Awesome Wonderful Father

Psalm 139 is a long one, so open your Bibles; I’m not posting the whole thing.

I’m reading from the ESV – Verses 1-12 give us a picture of exactly how close God is to us, and how serious He is about keeping us safe; even from ourselves. Those of you who know me, know why I put that last part.

What I want to focus on are verses 14-16.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. *(Or for I am fearfully set apart)
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

God didn’t just create a cookie cutter race of human beings. God KNEW you intimately, and predestined you accordingly. (Romans 8:29-30) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Eph. 1:1-14) This is why you really have a knack for certain things. Ever wonder why you love animals almost more than you do humans? Or maybe you just can’t believe that your twin is so touchy and “overly sensitive”, while you can take things in stride and keep right on going. God ordains our steps. He leads us in the ways we should go; to be the most effective/useful for us, others, and, of course, for Him.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts! *(or cares)
And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! *(or in the ancient way) -These are the last two verses in the psalm. Jesus said, “Seek and you’ll find, ask and you will receive, knock it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7) That’s the key. Make time to take time to get to know the Father and the Son. It is in knowing them that you’ll grow in knowledge of yourself as well. (Genesis 1:26)

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A Beautiful Reminder

Psalm 138 (ESV)

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. *(Or you have exalted your word above all your name)
On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. *(Hebrew you made me bold in my soul with strength)

All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

We are so blessed! This psalm is a beautiful reminder of just how much we are loved and cared for by our heavenly Father. I want to focus on that boldness David talks about in verse 3. “Bold in my soul with strength” -Yes, LORD/Lord! I want more of that! This boldness is what we need when we’re faced with temptation, derision, rejection, dejection, and anything else that taunts us because we’re children of God. This boldness causes us to say, “No, not doing that, not going there, not having that/anymore of that”, etc. It causes us to say, “Oh, yes I am going to have that salad instead of the Philly Cheese Steak again.” And, it says, “Run past those chocolate brownies, Girl, RUN!” LOL See, God not only gives you the things you’re to do-or not to do; He gives you the strength and courage to do them-or not to do them. One day you wake up, and you’re roaring like a lion within; because you’ve realized who rules your jungle! Thank you, LORD/Lord!

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Remember Paul & Silas

Psalm 137 (ESV)

By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
On the willows* there *(or poplars)
we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

This time, I’m focusing on the first four verses of the psalm. Have you ever messed it all up, fallen so far that you thought you fell too far? Have you ever thrown your hands up and given in? -Or maybe you even gave up…only to find out that’s not what you wanted, or where you wanted to be? When the LORD/Lord brings His love, grace, mercy, peace, and joy to your remembrance, you can’t help but weep-whether it’s for joy, or in mourning for what you left behind, or mourning because you disappointed Him. That last one, disappointing Him, is so painful, isn’t it? Yeah.

It’s then and there that your captors (the devil, his henchmen, and those weaknesses of yours) will taunt and torment you mercilessly! You’ll hear it in your spirit: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” What do you do? Then and there you take your lyre, your guitar, your whatever instrument, and your voice-(and let me tell you, if you can’t sing and just want to play that praise music, DO IT, DO IT, DO IT-because God knows whose heart is calling! DO IT!!! Exactly what the devil wants is for you to be quiet and not praise God. He knows that God inhabits the praises of His people, and when He does, all Hell will be broken loose and off of you! Don’t you dare hang up that Lyre! Praise God, because you can’t disappoint God too much to be forgiven! Get up, dust yourself off, turn back, and RUN into His arms, singing all the way! He loves you! Nothing can separate us from His love for us! (Romans 3:38) Hallelujah! Thank you, LORD/Lord, for loving me! See, now you know why Psalm 136 came before this one. LOL

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Yes, Give Thanks!

Psalm 136 (ESV)

The entire psalm is awesome! What a great prayer to enter into worship with, or just to start the day with. The whole psalm is too long to post, so read your Bible. I’m focusing on the last four verses.

Verses 23-26

It is he who remembered us in our low estate, (Philippians 2:5-8)
for his steadfast love endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes, (Eph. 6:12) (John 3:16-17)
for his steadfast love endures forever;
he who gives food to all flesh, (Matt. 4:44-45)
for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 23:5-6) (1Cor. 13:13) (Gal. 5:6)

Hallelujah!

