Ps 44:1-3 For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
"We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. 2 With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. 3 It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. " NIV
Rev 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” KJV There is overcoming power abiding in the testimony of God’s greatness! The record of the works of God is a mighty weapon for walking in a life of victory. Throughout the ages God has established for Himself a testimony of the great things that He has done. Generation after generation is established on the foundation of the historical works of God. We must never forget that both the biblical record of God’s works and our personal life history with God are given to us as a part of the great conflict between God and Satan for the domination of our souls.
When we celebrate the greatness of God and the wonders that He has done our hearts are strengthened and our faith is renewed. Every time I hear a story of the power of God my heart is stirred with the desire to participate in the glory of God! The good news is, that is exactly what God intends. He surrounds us with testimonies of His divine intervention and His mystical interaction with mankind for the very purpose of awakening desire. God places within us deep longings through the testimony of His wonders. These longings are transformed into cries of intercession and petition that release the very purpose and kingdom of God into the, and it is through this passionate interchange that Satan is defeated. The testimony of God is shared, hunger and faith arise in the human spirit, desire for God and prayer for God’s purposes are awakened, the kingdom of God is released in manifestation into the natural realms, and Satan is dislodged from an area of dominion. Everywhere that the kingdom of God advances Satan must retreat one step further.
As the psalmist celebrates the works of God in this passage He rests his attention on a vital principle. Not only does the author provide for us a brief written history of the works of God, but he draws our attention to a point that should not be overlooked as we reflect on God’s power and willingness to involve Himself in the affairs of men. The psalmist simply and effectively reminds us that not only were these works authored by and accomplished by God the Father, but they were motivated by the basic fact that He loves us! There was not some other agenda at work here. When we remember the good things that God has done, let our hearts always be enlarged by the foundational knowledge that we are loved and that no other reason is necessary for God to express His goodness towards us. Live today in the knowledge of that love and enter into rest. God will move! God will answer! Not because of your perfection but because of His great love for YOU!!!!
Saturday
Friday
Psalm 43:3-4 - May 15, 2009
Ps 43:3-4 "Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. 4 Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God." NIV
Have you ever been paralyzed in your decision making because you feel like you are in total darkness. There are times in this life when we know the destination but we don’t know how to get there. And there are other times when some of us are so completely in the dark that there is not even a sense of direction there is only a hope for some light to be relieved from the desperation of your isolated condition. Our longing for light is not to help us achieve some great goal; our longing for light is simply a desire to find out where we are so that we can begin to breathe without the oppressive weight of uncertainty that comes when we feel that we have lost our way.
The scriptures carry within them great hope and promise for such times as these. Isaiah the prophet was sent to the people of Israel during a time in their history when the entire nation was lost, paralyzed by the darkness of sin and the oppression of enemies that have been permitted to harass them because of their sinful ways. The good news is that even in their broken condition God is mercifully reaching out to them to offer hope in the midst of trial. Isaiah stands as a watchmen over God’s people and like a man calling to a friend across a darkened room as if to say “just follow the sound of my voice”, points them towards the promise of God.
Isa 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” God is always calling out to us, through this messenger, that circumstance, a particular passage of scripture, saying “come to the light." You don’t have to stand in the darkness any more. The Father chose to send His own son into our darkness, to stand before the generations of man and declare in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Every little detail of Jesus’ life was a ray of light into the darkness. Every word from His mouth a beacon of truth shining into the heart of man to guide us back to the source of life!
