But You Brought Us Out to Rich Fulfillment…

 Praise to my God

I Will Bless You My God...

Oh, bless our God, you peoples!

And make the voice of His praise to be heard,

Who keeps our soul among the living,

And does not allow our feet to be moved.

For You, O God, have tested us;

You have refined us as silver is refined.

You brought us into the net;

You laid affliction on our backs.

You have caused men to ride over our heads;

We went through fire and through water;

But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.--Psalm 66:8-12

I will bless You, my God, and make my voice of praise be heard!  You preserve my soul here in life and do not allow my feet to be moved.  It is You, O Lord, who have tried me and tested me.  It is You who brought me into the net and laid affliction upon me.  But through it all, Father, You have been my help...You have been with me.  You who keep me do not slumber. You  lead me on right paths and make me to lie down in green pastures.   You order my steps and delight in my way. You deliver me out of it all because I have put my trust in You.  

I will sing of Your wonderful name because You, O Lord, have dealt bountifully with me.  You have used my affliction to draw me nigh unto You.  You have used it to mold me and make me more like you.  Someday I will awake in Your likeness!

You have proved my heart;  You have visited me in the night and tried me.  I have purposed in my heart to obey Your word...You alone do I worship.  You uphold all my goings and delivered me from wrong paths....my footsteps have not slipped.  Hear my cry now, O God of my strength!  Incline Your ear to me and show me Your marvelous lovingkindness.  Save me by Your right hand from those that rise up against me.  Keep me as the apple of Your eye and hide me under the shadow of Your wing.

Help me to see the trials of my faith as precious...more precious than gold that perishes.  My desire, Father, is that my faith might be found unto Your praise and Your glory at the appearing of Your Son, Jesus.

Praise to my God, who has regarded my lowly estate and brought me into His kingdom of light and made me His own.

I Don’t Know What to Do, But My Eyes Are Upon You…

 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."—2 Chronicles 20:12

When I am stressed, anxious thoughts overwhelm my mind and will very often attempt to commandeer my thinking.  It can often feel like my mind might explode from the relentless bombardment. When this happens my heart becomes swamped and rational thinking and cohesive thought patterns dissolve.  

I don’t know if you have noticed, but my own insufficiency for this life is a common theme in my devotionals. I am thankful for this because when my heart is overwhelmed, I have no choice but to go to my God. Yesterday was no exception.  As I walked through the woods nearby my heart became flooded with anxious thoughts of the future. Beloved…God gives us the moment.  The past is gone. The future is not ours, but His. The moment, as Amy Carmichael has beautifully said, is the window to eternity.  In that instant of time then, I went to my Father.  I sought His presence in prayer and in His grace He brought these words from Scripture to mind. 

nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

What a gift to my heart. So simple!  I don’t know what to do, Father, but my eyes are on You.  You are my hope, my song and my deliverer.  Beloved…immerse yourself in the word of God.  Soak it in and allow it to penetrate every aspect of your thinking. In times of trouble the Spirit of God will bring what you have read and studied to mind to strengthen, direct, comfort and bring His supernatural peace to your heart. 

Great peace have those who love Your law,

And nothing causes them to stumble.—Psalm 119:165

Second Chronicles 20 is a wonderful passage.  If you have a moment today read it through and be encouraged. Jehoshaphat was a humble and godly leader.  His path in time of trouble was to admit his need and keep His eyes and the eyes of those in his care on the Lord. He humbly faced his own limitations and leaned on His God. In his weakness, he found strength.  He led well because he allowed His God to lead him. 

Unto You I lift up my eyes,

O You who dwell in the heavens.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,

As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes look to the LORD our God,

Until He has mercy on us.—Psalm 123:1-2

My eyes are ever toward the LORD,

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.—Psalm 25:15

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.—Psalm 121

But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord;

In You I take refuge;

Do not leave my soul destitute.

Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,

And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.

Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

While I escape safely.—Psalm 141:8-10