Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10, ESV)
The words they had heard did remind them that God punishes sin, but also that God blesses obedience. That was reason to celebrate. They had NOT been utterly destroyed as a nation, in SPITE of their sin, and were, by God’s grace, on the brink of a new beginning. Our God promises us joy!
And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,—Exodus 34:6 (NKJV)
I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:8-11
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.—2 Cor 4:17-18
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Nehemiah chapter 5 & 6
Chapter 5 closes with a short version of Nehemiah’s term as governor in the land of Judah describing the good that he did. The last verse of Chapter 5 says this...
“Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.”
I love that. Everything Nehemiah did was because he feared God. If God remembered what he had done than no one else had to. Nehemiah was NOT a people pleaser. He lived to please His God. ❤️
That was a good thing because the Governor of Judah had enemies. People who did not have his best interests at heart but pretended otherwise...people who heaped evil upon him for the good he had done. Chapter 6 outlines some of their attempts to destroy him either by slandering him or ruining his godly testimony. Nehemiah, however, had the best weapon at his disposal and used it often. He was a man of prayer. He lived in communion with His God. Below are two examples of his prayers...
Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart." For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done." Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.—Nehemiah 6:8-9
My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.—Nehemiah 6:14
Nehemiah had much against Him but His God was for him...God heard his prayers and thwarted his enemies at every turn.
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.—Nehemiah 6:15-16
Ending with a portion of the OYB Psalm today because it is just so perfect in conjunction with the reading in Nehemiah.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.—Ps 33:8-12
“Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.”
I love that. Everything Nehemiah did was because he feared God. If God remembered what he had done than no one else had to. Nehemiah was NOT a people pleaser. He lived to please His God. ❤️
That was a good thing because the Governor of Judah had enemies. People who did not have his best interests at heart but pretended otherwise...people who heaped evil upon him for the good he had done. Chapter 6 outlines some of their attempts to destroy him either by slandering him or ruining his godly testimony. Nehemiah, however, had the best weapon at his disposal and used it often. He was a man of prayer. He lived in communion with His God. Below are two examples of his prayers...
Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart." For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done." Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.—Nehemiah 6:8-9
My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.—Nehemiah 6:14
Nehemiah had much against Him but His God was for him...God heard his prayers and thwarted his enemies at every turn.
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.—Nehemiah 6:15-16
Ending with a portion of the OYB Psalm today because it is just so perfect in conjunction with the reading in Nehemiah.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.—Ps 33:8-12
Pray...Watch...Work
Life lesson from Nehemiah for me...
Pray...Watch...Work
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.—Nehemiah 4:9
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.—Nehemiah 4:6
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."—Matt 26:41
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.—Phil 2:13
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen—Hebrews 13:20-21
Pray...Watch...Work
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.—Nehemiah 4:9
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.—Nehemiah 4:6
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."—Matt 26:41
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.—Phil 2:13
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen—Hebrews 13:20-21
Comfort Food...
Reading through Nehemiah for me is like eating comfort food. It reads in many places like a diary and makes life at that time jump off the page. It is so down-to-earth and every day real...it encourages my faith.
Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.
29 After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house.—3:28
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work—4:6
And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."—4:14
So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.—4:23
Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.
29 After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house.—3:28
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work—4:6
And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."—4:14
So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.—4:23
Nehemiah 1
So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.— Nehemiah 1:4
Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.—Nehemiah 2:4
Nehemiah was a leader, he was a mover and a shaker but what I see most in the life of Nehemiah is that he was a man of prayer.
Reading through Ch 1, verses 5-11 tells me that Nehemiah had a genuine, active and dependent relationship with his God. The content of his prayer tells me that they sprung from a heart that truly believed God is who He says He is. I love that! I so want to emulate the relationship Nehemiah fostered with God! I want my prayers to come from a heart that believes God. I want My Father in heaven to be the first person I think about when I awake and the last person on my heart as I drop off to sleep. I want an awareness of His Presence continually so that my calling on Him becomes as natural as breathing.
Believing with Nehemiah that:
The LORD IS...
merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.fn
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.—Ps 103:8-18
Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.—Nehemiah 2:4
Nehemiah was a leader, he was a mover and a shaker but what I see most in the life of Nehemiah is that he was a man of prayer.
Reading through Ch 1, verses 5-11 tells me that Nehemiah had a genuine, active and dependent relationship with his God. The content of his prayer tells me that they sprung from a heart that truly believed God is who He says He is. I love that! I so want to emulate the relationship Nehemiah fostered with God! I want my prayers to come from a heart that believes God. I want My Father in heaven to be the first person I think about when I awake and the last person on my heart as I drop off to sleep. I want an awareness of His Presence continually so that my calling on Him becomes as natural as breathing.