The psalmist of Psalm 43 has captured the essence of God’s mission to deliver us from darkness as he cries out in verse 3, “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me.” His longing is for light and truth and his destination is the presence of God. The psalmist cries out, acknowledging his need for direction, and declaring his desired destination. “God show me how to get to you!” The psalmist knows the joy of God’s presence but has become lost along the way. It was not his wickedness that had separated him, but still he can feel the absence of intimacy that had become his source of comfort and peace. The beauty of this image is that he is not willing to stay in this paralyzed place. His conditions do not become his excuse but rather his motivation to cry out. The psalmist understands that by seeking he will find that by crying out he will awaken the heart of God to answer with light from Heaven. This is the cry of a worshipper! What a declaration he makes in the verses that follow. “Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.” He knows God as his joy and delight, but a distance has grown between he and the Lord and he is unwilling to settle for his fallen state. His heart cries out as if to say, “I was created to worship you! Help me to find your presence and renew my song!” Let that be your prayer today. Don’t settle for a darkened distance between you and the light of God’s presence. Cry out to Him and He will lead you into the glory of His light.
Have you ever been paralyzed in your decision making because you feel like you are in total darkness. There are times in this life when we know the destination but we don’t know how to get there. And there are other times when some of us are so completely in the dark that there is not even a sense of direction there is only a hope for some light to be relieved from the desperation of your isolated condition. Our longing for light is not to help us achieve some great goal; our longing for light is simply a desire to find out where we are so that we can begin to breathe without the oppressive weight of uncertainty that comes when we feel that we have lost our way.
The scriptures carry within them great hope and promise for such times as these. Isaiah the prophet was sent to the people of Israel during a time in their history when the entire nation was lost, paralyzed by the darkness of sin and the oppression of enemies that have been permitted to harass them because of their sinful ways. The good news is that even in their broken condition God is mercifully reaching out to them to offer hope in the midst of trial. Isaiah stands as a watchmen over God’s people and like a man calling to a friend across a darkened room as if to say “just follow the sound of my voice”, points them towards the promise of God.
Isa 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” God is always calling out to us, through this messenger, that circumstance, a particular passage of scripture, saying “come to the light." You don’t have to stand in the darkness any more. The Father chose to send His own son into our darkness, to stand before the generations of man and declare in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Every little detail of Jesus’ life was a ray of light into the darkness. Every word from His mouth a beacon of truth shining into the heart of man to guide us back to the source of life!
The psalmist of Psalm 43 has captured the essence of God’s mission to deliver us from darkness as he cries out in verse 3, “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me.” His longing is for light and truth and his destination is the presence of God. The psalmist cries out, acknowledging his need for direction, and declaring his desired destination. “God show me how to get to you!” The psalmist knows the joy of God’s presence but has become lost along the way. It was not his wickedness that had separated him, but still he can feel the absence of intimacy that had become his source of comfort and peace. The beauty of this image is that he is not willing to stay in this paralyzed place. His conditions do not become his excuse but rather his motivation to cry out. The psalmist understands that by seeking he will find that by crying out he will awaken the heart of God to answer with light from Heaven. This is the cry of a worshipper! What a declaration he makes in the verses that follow. “Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.” He knows God as his joy and delight, but a distance has grown between he and the Lord and he is unwilling to settle for his fallen state. His heart cries out as if to say, “I was created to worship you! Help me to find your presence and renew my song!” Let that be your prayer today. Don’t settle for a darkened distance between you and the light of God’s presence. Cry out to Him and He will lead you into the glory of His light.
Thursday
Psalm 42:8 - May 14, 2009
Ps 42:8 "By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me — a prayer to the God of my life." NIV
Send a little love my way! It sounds almost like the theme of a song. And yet this is what the Lord is doing in our lives. The psalmist describes one of the Lord’s roles in this simple verse. “By day the Lord directs his love…” Consider this reality that every day the Lord is working to communicate and express His love towards all of His creation. Rom 8:28 elaborates on the all encompassing nature of God’s goodness towards those who love Him by saying, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Imagine that in every situation, every circumstance, even that which the enemy has sent to destroy you, God is at work to bring good out of it and by doing so communicate His love for us. The first expression of this principle is found in the knowledge that through the death of Christ every person who will receive Him has received all that they need “for life and godliness” according to II Pe. 1:3. All provision for your past, present and future has already been made and day by day God is directing His goodness your way. Look for it! If we live with open eyes we will see that He is there and working on our behalf.
