Tag: Prayer and Praying

Advent: Season of Anticipation. Season of Preparation, Waiting! Attitude Adjustment: About Time!

The scripture we will look at for today’s devotional effort was used in a song written by Pete Seeger and released October 1, 1965 by the Byrds called “Turn, Turn, Turn.” To everything there is a season. The writer is Solomon, considered to be one of the wisest of men to ever live. In fact God came to him in a dream.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV

A Time for Everything

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

God came to a young Solomon in a dream when he became King of Israel and said to him, Solomon, ask for whatever you want and I will give it to you. If God said that to you what would you ask for? Solomon’s reply was this Lord, I am only a little child and I do not know how to carry out my job. The people will be serving are too numerous to even count so please give me wisdom.

So God said since you asked for wisdom and not long life or wealth and since you didn’t ask me to take care of your enemies I will do it. I will give you wisdom but I will also give you what you have not asked for-riches and in your lifetime there will be no equal. 1 Kings 3:5-14.

Solomon wrote down the book of Proverbs and also wrote down the book of Ecclesiastes. And by reading through both, God did carry out His promise.

I think that most of us would agree that when it comes to TIME and Time management most of us would say that we rarely have too much time on our hands that management becomes an issue. Instead we are pushed on a daily basis to get everything done…. To take care of our “to do” list. To keep all of the plates spinning. If there is any area where we need [GUARDRAILS] it is in the area of TIME. There are 4 things I see here that God has to say about time.

(1) God’s Timing is sovereign. We know that but every one of us, from time to time question his timing. We wonder why God doesn’t answer our prayers when we ask him to. How many of us have ever prayed for something-your prayer went unanswered or it wasn’t answered the way you wanted it or when you wanted it. And we start to wonder about God’s timing. They are hard questions.

But I know this. God’s timing is best. In fact, His timing is perfect. It’s sovereign. What does that mean? It means God is in total control. Notice v. 1. There is an (NASB) appointed time for everything. Not most things. Not convenient things. All things. There is an appointed time in God’s timetable for everything.

Now it may be obvious but I want to say a few things about His sovereignty.

(1) God’s timing and our timing are not the same. He does not view things in the same way as we do so until we learn to see things through God’s eyes we will never understand His timing.

(2) We see things one piece at a time. God sees the whole picture. When I was very young we would go out into a blizzard to stand in sub zero degree weather to shovel snow out of our driveways and off of neighbors sidewalks. But I could never really shovel enough. I was always curious about the arriving plow truck. And so I would look as far as I could down the street so I could see what was coming. But I still could never hope see as far into the blizzard as I wanted to.

God looks at things as though He is on top of the highest mountain. You know if you could get up high enough and get an aerial view, you would be able to see what has just passed by and you would see it clearly. You would see what is right in front of you and you would see who and what is coming and you would see it clearly and you would see it all at one time. What just went by me, who, what’s there, what’s coming. We call it a linear view of time, that is what God gives us.

But we’re always saying you know if I could just have known this was coming I could have been better prepared. God says “I know.” One things we can know about God is that He is never surprised. God’s timing is perfect. It’s sovereign.

(2) God’s timing is sufficient. He says in v. 3… there is a season for every activity under heaven. We may be in a place right now where we are wondering if God is ever going to show up. We are raising young children. We are raising teenagers. Our finances might be in trouble. Maybe we are on the brink of losing your job. Maybe we already have. Maybe our health is declining and we don’t know what the outcome will be. Whatever our difficulties may be I cannot promise you that God’s going to answer your prayer the exact way you may want Him to but I can promise that you will make it through at some point if you will hold on to Him.

Solomon says there is a time for every activity under Heaven. Everything! God literally has a time for everything. He is going to take care of you in everything. Not 99% but Everything. Why? God cares about every single detail of your life.

You see, another thing this verse does is it speaks directly to each and every one of us including me. You see I’m not the kind of person who is a list maker—I do not work with a to do list, I’ve got the plates spinning and when I see that one is slowing down or it’s wobbling, I want to fix it and then I read this scripture and God says I have got a season for every activity under Heaven. The paraphrased version of that is that God says, “Tom” you need to go chill out. Take a chill pill. God recommends let me bring every event into your life you need in my timing.

(3) God’s timing is seasonal. Look at the meat of what God says here. Vv. 2-8. Now I don’t know about you but I believe this passage is not really about weeping and mourning and laughing and dancing—it’s bigger than that. It’s about God’s timing. Notice this. Birth and death. Killing and healing. Tearing down and building up. War and peace. Do you happen to see the pattern here?

All of these are written in pairs and they are all opposites and they are also all seasonal. This is not just about picking up stones and throwing them back. This passage is describing all of the different seasons of life. Life comes in seasons.

There are seasons of loss and there are seasons of gain. And in whatever season we find ourselves we must learn to live life to the fullest. In other words I think God says to each of us here that “there’s only a period of time; a season of time in which I am going to do this in your life and then I’m moving on to something else in your life.” That’s why it’s so very important for us to be aware of God’s timing.

It’s that way in your life and it’s that way in mine and in the daily life of local communities, the church. And if we don’t live in His timing we’re not willing to change when God says change then He will move on and find someone who will.

4. God’s timing is surprising. Now one thing we can surely and certainly know about God is that He is never surprised. He didn’t create the universe and then say wow I can’t believe I did that. God never says the words, I can’t believe that happened. But you and I are often surprised daily. His timing 100% surprises us.

One man was taking it easy, lying on the grass and looking up at the clouds. He was identifying shapes when he decided to talk to God. “God” he said “how long is a million years?” God answered, “well to me it’s just about a minute.”

The man next asked “God how much is a million dollars?”

God said, “to me it’s like a penny.”

The man said well then God can I have a penny? God said sure, in a minute.

We are not always ready for what God is about to do. We can usually think of a thousand billion trillion reasons why we’re not ready to do what God wants us to do but when I look at these verses one of the things that jumps off the page at me is that our God is a very thorough God. Our God is a thoroughly creative God.

His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are forever higher than our thoughts and just about the time I think I have God figured out He surprises me and takes me into another season of life. He works in ways I never thought were possible. But then I’m not God. He is. And that would be a great thing for all of us to get hold of: we must stop trying to be God and learn to wait for His timing.

Let me try to give you 5 [GUARDRAILS] we all need to try to put in place.

[1] There is a time for everything but not for everything all at once. All of us need to learn how to focus and prioritize. We attempt too many things and then we do not do many or any of them properly. Paul said this one thing I do. Some of us need to fall in love with don’t do list. We must keep our priorities in place.

[2] There is a reason for the season. Keep in mind seasons are always and forever temporary – do not last forever. Let God do His work. Be patient.

[3] We cannot now what the future holds but we can know the One who holds the future.

[4] We must give up trying to be God. Trying to take care of everything and everybody.

[5] We must try to see the Big Picture. We are not God but we can trace His hand in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, So many verses and passages in scripture come back to the foundational truth God knows best and wants us to trust Him in all things and at all times. He made the world and governs the universe, and is never phased nor astonished at what is going on in the world at large, neither the troubling circumstances that are happening in the individual lives of all of His children.

This passage of text is an obvious, a simple, yet timely reminder, that we are to live by faith in the Word of Truth, and to trust God’s judgement in all things, for He sends blessings raining on the just and unjust alike, and He takes the foolish schemes and rebellious actions of men and turns them to His greater glory, in order to fulfil His ultimate plan and purpose, which is that Christ is all in all.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us take time to Pray,

Thank You, Father, that You know the end from the beginning and that 100% everything under heaven is within Your authority. Thank You, that You are in control of all that is happening in my own individual life and the wider world in general. May I trust You through all the circumstances of life and as I seek Your face in prayer and praise, may I learn more and more to pray, “Thy will be done in my life and throughout the world.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Alleluia! Amen.

