Tag: God

A Prayer for Healing and Wholeness This Easter Season. Psalm 107:19-20

Psalm 107:17-22 New American Standard Bible 1995

17 Fools, because of [a]their rebellious way,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their [b]destructions.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [c]wonders to the sons of men!
22 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And tell of His works with joyful singing.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Have you ever asked yourself if can you or you will ever be healed or whole?

Life has a way of breaking you down.

Piece by piece, no peace by absent peace, sin has an insidious way of destroying you from the inside out.

When we take the time, and we dare ourselves to look at our world and the mess it is in, and even our own personal lives, this side of eternity can feel hopeless.

Corrie Ten Boom, a holocaust survivor who lost her father and sister in a concentration camp, said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.”

As I looked up verses on healing and wholeness, I came across this verse in Psalm 107:20. “He sent his word and healed them.”

When I saw “He sent his word,” I was reminded of John 1:14, which says,

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is the Word that John is referring to here. Sometimes, the Lord doesn’t change our situation because He wants to change us. He wants us to depend on Him and to rely on the truth about His character and His promises in His Word.

In Exodus 15:26, the Lord refers to Himself as the Lord who heals you.

No one is beyond healing.

But we also must acknowledge that this is not heaven.

We live in a fallen world, and on this side of eternity, we will never be fully whole, but in Christ, we are enough because He is enough.

He is sufficient.

Yet, He can still heal, restore, and make whole, but it has to be His will, in His way and in His timing. 

One thing we can cling to is truth!

John 8:32, it says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

So if you’re struggling because you’re believing sins lies, if you know the truth, the truth will set You free. God’s Word also transforms us (Romans 12:2).

Appreciating the Word of God Sent From Psalm 107

Psalm 107 New American Standard Bible 1995

BOOK 5

The Lord Delivers Men from Manifold Troubles.

107 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3 And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.

Four dramatic stories of reversal and rescue make up the heart of this psalm.

These are hard, perilous circumstances: lost in the desert, locked up in prison, afflicted and near death, and perishing at sea.

In all of the situations in the Psalm, God unhesitatingly, directly and decisively, acts in powerful, life-giving, life transforming ways to rescue and restore.

If we think or believe that our lives are beyond help or rescue, we are wrong.

God guides us into the desert, to springs of water, out of the desert, breaks our chains, opens prison doors, speaks words of healing, and calms the stormy sea.

We may go down, even stay down for awhile, but God will always bring us back.

Whatever it takes, however long it takes, by all means necessary, God can do it.

Many readers and students note that the stories in this psalm remind them of Jesus’ ministry.

1 John 1:1-4 New American Standard Bible 1995

Introduction, The Incarnate Word

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

John 3:16-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [a]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Jesus comes to connect, to relate, refresh, to rescue, deliver, free, and restore.

He feeds the hungry and provides living water, releases people from chains of disability and illness, rescues people from the grave, and calms the stormy sea.

The gospel Jesus indelibly proclaims is the good news of God’s steadfast love.

In all that Christ does, we see all of God’s love in ceaseless, continuous action.

We may not have stories like these to tell, but all have the story of Ephesians 2: we were dead in our sins, following the ways of this world, deserving of wrath.

But even though we were unable to utter a simple cry for help, God—out of his steadfast love and mercy—He rescued us all through the work of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 17:14 New American Standard Bible 1995

14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my praise.

Do we acknowledge this?

Do we believe this?

Do we believe we can be healed and made whole?

Do you believe that you can be healed and made whole?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 30 New American Standard Bible 1995

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.

A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.

30 I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God,
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
3 O Lord, You have brought up my soul from [a]Sheol;
You have kept me alive, [b]that I would not go down to the pit.
4 Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy [c]name.
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

6 Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will never be moved.”
7 O Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
8 To You, O Lord, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?

10 “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me;
O Lord, be my helper.”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
12 That my [d]soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“Thy Will Be Done! O’ Lord, Amen!” What are we Missing? Matthew 6:10

Matthew 6:9-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day [a]our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [b]evil. [c][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Can You Miss God’s Will?

Matthew 6:10 New American Standard Bible 1995

10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

The fear of missing God’s will is enough to paralyze any Christian.

But here’s the question: can a Christian miss the will of God for their life?

Could you somehow go your entire life being outside of God’s good plan for you?

It seems that the Bible teaches that, yes, you can miss God’s will.

It also teaches that no, you can’t miss God’s will.

We Can Miss God’s Will If …

The way to miss God’s will is really simple: ignore the Bible.

In the Bible God has told us exactly what we should do when it comes to making decisions.

First, we should determine if our decision goes against anything clearly spelled out in the Bible.

The Bible is clear that fellowship with other believers is necessary for our Christian growth.

If taking a job will cut you off from fellowship with others, it’s not God’s will for you to take the job.

Second, we should ask God to give us wisdom. 

James 1:5–6 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…”

Getting wisdom from God isn’t a mystical, super-spiritual experience.

It means asking God to help us think clearly and biblically about the decision in front of us.

When we ask for wisdom we should believe God is going to give it to us.

God isn’t trying to hide his good will from us.

He wants to help us understand the right way to walk.

Third, we should ask the opinion of others. 

Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

This is so gloriously simple.

Finding God’s will for your life is as simple as asking others to pray for you on the matter and then asking the opinion of those other, godly Christians.

Lay the situation out before them, and then let God speak to you through their counsel.

You Can’t Miss God’s Will If…

If we heed the counsel of scripture, we won’t miss God’s will.

So here are 3 signs you are following God’s will for your life, and for each point we will also see the signs that will be present when we are about to miss God’s will for our lives.

1. When You Are Obeying God’s Commands and Seeking to Glorify Him, You Are Following God’s Will for Your Life / When You Are Not Obeying God’s Commands and Choosing Not to Glorify Him, You Are Missing God’s Will for Your Life

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

Sanctification and Love

4 Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to [a]walk and please God (just as you actually do [b]walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you [c]by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from [d]sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to [e]possess his own [f]vessel in sanctification and honor , 5 not in [g]lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but [h]in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

According to these verses, if you want to follow God’s will for your life, it will all start with obeying God’s commands.

Notice the emphasis Paul puts on us to do what we “ought” and “walk and to please the Lord.”

We are to follow the “instructions” of the apostles which Jesus gave them (which is the word of God).

God’s will is that we be sanctified. God has called us to live holy lives.