One of the primary ways that God has directed His love towards us is through giving us the gift of relationship. There is a common theme in parenting that children need time with you more than they need more things; relationship being the most valuable gift that we can give our children. In the same way God is not a distant God but a relational being relating to us through the images of Father, Savior, Comforter, Counselor, Husband, Brother, Deliverer and more. In Psalm 42:8 the psalmist relates one of the manifestations of God’s effort to express relationship with us by saying, “at night your song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.” One of the supernatural ways of our loving God is that He places a song in our hearts that is His voice to us and at the same time is a seed of prayer that He wants us to pray back to Him. God will plant a theme within our spirit through this medium of song as He awakens us with melodies in the night. I have even experienced myself singing songs to the Lord in dreams that were not songs that had ever been written. The song becomes both a source of refreshment for our own spirit and a burden of prayer within us as we minister back unto the Lord. The next time you hear a song in the night realize that it is the Spirit of God reaching out to you inviting you into a deeper form of relationship so that you might enjoy Him more fully.
Send a little love my way! It sounds almost like the theme of a song. And yet this is what the Lord is doing in our lives. The psalmist describes one of the Lord’s roles in this simple verse. “By day the Lord directs his love…” Consider this reality that every day the Lord is working to communicate and express His love towards all of His creation. Rom 8:28 elaborates on the all encompassing nature of God’s goodness towards those who love Him by saying, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Imagine that in every situation, every circumstance, even that which the enemy has sent to destroy you, God is at work to bring good out of it and by doing so communicate His love for us. The first expression of this principle is found in the knowledge that through the death of Christ every person who will receive Him has received all that they need “for life and godliness” according to II Pe. 1:3. All provision for your past, present and future has already been made and day by day God is directing His goodness your way. Look for it! If we live with open eyes we will see that He is there and working on our behalf.
One of the primary ways that God has directed His love towards us is through giving us the gift of relationship. There is a common theme in parenting that children need time with you more than they need more things; relationship being the most valuable gift that we can give our children. In the same way God is not a distant God but a relational being relating to us through the images of Father, Savior, Comforter, Counselor, Husband, Brother, Deliverer and more. In Psalm 42:8 the psalmist relates one of the manifestations of God’s effort to express relationship with us by saying, “at night your song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.” One of the supernatural ways of our loving God is that He places a song in our hearts that is His voice to us and at the same time is a seed of prayer that He wants us to pray back to Him. God will plant a theme within our spirit through this medium of song as He awakens us with melodies in the night. I have even experienced myself singing songs to the Lord in dreams that were not songs that had ever been written. The song becomes both a source of refreshment for our own spirit and a burden of prayer within us as we minister back unto the Lord. The next time you hear a song in the night realize that it is the Spirit of God reaching out to you inviting you into a deeper form of relationship so that you might enjoy Him more fully.
Wednesday
Psalm 42:5-7 - May 13, 2009
Ps 42:5-7 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." NIV
There is a war going on inside of you! Each one of us lives in the context of a conflict for control of who you are. The Apostle Paul describes the conflict in great detail in Rom 7:21-23 “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” The law of sin is warring against your soul and the fight is for domination of your focus. When the struggles and temptations of life come our way they war against a God centered focus. They war against inner peace. They war against Godly choices, seeking to dominate us and cause us to live out of the turbulent waters of our soulish, sinful nature.
Paul continues on to further describe this conflict in Rom 8:5-6 as he states, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…” Each posture, living by the Spirit and living from our soul, carries with it an unalterable consequence. To live by the Spirit will in time produce life and peace and to live dominated by my soul will inevitably result in death.
