The Lord is Mindful of Us…

The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us;—Psalm 115:12

This entire psalm is about the trustworthiness of the Lord. What a gift for me today to think on the blessings and rewards of trusting my God.  Our God is mindful of us…His mind is literally filled (as much as an infinite mind can be) with thoughts of us, His children. 

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would

be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You—Psalm 139:17-18

The verse goes on to say that He WILL bless us.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  All of the His promises are yes in His Son.  His steadfast love toward us never ceases…He DAILY loads us with benefits. 

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!—Psalm 84:11

He has redeemed those who have placed their trust in Him…Heaven awaits and belongs to those who trust God.   He is our security, our stability and our power.  He is our hope, our joy, and our praise.  In trusting Him we are like Mt Zion which cannot be shaken but endures forever. (Ps 125:1)

Beloved…Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. Read the verses below and be encouraged, strengthened and blessed.  As you read, write down what blessings are associated with each verse.  Reading them in the Amplified helped me here.  

Psalms 84:12 AMP - O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]! 

Proverbs 16:20 AMP - He who deals wisely and heeds [God’s] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord — happy, blessed, and fortunate is he. 
    
Jeremiah 17:7 AMP - [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. 
 
Psalms 31:19 AMP - Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men! 

Psalms 5:11 AMP - But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits. 

2 Samuel 22:31 AMP - As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried. He is a Shield to all those who trust and take refuge in Him. 
 
Psalms 18:30 AMP - As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him. 

Psalms 91:4 AMP - [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. 

Psalms 115:9 AMP - O Israel, trust and take refuge in the Lord! [Lean on, rely on, and be confident in Him!] He is their Help and their Shield. 

Psalms 7:1 AMP - O Lord my God, in You I take refuge and put my trust; save me from all those who pursue and persecute me, and deliver me, 

Psalms 91:4-7 AMP - [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay 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. 

Psalms 4:8 AMP - In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust. 
    
Psalms 37:3 AMP - Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. 
 
Psalms 125:1 AMP - Those who trust in, lean on, and confidently hope in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides and stands fast forever. 

Psalms 56:11 AMP - In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 

Psalms 91:5 AMP - You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, 
    
2 Timothy 1:7 AMP - For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
     
Isaiah 26:3 AMP - You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. 

Psalms 37:4-5 AMP - Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. 

Psalms 34:22 AMP - The Lord redeems the lives of His servants, and none of those who take refuge and trust in Him shall be condemned or held guilty. 

Psalms 9:10 NKJV - And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who

seek You

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.

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

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 40:28-30

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.—Ephesians 1:3-14

Love Suffers Long and is Kind…

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail;—1 Corinthians 13:4-8

These words from 1 Corinthians 13 always have the effect of blowing my pride out of the water, so to speak. They make me collapse on the inside because they confront me with my insufficiency.  That, however, is such a good thing! I AM INSUFFICIENT!  My God, thankfully, is not and He is my Helper. 

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 9:8

To be a Christian is to first and foremost love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Love is the bond of perfection. Love is the debt that is always owed.  It is the one thing “we” can do to fulfill the law completely.   As believers, love for Christ must be the motivating force behind all that we do and all that we say. 

It would be great if this kind of self-sacrificing love were our natural response toward others. Unfortunately, it is not. In fact, we don't even often have loving feelings toward those around us. Most of the time our thoughts are on how they can love us. Since their thoughts are probably on themselves also, we are at an impasse. Biblical love, however, is a command. Our response therefore, is a matter of obedience.

As was said earlier, in and of ourselves this kind of love is impossible.  With God, however, all things are possible. When we believe, His love is poured out in our hearts by His Spirit who now dwells in us.  It is ONLY by HIS love that we can love others as He loves us.  Without His love we are nothing and can do nothing good.  

If I feel myself going awry during the day, it is ALWAYS helpful for me to remember love...to pray and surrender what “I WANT” and allow the Spirit of God to do what I cannot - love the precious people around me with His love.  

Beloved, by His Spirit love one another fervently; love never fails because love is of God.   When we walk in love, we walk in His perfect will and shine like lights in a dark world.  When we walk in love, we also walk effectively, not only temporally but also eternally.  I “love” thinking on that.  Loving others with God’s love has eternal consequences.   God’s love reaches beyond this world and into eternity.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.—1 Corinthians 13:2

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

The Steadfast Love of our God…

 

My unsettled and at times fearful heart last night drove me to the right place…God’s word. I began to think on one of my favorite verses in Scripture.  

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,

And in the night His song shall be with me—

A prayer to the God of my life.—Psalm 42:8

Beloved…The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His lovingkindness is always before our eyes. We have no need to fear. Below is Spurgeon’s exposition of this verse. 

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime. 

Come what may there will be a “certain secret something” to sweeten all.  Lovingkindness is a worthy life belt in a rough sea. The day may darken into a strange untimely midnight, but the love of God, ordained of old to be the portion of the elect, will be by soVereign decree meted out to them.  No day will ever dawn on an heir of grace and find him altogether forsaken. The Lord reigns, and as a sovereign He will with authority command mercy to be reserved for His chosen. 

And in the night.  Both day and night will be illuminated with special love, and no stress of trial can prevent it.  Our God is God of the nights as well as the days.  None will find Israel unprotected regardless of the hour. 

His song shall be with me.  Songs of praise for blessings received will cheer the gloom of the night.  No music is sweeter than the belief that we will yet glorify the lord for mercy given in extremity. This is a delightful support to the soul. Affliction may put out our candle, but if it cannot silence our song, we will soon light the candle again. 

