God Be Merciful to Us and Bless Us...

God be merciful to us and bless us,

And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah

That Your way may be known on earth,

Your salvation among all nations.—Psalm 67:1-2

I pray for God’s mercy and the light of His countenance upon me and on those I love daily...even hourly.  I NEED mercy.   I need His forgiveness and His strength. One of my favorite prayers to pray from Scripture is this one. 

Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak;—Psalm 6:2a

How perfect is that?   

My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who was given to me by God.  My glorious, merciful God dwells in me and is ALWAYS with me. Beloved, we have been bought with a price and are to glorify God in our body and in our Spirit. I need God’s favor to do this!  I need His strength and grace to walk in those works He has prepared beforehand for me in order to reveal His glory to a dying world that is in desperate need of His mercy.  

Even now, as I write, my heart whines and complains about all the things I HAVE to do today.  I am so thankful that in my weakness, He is strong.  I am thankful that even as I complain, there are tears of gratitude because I know God is at my right hand.  I am NEVER alone. It is He, who works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  

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

let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.—Matthew 5:16

21 This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

22 Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

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

24 "The LORD bless you and keep you;

25 The LORD make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace."'—Numbers 6:24-26

Make Your face shine upon Your servant;

Save me for Your mercies' sake.

17 Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You;—Psalm 31:16-17

For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,

Nor did their own arm save them;

But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,

Because You favored them.—Psalm 44:3

Make Your face shine upon Your servant,

And teach me Your statutes.—Psalm 119:135

Accepted in the Beloved...

 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.—Ephesians 1:6

I love this doctrine of God.  To the praise of His glorious grace, He has made me accepted in His Beloved Son.  I am BELOVED of God, who chose me before the foundation of the world and has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, His Son. I am accepted in the Beloved—because Christ is accepted, and, therefore, those who are in Him are accepted

Spurgeon says God has a “complacency” toward us.  I loved that he used that word.  Complacency is defined as a feeling of smug, uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.  Wow!  God looks at me in Christ with uncritical satisfaction. He takes delight in me!   Where can that kind of acceptance be found in this world?  ONLY in Christ. 

 Beloved, run to Him and dwell securely in the secret place of His Presence.  God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  Truly there is no need to fear. Set your love on Him...He will deliver you.  The  promises of Psalm 91 are ours who believe.  

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust."

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

4 He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not come near you.

8 Only with your eyes shall you look,

And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10 No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 "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.

15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation."—Psalm 91

Fulfilling the Law of Christ...

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

(Galatians 6:2, ESV)

These verses again as in chapter 5 require us as believers to walk in the love that God’s Spirit has shed abroad in our hearts. Love brings unity because the love of God is a humble love that considers other person as more important than ourselves. It is a self-sacrificing, gentle kind of love that receives God’s word without argument, submits one to another in the fear of God and is clothed with humility.  It is a love that imitates the love that God has for them. 

Beloved...carry one another’s burdens.  This is the way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ, which is the law of Christian love. Allow the Spirit of God to use the word of God to direct your heart and your steps into the love of God and the patience of Christ.   

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:11, ESV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17, ESV)

The Bond of Perfection...

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!—Galatians 5:13-15

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.—Romans 13:8-10

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.—Galatians 5:22-23

As Christians we now have the freedom not to sin. We stand justified before God...set free from both sin and sin’s penalty by the death and resurrection of Christ. We are now permanent recipients of God’s unmerited favor.  We stand in His grace, set apart to do His will and fulfill His purposes.  

We who have been saved by grace are to sin no longer!  We are to not use our freedom in Christ as a base to sin freely and without consequence, but are to use it as a platform from which to serve others in love. Colossians tells us we are to put on love which binds all of God’s people together in perfect harmony. 

Beloved, love covers, unifies and perfects. Love is the debt that is never paid. It is always owed.  Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love fulfills the law.

Praying today that by His Spirit all of what we do and say would be motivated by the love God’s Spirit has poured out in our hearts.   It is then that the fruit of the Spirit...godly attitudes that characterize the lives of those who belong to God... will be evident in your wake.  It is that simple and that difficult.  

love:  “One of several Greek words for love, agape is the love of choice, referring not to an emotional affection, physical attraction, or a familial bond, but to respect, devotion, and affection that leads to willing, self-sacrificial service”—J MacArthur

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, ESV)

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18, ESV)

Th Lord Waits to be Gracious...

Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you;

And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.

For the LORD is a God of justice;

Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;

You shall weep no more.

He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;

When He hears it, He will answer you.

20 And though the Lord gives you

The bread of adversity and the water of affliction,

Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,

But your eyes shall see your teachers.