Psalm 42:5-7 is an insightful illustration of a man purposefully engaging in that conflict. The psalmist has recognized the condition of his soul. Evidently circumstances have arisen that have left him describing his inner state as downcast and disturbed. Where the powerful lesson comes in is when we observe his response to his own state of mind. The psalmist refuses to wallow in his own discouragement. Instead, he confronts his own self-pity, and exhorts himself to a right focus. In essence he speaks to his own inner man and declares, “Why are you feeling this way? Put your hope in God!” What must not be missed within these words is the implication that if he has to be exhorted to put his hope in God then he must have allowed his focus to become off centered and must have placed his hope in something else. His gaze must have been either on man or on circumstance and now he is recognizing this inner drift and calling himself back to his foundation. It is so often the case that when we lose our peace it is because we have taken our eyes off of the Lord and placed them on something or someone else and like the psalmist we must arrest ourselves and re-fix our gaze on the Lord.
The psalmist’s reflections within this passage as he responds to this time of self-revelation are an insightful lesson for us. He takes three clear steps that are foundational responses to changing the state of our inner man. First he challenges himself to put his hope in God. Secondly he sets his heart to renew himself through praise and third he refocuses his thoughts through meditating on the good things that the Lord has done for him in the past. The wonderful conclusion of this simple journey is the awakening that takes place within the psalmist. He moves from warring against his feelings to a renewal of inner awareness. Only moments before he had been reflecting on the downcast state of his inner man but now the deep places within him are calling out to him again and his inner man is coming alive with divine refreshing. Consider the language of verse 7. “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” As the psalmist has resolutely fixed his eyes upon the Lord the waves and breakers of God’s ministering presence are now crashing over him and the deep places within him are once again calling out to the Spirit of God for renewed visitation. Make a decision right now to cast off the destructive voice of a discouraged soul and fix your eyes upon the Lord. Let him renew you as you wait for him in the secret place of his presence!
There is a war going on inside of you! Each one of us lives in the context of a conflict for control of who you are. The Apostle Paul describes the conflict in great detail in Rom 7:21-23 “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” The law of sin is warring against your soul and the fight is for domination of your focus. When the struggles and temptations of life come our way they war against a God centered focus. They war against inner peace. They war against Godly choices, seeking to dominate us and cause us to live out of the turbulent waters of our soulish, sinful nature.
Paul continues on to further describe this conflict in Rom 8:5-6 as he states, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…” Each posture, living by the Spirit and living from our soul, carries with it an unalterable consequence. To live by the Spirit will in time produce life and peace and to live dominated by my soul will inevitably result in death.
Psalm 42:5-7 is an insightful illustration of a man purposefully engaging in that conflict. The psalmist has recognized the condition of his soul. Evidently circumstances have arisen that have left him describing his inner state as downcast and disturbed. Where the powerful lesson comes in is when we observe his response to his own state of mind. The psalmist refuses to wallow in his own discouragement. Instead, he confronts his own self-pity, and exhorts himself to a right focus. In essence he speaks to his own inner man and declares, “Why are you feeling this way? Put your hope in God!” What must not be missed within these words is the implication that if he has to be exhorted to put his hope in God then he must have allowed his focus to become off centered and must have placed his hope in something else. His gaze must have been either on man or on circumstance and now he is recognizing this inner drift and calling himself back to his foundation. It is so often the case that when we lose our peace it is because we have taken our eyes off of the Lord and placed them on something or someone else and like the psalmist we must arrest ourselves and re-fix our gaze on the Lord.
The psalmist’s reflections within this passage as he responds to this time of self-revelation are an insightful lesson for us. He takes three clear steps that are foundational responses to changing the state of our inner man. First he challenges himself to put his hope in God. Secondly he sets his heart to renew himself through praise and third he refocuses his thoughts through meditating on the good things that the Lord has done for him in the past. The wonderful conclusion of this simple journey is the awakening that takes place within the psalmist. He moves from warring against his feelings to a renewal of inner awareness. Only moments before he had been reflecting on the downcast state of his inner man but now the deep places within him are calling out to him again and his inner man is coming alive with divine refreshing. Consider the language of verse 7. “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” As the psalmist has resolutely fixed his eyes upon the Lord the waves and breakers of God’s ministering presence are now crashing over him and the deep places within him are once again calling out to the Spirit of God for renewed visitation. Make a decision right now to cast off the destructive voice of a discouraged soul and fix your eyes upon the Lord. Let him renew you as you wait for him in the secret place of his presence!
