My God WILL...

In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;—Psalm 138:1a; 3;7-8

Lord...I will praise You with everything I have...when I cry out you WILL answer...You Will make me bold with strength in my soul.  Oh how I love this Psalm.  How I love Your word to me, Father.

You WILL revive me...
You WILL stretch out Your hand against my enemies wrath...
You right hand WILL save me....
You WILL perfect that which concerns me...

Oh, Father give me this kind of confidence.  Increase my faith.  You are powerful and Your works are wonderful.

‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.—Jeremiah 32:17

My God is big...my God is powerful.  My God does MIGHTY AND AWESOME things....AND HE HAS POWER OVER ALL.

The waters WILL NOT overflow me and You my God will be with me. You WILL perform all things for me and make all that concerns me perfect.

Help me to be like Joshua today to those around me...

And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."--Joshua 4:5

Wow...what a great thing for me to remember when I go to bed.  Better yet what a great thing for my kids or my grandkids to hear as they go to bed.

“Take a shower, brush your teeth ...tomorrow the Lord is going to do wonders among us.  Be ready for it...look for it!”

Too often the people around me hear me grumble and complain.  Too often they hear a lack of thankfulness in both my words and my attitude.  How much better if  I magnified my Lord and His word. How much better if my words and my actions matched always with what I claim to believe.  The faith of all those around me would be strengthened.  They would become bold with strength in their souls. God wants our “whole hearts”....lives committed completely and utterly to Him...He desires living sacrifices that glorify Him in both word and deed.

He wants us to dwell on those things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report...He wants us to meditate on the praiseworthy.

As a believer, I can thank God in all things.  In trials I can remember that He works all together for good and that His goodness and mercy follow me wherever He leads.  In good times I can remember that also.    I can sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to those around me always, because my past has been forgiven.  My present is in Him who I can go boldly before to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  My future is secured in heaven.  Things may look pretty dark at times, but in reality, I am blessed in the heavenlies by a Father who holds all good things in His hand that is forever  stretched out in love toward me.

Each of us face an unknown future each and every day of our lives.  We need our God to direct our steps and open our way.  It is in Him that we live and move and have our being...encompassed in His love there is no fear.  Our old life is buried beneath the waters of the Jordan...we can walk newness of life in Him and by Him.

King Ahab - 1 Kings 20-21-22

And the king of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen and came to Samaria. (1 Kings 20:43, ESV)

And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food. (1 Kings 21:4, ESV)

I woke up whining.... and when it was pointed out, I became like Ahab...vexed and sullen....still whiny and now mad at the “person” who pointed out to me my sin.  When  King Ahab didn’t get what he wanted he  pouted like a child.  Me too, sometimes.

After Naboth and sons(heirs)(2 Kings 9:26)had been stoned the word of the Lord came to him through Elijah the prophet.  When Ahab heard the words of Elijah he humbled himself, tore his clothes and repented.

I have to admit that as I read these next words from Elijah that I felt a little like Jonah might have when the people of Nineveh repented and the Lord relented from His anger.

"Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house." (1 Kings 21:29, ESV)

I went to the BLB and read what some of the commentators had written about Arabs repentance. I liked these two.

ii. “The penitent heart ever meets the merciful eye of God; repentance is highly esteemed by the Father of compassion, even where it is comparatively shallow and short-lived.” (Clarke)

iii. This shows us the character of God’s mercy: it is given to the undeserving. By nature, the innocent do not need mercy. Ahab was a great sinner, but he won great mercy (in this life) through humble repentance. The worst sinner should not disqualify himself from receiving God’s mercy, if that sinner should only approach God in humble repentance.

I am glad our God is a God of mercy...a God of 2nd chances.  A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.  The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us,  or 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.

Sadly, we will see in the very next chapter that King Ahab’s repentance was pretty shallow and short-lived.  Here is a preview:

So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”—1 Kings 22:8

King Ahab’s reprieve, in my view, highlights God’s grace.  It also reminded me that, like Ahab, I can become angry when my sin is pointed out...I want to shoot the messenger so to speak.  In reality though my problem lies in my own selfish heart that wants what it wants. My battle is with God...not with the people around me.  When I am at peace with God...when I surrender the throne of my heart to Him, I am also at peace with those around me.  Praying that in the midst of my “me” battles I can remember King Ahab and do an about-face.

Isaiah 66:2 (KJV)
For all those [things] My hand has made, And all those [things] exist," Says the LORD. "But on this [one] will I look: On [him who is] poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

Psalm 34:18 (KJV)
The LORD [is] near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

I Alone Am Left...

1 Kings 19 overwhelmed my heart...there is so much in it.  So many applications!   The one that spoke to my heart among them all was the Lord’s tender care and encouraging response to Elijah’s discouragement and despondency.

Elijah felt alone, hopeless...he probably expected Jezebel to surrender, but instead she breathed threats and violence against his life.  He had done his best, but Jezebel had not acknowledged the Lord as God and her hold over Israel remained despite the overwhelming display of God’s power on Mt Carmel.  Elijah runs from Jezebel’s threats to Beersheba...and then goes a day’s journey into the wilderness and prays:

And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (Vs 4)

(Interesting to note that Elijah never died...he was caught up into heaven when the Lord said he was finished)

The Lord cares for Elijah’s physical needs first...He ministered to him with food and drink and gives him rest.  Afterward He sends Elijah on a 200 mile journey to Mt Horeb where He gives Elijah time to turn his heart upside down before Him.