Therefore, it is reasonably safe to say that when we are obeying God’s word we are following God’s will.

2. When You Are Choosing to Sacrificially Love Someone, You Are Following God’s Will for Your Life / When You Are Running from Sacrificial Love, This Is a Sign You Are Missing God’s Will for Your Life

God always leads us to love.

How we express this love will look differently depending on each situation.

Sometimes God will lead you to commit to someone more so you can love them in a greater way.

Sometimes God will lead you to let someone go because that is what is best for the both of you.

The key to real love is to put that other person above any selfish desires of your own. 

Notice what Jesus said in John 15:12-17. It states:

John 15:12-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

Notice that Jesus actually “appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.”

What is that fruit that he has called us to produce?

That we love one another as he has loved us.

You will recognize what path is God’s will for your life by choosing the path of sacrificial love.

3. When You Are Being Joyful in the Lord Regardless of What Doors God Is Sovereignly Opening and Closing in Your Life, This Is a Sign You Are Following God’s Will / If You Are Resenting God Because You Do Not Like What God Is Doing in Your Life, This Is a Sign You Are Missing God’s Will

When it comes to following the will of God for your life, often what is more important than “what” you choose to do is “how” you choose to do it.

In other words, the details and events that occur in our lives are often outside of our control and fall under the “sovereign will of God.”

But how we go through these events and experiences that God brings into our lives will truly be determined by the choices we make and don’t make when we choose to follow God’s Spirit or not.

You will know you are following God’s will for your life by your attitude towards the things that are out of your control. 

As 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

So whether you choose to relate that person, place or thing or not, whether you are single or get married, whether you stay at that job or go work somewhere else – the single most important variable in the equation of following God’s will for your life is whether or not you are choosing to humble yourself, surrender your will, to glorify and honor the Lord by remaining joyful in him at all times.

God will open and close certain doors in our lives and this is out of our control.

But God desires that no matter what happens, we go through it all with him in a spirit of prayerful submission and joy.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray …

Matthew 6:5-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day [b]our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [c]evil. [d][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

By the model of prayer that Jesus gives us here, what this prayer teaches us is God isn’t trying to hide his will, or trying to trick us into making a bad decision.

Go away to your “prayer closet,” your “private place” your “war room” where God alone knows exactly what is going on, God alone knows what needs to be.

Pick up your Bible, and in no uncertain terms, fully engage the Word of God!

If we evaluate our decision by scripture, ask for wisdom, and then ask the opinion of others, we are doing what the will of God requires of us, for us.

He promises to guide us through that process.

Often, our prayers can be focused on the chaos of the “street level” of our lives.

We are concerned about health, finances, relationships, and decisions.

Jesus does not deny the chaotic troubles of this world, but by this Lord’s prayer, he invites us all to see the world also from God’s perspective as he teaches us to pray that God’s kingdom will come, and that God’s will may be accomplished.

We don’t need to seek a subjective, mystical, spiritual feeling when it comes to decision making.

Don’t get me wrong; sometimes God gives us peace about a decision, and that’s an authentic blessing when God knows we truly need it above all other things.

But that’s not always the case.

Sometimes we might not feel one way or another about a decision.

In general, feelings are a very bad barometer of the truth.

A feeling of peace can come from God, but it can also come from a lot of other things, like a glass of wine or a good nap.

Plus, what exactly constitutes the “right” feeling when it comes to a decision?

Is it peace? Or maybe joy? Or a sense of rightness?

The Bible doesn’t tell us what we’re supposed to feel about our decisions.

Instead, it tells us how to make biblical, God-honoring decisions.

So, if you have a big decision to make, don’t freak out.

2 Timothy 2:14-15 New American Standard Bible 1995

An Unashamed Workman

14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

James 1:19-24 New American Standard Bible 1995

19 [a]This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear,  slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all [b]that remains of wickedness, in [c]humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [d]natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [e]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

Instead, go to the Word, study it and ask for wisdom, and get others involved.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 20 English Standard Version

Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

4 May he grant you your heart’s desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
    and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
    he will answer him from his holy heaven
    with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

9 O Lord, save the king!
    May he answer us when we call.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Being Prosperous: The Business of Easily Shipwrecking Your Own Faith. 1 Timothy 1:18-20

1 Timothy 1:18-20 New Living Translation

Timothy’s Responsibility

18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. 19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

To experience an actual shipwreck would be one of the scariest experiences a person could go through.

When we hear of diverse ships being stranded at sea, starting to sink, or having mechanical issues, we hold our breaths deeply until people are safely rescued.

Psalm 107:23-32 New Living Translation

23 Some went off to sea in ships,
    plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
    his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose,
    stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
    and plunged again to the depths;
    the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards
    and were at their wits’ end.
28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
    and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness
    as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
    and before the leaders of the nation.

The apostle Paul knew very well the first hand experience of being shipwrecked probably better than anyone.

“Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea…” (2 Corinthians 11:25 NIV)

Three times he was shipwrecked!

And yet, he survived to tell the story.

While most of us can only imagine such an ordeal, I’m afraid others of us may end up going through something just as terrible—the shipwreck of faith.

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.  – (Hebrews 6:4-6 NKJV)

Drifting away from our relationship with Jesus is a very serious situation that requires serious action.

We are in constant danger of reaching a place, in the open sea of life, where we will completely abandon our faith and outright reject the Lord.

There is an interesting line, in 1 Timothy 1:20, that mentions a couple of men by the names of Hymenaeus and Alexander—men to whom Paul “handed over to Satan.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I never want to be “handed over” to Satan!

The context of the passage is that Paul recognized two grave things that these men had allowed to happen—two things that basically shipwrecked their faith.

When Paul warned Timothy to “fight the good fight with faith and a good conscience,” he was outlining two necessary things for the Christian walk.

Unfortunately, Hymenaeus and Alexander had rejected these and been expelled from Paul’s leadership in order that they would learn a hard lesson.

Following the example of these men, here are 2 ways to shipwreck your faith:

1. Reject

In a world where everyone is encouraged to embrace “whatever feels right,” there is an extreme danger of being mislead toward ideas that are contrary to the Scriptures.

These ideas plague our culture, our homes, and even our churches.

Eventually, they may lead a person to outright reject faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Luke 10:16 NKJV)

Belief and the acceptance of Jesus as the only true God is foundational to the Christian faith.

