In my Grief and Heartache…GOD.

 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.—Psalm 112:7

There IS much ongoing heartache and sorrow in my life that I am powerless to remedy.  The underlying song and background melody of my heart is joyful gratitude for all my God has done, but often my immediate presenting emotion is grief.

Yesterday was one of those days. My heart was overwhelmed by sorrow and I needed the comfort that only God can give. Psalm 112 brought it. 

4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;

He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

The Lord my God will light my lamp; He will enlighten my darkness. He will make even the night light about me. Psalm 112:4 reminded me to think on who my God is…on His character. He is gracious, and full of compassion. He is righteous.  Its words brought to mind this precious truth from Job and its corollary from 1 Peter. 

And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

The end my God intends for me is good…my Lord is very compassionate and merciful.  Tears came then and life became easier to bear because I knew my God was bearing it with me. I was not alone. God is my strong habitation to which I can continually resort.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His love never fails.  His mercy toward me is great, and I am always helped.  I can face my sorrow without fear. It will not overwhelm me.  My heart will safely trust Him. He will see me through.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.—Isaiah 43:1-2

17 Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

18 If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.—Psalm 94:17-19

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

“Even so,” it is well with my soul. 

To Be Likeminded with Christ…

 1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.—Romans 15:1-6

This passage is such a beautiful picture of the body of Christ living and behaving toward one another sympathetically and unselfishly.   I so want this to be true of me in my own life…To live dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  

Father…By Your precious Spirit who dwells in me may my life be spent encouraging the disheartened, edifying the uncertain and anxious, comforting the faint-hearted, upholding the weak and being patient with all.  Father, rescue me from the tyranny of “me”!  Help me to care about those things that you care about.  May Your Spirit use Your word to direct my heart, mind and body to fulfill each and every purpose You have for me.  

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;—Romans 12:10

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ—Galatians 6:2

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.—1 Corinthians 9:19-22

fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.—Philippians 2:2-4

8 Open your mouth for the speechless,

In the cause of all who are appointed to die.

9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,

And plead the cause of the poor and needy.—Proverbs 31:8-9

Job 23 - Refiner's Fire...

“Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.--Job 23:8-10

 

To My Daughters,

What wonderful words of faith from Job once again.  Chapter 23 begins with Job wanting to present his case before God.  

Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,  That I might come to His seat!  I would present my case  before Him,  

And fill my mouth with arguments.

Often I find myself doing the same thing that Job wants to do here. I lay all that is on my heart out before the Lord...I cry out to Him and present my arguments.   He knows them all but oh how wonderful that I can turn my heart upside down before Him...that I can trust Him with it all!  How wonderful it is also that I never win the argument.  But, of course, in losing I WIN!  As I read the word and pray, a beautiful thing occurs  The Spirit of God changes my heart that at the time is full of "me" to one that is aligned with the will of my Father in Heaven.  The word of God is alive...it is living and powerful and the Spirit of God uses it to make us more like God's Son. 

I, like Job, say, Lord...Though I do not understand what you are doing, I know that in the end you will bring me forth as gold.  I trust you to see me through.  With your help I will obey, I will cling to your word and I will endure through these trials that you have allowed in my life...You will be my strength and your word will be my song. 1 Peter 1:6-9 says this:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 

Aaah...faith...the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  It is by faith that we obtain a good testimony. Faith is our access to grace and it is also a gift from Him.  It is nothing of ourselves...it is all Him.  Our job is to cry out in our time of need and let Him do the rest.  

So glad that our God uses our trials when we believe as a refining process.  He takes away the dross and the impurities and brings us forth as gold. Remember what James has to say about Job in chapter 5 of his letter.  HANG ON TO IT...

My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.  Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 

Love

Mom 

Worship and Pride…

 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7 For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand.—Psalm 95:6-7

These verses stopped me as I read them this morning.  I confess to feeling a little uncomfortable bowing down to my God in both public and private. It makes me feel exposed and targeted. It is easy for me to lift my hands in praise, but to bow my heart and physically kneel down hits my pride.  As I think on this my conscience is pricked, and the Spirit’s conviction fills me.  

Surprisingly, I am more comfortable with bowing down in a public community of believers than in my own private devotions where I might be seen by those who are close to me. Both feelings, I am sure, are rooted in pride. 