Believing with Nehemiah that:
The LORD IS...
merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.fn
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.—Ps 103:8-18
Psalm 31:14-15a
What freedom and peace is ours when we come to that place of trust....where we can say as Jesus did, "nevertheless, not My will but Yours, be done." What a blessing to have such an awareness of His presence and an assurance of His care and of His perfect love that we can say as David did in Psalm 31:
But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand;—Ps 31:14-15a
Or as Jeremiah did in the hands of his enemies...
As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you.--Jeremiah 26:14
Jeremiah truly knew that despite how it looked from the outside, he was always in the palm of God's hand. He knew that whatever happened to him, God was controlling it all and protecting him. God is near...we live in His presence. He goes with you wherever you go. He is not a God afar off....He is near at hand.
Praying that each of us can meet each moment with this kind heart attitude of explicit trust and acceptance of His will...That, by faith, we would walk with Him in agreement...and dwell in the shelter of His perfect love knowing that He really does perfect all that concerns us and performs all things for us.
But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand;—Ps 31:14-15a
Or as Jeremiah did in the hands of his enemies...
As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you.--Jeremiah 26:14
Jeremiah truly knew that despite how it looked from the outside, he was always in the palm of God's hand. He knew that whatever happened to him, God was controlling it all and protecting him. God is near...we live in His presence. He goes with you wherever you go. He is not a God afar off....He is near at hand.
Praying that each of us can meet each moment with this kind heart attitude of explicit trust and acceptance of His will...That, by faith, we would walk with Him in agreement...and dwell in the shelter of His perfect love knowing that He really does perfect all that concerns us and performs all things for us.
Ezra 10
Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives. Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, "It is so; we must do as you have said. (Ezra 10:10-11, ESV)
I remember listening to Pastor Chris teaching on repentance many years ago. He would always tell us that repentance looked like something....that you could, in effect, see it. It was about doing a 180 degree turn and going in the opposite direction of where you had been headed. That picture he painted has been very helpful to me over the years. The two essential elements of repentance are here in the above verses...
Confess....meaning to agree with what God says about your sin and
Do His will...taking righteous action to separate from sin.
Repentance is a decision to stop whatever it is that you are doing that is sin and instead do the will of Your Father in heaven.
I remember listening to Pastor Chris teaching on repentance many years ago. He would always tell us that repentance looked like something....that you could, in effect, see it. It was about doing a 180 degree turn and going in the opposite direction of where you had been headed. That picture he painted has been very helpful to me over the years. The two essential elements of repentance are here in the above verses...
Confess....meaning to agree with what God says about your sin and
Do His will...taking righteous action to separate from sin.
Repentance is a decision to stop whatever it is that you are doing that is sin and instead do the will of Your Father in heaven.
Psalm 31...
In You, O LORD, I put my trust...For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.—Psalm 31:1;5
I hear the Lord Jesus here...I hear His prayer to His Father from the cross. What a privilege that my heart can pray this same prayer now...in Christ...acknowledging like He did my trust and complete dependence on OUR Father in heaven. Like Jesus I will not be ashamed...I have placed my trust in God, MY Father. God would not leave His Son in Sheol...His confidence was not misplaced. In His righteousness God would deliver Him who had humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name...I am in Christ...
“By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected King, is resurrecting me
In Your name I come alive
To declare Your victory
The resurrected King, is resurrecting me”
—Resurrecting by Elevation Worship
You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.—Psalm 31:1;5
I hear the Lord Jesus here...I hear His prayer to His Father from the cross. What a privilege that my heart can pray this same prayer now...in Christ...acknowledging like He did my trust and complete dependence on OUR Father in heaven. Like Jesus I will not be ashamed...I have placed my trust in God, MY Father. God would not leave His Son in Sheol...His confidence was not misplaced. In His righteousness God would deliver Him who had humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name...I am in Christ...
“By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected King, is resurrecting me
In Your name I come alive
To declare Your victory
The resurrected King, is resurrecting me”
—Resurrecting by Elevation Worship
Ezra 9
And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.—Ezra 9:6
O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!"—Ezra 9:15
So much ingratitude...so much trampling and despising on the mercy of God. So much evil returned for the goodness shown to them by their God. Nehemiah and Malachi later encountered the same sin. Neither God’s wrath in the exile, nor His grace in the return was enough to keep them from defecting again. Truly, Ezra says it all when he says “here we are before you in our guilt”. They were without excuse, as are we. There was nothing and there is nothing else to say.
