all ye gods.
8 "Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of Thy judgements, O Lord.
9 "For Thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: Thou art exalted far above all gods.
10 "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
11 "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
12 "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness."
Confusion follows us when we choose to trust in our "idols", be it our own strength, man, methods.....but as we love Him, we fear Him (reverential awe and a fear of doing anything to harm our relationship to Him), He preserves our soul. He delivers us out of the hand of the wicked.
That doesn't necessarily mean we won't suffer---but the wicked can't touch our soul, because God is preserving it. It's easy to fear what will happen in the future, but we aren't given the grace ahead of time. As Corrie ten Boom's wonderful analogy shows--He gives us the "ticket" when it's time to get on the "train".
Four years ago my husband was in a terrible accident that by many estimations, should have taken his life. If I had worried about that happening ahead of time, God would not give me the grace to face it. I can attest that through the worst of times (well, for me so far), God has faithfully given the grace as I needed it.
When we went through miscarriages and infertility.
When we lost Noah Ross 18 years ago.
When Anna-Pie had an auto-immune disorder that looked to become chronic 10 years ago.
When Bekah fell from the barn loft 4 1/2 years ago.
When Dallas was in his accident 4 years ago.
When my dad died a year ago.
If we sit around worrying about it all, we waste energy and time, and really, we say God is a liar. I've not counted for myself, but I've heard the Bible says 365 times to "fear NOT". So truly to fear is a direct disobedience to a clear command of my heavenly Father and my God!!!
It is tempting to fear. America has squandered her heritage and the grace of God for so long. I have no doubt we are under judgment. And I'm not referring to the recent election, necessarily. That is only a reflection of our hearts as the people, just as the kings of Israel were a reflection of her people. It has to start in our hearts as God's people--it has to start in mine.
So I examine my own heart--am I trusting in "idols"? They can be so sneaky. My fear itself becomes an idol. It has been said we worship what we fear. Therefore, if I fear troubled times, the future, the economy, my leaders, accidents, weather, whatever--I have just set up an idol. God says to set no idol before my eyes--He alone is to get my worship, according to the first commandment!!!
That is why we are to fear nothing but God Himself--and again, that fear is not a cowering, "hope He doesn't spank me" fear. It is a "I don't want to disappoint my Daddy" fear--yet with a reverential awe that my Father is the King and Creator of the universe.
In place of a hymn, I would like to post a few selections from Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" that really speak to me at this time.
"I will pour water upon him that is thirsty."-Isaiah 44:3
When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and doleful fears. Such is not the way to rise from the dust, but to continue in it. As well chain the eagle's wing to make it mount, as doubt in order to increase our grace. It is not the law, but the gospel which saves the seeking soul at first; and it is not a legal bondage, but gospel liberty which can restore the fainting believer afterwards. Slavish fear brings not back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of love allure him to Jesus' bosom. Are you this morning thirsting for the living God, and unhappy because you cannot find him to the delight of your heart? Have you lost the joy of religion, and is this your prayer, "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation"? Are you conscious also that you are barren, like the dry ground; that you are not bringing forth the fruit unto God which He has a right to expect of you; that you are not so useful in the Church, or in the world, as your heart desires to be? Then here is exactly the promise which you need, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." You shall receive the grace you so much require, and you shall have it to the utmost reach of your needs. Water refreshes the thirsty: you shall be refreshed; your desires shall be gratified. Water quickens sleeping vegetable life: your life shall be quickened by fresh grace. Water swells the buds and makes the fruits ripen; you shall have fructifying grace: you shall be made fruitful in the ways of God. Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace you shall receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: and as sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers, and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be-the thirsty land shall be springs of water.
From November 7:
Morning
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands."-Isaiah 49:16
No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word "Behold," is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me." How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; He cries, "How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?" O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of His people. He keeps His promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt Him. He never faileth; He is never a dry well; He is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. "Behold," is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of His hands. "I have graven thee."It does not say, "Thy name." The name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when He has graven thee upon His own palms?