Any other ideas that try to distort this truth are ideas that can lead to shipwreck.

It is crucial to our faith we trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross and not try to add or take away from it.

2. Ignore

When our conscience becomes hardened to the point that we no longer hear or heed the voice of the Holy Spirit, our faith becomes like a splintered ship, tossed against the rocky shore, useless and abandoned.

The Holy Spirit’s role is “God in us.”

When we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, His Spirit comes to reside.

John 14:23-26 New Living Translation

23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

He guards, guides, and directs us in the way we should go.

Without His navigation, our faith will surely be shipwrecked. It is of utmost importance that we remain in step with Him and listen to His still, small voice.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25 NKJV)

Paul’s charge to his protégé Timothy was to remain strong in the battle, steady on the open seas, and faithful in the Lord.

He knew that temptations would come—temptations to reject and ignore the only God and Savior, thereby risking the shipwreck of his faith.

For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. (1Timothy 4:10 NKJV)

Is your faith strong?

Is your faith battling a raging category 5 storm all around you? (Mark 4:35-41)

Is your faith taking, hit an iceberg on the water and is sinking like the Titanic?

Is your faith already sunk to the very deepest depths of the very deepest oceans?

Psalm 38:8 New American Standard Bible 1995

8 I am benumbed and [a]badly crushed;
I [b]groan because of the [c]agitation of my heart.

Psalm 143:3 New American Standard Bible 1995

3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.

Do you believe you place 100% of your trust in your God?

Consider well all the scars you privately carry where only God can find them.

What triggers those scars to come to the forefront of your heart and soul?

How fast are you triggered?

How fast do you lose focus?

Now, about how you uncharacteristically act out in response to those moments?

Then why does your faith teeter on the very brink of being shipwrecked by any crisis as Job’s wife did when she commanded of her husband to “curse God?”

Job 2:9 New American Standard Bible 1995

9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”

I have seen so many, too many, Christians that let the worlds circumstances continually beat them down, pound their souls, destroy their faith in the Lord. (Listen to the deep depths of emotion of the captives coming from Psalm 137)

Even in such times, the bible tells us that God is there through it ALL! not some.

Psalm 34:18 New American Standard Bible 1995

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are [a]crushed in spirit.

Authentically, Realistically, consider how fragile your faith in God actually is!

Job 1:4-5 New American Standard Bible 1995

4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Today’s prayer is that we would continually assess the fragility of our faith, always trust in the Lord no matter what the circumstance is………Be Blessed!

Proverbs 3:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your [a]body
And refreshment to your bones.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart!

Lean not on your own understanding!

In all your ways acknowledge Him!

Do not be wise in your own eyes!

(Reverently) Fear the Lord and turn away from evil!

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17.

He will make your paths straight!

It will be healing to your bodies!

It will be healing to your souls!

It will be refreshment to your bones!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Responding to Hard Circumstances: A God-Centered vs. A Man-Centered Perspective. Matthew 16:21-23

Matthew 16:21-23 New International Version

Jesus Predicts His Death

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Hard circumstances surround us about as much as air.

From a flat tire on a rainy day, to opposition from friends, to family scuffles, to grave illness, and more, we will not remain insulated from difficulty.

And our responding to the inevitable can make all the difference.

On one end, we can, by God’s grace, respond with God at the center so as to honor him.

On the other, we can respond with self at the center so as to send ourselves into a whirlpool of error and anger.

None of it is easy.

At times, we can get into patterns where unbiblical responding becomes second nature (or first).

If you have struggled like I have to maintain a God-centered perspective in struggles, you may need a biblical mirror held up to help facilitate change.

Here are a few adjustments we might need to make in our perspective as difficulty hits:

  1. Instead of thinking, “My circumstances are overwhelming,” I should think, “God’s grace will be sufficient for me in these circumstances.”

“And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

If the first thing that hits us in difficulty is the magnitude of the situation’s overwhelming-ness, I may have a lower than required view of Almighty God.

Even more, I might have a nearsighted view of his sustaining grace.

  1. Rather than asking, “Why can’t these difficult people love me more?”, I should ask, “How is God loving me right now?”

“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6).

Becoming a Christian is an incredible thing.

The moment we bow the knee in faith to Jesus Christ, God the Father considers his wrath towards us quenched at the cross.

From then on, God perpetually deals with us as children (Hebrews 12:5-8).

That includes hard stuff.

God loves his children so much, that he will see to it that they are continually shaped through his loving discipline.

  1. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with these people and circumstances?,” I could ask, “What’s wrong with my thinking about God?”

“You thought that I was just like you” (Psalm 50:21).

For better or worse, our idea of God influences all we think and do.

This is especially true in hard circumstances.

A different theology than what we profess may become clear in our less noble moments.

If I find myself chafing under difficulty, that could mean that, in those moments, my concept of God is something like a divine butler who should deliver my demands upon request.

  1. Rather than identifying how an individual is offensive to me, I should identify what about me is offensive to God.

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

Turning the spiritual mirror towards myself can quickly strangle the flesh in struggle.

It’s a complete perspective change in my responding; from an external focus to internal; from fleshly to spiritual; from hypocrisy to repentance.

It’s a change from looking for utopian circumstances to becoming more like Christ. It’s a shift from a man-centered to a God-centered mindset.

  1. Instead of asking, “Why does so-and-so need to make this difficult for me?”, I should ask, “How is God conforming me to Christ through this difficulty?”

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:28-29).

Often the reason we respond wrongly to struggles is because we have an anemic understanding of biblical sanctification.

We fail to grasp how lofty, comprehensive God’s transforming plans are for us.

For the believer, everything between regeneration and glorification is about doxological sanctification.

Whether a disagreement with a family member or the apostasy of a friend, let us always ask, “How does God want to make me more like Christ through this?”

  1. Rather than asking, “What do I want to be different about this situation?”, I should ask, “What about my wants needs to be different?”

“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?” (James. 4:1).

What we easily forget is that conflict and struggles are big opportunities.

Though not easy, they are God-given occasions to reveal previously hard-to-see corners of our hearts.

Why is that an opportunity?

Because I am often blind to those deeper sins of motivation.

So, in hard situations I should be asking questions about my heart and its lusts; my sinful ruling desires; my object of worship in those moments.

What wants need mortifying?