And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”—1 Kings 19:9-10

God then reveals Himself to Elijah in a still small voice...in the silence after the great wind, the earthquake and the fire....and speaks words of encouragement.

Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. “Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”—1 Kings 19:15-18

Elijah felt alone...

—God assured him that he was not alone...that He Himself had reserved 7000 in Israel that had not bowed the knee to Baal.   I am sure Elijah’s heart was encouraged knowing that by God’s grace his ministry over the years had borne fruit. 7000 strong...

—God gave him an assistant in Elisha and in giving him that assistant he gave him a friend and companion in ministry and hope that his ministry would continue after he (Elijah) had departed from this earth

Elijah felt like a failure...

—God gives him work to do that would get his eyes off of himself and at the same time show him that his ministry would succeed.  God tells him to anoint Hazael as king over Syria, Jehu as King over Israel and Elisha as prophet in his place. By the time the last of these three men died, the worship of Baal would be banned from Israel.


God cares about our hearts and our lives, He cares about our ministries, He knows how to accomplish His plans in both the micro of our lives and in the macro of this world.  He wants us to cry out to Him, to trust Him completely and to depend on His power to accomplish it all.  Be encouraged...God will give You what you need to accomplish His work in Your life.  May our God supply all our need according to his riches in glory and by His power increase the fruits of our righteousness.  May He satisfy our mouths with good things, minister His tender mercies to each of us today and execute His righteousness and justice for those who are oppressed.It

Surrendered Hearts...

If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”—Acts 11:17-18

I loved the reaction of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem here.   Stunned silence and then surrendered hearts glorifying their God who had granted the Gentiles repentance to life.  God’s word and work of grace in their hearts allowed them to get past traditions and prejudice.  They wanted what God wanted.  Oh, Father, make this so in my own life. Align my will with Your own.  Make Your desires my desires.   May Your word work in my heart.  May I receive it with meekness (no argument) and allow it to soften and transform me so that both my heart and my life glorify You, my Father in Heaven.

Romans 9:15,16,23,24 (KJV)
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Romans 11:34-36 (KJV)
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV)
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Blockish, Senseless and Stupid....

Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.  (Psalms 135:18, ESV)

Those who make them become like them...blockish, senseless and stupid. SO THANKFUL for the Lord’s grace and mercy in my life...that He pulled me up out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay and rescued me. My God turned my heart  from looking at worthless things and revived me in His way.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins...But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
—Ephesians 2:1;4-5;10

Bless the Lord O My Soul!

Behold, bless the LORD,
All you servants of the LORD,
Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the LORD.
3 The LORD who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!—Ps 134:1-3

This Psalm seems to be an exhortation from the people to the priests to continued faithfulness, (V1-2) while the priests bless the people as they depart from Zion at the close of a feast to their homes. (V3)

As I read it I thought of the many times in my life that I have been awake during the night watches...tending to little ones (or sometimes big ones), in the midst of a trial...anxious and fearful, in pain or maybe just unable to sleep.  What a perfect time to focus my eyes upward in prayer and praise to our God.   It is an incalculable honor and joy to be a servant of Jehovah.

Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee!  I will bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name. I will lift up my hands unto thy commandments which I love and I will meditate on Your statutes. Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!  "Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him...there is so much on my heart, Father...I bring it to You in prayer and I will praise You!

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.  (Psalms 103:1-5 ESV)

The Steps of a Good Man...

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.—Ps 37:23

I love knowing that my every step has been ordered by my God, AND that He DELIGHTS in my way!  As a parent and a grandparent I KNOW what it is like to delight in a little one!  What interests them, interests me...even if it is Thomas the tank engine or Blues Clues.  As they grow and their interests change mine change right with them.  Even if they turn aside from me and go in the wrong direction, my heart prays for them and desires their best. What concerns them, always concerns me.  If this is true about me, a fallen human being, how much more intense must God’s delight be for us His children?

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.—Ps 139

Testimonies to God’s Grace...

However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.—Mark 5:19-20

Each one of us are and have a testimony of God’s compassion and grace residing in our hearts.  May we proclaim it boldly and live our lives in obedience to our God...keeping our behavior excellent among the unsaved.  Let’s crush the critics by doing good and for whatever reason they may slander us as evil-doers, MAY they still observe our good deeds and by His grace come to glorify God on the day He visits them...on the day He looks on them with mercy and compassion.

Exodus 34:29

Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him—Exodus 34:29

2 Cor 3:18 (NKJV)
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Psalm 90:17 (NKJV)
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.

Acts 4:13 (NKJV)
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18. ❤️ as a commentary on Exodus 34.