Advent, A Season of Anticipation! My Time, Your Time, are in God’s Hands!

Many of us can feel as if somehow we have been demoted and overlooked by life, when in fact, every step we take and every move we make is so carefully planned; God Himself is orchestrating all our circumstances and endeavors.

We are obsessive compulsive servants, sometimes slaves, to our electronic devices; we are slaves to our watches, smart phones, i-pods, alarm clocks, and calendars. And a few of us allow these man-made gadgets to rule our days, pushing us forward hurriedly, pressuring us to do more and do it faster.

Wherever we are we find ourselves watching the clock relentlessly tick away as reminders of how far we have yet to go and how little time we have to get there. No wonder people are so impatient. Our impatience has caused companies and corporations to invent and/or create different products that are designed to “over dramatically” assist us in maintaining and managing our time each day.

Yet with these brand new pretty and shiny gadgets designed to help maximize our time God’s children still appear at times to be stumbling through life. Many of us feel as if somehow we have been demoted and overlooked by life, when in fact, every step we take and every move we make is carefully planned; God Himself is orchestrating all our circumstances and endeavors.

When we need to stop for moment to realize God is in control (Psalm 46:10-11). Recall, No matter how bad things may look at any moment—God is in control!

Psalm 31:14-16 ESV

14 But I trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;
    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Here in the 31st Psalm, David is declaring that his entire life is in God’s hands. He makes it known in no uncertain terms that it is God’s timing and not his; it is God’s call upon his life goes according to God’s calendar and not his.

Notice that David says, “But I trust in you…” his life was being threatened, to have someone threatening your very life would be extremely scary, it would indeed place most of us on edge for sure—but David says I’m really worried about it because no one can harm me unless God allows it.

David seems to refer back to the 23rd Psalm a little bit when he says, “You are my God” just like you are my Shepherd, and because of this I shall fear no evil.

When we consider the all too often politically incorrect fact that our times are in God’s hands, we also need to try to understand that His time is never going to be our time. Because God often moves slower than we do, yet God always has us at the right place at the right time and absolutely nothing slips out of His hand.

With God, there is never a wasted moment—He knows beforehand what we will face and go through; He is there before we get there in order to work it out for us. This is why David was so confident, this is why he said, “But I trust in you…” What if we all could be like David in times of trouble? The answer is…we surely can. David was not the only one who knew that their time was in God’s hands.

Job 14:1-6 English Standard Version

Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All

14 “Man who is born of a woman
    is few of days and full of trouble.
2 He comes out like a flower and withers;
    he flees like a shadow and continues not.
3 And do you open your eyes on such a one
    and bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.
5 Since his days are determined,
    and the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
6 look away from him and leave him alone,[a]
    that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.

Have we ever been where Job walked? When it seems as if time is just wasting away—and we have not made the progress we thought we should have made by now? Job was suffering physically, mentally and spiritually and he had no idea what was happening to him and why it was happening to him or when it ends.

By the time we reach the 14th chapter of Job we see that Job was starting to panic. He panics not only because of what he was going through, he panics because time was passing by and there was no remedy in sight—now I did not say there was no remedy, but I did say that the remedy was not in sight. When we are walking through a dense dark valley and we do not see the Light at the end of the valley. It can and quite often does cause us to long to be in a panic.

Although Job was in his panic mode, although he was indeed suffering he never once blamed God for his suffering and he also knew that God provided his only hope for restoration. He knew whatever it was he was going through he still was in God’s hands. We ourselves simply need to get to a place in our lives where when pain, suffering, and trouble come we do not panic when we do not find all our answers on our “smart phones”. We have to say like, “But I trust in God…”

We must trust the providence of God and we must trust His timing. We all want good things to happen in our lives, but too often we want it right now…not later. When it doesn’t happen that way, we are tempted to ask, “When, God, when?”

Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God instead of focusing on the “when” question. If you’re missing joy and peace, you’re not trusting God. If your mind feels worn out all the time, maybe you’re not trusting God enough. If we feel moved to take things into our own hands, are certainly not trusting God.

What if Job tried to handle his situation on his own? What if he had followed his wife’s and his so-called friends foolish advice? The devil would have been given bragging rights and God would have actually lost the challenge. But God knew Job; it was God who brought Job’s name up in the first place.

Question. Can God trust you and I in the manner he trusted Job do to the right thing? We who feel that the end of time is upon us do have a tendency to push things to force things and flail and fight in an attempt to make things happen.

You remember the often told story of the little boy who was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he would take good care of it.

The little boy got a large jar from his mother and put plants to eat, and a stick to climb on, in the jar. Every day he watched the caterpillar and brought it new plants to eat. One day the caterpillar climbed up the stick and started acting strangely. The boy worriedly called his mother who came and understood that the caterpillar was creating a cocoon. The mother explained to the boy how the caterpillar was going to go through a metamorphosis and become a butterfly.

The little boy was so very thrilled to hear about the changes his caterpillar would go through. With great anticipation he watched his caterpillar every day, waiting for the butterfly to emerge. One day it happened, a small hole appeared in the cocoon and the butterfly started to struggle to come out.

At first the boy was excited, but soon he became concerned. The butterfly was struggling so hard to get out! It looked like it couldn’t break free! It looked desperate! It looked like it was making no progress! The boy was so concerned he decided to help. He ran to get scissors, and then walked back (because he had learned not to run with scissors…). He snipped the cocoon to make the hole bigger and the butterfly quickly emerged!

As the new butterfly came out the boy was surprised. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, they would enlarge and they would expand outward to support the swollen body. He knew that in time the body would shrink and the butterfly’s wings would expand. Except, it was not so.

But nothing happened. The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never had the chance to be what it was designed to be. It never was able to fly.

As the boy tried to figure out what had gone wrong he learned later from his mother that the butterfly was SUPPOSED to struggle. In fact, the butterfly’s struggle to push its way through the tiny opening of the cocoon pushes the fluid out of its body and into its wings. Without the struggle for life, the butterfly would never, ever fly. The boy’s good intentions badly hurt the butterfly—our good intentions can do the very same thing to us, when we decide to work on our time instead of God’s time. Job knew that his times was in God’s hands!

His Priestly Prayer, Jesus knew His time on earth was in His Father’s hands.

John 17:1-5 English Standard Version

The High Priestly Prayer

17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus knew His time on earth was in His Father’s hands. Three times Jesus prophesied that he would be betrayed, arrested, crucified and then buried. In the garden, when the soldiers came for him and Peter lopped off Malchus’ ear;

John 18:10-11 English Standard Version

10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant[a] and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

The truth of the whole matter is that Our lifetimes are 100% in God’s hands!

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 English Standard Version

The God-Given Task

9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.[a]

Saying, “My times are in your hands.” David was expressing his belief that all of life’s circumstances are under God’s control. Knowing that God loves and cares for us enables us to keep steady in our faith regardless of our circumstances. It faithfully, hopefully, ever so prayerfully keeps us from our sinning foolishly by taking God’s matters into our own tiny hands or “resenting God’s timetable.”

We are suppose to serve God because He is God…Not just because He heals our sickness…not because He forgives us of our sins…not because He supplies our daily needs…but just like David, Job, and God’s own Son, Jesus. We are to 100% love Him and serve Him just because He is God. We should never have to worry about being in God’s will—in times of trouble, suffering and distress being in God’s will is the absolute best place to be. And what a blessing it is to know that your times, my times, our days, and our services are all in God’s hands. Amen.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us now Pray,

Heavenly Father, thank You for the encouragement and lessons I can lean from the beautiful pictures of Jesus that are found in the book of Psalms. I trust in You and pray mightily that day by day my soul may rest in Christ. Thank you for being my God and my my Father, My Lord and my Saviour, Alleluia! Amen.

