Month: February 2021

“When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:16-17‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As the psalmist thought about the wicked prospering, he finally confesses it is painful and unproductive. And this went on ‘UNTIL’ he went to the house of God. But when he went to worship God his whole attitude changed. There he opened his heart to God’s Word. There he opened his ears to the voice of God’s Spirit. And there, he finally gets his focus back on his God! There he is reminded of the end of the wicked, that what is happening now is just temporary and soon to pass away. Today, we struggle with many of the same issues. And the struggle will go on, UNTIL we get back to worshiping God and opening our hearts to His Word as He commands us to do. May God help us to get our eyes on Jesus and trust Him to deal with the things going on around us. Let us be faithful to love and pray for needy souls, which includes those who seem to be prospering without God. But let’s not be deceived by outward appearances of things that are soon to pass away. The eternal rewards of God’s children far exceed anything this world can offer.

“But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Psalms‬ ‭73:2-3‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The psalmist is describing what happens when we get our eyes off of the Lord and begin to focus on people. One of the problems we have with looking at others is we can never see the complete picture. We only see what the devil is bringing to our attention at the moment. So it seems at times like the wicked are prospering. It appears that people who are playing religion are doing well and their churches are flourishing. It even looks like the forces of evil are winning the battle. But let us realize, only God sees things as they truly are! And part of our job now is, to not to be distracted by appearances, but to keep our eyes on Jesus. When we focus on people, we soon become downhearted. But when we look to our Lord and Saviour, we always find encouragement for our souls. As we keep our eyes on Christ we will not be fooled by what people in this world are doing. Because we know, there is a just God Who is keeping a record and nobody is going to get by His all seeing eyes. Let us keep our eyes on Him and our hearts right with Him.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬. We know that verse 7 is one of the most quoted and best loved verses in God’s Word. But do we realize that it does not stand alone? It begins with ‘and’ because it is a continuation of the previous verse. The Apostle is reminding us that this wonderful peace we have through Jesus Christ, is a direct result of us being willing to bring our burdens to Him, because we believe He alone is able to bear our burdens! This peace is not the absence of troubles or burdens. Rather, it is understanding what to do with them. And verse 6 goes further than simply bringing our burdens to Jesus. It also tells us to bring them with thanksgiving! That means we are to thank Him for hearing our feeble cries. Thank that He bore the burden for all our sin. We should thank Him that He cares for us so much as to be mindful of our needs. And we should thank Him that even when we can’t see or understand, He is making sure that the answer we need is on the way! Let us learn to make thanksgiving a regular part of our prayers so His peace can fill our hearts.

“He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight.” Psalms‬ ‭72:14‬ ‭KJV‬. This chapter is a prophecy of Jesus Christ, the One True King. Certainly these words were true of His faithful martyrs, whose blood was spilled by deceitful and cruel men. We know that He Who has redeemed them also kept their souls secure and they are now safe with Him. But thank God, these words are still true for God’s children today! We are in a time of great deception, not only in society but also in religion. Our spiritual enemies are using lies and deceit to come against God’s true people as never before. And in many ways their deceit is being used to promote violence. True Christians are coming under attack in many ways all around us. So we must remember, that we are not exempt from persecution or suffering. The Bible tells us that ‘all that live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution’. But let us also remember, that the One Who has redeemed us from the hand of the enemy, will also keep our souls safe and secure through everything that comes our way! What a comfort it is to know that the lies and deceitful ways of men cannot separate us from the One Who loves us and has redeemed us with His precious blood.

“Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” Psalms‬ ‭71:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬. When we consider how most men are, especially those who have accomplished a lot in this world, as King David certainly had, it is amazing that he would write these words. Men have always been interested in leaving a legacy. Even today, most people want to be remembered for the great things they have done. Certainly it would seem, that a mighty man of valor and a great warrior like David would have desired to be remembered as the champion of Israel. But his desire was not for these normal, prideful things! Rather, he wanted people to know that through his life, the power and strength of the Lord had been shown! He longed to leave a spiritual legacy of God’s greatness to the generations to come. But for us today, what is the legacy we are leaving? May God help us to live, so that those who follow and know of our lives, will be able to see God’s power in all that we were. Let us live now, to show His strength to this generation. May all who come behind us find us faithful.