Leviticus 18:18

And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.—Lev 18:18

This verse popped out at me today bringing Jacob, Rachel and Leah to my mind specifically the heartache that a shared husband brought to these sisters.  Ideally, families should be a safe haven...a soft place to fall. Rachel and Leah’s households were filled with strife, selfish ambition and rivalry...probably a hundredfold more than a bigamous marriage without the complication of the other spouse being your sister.  Nothing could ever be peaceable and pure in Rachel and Leah’s life after that. All...even the best of life...even the births of their children were tainted by conflict and bitterness. Obviously, Jacob, Leah and Rachel lived before the law was given. Today we have no such excuse.  Sin of any magnitude always causes heartache and pain and defiles all who come in contact with it...however innocently.

I am thankful this morning...

—that God’s word is true,
—that I am under grace and not the law
—that His commandments are not burdensome but are for our good.


For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Kings 11-13

And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom may return to the house of David:
27 "If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah."
28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!"—1 Kings 12:26-28

Jeroboam feared that the people of the northern kingdom would be influenced by Rehoboam when they went to Jerusalem to worship and cause them to turn back to him.... Jeroboam was not assured even by word of the Lord that came to him through the prophet Ahijah saying that 10 of the tribes would be his to rule.  The conditions and promise given to Jeroboam from the Lord were similar to the ones God gave to David. (1 Kings 11:37-38)

Sadly, Jeroboam walked in the fear of man and not God.  He trusted in his own ways to maintain control of the kingdom God had graciously bestowed on him rather than trust God and take Him at His word. He chose idolatry and led Israel to sin against the second commandment.

When the man of God came to Jeroboam and spoke against the idolatrous worship at Bethel his words were apparently heard by an old prophet who was living in that city...at the very center of the false system of worship Jeroboam had devised to protect his subjects from being influenced by King Rehoboam WITHOUT speaking out against it.

The lie this old prophet spoke to the man of God (vs 18) came from the prophets own heart that wanted something other than what the Lord wanted, but the true prophecy (vs 21-22) came from the Lord.

“And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD and have not kept the command that the LORD your God commanded you,
but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water," your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.'"

And as he (the man of God) went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body.

The donkey and the lion behaved unnaturally.  The donkey should have run and the lion did not attack the donkey or eat the man of God.  Clearly this turn of nature was from the Lord as a testimony that unlike the disobedient old prophet, the beasts obeyed God.

The old prophet found the body, brought it back to the city to mourn over him and buried him in his own grave asking at that time to be buried beside the man of God when he died saying...

For the saying that he called out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass." (1 Kings 13:32, ESV)

I liked that the old prophet appears to have repented and aligned himself with the message that the man of God had given against the worship at Bethel.

But sadly Jeroboam did not...

After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth. (1 Kings 13:33-34 ESV)

Like A Weaned Child with His Mother...

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

LORD,
my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
  Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.
Psalm 131


I love this one.  It is so short and yet full of such wisdom.

A child in the process of weaning is discontented, whiny and irritable. I can behave similarly in the midst of trial and difficulty....discontented, whiny and irritable because I am not getting what I want.   What is helpful for me to remember is that even though God isn’t giving me what I want, He does give me what I  need, Himself.  Our help, our comfort and our hope come from our God.  A weaned child no longer comes to you fretting, gesturing and demanding to be satisfied but cuddles and rests quietly against you.  A weaned child’s comfort is no longer his mother’s milk but the mother herself.  Likewise, the Lord sometimes takes away our dearest delights to train us to trust Him to supply our needs as weaned children trust their mothers to supply theirs. Spurgeon speaks to this so well.

“Blessed are those afflictions which subdue our affections, which wean us from self sufficiency, which educate us into Christian manliness, which teach us to love God not merely when he comforts us, but even when he tries us”....and I will add...even when He takes away our dearest delight.

As mothers understand, a weaning child can't figure out why he must make the unpleasant transition from milk to solid food, and he doesn't want to figure it out.  He just trusts that you know the way that he takes and will get him where he needs to go. Our Father in Heaven has given us such a beautiful picture here of what it means to abide and surrender.  Let Him hold you....let Him direct your steps...He's got it figured out...trust Him.  Abide. Wait on Him.

Out of the Depths Have I Cried Unto Thee...

Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD."

This verse brought Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the great fish to mind.

2 saying, "I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.
4 Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.'
5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head
6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.  (Jonah 2:2-7 ESV)

The depths did not silence the voice of the Psalmist or Jonah.  The floods surrounded Jonah and the billows passed over him. Out of the depths his cry of faith came.  When I am in deep distress my prayers are not pretty...they are not practiced...they come straight from the depths of my soul and they are never more  heartfelt or real.  Oh, to have that kind of earnestness and faith always in prayer...the kind that trust bravely and cries out to You alone...The kind that when answered give You all the glory.

The Wrath of Abandonment....

Acts 7:42

But God turned away and gave them over to worship lthe host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:" ‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?"

or

Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone.--Hosea 4:17

or

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,--Romans 1:24

and there is more in Romans...God gave them over to vile passions...to a debased mind.

The word "gave" in the Greek has the meaning of to deliver up one into custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death.  It is the wrath of abandonment.  God will abandon man when he consistently abandons Him.  He will remove His hand of restraint and give him over to eat the fruit of his own ways.  He will allow his sin to run its natural course which will end in death.  Pretty scary to think of being abandoned by God...