  1. Instead of thinking, “Whose counsel can I seek to support what I want?” I should ask, “What godly leaders in my life should I consult about this?”

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews. 13:17).

Counsel shopping is a favorite pastime of the erring human race.

Especially when it comes to trials, I can justify selectively searching for input.

But God’s word is clear.

Biblically qualified church leaders are put in place to guide the souls of the saints. 

Their calling to faithfulness over expedience proves valuable for us in these times.

  1. Rather than asking, “Why are these people and circumstances often so difficult?”, we should ask, “Why am I often responding with grumbling and unthankfulness to difficulty?”

“[I]n everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

This is not advocating an empty, directionless gratitude in difficulty for self-actualization purposes.

Rather, it is a God-glorifying recognition of his goodness and worth in all things.

Reasons always exist to thank God.

  1. Instead of fixating on why someone is doing what they are doing, I should fixate on the sovereignty of my good God over the circumstances.

“In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider— God has made the one as well as the other so that man will not discover anything that will be after him” (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

When we frequently flare up at man in struggles, there’s a chance that we are failing to see the grander truth of God’s sovereignty in it. We are functional atheists, seeing things far more through the lens our wants than God’s glory.

  1. Instead of thinking, “My idea of what could be done here would be so much better,” we could think, “In what way am I thinking that I know better than God on how to execute his sovereign plan for the world?”

“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it” (Job 40:2).

It’s one thing to affirm the sovereignty of God.

It’s quite another to practice it when difficulty hits by trusting him.

We have to ask ourselves if, even inadvertently, we might be proposing to God that his sovereign plan is sub-par compared to our own.

In some sense, that is what we are saying with every act of complaining.

We could be enacting a brief coup d’état on God.

  1. Rather than asking, “How can I escape this situation and make it easier for me?”, we ought to ask, “What opportunities is God giving me to serve others in this?”

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

During difficulty, nothing is easier than planning our escape.

Our energy and planning easily go there.

But, a soul-shift may be needed.

Perhaps in our modern-day convenience mentality, we assume that God’s green light to serve others is only when it perfectly fits into our schedule.

However, during his days of utter difficulty, Christ maintained his impeccable servant demeanor.

It’s not that his struggles came and then he responded with, “Ok, I will settle for serving people in this.”

Instead, his difficulties were the very platforms for serving others, and all the way to the cross.

  1. Instead of looking for a way out of inconvenient situations, I could look for ways to submit to my loving Lord.

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

There is nothing wrong with wanting a trial to end.

But if our heart demeanor is always in “make-this-easier-for-me” mode, then we are worshiping an idol – we are opposing His Majesty’s lordship.

Christ demonstrated this immaculately.

His earthly ministry was fundamentally one of God-pleasing submission (Matthew 26:42).

While there will likely be deep excruciating situations in which we will have to submit to God, at no time will we have to submit to the degree that Christ did in the work of our redemption.

  1. Rather than looking for that ideal situation built around my wants I should look to please and glorify God regardless of my wants.

“Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).

This is the heart of worship.

Regardless of external circumstances, we resolve internally to fear God.

At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that I am not God and he deserves my worship.

  1. Rather than worrying about who is against me, I can rest that the Chief Shepherd walks with me.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

His Majesty does not carelessly send me into struggles.

He is compassionately leading me through them as he walks with me.

Few circumstances reveal our need for a deeper God-centered perspective than struggles.

By his grace, we can re-align our worship by seeking to respond to them in a way with God and his purposes at the center.

In doing so, we will be comforted by God’s redemptive purposes in our circumstances.

Though we don’t know all the reasons for the battles, we do know that God loves his children so much, that he will never settle for blessing them with anything less than conformity to Jesus Christ until glory.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 New International Version

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Why Your Life 100% Matters to God! Luke 8:43-48

Luke 8:43-48New American Standard Bible 1995

43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 44 came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His [a]cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the [b]people are crowding and pressing in on You.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.” 47 When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has [c]made you well; go in peace.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Our world can feel mighty big.

There are billions of humans with a unique story covering this planet.

It’s easy to feel that we are insignificant when we compare ourselves to others.

The length, breadth and depth of social media has grown this idea that I can’t compare myself to others; I’m not good enough, talented enough, rich enough, successful enough, fit enough, a good enough parent, cook, and on the list goes!

From a young age, we are inundated, socialized, with unrealistic images of perfection perpetuating the idea that we should bow out before we even begin because overall its about equality, we have nothing unique to offer our world.

This goes socially constructed image of equality is entirely against the message of the Gospel, and it is a lie the evil one uses to take us out of the game of life.

Each and every life is unique and absolutely and uniquely matters to God.

We are all ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ as his Word tells us (Psalm 139:14).

You are profoundly important not because of what you can do but because of who you are! You are a one of kind child of God (John 1:12-13).

The world wants us to believe that production equals value, but God’s economy is entirely different.

God says identity defines our worth; the best news is that, thankfully, as his Creation, our identity is secure!

Why and How He Healed

Luke 8:43-48 The Message

43-45 In the crowd that day there was a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with hemorrhages. She had spent every penny she had on doctors but not one had been able to help her. She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus’ robe. At that very moment her hemorrhaging stopped. Jesus said, “Who touched me?”

When no one stepped forward, Peter said, “But Master, we’ve got crowds of people on our hands. Dozens have touched you.”

46 Jesus insisted, “Someone touched me. I felt power discharging from me.”

47 When the woman realized that she couldn’t remain hidden, she knelt trembling before him. In front of all the people, she blurted out her story—why she touched him and how at that same moment she was healed.

48 Jesus said, “Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!”

When Jesus came to live among us, he brought healing.

The woman we read about today is an example of that healing power. She risked everything, it was her only option left, touched Jesus and was instantly healed.

Jesus turned around and asked who had touched him.

He had felt healing power go out from him.

The woman came forward trembling, and “in the presence of all the people, she told why she had risked everything touched him and how she had been instantly healed.” She testified to her unrelenting trust and the healing power of Christ.

If you are a Christian, you too know what it means to have trust, you too know that even though you did not touch Him you been healed by Christ in some way.

Even if you haven’t been healed physically, you have been healed spiritually.

The Bible tells us that at one time we were all dead in sin and blind to the truth of God.

As the hymn Amazing Grace states, “I once … was blind but now I see.”

We were all spiritually blind without Christ.

But he touched, healed, the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18) so we can see.