“I will go in the strength of the Lord God…” Psalms‬ ‭71:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As we read this chapter it is clear that the writer, David, is now an older man. He is very aware that the strength of his youth has faded. And yet he also knows the enemies are still real, and the battles must be fought. So now, humbled by his own weakness, he confesses that there is only one way he can go, and that is in the strength of the Lord. One of the important things for us to learn from this is, that no matter what we think or feel about our physical strength, there is only one way for us to go on fighting this good fight of faith. And that is, as we go in the strength of the Lord! One of the greatest failures of many is, that they ‘think’ they can go in their own strength. Too often we listen to the world and our own flesh telling us that we are sufficient for these things, that we can trust in the arm of flesh. And then we discover, through our failure, that there is no human strength adequate for these spiritual battles. So it is only the humble soul who confesses, “I am not enough”, that is able to go in the strength of the Lord. Let us learn this lesson well, that the only way we can go through each day with victory and successfully fight the good fight of faith, is as we go in the strength of the Lord.

“In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” Psalms‬ ‭71:1‬ ‭KJV. We all know that there are many things that happen in our lives and in the world around us that are very difficult to understand. We will never fully understand things like suffering and sorrow, while we are in this world. But the desire of the psalmist here is not about trying to figure out all of these things. What David is asking God for is this, “Lord don’t let me ever be confused about my trust in You. Don’t let me be confused about how trustworthy You are”. And so it should be with each of us today. We sing the song, ‘I don’t need to understand’ and yet we still struggle so much trying to understand and to make some sense of things. But God wants to help us to leave those things in His hands, because He is God and we are not. A little child who is walking with a strong father doesn’t have to figure out all the complexities of life. Because when his trust is in his father that is enough. Our Heavenly Father wants us to simply hold His hand and keep our faith and trust in Him in spite of all the confusion of things around us. And as we do, we will walk in the peace that trust brings.

“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring:” Isaiah‬ ‭44:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Many times in this life we experience seasons where we feel dry in our spirit. The spiritual barrenness of this sinful world affects all of us. But God gives this great promise to us, that He will pour living water upon our thirsty souls! And even more, He will flood our lives and our families with His spiritual blessings! What a shame it is that so many today are trying to drink at the polluted pools of this world. They run to all kinds of fleshly and worldly things seeking to quench the thirst of their souls. Many are running after shallow religion, trying in vain to satisfy that inward longing that no form of religion can ever satisfy. But when we look humbly to Jesus, ready to yield our lives to Him, then we can be sure, that He will satisfy our thirsty souls! Thank God, He is able to flood our souls with His great love. And from our souls will spring a fountain of living waters (John 4:14), that will glorify God and be a blessing to others.

“Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. Hear me, O Lord; for Thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies.” Psalms‬ ‭69:15-16‬ ‭KJV‬‬. David was expressing here what is common to all men. He was facing a very difficult situation where it seemed the enemy has come against him like a flood. The depths of sorrow feels as if they will swallow him up. He senses that miry pit of despair trying to draw him back into it’s trap. But the good news is, he knows where to look for help! Remembering God’s goodness and mercy, He called upon the Lord to hear his humble cry and turn to him with the help he needed and only God can give. Today as we face the trials and troubles of our lives, let us always remember where to turn and Who is able to help us! Let us cry out to Jesus our merciful High Priest, Whose heart is always turned to His children. Let us cast ourselves upon the goodness and mercies of God and we will make it through. And then, may we be faithful to praise God for all of His goodness and mercies to us.

“Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself;” Isaiah‬ ‭44:24‬ ‭KJV. What a profound and wonderful thought this is. To know that the One Who had such infinite power and wisdom to be able to create this world and universe, to hang the stars in place, He is the same One Who formed each of us in the womb! To know that the same mighty hand which shaped this world is the same tender hand which holds each of us. He is the One Who designed us for a specific purpose, which is to live for His glory in a loving relationship and in daily fellowship with Him. He is the One Who has redeemed us from the hand of the enemy. He is the One Who promises us that He will provide all our needs according to His riches in glory! And when we know this awesome God as our Father, why should we ever worry that He will not take care of us as His children? How blessed we are to know that He Who made all things, will always make a way for us through every trial and difficulty we ever face! What a mighty God we serve.