Tuesday
Psalm 42:1-2 - May 12, 2009
Ps 42:1-2 For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" NIV
These two verses are some of the most passionate in the bible. Imagine a deer running through the forest in search of fresh water to drink. It’s hot, it’s humid, in the midst of summer and she is panting with fatigue. Consider that first cool refreshing drink on that hot summer day as the impact of cool, clear waters spreads from your mouth to the very core of your being like someone turning the lights on in a dark room inside of you! This is the psalmist’s thirst for God. This is the essence of his heart’s cry.
Only the presence of God can renew the inner man in a way that truly satisfies the deep longings of who we are. No other experience, not the taste of wine, not the thrill of extreme sports, not the inner reward of a job well done, only the touch of God can quench the thirst that lies deep within every human spirit. These two verses are a tremendous expression of that longing. Listen to the cry of the psalmist’s heart; “I pant for you… I thirst for you… when can I go and meet with you?” Inside every person this cry is there. For some it is buried under the waves of external stimulation that drown out its voice. For others it is suppressed and hindered by the worries and cares that burden our inner man. But there are those who know their hunger. There are those who have touched this deep place in their spirit man and have allowed this cry to awaken. There are those who have allowed the pain of their deepest longings to become a cry for God. “I thirst!”
Through the gift of this psalm God has set before us a vivid image of the cry that lies within. For many there is an undefined stirring. We know that we are not satisfied but we do not understand why we feel the way we do. Many are restless and frustrated with an unexplainable dissatisfaction burning down in the depths of who we are. This psalm is God giving words to your hunger. Let these simple verses become fuel for your heart today. Like the sons of Korah who gave voice to such revelation let your heart begin to be expressed before God today with the simple prayer, “Lord I thirst!” As I write these words my mind is drawn to the image of Jesus as he is nearing his last breath, bearing the weight of the sins of all mankind upon his broken body, as he cries out, “I thirst.” Somehow I don’t believe that it was the vinegar they gave him to drink that was on his mind. Even in his last painful moments it was the presence of God that He was longing for as He directed us to remember this psalm. I believe that this moment was a signpost for the suffering. In your anguish, reach for the living God. In your trial only He can quench your thirst. Let the longings of your heart awaken a desperation for His presence that compels you to put other things aside until this ache inside of your being is satisfied with His life altering presence.
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" NIV
These two verses are some of the most passionate in the bible. Imagine a deer running through the forest in search of fresh water to drink. It’s hot, it’s humid, in the midst of summer and she is panting with fatigue. Consider that first cool refreshing drink on that hot summer day as the impact of cool, clear waters spreads from your mouth to the very core of your being like someone turning the lights on in a dark room inside of you! This is the psalmist’s thirst for God. This is the essence of his heart’s cry.
Only the presence of God can renew the inner man in a way that truly satisfies the deep longings of who we are. No other experience, not the taste of wine, not the thrill of extreme sports, not the inner reward of a job well done, only the touch of God can quench the thirst that lies deep within every human spirit. These two verses are a tremendous expression of that longing. Listen to the cry of the psalmist’s heart; “I pant for you… I thirst for you… when can I go and meet with you?” Inside every person this cry is there. For some it is buried under the waves of external stimulation that drown out its voice. For others it is suppressed and hindered by the worries and cares that burden our inner man. But there are those who know their hunger. There are those who have touched this deep place in their spirit man and have allowed this cry to awaken. There are those who have allowed the pain of their deepest longings to become a cry for God. “I thirst!”