“But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have none of Me.
So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.--Psalm 81:11-12

Proverbs 17:1

Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of feasting with strife.—Prov 17:1

Oh how happy are the people who fear the Lord and delight in His commandments. They lead peaceable lives in all godliness and reverence.

I so want this for my own house and for those in my church family.  Peace...the absence of conflict.  Help each of us to aspire to lead a quiet and peaceable life minding our own business and working with our hands...doing what is right in Your sight.  Father, moment by moment...walking in the works that You have prepared beforehand for us. Oh, let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,  and establish the work of our hands for us.  Let our adornment be the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. ...this is what is precious in Your sight.  This is what I want!  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.—Isa 32:17

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.—Lam 3:26

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah—Ps 46:10-11

Oh, How Happy...

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD,
Who walks in His ways.—Psalm 128:1

Spurgeon says Psalm 128  draws a picture of the house built in Ps 127.  It is adorned with domestic bliss thru the Lord’s own benediction.  I really liked that. Obedience brings blessing.  He also calls it a family hymn. A song for a birth, a marriage or any event in which a household has met to praise the Lord.  I really liked that too. John MacArthur says that this psalm may have been the basis for Jesus’ illustration of the two builders in Matthew 7:24-27...the one who built his house on the rock and the other on the sand.

Our heritage in Christ is joy not misery. Blessed (oh, how happy) is everyone who fears the Lord. The basis for our blessing is the fear of the Lord.  Those who truly reverence and honor the Lord will walk in His ways and obey the commandments of their God.  They will will follow hard after Him.  When our heart belongs to God our word and deed will match. Our actions will reflect and follow what our heart believes. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides forever.  The LORD takes pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.  Oh how happy is the one that fears  the Lord and delights in His commandments. Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

1 Kings 6:7

When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. (1 Kings 6:7, ESV)

The materials for the temple were pre-cut and pre-fitted away from the building site.  The temple then, was erected in reverent silence.

A picture of Ephesians 2:19-21

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?—1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV)

you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 2:5 (NKJV)

And from Psalm 127 today...

Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;

I really liked this picture from Clarke...

“This speaks to God’s work in the church. “But why is this so particularly marked? It is not because the temple was a type of the kingdom of God; and the souls of men are to be prepared here for that place of blessedness? There, there is no preaching, exhortations, repentance, tears, cries, nor prayers; the stones must be all squared and fitted here for their place in their New Jerusalem.”

Principle Governing Kings...

"Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.
"And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,
"that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.—Deut 17:18-20

Kings were not above the law, but were specially responsible to read it daily and conform both their life and their reign to the Word of God. ❤️ Writing it embedded it on his heart and mind.  Reading it taught him to fear the Lord...keeping his pride in check. The word showed him his own need for mercy and forgiveness and hopefully he would then be merciful and forgiving toward his subjects.

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—1 Kings 3:7

I love re-MINDING myself of this verse when I feel overwhelmed and utterly inadequate for the task at hand. It brings my heart to a place of both truth and humility. I am inadequate but in Him I am not. ❤️❤️ The Lord is my helper...I have the mind of Christ.  I CAN do all things through Him who strengthens me.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

All the Words of this Life...

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life."—Acts 5:19-20 (ESV)

Their rescue from prison was for a purpose..to continue the work of holding forth the words that gave life.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Author of Life.

“holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:16, ESV)

The KJV says holding forth” rather than holding fast—As believers we are to hold out or offer the word of life for others to take.  The word of life is the gospel which, when believed, produces spiritual and eternal life.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4, ESV)

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25, ESV)

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63, ESV)

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (John 6:68, ESV)

Bond of Perfection...

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.—Acts 4:32

This verse brought Colossians 3:12-17 to mind, but especially verse 14...

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:14, ESV)

The NKJV calls love the bond of perfection. ❤️

John MacArthur says that supernatural love poured into the hearts of believers is the adhesive of the church.

Here are some more exhortations to humility, love and unity.   

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6 ESV)

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, (Philippians 1:27, ESV)

Philippians 2:1,2 (NKJV)

1 If [there be] therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, [being] of one accord, of one mind.

John 17:11,21-23 (NKJV)

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are]. 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Romans 12:5 (NKJV)

5 So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Romans 15:5,6 (NKJV)

5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind [and] one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

BUT WHAT I DO HAVE I GIVE YOU...

Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, BUT WHAT I DO HAVE I GIVE YOU: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."—Acts 3:6

So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.—Acts 3:8

I often sell myself short...feel insufficient... think that I have nothing to offer to the sometimes overwhelming needs that I see in front of me.  I especially feel it as I enter a nursing home...but I can also feel it even as I enter church, the food store or my own home.  In reality, it is the truth.  It is the right feeling.  I am insufficient.  In me I have nothing to offer. But thankfully, it isn’t just me that I bring anymore.  It is Christ. I am accepted in the Beloved.  I bring God the Father’s indescribable gift...His Son.  In Him I AM sufficient because my sufficiency is FROM Him.  I CAN GIVE THEM Jesus. I can surrender to Him who made me “me” and walk in those works that He prepared beforehand for me.  I can trust Him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, acknowledging Him in all my ways and allowing Him to direct my path. He has made me sufficient for whatever it is He has prepared for me to do.

Job 20:22 (NKJV)
In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him.