21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,

"This is the way, walk in it,"

Whenever you turn to the right hand

Or whenever you turn to the left.—Isaiah 30:18-21 (Emphasis mine)

I love the words of Isaiah 30:18.  What a beautiful, beautiful picture of our God.  He is the One who WAITS to be gracious. Chapter 30 opens with the Lord calling Israel stubborn children. 

"Ah, stubborn children," declares the LORD, "who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;  who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!  (Isaiah 30:1-2, ESV)

Since Judah would not wait for the Lord to deliver, God would wait to be gracious to them.  Beloved, our God WAITS AND LOOKS for opportunities to be gracious.  Spurgeon points out the position of the wanderer in verse 21...his back is to the Lord.  And yet the Lord follows him so that he hears Him whisper behind him...This is the way...walk in it.  Such comfort this brings to my heart as I pray for those I love who need our God’s grace, guidance and love in their lives.  The Lord pursues them.  He is FOR me and FOR them. He wants my best and He wants their best. His desire is for none to perish but for all to come to life in His Son. 

Judah had refused to repent of their self-rule. 

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." But you were unwilling,  (Isaiah 30:15, ESV)

In contrast, listen to the words of the future remnant in the following verses who had repented.

It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."  (Isaiah 25:9, ESV)

In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.  (Isaiah 26:8, ESV)

O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.  (Isaiah 33:2, ESV)

Be comforted all you who wait for the Lord.   Rest and wait confidently for Him. Trust His timing and put your trust completely in Him.  As you wait, watch Him fulfill His promise to be gracious to you and to those you love and pray for. 

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

29 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,

31 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 40:28-31

Trusting in Lies...

For this is a rebellious people, lying sons,

Sons who refuse to listen to

The law and instruction of the LORD;

10 Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions from God";

And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right!

Speak to us pleasant things and smooth words,

Prophesy [deceitful] illusions [that we will enjoy].

11 "Get out of the [true] way, turn aside from the path [of God],

Stop bothering us with the Holy One of Israel."—Isaiah 30:9-11 AMP

The Amplified version makes these verses very plain!  God had done much for his people, but they still turned away and sought the help of Egypt instead of seeking His will.  In verse 8 God tells Isaiah to inscribe their rebellion on a scroll so that at a later time it would be as a witness against them that they WERE rebellious, lying sons who sought their own and not the law of God.  Both the people and their leaders would rather hear pleasant words from lying lips than God’s truth. They wanted a message that would make them feel comfortable and would not challenge their illusions. They wanted God to stop bothering them with truth...lies were their refuge. 

 Isaiah depicts very graphically in verses 12-14 the ultimate end of those whose lives have departed from the truth and have instead placed their trust in oppression and guile. 

"Because you have refused and rejected this word [of Mine]

And have put your trust in oppression and guile, and have relied on them,

13 Therefore this wickedness [this sin, this injustice, this wrongdoing] will be to you

Like a crack [in a wall] about to fall,

A bulge in a high wall,

Whose collapse comes suddenly in an instant,

14 "Whose collapse is like the smashing of a potter's jar,

Crushed so savagely

that there cannot be found among its pieces a potsherd [large enough]

To take [coals of] fire from a fireplace,

Or to scoop water from a cistern."

Beloved, make God and His truth your refuge. Yes, it might not be what you want to hear...yes, it might make you uncomfortable, but it is clearly a much better choice in the long run ( and often in the short run) to face reality rather than live a lie.  Take the long view.  The ultimate end of the one who does not obey the truth is destruction.  The ultimate end for the one who does is eternal life in the very Presence of God.  Isaiah speaks of the true way of salvation and strength in verse 15.

For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel has said this,

"In returning [to Me] and rest you shall be saved,

In quietness and confident trust is your strength."

Today’s OYB Psalm is perfect here:

Psalm 62...

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;

From Him comes my salvation.

2

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

My defense and my strong tower; I will not be shaken or disheartened.

3

How long will you attack a man

So that you may murder him, all of you,

Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

4

They consult only to throw him down from his high position [to dishonor him];

They delight in lies.

They bless with [the words of] their mouths,

But inwardly they curse. Selah.

5

For God alone my soul waits in silence and quietly submits to Him,

For my hope is from Him.

6

He only is my rock and my salvation;

My fortress and my defense, I will not be shaken or discouraged.

7

On God my salvation and my glory rest;

He is my rock of [unyielding] strength, my refuge is in God.

8

Trust [confidently] in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him.

God is a refuge for us. Selah.

9

Men of low degree are only a breath (emptiness), and men of [high] rank are a lie (delusion).