Lead Me Forward from My Darkness! Show Me Your Ways, Lord! And Teach Me Your Paths. Lead Me in Thy Truth.

When we wait on God it shows a spirit of trust and humility, of loving obedience, of hope and confidence, of a most intimate friendship and of the deepest reverence for our Creator. 

Psalm 25:1-5 English Standard Version

Teach Me Your Paths

 Of David.

25 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
    let me not be put to shame;
    let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Waiting on God was one of the reasons David was called “a man after God’s own heart”. God was his security and he trusted Him in every aspect of his life. He trusted Him for guidance and instruction (v. 5), for help and defense (Psalm 33:20), for victory over his enemies and vindication (Psalm 37:7-9), for deliverance from trouble and destruction (Psalm 40:1), and so much more.    

Nothing proves our measure of faith and hope like waiting on God for answers to prayer, because when we wait we are demonstrating our submission to Him. 

Waiting does not necessarily mean abstaining from all activity; it is obedience to God because He has the right plan for us. Waiting on God means that all of our life is brought under God’s authority and direction.

If we run ahead of God, we will experience anxiety, exhaustion, and failure. When we take matters in our own hands there can be some irreparable choices and then consequences and there are many examples in the Bible like Abraham and Sarah getting ahead of God and Saul’s usurping the role of a priest. 

The Word of God says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

So what ought we to learn while we are “waiting”? We learn to trust in God in expectation of His revelation because God is in charge of every detail of our life. His timing is perfect if we really want Him to show and teach us His ways. He is omniscient, and gives us confirmation of His omnipresence through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who guides us and teaches us if we let Him. 

God gives us sure and certain assurances of His real power and He gives the grace and spiritual gifts of patience and forbearance to await His purposes until the precise moment when He gives evidence that He was working all along. Without this faith, it is impossible to please Him, for all who come to God must believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) 

The answer to waiting is through prayer, with strength and courage (Psalm 27:14). And we rejoice and trust in His Holy Name and in His unfailing love (Psalm 33:18-24).  

Our greatest desire should be to learn to be patient and obedient, desiring to know God’s truth. We need to expectantly and faithfully believe His promise and know that if we ask and expect with the right motive we will receive. 

The Lord declared: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-12) 

And Isaiah 40:31 tells us: “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” 

Waiting is not easy but, if we can 0.1% trust the hope we have in God, learn to wait on God we will live a more rewarding and stress free life. Having patience and trusting in the Lord is one of the greatest life principles we can ever learn.  

As wise King Solomon tried to teach all his children: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

This psalm of David is a deeply heartfelt prayer for God’s presence and leading. It is the cry of a heart and deep longing from a soul which yearns to know more and more of God. A heart that wants to know and follow his truth. A heart whose living hope was not in residing in the power or strength of his arms, but in God.

For David, God was not just an impersonal national deity. He was infinitely and indescribably more. He was David’s personal Savior, one who had protected him from his youth and delivered him through numerous conflicts and battles. And he fervently expected him to continue to save him; his hope was always in God. So it was natural for David to want to know and follow and experience His God.

But this prayer of David’s should be the prayer of all believers. God is our savior, and our hope is in him. He will deliver us from all the attacks of the evil one, and safely bring us into his kingdom. So, like David, let’s seek to follow the Lord’s ways rather than the ways of the world. Let’s seek after his truth rather than the alleged “politically correct” truth of this world.

Let’s each learn to put our fullest measure of faith, hope and trust in God alone!

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

Let us now Pray;

My head is high, God, held high;
I’m looking to you, God;
No hangdog skulking for me.

I’ve thrown in my lot with you;
You won’t embarrass me, will you?
Or let my enemies get the best of me?

Don’t embarrass any of us
Who went out on a limb for you.
It’s the traitors who should be humiliated.

Show me how you work, God;
School me in your ways.

Take me by the hand;
Lead me down the path of truth.
You are my Savior, aren’t you?

In Excelsis Deo!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Advent Week 1: Hope for our World, Living Hope into our Darkness, Unto You alone, O God, Do I lift up my Soul.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and the theme is “Hope in the Darkness.” We will take some time for ourselves, something we’re often not very good at doing. The reality is God cares deeply for you before you can do anything for him, and he wants that truth to settle deeply into our hearts today. We will be exploring what it means to have vision for ourselves holistically. How do we set ourselves up for success emotionally, physically and spiritually? The truth is you matter, and it’s my prayer you are strengthened and encouraged today.

Psalm 25:1-10 Names of God Bible

By David.

1 To you, O Yahweh, I lift my soul.
2 I trust you, O my Elohim.
    Do not let me be put to shame.
    Do not let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who waits for you will ever be put to shame,
    but all who are unfaithful will be put to shame.
4 Make your ways known to me, O Yahweh,
    and teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me
    because you are Elohim, my savior.
        I wait all day long for you.
6 Remember, O Yahweh, your compassionate and merciful deeds.
    They have existed from eternity.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my rebellious ways.
    Remember me, O Yahweh, in keeping with your mercy and your goodness.

8 Yahweh is good and decent.
    That is why he teaches sinners the way they should live.
9 He leads humble people to do what is right,
    and he teaches them his way.
10 Every path of Yahweh is one of mercy and truth
    for those who cling to his promise[b] and written instructions.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Psalm 25 is a plea from the depth of a suffering soul to the God in whom the speaker trusts for deliverance and mercy. Yet despite this trust, the text is a cry of utmost desperation. It points directly and decisively to our longing for God not only to deliver us from our troubles, also for God’s light to reveal us fully.

As we enter into this season Advent, we wait for God to see us through the darkness, reveal Himself, to bestow the mercy that we trust God alone to give.

While this reading is limited to verses 1-10, considering the entire Psalm provides a richer understanding of the Psalmist’s prayer.

In many ways, Psalm 25 is a brilliantly woven text. The Psalm as a whole appears to be two prayers woven together: one expressing the experience of a suffering individual who feels the absence of God, and the other expressing a community’s trust in God’s direction and deliverance. The individual and communal voices alternate, with verses 1-7, 11-12, and 16-21 voicing the individual, and verses 8-10, 13-15, and 22 voicing the community. It may be that two prayers were interwoven in this way for use in a worship context.

The result of this interweaving is a compelling prayer that contains all the elements of a lament:

  • Petition: As we see from the first two verses, this Psalm is addressed to God, calling upon God to hear the sufferer’s plea. The speaker pleads for God’s attention to and for deliverance from suffering (verses 1-3 and 16-21), and also for forgiveness of sins of the past, which seem to be haunting the speaker and contributing to that affliction (verse 6-7 and 11-12).

Woven together with this plea is a petition for instruction in following the right path (verses 4-5 and 8-10). While mercy is utterly dependent on God and not on our own deserving, the Psalmist knows that such mercy is most often found by his walking the way that God has provided within the covenant community (verses 10, 13-15).

  • Complaint: While we do not have here a clear description of the precise nature and source of the Psalmist’s suffering, it is clear, however, the situation is dire; the Psalm is rife with the language of shame, guilt, loneliness, and affliction. Whatever the cause of the individual’s suffering, a significant piece of the pain expressed here is the Psalmist’s idea, God’s apparent absence in the midst of it.