2 Corinthians 3:5 (NKJV)
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as [being] from ourselves, but our sufficiency [is] from God,

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV)
And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all [things,] may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 2:16 (NKJV)
To the one [we are] the aroma of death [leading] to death, and to the other the aroma of life [leading] to life. And who [is] sufficient for these things?

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)
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.

The Peace of God...

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 ESV)

Paul’s Recipe for Peace...

I have read a lot on this, but in my own words the recipe for finding true peace is setting the Lord always before me and making a practice of bringing all to Him in prayer.  These moment by moment small acts of faith bring my heart to that place where it has truly come to realize that I AM NOT ALONE.  When I feel my stomach begin to churn and I begin to have anxious thoughts, I remember that my God is with me and for me.  And that I can rely on Him.  I am not sufficient for any of this life.  I am not suppose to be sufficient for any of it.  But He is and He is with me and dwells in me.  Gods desire for me is to depend on Him. Getting thru this life is not my job...it is His.  

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice...

The Lamp is the Lamb...

For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.  (2 Samuel 22:29, ESV)

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, "You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel." (2 Samuel 21:17, ESV)

This verse always brings great comfort to my heart. What a blessing to know that when I sit in darkness my God will be a light to me.  Unto those who open their heart to God and believe there arises light in the darkness of this world. He give light to those who sit in the shadow of death and guides their feet in the way of peace. Here, however, is what I learned as I read today.  David was called the lamp of Israel. (2 Samuel 21:17) David gives all glory of that title to His God. God was David’s lamp.  David’s job like mine, like yours, is/was to reflect His light...the light of the glory of God.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," 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, ESV)

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:22-23 ESV)

Love is not Blind..

Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom....Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: "O my son Absalom--my son, my son Absalom--if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!"—2nd Samuel 18:5;33

David, sees his son Absalom sentimentally...through rose-colored glasses...not unlike many of us parents.   Perhaps as a “youth” whose exploits could be forgiven. In reality, Absalom was a grown man who had chosen to betray his father.  As I read 2nd Samuel 18 especially his lament for Absalom at the end of Chapter 18 my heart was reminded of a verse from Philippians.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, (Philippians 1:9, ESV)

Our love should abound with “knowledge”.  David did not love Absalom with knowledge.  This word according to John MacArthur is from the Greek and describes genuine, full or advanced knowledge. Biblical love is not an empty sentimentalism but is anchored deeply in the truth of Scripture and regulated by it.

And all “discernment”....this word, according to John MacArthur speaks to moral perception, insight and the practical use or application of knowledge.  The love David had for his son was again not biblical but blind....to love someone biblically is to love them with discernment. Biblical love distinguishes between right and wrong and acts accordingly. Absalom was a traitor.  David’s mercy toward him was unjust and his affection not based in the reality of who Absalom was.

He Commanded, and it Stood Fast...

So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.—2 Samuel 17:14

“This is one of the great principles of life which every page of the Bible emphasizes and illustrates. Men cannot escape God. They go their own way, but that way never sets them free from the authority and the invincible power of God.” (Morgan)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  As a believer, I know that my God is for me...and because I know this, God’s providential hand and divine control bring me much peace and comfort.  I CAN relax. It is not up to me.  I am not in control.  Who am I to argue with God?  There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.  The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.  The counsel of the LORD stands forever,  The plans of His heart to all generations.

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.—Psalm 32:10

Psalm 143:10 (NKJV)
Teach me to do Your will, For You [are] my God; Your Spirit [is] good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?—Romans 8:30-31

Full of Grace and Truth...

John 1:14 tells me that Jesus is full of grace and truth.  Jesus is full of the exact two things that I desperately need...grace and truth.  As if that were not enough, John goes on to tell us that

Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace—John 1:16

Grace for grace: “Literally it means ‘grace instead of grace’.  God’s Grace to us is continuous and inexhaustible...like waves on a seashore. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. There ARE NO interruptions.

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ—Ephesians 4:7

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,—Colossians 1:19

Closing with some beautiful quotes by Spurgeon...

Blessed be the Lord for ever that he has provided a fullness for us, for in us by nature there is all emptiness and utter vanity.

The accents are sweet as those of the angel-messenger when he sang, "Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy." Are they not stray notes from celestial sonnets? "All fullness." You, sinner, are all emptiness and death, you, saint, would be so if it were not for the "all fullness" of Christ of which you have received; therefore both to saint and sinner the words are full of hope. There is joy in these words to every soul conscious of its sad estate, and humbled before God.

Following Jesus’ Example...

Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.—John 5:19-20

Oh Father...I am one with You but in my flesh I do not do the things that Your word tells me to do.  I do not follow my Jesus’ example. You lovingly show me through Your word all those things that you desire...to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with You.  Oh, help me to be your witness in this world...in my home especially.  May Your peace rule in my heart and Your word reign supreme and be magnified in my life.  

Cost of Discipleship...

Ruth and Orpah had accompanied Naomi some distance before Naomi explained to them the difficulties which lay in the way.  Naomi wanted to make sure they had counted the cost of leaving their country and returning to Israel with her.

Jesus was pretty clear when He outlined the costs involved in becoming His disciple.