Christ also calls all of us who are Christians to give testimony to his healing power in our lives.

That isn’t always easy.

Who is it nowadays who testifies to anything but how horrible the world is?

We may be ashamed or embarrassed by the sins and character flaws that infected our hearts before Christ healed us.

But without pointing to what was wrong with us, we can’t point to his greatness and healing power.

Who is it who brings their testimony of all the ways God has always been there for them, who brings their stories of the miracles they have witnessed God do?

God calls us to live as a living sacrifice to him (Romans 12:1), which means we don’t have to offer him perfection – we just have to be faithful and hopeful too.

We just have to make ourselves available to him.

Thank God perfection is not a qualifier for him to work!

We’d all be doomed, most of all me. My sin haunts me, but God’s grace covers me.

It’s a miraculous cycle that humbly keeps me on my knees, constantly thanking God that he can do great things with what little bit of perfection I have to offer.

You matter more than you could ever imagine to your Father God.

1. We Know We Matter Because Jesus Died for Us

What would you die for?

To save your car?

Your kids’ toys?

For the ants?

Most likely, you would not die for those things because they don’t matter enough to give your life for.

We die for things that matter, or we would deem our death to be in vain.

That list gets even shorter when we consider giving up our child to die on behalf of another.

Do we believe that Jesus died in vain?

That his death lacks purpose because we are inconsequential?

When we doubt our worth, we doubt God’s Word and the work that he did on the cross. 

John 3:16 clearly tells us that God so loved us that he gave his Son so we would live eternally with Him!

The cross is a mystery.

How death, in this case, means life for me is something I continuously struggle to fully comprehend, but I do know that death is not something any living thing approaches flippantly.

Death is scary.

It’s final.

It entails suffering and loss.

It’s meaningful and serious.

While I don’t understand all of how God works, I know that giving your life for someone else is the ultimate love act here on Earth.

We can rest assured that God made us to love us because he engaged in the ultimate act of love by sacrificing himself on the cross.

John 15:13-16 New American Standard Bible 1995

13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that  whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

2. We Know We Matter Because God Tells Us He Has Plans For Us

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite verses.

It tells us clearly that God has planned a hope-filled future for us!

He desires to see us prosper! 

Psalm 27:13 tells us that we can expect to see God’s goodness here in the land of the living. 

Matthew 6:10 declares God wants to bring Heaven down to Earth through us!

All of these Scriptures and so many more shout the truth that God has good plans for his Creation.

Unfortunately, because of the power of sin that has infiltrated the Earth, we must choose to partner with God in order to see his goodness unfold in our lives for his glory, but the invitation to enjoy his goodness now extends to everyone.

Once we are his, nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:31).

Don’t let shame, past mistakes, or self-doubt take you out of God’s plan for your life.

None of those things are too great for God to overcome!

He is able to do more than we could ask, think, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

It’s pride that says we are too broken to be used. God is able! He has a plan for you. Trust him and watch him work miracles in your life over and over again.

3. We Know We Matter Because We Are All a Part of the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 explains that we are each a part of the body of Christ.

We all have a unique role to play that complement each other.

We are called to work in unity through the Spirit.

Just as we all have different roles, no role is less valuable!

My work as a stay-at-home husband can feel insignificant, but if I was not faithful to serve my wife and my stepson, then how would their God-ordained futures be impacted?

My wife worked in preschool with four and five year old’s for over thirty years.

While this job may not feel as holy as being a clergy or a judge or an airline pilot, if she did not rely on the Spirit to guide her at work, she would have missed out on the wholly unique chance to be a light to her young students, co-workers.

Our job is to be faithful and obedient to the call of God in our lives.

Success in any specific terms is God’s job and is out of our hands.

Remember, you matter because of who you are, not what you do.

Even if you stay home alone and do nothing all day, you matter to God because you are his.

You may get bored and repeatedly miss out on your potential, but you are still inherently valuable because you were created in the image of God, born out of his great love for us.

John 1:11-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

11 He came to His [a]own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were [b]born, not of [c]blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

No role is too small because your just being is the gift.

Your presence is what God and those who love you long for.

As a husband, I am constantly baffled at how much my wife just want me to be around me.

It doesn’t even matter if I’m impatient or overwhelmed; she still wants to be with me as my wife.

When we are hurting at night, trying to go to bed in the dark, one thing that offers us comfort is just two of us sitting and snuggling in our room together.

Our safety or sleep conditions haven’t actually changed, but our being there together, looking at and hugging each other changes everything for us both.

That’s how it works with God.

Our being there, our remaining together, our loving each other together, for each other together with God, husband and wife absolutely changes everything.

He made you because he wants to be together with you and so to know you, me.

Just existing as his children is enough.

What is the lesson of Luke 8 48?

Jesus himself lets her know that her faith is the reason she is healed; she is not as helpless or hopeless or faithless, untouchable too as she may have thought.

Even more, her peace with God is restored.

This is the only time in Scripture where Jesus calls a woman His daughter.

The word connotes a familiarity she could never would have imagined.

The absolute truth of the Gospel is that everyone absolutely matters to God!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 8 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord’s Glory and Man’s Dignity.

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.

8 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have [a]displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established [b]strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

3 When I [c]consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have [d]ordained;
4 What is man that You [e]take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than [f]God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the [g]beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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How Galatians 1:10 Challenges Us to Please God, Not Please Other People. Galatians 1:10

Galatians 1:10 New American Standard Bible 1995

10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

When was the last time you asked yourself, “Am I pleasing other people or am I pleasing God?”

I would argue that the root of people pleasing is idolatry.

It is making a “god” out of ourselves and being accepted by others.

It is the idea that our greatest hope is that other created beings would approve of us and like us.

Today, we are going to be learning from Galatians 1:10 to please God above all.

Everyday Challenges to People Pleasing

Galatians 1:10 Amplified Bible

10 Am I now [a]trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

We face this every day.

Are we going to parent our children so they like us, or discipline and guide them because we love them?

Are we going to do what the boss and the company is asking us to do even though we know well that it is unethical, or will we risk our job for integrity?

Young people have to make these choices as well.

Are they going to bully that other kid in school, befriend or stand up for them? 

Seeking to please or appease others comes from a desire to be loved, known, and accepted.

