I Will Cry Out to God Most High…

 

I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.—Psalm 57:2

I love thinking that spiritually speaking it is God who performs all things for me.  It is my God who works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 

In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;

Every hand of misery will come against him.—Job 20:22

I so desire to rest in Him.  I didn’t work to save my own soul…Christ is my Savior.  So often though, I worry about being insufficient to get through this life…about not being able to keep up…about not being able to hold on or keep my head above the waves.  Instead of fearing this though, what I really should FEAR is doing this life in my strength.  

Praying today that I will never again look inwardly for wisdom and strength but look to my God who sees me, looks after me and  performs all things for me. Oh Father! You are my Helper.  You are my strength, my shield and my exceedingly great reward. Help me to look to You in all things!  Give me a steadfast heart. Let my entire reliance be fixed on you.  Today, I will cast the burden of all my cares and insufficiency on You who perfects that which concerns me and performs all things for me.

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me—Psalm 138:8

It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.—Psalm 18:32

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.—Psalm 16:1

7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the LORD always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.—Psalm 16:7-8

3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul.—Psalm 138:3

9 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. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."

14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.—Exodus 33:13-15

Notes on Job Chapters 17-20

 

“My spirit is broken, My days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation? “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me?

Job is feeling like he cannot endure much more as Chapter 17 opens.  He longs for someone to take his side.  ("who is he that will strike hands with me")  Jesus is our Advocate...the word in the Greek for advocate is paracletos...or one who comes along side. I love that!

My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, And all my members are like shadows.  Upright men are astonished at this, And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite. Yet the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.--Job 17:7-9

Even fair minded men were astonished at Job's plight.  Job, himself, lacked insight as to the reason  for his own suffering and misery.  Job reminds others as well as himself here that the righteous man should hold on the path God has before Him.  He should move forward in faith and continue to live rightly. Even though all around him were heaping scorn and shame upon him....even though his reputation was being slandered...even though he had become a byword among his people, Job would hold fast and would remember that it was not important what man thought but what God thought that mattered.

The last several verses of Chapter 17 find Job about as low as a man can get. (he does manage to go lower though)  All was dark, his good days were all behind him and his hope was in the grave.

Chapter 18:

Bildad speaks next and truly he has lost his patience with Job.  Verse 1 and 4 are some of my favorites.

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “How long till you put an end to words? Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak. Why are we counted as beasts, And regarded as stupid in your sight? You who tear yourself in anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed from its place?

Job shut your mouth and Job does the world come to an end because you are suffering?? He then goes on to paint for Job 4 pictures of the death of the wicked.  He likens it to: a darkened light, a trapped traveler, a fugitive and a rotting tree.  Thank you Bildad!

Chapter 19:

Job answers Bildad and his other comforters by asking them how long they will continue to accuse him and vex his soul.  You are breaking me into pieces with your words, Job says.  You have not proved anything against me...it is God who has overthrown me.  Job then uses 4 more analogies than Bildad to describe his own situation.

Job is like:

1.  An innocent animal trapped by God

2.  A wrongly accused criminal

3.  a man fenced in by darkness who cannot see the path that leads out

4.  like a king dethroned

5.  like a tree uprooted

6.  like an enemy of God besieged

7.  like a building destroyed

8.  like a man forsaken and forgotten

Oh the irony of verses 23-24...

“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!  That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever!

Job got his wish...

In verses 19 through 26 we read great words of faith...some of the greatest in the Bible. 

For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Job KNEW that his Redeemer lives!  When he died, he knew he would see God and one day he would have a new body.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”   

Our hope is heaven!  As we go through trials and difficulties the word is revealed to us in a new and fresh way. We receive an increased understanding of the nature and character of God.  We begin to think on eternity more and more. We long for heaven and hold on less tightly to the things of the world.