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—Luke 14:26-28

Luk 14:33 NKJV - 33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple


The costs were too high for Oprah.  She was not ready to leave her family or her gods.

“Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.”

Ruth, on the other hand, clings to Naomi and speaks beautiful words of dedication and consecration to her and to her God.   Ruth was willing to leave all and give all. She holds nothing back.

But Ruth said:

"Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me."

Naomi’s Return...

I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"—Ruth 1:21

Naomi came back to her country empty.  Sin always leaves its mark.  It always causes sorrow and suffering.  Naomi and her family had trusted in themselves rather than God.  Naomi was now eating the fruit of that way.   Being empty and in the Lords will is a better place to be than being full and not under His protective care.  Better times are now ahead for Naomi...

For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
For He does not afflict willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.—Lamentations 3:31-33

The Kindness of Boaz...

Who does not love a good love story!  Truly the story of Ruth is one of the most beautiful.  Wishing we could camp out here for a while and just soak it all up!  Such an oasis after the Book of Judges, although it does occur during that time in Israel’s history.

When Boaz found out that the foreigner gleaning in his field was the young Moabite woman who had returned with Naomi, he immediately made acquaintance with her.

Then Boaz said to Ruth, "You will listen, my daughter, will you not?

He claims kinship with her and calls her daughter!  He claims relationship with her!  Despite being a stranger and a foreigner Boaz is not ashamed to call her his brethren.  (Hebrews 2:11)

My heart bursts every time I read that thinking of how his kind words must have impacted Ruth’s heart...

Even though God is not mentioned once in this story it is easy to see Jesus on every page.   Boaz is a type of Christ...He is our Kinsman Redeemer, our Lord of the Harvest and our Master.

Boaz continues in his kindness to Ruth and she responds in humbled gratitude.

So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him,"Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?"—Ruth 2:10

I so understand Ruth’s response to Boaz’s kindness. I have felt similarly overwhelmed and utterly humbled in the face of my God’s kindness to me in His Son.   And it is often the little kindnesses that He shows me that remind me that He truly is “my God who sees me.”

Boaz’s kindness here and throughout the book of Ruth fills my own heart and makes me want to be like him...like my Jesus.

❤️And be ye kind to one another—Ephesians 4:32

The Heart of Hannah...

We are still in the time of Judges and now in the first chapter of 1 Samuel meet the family of Elkanah.  Verse 2 tells us that Elkanah had two wives...Hannah whose name means gracious and lived up to her name and Penninah whose most noteworthy talent was in making the suffering of another worse by unkindness. The next verse informs us that Elkanah went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord in Shiloh.

This then was a godly household and it was a hard time for godly people.  Even the priests were corrupt...serving themselves rather than God.  (1 Samuel 2:12-17)

And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest;—Isaiah 24:2

Enter Hannah with a heart burdened not only with much sorrow from her own personal grief, but for the state of the priesthood as well.

Hannah "wept and did not eat." Her husband sought to comfort her, and said:

"Why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?"

But Hannah knew she needed more than human comfort...the instinct of her soul drove her to her God.

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your [tabernacle.

Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.—Psalm 43

There, before the tabernacle, Hannah "poured out her soul to the Lord." She "was in bitterness of soul, and she prayed and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head."

Hannah’s heart and prayer were not for a son that would be successful in the eyes of the world but for one whose life would be dedicated to the Lord.  She wanted a son that would be God’s special witness and shine as a light in the midst of the darkness...one who would be a blessing to the priesthood.  Hannah wanted a son that would be wholly given over to God sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. She wanted a son to give back to the Lord.  And the Lord heard her prayer. ❤️

Oh Father align our heart’s desires with Your perfect and righteous ones. Give us hearts like Hannah’s that are driven to You in prayer. Hearts that desire your light and truth.   We want Your will in our lives.  We want Your will in our children’s and grandchildren’s lives.  Oh do that work in each of us today.  You are our hope, our exceeding joy and our exceedingly great reward.

David and Shimei - 2 Samuel 16

6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

7 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: "Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue!

8 "The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!"

9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!"

10 But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?' "
11 And David said to Abishai and all his servants, "See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him.
12 "It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day."—2 Samuel 16:6-12


Wow...that is the attitude I want to have after being betrayed by my son and forced to flee from my household into the wilderness.  It would have been so easy for David to vent the anger and grief he was feeling on Shimei.  But David didn’t...he held his peace.  In fact, his response to this provocation was in stark contrast to his violent reaction to Nabal’s slanderous words.  David was eager to kill Nabal until Abigail and her godly wisdom placated Him. Perhaps, David knew that while Shimei’s malice toward him was uncalled for, there was truth to his accusations.  Truly, David’s time in the wilderness had humbled him...David was repentant.

David surrenders to His Father’s sovereign control and looks away from his circumstances to His LORD.   He places His trust completely in His God acknowledging Him in every situation he faces as he flees into the wilderness.

The psalm David penned when he fled from Absalom, his son, speaks to this as well. 

A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.

LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!

Many are they who rise up against me.

2 Many are they who say of me,

"There is no help for him in God." Selah

3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

4 I cried to the LORD with my voice,

And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people

Who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O LORD;

Save me, O my God!