Through the gift of this psalm God has set before us a vivid image of the cry that lies within. For many there is an undefined stirring. We know that we are not satisfied but we do not understand why we feel the way we do. Many are restless and frustrated with an unexplainable dissatisfaction burning down in the depths of who we are. This psalm is God giving words to your hunger. Let these simple verses become fuel for your heart today. Like the sons of Korah who gave voice to such revelation let your heart begin to be expressed before God today with the simple prayer, “Lord I thirst!” As I write these words my mind is drawn to the image of Jesus as he is nearing his last breath, bearing the weight of the sins of all mankind upon his broken body, as he cries out, “I thirst.” Somehow I don’t believe that it was the vinegar they gave him to drink that was on his mind. Even in his last painful moments it was the presence of God that He was longing for as He directed us to remember this psalm. I believe that this moment was a signpost for the suffering. In your anguish, reach for the living God. In your trial only He can quench your thirst. Let the longings of your heart awaken a desperation for His presence that compels you to put other things aside until this ache inside of your being is satisfied with His life altering presence.
Monday
Psalm 41:11-12 - May 11, 2009
Ps 41:11-12 "I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me. 12 In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever." NIV
David makes an interesting observation before the Lord in the closing verses of Psalm 41. David does not equate the absence of trials and enemies as evidence that the Lord is pleased with him. His confidence is in the fact that his enemies do not gain the final victory over him. How differently we would view God’s blessings if we understood this dynamic. Don’t expect that there will be no conflict. Don’t expect that there will be no battle to fight. Expect that in the midst of all of struggles that you face God will give you the strength and the wisdom to win the victory!
The word of God says confidently in Isa 54:17 “…no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. This promise again is not the absence of conflict. It is the promise of victory!!!!! If there are no conflicts then there is no victory! God is building in us a testimony of His power to overcome evil with good. God is not a pacifist. In fact Ex 15:3 states directly “The LORD is a warrior.” He has promised to fight our battles for us as we place our confidence in Him and keep our ways pleasing in His sight.
The conclusion of Psalm 41 is profound in its focus. David is not focused on justice. David is not focus on vengeance. David is not focused on what he can gain from the victory. David is focused on the presence of God. Consider that his desire is that God would uphold him and set him in God’s presence! David has set his heart in an unmovable gaze upon the Lord and he will not allow conflict or difficulty to reshape his primary desire! “God, I want you!” The enemy seeks to take our eyes off of the Lord and get them on our circumstances but we are called to live with a divine fascination that cannot be distracted from the primary purpose of our lives which is to live in God’s presence, to enjoy Him and to be enjoyed by Him! Today, let nothing distract you from your mission
of worshipping Him.
David makes an interesting observation before the Lord in the closing verses of Psalm 41. David does not equate the absence of trials and enemies as evidence that the Lord is pleased with him. His confidence is in the fact that his enemies do not gain the final victory over him. How differently we would view God’s blessings if we understood this dynamic. Don’t expect that there will be no conflict. Don’t expect that there will be no battle to fight. Expect that in the midst of all of struggles that you face God will give you the strength and the wisdom to win the victory!
The word of God says confidently in Isa 54:17 “…no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. This promise again is not the absence of conflict. It is the promise of victory!!!!! If there are no conflicts then there is no victory! God is building in us a testimony of His power to overcome evil with good. God is not a pacifist. In fact Ex 15:3 states directly “The LORD is a warrior.” He has promised to fight our battles for us as we place our confidence in Him and keep our ways pleasing in His sight.
The conclusion of Psalm 41 is profound in its focus. David is not focused on justice. David is not focus on vengeance. David is not focused on what he can gain from the victory. David is focused on the presence of God. Consider that his desire is that God would uphold him and set him in God’s presence! David has set his heart in an unmovable gaze upon the Lord and he will not allow conflict or difficulty to reshape his primary desire! “God, I want you!” The enemy seeks to take our eyes off of the Lord and get them on our circumstances but we are called to live with a divine fascination that cannot be distracted from the primary purpose of our lives which is to live in God’s presence, to enjoy Him and to be enjoyed by Him! Today, let nothing distract you from your mission
of worshipping Him.