A prayer to the God of my life.  Prayer is yoked with praise. He who is the living God is the God of our life. From Him we derive it, with Him in prayer and praise we spend it, to Him we devote it, and in Him we will perfect prayer and praise. To be assured that our sighs and songs will have free access to our glorious Lord is to have reason for hope in the most deplorable condition. 

Deep to deep incessant calling,
     Tossed by furious tempests' roll,
Endless waves and billows falling,
     Overwhelm my fainting soul.
Yet I see a Power presiding
     Mid the tumult of the storm,
Ever ruling, ever guiding,
     Love's intentions to perform.
Yes, mid sorrows most distressing,
     Faith contemplates thy design,
Humbly bowing, and confessing
     All the waves and billows THINE.

—Henry March.

Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness." His expression is remarkable; he does not say simply that the Lord will bestow, but command his lovingkindness. As the gift bestowed is grace—free favour to the unworthy; so the manner of bestowing it is sovereign. It is given by decree; it is a royal donative. And if he commands the blessing, who shall hinder its reception?

—Henry March.

Praising God for His Truth, Justice and Faithfulness..

Praise the LORD!

I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,

In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

The works of the LORD are great,

Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

His work is honorable and glorious,

And His righteousness endures forever.

He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

He has given food to those who fear Him;

He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

He has declared to His people the power of His works,

In giving them the heritage of the nations.

The works of His hands are verity and justice;

All His precepts are sure.

They stand fast forever and ever,

And are done in truth and uprightness.

He has sent redemption to His people;

He has commanded His covenant forever:

Holy and awesome is His name.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

His praise endures forever.—Psalm 111

Beloved…if you are favored to stand among the upright…PRAISE THE LORD who always and forever deserves our praise!  Make this your vow!  Praise Him with your WHOLE heart…with all that you are and everything you have. 

Praise Him for His works which are wonderful, powerful, righteous, good, awesome, honorable, glorious and are studied by all those who delight in them. He has made them to be remembered!

He remembers and is mindful of His everlasting covenant of love with us. His promises to us are sure. In His compassion, He has recorded them and memorialized them to help us remember so we don’t lose heart. Let remembering and praising be your wisdom.  

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.—Philippians 4:8

Our God is faithful and true. He is our help. He is our shelter. Our God is GRACIOUS and full of COMPASSION. We are undeserving and yet…

He works all in our lives for our good and His glory. He comes to our aid. He fights for us, comforts us, and feeds us.  HE MAKES HIS HOME WITH US!!  The works of His hands are verity and justice. Oh, child of God, walk in His truth and praise Him.  “You” have been redeemed.  “You” were thought of before the foundation of the world for good and not evil. He desired to give you a future and a hope. He died for you when you were still His enemy. Even now Jesus lives for “you” and intercedes for “you” with the Father in Heaven.  In Him you live and move and have your being. He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.  He is your portion both in this life and in the life to come. 

Beloved believer…God’s word to us is sure. It endures forever.  He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name. 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

His praise endures forever.—Psalm 111:10

Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;

He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.—Psalm 112:4

He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is established;

He will not be afraid,—Psalm 112:7-8a

Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will— to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ]. In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight] He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God's own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.—Ephesians 1:3-14 AMPLIFIED

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

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), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:1-10

If it Had Not Been the LORD Who Was On Our Side..

 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,"

Let Israel now say—

2 "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,

When men rose up against us,

3 Then they would have swallowed us alive,

When their wrath was kindled against us;

4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,

The stream would have gone over our soul;

5 Then the swollen waters

Would have gone over our soul."

6 Blessed be the LORD,

Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.

7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;

The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.—Ps 124

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?—1 John 5:4-5

This morning as I contemplated the overwhelming evil and deceit that seems to surround us, my heart became discouraged.  As I opened my Bible I prayed that God would once again fill and steady my shaky heart with His sustaining grace.  Beloved, God is faithful. This morning He did just.

I am an overcomer!  As a believer, my union with Christ, allows me to partake in His victory.

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:37-39

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.—2 Corinthians 2:14

God has provided me away of escape from the deceit and lies that surround us.  I do not war against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers set on destroying all that is good and right.  Psalm 124 begins 

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side...

There is a pause...the thought is not completed.  Perhaps we, as believers, are meant to fill in the blank.  If the Lord had not been on my side, I would stand condemned by my sin to suffer eternally in hell. My life here on earth would be spent knowing that dying would bring no relief. It would, in fact, bring greater and more intense suffering. No good news there...only terror.  But God...

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.—Ephesians 2:4-9

Spurgeon reminds us not to look downward in despair, or look to the right hand or to the left to human confidence, or look within in pride, but 

"Unto You lift I up my eyes." —

Beloved, lift up your eyes to Him. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Our defense is of God who saves the upright in our heart. Read the following and be encouraged. Remember all of God’s promises are yes and amen in His Son.  

9 When I cry out to You,

Then my enemies will turn back;

This I know, because God is for me.

10 In God (I will praise His word),

In the LORD (I will praise His word),

11 In God I have put my trust;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?—Psalm 56:9-11

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me

To eat up my flesh,

My enemies and foes,

They stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against me,

My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me,

In this I will be confident.—Psalm 27:1-3

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

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

1 Unto You I lift up my eyes,

O You who dwell in the heavens.

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

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

So our eyes look to the LORD our God,

Until He has mercy on us.

3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us!

For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

4 Our soul is exceedingly filled

With the scorn of those who are at ease,

With the contempt of the proud.—Psalm 123

1 Those who trust in the LORD

Are like Mount Zion,

Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So the LORD surrounds His people

From this time forth and forever.—Psalm 125

1 When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion,

We were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

And our tongue with singing.

Then they said among the nations,

"The LORD has done great things for them."

3 The LORD has done great things for us,

And we are glad.—Psalm 126