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Saturday Silly – July 23, 2022

Today is the last day of National Zookeepers Week. While looking for some funny clips or pics to share with you, I came across some that show how much love these people have for their charges. Thank you, animal trainers, vets, all who work in our zoos and wildlife habitats, for your dedication! The world would be a very sad place without our animal friends.

This is actually from a video about naughty nocturnal animals on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys6vnGj_LJw I couldn’t resist! I had to caption it.

“I’m sorry, Ranger Bob! Mom ordered Chinese and they forgot the chopsticks.”

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Don’t Sweat It, He’s Got it!

Psalm 135:13-14) (ESV)

Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.
For the LORD will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.

This entire psalm is a great one for stirring your spirit up. It recounts some of the things God has done for His people. I’m focusing on verses 13 and 14. It used to be when I was going through stuff, or I found myself in some trouble, I would forget that God has been here since the beginning; which was…well, nobody really knows. Oh, go ahead and laugh. You know you do the same thing. The point is, He’s got lots and lots of practice time in. I’m pretty sure He knows what He’s doing. This goes with yesterday’s post about standing firm in the dark of night, and praising God even then. That’s exactly what I do now.

This is one of my favorites by Third Day. It fits this post perfectly.

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In The Night Watches

Psalm 134 (ESV)

Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,
who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the LORD! May the LORD bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

This psalm reminds us to stand firmly on God’s Word and praise Him by night. Night, in the spirit, is adversity, tribulation, etc. Life can get very heavy and wear so heavily on us. It is in these times that we must remember we are in a spiritual war, and stand firm. When we look to the LORD/Lord for the answers, they always come; and God always prevails. (Psalm 63:5-6) (Ephesians 6:12) (John 3:31)

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All Together For One

For He came for all…

Psalm 133 (ESV)

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity! *(or, dwell together)
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

This psalm deals with unity of spirit among the children of God. Dwelling together as His children, means there is no distinction between the factions and sects. The only distinction we should be making is between true and false teaching.

In terms of family relationships, the same is true. Don’t pit your children, one against the other. Don’t encourage the wrong kind of competition; it gives birth to envy and bitterness. When we teach our children to compete against themselves (do better today than you did yesterday), we encourage desire for progress and excellence. We need to foster cooperation between our children, because a family is a team, and it takes everyone working together to get things done and make things work for everyone. All for one (the whole family for each individual), and one for all (each individual for the family).

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You are Zion

Psalm 132: 13-18 (ESV)

13-For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14-“This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15-I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16-Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17-There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18-His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1Cor. 3:16) You are abundantly blessed. God’s Word will satisfy you; every time, all the time! You are clothed with salvation. There is nothing that can overcome you, because you have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). He has overcome the world, and in His Name, we have, and can, too! (John 16:33). Being clothed with salvation also means that we can, and are expected to make a positive difference in this world. (Matt. 5:13-14) Do we shout for joy? Every day! God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet; a light unto our path. (Psalm 119:105) Are you anointed? YES!! (Luke 24:49) You are crowned with God’s glory (mercy, grace, joy, love). (Hebrews 2:9-10)

This is a beautiful reminder of our heritage in Christ Jesus, to hang on the wall. When I first caught this message, I looked up the scriptures that deal with Zion. Oh, what love the Father has for us! And, oh, what joy we will know on that wonderful day! Now do you see who and whose you are? You always been His!

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Hush, Hush, It’s Alright

Psalm 131 (ESV)

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.

Oh, my! There are a couple of powerful revelations in the first two verses of this psalm. (Philippians 2:5-6) “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. There are some things that go on in Heaven that are none of our business, or at least, not just yet. We don’t need to know all the answers; we are to walk by faith. (2 Cor. 5:7) (John 20:29) Believe you me, when God thinks you need to know something, He’ll reveal it to you. The Bible is full of accounts that prove that.

The second verse: “like a weaned child is my soul within me.” This speaks to us of maturing in faith. An infant sometimes fusses even with the nipple in his/her mouth. Until that milk actually begins to flow into his/her mouth, they are fretful. But a weaned child learns that there is a time for meals. As we mature more, we know there is a time for everything. Spiritually, our faith gets stronger and stronger. We become much less fretful, and walk, and live more assuredly. That kind of faith helps us to live more purposefully.

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