This is My Comfort in My Affliction...

 This is my comfort in my affliction,

For Your word has given me life.—Psalm 119:50

This verse always brings the word “content” to mind.  I have probably gone upstairs to my room thousands of times over the years with my bible because it IS my comfort.  His word is what I seek first.  It is what answers my every cry, my every emotional nuance and my every longing.  The following might seem strange, but bear with me. The picture of me with my bible cozy in my bed brings a favorite Robert Louis Stevenson poem to mind...The Land of Counterpane.  It is a poem from my childhood that always brings my heart home.  

The Land of Counterpane

by Robert Louis Stevenson

When I was sick and lay a-bed, 

I had two pillows at my head, 

And all my toys beside me lay, 

To keep me happy all the day. 

And sometimes for an hour or so 

I watched my leaden soldiers go, 

With different uniforms and drills, 

Among the bed-clothes, through the hills; 

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets 

All up and down among the sheets; 

Or brought my trees and houses out, 

And planted cities all about. 

I was the giant great and still 

That sits upon the pillow-hill, 

And sees before him, dale and plain, 

The pleasant land of counterpane.

The word of God brings my heart home. The comfort the Lord brings is designed especially for me. It is individual and one which the world cannot replicate. It is a comfort that when given is so styled that it lifts me above my circumstances, quickens my heart and is like the glow of warm fire in a cold, darkened room.  His word gifts me with the comfort of His sustaining grace, brings the peace of contentment and enables me to endure.  

This has become mine,

Because I kept Your precepts.—Psalm 119:56

Be Merciful to Me, O God, for Man Would Swallow Me Up...

 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;

Fighting all day he oppresses me.

2 My enemies would hound me all day,

For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

3 Whenever I am afraid,

I will trust in You.

4 In God (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;

I will not fear.

What can flesh do to me?

5 All day they twist my words;

All their thoughts are against me for evil.

6 They gather together,

They hide, they mark my steps,

When they lie in wait for my life.

7 Shall they escape by iniquity?

In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

8 You number my wanderings;

Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

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?

12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;

I will render praises to You,

13 For You have delivered my soul from death.

Have You not kept my feet from falling,

That I may walk before God

In the light of the living?—Psalm 56

I am just gonna keep my Bible opened to Psalm 56 for the next few days. Such a heartening, fear quenching Psalm that points us continually to the One in whom we CAN trust and confidently rely on to see us through the trials of this life. 

Mercy is defined in my Thompson Chain Reference Bible as a form of love, especially directed toward the needy or unworthy.  That’s me!  Today, then, in my grief and my sorrow, I will not turn aside to those things that are empty and do not profit. Today, I will seek my God of mercy.  Today, I will give Him all that is in my heart and praise His holy name!  Today, I will remember His divine care and I will consider the great things He has done for me. 

—He has redeemed my soul from destruction.

—He has kept my feet from falling.

—He takes account of all my wanderings.  

—He keeps every one of my tears in a bottle. 

My precious, all seeing, all knowing, merciful God knows what I face and the way that I take, AND He cares.  When I call, He will hear me...He will answer because THIS I know...My God is FOR me. 

Today I will walk before Him in the light of His life and light. He who has begun a good work in me WILL carry it on and perfect it until I walk forever in His light in my heavenly home.

For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.—1 Samuel 12:22

With Desire I Have Desired...Luke 22:15

Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;—Luke 22:15

With DESIRE I have DESIRED...

Jesus had arrived at the central reason why He came to man...to institute a new covenant with men, based on His own sacrifice. Oh how willing You were, Jesus, to give up Your life for mine...to suffer and die for me.  You desired it WITH desire...with single minded devotion to accomplish that for which You were sent.  Give me, Father, that kind of devotion...give me Your right desires. Give me the heart that Paul had...