Chapter 20

It is Zophar's turn to speak.  And surprise, surprise it is more of the same stuff we have been hearing over and over again.  If we are tired of it, can you imagine how Job feels.  He has not only lost his children, his health and all his worldly goods but now he has to be told over and over again that it is all his fault.  Now we know that Zophar's speech about the wicked does not really apply to Job because we know that Job is a righteous man. Those who are not, however, should take what Zophar says to heart. Worldly success is temporary, riches without God are bitter and there is no rest or peace for the wicked.  In fact, a life lived without God is no life at all..it is vanity and grasping at the wind.  

One Act of Kindness…

 

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.—Acts 27:1-3

Kindness always gives me pause.  I think it is because it is in the kindness of others that I see my Jesus most clearly. It is other worldly and beautiful.  God’s steadfast love toward each of us never ceases.  His goodness endures continually, and His lovingkindness is always before our eyes. One act of kindness can have far reaching eternal effects. Romans tells us that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.

I am so thankful that… 

My Jesus is FULL OF KINDNESS AND COMPASSION…

He condescends…He bends low…He stoops…He heals the brokenhearted…He makes the crooked places straight and He makes a way in the desert.  

A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench;--Isaiah 42:3

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

And carry them in His bosom,

And gently lead those who are with young.--Isaiah 40:11

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”--Matthew 11:28-30

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.--Isaiah 53:4

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord

And the praises of the Lord,

According to all that the Lord has bestowed on us,

And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,

According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.

For He said, “Surely they are My people,

Children who will not lie.”

So He became their Savior.

In all their affliction He was afflicted,

And the Angel of His Presence saved them;

In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;

And He bore them and carried them

All the days of old.--Isaiah 63:7-9

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.--Matthew 9:36

And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.--Matthew 14:14

And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.--Luke 7:12-15

When Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. ( John 11:32-35)

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.--Matthew 18:11-13

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!--Matthew 23:37

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”--Luke 7:13

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,  saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. --Luke 19:41-42

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.--2 Corinthians 8:9

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.--Hebrews 4:15-16

Father...

Give me eyes ALWAYS to see Your Son, Jesus, in everyone I meet. Give me a sincere heart that loves and serves the people You have lovingly placed in my life as if I was serving You!  May I do all I do here on this earth as unto You and not unto man.  Thank you, Father, that I can freely give without concern for me, because You CARE for me...Your steadfast love and kindness toward me never ceases.  Thank you that You see all that I do and will not forget the work and labor of love that I have shown toward Your name. No good thing done for Your glory will go unrewarded.  Oh how blessed is the man who places his trust in You. 

Teach me Your way, O LORD;

I will walk in Your truth;

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

The Song of the Terrible Ones Will Be Diminished…

 

O LORD, You are my God.

I will exalt You,

I will praise Your name,

For You have done wonderful things;

Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

For You have made a city a ruin,

A fortified city a ruin,

A palace of foreigners to be a city no more;

It will never be rebuilt.

Therefore the strong people will glorify You;

The city of the terrible nations will fear You.

For You have been a strength to the poor,

A strength to the needy in his distress,

A refuge from the storm,

A shade from the heat;

For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

You will reduce the noise of aliens,

As heat in a dry place;

As heat in the shadow of a cloud,

The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.

And in this mountain

The LORD of hosts will make for all people

A feast of choice pieces,

A feast of wines on the lees,

Of fat things full of marrow,

Of well-refined wines on the lees.

And He will destroy on this mountain

The surface of the covering cast over all people,

And the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever,

And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;

The rebuke of His people

He will take away from all the earth;

For the LORD has spoken.

And it will be said in that day:

"Behold, this is our God;

We have waited for Him, and He will save us.

This is the LORD;

We have waited for Him;

We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

For on this mountain the hand of the LORD will rest,

And Moab shall be trampled down under Him,

As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.

And He will spread out His hands in their midst

As a swimmer reaches out to swim,

And He will bring down their pride

Together with the trickery of their hands.

