Destruction to Glory

Psalm 9

English Standard Version (ESV)

 ^[a] To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben.^[b] A Psalm of David.

9 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your ^(A)wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and ^(B)exult in you;
    I will ^(C)sing praise to your name, ^(D)O Most High.

³ When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before^[c] your presence.
⁴ For you have ^(E)maintained my just cause;
    you have ^(F)sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

⁵ You have ^(G)rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
    you have ^(H)blotted out their name forever and ever.
⁶ The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
    their cities you rooted out;
    the very memory of them has perished.

⁷ But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
⁸ and he ^(I)judges the world with righteousness;
    he ^(J)judges the peoples with uprightness.

⁹ The Lord is ^(K)a stronghold for ^(L)the oppressed,
    a stronghold in ^(M)times of trouble.
¹⁰ And those who ^(N)know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord, who ^(O)sits enthroned in Zion!
    Tell among the peoples his ^(P)deeds!
¹² For he who ^(Q)avenges blood is mindful of them;
    he ^(R)does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

^13 (S)Be gracious to me, O Lord!
    See my affliction from those who hate me,
    O you who lift me up from ^(T)the gates of death,
¹⁴ that I may recount all your praises,
    that in the gates of ^(U)the daughter of Zion
    I may ^(V)rejoice in your salvation.

¹⁵ The nations have sunk in ^(W)the pit that they made;
    in ^(X)the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
¹⁶ The Lord has made himself ^(Y)known; he has executed judgment;
    the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion.^[d] Selah

¹⁷ The wicked shall ^(Z)return to Sheol,
    all the nations that ^(AA)forget God.

¹⁸ For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
    and ^(AB)the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

^19 (AC)Arise, O Lord! Let not ^(AD)man prevail;
    let the nations be judged before you!
²⁰ Put them in fear, O Lord!
    Let the nations know that they are but ^(AE)men! Selah

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%209&version=ESV)

In times of trouble there are two different types of responses.  For those who know the Lord there is hope, trust, and ultimately peace.  For those who do not know Him there is total despair.  Recently there has been a string of tornados not too far from where I live.  In the Oklahoma City area there was a large tornado that destroyed two elementary schools.  One of the elementary schools lost many people both teachers and children.  It is a very sad moment in that city.  Yet for those who know the Lord they can recognize His power, His wonders, and His majesty. 

How?  How in the time of distress can be see the wonders of the Lord?  We think of seeing the wonders of the Lord when we look at the awe inspiring mountains of Colorado or look at the large expanse of the universe.  When we see the stars in the sky through a telescope and realize there is something far beyond what our naked eye can behold, that is when we see the Glory of God.   Yes, those are the times when we can see what He has done and can see His glorious works but is that really when we see Him?  Is that really how we get to know Him?

When we put our trust in Him we seek Him.  When we seek Him that is when we find peace in the midst of trouble.  If we simply look at the great things He has done we will never fully understand His majesty.  When we look at His power through times of destruction we realize that He is a God who brings peace to those who know Him and we see the One who should be feared.  So many times we seem to think that because God is so powerful He owes us something.  Yet because our God is so powerful we need to fear Him.  We need see our vulnerability during times of destruction and we need to see His mighty power during those times.  It brings us back to reality that we are not the ones in control but He is. 

I pray for those today, Father, who are facing loss today.  Loss of family, loss of property, but I pray dear Father that they have not lost their trust in you.  I pray Father that through this time of utter despair that they will cry out to you and you will hear their cries.  I pray that you will touch their lives with peace that comes only from you Father.  I pray that they will seek You Father and they will find you there in their midst giving them comfort and strength to make it through this most difficult time.  I do not know these people but Father I know You and I thank You for giving us hope in times of trouble.  Destroy the enemy and give peace to those who put their trust in You.   In the precious and Holy name of Jesus I pay, Amen.

Seek Him and know that He is near.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

THERE’S NOTHING MY GOD CANNOT DO!