“For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Your heart, Jesus, was steadfast and immovable abounding in Your Father’s work.  Your inner demeanor like that of a warrior, Your face set like flint and ready to endure the cross for the joy set before You.  Truly, Jesus, You loved us to the end.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.—1 Corinthians 15:58 

But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!—Luke 12:50

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.—John 4:34

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.—John 13:1

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,—John 17:1

Prayerfulness and Pride...

 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD.—1 Samuel 8:6

16 As for me, I will call upon God,

And the LORD shall save me.

17 Evening and morning and at noon

I will pray, and cry aloud,

And He shall hear my voice.

18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,—Psalm 55:16-18

The message for me as I read through my daily Bible this morning was so simple.  

As for me, I will call upon God,

The bigger question is why after some 30 years of walking with the Lord is it still so hard?  I mean He literally bids us (me) to come. He never gets tired of hearing from us, nor does He blame us for coming too often...in fact, as Matthew Henry has said...the oftener the more welcome. Why is it then that it is still such a battle?  One word...pride.  

Beloved, the God who spoke the world into existence...the One that is all knowing, all powerful and everywhere present...desires us!  Pride is just not rational!  Instead of readily bringing our problems and concerns to Him as we go about our day, we reject His counsel and His rule and forfeit His blessings by going our own way.  We, in effect, doom ourselves to be counseled and ruled by what someone has aptly named, the trinity of stupidity...me, myself and I. 

Praying today that I would heed His Spirit’s gentle reminders and promptings that bid me to “come”.  For then and only then will my soul be satisfied and my heart rejoice.  Only then will I go about my day with joy and be led about in peace.

Father...

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up.  Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud,

And You shall hear my voice.  You have redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me.  

The Answer to Grief and Betrayal...

Cast your burden on the LORD,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.—Psalm 55:22

I am so thankful for this verse.  I am especially thankful that it comes in the context of Psalm 55 which is a psalm of David when he was betrayed by both his son Absolom and his close friend and trusted confidante, Ahithophel.  (2 Sam. 15–18)

If you have ever been grieved and betrayed, then you know something of what David is feeling in this Psalm and can relate. The answer for David as to what to do with all the feelings that are flooding his being comes in verse 22.   It is a good one also for each of us today...no matter what we might be facing. 

Cast your burden on the LORD,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.—Psalm 55:22

Beloved...Give God your heart. Lift up your soul to Him.  Cast your burden...your lot...your circumstances...upon the Lord. He promises to uphold you in and through all the struggles of this life. 

One of the cross-reference verses for Psalm 55:22 is this one from Hebrews. This morning it really helped my heart. It is my prayer that it will help yours as well. 

The LORD is My Helper—Hebrews 13:6

The LORD is my helper...All the heartaches, all the trials, all the dailiness and difficulties that accompany life in this fallen world dropped off my shoulders as I read. The. Lord. Is. My. Helper.  There were no words, just tears of overwhelming gratitude and relief.  I am not alone.  I will never be alone this side of eternity.  He is with me and dwells in me. He is my Helper.  Each and every one of His wonderful divine attributes are engaged on my side!  I can RELAX!  I can let down my guard.  I CAN cast all my cares on Him because HE CARES FOR ME.   

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

8 The LORD is their strength,

And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9 Save Your people,

And bless Your inheritance;

Shepherd them also,

And bear them up forever.—Psalm 28:7-9

By Your Patience Possess Your Souls...

 By your patience possess your souls.—Luke 21:19

By your patience possess your souls...what does that mean?  What does it look like?  Jesus in Luke 21 answers the disciples’ question about signs that will occur just before the end of the age.  Jesus predictions are much doom and gloom but in them He reminds the disciples (and us) to keep their eyes on the prize.  To look ahead and look up because all of what they face will turn out for a testimony. Jesus tells them to settle it in their hearts not to meditate beforehand on what they will answer. Inspiration, wisdom and spiritual utterance would be given to them from on high in the hour it was needed and that they would be divinely protected.  Here is the thing...verse 19 doesn’t say by your patience possess your lives but by your patience possess your souls.  Many of the disciples would in fact lose their lives but in losing their life they gained them forever. The same is true for us. 