However, when we are operating out of our true identity as believers, we are reminded of these five biblical truths:

we are chosen (1 Peter 1:2),

12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to [a]look.

we are loved (John 3:16),

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [a]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

we are sons and daughters of God (John 1:12-13),

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were [a]born, not of  [b] blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14),

13 For You formed my [a]inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for [b]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

and we are secure in Christ (Isaiah 41:8-10).

8 “But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of Abraham My friend,
9 You whom I have [a]taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its remotest parts
And said to you, ‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Will we act like the world to be loved by the world, or will we be set apart as a witness to Jesus?

Will we honor family, friends, or even ministries more than honoring Christ?

Will we use our words to puff others up, will we declare them the truth in love?

What Then Is Love?

Matthew 22:35-40 New American Standard Bible 1995

35 One of them, [a]a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [b]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

We are called to love God first with everything.

I am a married man.

I am not partially married to my wife.

I am not only married to her on the weekdays and “take off” on the weekends.

I am forever hers, this side of heaven.

She is my covenant woman.

However, she is not Jesus.

I am not Jesus.

Jesus is my One and only First true Love.

He is the One in whom I rest in my salvation.

He is the only One who is worthy of my worship.

My marriage is a picture of Christ’s marriage to His church, however, it is a broken picture of it.

We do not have the ability to love God like Matthew 22:37-39 says, apart from the power and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

It is impossible. 

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

If our desire in life is to please God, Hebrews makes it clear that we do this by having faith in Him.

This is only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

To love God also means that we obey Him. 

John 14:5 says, “If you love me, keep my commands.”

We have failed at every single command from the Lord.

We know that we cannot always love Him nearly as well as He always loves us.

However, with His Spirit, we can love Him with the whole finiteness of all of our whole hearts and obey Him.

How does this affect our other relationships?

This means that our main priority in life is to please the Lord.

Does this mean that we do not love others well?

No, we are also called to love people in Matthew 22.

That means we live by the Spirit to love them well.

We invest time and energy into building community, we are connected to the church body locally, we are intentional with our time with family and friends, and we willingly choose self sacrifice to help others and care for them well.

However, any time a person or a thing creeps its way up into the throne of our hearts, we have made an idol.

It is impossible to worship God and someone else, just like it is impossible for me to be fully devoted to my wife but to “take a break” on the weekends.

We serve an all-in God.

An example of this is seen in Matthew 6 when Jesus discusses serving money and worldly possessions versus Him:

Matthew 6:24 New American Standard Bible 1995

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [a] wealth.

God Disciplines to Yield Fruit

Paul tells it like it is in Galatians 1:10.

He says, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

He is well aware that he has lived to please others in the past, but his new desire is to honor Jesus, his Savior, with his life.

What is your biggest struggle when it comes to pleasing others instead of God?

Think about some practical ways you do this.

It might seem small, such as, “I jump in when others gossip at work to fit in.”

Or it might be something large like, “I never tell my boss not even when I have to prioritize work over my family and faith community time and time again.”

Whatever we are struggling with right now, whatever you have struggled with in the past or whatever you are currently working through with the Spirit and God’s Word, remember through the struggles, that we are all being sanctified.

We do not have to work so hard to remain in our “people pleasing” mindsets that lead us into negative spirals – we can choose to live life in true freedom.

The beautiful part is that when we please God, there is blessing that follows.

No, it does not mean that people will not disagree with us, laugh at us, gossip about us, or even hate us.

However, we will have a confidence rooted and established on that Rock, our Fortress, our Anchor: Jesus Christ.

Psalm 18:1-3 GOD’S WORD Translation

For the choir director; by David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord when the Lord rescued him from all his enemies, especially from Saul. He said,

18 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my Savior,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the strength of my salvation,
my stronghold.
3 The Lord should be praised.
I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies.

We will know that we are living lives with internal peace and joy because we suffer with Him and for His name’s sake.

We will also love better.

We will be able to have our priorities and people in the correct places in our hearts.

This means that we will be better husbands or wives, better parents, better siblings, better children, better friends, better workers, and better people.

This might seem like a simple concept, however it is also very complex.

Psalm 139:23-24 New American Standard Bible 1995

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [a]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

As we come to that place of surrendering our hearts and minds to the work of the Spirit, may we ask Him to search us, to test us, to reveal anything in us that is not of Him – that He might lead us onto the correct path unto His eternal life.

May we live out no other gods but Him.

Exodus 20:3 New American Standard Bible 1995

3 “You shall have no other gods [a]before Me.

May we find our identity in being children of God, may we actualize His worth far and above over our own, maximize pleasing our Heavenly Father above all.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 8 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord’s Glory and Man’s Dignity.

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.

8 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have [a]displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established [b]strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

3 When I [c]consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have [d]ordained;
4 What is man that You [e]take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than [f]God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the [g]beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61

Psalm 61 New King James Version

Assurance of God’s Eternal Protection

To the Chief Musician. On [a]a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your [b]tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may [c]preserve him!

8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my vows.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

One thing I love about reading through the book of Psalms is that each Psalm usually begins with a heavy heart, and ends in praise and rejoicing.

Psalm 61 is no exception.

There are several reasons I love Psalm 61, and verse 2 is a bit part of that.

Here are some of the reasons that Psalm 61:2 is such a huge encouragement:

  • No matter where we are on this earth, God hears us. There is no where we can go that God cannot reach (Psalm 139:7). This fact alone should provide comfort and encouragement.
  • We all feel overwhelmed at some point or another. David says, “when my heart is overwhelmed”. Not if, when. It is completely normal for our hearts to feel overwhelmed on occasion. The key is that we need to take it to the Lord.
  • God is our rock. What an encouraging and reassuring fact, to know that we have a rock which cannot be moved (Psalm 62:6).

A Prayer for When the Heart and the Hurt Is too Heavy

Psalm 61 New Living Translation

Psalm 61

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

1 O God, listen to my cry!
    Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
    I cry to you for help
    when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3     for you are my safe refuge,
    a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
    safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude

5 For you have heard my vows, O God.
    You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
6 Add many years to the life of the king!
    May his years span the generations!
7 May he reign under God’s protection forever.
    May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.
8 Then I will sing praises to your name forever
    as I fulfill my vows each day.

On those days when I Pray: “Lead me to the Towering Rock of Safety …”

I cannot know what is going on in your life the exact same way God does, but I do know that God knows and reveals that no one goes through life unscathed.

