True Greatness...

 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. “For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.—Luke 22:25-27

True greatness is found in humility. 

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;—Romans 12:10

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.—Romans 12:16

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.—Philippians 2:1-4

The LORD...Our Mighty Warrior...

 I will love You, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

4 The pangs of death surrounded me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring fire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down

With darkness under His feet.

10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

He flew upon the wings of the wind.—Psalm 18:1-10

Oh I do love You, Lord!   You are my strength and my song and have become my salvation. You are in whom I place my trust!  In my distress, Father, hear me and answer.  You are my mighty warrior who goes before me and fights my battles. 

Truly when You arise, my (Your) enemies are scattered and those that hate You will flee before me (You).  You are a Father of the fatherless and a Defender of widows. You in Your holy habitation set the solitary in families, bring those who are bound into prosperity, but make the rebellious dwell in a dry land. 

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, “Seek My face,”

My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”—Psalm 27:7-8

5 Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down;

Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;

Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.

7 Stretch out Your hand from above;

Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,

From the hand of foreigners,

8 Whose mouth speaks lying words,

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.—Psalm 144:5-8

26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

Who rides the heavens to help you,

And in His excellency on the clouds.

27 The eternal God is your refuge,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

He will thrust out the enemy from before you,

And will say, ‘Destroy!’—Deuteronomy 33:26-27

NOTE:  I snagged this beautiful shot yesterday!  Just in time for a post entitled Our Mighty Warrior!  😀🙃

Hide Me Under the Shadow of Your Wings...

 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, 

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;

I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.,--Psalm 17:8;15

This verse brought to mind similar verses like it that remind me in one way shape or form, that He, my God is my dwelling place.  In Him, the Bible tells us, we live and move and have our being. He is our covering...He is the Becoming One...He becomes whatever we need!  We (ME!) have Him  living inside. This treasure lives in our earthen vessel.  Whether we live or die, we are with Him. 

If you believe, this is your reality.  He, the God of the Universe, dwells inside each one of you.  You can commune with Him always...praying unceasingly.   

Feeling desolate and alone..His presence is with you.  Feeling confused and unsure or in need of guidance...He is your truth and speaks to you through His word.   Feeling unworthy...He died for you...He is your life.  Feeling frightened...He is your peace and your rock.  Feeling grief and sadness...He is your comfort. Feeling weak...He becomes your strength.  Feeling attacked and persecuted...He is your strong tower and goes before you.  Pray and ask Him to increase your faith to live out your life in His presence. Beloved, Your God, DOES go with you...wait on Him and walk with Him in perfect communion.  Commit yourself to Him...Lift up your soul to Him.  Make God your habitation and take refuge under the shelter of His wings and abide in His perfect love.  

  

The promises to those who take shelter in Him are powerful and many!  Read them and be encouraged! 

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. --Psalm 27:5

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah --Psalm 32-7

For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah--Psalm 61:3-4

 

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,--Psalm 17:8

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.  For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.--Psalm 36:7-9

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.--Psalm 57:1-2

then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.--Isaiah 4:5-6

  

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.--Psalm 18:2

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.--Psalm 46:1

 Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.--Psalm 71:3

 I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, "You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. --Psalm 142:5

The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!' --Deuteronomy 33:27

My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah --Psalm 62:5-8

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' " --Isaiah 12:2

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. --Isaiah 26:3

God Almighty —El Shaddai

So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth. Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land." Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel. --Genesis 35:6-15

Jacob is once again in great distress and fearing for his life and that of his family's.  Read Chapter 34 of Genesis for the very sordid...very vile details!  In between anguish and fleeing is where God speaks to Him and tells him to go back to Bethel...to the place where he had gone when running from his brother, Esau...to the place where he had met His God face to face for the first time.  

Jacob obeys and finds God waiting for him at Bethel.  Even when we walk away, our God waits for us to return...to come to our senses once again and remember that our help comes from Him.  So Jacob comes back to the place where he met and wrestled with His God...to the place where his relationship with Him was personal.  If you have walked away, return to Him...return to your first love.  He is waiting patiently for you at the place you first met.  It is there you will find Him again, just as Jacob did.  