Jesus here then, is exhorting both his disciples and us to hold fast to His word, to persevere through trials, to trust God to guard our hearts and to keep us through faith.  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, and He has also given us the Spirit as a guarantee.  

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.—1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. 

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 I and My Father are one."—John 10:27-30

Beloved...those that are truly His are His forever...No one...not even ourselves...can snatch us out of His hand. Our perseverance and patience under trials does not save us, but it does prove that we belong to Him.  True believers will persevere. Jesus here is using these warnings to exhort us not to fall away or lose heart under persecutions and trials. God is with us and will sustain us through them all.  He will keep those that are His from stumbling.  Be patient, look ahead to the prize...walk through the trials and persecution that come in the power of His Spirit.  By your patient endurance empowered by the Holy Spirit you will gain your souls.  

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;—Philippians 1:6

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

37 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 8:31-39

And Hannah Prayed...

 But the prayer of the upright is His delight.—Proverbs 15:8b

But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”—1 Samuel 1:15-16

Hannah’s Song of Gratitude to God...

And Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the LORD;

My horn is exalted in the LORD.

I smile at my enemies,

Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 “No one is holy like the LORD,

For there is none besides You,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

3 “Talk no more so very proudly;

Let no arrogance come from your mouth,

For the LORD is the God of knowledge;

And by Him actions are weighed.—1 Samuel 2:1-3

Beloved...There is so much we can learn from Hannah.  As I read the Spirit of God’s words today, not only about Hannah but also through Hannah, I felt trapped and overwhelmed by time constraints. My heart truly wanted to spend hours right there in those first few chapters of 1 Samuel gleaning whatever the Lord had for me in these passages. They were for me! They have been for me (according to the notations in my Bible) since 1998.  Sadly, I didn’t have hours, but I was able to spend the remainder of the time I had, writing and meditating on the verses above.  I also bookmarked the page in my Bible so I could reread it later this evening...

Notes on Hannah...

—Hannah was a woman of great sorrow and in chapter 1 we find her pouring out her soul before the Lord.  If we take away nothing else from this humble and submissive woman of God, let us commit to following her example when our own hearts become overwhelmed.  

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah—Psalm 62:8

—Hannah referred to herself as the Lord’s maidservant.  Similarly, Paul, in his NT letters to the various churches, refers to himself as the Lord’s bondservant.  Scripture tells us that as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Oh, to have this same mindset!  To think and refer to myself  as a maidservant of the Lord.  After a while this truth would rule in my mind and my heart and pride and arrogance would take a back seat. 

—Hannah not only poured out her heart to God in sorrow but also in joy. In chapter 2 we read her beautiful words of gratitude and thanksgiving.  She rejoices in God’s salvation and takes both joy and comfort in His sovereignty.  Read the words, however, that come JUST BEFORE Hannah’s prayer of gratitude. 

24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. 27 For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.—1 Samuel 1:24-28

In a short time, Hannah would be fulfilling her vow to the Lord by leaving her just weaned, very young son with Eli, the priest at the Tabernacle of the Lord.  How much more of a testimony are Hannah’s words now knowing the depth of sorrow that must also be in her heart as she prays this prayer of worship and thanksgiving! How much strength is added to her acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty when we know that in the next few moments she would be relinquishing her precious son...her gift both from the Lord and to the Lord...forever.  

—Hannah trusted God and prayed with confidence because she understood that whatever sorrow of heart might be coming...she WOULD  endure because her heart could still...always and truly...rejoice in the Lord. In Him..in His favor...her “horn” would be exalted.  In Him, she could and would smile at her enemies...she belonged to God. He was her strength, her song and had become her salvation. If God were for her who could be against her.

1 Vindicate me, O God,

And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!

2 For You are the God of my strength;

Why do You cast me off?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

Let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy hill

And to Your tabernacle.

4 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.

5 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

Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:6-7

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,—Philippians 3:3

I will love You, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.—Psalm 18:1-3

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The LORD God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.—Habakkuk 3:17-19

The Lovingkindness of God...

The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”—Ruth 2:12

I truly cannot imagine the extent of the comfort Boaz’s true and kind prayer brought to Ruth’s heart that day. Ruth was a stranger in a strange land.  She was a vulnerable woman who had the responsibility of not only supporting herself but her mother-in-law as well.  In Boaz’s kindness to Ruth, I saw Jesus’ kindness to me both now and when I first came to Him. I love the picture Boaz painted of God’s protective care.(of a mother bird sheltering the weak, young and helpless with her wings) It is a picture that NEVER fails to bring me comfort especially when, like Ruth, I am feeling vulnerable and alone or like my world has gone crazy and my life is spinning out of control.  It is these verses that remind me of my true habitation.  It is ONLY my relationship with my God that can calm my soul.  

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.—Psalm 57:1

I dwell in the secret place of the Most High Almighty God...a place of private and personal divine protection. I am safe...nothing can threaten or overpower my all powerful, all knowing, all seeing and everywhere present God.

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.—Psalm 91:1-4

Keep me as the apple of Your eye;

Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,—Psalm 17:8

Eternal life is mine also...

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.—Psalm 61:4

Sustaining grace available in abundance for my every need...

Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.—Psalm 63:7-8

Verse 13 of Ruth Chapter 2 says this:

Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

Again, the kindness of Boaz to Ruth here is a picture of the lovingkindness of my Jesus to sinners like me.  Like Ruth, when I first came to the Lord, God’s comfort and kindness caught me by surprise and very often overwhelmed my heart. I knew I was a sinner deserving of death and yet He blessed my newfound commitment and dependence on Him in so many countless and priceless ways. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!  Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

Father...Your lovingkindness is always before my eyes. Today give me eyes to see it, to note it and to praise You for it.  Allow each one to fill and overflow my heart with thanksgiving as it did when I first was saved. As you made Boaz an answer to his own prayer for Ruth, use me to answer the prayers of my own heart and those of others.  Help me to be kind!  Help me to share the love Your Spirit of Grace has poured out in my heart with those around me.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,—Titus 3:4-6

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.—Ephesians 4:32

Zacchaeus...

 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”—Luke 19:1-9

This morning I am praising God for Zacchaeus who was truly a lost sheep of Israel.  I am thankful that Jesus came to seek and save those who were lost...those who knew they were in need of a Savior. I am thankful for the God ordained trials and situations in each of our lives that bring us to where we find Zacchaeus in this story...in a Sycamore tree seeking Jesus. Zacchaeus had money and power but not acceptance.  He was despised and rejected by his people and seen as a traitor in Israel because of his occupation as a tax collector. Zacchaeus, however, was a blessed man. He faced rejection daily for his sin and was probably very lonely.  This must have made him long for what only Jesus could give.  Wholeness, acceptance and unfailing love. So when the opportunity came, Zacchaeus was not going to let it pass him by. 

So eager in fact, was he to see Jesus that he became like a child.  Scripture tells us he was of short stature ( thinking child again) and in order to compensate for that he ran ahead and climbed a tree so he might see Him when He passed that way.  

Zacchaeus first sought Jesus (19:3) but in 19:10 it turns out that Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus because Jesus first sought him.  This realization filled my heart with joy!   I think back on my life before coming to Jesus...from my point of view Jesus was not near to me...at best He was a far off thought for another day.  But here is the thing, He WAS near to me...

He died for me when I was still without strength...dead in my trespasses and sins.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.—Romans 5:6 

He sought me as shepherd searches for a lost sheep.

But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."—Matthew 15:24 

He drew me with cords of love...

I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped [and] fed them.—Hosea 11:4 

And it was the goodness of God that led me to repentance.  

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.—John 6:44 

We love Him because He first loved us.—1 John 4:19 

Zacchaeus desired Jesus and was willing to lose not only his dignity but his worldly goods, also. (Vs 8)

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!!