Sunday
Psalm 41:1-3 - May 10, 2009
Ps 41:1-3 "Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. 3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness." NIV
Do you want to experience a happiness deeper than you have ever known? Give yourself to caring for the needs of the weak. There is a great work that takes place in our hearts when we open them to care for the needs of those who are unable to help themselves. There is nothing quite like the joy that touches your inner man when you sit with an orphan who is delighted by the mere fact of your presence. No experience can move you on quite the same level as when you invest yourself for a season of time in the lives of the poor. There are times when no toy or gift can compare to the gift of your attention and your time. Living with an open heart is the only way to live.
Not only is regard for the weak a value that impacts our own hearts, when we take time to give a portion of ourselves to those around us who have need we are moving the heart of the Lord as well. Prov 19:17 Instructs us that, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” When we show kindness to the poor of the earth from a genuine heart we are actually making a deposit into our heavenly bank account. Though there is a reward that is as simple as satisfaction of heart, which is reason enough to get involved, we position ourselves in the path of God’s blessings when we step out of our comfort zone and care for
those in need.
The first principle revealed in Psalm 40 is the principle of sowing and reaping. The Lord’s promise to us is that if we will have regard to the weak, He will deliver us when we are in trouble. We must remember that even if there are blessings abounding in our lives right now a day may come when we need the Lord to deliver US! The good news is that if you become God’s source of deliverance for others He will move mountains to deliver you! What an amazing list of benefits follow this introductory principle in Psalm 40:1-3. If you have sown the right seeds in the garden of your life, in time of need the Lord promises to protect you, preserve your life, bless you in the land, not surrender you to the desire of your foes, sustain you on your sickbed and restore you from your bed of illness. What a shelter, what a refuge God is to those who live a life pleasing to him and all of these benefits flow out of one simple thing; having regard for the weak. The simple truth implied in these verses is do not live selfishly towards others and the Lord will watch over you with protection and blessing in ways and means that only heaven can provide. This is not to say that you will never face a problem, but rather the Lord will be with you in the midst of the problems bringing life, peace and more!
Do you want to experience a happiness deeper than you have ever known? Give yourself to caring for the needs of the weak. There is a great work that takes place in our hearts when we open them to care for the needs of those who are unable to help themselves. There is nothing quite like the joy that touches your inner man when you sit with an orphan who is delighted by the mere fact of your presence. No experience can move you on quite the same level as when you invest yourself for a season of time in the lives of the poor. There are times when no toy or gift can compare to the gift of your attention and your time. Living with an open heart is the only way to live.
Not only is regard for the weak a value that impacts our own hearts, when we take time to give a portion of ourselves to those around us who have need we are moving the heart of the Lord as well. Prov 19:17 Instructs us that, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” When we show kindness to the poor of the earth from a genuine heart we are actually making a deposit into our heavenly bank account. Though there is a reward that is as simple as satisfaction of heart, which is reason enough to get involved, we position ourselves in the path of God’s blessings when we step out of our comfort zone and care for
those in need.
The first principle revealed in Psalm 40 is the principle of sowing and reaping. The Lord’s promise to us is that if we will have regard to the weak, He will deliver us when we are in trouble. We must remember that even if there are blessings abounding in our lives right now a day may come when we need the Lord to deliver US! The good news is that if you become God’s source of deliverance for others He will move mountains to deliver you! What an amazing list of benefits follow this introductory principle in Psalm 40:1-3. If you have sown the right seeds in the garden of your life, in time of need the Lord promises to protect you, preserve your life, bless you in the land, not surrender you to the desire of your foes, sustain you on your sickbed and restore you from your bed of illness. What a shelter, what a refuge God is to those who live a life pleasing to him and all of these benefits flow out of one simple thing; having regard for the weak. The simple truth implied in these verses is do not live selfishly towards others and the Lord will watch over you with protection and blessing in ways and means that only heaven can provide. This is not to say that you will never face a problem, but rather the Lord will be with you in the midst of the problems bringing life, peace and more!
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