Jacob built an altar to God at Bethel and called it El Beth El.  Bethel means house of God but El Beth El means God of the house.  Ahh...Jacob's comfort came from His God!  The building of the altar was not an empty ritual for him.  God was in it!  This was true worship...it was all substance.   It was here that God so graciously renewed His covenant with Jacob.  

And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."

When God calls Himself  God Almighty or in Hebrew El Shaddai, He is literally saying I am the breasted one.   The breast nourishes and sustains life.  God is telling Jacob that He is not only the source of life but the nourisher and sustainer of it also.  In Him, we, like Jacob, have everything we need.  How comforting is that for us!  Our God is the El Shaddai!

I have nursed children.  Nursing is something that requires you to sit down and focus completely on your child. You really can't do much else.  God designed it this way.  It is where the infant meets you face to face for the first time and falls in love.   It is where your personal relationship with your little one is established...as you hold him close and nourish and sustain his life.  This is how my God wants me to think of Him...encompassed in His everlasting arms where every thought and intention of my heart is known by Him and every cry answered.  When God is with us it is as if there is no one else and nothing else in the universe.  He is intensely there...as a mom is with her nursing infant, to be in the presence of God is better than anything  the world has to offer.  He is our great High Priest who can sympathize with all our weaknesses.  He bears our sorrows and trouble. He intercedes for us with the Father. He clothes us in His righteousness.   He is our helper, our deliverer and our sustainer.  His love and grace for each of us is without end.  The height, breadth, width and depth of his love cannot be measured.

As a child is weaned and grows older, by necessity, he grows more independent of his parents.  We tell our kids to grow up and behave like an adult.  The Great El Shaddai  tells us the opposite!  He wants us to behave like a child...to depend on Him in everything and for everything! Jesus modeled this by living His life here on earth in total and utter dependence on His Father in Heaven.  He said nothing and did nothing outside of His Father's will.   If you are a parent, remember this desire of God's in your moment by moment relationship with your little one.  Point Him to Jesus always. Having done that...you have done your job.  Remember it in your own relationship with your Lord.  Think back on the sweetness of the nursing period...think back to when your child was a toddler and was tired, or scared or hurt and how wonderful it felt when they ran to you and climbed into your lap for whatever it was they might have needed.  Remember how wonderful it was to be able to fill that need for them.  REMEMBER THIS AND GO TO HIM IN YOUR TIME OF NEED.  Climb on His lap and allow His comfort to fill you!  It is His joy to do this!!  Your God will rejoice over you with singing and He will comfort and quiet you with His love.  

Life is hard....full of difficulties and curve balls.  It is too much for any of us.  Jesus tells us He is the El Shaddai..."the breasted one".  He does not want us to handle this life on our own.  In fact...He does not want US to handle it at all.  He says to come to Him...cry out to Him...run to Him.  He is the God that performs all things for us.  He is the God that perfects all things that concern us.  We can trust Him.  This is the attitude we need when we first enter God's kingdom....one of total dependence on the mercy of God.  One that understands with heart knowledge, as a child does, that he is helpless and unable to save himself. This also needs to be the heart of a child of God throughout his journey here on earth.  He walks with His God by faith, without fear, knowing that he is loved by his Father and that He will care for his every need.  Revel in the moment.  Walk by faith...cast your burdens upon the Lord...He cares for you.  Know your God, the Great El Shaddai,  is with you and will see you through!

On Forgiveness...

 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.—Matthew 18:21-22

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Um...that is a lot of forgiving.  490 to be specific.  I would lose count...which was apparently Jesus’ point.  Yay me!  

We are to forgive and keep on forgiving...why?  Because we have been shown mercy by our Master and have been forgiven.  As a woman who has been forgiven much, I am so grateful for these words of Jesus and others like them. Psalm 103 comes to mind. Beloved, when Jesus forgives it is forever. 

8 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.—Psalm 103:8-14

Unforgiveness is a prison that has one doorway...going to our Master and asking Him to forgive us for our own unforgiveness toward others.  John MacArthur says in his study on forgiveness (which I have included in the link below) that we are never more like God than when we forgive.  I really liked that.  Beloved, be like God and forgive. If Jesus tells us that we are to be a forgiving people, how much more will He forgive you for not forgiving if you ask Him. 