Some of my darkest and heaviest moments were moments of loss — the loss of one’s health, a dream job, the loss of a relationship, the loss of family members.

The Lord does not promise an easy life.

In fact, in his final discourse in the Upper Room before being betrayed, before being arrested, before the kangaroo court, before the massive beatings, before being spat upon, the public scorn and humiliation, before the crown of thorns, being slammed down on his head, the march to Calvary, John 16:33, Jesus said,

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

I am not so sure our hearts can ever get as heavy as Jesus’ did in those hours.

But when we feel as though they do, where do we go when our hearts are heavy?

Did you see the first part of John 16:33?

It says, “that in Me you may have peace.” 

Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…”

Psalm 61 New American Standard Bible 1995

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength [a]against the enemy.
4 Let me [b]dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. [c]Selah.

5 For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.
6 You will [d]prolong the king’s [e]life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will [f]abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.

Although we may wrestle mightily with why God has allowed certain things to take place, He offers Himself as a refuge when there is no other refuge available.

He is not timid, nor scared nor unprepared for your questions, tears, or anger.

His hands are strong enough to hold us when we are certainly falling apart.

I want to encourage you to do what David did and wrote about in Psalm 62:5-8,

Psalm 62:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Pour out your heart and your hurt to God.

Meditate and Pray through each verse of Psalm 62:5-8 separately …

And when You are struggling to trust Him, like we all do, ask Him to help you trust Him. 

2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

If you find yourself struggling to pray today, I can surely empathize.

Somedays Life hurts.

It sometimes and some days leaves us utterly incapacitated and speechless.

Again, I can empathize, I want to encourage you that God never stops working. 

John 5:14-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

14 Afterward Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

John 5:17 says, “In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’”

And from our “wrecks and ruins” God does refresh, repair and restore and heal.

Isaiah 58:11-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

11 “And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your [a]desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not [b]fail.
12 “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the [c]streets in which to dwell.

I want to pray into your wreckage and ruin for you, even if you cannot join me.

As much as these temporary moments and the world may lead you to believe I absolutely, definitely, unequivocally, want you to know you are never alone!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 40 New American Standard Bible 1995

God Sustains His Servant.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

40 I waited [a]patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the [b]miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.

4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not [c]turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

6 [d]Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have [e]opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is [f]written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”

9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[g]Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has [h]failed me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my [i]life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [j]in my hurt.
15 Let those be [k]appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 Since I am afflicted and needy,
[l]Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“O Lord, how many are my foes? Many are now rising against me!” Psalm 3

Psalm 3 New American Standard Bible 1995

Morning Prayer of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David, when [a]he fled from Absalom his son.

3 O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying [b]of my soul,
“There is no [c]deliverance for him in God.” [d]Selah.

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy [e]mountain. Selah.
5 [f]I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For You [g]have smitten all my enemies on the [h]cheek;
You [i]have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 [j]Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing [k]be upon Your people! Selah.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

When Opposition Comes (and It Will)

Of all the things that are uncertain in this life, there is something we can be sure of—opposition.

Opposition will always come, in one form or another, and we won’t always be prepared for it.

In the work place, it may come as a challenge to our ideas or strategies.

In our families, it may be against our parenting styles, it may be a retaliation against our principles, it may be the children demanding their own bedtimes.

And in faith, as Jesus lived, opposition may come as a mockery or even a threat.

King David truly knew the severity of opposition and experienced it regularly throughout his reign. More than once, he fled into the mountains, fearing for his life. Frequently, he cried out to God over the extreme opposition he faced.

The title of Psalm 3 is “A Psalm of David When he fled from his son Absalom.”

“Many are my foes! Many are rising against me!”

David’s experiences with his adversaries were most likely far greater than anything we have experienced or will experience.

But no matter what, we can be sure of this: God is our Great Defender.

There is no greater defense than that of our Father in heaven.

And He urges us to allow Him to deal with our opposer instead of taking matters into our own hands.

Faith—Overcoming Evil

Romans 12:17-21 New American Standard Bible 1995

17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. [a]Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but [b]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to jump into “defense” mode.

It can be difficult to let things roll off my back, especially when I feel wronged.

Yet, so often in my rehearsed plans of retaliation, I sense the gentle voice of the Spirit saying, “Peace…be still. Let Me go before you in this.”

It began as a peaceful march to protest the killing of George Floyd.

But as the darkness deepened, it became a dark night of riotous behavior.

Images of angry people smashing store fronts, of police cars ablaze, and of businesses going up in flames brought me to my knees in earnest prayer and disturbed my anxious sleep. What I saw was way beyond bad, frightening, evil.

In the morning I checked as much of the news as I could access by internet.

The rioters were gone, but they had left a disturbing mess: smashed windows, burned cars, rocks and bricks and vile graffiti, sad ruins in the heart of the city.

A reporter surveying the damage approached a young mother with two children.

He asked her, “Why are you here this morning?” She said, “We saw the news; we decided that this city needs someone to show the love of God.”

Others were there too—sweeping glass shards, trying to restore order to chaos.

The mom and her children, who were perhaps about 5 and 7 years old, were there with buckets, their brushes and soap, trying to erase stubborn graffiti.

To me, they sacrificed their time, they brought some light into the darkness, some of God’s love into a broken place where the evidence of evil was very real.

In that mother and her little ones, I saw the presence of the resurrected Jesus.

She and her children were being the church, Christ’s body—overcoming evil by doing good.

As I watched, my anger was transformed, replaced by warm and grateful tears welled up from within me in a prayer of thanks to God.

When we surrender our will to the Father, no matter how justified we feel, there will be an unexplainable peace that comes.

Surrendering all of our “fists-in-the-air” attitudes and plans of pay-back will always result in a better outcome—an outcome that is surrounded by certainty that reminds us, “God’s got this.”

The more we live out our faith in Christ, the more people will oppose what they don’t fully understand.

It’s a way of retaliating against something that challenges them in some way.

If you and I are actively living out our faith, walking in the fruit of the Spirit and showing God’s love, that will be a challenge for some.

And in that challenge, we may find ourselves greatly opposed.

Harsh words, divisive questions, and rude comments might be the ways in which people come against us.

But just as David, in Psalm 3, took those oppositions to the Lord, we, too, can release them to our Mighty Defender.