Psalm 8

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to The ^(A)Gittith.^[a] A Psalm of David.

8 O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your ^(B)name in all the earth!
You have set your ^(C)glory above the heavens.
^{2     (D)}Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established ^(E)strength because of your foes,
    to still ^(F)the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I ^(G)look at your heavens, the work of your ^(H)fingers,
    the moon and the stars, ^(I)which you have set in place,
^4 (J)what is man that you are ^(K)mindful of him,
    and ^(L)the son of man that you ^(M)care for him?

⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than ^(N)the heavenly beings^[b]
    and crowned him with ^(O)glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him ^(P)dominion over the works of your hands;
    ^(Q)you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%208&version=ESV

What an AWESOME GOD we have.  There are no words to describe how wonderful He really is.  Majestic is a good start but not even majestic fully describes Him.  I would venture to say that there is no language on this earth that has a word that can describe Him.  Chris Tomlin has a song entitled, “Indescribable” that is our God, He is indescribable.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaS96KrQcyw

Our God works in ways that are completely amazing yet how often do I question His motives.  I know I have told this story but it bears repeating today.  One day I was in the kitchen cooking with my granddaughter by my side.  She brings such joy to me and I love having her around.  As we were cooking my thoughts began to stray back to a disappointing situation, I began to get a little down (unbeknownst to her)  and she stopped what she was doing and she looked at me and said, “There’s nothing my God cannot do, I like that song”.  Out of the blue, without knowing my thoughts she reminded me of how mighty my God is.  Wow, just as the scripture says, “Out of the mouths of babies and infants”.  Now, if you think that is a coincidence I hate to have to be the one to tell you that you are crazy, but you are!  Later that day I said to my granddaughter, “What was that song you said you liked about God being in control?”  Her reply was, “There’s nothing my God cannot do”, “Oh yeah”, I said, “Let’s sing it”.  And so we did, we sang, “My God is so BIG, so STRONG, and so MIGHTY there’s nothing my God cannot do!  My God is so BIG, so STRONG, and so MIGHTY there’s nothing my God cannot do!  The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handy work too.  My God is so BIG so STRONG and so MIGHTY there’s nothing my God cannot do!” 

There is NOTHING my God cannot do, yet, He chose me to live a life for Him!  He chose me to take care of the things He created.  He put a brain in me (by me I mean all of us) like none other creature. So then, why do I grumble and complain?  Why do I try to tell Him how to rule the universe?  He has it under control!!!!  He gave me an opportunity to marvel at His majesty and I don’t want to pass up that opportunity because I am having a pity party for myself.  I want to enjoy this life that He has given me and recognize always that He is in control!

 

As you seek Him today, may His majesty be revealed to you in a MIGHTY way.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila  

What Is Your Purpose In Life?

Psalm 7

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

7 O Lord my God, in you do I ^(B)take refuge;
    ^(C)save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
² lest like ^(D)a lion they tear my soul apart,
    rending it in pieces, with ^(E)none to deliver.

³ O Lord my God, ^(F)if I have done this,
    if there is ^(G)wrong in my hands,
⁴ if I have repaid ^(H)my friend^[b] with evil
    or ^(I)plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
    and let him ^(J)trample my life to the ground
    and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

^6 (K)Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
    ^(L)lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
    ^(M)awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
⁷ Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
    over it return on high.

⁸ The Lord ^(N)judges the peoples;
    ^(O)judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
    and according to the integrity that is in me.
⁹ Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    and may you establish the righteous—
you who ^(P)test ^(Q)the minds and hearts,^[c]
    O righteous God!
¹⁰ My shield is ^(R)with God,
    who saves ^(S)the upright in heart.
¹¹ God is ^(T)a righteous judge,
    and a God who feels ^(U)indignation every day.