If I am honest, that kind of complete surrender both embarrasses and scares me.  It displays a kind of weakness which makes me feel vulnerable and scared.  It exposes my heart for all to see and shows everyone where I have placed my trust. 

Do I really want to place all of myself in His hands for the people who are closest to me to see?   Do I want them to see me in the lowly and humble position of a slave?  My heart does, but my flesh recoils, rebels and holds back.

My spirit’s reaction, is thankfully, the polar opposite of my fleshly one. My spirit, in seeing that kind of surrender, fills with a holy longing. It desires that kind of trust, courage and devotion to God because I want to be conformed to the image of His Son.   For I KNOW the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for my sake (and yours) He became poor, that through His poverty we might become rich.

This morning I am thankful for the Spirit’s conviction. I am thankful for God’s forgiveness. I am thankful that God knows my heart…nothing about me surprises Him or causes Him to love me more or less.  I am thankful that in my weakness I can go boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace to help in my time of need.  Jesus died for me when I was yet His enemy and He has promised to complete that good work He began in me. He will preserve me through this life and bring me home to heaven in His timing. 

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God—Hebrews 12:1-2

For He is our God." Oh, that is the sweetest of it all — "He is our God." Let lords and lands have what masters they will — let us obey and worship our own God!—Spurgeon

Romans 12 ❤️

 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 

"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.—Romans 12

Ideally, Romans 12 should be a required daily reading for every Christian. It is filled with all things good.  Beloved…hear the Apostle Paul’s heart for you.  His words, by God’s Spirit, are filled with encouragement, exhortation and counsel.  Read them today.  Read them often.  Take them into your heart and make them yours by living them out. 

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands.—Psalm 90:17

5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

"Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,

But a body You have prepared for Me.

6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin

You had no pleasure.

7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come—

In the volume of the book it is written of Me—

To do Your will, O God.'"

8 Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.—Hebrews 10:5-10

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.—Romans 11:36

Notes on Job 14-16

To My Daughters... 

I love the way Chapter 14 begins...

"Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble 

Nice! Life is hard and then you die!  Job goes on from that opener to remind us that  in addition to life being hard and full of trouble, life is also short and we are depraved from the very beginning.  Since this is the case Job asks God to just leave him alone and let him live the rest of his days in peace.  Here is the thing though...no matter how unpleasant your world looks right now God's offer of salvation is there...an eternity in His presence.  Life is short and full of trouble...without accepting God's offer of salvation, eternity could be worse!  The application for us then is that we need to be clothed in his righteousness.  Isaiah 61:10 says this:

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 

Heaven is our hope...heaven takes the "bite" out of living in this fallen world. 

Verses 12-14 of Job say this.

So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep.  "Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. 


Did you get what Job asked us about in that last verse...If a man dies, shall he live again?  Is there life after death?  This is the burning question that lies deep in the heart of each and every one of us.  This question was not answered for fully for Job, but it is answered for us in Christ.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?--John 11:25-26

When death occurred for a believer prior to Christ he did not go directly to heaven because his sin was not yet paid for.  He would go to the abode of the dead that was divided into two compartments...Paradise and Hades.  Before Jesus ascended into Heaven after his death on the cross, Paul writes that he first descended into the lower parts of the earth where he led captivity captive...that is He took those in Paradise to Heaven.

Remember me, Job says...Jesus did through His finished work on the cross.

Our hope is sure and certain as a believer...heaven awaits.  Jesus writes this to comfort his disciples after speaking to them of his death in John 14. 

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 


Fix your eyes and your hope on what matters...eternity...anything else is just short sighted.

Listen to Job in the last several verses of Chapter 14.  Hear his despair.  But for now Lord you are destroying my hope as water wears away stone, as torrents wash away the soil.  You prevail and man passes on.  You change our countenance. (we grow old and wrinkly) and then you send us away.  Sigh!  Life is dark apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  How tragic for those who live this life without its hope.

Job's friends are speaking again in Chapter 15.  They are still trying to get Job to admit that he is a great sinner.  Now we know he is not because the first chapter tells us that these trials are occurring not because Job has sinned but because of his righteousness.   