The fortress of the high fort of your walls

He will bring down, lay low,

And bring to the ground, down to the dust.—Isaiah 25

Walvoord says this about Isaiah Chapter 25:

Isaiah was speaking of a future time when (after God’s worldwide judgment) His people in Israel and other nations will feast together in peace and prosperity. This is the 1,000-year reign of Christ.—Walvoord

The prophet here addresses God instead of the people. Isaiah has the knowledge of the truth of God and it causes him to lift His voice in praise and worship for who God is and what He has done and what He will do. Specifically, here His future victory over all enemies and the final deliverance of Israel in the Day of the Lord. This chapter for me and every believer is our reality both now and forever. When I read Isaiah 25, the eyes of my heart see Jesus in every verse. 

So this morning I lift up my voice with Isaiah and worship Him who is and was and is to come! 

O LORD, You are my God.

I will exalt You,

I will praise Your name,

For You have done wonderful things;

Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.—Isaiah 25:1

My Jesus is my strength, my song and has become my salvation.  He is my refuge…my ever present help in times of trouble. He is a shade for me in the heat of my trials. He silences the noise of my enemies and brings me peace. Psalm 23:5 is perfect here…

For You have been a strength to the poor,

A strength to the needy in his distress,

A refuge from the storm,

A shade from the heat;

For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

You will reduce the noise of aliens,

As heat in a dry place;

As heat in the shadow of a cloud,

The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.—Isaiah 25:4-5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.—Psalm 23:5

The verses below as I read them brought to mind the provisions found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Read them and praise Him along with me for His gracious lovingkindness. 

And in this mountain

The LORD of hosts will make for all people

A feast of choice pieces,

A feast of wines on the lees,

Of fat things full of marrow,

Of well-refined wines on the lees.

And He will destroy on this mountain

The surface of the covering cast over all people,

And the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever,

And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;

The rebuke of His people

He will take away from all the earth;

For the LORD has spoken.

And it will be said in that day:

"Behold, this is our God;

We have waited for Him, and He will save us.

This is the LORD;

We have waited for Him;

We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

For on this mountain the hand of the LORD will rest—Isaiah 25:6-10

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

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.—Ephesians 2:4-7

For the Hope of Israel I am Bound…

 

 For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."—Acts 28:20

Pauls chains were in Christ...the hope of Israel.  He was bound because of his belief in Israel’s Messiah. Simeon in Luke Chapter 2 calls the Messiah, the Consolation of Israel.  Of all of the titles for Christ I think this one is my favorite.  The word “consolation” always brings the sweet picture to my mind of a child receiving and finding comfort and solace on his mother’s lap. Jesus is truly my consolation in every way...He is the One who dries my tears and in whose lap I find solace.  No matter what I might be facing in my daily circumstances, His Presence in my heart is its rejoicing.  There are no words for the comfort He brings and no measure for the peace He provides me moment by moment. I can lose everything...but Jesus is my stay.  He does not change.  He is the same...yesterday, today and forever.  He comforts me as I walk through this vale of tears, guides me with His counsel and will receive me in glory.  

My heart breaks for God’s chosen people as I read this chapter...for the irony of it all.  Israel rejects their Consolation...the One they had been waiting for forever...year in and year out.  The One whose word they had studied. The One who had answered the cry of their hearts time and again. The One who was their Comfort. The One whose very word predicted their rejection.  The One to whom they had sacrificed...the One who was their God and who desired to be their God forever.  

Verse 17 begins Paul’s sixth and final defense to the Jews in regard to the charges against him. He draws his day long defense to a close with these words from Isaiah.  

 "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 

"saying, 

'Go to this people and say:

"Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;

And seeing you will see, and not perceive;

27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them." 

28  "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"

Verse 24 tells us that some were persuaded but others disbelieved.  For the Jews who heard Paul’s defense and disbelieved, this prophecy from Isaiah was fulfilled.  Jesus’ lament in Matthew 23 echoed in my ears as I read it.  

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!  See, your house is left to you desolate.

For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" 

God wasn’t looking for religious externalities.  God was looking for a heart that was tender and broken...a heart that trembled at His word.  A heart that desired to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Oh Father, give me this kind of heart always!  

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.  (Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV)

Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: "Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name's sake have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy'; but it is they who shall be put to shame.  (Isaiah 66:5, ESV)

Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23, ESV)

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him”—John 4:23