God Listens…

Psalm 116:1-2 (NIV)

I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

We have another Psalm to engage our thoughts today…. This Psalm was written by a faithful follower facing death (Verse 3). He explains his thought processes on how to deal with this situation. First of all, he affirms his love of God and why he loves Him. “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.” And then the Psalmist affirms his faith: “Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” Let’s look at the larger context:

Psalm 116 (NIV)

¹I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.
²Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

³The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
⁴Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”

⁵The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
⁶The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, He saved me.

⁷Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

⁸For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
⁹that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

¹⁰I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; ¹¹in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”

¹²What shall I return to the Lord for all His goodness to me?

¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁴I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.

¹⁵Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants.
¹⁶Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.

¹⁷I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people,
¹⁹in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.

The inspired writer was in great distress and sorrow as he faced the thought and reality of the grave. I think there is something here for us to ponder as we face our own mortality and the challenging days ahead of us. When we feel overwhelmed, fearful, and anxious … when we come into circumstances and situations where we despair of life … this Psalm reminds us that the Lord hears our cries for help and mercy. The Psalmist affirms The Lord is gracious and righteous and full of compassion. The Lord protects us even from the unknown. We can rest completely in Him! He delivers us from the fears of death … from the sorrows of life … from the paths of sin. So what shall we return to the Lord for all His goodness to us?

Lift up the cup of salvation He has given us in Christ Jesus.

Call upon the name of the Lord.

Fulfill our oaths and promises to the Lord.

Serve the Lord with all of our hearts.

Offer the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning that you hear our voices … that you hear our cries for help … when we become overwhelmed in our thoughts, anxieties, and fears. We love you because you listen and move to quiet our souls and to give us assurance that you are ever present in times of trouble. So we call on you for deliverance and strength when we become weary. We thank you because you are gracious, righteous, and full of love and compassion for us. You are our song! You are our praise! And we shall call upon your name all the days of our lives! So we shall serve you with all of our hearts. We will fulfill our desires to live according to your Word. These are our offerings to you, O God. In the name of our Savior Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.

So Now You Know….

Have a Blessed Day!

Do Not Be Afraid…

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I always loved this verse of encouragement … how we can trust God … how God is there for us just as He was for His people Israel … how He will strengthen, help, and uphold us in times of adversity or suffering.

Isaiah 41:8-14 (NIV)

⁸“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, ⁹I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. ¹⁰So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ¹¹“All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. ¹²Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. ¹³For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. ¹⁴Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Look at the context for a moment. Those who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced … those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish … those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. God said we are not to fear! “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.” (Cf. Isaiah 54:17) And I think it is important for us to remember, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (Cf. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) And this makes perfect sense to me because the only offensive weapon that we have in this spiritual battle is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. (Cf. Ephesians 6:17) “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Cf. Hebrews 4:12)

If we want to elevate faith and alleviate fear in our lives, then the Word of God must our resource! For it is the power of God to strengthen you and help you! His Word will uphold you, and through it the Holy Spirit will guide you into the truth. It is the truth you will need to refute every tongue that accuses you … to confound those who oppose you … to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. You need to know the truth so that you can withstand those who want to suppress the truth by their wickedness. (Cf. Romans 1:18) Indeed, I sense that the human conflicts, chaos, and violence we see in our nation is not about the alleged issues of rights, equality, or justice. If you look deeper into the agendas and ideologies that have emerged, you will see that the true battle is a spiritual one between those upholding truth and those suppressing truth … between obedience and disobedience of God’s commands … between His marvelous light and the veil of darkness. Yes, the strife is a sin problem at the core. (Cf. Genesis 6:5) It is the movement and goal of those that want to worship the creature rather than submit to and worship the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen. (Cf. Romans 1:25)

Romans 1:28-32 (NIV)

²⁸Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³²Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

If you think about it, the list here addresses much of what we are seeing on our televisions and on social media. It is understandable that what we have witnessed has caused concern and even fear. But I feel we need to have spiritual perspective on what is happening and the “real” source of the conflict that seems to be growing at exponential speed over the last several months. The issue is that those who want nothing to do with God or His righteousness have found a cover and a narrative to exploit for their own purposes. And the danger is that these people want to impose their godless views on everyone else through whatever means at their disposal … including suppression of speech; opposition to authority; and violence when needed to eliminate anyone who disagrees with their world view. I think that only through knowledge of the truth, and its proclamation through the Body of Christ, will we be able to shine as the light of the world … a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. (Cf. Matthew 5:14) This is what we have been called (saved) to do: to let our light shine before others that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. (Cf. Matthew 5:16)

Well, I hope through these reflections that we will all take pause and pray for discernment in these turbulent times. I mostly think we need to see the events of 2020 as a wake-up call to the Church … to the people of God. The Body of Christ needs to repent of its “lukewarm” attitude and get back on the mission for which Christ Jesus is the Head! We need to understand that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot “see the light” of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4) And this is why the culture war is so intense! We need to realize that true believers are the remnant light for this world, and while it is day we must be working. Night is coming when no one can work. (Cf. John 9:4) And really, what an exciting time it is for us to be living in these pivotal times for the Kingdom of God! We should not fear the world; rather, we should all the more reverence our God and Creator who deemed us trustworthy to live in this hour upon the earth … and to serve Him during such a time as this! Oh, we need to be faithful … not fearful … because He is with us. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Cf. Joshua 1:9) Indeed, it is time to be about the Father’s business….

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ~ Romans 8:31

So Now You Know….

Have a Blessed Day!

Let God Arise!

Psalm 68:4-5 (NIV)

Sing to God, sing in praise of His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before Him—His name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.

I had been reading Psalm 37 this morning; and then our Verse of the Day caught my eye. As I read Psalm 68, a theme began to emerge that I believe is a word for us today: “The Protection and the Justice of God”.

Track along with me for a few verses:

Psalm 37:1-2; 7-11

¹Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; ²for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

⁷Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. ⁸Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. ⁹For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. ¹⁰A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. ¹¹But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Psalm 68:1-6

¹Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; may His foes flee before Him. ²May you blow them away like smoke— as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. ³But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. ⁴Sing to God, sing in praise of His name, praise Him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before Him—His name is the Lord. ⁵A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. ⁶God makes a home for those who are lonely; He leads out those who are captive into prosperity; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

I encourage you to read both of these Psalms today … and let them speak to your heart. Let the Word of God assure you this morning that Father God is still on the throne! Yes, and He will forever be the power and strength of His people … the Great Defender! God knows both the wicked and the righteous! And He knows their end from the beginning! Could we but remember these following words and trust God:

Psalm 139:13-18

¹³For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. ¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. ¹⁷How amazing are your thoughts concerning me, God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I awake, I am still with you.

God knows each one of us intimately … and He invites each one of us to know Him intimately. And as we come to know the Father … let us learn to trust Him in all things that concern us. Let us keep praying for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And as Peter wrote: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (Cf. 2 Peter 3:8-9)