¹² If a man^[d] does not repent, God^[e] will ^(V)whet his sword;
    he has ^(W)bent and ^(X)readied his bow;
¹³ he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
    making his ^(Y)arrows ^(Z)fiery shafts.
¹⁴ Behold, the wicked man ^(AA)conceives evil
    and is ^(AB)pregnant with mischief
    and gives birth to lies.
¹⁵ He makes ^(AC)a pit, digging it out,
    and falls into the hole that he has made.
¹⁶ His ^(AD)mischief returns upon his own head,
    and on his own skull his violence descends.

¹⁷ I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
    and I will ^(AE)sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%207&version=ESV

Slander, has it happened to you?  If so, what did you do about it?  Did you take revenge and slander back? Or, did you do as David and take it to the Lord.  I have been told to always consider the source when considering things that are said about you.  In this case David recognized the evil doer but yet he also wanted to make sure that he was being righteous and being a man of integrity in the eyes of the Lord.  We never want to stoop to the evildoer’s level and slander back, rather, we should take it to the Lord.

We need to recognize that those who do evil will be judged for their wrong doing unless they repent.  I am one that likes to find the best in people but sometimes that can be really difficult to do.  At that point, I can only pray for them that God would reveal to them their evil ways and that they will repent and change their ways.  But, I have learned that not all people want to accept that love and forgiveness from the Father.  Those are the ones that are digging their own hole and they are going to fall into it someday.  Those are the ones that God is sharpening His sword against and drawing back His fiery dart and aiming it at them.

My entire purpose in life is to live a life that is worthy of the calling of Christ Jesus.  I am to live my life that brings praise to our Father in Heaven.  If I choose to take revenge on those who have done me wrong then my entire purpose in life is destroyed.  Yet, I cry to the Lord that if I have done wrong that He would reveal it to me, that I, like David can be judged upon my righteousness and not on my vengefulness.  I pray that I can be judged on my integrity, not on my deceit.    I don’t know if any of this is making sense to anyone but me but the bottom line is that I need to be looking at my own heart and not at others and so it is for you as well. 

I don’t know what anyone who reads this is going through in their life.  I don’t know if you are a person of integrity or if you are an evil person.  But I do know the One that can make you a person of God.  Today I pray that each one reading this blog would evaluate their own life.  That they would not look at the person who is a thorn in their flesh but that they would look at their own life.  My hope is that they would ask themselves, “How am I living my life?”;  “How would God see me living my life?”.   

Take comfort in knowing that if you are living for Him, He will take care of you.  If you are living for yourself then watch out!  A change of heart needs to take place and you need to repent or be ready for the judgment of God which will not be a pretty sight!

Seek Him and know that He is God.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Time Out

Psalm 6

English Standard Version (ESV)

O Lord, Deliver My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to ^(A)The Sheminith.^[a] A Psalm of David.

6 O Lord, ^(B)rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor ^(C)discipline me in your wrath.
² Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
    ^(D)heal me, O Lord, ^(E)for my bones are troubled.
³ My ^(F)soul also is greatly troubled.
    But you, O Lord—^(G)how long?

⁴ Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
    save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
⁵ For in ^(H)death there is no remembrance of you;
    in Sheol who will give you praise?

⁶ I am ^(I)weary with my ^(J)moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
⁷ My ^(K)eye wastes away because of grief;
    it grows weak because of all my foes.

^8 (L)Depart from me, all you ^(M)workers of evil,
    for the Lord ^(N)has heard the sound of my weeping.
⁹ The Lord has heard my ^(O)plea;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
    they shall ^(P)turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%206&version=ESV

Depression, feeling sorry for yourself, bummed out there are many words and phrases that we could use to describe how David must have been feeling.  Sometimes I feel this way, I want to have a pity party for poor Sheila who seems to be struggling with being accepted by others.  Then I think of David and how he must have felt, after all he has been rejected by his own son and he was rejected by his best friend’s dad, King Saul.  He has to wait on the Lord and waiting isn’t any fun at all. 

David is asking the Lord not be angry with him, not to discipline him anymore but deliver him from his enemies.