This absence of God is a source of shame for the speaker, who is persecuted for maintaining faith in a God who seems either unwilling or apparently unable to respond (verse 2-3 and 20). Indeed, for the Psalmist persecution is a “violent hatred” (verse 19) that further intensifies the very acute pain of the experience.

The Psalm is the Psalmists very heartfelt Appeal to God’s character: Here, the speaker takes this complaint to God precisely because God is the one who can be trusted to provide deliverance. In verses 6-7, 11, and 18, the Psalmist calls on God to make known the steadfast love that characterizes the Divine Reality.

Here we see another example of the brilliant weaving of this Psalm: the appeal unto God’s character is interwoven with a particular plea for forgiveness. “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love . . . Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!” (verses 6-7).

It is as if the speaker is saying, “Remember, God, both who you are and who I am, and forget the sin that seems to stand between us.” The natures of God and of the sin filled, sin darkened human being both seem hidden under deep suffering and deeper shame, and only God’s attention to the afflicted can restore them.

Statements of confidence in God, and promise of sacrifice or praise: These final two elements of Psalms of lament are less explicit and frequent here than in other such Psalms (see Psalm 22).

The speaker asserts his sure and certain trust in God (verse 2), maintains the goodness and uprightness of the Lord (verse 8), and repeats the refrain of waiting for God to respond, implying assurance God’s response will surely and certainly, directly and decisively, timely and succinctly come (verses 3, 5, 21).

The speaker praises God for the sureness of God’s instruction (verses 8-10). But the overlying theme of this lament remains that of the perception of suffering, God’s divine absence; the Psalmist’s faith remains interwoven with fear and doubt, the Psalm ends with a plea for the redemption of all Israel (verse 22).

Advent often seems to come to us as a pinhole of light surrounded by darkness.

The world, with its suffering, its violence, its ruthlessness, at times seems so dark, and the light at tunnels end seems so puny. We want it to be enough, but we’re not really convinced it will be. We fear the light that God has promised won’t really shine in the darkest corners of our world, or of ourselves. And it is only dimly, through that pinhole of light, that we see ourselves, reduced to our shortcomings, and we long for God to look past those faults and really see us.

With the Psalmist, as a community and as individuals, we pray, “See me, God, and show me that mercy and steadfast love for which I long, and which I can receive only from you.” As the season of Advent begins, our hope begins as we cry the lament of Psalm 25, and we wait for the salvation that we know is ours.

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

Let us raise up our souls unto the Lord our God, and enter into a time of prayer.

“O my God, in You I trust, do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.”  

Thank You, Father, that I can place my complete trust in You to keep my soul pure and holy. As we move forth into this season of Advent, Continue to guide me so that I will never be ashamed of my behavior, words or thoughts. I praise You that if I will wait for You and seek after Your heart, I will never be ashamed.

In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

         

My Promise: I WILL Speak about your Written Instructions in the Presence of Kings and I will NOT feel Ashamed!

1. Take the name of Jesus with you,
child of sorrow and of woe;
it will joy and comfort give you;
take it then, where’er you go.
Refrain:
Precious name, O how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
Precious name, O how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of heaven.

2. Take the name of Jesus ever,
as a shield from every snare;
if temptations round you gather,
breathe that holy name in prayer.
(Refrain)

3. O the precious name of Jesus!
How it thrills our souls with joy,
when his loving arms receive us,
and his songs our tongues employ!
(Refrain)

4. At the name of Jesus bowing,
falling prostrate at his feet,
King of kings in heaven we’ll crown him,
when our journey is complete.
(Refrain) Lydia Baxter, 1870

When our Lord and Savior Jesus returns, He promises to evaluate the lives of His followers to see if they have been “ashamed of Him.” In practical terms, what does it mean to be “ashamed” of Jesus? How can we be “ashamed”?

Like Peter when Jesus was on trial, this can mean our denying we are one of His followers and not being willing to acknowledge Him (Mark 14:66-72). It can mean running away when, like the disciples, we are confronted with opposition (Mark 14:50).

Since we are surrounded by an “adulterous and sinful generation,” we can be tempted to make it our first priority to please other people. Rather than being committed to serving Jesus, we can be infinitely more concerned with political correctness, media popularity and sociocultural approval. It can mean rejecting the purity of His Word. It can mean watering Him down, explaining Him away.

As we think about our lives, we need to be aware that these kinds of reactions are possible. The Bible reminds us that we need to make a firm commitment to Jesus and His Word and steadfastly refuse to compromise. Like Paul, we want to be able to teach and preach, “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16).

Ask the Spirit to search your heart. Are you guilty of any compromises? Make sure you have the right priorities and are seeking first His Kingdom. Declare your firm commitment to the Gospel, regardless of what others might say or do.

Psalm 119:41-48 Names of God Bible

41 Let your blessings reach me, O Yahweh.
    Save me as you promised.
42 Then I will have an answer for the one who insults me
    since I trust your word.
43 Do not take so much as a single word of truth from my mouth.
    My hope is based on your regulations.
44 I will follow your teachings forever and ever.
45 I will walk around freely
    because I sought out your guiding principles.
46 I will speak about your written instructions in the presence of kings
    and not feel ashamed.
47 Your commandments, which I love, make me happy.
48 I lift my hands in prayer because of your commandments,
    which I love.
    I will reflect on your laws.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

You just bought a new car and you are proud of it. Then you later see your friend with their new car and you are happy for them too. You want to talk about that new car of your friends so you go home and do the research on it. You realize that your friends purchase was just a wee bit smarter than yours. You were so very set on buying yours that you completely overlooked any and all others.

So, you might start hanging your head feeling embarrassed. You know that phenomenon when you learn about a new car for the first time, and then begin to see it everywhere? Shame is a lot like that. Once we begin to recognize its presence in our lives, we start to see how much emotional space it takes up.

The difficulty with shame, however, is that it encompasses such a wide range of very powerful emotions it can be difficult to define. Perhaps the simplest way to understand shame is to think back on a moment when you just experienced it.

You may have felt embarrassment, discomfort or self-consciousness. Shame can also express itself in much weightier emotions, like when we subtly or suddenly feel, “below standards,” humiliated, inadequate, injured or abused.

So many individuals live under the weight of shame without realizing it because we’ve been conditioned by culture and life experience to accept that feeling as just a normal part of living life. Shame is simply always there; it’s that familiar yet profound feeling that in completely arbitrary way, we do not measure up.

Add to all of that, the pressure we often feel as individuals to be successful, sophisticated and in great shape, we can feel ashamed when we make even the tiniest of mistakes. At its core, an identity of shame is the belief that, in whole or in part, I am not enough. That “not-enoughness” is what drives our shame.

Think about it.

Maybe you regularly view life through the lens of other people’s expectations (whether real or imagined), and we’re beginning to buckle under the pressure. Perhaps you and I feel self-conscious about not having a boyfriend or a happy marriage when all of your friends seem “hyper” content in their relationships.

Perhaps a friend harshly betrayed you, one of your parents was emotionally or physically absent, or your loved one has a secret addiction, and you think it’s all somehow your fault. Maybe you are stressed about your children and how you handle things at home. Perhaps that hyper imposed stress is now at your work.

Yes, it happens. We get scared that we will be rejected by our family, friends and or co-workers. We get scared that people will even tease us. We get scared that we won’t know exactly what to say. We get scared the conversation will be way too awkward. It’s much more comfortable to talk about TV or sport or school.

The voice in your head says, I’m not a very good mother or father, wife or husband. Maybe you feel like the ultimate failure because life got “too” hard, and now your dreams seem out of reach, or you just don’t know who you are anymore.