They reward me evil for good,
To the sorrow of my soul.—Psalm 35:12
O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!"—Ezra 9:15
So much ingratitude...so much trampling and despising on the mercy of God. So much evil returned for the goodness shown to them by their God. Nehemiah and Malachi later encountered the same sin. Neither God’s wrath in the exile, nor His grace in the return was enough to keep them from defecting again. Truly, Ezra says it all when he says “here we are before you in our guilt”. They were without excuse, as are we. There was nothing and there is nothing else to say.
They reward me evil for good,
To the sorrow of my soul.—Psalm 35:12
Psalm 30:4-5 - Singing in Heartbreak...
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. —Ps 30:4-5
I needed these verses today. I can sing in my heartbreak. I can give God praise! No trial lasts forever. His word testifies to this. Your steadfast love, Father, is better than life, my lips will praise you. Look with me and be encouraged by our Gods good word to us.
then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. (Job 33:26, ESV)
For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7-8, ESV)
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalms 126:5-6, ESV)
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:20-22, ESV)
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV)
I needed these verses today. I can sing in my heartbreak. I can give God praise! No trial lasts forever. His word testifies to this. Your steadfast love, Father, is better than life, my lips will praise you. Look with me and be encouraged by our Gods good word to us.
then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. (Job 33:26, ESV)
For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7-8, ESV)
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalms 126:5-6, ESV)
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:20-22, ESV)
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV)
Thinking I Am Something - 1 Cor 3:5-8
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Just servants through whom you believed [in Christ], even as the Lord appointed to each his task. I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was causing the growth. So neither is the one who plants nor the one who waters anything, but [only] God who causes the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one [in importance and esteem, working toward the same purpose]; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.—1 Cor 3:5-8 AMP
I don’t know about you, but I need a good portion of 1 Corinthians 3 written out where I can see it every day. Without God’s word, which brings the sobering truth to my heart, my thoughts can go awry. I can begin to think of myself more highly than I ought to think...never ever good. Oh Father...keep me from the folly of me. Of thinking I am something.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.—Romans 12:3
As servants we serve...we do what God tells us to do using the gifts He has graciously given us. Some of us preach...some of us encourage and exhort and some of us pray, but the actual work of salvation can only be done by God. I thank God for that. What a relief to my heart. I am not in charge, and I am not in control. The results of my work are not up to me. Each of us as God’s servants are on the same team working toward the same goal and each of us will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
I can stop striving. I can stop looking at what others may or may not be accomplishing. I can stop comparing myself with others...which ends in me either feeling lifted up and prideful or condemned. I am His maidservant. I keep my eyes on Him rejoicing to do whatever tasks He has for me, trusting that my work in Him is not in vain. Whatever “I” may accomplish is, as Paul said, only by His grace...the undeserved ability that comes from God to do the work that He called me to do.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.—1 Corinthians 15:57-58
I don’t know about you, but I need a good portion of 1 Corinthians 3 written out where I can see it every day. Without God’s word, which brings the sobering truth to my heart, my thoughts can go awry. I can begin to think of myself more highly than I ought to think...never ever good. Oh Father...keep me from the folly of me. Of thinking I am something.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.—Romans 12:3
As servants we serve...we do what God tells us to do using the gifts He has graciously given us. Some of us preach...some of us encourage and exhort and some of us pray, but the actual work of salvation can only be done by God. I thank God for that. What a relief to my heart. I am not in charge, and I am not in control. The results of my work are not up to me. Each of us as God’s servants are on the same team working toward the same goal and each of us will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
I can stop striving. I can stop looking at what others may or may not be accomplishing. I can stop comparing myself with others...which ends in me either feeling lifted up and prideful or condemned. I am His maidservant. I keep my eyes on Him rejoicing to do whatever tasks He has for me, trusting that my work in Him is not in vain. Whatever “I” may accomplish is, as Paul said, only by His grace...the undeserved ability that comes from God to do the work that He called me to do.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.—1 Corinthians 15:57-58
Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.—Psalm 28:7
When our heart trusts in God, we are helped even before our situation changes. Acknowledging our dependence on our God reminds us that we are not alone. It reminds us that we serve a God who not only performs all things for us but also makes perfect that which concerns us. Our God is FOR us and His grace sustains us as we surrender our hearts and its many cares to Him. As David trusts His God, he is infused with strength and buoyed in his weakness. The Lord protects and shelters him. David trusts and abides under the shadow of the Almighty God and therefore, the Psalm says, his heart greatly rejoices and with his song he praises his God.
