Ascribe Strength to God…

 

Ascribe strength to God;

His excellence is over Israel,

And His strength is in the clouds.

O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.

The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.

Blessed be God!—Psalm 68:34-35

Every morning I need to purpose to remember from where my strength comes. It definitely doesn’t come from me.  This is never clearer to me than it is at the beginning and the end of each day.  My body works by the grace of God alone. It is His strength that gets me out of bed in the morning and it is His strength that enables me walk victoriously in those works that He has prepared beforehand for me throughout each day that He gives me here on this earth.

This beautiful psalm begins with the words:

Let God arise,

Let His enemies be scattered;

Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.

It ends with the ones I posted above…bookends that declare that God is our Warrior King..it is He that goes before us each and every day. It is His strength in which we walk.  It is His strength that fight the battles that come our way.

Read through this precious psalm and hear David’s voice encouraging those who are righteous by faith…who belong to God…to be very glad in Him who rescues.  He cares for the orphans, the widows, the lonely and the prisoners. Each one of these…the orphan, the widow, the lonely and the prisoner…are a picture of someone who KNOWS their need for God. The Bible is about exactly that. It is the story of the God who rescues those that know that they can’t do this life without Him. Those who admit their need and put their trust in Him. This is what it is to be righteous. 

Beloved…being weak and dependent is the best way to stay strong in the Lord. 

Verse 28 of Psalm 68 reminds us that it is God who commands our strength. It is He who acts on behalf of those who trust Him. 

Your God has commanded your strength [your power in His service and your resistance to temptation];

Show Yourself strong, O God, who acted on our behalf.—Psalm 68:28 AMP

He sent from above, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the LORD was my support.

He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.—Ps 18:16-19

Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,

Give unto the LORD glory and strength.

Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;

Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.—Psalm 29:1-2

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. 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

For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.—2 Corinthians 13:4

who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.—Hebrews 11:33-34

Now also when I am old and grayheaded,

O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is to come.—Psalm 71:18

As your days, so shall your strength be.—Deuteronomy 33:25b

The Lord is Gracious and Full of Compassion…

 

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,

Slow to anger and great in mercy.

The LORD is good to all,

And His tender mercies are over all His works.

All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,

And Your saints shall bless You.—Psalm 145:8-10

This is the last Psalm of David in Scripture. In Psalm 145 King David extols His King…the King over all and the King over forever…for who He is, what He has done and what He has promised to do. I have spent several days here…reading and rereading. Last night, as I read, I kept coming back to the verses above. 

This is the wonderful nature of God.  THIS is who He is.  Compassionate, slow to anger and full of loyal love. Beloved…This is repeated many times and in many different ways throughout Scripture BECAUSE HE IS EXACTLY THIS. Stay in these verses today…allow the Spirit of God to write them on your heart and let its beautiful truth sink deep into your soul. 

The works of the LORD are great,

Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

His work is honorable and glorious,

And His righteousness endures forever.

He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.—Psalm 111:2-4

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

They refused to obey,

And they were not mindful of Your wonders

That You did among them.

But they hardened their necks,

And in their rebellion

They appointed a leader

To return to their bondage.

But You are God,

Ready to pardon,

Gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger,

Abundant in kindness,

And did not forsake them.—Nehemiah 9:17

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.—Psalm 86:5

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,

Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.—Psalm 86:15

The LORD is merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,

So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame;

He remembers that we are dust.—Psalm 103:8-14

So rend your heart, and not your garments;

Return to the LORD your God,

For He is gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger, and of great kindness;

And He relents from doing harm.—Joel 2:13

So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.—Jonah 4:2

See also: Ps. 100:5; Jer. 33:11; Nah. 1:7; Matt. 19:17; Mark 10:18

I Do Not Know How to Go out or Come In…

 

Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?—1 Kings 3:7-9

I have loved this passage since the first time I read it many years ago.  Solomon, sound asleep, speaks by the good grace of God and asks for an understanding heart to judge Gods people. My favorite part is HOW he asks...Lord, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. This always makes me smile because it reminds me of a favorite saying of my mom to me as a kid, “are you coming in or going out!?  Do you need help deciding?”

