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!! 

What God Really Wants...

 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;

You do not delight in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise.—Psalm 51:16-17

Each time I read this verse and others like it my heart fills with gratitude, praise and thanksgiving because my God desires my heart...He desires me.  Nothing else is sufficient. He wants me with all my dents and scrapes. He wants me despite my sin, despite my griefs, despite my sorrows, and despite my brokenness.  

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.—Psalm 34:18

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."—Matthew 11:28-30

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

He doesn’t want me and any of my brave false fronts... He doesn’t want my outward compliance...He wants the beauty of a right inward heart that knows it is wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—and in need of much mercy.  He wants me to repent of my sin, lay all of who I am at His feet in beautiful surrender and trust Him. Beloved...Hear His heart’s desire for you in Isaiah.

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."—Isaiah 61:2b-3

Every word of Psalm 139 has over the course of years become precious to me. Every time I read it my eyes fill up with tears and my heart overflows with thanksgiving to my God who is rich in mercy and loved me enough to die for me when I was still His enemy and dead in my trespasses and sin. 

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

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

How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!

Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20 For they speak against You wickedly;

Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

Men Always Ought to Pray and Not Lose Heart...

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,—Luke 18:1

As I sat and thought about this verse and the parable that follows my heart came back with only this...

What would I do without my ability to pray?  How could I live without my Jesus?  How could I live without the fellowship of His Spirit dwelling in me. How could I have hope without the sure and certain knowledge that He is with me and hears me when I cry?  Who would be my refuge...who would be my help?  Who would sustain, comfort and guide me through the distresses and trials of life?  Where would I be without my connection to the One who is mighty to save?  Who would be my refuge...who would be the One to whom I poured out my heart to?  Who else would really care?  

Beloved...for me there would be no point to this life without my relationship to the living God through prayer.  Life without the precious privilege of prayer...without my connection to God...would be a taste of hell...like I was falling into the darkness of an abyss forever.   Right now at this moment Scripture tells me I sit in the heavenly places in Christ. It tells me that I can come boldly to His Throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in my time of need.  Without prayer I lose my connection to the One who is my hope, my strength and my song and without Him is darkness forever...

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.—John 1:4-5