I soooo get this. There are days when I walk burdened with cares...cares for myself, cares for my kids, cares for my husband, cares for friends and cares for fill-in-the-blank. Then my heart REMEMBERS that God does not want me burdened with the cares and concerns of this life. He created me to depend on Him and trust Him to get me through it. He WANTS me to give my cares to Him because He knows my frame...He KNOWS I am not sufficient for them. My heart rejoices like David and my burdens are lifted. My God has got them...He hears my cry...He hears all my concerns. He knows what to do in each situation. I am RELIEVED...LIGHTENED. My heart trusted in Him and before He answers I am already helped.
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.—Psalm 28:7
When our heart trusts in God, we are helped even before our situation changes. Acknowledging our dependence on our God reminds us that we are not alone. It reminds us that we serve a God who not only performs all things for us but also makes perfect that which concerns us. Our God is FOR us and His grace sustains us as we surrender our hearts and its many cares to Him. As David trusts His God, he is infused with strength and buoyed in his weakness. The Lord protects and shelters him. David trusts and abides under the shadow of the Almighty God and therefore, the Psalm says, his heart greatly rejoices and with his song he praises his God.
I soooo get this. There are days when I walk burdened with cares...cares for myself, cares for my kids, cares for my husband, cares for friends and cares for fill-in-the-blank. Then my heart REMEMBERS that God does not want me burdened with the cares and concerns of this life. He created me to depend on Him and trust Him to get me through it. He WANTS me to give my cares to Him because He knows my frame...He KNOWS I am not sufficient for them. My heart rejoices like David and my burdens are lifted. My God has got them...He hears my cry...He hears all my concerns. He knows what to do in each situation. I am RELIEVED...LIGHTENED. My heart trusted in Him and before He answers I am already helped.
Psalm 27:13-14
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!—Psalm 27:13-14
Whenever I read vs 13, tears well up in my eyes. Thinking about living with a lost, unbelieving heart...a heart that is empty of Christ and without hope is something that I can no longer even contemplate. When I try, it is like I am falling into a dark bottomless abyss. I am so thankful that whatever I face here in this world, I do not face alone...My God is for me and He is with me. With Him I find mercy. My heart and my flesh fail and my spirit often becomes overwhelmed, but He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Spending time with Him “rights” my thinking, encourages my heart and restores my soul.
I WILL see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living. While I wait for that moment, I WILL strengthen my heart in Him and I WILL stay my mind on His goodness.
“For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.”
I want to live here in this world of the dying in a constant awareness of my God and His grace to me. I want to see His gracious lovingkindness before my eyes always and walk in His truth sharing His love with others.
The Lord is the only One I will wait for...He is my Hope, my Strength, my Song and my Deliverer. As Pastor Tom said yesterday...He is my Becoming One...He becomes for me whatever my need may be.
I can be of good courage and wait on Him. I say with Peter:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!—Psalm 27:13-14
Whenever I read vs 13, tears well up in my eyes. Thinking about living with a lost, unbelieving heart...a heart that is empty of Christ and without hope is something that I can no longer even contemplate. When I try, it is like I am falling into a dark bottomless abyss. I am so thankful that whatever I face here in this world, I do not face alone...My God is for me and He is with me. With Him I find mercy. My heart and my flesh fail and my spirit often becomes overwhelmed, but He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Spending time with Him “rights” my thinking, encourages my heart and restores my soul.
I WILL see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living. While I wait for that moment, I WILL strengthen my heart in Him and I WILL stay my mind on His goodness.
“For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.”
I want to live here in this world of the dying in a constant awareness of my God and His grace to me. I want to see His gracious lovingkindness before my eyes always and walk in His truth sharing His love with others.
The Lord is the only One I will wait for...He is my Hope, my Strength, my Song and my Deliverer. As Pastor Tom said yesterday...He is my Becoming One...He becomes for me whatever my need may be.
I can be of good courage and wait on Him. I say with Peter:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
1 Corinthians 1:4-7
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,—1 Corinthians 1:4-7
We are enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge...so that we come short of no gift. Amen! We have so much to be thankful for this morning!
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.—Psalm 27:6
We are enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge...so that we come short of no gift. Amen! We have so much to be thankful for this morning!
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.—Psalm 27:6
2 Chronicles 33...
And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks,fn bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.—2 Chronicles 33:10-13
Reading through Chapter 33 of 2 Chronicles brought me to Psalm 25. Psalm 51 also came to mind.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.--Psalm 51:17
Manesseh knew what he had to do. He knew what was right. His father had lived it before him. Psalm 25 says this:
Reading through Chapter 33 of 2 Chronicles brought me to Psalm 25. Psalm 51 also came to mind.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.--Psalm 51:17
Manesseh knew what he had to do. He knew what was right. His father had lived it before him. Psalm 25 says this:
“Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.”
It takes humility to make the choices Hezekiah made. It takes humility to bite the bullet, recognize your sinfulness, and cry out to the Lord to save you from it. Thanks to sin, personal humility is something we find repulsive. Like Manesseh...many of us prefer to die in our sins rather than sacrifice our hideous and unmerited pride. We refuse to believe God knows best and thus stubbornly plow straight into a pit. We spurn His precious, glorious, beautiful salvation for an eternity of self-inflicted torment. Thankfully for Manesseh, God, in His kindness, would not let him continue down this wrong path.
Reading the account of the Chaldeans, we learn that Manesseh was afflicted greatly in Babylon. It tells of torture of a horrific scale. This from the Blue letter Bible and Chuck Smith:
"For the Chaldeans made a brazen mule, and pierced it full of small holes, and put him in it. They then kindled fires all around it; and when he was in this affliction, he sought help of all the idols which he had made, but obtained none, for they were of no value. He therefore repented, and prayed before the Lord his God, and was greatly humbled in the sight of the Lord God of his fathers."
God did not give up on Manesseh. Look at what it took though, to bring him to the point where he cried out to the Lord His God. Look at the level of affliction that was necessary to rid him of his pride and bring Him before His God with a broken and contrite heart.
This was not God's vengeance upon Manesseh, this was His mercy and kindness. How much better it was for Manesseh to suffer here on earth for a short while than to suffer eternal torment. God allowed all of Manesseh's afflictions to bring him to His knees...to bring him to a place of safety and protection from the eternal fires of hell.
I am blown away this morning by the depth of the riches both of God’s wisdom and His knowledge, but also of His mercy toward us, His creatures. Truly His judgments are unsearcheable and His ways past finding out. His mercy towards us never ceases and brings to mind the beautiful hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing....
Streams of mercy, never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood; How His kindness yet pursues me, mortal tongue can never tell.
Heart Over Ritual...
For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone "who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary." And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.—2 Chronicles 30:18-20
I love this part...
”And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.”
The Lord looked at their hearts. Heart over ritual. ❤️ What a comfort that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.❤️
So Samuel said:
"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.—1 Samuel 15:22
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.—Romans 2:28-29
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit,fn rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,—Philippians 3:3
I love this part...
”And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.”
The Lord looked at their hearts. Heart over ritual. ❤️ What a comfort that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.❤️
So Samuel said:
"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.—1 Samuel 15:22
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.—Romans 2:28-29
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit,fn rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,—Philippians 3:3
For You Are With Me...
To My Sweet Daughters,
For You are with me...truly some of the most comforting words in Scripture. What sweetness is in this verse! What strength! What peace! He is with me...ALWAYS. In Him I live and move and have my being. When I am weak, He upholds me with His hand. He guides my path. He hears my cry and comforts me in my distress and supplies all of my needs. My God encompasses me with His love and shelters me under His wing.
One of my favorite memories as a child is when my mom would come in and lay with me until I went to sleep. When she was there, my mind was totally at peace...I can still remember how it felt. Totally protected and safe and secure. I can also remember feeling this same way when walking with my dad in the evening. His hand always held mine, and I knew I was safe. I crossed the street when he crossed...it would not have occurred to me to look first. It was safe and pleasant to walk with him...Just like it is safe and pleasant walking when we allow God to lead the way. I did not worry as a child where my dad was going or whether he knew the way home...I just enjoyed the moment and allowed him to lead. Allow the Lord to direct your steps, girls, as a loving parent guides a child.
Are you beginning to see why this verse is a favorite of mine. Thou art with me...causes me to rejoice and shout for joy. It reminds me I am His child. I have no worries or concerns. He will see me through and afterward receive me in glory! I have everything I need in Him...Perfect comfort and perfect peace. Absolute security!!!
Someday I will die and go to be with Him forever. There is no fear...He will be with He loves me with an everlasting love...there is nothing in death that can harm me. When I awake, I will see His face in righteousness; and will be satisfied when I awake in His likeness. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His saints...He will be my guide even unto death. Even now as I go to bed, I will lay down and sleep in peace...He is with me...His eyes never shut.
May each one of you have this assurance always...listen now and hear His loving whisper...I am with you.
Love
Mom
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