To You, O Lord, I Lift Up My Soul…

 

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.—Psalm 25:1

Such a short verse but so filled with good instruction. Beloved…God is the only true source of encouragement. Lift up all that you are to Him.  Be like David and strengthen yourself in the Lord your God.  Here is the rest of the Psalm….

1 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4 Show me Your ways, O LORD;

Teach me Your paths.

5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

6 Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,

For they are from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;

According to Your mercy remember me,

For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;

Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

9 The humble He guides in justice,

And the humble He teaches His way.

10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,

To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

11 For Your name's sake, O LORD,

Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

12 Who is the man that fears the LORD?

Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity,

And his descendants shall inherit the earth.

14 The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him,

And He will show them His covenant.

15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD,

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,

For I am desolate and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;

Bring me out of my distresses!

18 Look on my affliction and my pain,

And forgive all my sins.

19 Consider my enemies, for they are many;

And they hate me with cruel hatred.

20 Keep my soul, and deliver me;

Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.

21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I wait for You.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,

Out of all their troubles!—Psalm 25

When the troubles of my own heart enlarge, who will bring me out of my distresses?  What is the answer to my every care, my every weakness, my every trial, my every heartache, my every sorrow, my every problem, my every discontentment and my every longing?  Jesus…Jesus is the answer.  The secret of the wise counsel of the LORD is for those who fear Him.  

Oh Father, turn Yourself to me and have mercy on me!

I am so very thankful…

—that In Christ, I am forgiven

—that His tender mercies and lovingkindnesses are mine

—that as I walk humbly with Him, He teaches me His way

—that His mercies toward me are great and are from old.

—that He considers my troubles

—that He shows me His ways and teaches me His paths 

—that He guides me in His truth

—that He remembers me according to His mercy. 

Today, I, like David, will lift up my soul to my God.  Today my soul will recline, as Spurgeon has said, in the embrace of divine love. My strength is from Him. He, is He, who holds me up.  My eyes will be continually toward the Lord for He will bring my feet out of the net.  I will look to Him and be radiant…my face unashamed. 

But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:31

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,

And Your faithfulness every night,—Psalm 92:2

Be Anxious for Nothing…

 

Casting all our care upon Him because He cares for us.—1 Peter 5:7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:6-7

These verses get more precious to me the longer I walk with Jesus. The best way for me to maintain my joy is to keep in constant communion with my Father in heaven. I don’t know about you but just in the short span of time it takes me to do the dishes or straighten my hair my mind can come up with an slew of stuff to worry about. What a gift for me to be able calm my concerns and my fears by sharing them with my God and committing each of them into His care. 

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah—Psalm 62:8

As a father pities his children,

So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame;

He remembers that we are dust.—Psalm 103

Beloved…Be anxious for nothing and pray about everything. Cast all of your cares upon Him because He cares for you. Do all of this with the beautiful attitude of thanksgiving.  Your God is near and He bids you to come.  He wants to flood Your soul with His peace and guard your heart from wrong emotions and your mind from wrong thinking.  

Father…by your Spirit remind each of us when we start to worry, to stop and pray.

John MacArthur’s Commentary on Philippians 4:6-7 blessed me.  Leaving it here. 

4:6 Fret and worry indicate a lack of trust in God’s wisdom, sovereignty, or power. Delighting in the Lord and meditating on His Word are a great antidote to anxiety (Ps. 1:2). in everything. All difficulties are within God’s purposes. prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving . . . requests. Gratitude to God accompanies all true prayer.

4:7 peace of God. See note on verse 9. Inner calm or tranquillity is promised to the believer who has a thankful attitude based on unwavering confidence that God is able and willing to do what is best for His children (cf. Rom. 8:28). surpasses all understanding. This refers to the divine origin of peace. It transcends human intellect, analysis, and insight (Is. 26:3; John 16:33). guard. A military term meaning “to keep watch over.” God’s peace guards believers from anxiety, doubt, fear, and distress. hearts . . . minds. Paul was not making a distinction between the two; he was giving a comprehensive statement referring to the whole inner person. Because of the believer’s union with Christ, He guards his inner being with His peace.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.—2 Corinthians 9:8

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.—2 Corinthians 3:5

You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance…. 

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;

But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;

And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!—Psalm 32

Faith Like a Child…

 

Jesus Blesses Little Children

(Matt. 19:13–15; Luke 18:15–17)

13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.—Mark 10:13-16

I need to plaster what Warren Wiersbe writes about this portion of Scripture where I can see it everyday.  

“We tell the children to behave like adults, but Jesus tells the adults to model themselves after the children!

In what ways are children a pattern? In their humble dependence on others, their receptivity, their acceptance of themselves and their position in life. Of course, Jesus was speaking about an unspoiled child, not one who was trying to act like an adult.

A child enjoys much but can explain very little. Children live by faith. By faith they accept their lot, trusting others to care for them and see them through.

We enter God’s kingdom by faith, like little children: helpless, unable to save ourselves, totally dependent on the mercy and grace of God. We enjoy God’s kingdom by faith, believing that the Father loves us and will care for our daily needs. What does a child do when he or she has a hurt or a problem? Take it to Father and Mother! What an example for us to follow in our relationship with our heavenly Father! Yes, God wants us to be childlike, but not childish!”—Warren Wiersbe

An Acceptable Offering.

 

The word “offering” occurs OFTEN in the book of Leviticus.  Now I obviously have a good idea of what that word means in English but sometimes looking at its derivation is helpful to me. This time was no exception. John MacArthur says that this Hebrew word is derived from the verb to bring near and literally means “that which one brings near to God.” The fact that the Israelites could approach to present their gifts to God speaks much of His mercy.  I love that! Sacrifice and offering then are not about losing but gaining by drawing closer to God.  He increases and we decrease. He is magnified and we are not. It is not about loss but about love. It is stepping into the very footsteps of Christ. 