For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;

You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD.

Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah—Psalm 3

This psalm is often called the Morning Hymn. In the first two verses David shares his complaint with the Lord...in the next two, he declares his confidence.  Verses 5-6 he sleeps singing of the Lords sustaining protection and in the last two he prays for His God’s continued help and strengthens himself with a reminder that it is the Lords battle and not his.  May we all be like David as we face our own sometimes overwhelming trials that life in this fallen world inevitably brings.

May we ever wake with holy confidence in our hearts, and a song upon our lips.—Spurgeon

The Rejoicing of My Heart...

I have spent much time in Psalm 119 and even tried to memorize it a few years ago.  It is my favorite chapter in the Bible and spending time in it had a profound effect on both my heart and my walk with the Lord.  I reached verse 100 in my memorization/meditation and although most of it is gone from my memory, the fruit from that time remains. Truly time spent with the Lord at His feet and in His Word  is eternal.  It will always bear fruit to Jesus Christ and will not be taken from us. 

A few verses from today’s reading that are very much worthy of our meditation...

Oh, how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.

Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,

For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in Your word.

Hold me up, and I shall be safe,

And I shall observe Your statutes continually.

God Provides a Way...

For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again. For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.—2 Samuel 14:14

The woman of Tekoa speaks truth...we all will surely die and when we do the possibility of reconciliation with Christ or those we loved who we are estranged from will end as well. The time to reconcile is now.  God does not immediately take away our life from us when we break His law.  He does not deal with us according to our sins...He suffers long and waits to be gracious.  He devised a way to bring His banished ones back to Himself. 

Mercy and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

And righteousness shall look down from heaven.—Ps 85:10-11

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

Praying for our prodigals today...whether banished from God because of unbelief or estranged because of unforgiveness.   Father...Mercy triumphs over judgment.  May you draw each of them today with cords of kindness and may they return to us out of the wilderness leaning on their Beloved.  Incline our own hearts toward mercy and compassion because You are and have been merciful and compassionate toward us.  

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.

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'—Matt 18:32-33

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.—Luke 15:20

Whom Do You Seek....

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed his standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one." (John 18:4-9ESV)

Even though I have read through this passage multiple times, I never realized consciously the underlying reason Jesus asked them, Whom do you seek?  He said it to fulfill Scripture, but He also said it protect His disciples...to prevent them from being arrested.  He forced the soldiers to acknowledge that they had no authority to take His disciples. He punctuated that acknowledgement with a display of His power using the ancient name of God. I AM.  He said it to fulfill His promise to them and His Father.

And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day. (John 6:39, ESV)

Psalm 103 says

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.  (Psalms 103:13-14 ESV)

Jesus knew that His disciples faith was weak and that being arrested, imprisoned or executed was more than they could bear.  He made sure that this did not happen. I am thankful that my God knows my frame...that I am weak.  I am thankful that He will never allow me to temped in ways that are beyond what I or my faith can bear.  He always will provide for me a way of escape.  (1 Cor 10:13). I am eternally secure...kept by my God and under His divine protection.   Truly, He loved them...He loved us to the end...to perfection.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 ESV)

1 Samuel 3:21

Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.—1 Samuel 3:21

The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.  One of the ways God reveals Himself to us is by His word, the Scriptures. I am so thankful for His word!  One of the first things I can remember thinking only seconds after I got saved (I got saved as I was alone reading a newly purchased that day bible) was how awesome it was to have this book to guide me thru life. I truly did not know how lost I was until He found me.  For a while...longer than I would care to admit, I lived like it would disappear.  I slept with that Bible under my pillow, kept it on the desk in my office at work and took it to lunch with me daily. It was literally never more than an arm’s reach away from me at all times.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged ourfn sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,—Hebrews 1:1-3

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4, ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17ESV)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31ESV)

since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you.  (1 Peter 1:23-25ESV)

Coming to Him...

I love this quote from Spurgeon!

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.—John 6:35

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.—John 6:37

I love this quote from Spurgeon!

“Faith in Christ is simply and truly described as coming to him. It is not an acrobatic feat; it is simply a coming to Christ. It is not an exercise of profound mental faculties; it is coming to Christ. A child comes to his mother, a blind man comes to his home, even an animal comes to his master. Coming is a very simple action indeed; it seems to have only two things about it, one is, to come away from something, and the other is, to come to something.” (Spurgeon)

1 Samuel 12:17-25

1 Samuel 12:17-25

Israel had the God of the Universe ruling them with His perfect love and perfect justice, but they insisted on going after worthlessness and lies.  They wanted to be like the world and specifically the other nations around them.  God gave them what they wanted. A human king. Such blindness I might think.  But who am I to judge!   I read these words of Samuel and see my  own discontented  spirit in my complaining, my own lack of thankfulness or my dissatisfaction in the things the Lord has blessed me with.  Truly only one thing profits both here and in eternity.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.—Matt 6:33

 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal."—Mat 6:19

Nothing else matters.... “ Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,  “ All is vanity.”....  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  For God will bring every work into judgment,  Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil."

Hear My Cry O God....