Maybe you go through life with ever-present feelings of inadequacy; you worry what other people would think if they knew the real you. Shame lurks in all of these things. (I could go on, but at the risk of depressing us all, I’ll stop there.)

In spite of the overwhelming nature of shame, there is good news. The promise of Scripture is that when we turn away from shame, look to God, He transforms our shame into something beautiful — a sparkling, splendorous, vocalized joy.

Psalm 34:1-5 ESV

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.

It may well take a serious amount of time, and there will surely and certainly, always be moments in life when we experience various degrees and measures of shame, but when our identity is centered in Christ — not only knowing who we are in Christ, but knowing who He is in us — we can summarily discard the dark irrational covering of shame and, look inside Christ’s empty tomb and rise in His radiance. In other words, we have shame, but in Him, in His resurrection, shame, like that thoroughly defeated grave, no longer has any grip over us.

Whether you and I are simply having a “not enough” moment, or you and I have been hiding in shame for years, by His resurrection we have hope. You and I can overcome shame, because our Savior Jesus, our Overcomer already has.

There is nothing so healthy and beneficial to the child of God than spending time praising God our Father. Whether you and/or I are living in the valley this day, or you and I have been experiencing the mountaintops, nothing is so great an exercise for our hearts and soul as raising our arms, praising the Lord God!

You can praise Him when you feel good, you can praise Him when you’re sick. You can praise Him when you’re rich, you can praise Him when you’re broke. You can rejoice in Him when you’re happy, you can rejoice when you’re sad.

The Apostle Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4-7) The psalmist sang his song; ” Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” (Psalm 97:12)

Psalm 96:10-13 AKJV

10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth:
the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved:
he shall judge the people righteously.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein:
then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13 before the Lord:
for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth:
he shall judge the world with righteousness,
and the people with his truth.

Oh that our hearts our souls, our knees were in such an exalted place as this;

Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Let the Holy Spirit bring this into our remembrance: Jesus has done the most incredible thing. He has saved us from certain death. He loves us more than anyone ever could. So, unless we have somehow obtained God’s own written permission, do not be ashamed or embarrassed to tell other people about him!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

Dear heavenly Father, I praise You because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. You created us in Your image and not in our own. Through Your great mercy and Your forgiveness You not only remove my shame, You faithfully transformed it into something beautiful and new. And while I don’t fully understand it, I know You have the power to help me overcome shame because You’ve already done so on the cross. Open my heart to experience Your love and mercy. In Jesus’ Name, Alleluia! Amen.

“Let Your Steadfast Love Come to Me, O LORD! Not By Bread Alone – Simply According to Your Biblical Promises”

Our heavenly Father, as believers it is a prime concern how we may live this life. We want so much to know. We want to know from Your Word. We want to know not out of curiosity but out of pure desperation. We want to know not in some academic and detached way but we want to know personally, out of need. There are things that come into our experience every day, some so troubling as to make us question almost everything. And in those moments, Lord, we want to know. We want to know from Your Word, ‘what about Your steadfast love coming unto me?’ ‘How does a Christian live?’ So, I pray, teach us this day from Your Word. We ask all in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you have your Bibles, I’d invite you to turn with me to Psalm 119. We’re going to be looking at the section which runs from verses 41 to 48 as we continue our way through this great psalm on perhaps a new theme, “Not by Bread Alone.”

And yet again we meet a passage from God’s Holy Scriptures here that teaches us how to live. How ought you live the Christian life? Exactly how do you do it?

 Psalm 119:41-48 Names of God Bible

41 Let your blessings reach me, O Yahweh.
    Save me as you promised.
42 Then I will have an answer for the one who insults me
    since I trust your word.
43 Do not take so much as a single word of truth from my mouth.
    My hope is based on your regulations.
44 I will follow your teachings forever and ever.
45 I will walk around freely
    because I sought out your guiding principles.
46 I will speak about your written instructions in the presence of kings
    and not feel ashamed.
47 Your commandments, which I love, make me happy.
48 I lift my hands in prayer because of your commandments,
    which I love.
    I will reflect on your laws.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

How do you live the Christian life? The length and breadth of this Psalm 119 answers not only unambiguously, it answers helpfully. You live the Christian life by faith. You live the Christian life by faith in God, you live the Christian life by faith in His promises, and you live the Christian life by faith in His Word.

I want to look at two things in this very rich passage (verses 41-48). I won’t be able to touch on all the things that the psalmist says in this short devotional, but there are three things that I very much want each of us to concentrate on as we think about how the writings of this psalmist helps us live the Christian life.

OUR SALVATION IS ACCORDING TO PROMISE AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS LIVED BY OUR FAITH, IT IS LIVED BY OUR HOPE AND IT IS LIVED BY LOVE.

And the first one is this, and you’ll see it especially in verse 41. Our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to promise. It’s important for us as believers to get both of those things in our head. Our salvation is from the Lord ALONE and our salvation is according to promise. And what that means is this.

It means two things. It means that our trust must be deliberately, self consciously, specifically focused on the Lord and His Word. And secondly, it means that we must live by faith. Now think about that for just a moment.

Our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to His promise.

That means that our trust must be in Him and in His Word and that we must live by faith. Look at verse 41. “Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise.”

Please notice here where the focus of the psalmist’s trust is decisively directed toward: “Let your steadfast love, let your lovingkindness, come to me, O LORD.”

The psalmist is squarely focused on the Lord here. We’ve seen him do this even with the language that he uses about God’s Law. He won’t even speak about the Law without speaking about God. It’s God’s Law, it’s God’s Word, it’s God’s rules, it’s God’s commands, it’s God’s statues. Over and over he’s reminding himself, “This isn’t just a word. It’s not just a word about God. It’s a word from God. It’s God’s Word. It belongs to Him.” He’s focusing himself on the Word as a Word from God. And here, he focuses the hope of his salvation upon the Lord.

And then he adds, “your salvation according to your promise.” Now what he’s teaching us here is that the only focus of our trust in the Christian life must be 100% deliberately on the Lord and His Word, especially His Word of promise.

And of course, the Psalmist emphasizes such a deliberate, decisive, and directed focus as being a very important aspect of the life of the generations of Israelites which he is writing to in his day and age. Such a magnitude of focused thought plants seeds of God’s inerrant truth in the immediate generation, then forward.

By extension, the Psalmist is reaching into our generations, our Christian life because the focus of our trust in the Christian life is to be deliberately on the Lord and His Word, especially His promises. This is yet another passage that authorizes you and to come to the Lord and plead for His salvation because He’s promised it to us! He’s promised, “Come to Me, ask for My lovingkindness; I’ll give you My salvation!” So we live by pleading those promises. (Matthew 11:28-30) 

The first instinct of the believer in living the Christian life is to resort to the Lord, to trust in the Lord, to seek our salvation from Him and according to His Word by His promise. So that’s the first thing that I want you and me to see. That our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to promise teaches us that the Christian life must be lived by trust in Him and in His Word.

But the second thing that I want you and I to see in connection with that first point that we’re looking at in verse 41 is simply this. That means, obviously, that the way we live the Christian life is by faith. The Christian life is lived by faith. We’re not just justified by faith; we live the Christian life by faith, we live it by hope and we live it by and with our love, and the longer you and I go on the Christian life the more we realize we have to live the Christian life by faith.

There are so many things that you and I cannot make sense of in this life by sight. By sight they simply do not get around to making sense. And so you have to live by faith. And that is a constant refrain from the Word of God itself.