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.—Ephesians 5:1

https://istwenty63.blogspot.com/2013/07/john-macarthur-reasons-to-forgive.html

The rest of the story from Matthew 18:

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."—Matthew 18:23-35

My Goodness is Nothing Apart from You...

 10 Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

11 So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”—Exodus 3:10-12

Moses had it right here in that he knew he was not sufficient for the task that God had called him to do.  Beloved, truly none of us are!  As the psalmist prays in Psalm 16...

O my soul, you have said to the LORD,

“You are my Lord,

My goodness is nothing apart from You.”—Psalm 16:2

Apart from the Lord we can do nothing good.  In and of ourselves we are insufficient for this life.  I have learned to be grateful for that. It is a gift.  The secret is out.  I don’t have to pretend that I am capable and good enough.  I don’t have to pretend that “I got this” when I don’t.  What a relief to just rest in my God and allow Him to uphold me, to perform all things for and even make perfect that which concerns me.  I can trust Him to see me through this life and guide me to glory.  My burden is lightened and my eyes are on Him who does all things well.  

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

There is No God Like Jehovah!

 And the Lord said [to Moses]: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.’” ~ Exodus 3:7-8, NKJV

Long before Israel cried out to the Lord because of their bondage, the Lord had been preparing their deliverer. When they did cry out, however, He visited Moses in the wilderness as a fire burning in the midst of bush that was not consumed. Exodus 3:2 specifically states that it was “the Angel of the Lord,” who appeared and spoke. The Angel of the Lord is always Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity. He is clearly distinct from angels (lowercase L) as He receives worship and honor due only to God, and as Scripture continuously identifies His words as God's words (even calling Him God). So here we have Jesus Himself coming down from heaven to answer the cry of His people. Israel was so important to Him that when He heard their sorrows, He was unwilling to entrust their deliverance to anyone other than Himself. He came to deliver them. He sent Moses. He brought the plagues. He was the Angel of death. He was the cloud that guided and protected the Israelites after they fled Egypt. He was the pillar of fire that also guided them and warmed them. He was with His people throughout the exodus and through all the years in the wilderness, even when they rebelled against Him. The fact that God Himself came down speaks to at least two things. First, it demonstrates the power of prayer - Israel cried out, and the Maker and Sovereign of the universe acted in response. Secondly, it speaks to the extent of the love of God. As He would later do on the cross, Jesus humbled Himself and came down to meet His people. He is the Great I AM WHO I AM, the Becoming One, who becomes the answer to our every need. Paul writes, “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"' (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, '"Who will descend into the abyss?"' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we preach)..." (Romans 10:6-8) We didn't have to go to great lengths or climb to great heights to meet our Savior. He came to meet us, where we were, in our hour of need, as He did for the Israelites in Egypt, and He continues this practice to this day. (Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, as it says in Hebrews 13:8.) He is near to all those who call upon Him! He is our I AM, the one who supplies all our needs, who sees our sorrows, who hears us when we call, and who always acts on our behalf. There is no God like Jehovah!

By Rebecca

Taking “Me” Out of the Equation...

 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”  17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”—Matthew 17:14-21

I have often wondered (apparently along with the disciples) 😀why they could not cast out this demon.  Putting “me” in their place, it was probably because they, like me, had yet to be dissuaded of their own importance. Their confidence was divided. 

I can so relate!  It is so hard for me to take “me”...my talents, my importance...out of the equation.  Beloved...without God, we can do nothing good! Our sufficiency for all we face is from Him.  To walk in those works that He prepared beforehand for us takes a heart completely surrendered to Him. 

It is difficult for me to know what that looks like practically, but what I said earlier about removing myself from the equation has helped.  Kudos to my husband for that advice. 

What I want in a given situation is not important...what God wants is.  Whatever God-given talents I may or may not possess are likewise not important. God can do anything.  His arm, as the Scriptures tell us, is not short.  There is nothing impossible for God. 

Removing me from the picture leaves only Jesus and what He wants for my life in that moment.  The equation is thus simplified. The cacophony of my clamoring flesh is silenced. I am at peace.  The needs of others and the will of my God are now obvious. My heart is His, and He can then work in me and through me for HIS good pleasure.  This song by Michael Smith comes to mind...