Here comes Eliphaz, the great comforter (sarcasm) telling Job that he is a bag of wind...full of hot air.  A good opening Eliphaz!  It is not me who condemns you Job.  It is your own lips that testify against you.  Now as I read Eliphaz's words here in Chapter 15, I listened for what his heart might be saying.  I heard fear!  Eliphaz is afraid Job is right.  And if Job is right, Eliphaz could be next on the "Job road of suffering".  Eliphaz does not want to believe that bad things do happen to good people so he is defending his position that the wicked do not prosper. 

I loved what Jon Courson says here...He points out that much of what Eliphaz says is true.  Yes, man is born in iniquity and there is none righteous but then compares Eliphaz's words and heart with David's in Psalm 8 who says things similar to what Eliphaz is saying here in chapter 15. 

What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?  For You have made him a little lower than the angels,  And You have crowned him with glory and honor.  You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;  You have put all things under his feet,  All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air,  And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! --Psalm 8:4-9

The tone of David and the tone of Eliphaz are so very different. David understands God's love for us.  He understands His grace and His mercy toward us.  Eliphaz interpretation and words are missing love.  Jon Courson thinks that the overarching lesson the Lord has for us in Job's miserable counselors is that although they might have a point, they do not have hearts. I have to agree with Jon Courson.  Eliphaz is short on heart.  Some of his assessments were also quite cruel to Job.  Verse 33 really stands out on the cruelty scale.

He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree. 

Eliphaz is referring here to the 10 children Job is grieving.  Eliphaz leaves a legacy of a lack of love for all those who read this book.  Through his bad example I am hoping we can see our own lack of compassion for the people God has placed in our lives and speak words of faith to a hurting world rather than words of fear. 

Chapter 16 is thus far my favorite chapter in Job because in it we see Job as a type of Christ.  Job responds to his faithless companions by calling the trio a bunch of miserable comforters who speak empty words and have only increased his suffering.  Job tells them that if their positions were reversed, he would strengthen them with his mouth and comfort them with his lips.  

Now the next few verses are amazingly similar to messianic passages in Psalm 22 and Lamentations 3:30.  Read them for yourselves:

He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; My adversary sharpens His gaze on me. They gape at me with their mouth, They strike me reproachfully on the cheek, They gather together against me. God has delivered me to the ungodly, And turned me over to the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, but He has shattered me; He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He has set me up for His target, His archers surround me. He pierces my heart and does not pity; He pours out my gall on the ground. He breaks me with wound upon wound; He runs at me like a warrior.  "I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, And laid my head in the dust.  My face is flushed from weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death; Although no violence is in my hands, And my prayer is pure. 

Job becomes a type of Christ here.  These descriptions that we read all point to Jesus.  They are prophetic and Messianic. What was done to Job was done to God's Son.  If these things Job was facing in his life were a sign of sin, then why did Jesus go through these very things.  What a wonderful God we have!  These verses remind us that what suffering God is allowing in our lives is for His glory...just as Christ's sufferings brought glory to God  The cross was the darkest hour in human history, but oh, what good came from it!  It is now the brightest beacon of hope for mankind and the brightest light of God's glory.

Job did not know it, but he was being conformed into the image of God's Son.  God was trusting Job with the fellowship of his sufferings.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, --Philippians 3:10

We get to know Jesus when we suffer in ways that He suffered.  We form a common bond so to speak...The rejection we feel, the grief we suffer, the persecution we face all conform us into His likeness and draw us nigh unto Him.  As we suffer in one degree or another as Jesus did, we begin to willingly accept it because it is in the dark hours that we truly come to know Him because we understand a bit more about what He Himself suffered for us.

Job goes on to do just what Jesus did on the cross...He committed his soul into His hands.  He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously...it did not matter what man said about Him...God had his record on high.

Verse 29 is beautiful...

My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God.

Job may not be able to count on his friends but he can count on God and pour out both his tears and his heart to Him.  Corrie Ten Boom says that we will never know the Lord until the Lord is all we have.  This is so true.  When the proverbial rug is pulled out and we can no longer depend on the people or things that we are accustomed to turning to in times of trouble, we begin to learn to lean and depend on God.  It is then we begin to understand that He is the Becoming One...the One who becomes whatever we might need.


Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor! For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return. 

We have this today...Jesus is our Advocate with the Father.

Love
Mom

Though He Slay Me…

 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

—Job 13:15a

Verse 15 is one of the greatest declarations of faith found anywhere in Scripture.  Reading it this morning gave me an even greater appreciation for it than I had before.  Below is my takeaway...

Believe God...even when all seems hopeless as in Job’s case...even when the storms of life buffet and toss...even when you don’t feel His Presence...even when it seems that He is against you...even when you can find in Him no comfort...Believe God.  Job, despite all appearances and evidences to the contrary, trusted God.  Even if He slayed him, Job would trust Him.  Job says this in Chapter 19.

Oh, that my words were written!

Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!

24 That they were engraved on a rock

With an iron pen and lead, forever!

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

27 Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!—Job 19:23-27

God heard Job’s prayer...His words of faith HAVE BEEN inscribed forever in a book...the Bible.  Countless hearts over many generations have been encouraged by them.  They are now the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews 12:1-2

In the Midst of Tyranny and Oppression…God

 1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—

O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!

2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth;

Render punishment to the proud.

3 LORD, how long will the wicked,

How long will the wicked triumph?

4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things;

All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.

5 They break in pieces Your people, O LORD,

And afflict Your heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger,

And murder the fatherless.

7 Yet they say, "The LORD does not see,

Nor does the God of Jacob understand."

8 Understand, you senseless among the people;

And you fools, when will you be wise?

9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?

He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

10 He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct,

He who teaches man knowledge?

11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,

That they are futile.

12 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,

And teach out of Your law,

13 That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,

Until the pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the LORD will not cast off His people,

Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

15 But judgment will return to righteousness,

And all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?

Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

17 Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

18 If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.

20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,

Have fellowship with You?

21 They gather together against the life of the righteous,

And condemn innocent blood.

22 But the LORD has been my defense,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

23 He has brought on them their own iniquity,

And shall cut them off in their own wickedness;

The LORD our God shall cut them off.—Psalm 94

Truly God IS the refuge of the righteous!  HE IS our VERY present help!   Feeling tyrannized and oppressed? Pray through the words of Psalm 94 and as you do, allow them to sink into your heart.  Oh, how very blessed is the man whom God instructs. He will find spiritual rest in the days of adversity.  Beloved…He is our shelter in times of trouble. The Lord will not cast off His people. 

In verse 16 the psalmist inquires?

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?

Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

His answer in verses 17-19 resonates in the very depths of my soul.

Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

18 If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.

The Lord is our defense and a rock of refuge is our God. He is sovereign and His word is truth. He sees and He understands. The wicked will be cut off in their own wickedness. The Lord will cut them off. 

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.—Psalm 33:8-11

Father…Rise up and shine forth!  My soul will wait for You.  You are my help and my shield.  My heart will rejoice in You because I have trusted in Your holy name.  Let Your mercy, O Lord,  be upon me (us), just as I (we) hope in You! 

No Wisdom or Understanding or Counsel Against the Lord….

 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God."—Acts 5:38-39

In these very turbulent times I have found much comfort by meditating on the sovereignty of my God.  It is so good to be reminded that before the day even was, He has said, I am He;  I work and who will reverse it?  Truly there is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD.  Gamaliel’s advice to the Sanhedrin here was good.  If this plan or work is of men, it will come to nothing...but if it is of God, it cannot be overthrown—

Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, For God is with us."—Isaiah 8:10-12

God is with us!  “Our constantly changing world is controlled by our ever-present, all knowing, all powerful, and unchanging God. During our lifetime, we see objects fade, friends change, loved ones die, and both local and global unrest of many kinds.  I am so thankful that I can depend on God’s sovereign control over all.  He rules and overrules all for His good and precious purposes. His steadfast love to us, His children, never ceases.  Only when we understand this can we have real peace and security.  

Consider Caiphas’ unconscious and involuntary prophetic words in John 11...

47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.

48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."

49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

As high priest, Caiaphas was used by God to explain Jesus’ death even though Caiaphas didn’t realize what he was doing.  God rules and overrules. 

Scripture tells us that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."  Beloved, the counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. 

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 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.