So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.—2 Samuel 12:20

And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'—2 Samuel 12:22

My eyes filled my eyes with tears and my heart filled with hope as I read this verse early this morning.  Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.  Each of us probably have petitions that we bring to the Lord daily...even hourly.  Some of us may have been praying, pleading and earnestly desiring and waiting on the Lord’s timing to answer for years.

 I am so thankful that we serve a gracious, kind, powerful and merciful God.  His desire toward us (ME!) is good and His plans for us are from His heart of love.  The Lord gives grace and glory; He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly.

Hear the cry of each of our hearts this morning, Father.  Help us to persist in prayer...humbling ourselves under Your mighty hand...surrendering and submitting to Your will.  Help us to place our hope and our confidence in You alone. While there is life, Father, there is hope...may our sorrow and discouragement never hinder our worship.  Oh, help us to pray and may You be gracious to us.  Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Blessed is the man who makes You His trust.  Blessed are all those who wait for You. Be gracious to us, Father, as we seek You.

Psalm 116:12-13

The universe is our God’s dwelling place.  The only thing we can give Him as finite human beings is the only thing that He desires from us.  He wants us to take the cup of salvation He offers and obey Him as an expression of our love for Him. This is expressed beautifully in Psalm 116.

What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD. --Psalm 116:12-13

Finding Yourself in a Place Where You Thought You would Never Be....

David had backslidden and found himself in a place where he thought he would never be.  He was among the ungodly Philistines and preparing for war against God's people. By God's grace he was rejected by the Philistines.  He goes back to his city and finds that the Amalekites had attacked and burned it with fire.  They had also taken their wives, sons and daughters captive.  1 Samuel 27 tells us that David had done much worse to those cities he had attacked....in comparison to David, the  Amalekites were merciful.

David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, "Lest they should inform on us, saying, 'Thus David did.' " And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.—1 Samuel 27:11

David was distressed and the people thought of stoning him because their souls were so very grieved at their loss.  David has reached his lowest point but what an example he is for us!  What do we read that David does?  He turns to God for strength...

"But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."

AND GOD IN HIS MERCY AND GRACE GIVES DAVID THE GUIDANCE HE NEEDED!  God in his mercy allowed David to hit rock bottom.  He knew what it would take for David to turn back to Him...God does the same for us.  He removes those things we are trusting in instead of Him until we have no other place to turn.   I am very thankful for the trials my God has brought me because in them and through them the Lord has turned my heart towards Him.  My trials have made me look up.  O Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.  Trust in him at all times you people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Ending with Psalm 118:

I called on the LORD in distress;

The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.

The LORD is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in princes.—Psalm 118: 5-6;8-9

 

Two more….

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall, 

But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:29-31

but He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. 10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength]—2 Corinthians 12:9-10 AMPLIFIED VERSION

One Desire...

"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."—John 12:21

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.--Jim Elliot

So often we cry, Lord, who will show us any good?  Even those of us who are saved look to the wrong things to bring us peace and satisfaction. Beloved, seek after the One who desires only your good...Seek after the One who is only good.  Seek His kingdom and all else will be added. Give Him the pre-eminence!  Delight yourself in your God and He will give you the desires of your heart!!  Blessed is the man whose God is the Lord!!

Spurgeon says it beautifully...

"Hast thou but one desire, and is that after Christ? Then thou art not far from the kingdom of heaven....Then, despite all thy fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loveth thee, and thou shalt come out into daylight soon, and rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free."

Praying today that I would seek His face...that my desire would be for Him, knowing that He is the source of my hope...knowing that He is the Great I Am...the "Becoming One"...the One who becomes to me just what I need.


“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
—Isaiah 55:1-3

Cast Your Burden on the Lord....

"And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness."—2 Samuel 3:39

David’s kingdom was new and not yet established.   Exacting justice for Abner might jeopardize his command.  David understood who he was and who His God was (is).  He admitted his weakness not only to His God but to the people as well.  I believe it is this kind of humility of heart exampled here by David that made the people love him.

It is so good to know that when we feel weak and overwhelmed, we too, can do as David did.  We can turn it all over to our God who is never overwhelmed and allow Him to handle it.  David's trust in God and his humility were truly the secret of his greatness.

Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.—Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)

His Desire Toward Me is Good...

So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.—2 Samuel 12:20

And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'—2 Samuel 12:22

My eyes filled with tears and my heart filled with hope as I read this verse early this morning.  Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.  Each of us probably have petitions that we bring to the Lord daily...even hourly.  Some of us may have been praying, pleading and earnestly desiring and waiting on the Lord’s timing to answer for years.

 I am so thankful that we serve a gracious, kind, powerful and merciful God.  His desire toward us (ME!) is good and His plans for us are from His heart of love.  The Lord gives grace and glory; He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly.

Hear the cry of each of our hearts this morning, Father.  Help us to persist in prayer...humbling ourselves under Your mighty hand...surrendering and submitting to Your will.  Help us to place our hope and our confidence in You alone. While there is life, Father, there is hope...may our sorrow and discouragement never hinder our worship.  Oh, help us to pray and may You be gracious to us.  Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Blessed is the man who makes You His trust.  Blessed are all those who wait for You. Be gracious to us, Father, as we seek You.

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.—Ps 91:14-15

For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.—Ps 9:10

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!—Ps 27:13-14