Lord I give You my heart

I give You my soul

I live for You alone

Every breath that I take

Every moment I'm awake

Lord have Your way in me

This is my desire, to honour You

Lord with all my heart I worship You

all I have within me

I give You praise

all that I adore is in You.

How utterly freeing it is to know that this life is not about you and it is not about me.  It is about Him!  Lord...I give You my heart...Have Your way in me today and every day. 

Keeping Your Heart...

Keep your heart with all diligence, 

For out of it spring the issues of life.—Proverbs 4:23

For out of the heart, Jesus tells us in Matthew 15, “proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man. Jeremiah the prophet tells us that our heart is desperately wicked, who can know it?  Jesus also tells us in Matthew 6 that where our treasure is...what we value...there our heart will be also. 

John MacArthur defines the heart this way....

“The “heart” commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason but also includes the emotions, the will, and thus, the whole inner being.  The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech, sight, and conduct.”

In other words, what we allow into our heart through our senses can and will affect our actions.  Beloved, our actions WILL follow what our heart believes. 

An example from my own life.  Over the past several months, I have spent an increasing amount of time reading the news.  I did not reduce the amount of time that I spent in the Word, but, nevertheless, my mind darkened.  My outlook changed.  Why?  Because my mind was focused on the cares and concerns of this world.  As I read, I began to think more and more like a citizen of earth, rather than a citizen of heaven. Very subtly, my hope in Christ was being muted by the evil and hopelessness evident in the world around me.  My thoughts became anxious and my sleep no longer as restful.

What was the antidote? Obviously limiting my time in the news was a good place to start, but saturating myself in the word of God was what was truly needful. I noticed a difference on the very first day.  

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.—Proverbs 4:20-22

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.—Colossians 3:16

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.—Hebrews 4:12

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.—1 Corinthians 15:57

My "Go-To" Psalm...Psalm 13

 

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;

Enlighten my eyes,

Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest my enemy say,

"I have prevailed against him";

Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.—Psalm 13

Psalm 13 is one of my favorites. It is and has been a “go-to” for me when my heart gets overwhelmed with the cares and concerns of this world. 

I like it because it is a beautiful picture of prayer and the ability it has to change us.  I like it because, for me, it is a testimony that God waits for us to come to Him, and, when we do, He hears our cry and sustains us with His grace.  I like it because I can relate.  

In six short verses, David goes from feeling hopeless and forgotten in verse 1 to rejoicing in verses 5 and 6.  I so get this!  There is ongoing long term sorrow in my life that only God can fix and that only God can sustain me through.  So often over the course of the past 10 plus years I have run to Him with a heart filled with grief and sorrow, and I have come away rejoicing. Like David, God is my strong habitation to which I continually resort.  His love never fails.  His mercy toward me is great, and I am always helped.

In verse 1 and 2 we find David in a prolonged trial where God seems hidden from him. He is troubled and despondent.  In verses 3 and 4  David shares his heart with God and expresses his desires.  In Verses 5-6 David’s heart does a complete and utter about face. It is no longer how long O Lord, will You forget me forever.  It is now but I have trusted in Your mercy...my heart will rejoice in Your salvation...I will sing because He has dealt bountifully with me!  

Here is the caveat...the blessing is in the doing.  So often I talk about praying and crying out to Him in my distress, but what I do instead is put it off by doing other things.  I avoid my distress and try to carry on in my own strength instead of going up to my room to spend time with the Lord and His word — which is, you know, what I truly need.  My own pride and maybe fear of losing control in my grief keeps me from Him and His blessings!  I might also add here that me spending time with my God when I need to helps everyone in my household. 😀

Our whole attitude can be changed just by crying out to Him in faith...that is how we access His grace.  That is when we obtain mercy and help in our time of need.  It is in the crying out...It is in the dependence on Him and Him alone.  I don't even need to go up in my room...He is always with me.  

The trials in our life are our opportunities to trust Him and as such are wonderful gifts from God because they drive us to our knees and draw us to Him in ways that nothing else can.  As we draw near and spend time with Him, we leave His presence radiant...having been given that gift that no one can take away. 

Beloved, it really is that simple.  No matter how overwhelming the feeling or the situation, we as believers can pull away for a moment and pray, and our Lord will meet us there. Today, talk to Him, question Him, pray Scripture...lay it all out before Him. You will come away changed.