The passage that Paul quotes from Habakkuk when he’s explaining the doctrine of justification by faith says, Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith.” And it is just as true that we are saved by the instrument of faith, receiving the grace of God offered to us in Jesus Christ as He is given to us in the Gospel, it is as true that we are justified by that instrument of faith or according to that instrument of faith but it is also true that we live the Christian life by faith.

The just, those who are declared just by God ALONE, live how? By faith!

Paul says the same thing in Romans chapter 1:17 — “The righteous shall live by faith.” Or think of what he says in Galatians 2:20. “The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Or in Hebrews 10:38 — “My righteous one shall live by faith.” Or in Hebrews 11, the whole point of the whole chapter of which is, “How do you live this life as a believer?” you live by faith! That’s why we are called by God to be believers!

But it’s incredibly hard sometimes, 100% hard sometimes. (Romans 7:14-25)

There are many, many people who call themselves Christians and who are in fact Christians who struggle with that and they struggle with that for a variety of reasons. They will struggle with meeting worldly morals and cultural ethics. They will, as Holy Scriptures requires of them, to align them all up with God. It is the pressure which is asserted from a socio cultural necessity or traditional, “acceptable best practices”, which meets head-on, impacting with God’s Truth. Then it becomes a grave question unto the believer: Which one do I prioritize?

And so I presented my case to Father, Son and Holy Spirit through Prayer, for the truthfulness and the authority and the inerrancy of the Word of God, which ultimately rests upon the fact that my Savior believes God’s whole Word is true.

Matthew 5:17-19 ESV

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

And if my Savior believes the whole Bible is true, it is an act of devotion on my part to believe that the Bible is true. If I’m going to put the whole of my hopes on Jesus and Jesus believes the Bible is true that pretty much does it for me.

But, as Paul wrote in Romans 7:14-25, there are thousands of questions, many absolutely legitimate, which can bother the hearts and minds of believers. You and I run across passages that run against your grain. You and I come to places in the Word of God where God asks you and me to do hard things, come across passages that seem to pose contradictions. What do we do? We walk by faith!

Our salvation is of the Lord. Our salvation is by the Word. Our salvation is according to promise. Therefore the Christian life is lived by faith in the Lord, in His Word, especially in His promise, and do not miss that the Christian life is lived by faith. That’s the first big message that I want you to see in this psalm.

WE MUST BE PREPARED TO BEAR REPROACH FOR THE SAKE OF THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD

The second one is this. And really there’s a sense in which this second point is one of the main themes of this whole section.

Look at verses 42 and 46. The psalmist says that he’s going to trust in the Lord in His lovingkindness, in His salvation, in His Word, and in His promise. Why?

Verse 42 — “then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me.”

Ah-ha! Now we see the context in which he’s making this declaration. He’s standing up for the Lord, he’s standing for the Word, and he’s expecting to be taunted, mocked, ridiculed, made fun of! And then we see it again.

Look at verse 46. “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame.” By the way, over and over as I’ve read that verse over the last several days, I’ve wondered to myself, “I wonder if Paul meditated on Psalm 119 verse 46 after he made his determination to go before Caesar’s Supreme Court in Rome and testify to the Gospel. I wonder if that verse was one of the verses that he meditated on. “Lord, I will testify to You before kings.”

Clearly the context is a testimony that the Psalmist fears could bring shame and reproach upon him in the eyes of his enemies. And so what do we learn from this psalm? We learn that we must be prepared to bear reproach for the sake of God, the Gospel, and the truth of God’s Word. That is hugely important. It is hugely important for all of us who are alive in this ‘cancel culture’ day and age.

It is especially important for you my younger friends and readers. You are already living in a culture where to believe things that two thousand years of believers have believed will bring reproach on you, you might be ‘cancelled!”

But, fear not, for the ancient authors of our scriptural passages have addressed this very real concern. Read, Study, Pray and Meditate through: 1 Peter 3:8-22 and James 1:1-17, John 16:25-33, and John 17 – Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer). And please do not limit yourself to these few passages listed here. There are many such promises throughout the length and breadth of Holy Scriptures.

Romans 15:4-6 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

Let your love, God, shape my life
    with salvation, exactly as you promised;
Then I’ll be able to stand up to mockery
    because I trusted your Word.
Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever—
    your commandments are what I depend on.
Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me,
    guard it now, guard it ever;
And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces
    as I look for your truth and your wisdom;
Then I’ll tell the world what I find,
    speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!—
    relishing every fragment of your counsel.

In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving! Covering God and Each Other With Love and Grace!

United States President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation: https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-sources-2/article/thanksgiving-proclamation-of-1789/

Psalm 100 The Message

100 1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Psalm 100 is a climactic “mountain top” expression of thanksgiving. David tells us to acknowledge that ONLY the Lord is our God. How ought we do that? We acknowledge him when we shout and sing our praises, appreciate his status as our creator, accept his authority in every detail of life, enthusiastically agree with the guidance he gives us, and express our thanks for his unfailing love.

God created us; we did not create ourselves. Many people live as though they are the creator and center of their own little world. They believe they choose their own lifestyles, determine their own boundaries, and decide their own values.

This mind-set leads to pride, self-glorification, greed, and idolatry. But if everything were taken away, they would lose hope itself. When we realize that God created us and gives us all we have, we will want to give to others as God has given to us. Then, even if all is lost, we still have God and all he provides.

God created us, we belong to him. We find joy and hope in the relationship because the Creator God is our good, loving Shepherd. God by creating the world, established his power and authority to rule it. This calls for our praise.

God is the Creator who spoke our world into existence. He has total control over the chaotic waters out of which he called forth the land – heights and depths – land and sea. Thus he rules all, and we respond naturally in humble yet raucous worship. We need not create any reason or rationale for fear from any part of his creation. We need only fear the Lord God, that is, revere and worship him.

We have to worship God as a Church — God’s Family and Community – God’s people have abundant reasons to praise him. This verse 3 gives three reasons.

1. The Lord is God. He alone created the universe and is, therefore, Lord of creation.

2. God made us in his image. In His Image He Created Us! We are not our own creators, makers, shapers or shakers. We are not the potter, we’re but the clay.

3. God shepherds his people. He is involved intimately in the lives of his people. God’s people are thus a worshiping, praising and thanksgiving community.

Thanksgiving — Thanksgiving is a vital part of the community’s coming together in God’s house for worship. We should enter his presence with thanksgiving reverence and submission. The call to worship of Psalm 100 is a vital prayer in the congregation’s corporate worship. It calls for worship and obedience. Its speech to the congregation is at the same time prayer to God.

Praise — God’s word, God’s character, God’s creation, and God’s rule are compelling reasons to join the congregation in thanksgiving and praise. Music and singing are poetic ways to praise God. God’s unfailing covenant love is the overriding basis for all human praise. Praise includes a call to the congregation and community to join in praise for God’s creation, His mercy and faithfulness.

Faithfulness — God’s faithfulness is more than an abstract characteristic. Faithfulness finds its truest expression in action. God’s acts have a purpose. They carry out his dependable promises. God is not fickle. His good, loving faithfulness and Sovereignty remains the same forever. We can count on him.

Sovereignty — The sovereignty of God, his authority and power to rule over the world and achieve his purposes. He accomplishes his own plans for his creation. His sovereignty thus leads to salvation that he offers to his people.

Salvation — Blessing – God blesses the nation who owns him as Lord. This is his eternal plan to which he steadfastly commits himself. It means God’s basic work is to save a people for fellowship and worship with him. (Psalm 33:10-12)

Fellowship — Relationship to God – God, the Creator, is sovereign over all his creation, including every human. Any creature, whether great or small, is ultimately subservient to the Creator. Most remarkably, the sovereign God is defined by Love and Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness, so he uses his sovereign knowledge and power for our good. He delivers us from sin, evil, and from all threatening forces, and allow us to be covered by his salvation and Justice.