Psalm 3:3-6 New American Standard Bible 1995

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy [a]mountain. Selah.
5 [b]I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

For in the end, as David knew from vast measures and degrees of experience his whole life long, God, and only God, can right those wrongs of unjust opposition.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord the Keeper of Israel.

A Song of Ascents.

121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will [a]protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will [b]guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28-30 New American Standard Bible 1995

28 “Come to Me, all [a]who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is [b]easy and My burden is light.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Making and Taking An Opportunity to Learn

What does a parent ask their children after they come home from school?

Some will ask, “Did you learn anything today?”

But many more will say something like, “Did you have fun outside today?”

With regard to schooling, perhaps it does not matter much which question is asked and which priority is therefore being revealed.

But the same question is often asked about church: Did we have fun at church today? What did we enjoy church today? Did God bring us our happiness today?

Instead, we should be asking, “What are we learning of and from Jesus?”

Jesus gives us the great privilege of having the opportunity to learn from Him.

Throughout the Gospels, He speaks in a way that addresses life’s big questions:

Who am I?

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

Does life even matter?

Why does life even matter anymore?

Studying Jesus through the Word of God for His Children, Praying to God the Father, knowing Christ as personal Lord and Savior changes the way someone approaches and thinks about these big topics which rest on everyone’s mind.

It refreshes, transforms their perspective on time, on resources, on career, on that kind of person they want to marry or the kind of spouse they want to be.

It does this because to know Jesus truly is to invite Him to be the authority in your life, your family’s and friends. Everything changes as we learn from Him.

Ours or anyone else’s coming to Jesus begins with learning that Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous (that’s Him) for the unrighteous (that’s us), to reconcile us to God (Romans 5:8-10, 1 Peter 3:18)—and responding to that.

Simply having a head knowledge of this is not sufficient nor equal to believing it, utterly trusting it, and being happily yoked to the one who offers us all this.

Surely, we all know people who are trying to unscramble the riddle of their lives, putting the pieces of the largest jigsaw puzzles in all history together as best they can, and we’ve all been in the same position looking at all our pieces.

But until we are willing to learn from God, the pieces will not fit.

But now we can truly know God, not because of our intellectual prowess but because God chooses to make Himself known through the truth of His word.

Are you and I fully willing to learn from Jesus in every area of our lives?

Do you see it as a privilege, and not a burden, to follow His teaching and place yourself under His authority?

Be sure to seize every opportunity to learn real gospel truth, and may it cut deep into your soul, satisfy your heart’s longings and transform your life day by day.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? The Lie of Isolation Psalm 13

Psalm 13 New American Standard Bible 1995

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

People say time flies when you’re having fun.

But when things shift into a minor key, life seems to move in slow motion.

We find ourselves thinking, “Where is God now? I don’t know if I’m ever going to get out of these circumstances. And I don’t know how I can endure them.”

Our reading today, Psalm 13, contains a recurring question: “How long? How long?” David’s circumstances aren’t described, but he clearly feels forgotten and forsaken—a feeling we all can relate to.

It’s circumstance akin to what we feel when we lose a loved one or when we feel we are stuck in life drudgery, that we must walk through a valley of trial alone.

To be isolated from human relationships is, without question, crushing.

But what David writes and sings of here in Psalm 13 is even more significant.

He’s expressing a bottomless feeling of isolation from God Himself.

This sentiment is shared by many of God’s people throughout Scripture.

In Isaiah, God’s exiled people cry out, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me” (Isaiah 49:14).

Christian pilgrims—genuine followers and servants of Jesus—do sometimes feel like saying, “I believe the Lord has actually forgotten us.

If He has not forgotten us, if He was still with us, how would we be in this predicament?

If He truly was watching over us, surely we would not have to endure these ceaseless, unyielding trials.

Yet in David’s emerging depression, we discover that his perception (as is often the case with our own) does not reflect reality.

And David has the spiritual maturity and humility to acknowledge that what he feels is true does not align with what he knows is actually true.

So he reminds himself of God’s steadfast love, His salvation, and His generosity—and David resolves to rejoice in those things instead even as he struggles and suffers (Psalm 13:5-6).

This is the hope-filled tension of the Christian life.

As we get stuck, as we stare long and hard into the drudgery of life and ministry and mission and church in the 21st century, and wonder of God, do we see hope?

We keep asking, “How long, Lord? Where are you, God?” even as we remind our own hearts that God has not stopped loving us, delivering us, or working in us?

Where is Your Hope?

Proverbs 11:4-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.
7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
And the hope of strong men perishes.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
But the wicked [a]takes his place.

In a worship song from the early 2000s, singer/songwriter Brian Doerksen sings, “Jesus, hope of the nations/ Jesus, comfort for all who mourn/ You are the source of heaven’s hope on earth.”

As believers in Christ, we recognize and worship Jesus as the true hope of the world, and yet it’s astounding how often we pin our hopes on ­human beings.

In all of our history books, it is clear that people are inclined to find more hope in their leaders, politicians, and celebrities rather than in the one true God.

Why do we do this?

These timely timeless words from Proverbs warns that placing hope in humans is infinitely worse than futile because any human power will come to nothing.

As the apostle Paul tells us, “There is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1).

By saying this, Paul is assuring believers that in all situations, even in the midst of national turmoil’s and global crises, God is the # One who holds all ­authority.

Any human who has “power” has it only because God allows it to be so.

In other words, our hopes and desires must lie with the One who is on the throne of the universe.

Our prayers must be exclusively oriented toward Jesus Christ, for he is truly the only hope—the only resurrected one, the one who can change minds, transform hearts, disperse principalities and powers, can bring restoration and revival.

Do not believe the lie of abandonment that your emotions can feed you.

Please just make an honest and concerted effort to rest in God’s comforting response to His forgetful people:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me” (Isaiah 49:15-16).

God’s care for His children is like the sun: it’s constant.

Even when the clouds obscure it, it’s still there.

It’s always going to be “still there.”

Will you trust in God’s constancy today?

When you are next feeling forsaken, know that God looks at His hands, engraved with each and every one of His children’s names, and He says, 

“There you are. Do you see now that I have not forgotten you?” (John 19:30)

30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 24 New American Standard Bible 1995

The King of Glory Entering Zion.

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the Lord’s, and [a]all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul [b]to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord
And [c]righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 [d]This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face—even Jacob. [e]Selah.

7 Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O [f]ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, O [g]ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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