Evening
"And ye shall be witnesses unto Me."-Acts 1:8
In order to learn how to discharge your duty as a witness for Christ, look at His example. He is always witnessing: by the well of Samaria, or in the Temple of Jerusalem: by the lake of Gennesaret, or on the mountain's brow. He is witnessing night and day; His mighty prayers are as vocal to God as His daily services. He witnesses under all circumstances; Scribes and Pharisees cannot shut His mouth; even before Pilate He witnesses a good confession. He witnesses so clearly, and distinctly that there is no mistake in Him. Christian, make your life a clear testimony. Be you as the brook wherein you may see every stone at the bottom-not as the muddy creek, of which you only see the surface-but clear and transparent, so that your heart's love to God and man may be visible to all. You need not say, "I am true:" be true. Boast not of integrity, but be upright. So shall your testimony be such that men cannot help seeing it. Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness. Your lips have been warmed with a coal from off the altar; let them speak as like heaven-touched lips should do. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand." Watch not the clouds, consult not the wind-in season and out of season witness for the Saviour, and if it shall come to pass that for Christ's sake and the gospel's you shall endure suffering in any shape, shrink not, but rejoice in the honour thus conferred upon you, that you are counted worthy to suffer with your Lord; and joy also in this-that your sufferings, your losses, and persecutions shall make you a platform, from which the more vigorously and with greater power you shall witness for Christ Jesus. Study your great Exemplar, and be filled with His Spirit. Remember that you need much teaching, much upholding, much grace, and much humility, if your witnessing is to be to your Master's glory.
I fear too many of us are muddy creeks instead of clear brooks! Oh, Lord! Make me a clear stream that I may be a true witness of You, Your power, Your love, Your sovereignty!
If we as His children do not show forth trust in His plans and His care, how can we give any hope to a world without Him?
One more, this one from Faith's Checkbook, for November 6, also by Spurgeon:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delight and Desires
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalm37:4)
Delight in God has a transforming power and lifts a man above the gross desire of our fallen nature. Delight in Jehovah is not only sweet in itself, but it sweetens the whole soul, till the longings of the heart become such that the Lord can safely promise to fulfill them. Is not that a grand delight which molds our desires till they are like the desires of God?
Our foolish way is to desire and then set to work to compass what we desire. We do not go to work in God's way, which is to seek Him first and then expect all things to be added unto us. If we will let our heart be filled with God till it runs over with delight, then the Lord Himself will take care that we shall not want any good thing. Instead of going abroad for joys let us stay at home with God and drink waters out of our own fountain. He can do for us far more than all our friends. It is better to be content with God alone than to go about fretting and pining for the paltry trifles of time and sense. For a while we may have disappointments; but if these bring us nearer to the Lord, they are things to be prized exceedingly, for they will in the end secure to us the fulfillment of all our right desires.
These might not all tie together, but for me God has used them to speak to my heart and quiet it.
And to close, I'd like to quote part of an e-mail from the Solis family, owners of Lifetime Books and Gifts:
"Although the end of the election process should have marked an end to our hectic days, there is still much uncertainty about our future as a nation. Many things are at stake, including the economy. As God taught us once again to trust in Him, not in the government, and not on the economy, we were edified by going to His word and being reminded that OUR CERTAINTY IS IN HIM!
His word answered all our questions...
When we said, "Lord, we are afraid," he responded,
"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strenght you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"Father, what about my many concerns?" He assured us,
"The Lord will perfect that which concerns [you]; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever" Psalm 138:8
"Lord, what shall we do, where shall we go?"
"I will instruct and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye...Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" Psalm 32:7, 10-11
He confirms in His word, HE IS SOVEREIGN IN CREATION AND IN HISTORY!
"Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" Psalm 33:8-12
"Lord, I have no power..." yet He says, "Not by might nor by power, BUT BY MY SPIRIT" Zechariah 4:6
How wonderful to know He supplies us with His good Word to answer all our questions, take away all our fears, and uplift us with "wings like eagles."
I can truly say "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4
We encourage you to seek the Lord in prayer and to ask for boldness to preach His Word among the nations. This nation's revival- the new "Great Awakening" is coming and we will all be part of it as He continues with His sovereign plan until eternity."