Then, David recognizes who that enemy is, anyone who does evil.  He recognizes that the Lord has heard him cry all of those tears and he realizes that God will deliver him. 

Although his worries seem just a bit more magnified than mine, (no one is trying to physically kill me) I do feel that others are trying to diminish my dreams and ruin my life.  Then I realize that they don’t have any control of my life but that the Lord does.  He is watching out for me just like He was watching out for David.  There is nothing others can do to me that God does not allow to happen.  Then why does He allow things like this to happen you may ask?  I have no answer except that God is the One that can see the entire picture I can only see a glimpse of it. I realize that even though I want to live a perfect life and on the outside I may be doing a pretty good job, my thoughts are not always evidence of that.  And then there are times that my words are not evidence of that.  At that point I have to wonder if God is just disciplining me, I ask for forgiveness, yet hang on to the past, and then I ask, “How long am I going to be put in time out?”  How long will it take me to learn to trust Him?  I seem to think I am ready but again God sees the big picture He puts a challenge before me and I fail.  I fail because I let my disappointment turn into anger towards others rather than praise to my Father for watching out for me and back to time out I have to go.    The only way to get through times of trouble, disappointment, discouragement, etc. is to put your trust in Him and know that He hears your cries, He feels your pain, and He will bring you through it, just trust Him and keep seeking Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Pray, Sacrifice, Watch

Psalm 5

English Standard Version (ESV)

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my ^(A)groaning.
² Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my ^(B)King and my God,
    for ^(C)to you do I pray.
³ O Lord, in ^(D)the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you^[a] and ^(E)watch.

⁴ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
⁵ The ^(F)boastful shall not ^(G)stand before your eyes;
    you ^(H)hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who speak ^(I)lies;
    the Lord abhors ^(J)the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house.
I will ^(K)bow down ^(L)toward your ^(M)holy temple
    in the fear of you.
^8 (N)Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    ^(O)make your way straight before me.

⁹ For there is no truth in their mouth;
    their inmost self is ^(P)destruction;
^(Q)their throat is ^(R)an open grave;
    they ^(S)flatter with their tongue.
^10 (T)Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them ^(U)fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹ But let all who ^(V)take refuge in you ^(W)rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may ^(X)exult in you.
¹² For you ^(Y)bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you ^(Z)cover him with favor as with ^(AA)a shield.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%205&version=ESV

Have you ever had someone talk to you and you could never get a word in?  Was it frustrating?  Maybe even a little painful?  By the time they took a breath you had nothing to say or had forgotten what you were wanting to say.  That is how I think God must feel when we talk to Him.  Yet, He is patient and He never forgets, so He waits for us to pause and then He does miraculous things for us.  He does exceedingly more than we could have ever imagined. 

In this Psalm we see the emotions of life.  David, the Psalmist, has been let down by his friends. I know how that one feels!  He has been deceived by those he trusted. I can relate to that as well.  He has been utterly hurt and He cries to God.  Once again, I see myself in this scenario.  When I first read this I thought that he was telling God what these liars deserved but then I realized that he was recognizing that God cannot dwell with evil doers.  Evildoers, backstabbers, liars, cheaters, God cannot dwell with them and their destruction is eminent and the Psalmist realizes this.  Yet, Praise the Lord, God made a way for even these evildoers to come to them if they will only repent and turn from their wicked ways.  The point is, change must occur, honesty must happen, love must prevail.  If not, there is no place for this type of person in the eternal presence of the Lord.

Yet, David is sure of his salvation.  He prays in the morning and offers sacrifices.  What do you think the sacrifices are and why in the morning?  Sometimes for me it is a sacrifice of my will to just get out of bed.  I have to ask for God’s guidance to make it through the day, I have to turn the day over to Him and then, I can get up with confidence.  I don’t believe the David got up and directly went out and sacrificed a lamb.  I think he did what we need to do daily.  He began his day by approaching the throne.  What do you think would happen if we began our morning something like this “Good morning Lord, I bring myself to you, the desires of my life, my hopes and dreams that are worldly and I give them to you.  You and you alone know what is best for me so I ask that you lead me down the path that leads straight to you.  Help me to forgive those who have hurt me, reveal yourself to them so that they may have eternal life with you rather than eternal separation from you.”?