In the balances they go up [because they have no measurable weight or value];

They are together lighter than a breath.

10

Do not trust in oppression,

And do not vainly hope in robbery;

If riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

11

God has spoken once,

Twice I have heard this:

That power belongs to God.

12

Also to You, O Lord, belong lovingkindness and compassion,

For You compensate every man according to [the value of] his work.

Perfect Peace Promised...

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

4 Trust in the LORD forever,

For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

There are probably no verses in the Bible that I am more grateful for then these.  The words are true, beautiful, succinct and so effective.  When my spirit sinks and my heart fails, I always know why.  My fixed position of trust has been abandoned. My heart and mind have begun to dwell on the water and the waves rather than on my awesome God. 

A mind that is stayed on the Lord is a mind that eschews doublemindness.  It is a mind that serves one Master, Christ and finds its peace and shelter in His everlasting strength.  Literally the expression “everlasting strength” is Rock of Ages.  The Lord God is their strong habitation to which they resort continually. 

Father...May Your name, even Your memory, be the desire and deep longing of my soul.   Give me a steadfast, committed mind that is focused on You in both inclination and character.  Be my hope and confident expectation continually. 

Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah—Ps 61:1-4

Rallying Around the Banner of Truth...

1 O God, You have cast us off;

You have broken us down;

You have been displeased;

Oh, restore us again!

2 You have made the earth tremble;

You have broken it;

Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.

3 You have shown Your people hard things;

You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

4 You have given a banner to those who fear You,

That it may be displayed because of the truth.

Selah

5 That Your beloved may be delivered,

Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

6 God has spoken in His holiness:

"I will rejoice;

I will divide Shechem

And measure out the Valley of Succoth.

7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;

Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;

Judah is My lawgiver.

8 Moab is My washpot;

Over Edom I will cast My shoe;

Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me."

9 Who will bring me to the strong city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?

And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?

11 Give us help from trouble,

For the help of man is useless.

12 Through God we will do valiantly,

For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.—Psalm 60:1-12

John MacArthur writes that this psalm is a national lament written after the unexpected military setback alluded to in 2 Samuel 8:13 and 1 Chronicles 18:12. As I read through it, I was reminded of the different times in my own life where the proverbial rug has been pulled out, and I have been left feeling shocked, saddened and/or confused by something that had happened and maybe wondering where God was in all of it.

A very wise person early on in my walk with Christ, told me that when I was facing something that I didn’t understand that I was to fall back on what I did understand...namely God and the truth of His word.  Such good advice!  This is exactly what David did here. 

You have shown Your people hard things;

You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

You have given a banner to those who fear You,

That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah

That Your beloved may be delivered,

Save with Your right hand, and hear me.—Psalm 60:3-5

David rallied his people...God’s people...to the truth. He reminded them of what God had spoken in his holiness.  God owns the cities. The nations, also are His and He IS in controls. He KNOWS their future.  Shechem, Gilead, Manasseh, and Judah belonged to God and He was interested in their welfare.  God was for them. The three enemies of Israel, Moab, Edom and Philistia were God’s menial servants who would do His bidding.  

Beloved, we are soldiers in the Lord’s army, fighting for His cause. Our times are in His hands. Hold His promises in Your heart...use them as a rallying point to direct your own heart and the heart of others back on to the solid ground of Scripture.  Through God, we WILL do valiantly!  God has a plan and He keeps His promises.  Victory is ours in Him.  

For You will light my lamp;

The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by You I can run against a troop,

By my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the LORD is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

31 For who is God, except the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

And sets me on my high places.—Psalm 18:28-33

Ending with a beautiful quote from Spurgeon...

“My times", that is to say, my ups and my downs, my health and my sickness, my poverty and my wealth-all those are in the hand of the Lord, who arranges and appoints according to his holy will the length of my days, and the darkness of my nights. Storms and calms vary the seasons at the divine appointment. Whether times are reviving or depressing remains with him who is Lord both of time and of eternity; and we are glad it is so.

We assent to the statement, "My times are in thy hand," as to their result. Whatever is to come out of our life, is in our heavenly Father's hand. He guards the vine of life, and he also protects the clusters which shall be produced thereby. If life be as a field, the field is under the hand of the great Husbandman, and the harvest of that field is with him also. The ultimate results of his work of grace upon us, and of his education of us in this life, are in the highest hand. We are not in our own hands, nor in the hands of earthly teachers; but we are under the skillful operation of hands which make nothing in vain. The close of life is not decided by the sharp knife of the fates; but by the hand of love. We shall not die before our time, neither shall we be forgotten and left upon the stage too long.”