Psalm 121

Hmmm, just thinking ... does the state of this blog reflect the state of my relationship with God?
I should like to say no, am still in love with Him, but somewhere in my conscience I know things could be a lot better.
As I was praying in church on Sunday, the Lord placed Psalm 121 on my heart. Immediately after the prayer the announcer asked us to read the very same psalm. I knew then that God was calling my attention to it.

Psalm 121

A Song of Ascents.

 ¹I WILL lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah]--From whence shall my help come?

    ²My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

    ³He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber.

    ⁴Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

    ⁵The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield].

    ⁶The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.

    ⁷The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.

    ⁸The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

   

Muse

Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God?
Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before?
Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?

Oh! King David

I read Psalm 69 yesterday and found it most interesting.
I felt like David was articulating my issues - my plight - my struggles.

He begins with a desperate plea:
1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

Then, as if he says - "wait a minute, why am I being so stressed?, I'm better than this - God knows me better" - he states his case.
5 You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.
8 I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother's sons;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. ...

He gets real about the issues and boldly asks for Justice. Not in general terms but in a detailed to the tee manner;
13 But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22 May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and [a] a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. ...
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.
29 I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.

I love that after crying out, venting and all, he bursts into praise. His face is still stained with tears, the pain is still there but he acknowledges that God is bigger. And he speaks with faith, knowing that things will change - Now it's as if he doesn't have a care.
30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.
32 The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

I'm learning.

The way to permanent faith

Oswald hits the nail again.
Like this passage was written expressly for me.
This walk of faith is not easy, sometimes it means being stripped of every thing but the fulfillment that comes from obedience and surrender is absolutely price less.

After we have the perfect relationship with God, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, our faith must be exercised in the realities of everyday life.
We will be scattered, not into service but into the emptiness of our lives where we will see ruin and barrenness, to know what internal death to God’s blessings means.
Are we prepared for this?
It is certainly not of our own choosing, but God engineers our circumstances to take us there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is sustained only by feelings and by blessings.
But once we get there, no matter where God may place us or what inner emptiness we experience, we can praise God that all is well. That is what is meant by faith being exercised in the realities of life.
". . . you . . . will leave Me alone."
Have we been scattered and have we left Jesus alone by not seeing His providential care for us? Do we not see God at work in our circumstances?
Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God.
Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us?
Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God?
Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve.
Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry.
If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessings, instead of in God Himself.

Secret of the burning heart

I have been going through a cool patch. Those times when I know I'm still madly in love with Jesus but couldn't put in the effort to spend quality time with Him.
The "you know I love you" phase. I feel tired, like I spent so much time crying out and now - I'm burned out. It shouldn't be an excuse though.

In my devotions this morning I came across something interesting;-

We need to learn this secret of the burning heart.
Suddenly Jesus appears to us, fires are set ablaze, and we are given wonderful visions; but then we must learn to maintain the secret of the burning heart— a heart that can go through anything. It is the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people, that smothers the burning heart— unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus.
Much of the distress we experience as Christians comes not as the result of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature.
For instance, the only test we should use to determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion to run its course in our lives is to examine what the final outcome of that emotion will be. Think it through to its logical conclusion, and if the outcome is something that God would condemn, put a stop to it immediately.
But if it is an emotion that has been kindled by the Spirit of God and you don’t allow it to have its way in your life, it will cause a reaction on a lower level than God intended. That is the way unrealistic and overly emotional people are made. And the higher the emotion, the deeper the level of corruption, if it is not exercised on its intended level. If the Spirit of God has stirred you, make as many of your decisions as possible irrevocable, and let the consequences be what they will.
We cannot stay forever on the "mount of transfiguration," basking in the light of our mountaintop experience (see Mark 9:1-9 ). But we must obey the light we received there; we must put it into action. When God gives us a vision, we must transact business with Him at that point, no matter what the cost.
We cannot kindle when we will The fire which in the heart resides, The spirit bloweth and is still, In mystery our soul abides; But tasks in hours of insight willed Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.

Oswald Chambers.

He is able

During my devotions this morning, I was reminded that God desires us to be expectant. Open and ready, believing that He will move and change things in our lives.
With the boldness that Jabez presented in 1 chronicles 4:10

Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request.

God requires us to believe and not doubt.
Many times "We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done".

"My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority".

This reminded me of the song - He is able.

He is able
More than able
To accomplish what concerns me today
He is able
More than able
To handle anything that comes my way
He is able
More than able
To do much more than I could ever dream
He is able
More than able
TO MAKE ME WHAT HE WANTS ME TO BE.

AMEN!!

Sing God a brand-new song!

Psalm 96

Sing God a brand-new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
Sing to God—worship God!

2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
Take the news of his glory to the lost,
News of his wonders to one and all!

4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.

5-6 God made the heavens— Royal splendor radiates from him,
A powerful beauty sets him apart.

7 Bravo, God, Bravo! Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.

8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
Bow before the beauty of God,
Then to your knees—everyone worship!

10 Get out the message—God Rules!
He put the world on a firm foundation;
He treats everyone fair and square.

11 Let's hear it from Sky, With Earth joining in,
And a huge round of applause from Sea.
12 Let Wilderness turn cartwheels, Animals, come dance,
Put every tree of the forest in the choir—

13 An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair.