Ps 78:11-22 "They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. 12 He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. 14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. 15 He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; 16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers. 17 But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. 18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. 19 They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the desert? 20 When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?" 21 When the LORD heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, 22 for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance." NIV
Have you ever been in a desert season? Have you ever felt as if you were in a wilderness and did not know where your future was going to lead or the outcome of the trial that you were going through? Did those feelings ever leave you doubting or questioning God? You are not alone. Throughout the pages of scripture there were many people who faced dark times and dangerous circumstances. There were many who felt the pressures of uncertainty and an unpredictable future. It is during times like these that we must lean upon the word!
In times of trial it is our faith that keeps us strong and our hearts right. It is our confidence in God that carries us through every storm and every valley. Because this is true it is our responsibility to look to the source of faith to keep our hearts alive in the desert. Just like the Lord pouring out waters from the rock to refresh a weary and wondering people, our Father has provided living water for us to drink in our desert season through the pages of the scriptures. The word of God is filled with the testimony of God’s works throughout human history to remind us of what He can do and will do on behalf of those who look to Him.
Romans 10:17 says that “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” The children of Israel offended the Lord because when they were in the wilderness they forgot what the Lord had done. Even though He had shown himself faithful over the years of their hard season the people of God had lost sight of this and began to complain and fear. It is in the dry times that we are called to remember, not to forget. We must actively stir up the remembrance of what God has done by keeping our hearts in front of the word of God. Like sitting before a fire on a cold and rainy evening keeps us warm, even so as we place our hearts in front of the word of God its eternal glow warns us and keeps our hearts from growing cold.
In your dark times let the word of God strengthen you in both faith and hope. Meditate on the things that God has done in the pages of scripture and remind yourself of the good things that he has done in your personal history with Him. Remember that He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that His character is sure and trustworthy. The Lord has encouraged us in Heb 13:5 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." With this truth as the foundation of your faith and hope be strong in the Lord and stand confidently in the face of your trials. Hide the promises and testimony of God in your heart and do not waver as you face the desert in front of you knowing that you are not alone and that the all sufficient God is by your side!
Friday
Psalm 78:5-8 - August 7, 2009
Ps 78:5-8 “He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. 8 They would not be like their forefathers — a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him." NIV
This psalm displays the importance of intergenerational transfer! The Lord has done his mighty works. He has also established a system of law to govern society. Each of these, His works and His laws, is a facet of God’s method of shaping our thoughts in relationship to both our day to day living and our long term planning and thinking. God has clearly made himself known through both of these means so that our decisions and thoughts are impacted by the background knowledge of God’s power and His values system.
Prov 9:10 introduces us to the importance of this principle: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” God has shown us His power so that we will be conscious of His power and ability to act and has then established His laws and values system so that we will live in a Holy fear. Laws are not easily respected if there is no fear of consequence associated with their violation. Just as a parent cautions a child with instruction and punishment for transgression, teaching the child to fear disobedience, even so God has parented us through conveying these same things through the voice of His written word. Those who have been trained to fear the Lord by learning of His ways and His precepts have been given an advantage in life because of their respect for the very principles of God that bring favor upon our lives.
The psalmist is reflecting upon this importance, knowing that if the next generation is not properly trained in the word of God that they forget His deeds and place their confidence in life in their own abilities rather than God’s. It is God’s command that we teach these truths to the next generations because of the importance that this knowledge plays on our future choices and God’s ability to bless us.
We rob the generations to come by withholding from them a foundation of right understanding. This is the reason for the condition of lawlessness within our culture today. We wonder how things have become the way they are and why so many of today’s youth are making poor life choices but the answer is as simple as the reality that they are what we have created them to be. From decade to decade we have pushed the foundational learning of the ways of God further and further from the lives our children and their children. We have taken the word of God and prayer out of the school systems and relegated spiritual truth to the back burner in our evaluation of what is important to teach our children and this has resulted in a society void of conscience and a restraining fear of the Lord. Schools try to teach ethics and values but these principles have no motivator if they are not attached to the fear of the Lord. If there is no absolute, no God to honor, whose ways I must uphold to bring His pleasure upon my life then my life choices are now driven by a survival of the fittest mentality. There is no motivation for ethical conduct beyond myself and the accepted practice of society. So if the accepted practice of society has changed then my morality and ethics change with them. The problem with this thinking is that ethics and morality are now as fluid as the loudest voice in culture. Whoever shouts the loudest for their values now becomes the leader in culture and morality. Anyone who can sway public opinion to make some new behavior or practice acceptable has now shaped our ethics and morality.
This principle is the root of the crisis in this generation. We have told them there are no absolutes and because of this our society is now being shaped by the loudest voices in culture, the media and a few other specific areas. Whoever controls television, music, the internet, and the entertainment industries has repeatedly been able to bend the values system of the upcoming generations to their particular point of view because these spheres have the loudest voice. The media shapes public opinion and public opinion shapes our governments and our educational institutions. We have stripped away the foundations from our young people and then set them adrift in the winds of public opinion. Media then drives public opinion to reflect the values of whoever controls the media. This condition results in a struggle by each focus group for control of each
of these spheres.
The only hope for a restoration of our culture is a restoration of its foundations. We must regain the fear of the Lord so that we can regain the wisdom of building our lives upon concrete truths that do not change like “shifting shadows." The culture has lost its way and morality has lost its anchor. It is time to raise our voice on behalf of God and become a shaping force that calls for the restoration of Godly principles in the systems of government and education and it is time that each one of us applies the biblical mandate to teach our own children thoroughly in the ways of God so that we can see a restoration of truth and right foundations for the ages to come to build upon.
This psalm displays the importance of intergenerational transfer! The Lord has done his mighty works. He has also established a system of law to govern society. Each of these, His works and His laws, is a facet of God’s method of shaping our thoughts in relationship to both our day to day living and our long term planning and thinking. God has clearly made himself known through both of these means so that our decisions and thoughts are impacted by the background knowledge of God’s power and His values system.
Prov 9:10 introduces us to the importance of this principle: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” God has shown us His power so that we will be conscious of His power and ability to act and has then established His laws and values system so that we will live in a Holy fear. Laws are not easily respected if there is no fear of consequence associated with their violation. Just as a parent cautions a child with instruction and punishment for transgression, teaching the child to fear disobedience, even so God has parented us through conveying these same things through the voice of His written word. Those who have been trained to fear the Lord by learning of His ways and His precepts have been given an advantage in life because of their respect for the very principles of God that bring favor upon our lives.
The psalmist is reflecting upon this importance, knowing that if the next generation is not properly trained in the word of God that they forget His deeds and place their confidence in life in their own abilities rather than God’s. It is God’s command that we teach these truths to the next generations because of the importance that this knowledge plays on our future choices and God’s ability to bless us.
We rob the generations to come by withholding from them a foundation of right understanding. This is the reason for the condition of lawlessness within our culture today. We wonder how things have become the way they are and why so many of today’s youth are making poor life choices but the answer is as simple as the reality that they are what we have created them to be. From decade to decade we have pushed the foundational learning of the ways of God further and further from the lives our children and their children. We have taken the word of God and prayer out of the school systems and relegated spiritual truth to the back burner in our evaluation of what is important to teach our children and this has resulted in a society void of conscience and a restraining fear of the Lord. Schools try to teach ethics and values but these principles have no motivator if they are not attached to the fear of the Lord. If there is no absolute, no God to honor, whose ways I must uphold to bring His pleasure upon my life then my life choices are now driven by a survival of the fittest mentality. There is no motivation for ethical conduct beyond myself and the accepted practice of society. So if the accepted practice of society has changed then my morality and ethics change with them. The problem with this thinking is that ethics and morality are now as fluid as the loudest voice in culture. Whoever shouts the loudest for their values now becomes the leader in culture and morality. Anyone who can sway public opinion to make some new behavior or practice acceptable has now shaped our ethics and morality.
This principle is the root of the crisis in this generation. We have told them there are no absolutes and because of this our society is now being shaped by the loudest voices in culture, the media and a few other specific areas. Whoever controls television, music, the internet, and the entertainment industries has repeatedly been able to bend the values system of the upcoming generations to their particular point of view because these spheres have the loudest voice. The media shapes public opinion and public opinion shapes our governments and our educational institutions. We have stripped away the foundations from our young people and then set them adrift in the winds of public opinion. Media then drives public opinion to reflect the values of whoever controls the media. This condition results in a struggle by each focus group for control of each
of these spheres.
The only hope for a restoration of our culture is a restoration of its foundations. We must regain the fear of the Lord so that we can regain the wisdom of building our lives upon concrete truths that do not change like “shifting shadows." The culture has lost its way and morality has lost its anchor. It is time to raise our voice on behalf of God and become a shaping force that calls for the restoration of Godly principles in the systems of government and education and it is time that each one of us applies the biblical mandate to teach our own children thoroughly in the ways of God so that we can see a restoration of truth and right foundations for the ages to come to build upon.
Thursday
Psalm 78:1-4 - August 5, 2009
Ps 78:1-4 "O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old — 3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. " NIV
If you want to make the most out of your life, if you desire to be the best you can be and fulfill the highest calling that you were created for then this passage conveys a very important truth in its opening phrase: “remain teachable.” There is never a point in our lives where we no longer have anything to learn. There is no person that has all of the answers. We need one another and to make the most of this reality we must preserve a humble heart that is willing to listen and be instructed in the issues of life. Someone always has more experience and greater wisdom than you possess and if your heart is open you can learn life lessons through even the most
unexpected sources.
The Psalmist’s reflection in verses 1-4 is that of a man who has set his heart to be one of those sources. One of the great joys in life is to be a spiritual father or mother and this psalmist is declaring his intent to be a model for that to the next generation. “We will not hide them from the next generation.” This is a wonderful position of heart. The psalmist has set his heart to pass on the truths of God and the life lessons that have been passed on to him. There are many mysteries in life and in God that only time and experience can unlock for us but once they have been revealed to our hearts we then become the trustees of the life lessons that we have learned. Every truth that God brings alive in your heart is now your gift to share with someone else. Every mighty testimony of God’s powerful hand changing the course of your life and the lives of others becomes a message of hope and courage to all of those who will follow after you.
This psalmist’s heart is revealed in such a picture of fathering as he resolutely declares “we will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done.” His passion is to make known the ways of the Lord and to let no mystery, no truth that the Lord has made known pass away before it is imparted to the next generation. When we take time to leave a deposit in the hearts of those who follow after us of the precious things that the Lord has done, when we passionately impart to the next generation the ways of the Lord, then our ceiling becomes their floor! Our ending point becomes their beginning and we create a culture in God where each proceeding generation excels beyond the measure of the one before it, bringing greater and greater maturity to the kingdom of God on the earth. Open your mouth today for the Lord and be a part of this great transfer of spiritual wealth and truth to the generations that are
to come.
If you want to make the most out of your life, if you desire to be the best you can be and fulfill the highest calling that you were created for then this passage conveys a very important truth in its opening phrase: “remain teachable.” There is never a point in our lives where we no longer have anything to learn. There is no person that has all of the answers. We need one another and to make the most of this reality we must preserve a humble heart that is willing to listen and be instructed in the issues of life. Someone always has more experience and greater wisdom than you possess and if your heart is open you can learn life lessons through even the most
unexpected sources.
The Psalmist’s reflection in verses 1-4 is that of a man who has set his heart to be one of those sources. One of the great joys in life is to be a spiritual father or mother and this psalmist is declaring his intent to be a model for that to the next generation. “We will not hide them from the next generation.” This is a wonderful position of heart. The psalmist has set his heart to pass on the truths of God and the life lessons that have been passed on to him. There are many mysteries in life and in God that only time and experience can unlock for us but once they have been revealed to our hearts we then become the trustees of the life lessons that we have learned. Every truth that God brings alive in your heart is now your gift to share with someone else. Every mighty testimony of God’s powerful hand changing the course of your life and the lives of others becomes a message of hope and courage to all of those who will follow after you.
This psalmist’s heart is revealed in such a picture of fathering as he resolutely declares “we will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done.” His passion is to make known the ways of the Lord and to let no mystery, no truth that the Lord has made known pass away before it is imparted to the next generation. When we take time to leave a deposit in the hearts of those who follow after us of the precious things that the Lord has done, when we passionately impart to the next generation the ways of the Lord, then our ceiling becomes their floor! Our ending point becomes their beginning and we create a culture in God where each proceeding generation excels beyond the measure of the one before it, bringing greater and greater maturity to the kingdom of God on the earth. Open your mouth today for the Lord and be a part of this great transfer of spiritual wealth and truth to the generations that are
to come.
Wednesday
Psalm 77:20 - August 5, 2009
Ps 77:20 "You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron." NIV
Does God have a plan for you? Is He actively involved in setting the course of your life? Based upon this passage and many others the answer would have to be yes! There are three topics addressed in this simple passage; God’s leading, how He does it and who He does it with. Though this passage does not completely develop any one of those concepts each one is certainly presented in its simplest form.
God is faithful to lead His people. Romans 12:1-2 tells us that how we know the will of God, how we discover this leading is to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable. Paul teaches us that if we will do this then we will be able to “test and approve” the will of God for our lives. The will of God is not painted on a canvas like a picture to be interpreted. It is communicated by God’s Spirit to our Spirit through various means and because of the subjective nature of this form of communication our understanding of what we are discerning as the will of God must be tested and approved. Even when God speaks to us through obvious means such as personal prophecy we are instructed to “test everything”… and us to “hold fast to what is good.” The passage in Romans 12 further helps us understand that it is as we present ourselves to the Lord through living in a manner that is holy and acceptable to Him that we will be able to rightly test and approve the impressions that are influencing our hearts. If our life is filled with the mixture that comes from the things of this world then the measure by which we test the thoughts and impressions of our hearts will be distorted and our ability to rightly understand the voice of the Holy Spirit will be diluted and corrupted.
The second aspect of God’s leading addressed briefly in this psalm is the nature of God’s leading. Verse 20 says that God led His people “like a flock.” How does the shepherd lead His sheep? He directs them to provision, protection, proper care; he turns them back to safety if they go astray. He is not always there directing every step, but rather is watching over as a guide to their way. This is not to say that the Lord never has a specific plan but rather to emphasize the caring nature of His oversight and to identify that many times in His leading of our lives God gives us the responsibility of choosing. He has given us His word, His Spirit, wise counselors, our own thoughts and wisdom and a life full of experience to help us in choosing but then He asks us to choose! What do you want? Have you prayed about it? Does it pass the test of God’s values system? Does your have peace about it in your inner being? Do those who speak into your life have peace with the decision? Then you are on good ground to consider that the Lord may be asking you to make a choice.
The third aspect of Psalm 77:20 is who He chooses to accomplish His purposes. The vital principle conveyed in this portion of verse twenty is that God chose men and set them apart to be near to Him and entrusted them with the role of leadership over the nation of Israel. Simply put, at times God uses other people to provide direction in our lives. God will take a leader and draw Him near and endow Him with gifts and a mature ability to hear from God’s Spirit and then assign them the task of leading a people and a vision. God will use leaders to be a voice of counsel and confirmation to others who are following. The bottom line is that we are not left to follow God alone to the best of our abilities. God intended for His people to walk in relationship with one another, “like a flock.” Can you imagine the countryside covered in sheep running off in all directions to go wherever they please? The shepherd leads them both collectively and individually. We were created for relationship with one another and one of God’s means of providing direction for us is to use those around us as a voice of counsel and confirmation. Don’t do it alone! Build kingdom relationships and let the voice of wise counselors add light to your path. God wants to help you!
Does God have a plan for you? Is He actively involved in setting the course of your life? Based upon this passage and many others the answer would have to be yes! There are three topics addressed in this simple passage; God’s leading, how He does it and who He does it with. Though this passage does not completely develop any one of those concepts each one is certainly presented in its simplest form.
God is faithful to lead His people. Romans 12:1-2 tells us that how we know the will of God, how we discover this leading is to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable. Paul teaches us that if we will do this then we will be able to “test and approve” the will of God for our lives. The will of God is not painted on a canvas like a picture to be interpreted. It is communicated by God’s Spirit to our Spirit through various means and because of the subjective nature of this form of communication our understanding of what we are discerning as the will of God must be tested and approved. Even when God speaks to us through obvious means such as personal prophecy we are instructed to “test everything”… and us to “hold fast to what is good.” The passage in Romans 12 further helps us understand that it is as we present ourselves to the Lord through living in a manner that is holy and acceptable to Him that we will be able to rightly test and approve the impressions that are influencing our hearts. If our life is filled with the mixture that comes from the things of this world then the measure by which we test the thoughts and impressions of our hearts will be distorted and our ability to rightly understand the voice of the Holy Spirit will be diluted and corrupted.
The second aspect of God’s leading addressed briefly in this psalm is the nature of God’s leading. Verse 20 says that God led His people “like a flock.” How does the shepherd lead His sheep? He directs them to provision, protection, proper care; he turns them back to safety if they go astray. He is not always there directing every step, but rather is watching over as a guide to their way. This is not to say that the Lord never has a specific plan but rather to emphasize the caring nature of His oversight and to identify that many times in His leading of our lives God gives us the responsibility of choosing. He has given us His word, His Spirit, wise counselors, our own thoughts and wisdom and a life full of experience to help us in choosing but then He asks us to choose! What do you want? Have you prayed about it? Does it pass the test of God’s values system? Does your have peace about it in your inner being? Do those who speak into your life have peace with the decision? Then you are on good ground to consider that the Lord may be asking you to make a choice.
The third aspect of Psalm 77:20 is who He chooses to accomplish His purposes. The vital principle conveyed in this portion of verse twenty is that God chose men and set them apart to be near to Him and entrusted them with the role of leadership over the nation of Israel. Simply put, at times God uses other people to provide direction in our lives. God will take a leader and draw Him near and endow Him with gifts and a mature ability to hear from God’s Spirit and then assign them the task of leading a people and a vision. God will use leaders to be a voice of counsel and confirmation to others who are following. The bottom line is that we are not left to follow God alone to the best of our abilities. God intended for His people to walk in relationship with one another, “like a flock.” Can you imagine the countryside covered in sheep running off in all directions to go wherever they please? The shepherd leads them both collectively and individually. We were created for relationship with one another and one of God’s means of providing direction for us is to use those around us as a voice of counsel and confirmation. Don’t do it alone! Build kingdom relationships and let the voice of wise counselors add light to your path. God wants to help you!
Tuesday
Psalm 77:11-14 - August 4, 2009
Ps 77:11-14 "I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. 13 Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. " NIV
There is power in remembering what the Lord has done. One of the greatest hope builders for the future is reflection upon the past! What has the Lord done for you? What has he done in the lives of those around you? The testimony of God’s mighty power and works stands tall in our lives as a lighthouse reminding us of what the Lord is able to do in our today and our tomorrows. The book of Hebrews encourages our faith in this reality by saying of the Lord in Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” If the Lord has done it before He can do it again!
Within this portion of psalm 77 is a lesson for growing in this place of intimate faith with the Lord. The psalmist is not content to simply reflect on the works of the Lord like a highlight reel of a special event the words that he chooses imply something much deeper. “I will meditate on your works, and consider all your mighty deeds.” The psalmist’s reflection has a goal behind it. He is searching for light and truth! He isn’t just remembering the exciting things that the Lord has done. His choice of words communicates that he is searching for insight into the Lord’s heart and ways from his reflections as if to say, “What can I learn from the things the Lord has done? What is He saying to me through this? What can I know about Him from all of the powerful works that He has performed around me? The psalmist is clearly looking for a deeper understanding of the ways of the Lord.
In his search for this truth and light we are not left with uncertainty. The psalmist quickly moves to share the insight that has awakened in his heart from this time of reflection. He has gained a few life changing deposits of truth from this season of reflection. His foremost revelation is the holiness of God. His meditation upon the works of the Lord has left him with one clear declaration; “Your ways, O God, are holy!” Meditation opens our understanding. Reflection brings revelation. For this psalmist the holiness of God is standing out amongst all of the deeds of the Lord. His heart has beheld the works of God and his final conclusion is “There is no other God like you in all the earth. You alone, O God…” He has considered the great difference between the Lord God and all of the other false God’s of the nations around him and his conclusion is certain; “You alone, O God…” Beyond compare, matchless in power, doing miracles, unchanging in eternal glory, this is the light that comes to a heart that will thoughtfully consider the mighty works of the Lord. This testimony can only be met with one of two responses; unbelief that discounts the testimony as untrue or reverence and holy fear at the awesome power of God that no other can compare with. There is no other choice for the works of God are matchless. Believe and worship or turn from Him and pay the price of that rejection. Which will you choose today?
There is power in remembering what the Lord has done. One of the greatest hope builders for the future is reflection upon the past! What has the Lord done for you? What has he done in the lives of those around you? The testimony of God’s mighty power and works stands tall in our lives as a lighthouse reminding us of what the Lord is able to do in our today and our tomorrows. The book of Hebrews encourages our faith in this reality by saying of the Lord in Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” If the Lord has done it before He can do it again!
Within this portion of psalm 77 is a lesson for growing in this place of intimate faith with the Lord. The psalmist is not content to simply reflect on the works of the Lord like a highlight reel of a special event the words that he chooses imply something much deeper. “I will meditate on your works, and consider all your mighty deeds.” The psalmist’s reflection has a goal behind it. He is searching for light and truth! He isn’t just remembering the exciting things that the Lord has done. His choice of words communicates that he is searching for insight into the Lord’s heart and ways from his reflections as if to say, “What can I learn from the things the Lord has done? What is He saying to me through this? What can I know about Him from all of the powerful works that He has performed around me? The psalmist is clearly looking for a deeper understanding of the ways of the Lord.
In his search for this truth and light we are not left with uncertainty. The psalmist quickly moves to share the insight that has awakened in his heart from this time of reflection. He has gained a few life changing deposits of truth from this season of reflection. His foremost revelation is the holiness of God. His meditation upon the works of the Lord has left him with one clear declaration; “Your ways, O God, are holy!” Meditation opens our understanding. Reflection brings revelation. For this psalmist the holiness of God is standing out amongst all of the deeds of the Lord. His heart has beheld the works of God and his final conclusion is “There is no other God like you in all the earth. You alone, O God…” He has considered the great difference between the Lord God and all of the other false God’s of the nations around him and his conclusion is certain; “You alone, O God…” Beyond compare, matchless in power, doing miracles, unchanging in eternal glory, this is the light that comes to a heart that will thoughtfully consider the mighty works of the Lord. This testimony can only be met with one of two responses; unbelief that discounts the testimony as untrue or reverence and holy fear at the awesome power of God that no other can compare with. There is no other choice for the works of God are matchless. Believe and worship or turn from Him and pay the price of that rejection. Which will you choose today?
Monday
Psalm 77:4-6 - August 3, 2009
Ps 77:4-6 “You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. 5 I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; 6 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired. " NIV
GOD IN THE NIGHT SEASONS! There is a consistent pattern throughout the scriptures of the Lord ministering to His people in the night hours. From Samuel hearing the voice of the Lord call him for the first time in I Sa. 3:4: to Abraham having a visitation in the night in Ge. 15:17, to Jacob dreaming of angels ascending and descending a ladder into heaven in Ge. 28:12 and on and on throughout the rest of the Word, God loves the night hours and has chosen them as a time when the heart of man is freed from the business of the day and is more readily responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the Lord comes in a dream, other times an angel may come calling, still other times a voice speaking in the night or the hand of the Lord imparting a heavy burden upon the soul or stirring up thoughts that leave a lasting imprint upon the heart. Psalm 77:4-6 is a reflection that ponders just such a night season.
“You kept my eyes from closing…” In this passage the psalmist is remembering a night when the Lord would give Him no sleep. His heart is troubled to the point that he cannot express his feelings with words and yet he understands this pressure on his heart as something that has come from the Lord. He is not relating it to stress, anxiety or even too much caffeine; the psalmist sees the hand of God at work. How many times have we failed to recognize that it was not our problems keeping us awake, but rather the Holy Spirit seeking to awaken prayer within us? The Holy Spirit knows that the answers we crave are only released through pursuing God in prayer and yet too often when He is trying to awaken us and compel us into the presence of God to bring our burdens and needs before him we turn instead to the television set or to a sleeping aid of some kind to dull our senses. What could have been a breakthrough encounter with God is turned into just another restless night.
In Psalm 77:4-6 the psalmist’s heart is aching, remembering the former times when his experience with God was rich and fresh. In the Lord there are times and seasons. To walk with Him is not a stagnant ritual but a living relationship and the psalmist is remembering a season in his life that was rich with experience of God. The Father will at times touch us in deep and lasting ways that penetrate to the very center of our being and once you have tasted such an encounter it becomes the benchmark by which you tend to measure your current experiences. Once you have tasted of a deeper walk with the Lord, anything less just makes you long for more. This is the psalmist’s plight. He has had those opportunities to drink deeply of the presence of God. His heart has been moved by the song of the Lord breaking forth from the core of his being and now nothing else can truly satisfy in the same way. He has a heavenly addiction!
The psalmist’s response to this longing is a reflection of the very intention of the Lord. As he lies on his bed troubled by the great gap between his past experience in God and his present season of life it is stirring him to consider his ways, to ponder and question, seeking for the path back to a deeper life in God. The good news is the Holy Spirit is waiting. Even in our weakness we are always welcome with God. Even in our uncertainty the Father’s pleasure is to give us Himself. He stirs our hearts with longings for something more and then uses those stirrings to birth the very prayers that draw us back to God in truth. The questions that we ask in the night season expose to us the things that we have allowed to creep in and clutter our lives. This revelation begins the process of discovering that the Holy Spirit is still right here with us, waiting, whispering, calling us gently back to our first love. Come away with God today and be refreshed in your pursuit of Him. Let his whispers draw you home!
GOD IN THE NIGHT SEASONS! There is a consistent pattern throughout the scriptures of the Lord ministering to His people in the night hours. From Samuel hearing the voice of the Lord call him for the first time in I Sa. 3:4: to Abraham having a visitation in the night in Ge. 15:17, to Jacob dreaming of angels ascending and descending a ladder into heaven in Ge. 28:12 and on and on throughout the rest of the Word, God loves the night hours and has chosen them as a time when the heart of man is freed from the business of the day and is more readily responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the Lord comes in a dream, other times an angel may come calling, still other times a voice speaking in the night or the hand of the Lord imparting a heavy burden upon the soul or stirring up thoughts that leave a lasting imprint upon the heart. Psalm 77:4-6 is a reflection that ponders just such a night season.
“You kept my eyes from closing…” In this passage the psalmist is remembering a night when the Lord would give Him no sleep. His heart is troubled to the point that he cannot express his feelings with words and yet he understands this pressure on his heart as something that has come from the Lord. He is not relating it to stress, anxiety or even too much caffeine; the psalmist sees the hand of God at work. How many times have we failed to recognize that it was not our problems keeping us awake, but rather the Holy Spirit seeking to awaken prayer within us? The Holy Spirit knows that the answers we crave are only released through pursuing God in prayer and yet too often when He is trying to awaken us and compel us into the presence of God to bring our burdens and needs before him we turn instead to the television set or to a sleeping aid of some kind to dull our senses. What could have been a breakthrough encounter with God is turned into just another restless night.
In Psalm 77:4-6 the psalmist’s heart is aching, remembering the former times when his experience with God was rich and fresh. In the Lord there are times and seasons. To walk with Him is not a stagnant ritual but a living relationship and the psalmist is remembering a season in his life that was rich with experience of God. The Father will at times touch us in deep and lasting ways that penetrate to the very center of our being and once you have tasted such an encounter it becomes the benchmark by which you tend to measure your current experiences. Once you have tasted of a deeper walk with the Lord, anything less just makes you long for more. This is the psalmist’s plight. He has had those opportunities to drink deeply of the presence of God. His heart has been moved by the song of the Lord breaking forth from the core of his being and now nothing else can truly satisfy in the same way. He has a heavenly addiction!
The psalmist’s response to this longing is a reflection of the very intention of the Lord. As he lies on his bed troubled by the great gap between his past experience in God and his present season of life it is stirring him to consider his ways, to ponder and question, seeking for the path back to a deeper life in God. The good news is the Holy Spirit is waiting. Even in our weakness we are always welcome with God. Even in our uncertainty the Father’s pleasure is to give us Himself. He stirs our hearts with longings for something more and then uses those stirrings to birth the very prayers that draw us back to God in truth. The questions that we ask in the night season expose to us the things that we have allowed to creep in and clutter our lives. This revelation begins the process of discovering that the Holy Spirit is still right here with us, waiting, whispering, calling us gently back to our first love. Come away with God today and be refreshed in your pursuit of Him. Let his whispers draw you home!
Sunday
Psalm 76:12 - August 2, 2009
Ps 76:12 "He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth." NIV
It is a common thing for those in great positions of power, wealth and authority to carry that status with a measure of pride and independence. Many who rise to these heights of accomplishment hold on to a false belief that it was their own power and wisdom that has qualified them for the stature that they enjoy. From this attitude of presumption these same rulers often make their decisions without consideration of the values and desires of the living God whose choice of them is the true source of their prominence. It is this very presumption that is behind the implications of Psalm 76:12.
Even though the rulers of the earth may seek to exercise their own will in opposition to the will of God in the final outcome God is well able to bring any leader low. His first efforts are to transform the heart of the leader but if this heart will not yield, in due time He will change the leader themselves. The scriptures give two powerful examples of the conflict between the heart of the leader and the heart of the Lord. In the book of Exodus God allowed the Pharaoh to remain as leader over the people of Egypt but the Lord progressively wore down his stubborn spirit until he finally yielded to the will of God that Moses had declared to him. The process of God implementing 10 plagues against him and the nation of Egypt was a progressive breaking of Pharaoh’s spirit. Plague after plague brought him closer to the edge of surrendering to the will of God. Finally after the loss of his own firstborn son he surrendered to the demands of God’s servant. Even then his yielded heart condition lifted as he considered the impact of losing the Israelite slaves. One final judgment fell upon him in the form of a significant portion of his army being swallowed up by the sea in their pursuit of Moses. Imagine the process of God bringing 11 progressive judgments upon a leader for the purpose of both bending him to God’s will and to establish a testimony for all generations of God’s power over the kings of men.
The second figure who experienced the breaking of his spirit at the hands of the Lord was the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. In the book of Daniel this king is given a warning of coming judgment if he continues arrogantly taking credit for his kingship, neglecting to acknowledge that it was the hand of God that promoted him to such stature in the earth. Nebuchadnezzar was cautioned that if he continued in this path of pride he would be brought low by the Lord. Given one full year to come to repentance the king persevered in his arrogance and so received 7 years of mental instability as a judgment upon his sinful heart condition as a means to break through that wrong spirit. After this season of painful judgment was lifted the king was humbled by his experience and acknowledged that all that he had accomplished was because of the work of God not his own doings.
It is so important for our own spiritual health and for the message that our lives send to those who are watching us that we live a life that is both yielded to God’s direction and acknowledging God’s favor. When we preserve a right heart towards the favor that God places upon our lives we also preserve our position before God. When we enter into presumption God in his mercy is both willing and able to take us into a season of discipline and breaking to restore us to humility and surrender to His will. Maintaining a healthy fear or reverence for the Lord is the surest path to preserving our position of grace before God. The book of James says it very simply when it says “The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble!”
It is a common thing for those in great positions of power, wealth and authority to carry that status with a measure of pride and independence. Many who rise to these heights of accomplishment hold on to a false belief that it was their own power and wisdom that has qualified them for the stature that they enjoy. From this attitude of presumption these same rulers often make their decisions without consideration of the values and desires of the living God whose choice of them is the true source of their prominence. It is this very presumption that is behind the implications of Psalm 76:12.
Even though the rulers of the earth may seek to exercise their own will in opposition to the will of God in the final outcome God is well able to bring any leader low. His first efforts are to transform the heart of the leader but if this heart will not yield, in due time He will change the leader themselves. The scriptures give two powerful examples of the conflict between the heart of the leader and the heart of the Lord. In the book of Exodus God allowed the Pharaoh to remain as leader over the people of Egypt but the Lord progressively wore down his stubborn spirit until he finally yielded to the will of God that Moses had declared to him. The process of God implementing 10 plagues against him and the nation of Egypt was a progressive breaking of Pharaoh’s spirit. Plague after plague brought him closer to the edge of surrendering to the will of God. Finally after the loss of his own firstborn son he surrendered to the demands of God’s servant. Even then his yielded heart condition lifted as he considered the impact of losing the Israelite slaves. One final judgment fell upon him in the form of a significant portion of his army being swallowed up by the sea in their pursuit of Moses. Imagine the process of God bringing 11 progressive judgments upon a leader for the purpose of both bending him to God’s will and to establish a testimony for all generations of God’s power over the kings of men.
The second figure who experienced the breaking of his spirit at the hands of the Lord was the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. In the book of Daniel this king is given a warning of coming judgment if he continues arrogantly taking credit for his kingship, neglecting to acknowledge that it was the hand of God that promoted him to such stature in the earth. Nebuchadnezzar was cautioned that if he continued in this path of pride he would be brought low by the Lord. Given one full year to come to repentance the king persevered in his arrogance and so received 7 years of mental instability as a judgment upon his sinful heart condition as a means to break through that wrong spirit. After this season of painful judgment was lifted the king was humbled by his experience and acknowledged that all that he had accomplished was because of the work of God not his own doings.
It is so important for our own spiritual health and for the message that our lives send to those who are watching us that we live a life that is both yielded to God’s direction and acknowledging God’s favor. When we preserve a right heart towards the favor that God places upon our lives we also preserve our position before God. When we enter into presumption God in his mercy is both willing and able to take us into a season of discipline and breaking to restore us to humility and surrender to His will. Maintaining a healthy fear or reverence for the Lord is the surest path to preserving our position of grace before God. The book of James says it very simply when it says “The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble!”
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