The older I get, the more I understand how very little I understand. Truly, I am a stranger on this earth and need help in my comings and my goings.  Having had sixty plus years to become acquainted with me and all my inherent weaknesses, what I DO understand is this:  My true strength is found as I place my trust moment by moment in my God.  The Lord is my Lamp...He knows how to navigate the darkness of this world...light dwells with Him!  James tells us that if any of us lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach.  Divine wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits...without partiality and without hypocrisy. 

I am grateful that His strength is made perfect in my weakness.  I am thankful that the longer I walk with the Lord, the more He shows me my weakness, insufficiency and need.  AND that is such a good thing because it causes me to draw nearer to Him who is good and does good...to Him who becomes for me whatever my need may be. Oh, how happy is the man whose God is the Lord, who not only names and rules the stars, but also stoops to heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds. 

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. 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.—1 Corinthians 12:9-10

For You Will Light My Lamp…

 

For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. --Psalm 18: 28

Father,

Thank you for your word!  Thank you that You have magnified it above your name!  What a comfort it is to me always.  What a blessing to know that when I sit in darkness You will be a light to me.  In the multitude of my anxieties within this verse in particular has brought me so much peace.    Unto those who open their heart to You and believe there arises light in the darkness of this world. You give light to those who sit in the shadow of death and guide their feet in the way of peace.  You are gracious, full of compassion and righteous.  You make even the night light about us!  This is not so for those who reject Your word.  Who look to themselves and the things of the world rather than their Maker.  The light of the wicked shall be put out and the spark of his fire will not shine.  The light shall be dark where he dwells and his candle put out with him.  Even the light they enjoy, Father, is dark without You.

We all have the sentence of death in us.  But You, in Your goodness,  provide a way out.  The wages of sin is death...and all of us sin and fall short of Your glory....but the gift of eternal life that You have given us in Your Son, Jesus, brings us an everlasting hope and life with you forever. 

When I walk in darkness, Father, You are my lamp. It is by Your light that I walk.  You brought me, a woman blinded by her own sin and selfishness, in a way that I knew not.  You made my path which was darkness light and my crooked places straight.  You, Father, do this for me always and never leave me nor forsake me.  You are my great and awesome God.

Let God Arise…

 

 Let God arise,

Let His enemies be scattered;

Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.

As smoke is driven away,

So drive them away;

As wax melts before the fire,

So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad;

Let them rejoice before God;

Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.—Psalm 68:1-3

The Lord gave the word;

Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:

"Kings of armies flee, they flee,—Psalm 68:11

Let God arise,

Let His enemies be scattered;

Such a wonderful verse to meditate on today as I go about my day.  LET GOD ARISE! 

These words from the beginning of Psalm 68 reminded me that when I surrender to God and give Him the preeminence in my life, my enemies scatter.  Praying today that the Spirit of God would use it as a catch-phrase to get my attention and remind me to call upon Him for help. 

Here is another from the same Psalm…

The Lord gave the word;

Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:—Psalm 68:11

When the word is proclaimed, God arises and His enemies scatter. The people were not victorious because of their great might but because of their great God. Not by might not by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts. Beloved…today walk in His power and grace!  Proclaim His word.  Believe His truths and grab hold of His promises. Share them with those around you and watch the enemy scatter. 

Father…I need You every moment of every day!  As I cry out to You today, arise in my heart!  Bring the light of Your glory, Your grace, Your wisdom, and Your power into every situation I face. You dwell with the humble…You care for the afflicted and the oppressed. You are my God of mercy…of tender compassion. You go before me in good times and in bad and bring me safely though both.  

So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:

"Rise up, O LORD!

Let Your enemies be scattered,

And let those who hate You flee before You."—Numbers 10:35

26 Arise for our help,

And redeem us for Your mercies' sake.—Psalm 44:26

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.—2 Corinthians 4:6

2 But to you who fear My name

The Sun of Righteousness shall arise

With healing in His wings;

And you shall go out

And grow fat like stall-fed calves.—Malachi 4:2

Blessed be the Lord,

Who daily loads us with benefits,

The God of our salvation!

Selah—Psalm 68:19

The LORD Upholds All Who Fall…

 

The LORD upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.—Psalm 145:14

My heart seems to be focused of late on God’s compassion. Today I am staying right here in these verses and thinking on the beautiful condescension of our God. He takes notice of the poor and the weak. The One whose is King and whose kingdom is an everlasting one, delights in blessing the poor and the needy. Beloved…This is His majesty! The compassion of God is in large part, the glory of God.  Jehovah lifts up all those who have fallen and raises up those who are bowed down.  This morning I am truly thankful that the Lord is my support. 

"He sent from above, He took me,

He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me;

For they were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the LORD was my support.

He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.—2 Samuel 22:17-20

When he falls, he will not be hurled down,

Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.—Psalm 37:24-25

If I say, "My foot has slipped,"

Your compassion and lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.—Psalm 94:18

"Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain; but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith]."—Luke 22:31-22

Uphold me that I may be safe,

That I may have regard for Your statutes continually.—Psalm 119:117

I am bent over and greatly bowed down;

I go about mourning all day long.—Psalm 38:6

Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become restless and disturbed within me?

Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him

For the help of His presence.—Psalm 42:5

And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had an illness caused by a spirit (demon). She was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are released from your illness." Then He laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood erect again and she began glorifying and praising God.—Luke 13:11-13

His Compassions Fail Not…

 

This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.—Lamentations 3:21-23

Jeremiah’s unrelenting sorrow over Judah’s judgment (read the beginning of Lamentations 3) led him to think on the character of God.  One thought (this I recall to mind) seemed to push him back from despair and enabled his hope to return.  As I read Jeremiah’s words in verses 21-23, Ephesians 2:4 came to mind. 

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

It was when Jeremiah remembered who God was…when He focused on His character…that his attitude and outlook changed noticeably for the better. 

The word for “mercies” in verse 22 above is “khesed”, which has the idea of loyal love.  John MacArthur in his commentary says that this Hebrew word for mercies, refers to God’s gracious love. It is a comprehensive term that encompasses love, grace, mercy, goodness, forgiveness, truth, compassion, and faithfulness. 

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. This is the same love that is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us when we believe. 

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.—2 Corinthians 4:7-12

Beloved…God’s steadfast, loyal love to us, His children, never ceases. It is not dependent on who we are or how we behave.  It is who God is. He embodies this love. Ironically, Judah’s judgment itself was evidence that God had not abandoned those that were His. In judgment God always remembers mercy and preserves a faithful remnant. Israel in Scripture is often referred to as God’s son. Hebrews 12 says this. 

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

"My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

For whom the LORD loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives."

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.—Hebrews 12:5-11

Moving on to the word “compassions” in verse 22. Strong’s likens it to the cherishing of a baby in the womb. That is the gentle, tender, loyal, protective love God has for me and for you…for those who belong to Him. 

God’s supply of loyal love is not limited. We cannot push Him too far. There is no sin in your life that cannot be forgiven. His compassion is greater than any sin.  Where sin abounds, Scripture tells us, His grace abounds much more. He has promised forgiveness to those who believe. 

So even though we, as believers, deserve death as sinners, He is faithful and merciful to us. 

His compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. 

This is not a license to sin, but is an open invitation to always come to Him for forgiveness relying on His mercy through Jesus Christ. 

Beloved…Take note…This is the truth that caused Jeremiah to cease complaining and call out in praise.  The limitless love and grace of God overwhelmed Jeremiah and because of this He was able to trust and wait for God to act in his heart and in his circumstances. (See the remainder of Lamentations 3).  God would bring about restoration and blessing. His steadfast love would never come to an end. He, who is faithful, had promised.  The same is true for us as believers today. God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

Father…There is one ray of hope amidst all of the sin and suffering around me. Your compassions fail not.  I confess that I don’t always do as Jeremiah does here in Lamentations, Chapter 3.  May Your Spirit remind me of Your steadfast lovingkindness when my own hope dims and my faith falters.

Teach me Your way, O LORD;

I will walk in Your truth;

Unite my heart to fear Your name.—Psalm 86:11

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.—Psalm 112:7b

Give me a steadfast, united heart that trust You in all things.  Help me to put aside my pride and depend utterly on You, my good and gracious God. When trouble comes focus my heart on things above.  May I, like Jeremiah, keep my eyes on You and not on my circumstances. Judah couldn’t push God so far that He would abandon her and neither can I. 

Thus says the LORD:

"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight," says the LORD.—Jeremiah 9:23-24

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.—Psalm 63:3