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.—Jim Elliot

The sacrifices in the Old Testament foreshadowed Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross by which those who believe are once and forever reconciled to God.  Because of His mercy, lovingkindness and grace, I can draw near to Him.  As I meditated on this, these verses from Micah came to mind...His words speak my heart.

6 With what shall I come before the LORD,

And bow myself before the High God?

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,

With calves a year old?

7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,

Ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?—Micah 6:6-8

Oh Father!  I want to know the blessedness walking undefiled in the way...of following hard after You...of delighting to do Your will. Blessed are those who keep Your testimonies, who seek You with all of their heart.  Direct my ways, Father, to keep Your statutes!  Thank you that despite all my rebellion and sin, You do not forsake me but instead bid me in my weakness to draw ever nearer to You.  

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 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. 16 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 4:14-16

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.—Romans 12:1

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

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified....18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.—Hebrews10:11-14;18

Be Still and Know that I am God…

 

This morning as I sat “still” before the Lord I was in a place of fear and restlessness with much of me refusing to be advised or comforted. The deepest desire of my heart was for peace…His perfect peace…the kind that comes only from Jesus. The kind that can never be taken away. The kind that if you truly have it you will want for nothing.  

Now the Lord knew what I was going to be struggling with this morning so His word to me today through my “read through the Bible in a year plan” was…wait for it…Psalm 23. How good is our God. How kind!  How gracious!

1 The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

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

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

As I read, I saw that the biggest obstacle to this peace is “unsurrendered” untrusting me. Holding on to my fear gives me nothing good.  In fact, it gives me jaw pain, back pain, head pain and emotional pain that I definitely don’t want or need. 

Oh, that I would truly surrender my heart to His lovingkindness…that I could rest in today’s provided pasture and not fret about tomorrow’s.  Oh, that  I would obey Him by giving my entire attention to what He in His grace is doing right now in my life and not get worked up about all the never ending “what if’s” that attempt to find a foothold in my thinking. 

My God will help me deal with whatever comes my way.  Big, small, hard or easy His grace is sufficient. He is always working and there is always much to be thankful for. He prepares a table before me even and especially in the presence of my enemies.  His goodness and mercy daily hunt me down and always overtake me. This world is not my home. He is. In Him, I am bullet proof. 

Today, then, I will open my arms wide in surrender and receive what He wills for me. By His Spirit, I will commit each specific fear into His loving and capable hands and make His footsteps my pathway. I will live as He lived here on earth…wholly trusting His Father in heaven in everything and for everything.  My times are in Your hands, Father.  Today I ask for more of You. 

More thankfulness, 

more peace in my heart, 

more trust, 

more joy,

More hope

More faith

More of Your perfect love that casts out fear and unites my heart to Yours. 

Help us Father to continually find our peace and our happiness in You.

You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;

But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.—Psalm 32

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation."—Psalm 91

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

And made me bold with strength in my soul…

Though the LORD is on high,

Yet He regards the lowly;

But the proud He knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;

You will stretch out Your hand

Against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;

Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.—Psalm 138

You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

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

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

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

Even the night shall be light about me;—Psalm 139

Behold, God is My Helper…

 

Behold, God is my helper;

The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

He will repay my enemies for their evil.

Cut them off in Your truth.—Psalm 54:4-5

These faithful words of David helped and encouraged my heart this morning by reminding me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:11-13

The Lord is our Shepherd.  

The Lord is He who upholds our souls. 

The Lord is on our side. 

The Lord is among those who help us. 

Beloved…If our God is for us, who can be against us…

He that by his providence upholds all things by his grace upholds the souls of his people. God, who will in due time save his people, does, in the mean time, sustain them and bear them up, so that the spirit he has made shall not fail before him.—Spurgeon

If we have the Lord and His help we have everything we need…

Father…

Help me, like David, to speak words of faith.  You are the One who upholds me by Your truth. You are the One who keeps me from sinking under the burdens of this life. I have all and abound because You supply all that I need according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. You also executes perfect justice against the wicked, therefore, I wait on You and pray as David does here:  Lord…Cut them off in Your truth!  

You are Mine…

 

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel:

"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.

For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I gave Egypt for your ransom,

Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Since you were precious in My sight,

You have been honored,

And I have loved you;

Therefore I will give men for you,

And people for your life.

Fear not, for I am with you;

I will bring your descendants from the east,

And gather you from the west;—Isaiah 43:1-5

I read these words from Isaiah 43 last night and was comforted.  Pain, loss, sickness, broken hearts and broken dreams may abound in this life but these words from Isaiah remind me that in all of it His grace abounds much more. So often in the midst of a trial when I am feeling swallowed up by pain and suffering, it is easy for me to forget the very thing that I need to remember.  Love Himself goes with me.  So when I feel like I am in over my head, I need not be afraid.  My Immanuel is right there with me. His love will see me through.  He has a divine purpose for all I go through. His grace is sufficient.  He who formed me…the Holy One of Israel, my Savior will do it.  I am His,  and I am precious in His sight. 

He brought me to the banqueting house,

And his banner over me was love.—Song of Solomon 2:4

His left hand is under my head,

And his right hand embraces me.—Song of Solomon 2:6

I am my beloved's,

And my beloved is mine.

He feeds his flock among the lilies.—Song of Solomon 6:3

Who is this coming up from the wilderness,

Leaning upon her beloved?—Song of Solomon 8:5

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. 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

If God is for us, who can be against us? 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?—Romans 8:31-32

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:37-30

'I will go before you

And make the crooked places straight;

I will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.

I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places,

That you may know that I, the LORD,

Who call you by your name,

Am the God of Israel.—Isaiah 45:2-3