May this encourage your heart today---remember David in I Samuel 30. What did he do when they returned to Ziklag to find the city burned and their wives and children taken captive by the Amalekites. His men spoke of stoning him! Did he lash out? Did he fear? Did he blame God?
No.
Verse 6b, "but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God..."
And then he sought God's will on the next step!
Encourage yourself in the Lord your God! And then seek Him as to what you are to do next!
Well, life certainly took over this week! I'm sorry for those of you who were hoping for a frugal meal yesterday! Hopefully I can get back on track this week.
A year ago today I sang my dad into Glory. It is bittersweet--I miss him, wish he could have enjoyed more years on earth with us, yet, the way he was, with his neurodegenerative disease stealing his strength and ability to enjoy life, he is now whole and enjoying the presence of God!
In honor of my dad on this anniversary of his Homegoing, I want to share his favorite Psalm and hymn. Both speak to my heart even now, in these troubling times. God is still in control, and He is our refuge and our reason to sing!
Psalm 91
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.
3 Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I wil deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him My salvation.
In all the turmoil of the world, I am so amazed how God is keeping my heart in Him. It's not that I have no fears, but I have a deep, abiding peace that He is ultimately in control, and He will take care of us. That doesn't mean I won't suffer or that I will go on blissfully as if nothing is happening, but I need not fret about what to do, how to prepare, what if....... HE is my ALL!
And my quiet times have been confirming this!
For today, some thoughts from three different Psalms:
Psalm 31:1-3
"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my turst; let me never be ashamed : deliver me in Thy righteousness. Bow down Thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be Thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for Thy name's sake lead me, and guide me."
The whole Psalm is good!
Psalm 41:1-2, 11-13
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the wil of his enemies."
"By this I know that Thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. And as for me, Thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before Thy face for ever. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen."
Psalm 71:1-8, 14, 16, 23-24
"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in Thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline Thine ear unto me, and save me. Be Thou my strong habitation whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me, for Thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth. By Thee have I been holden up from the womb: Thou art He that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of Thee. I am as a wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with Thy honour all the day."
"But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more."
"I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Thy righteousnes, even of Thine only."
"My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I sing unto Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are broguht unto shame that seek my hurt."
Nothing that happens, either to us individually or as a nation, has taken God by surprise. He Who knows the beginning to the end has it all under His control. He often used ungodly nations to chastise His chosen Israel, and many times used the gods His people chose to trust in instead of Him to teach them that He is the ONLY true God, the only One Who has power to do anything.
As much as I am angry at the self-serving people who got our country into this mess, I can't really lay all the blame at their door. And if we think choosing the "right" person for office (be it president, governor, congress, whatever) will change everything, we're wrong. We have a responsibility to vote, but that isn't what's going to ultimately change this country.
It will only be as we are willing, as Christians who say we follow Christ, to truly follow our Savior and live giving Him control of our every moment, our every breath. He has it anyway, but as we acknowledge He is Lord in everything, the world sees a powerful God that makes a difference in people's lives, vs. a nice, comfortable god we pull out to reassure us or ask a little blessing on our endeavors that we have no intention of submitting to the true God's will. Even our good works can be iniquity (Mt. 25:41-45), if they are not truly done for Him.
I have been soul-searching here lately. I certainly am not perfect, and I want Him to show me the ways where I actually am a "false witness" to His Name, His character. It is my desire to live in a way that points in every way to Him and Him alone.
In the little booklet I've been reading, In the Footprints of the Lamb by George Steinberger (available from Mount Zion Bible Institute), there are a few statements that stood out this morning:
"What is humility? Humility is not a virtue, but rather the soil in which all other virtues thrive. No virtue which has not grown in this soil has any value."
"Humility is the power which can tolerate the shortcomings of others."
Oh, may we seek this loveliness first and foremost! There is a far greater crisis in the world today than the stock market collapsing and another Great Depression. How much worse is the famine of God's Word being believed for what it is, not altered to suit our wants! How great the crisis of a collapse of holiness that comes from this humility! And much worse is the Great Void of those who would truly follow in the footprints of the Lamb of God!