Justice — God’s righteousness and justice are closely related ideas. His justice grows out of his righteousness. God’s strongest positive feeling, his love, goes out to everything which establishes what is right and just in this world.

Grace and Love — God’s grace and love are basic to his character. No conflict exists between his love and righteousness in verse 5, they are virtually used as synonyms. Righteousness is the ultimate goal he loves to achieve in his world. His truest love is the goal his people seek justice, peace and joy in their distress.

The goal of society should be establishing right and justice because God loves and embodies these characteristics. The believer, in praise and worship, sees evidence of these divine qualities filling our world. God alone is worthy of being worshiped. What is your attitude toward worship? Do we gracefully, willingly, joyfully come into God’s presence, or are we just going through the motions, reluctantly whispering “thanks”? Has a recent disagreement left us fuming?

Doesn’t matter! Whatever circumstances we are facing in this moment or during this pandemic. Remember! this psalm 100 tells us to lay aside the cares of “normal” life and remember God’s goodness and dependability. This will change our attitudes and enable us to worship with thanksgiving and praise!

The climax to this series of praises of the Lord’s universal reign is a shout of joy. We praise him joyfully as God, Creator, and Shepherd. We give thanks because he is Sovereign, good, loving, and forever faithful. He is Just and our Redeemer gives us justice, love, joy, peace and Salvation. Because the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Blanket your Neighbors with Shouts of Praise and “ALL THANKS BE TO GOD!”

Enter into His Presence! Praise the Lord and give ALL thanks unto him! Amen.

God Bless you all.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray,

God, like the Israelites in the wilderness, we too have known Your love, and experienced Your care and provision. You invite us to extend that love to the world around us—to care for others as deeply as we care for ourselves. So we bring the needs of our world before You now. In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the many who do not have enough:  enough food to eat, or shelter to keep warm;  enough employment, or money to pay their bills; also enough medicine or medical care. Lord, in Your mercy, by your grace, hear our prayer.

We also pray for those who have more than enough,  but who still struggle to find meaning and purpose in life;  who indulge in dangerous or self-serving activities to dull their pain or loneliness. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Creator God, Your grace reaches out to all of us. You call us to live as citizens of heaven, working together with one heart and mind. Strengthen us to live in a manner worthy of the Good News we have received, offering our lives in service of Your kingdom, where the last are first, and the first are last, there is grace enough for all, for all lives matter to You. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, Amen.

The Spirit Knows! Our True Happiness Is in Understanding and Obedience!

I have heard the words over and over again, Happiness comes from Obedience! Yet, I also think and pray to myself Lord, so much of the Bible seems hard and way too confusing, and that has made me put it down and become discouraged.

My mind has a tendency to follow one too many rabbit trails and things that are moving me further and further away from the perfect heart of God.  My fervent desire is to submit my whole mind to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit and then I can hopefully stay closer to the practical application of God’s truth.

Now through my further efforts to stay true to God, I ask God to forgive me for that horribly bad decision. Holy Spirit, Come! Create in me a fresh desire for remaining true to Your Word, and grace for an understanding far beyond what I knew before. Jesus, teach me and guide me as I read and study. I know now that our true happiness is found in Your instructions, and I simply want to dive into a significantly deeper relationship with God from now on. For Jesus’ sake alone!

Psalm 119:33-40 Names of God Bible

33 Teach me, O Yahweh, how to live by your laws,
    and I will obey them to the end.
34 Help me understand so that I can follow your teachings.
    I will guard them with all my heart.
35 Lead me on the path of your commandments,
    because I am happy with them.
36 Direct my heart toward your written instructions
    rather than getting rich in underhanded ways.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things.
    Give me a new life in your ways.
38 Keep your promise to me
    so that I can fear you.
39 Take away insults, which I dread,
    because your regulations are good.
40 I long for your guiding principles.
    Give me a new life in your righteousness.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

John Wesley traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years; preached 4,000 sermons; produced 400 books; he knew well ten languages.  At the age of eighty-three he was annoyed that he could not write more than fifteen hours a day without hurting his eyes, and at eighty-six he was ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day.  He complained in his diary that there was an increasing desire to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning. (Source unknown).

What drives us to such a length of devotion? Such a deep desire to be obedient?

Answer? Understanding born of the Holy Spirit! Knowledge born of the Holy Spirit! God’s leadership through His Word is the pathway to personal revival. God’s Word is not a document to be learned but a path to be followed. He does not promise His route to be the smoothest but the direct route to His blessings, to our true place of indescribable Shalom, our genuinely abundant happiness.

Reading and re-reading, study and more study, praying and fervent praying without ceasing, our thoughts ever more focused on God in Christ Jesus above, making sense of the ever our changing morality and politically defined ethics, to seek more and more of the desires of Lord alone in the way we should go. I have this constant battle within myself to try and comprehend “God’s desires.”

God’s desire is to capturing our minds (vv. 33-34).

God’s teaching ministry is essential for obedience. “Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end” (v. 33)

God’s enlightening ministry is essential for our desiring greater obedience. “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law…” (v. 34).

God’s desire is, through our obedience, to be channeling our hearts (vv. 35-37).

God directs our will. “Make me go in the path of thy commandments…” (v. 35a).

God, through our obedience, directs our emotions. “…for therein do I delight.” (v. 35b).

God, through our obedience, directs our heart. “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies.” (v. 36)

God, through our obedience, directs our eyes. “Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity. (v. 37).

God’s desire is, through our obedience, to be directing our focus (v. 38-40).

God, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, through our obedience, focuses us to understand His Word. “Stablish thy word unto thy servant…” (v. 38a).

God, through our obedience to His Statutes, outlined through His Word, focuses us to not be fearful of men …“who is devoted to thy fear.” (v. 38b).

God, through our raised spiritual awareness, discernment and understanding, focuses us to turn from our sinful ways; “Turn away my reproach.” (v. 39).

God, through our raised spiritual awareness, discernment, and understanding, directs us, focuses and refocuses us to be obedient to His Word. “…I have longed after thy precepts.” (v. 40).

The ability to understand and minister from the Bible is something which God, through the Holy Spirit, gives to us. Awareness, Discernment, Understanding are spiritual gifts from God, not something we conjure from within ourselves.

As Christians we have the ultimate opportunity in life to have God, by the Holy Spirit to give us perfect counsel and direction. He has a perfect knowledge and an understanding of what is best. He has perfect knowledge of what works and what will have poor results. He is so far superior to everyone else combined that no one has anything, even some small discovery, for which they can teach God.

To receive these gifts of awareness, discernment and understanding we need to read, pray, recognize our position as Christ’s servant who needs understanding. In order to properly understand and draw insights from stories in the Bible, we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit working within us for God’s understanding.

We cannot arrive at the same understanding that God has through intellectual reasoning. God gives us understanding when we ask Him for it, but we can not get it on our own or buy it through a college education. Spiritual understanding requires the Holy Spirit not the intellect, in order to have it and to understand it. However, we have to first PRAY, to ask God to give us understanding and then study the Bible diligently to find the understanding that God has for us to know.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now engage the living, ever transformational word of God in a time of prayer, meditation;

God, teach me lessons for living
    so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
    my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
    I love traveling this freeway!
Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom,
    and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
    invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
    promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
    but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
    preserve my life through your righteous ways!

In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

For The Spirit Searches All Things, The Spirit Understands All Things! Much More Like Jesus, Less Like Me.