David sacrificed his desires in order to fulfill the desires of the Father.  We too, need to do the same.  If we start our morning off not only speaking to Him but communicating with Him through His word our day will be more focused on Him and not on our own desires.  When we focus on Him the things of this world will become dimmer and dimmer and the desires of our hearts will be solely directed towards His will.  One last important thing, David didn’t just pray and sacrifice, he watched, he waited expectantly to see the mighty wonders of our Lord.  We need to expect and watch and just see what our Great and Glorious Lord can and will do!!!!

As He hears you when you pray and sees you as you seek Him, may He find you faithful to His calling, daily sacrificing your worldly desires for the sake of the Kingdom.  Rest assured He hears you and He feels the pain of being hurt by others yet His desire is for you to know Him and trust Him in all things.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Be Still and Know

Psalm 4

English Standard Version (ESV)

Answer Me When I Call

To the ^(A)choirmaster: with ^(B)stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

4 Answer me when I call, O God of my ^(C)righteousness!           
    You have ^(D)given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

² O men,^[a] how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after ^(E)lies? Selah
³ But know that the Lord has ^(F)set apart ^(G)the godly for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

^4 (H)Be angry,^[b] and do not sin;
    ^(I)ponder in your own hearts ^(J)on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵ Offer ^(K)right sacrifices,
    and put your ^(L)trust in the Lord.

⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    ^(M)Lift up ^(N)the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
⁷ You have put ^(O)more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸ In peace I will both ^(P)lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me ^(Q)dwell in safety.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%204&version=ESV

 

Today as I ponder these verses I have to think of my own life and the prayers that I have prayed to the Lord.  Notice how David dives right in to his request.  He begins it with a demand, “Answer when I call”.  He knows God is listening but he wants an answer.  Funny how we think we can put demands on the Lord.  It doesn’t take long for David to recognize who he is in fact talking to and he stops and retracts a little.  He recognizes he is talking to a righteous God and he recognizes what He has done for him.  He then just asks God to listen as he talks to Him. 

 

David realizes that the troubles and disappointments that he is facing does not come from God but comes from sinful acts of men.  It comes from seeking the pleasures of this world rather than seeking the will of the Father.  David quickly remembers that the good things in life, the joy that he has experienced from the Lord, is worth so much more than anything this life can and does offer.  Man is just man and will reject us and disappoint us but God will never turn away from us.

 

“Be angry and do not sin” we have seen that before.  When we become angry and take our own revenge we have sinned.  God wants us to leave the judgment to Him.  He will select the verdict and He will administer the punishment, not us.  Rather we need to ponder His words in our heart, remember how He has brought us joy and contentment.  When we do that we will no longer see the pain inflicted by others as something to worry about because we will have sought out the Lord and His ways and realized He was protecting us all along.

 

So, how does all of this apply to my life?  I have to learn to be silent.  I have been working on that one for quite a while.  When someone makes me angry I want to vent about it but God tells me to ponder it.  Not to spout it out to the world but to ponder it in my bed, when I am alone, when everyone else is sleeping.  I need to be silent and let God have control.  I need to be silent so when God speaks to me, I will hear Him.  I need to live my life as a sacrifice for the Lord and put my trust in God not in man.

 

The only way to find peace in this world is to seek the Lord.  I pray that you too will see today that God is protecting us.  I hope you will see that God does hear our prayers.  I hope you will see that God does answer our prayers in His timing.  We must wait and continually seek Him and know that He is there and He is there listening to us.  The question is, “Are we listening to Him?”.

 

Seeking Him with all my heart,

 

Sheila