Whatever happens in the days and weeks and months to come, I pray that we all will be more serious about seeking Him and hearing Him and obeying Him---letting go of our preconceived ideas and follow Him wherever and however He leads.
I have no doubt that He will take care of His own, though it may be through ravens in the wilderness!
But are we willing to stand for God against the modern day "prophets of Baal"?
We can only do it in His strength and at His bidding---and it starts in the home, where we must put Him first and all must flow through Him. All my plans, my homeschooling, my computer time, my time discipling, being with my children, my homemaking....all to the glory of Him. All done seeking His will first, trusting His plans.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."
Whom will I trust? What will I fear? I am to fear nothing but God Himself. Will I reserve anything for myself? Or will I give it ALL to Him--the only One Who is able to keep me? Will I acknowledge Him in some ways, but in others "lean unto my own understanding"? I cannot expect Him to direct my paths until I first surrender ALL.
"It is only the fully surrendered heart that can fully trust God for all that He has promised."
Andrew Murray
If I am doubtful, fretful, fearful--it is because I have not fully surrendered an area of my life to Him.
This is my desire, to be fully surrendered in every area of my life. Then I have that deep, quiet peace that doesn't care about the storms above.....it is too far below to feel it, and is undisturbable as long as I abide in Him.
Remember this quote by Dr. A. T. Pierson:
"The peace of God is that eternal calm which, like the cushion of the sea, lies far too deep down to be reached by any external trouble or disturbance; and he who enters into the presence of God, becomes partaker of that undisturbed and undisturbable calm."
Lately I have felt like we are pressed upon on every side. All the turmoil in our nation and in our world.....financial crises, politics, "wars and rumors of wars".....with those who want to control our food, our supplements, our seeds, our healthcare , our children's education (or even if we can raise our children!)--basically socializing everything from birth to death--it's easy to be enraged, afraid, and sometimes frustrated and helpless.
I often tell my children that times might seem rough, or even scarey, but we know WHO is in control! And we can trust Him!
So today, Psalm 27 really spoke to me, and I'd like to share it with you, dear friend. The little heading in my Bible for this psalm actually says, "Trust in the Lord and be not afraid" Quite relevent!
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.
5For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. (THE ROCK, Jesus!)
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
9 Hide not Thy face far from me; put not Thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Yes, take courage, dear heart! Wait on HIM and Him ALONE. Let Him be your "all in all" that will keep you though the "storms of life" and "doubt and fear assail". He has proven His faithfulness to deliver His loved ones either from the trial or through it. Either way, we need not fear, for His "rod and staff, they comfort me".
Finally, a promise from Hebrews 13:5:
"Let your conversation (behavior) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
A friend once pointed out that the last part of that verse means the same read forwards and backwards:
In light of the crazy week we've had, the song by Wendy and Mary "Only in God" (Psalm 62) has really ministered to me. Today I felt through all my readings the theme was rest and abide. Truly only from Him is my salvation, my stronghold, my Savior--I will not be afraid at all--I will not be moved. It's been tough, especially when there was nothing this mama could do to relieve her suffering children, but pray. Pray and cry out to God!
(click above to see how to participate! Click here to read Jacque's post for today.)
Psalm 62
1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
He has seen us through. He has proven faithful, once again. I have felt very much being under the shadow of His wings.
Because the Prince of Peace resides in my heart, I can choose to trust Him, the Ruler of all storms. I don't always!
Psalm 132:13-14 "For the Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation. This is My rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. "
This speaks to me, of my heart. My heart can't be at rest if it's bitter, or fretting, or fearing. When my heart is at rest in Him, it becomes a beautiful dwelling place for my Master, my Heavenly Bridegoom and Lover of my soul!
He seeks a place of rest in my heart--and yours. Our part is to trust, rest in His love, abide. And when He comes on in, because now the "door" is thrown wide open, He brings immeasurable "peace that passes understanding".
"Return unto thy rest, oh my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." Psalm 116:7
A glimpse into daily life that isn't so mundane in a relaxed homeschooling family of 11 (plus the dog, the goats, the rabbits, the chickens, the cats...)
I've lost 7 sizes
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