Accepting the Risk! Taking the Risk! Knowing God’s will and having fellowship with God require spiritual understanding. Oh Jehovah, give me understanding according to Your word, and I shall live. Your understanding is unsearchable!

Psalm 119:33-40 Names of God Bible

33 Teach me, O Yahweh, how to live by your laws,
    and I will obey them to the end.
34 Help me understand so that I can follow your teachings.
    I will guard them with all my heart.
35 Lead me on the path of your commandments,
    because I am happy with them.
36 Direct my heart toward your written instructions
    rather than getting rich in underhanded ways.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things.
    Give me a new life in your ways.
38 Keep your promise to me
    so that I can fear you.
39 Take away insults, which I dread,
    because your regulations are good.
40 I long for your guiding principles.
    Give me a new life in your righteousness.

The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

THE SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING

The feelings of an understanding heart give us the sweet spirit of assurance of not only knowing but doing what is right, no matter what the circumstances. As we read God’s Word, it’s the Spirit of Understanding that will reveal and expose these things so that we can “deal” with them.

When we do not diligently read, study and pray over the Word, the Spirit of Understanding is not allowed to operate, then we will not be able to see or find our way. Hosea 4:14 says “…people that do not understand shall fall.”

How many times have you and I sat down for devotions and read God’s Word, gotten up and have found ourselves unable to remember a thing we had read?

Well, I believe it can be said, God’s Spirit of Understanding was not operating.

The Spirit of Understanding is God’s supernatural revelation – His secret insights to His Word. The Spirit of God illuminates our hearts and gives us understanding of His Wisdom. In other words, He “turns on the lights for us.” (Nancy Missler – https://www.khouse.org/articles/1996/138/)

It gives us discernment. When you have understanding, you’ll see the following things in your life:

— You’ll understand what’s going on behind the scenes. You’ll be able to piece together what’s really happening.

— You’ll perceive why people act the way they do.

— You’ll find it easier to see people and situations with God’s eyes and maintain His perspective.

— You’ll be able to discern the cause of things that you deal with from day to day and God’s timing more easily.

No matter how good a man or woman believes their understanding is, it is not enough for any of us to know the true and genuine will of God for any of them.

Knowing and living in God’s will for us and having fellowship with God requires spiritual understanding. Only spiritual understanding leads one to the realm of the Spirit and enables one to know and live in God’s will. Fleshly understanding enables one to know some superficial truths, but these surface truths will only briefly remain in one’s mind. Spiritual understanding can transform what it has superficially understood into abundant life because it comes from the Spirit.

God’s Holy Spirit, A spirit of revelation and spiritual understanding go side by side with each other. God has given each and everyone of us a spirit of wisdom and revelation; by His grace, He has also given us spiritual understanding. The wisdom and revelation from Him we receive in our spirit must be realized by the “ah ha” understanding before we can know the real meaning of the revelation.

Revelation is what we receive from God; understanding is comprehending the revelation we have received from God. Spiritual understanding expresses to us the meaning of all the movement within our spirit; it enables us to know some measurable degree and measure God’s will. It gives us permission to: “Risk It!”

Our connection, our fellowship with God relies on our spirit receiving God’s revelation, on the intuition of our spirit sensing this revelation, and on the gift of spiritual understanding to interpret the meaning of this revelation. Our own surface understanding can never resolve anything. When our spirit enlightens our surface understanding, the latter knows the purpose of God’s movement.

Spiritual enlightenment comes through the diligent exercise of daily prayer.

The 5th stanza of Psalm 119 continues a prayer which the psalmist began in stanza 4 and continues uninterrupted into the 6th stanza through verse 49.

As you read and re-read and pray over this 5th stanza of the psalm, notice just what the psalmist prays for. He longs to be taught how to have a heart for God.

33. Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;
and I shall keep it to the end.
34. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law;
I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35. Make me to go in the path of your commandments;
for I delight in it.
36. Incline my heart unto your testimonies,
and not to covetousness.
37. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life according to your way.
38. Establish your word to your servant,
as it produces reverence for Thee.
39. Turn away my reproach which I fear:
for your judgments are good.
40. Behold, I have longed after your precepts:
Revive me through your righteousness.

The psalmist knew that a humble heart before God requires prayer.

To keep his heart right before God, he had to be teachable (119:33), humble (119:34), go forward in God’s power (119:35), incline his heart to the word (119:36), focus his eyes in God’s direction (119:37), be grounded in his faith (119:38-39), and rely on God’s grace.

These are the things he prayed for, and this gives us an example of how to pray for ourselves, those we love as we live our day to day lives. This is also a guide in how to pray for the leaders of our country at this crucial time in our history.

Let’s take a look at these prayer concerns one at a time:

First, to be teachable means not only to be open to learn from God’s Word, but to actively apply what we’ve been taught. It means to be practical and not just ideological. God does not teach us so we can proudly share our learning with others and espouse grand ideas. God teaches us for the purpose of reaching out to others in practical ways to help make life better, not just for ourselves, but for others whom God calls our neighbors, and especially for those in need.

Secondly, the psalmist observed the need for humility. It should humble us that the Creator of the universe reaches down from eternity, not only to teach us through His Word, but to give us a measure of understanding through the power of His Holy Spirit. Does that inspire you to humble yourself and obey?

Thirdly, as we open our hearts and minds to learn, we need to pray for the will and the power to risk doing His work in the sphere where He has placed us. It is God who gives us to power to “go“ to “risk”– to act in His will and in His Name.

Fourthly, as we go forward, we need to go with hearts yielded to God. And we need to go with “all our heart”. Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:28-34

It is God who keeps our hearts from straying into the world and the worlds’ ways. He is the one who protects our hearts from being carried away by worldly philosophies and lusts. It is God who draws our hearts to Himself and reveals the “excellence of obedience” (Charles Spurgeon). Is your heart safe, is my heart safe in the loving hands of God or any safer straying into the clutches of the world?

The mention of covetousness in verse 36 leads the psalmist to pray next (fifth request) for his eyes, asking God to keep them focused in the right direction — upon Him and His ways, turned away from worldly, fleshy, lusty temptation.

Remember that sin entered the world through the “lust of the eye”. That is a warning that we need to be aware of the dangers of the world as they press in upon us. Our eyes need to be open and not shut, but our focus is important. Our focus is to be upon God, His Word, and His ways.

It is clear the psalmist realizes his total dependence upon God, as his sixth request is for his faith to be established. Faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9), and it is established as we become firmly grounded in God’s truth and live lives that honor Him. In this way we remain steadfast and persevere in the face of temptation. As God’s children, we have no need to fear the judgments of men, but we must have deep reverence for God’s judgments which are good.

Finally, the prayer closes with a desire for God’s grace to go forward with hope and resolve to live a life of righteousness. And should not we all have that one longing as we read and study, and pray and meditate daily upon God’s Word?

This fifth stanza of Psalm 119 is the Psalmists sure prayer of hope — hope in God and in the power of His life changing Word. Do you and I cling to the effort of trying to place ourselves deep inside the Psalmist’s hope? Is his hope ours?

Beloved Scottish pastor George MacDonald, wrote: “Hope in the God who first breathed into your nostrils the breath of life; that He would at length so fill you with His breath, His mind, His Spirit, that you should think only His thoughts, and live His life, finding therein your own life, only glorified infinitely.”

For The Spirit Searches All Things, The Spirit Understands All Things! My only prayer now is that I become Much More Like Jesus, a Whole Lot Less Like Me.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Let us now Pray;

God, teach me lessons for living
    so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
    my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
    I love traveling this freeway!
Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom,
    and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
    invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
    promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
    but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
    preserve my life through your righteous ways!

In Excelsis Deo!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.