Where is our Steadfast Love?

Psalm 89:38-52

English Standard Version (ESV)

³⁸ But now you have ^(A)cast off and rejected;
    you are full of wrath against your ^(B)anointed.
³⁹ You have ^(C)renounced ^(D)the covenant with your servant;
    you have ^(E)defiled his ^(F)crown in the dust.
⁴⁰ You have ^(G)breached all his walls;
    you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
^41 (H)All who pass by plunder him;
    he has become ^(I)the scorn of his neighbors.
⁴² You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³ You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
    and you have not made him stand in battle.
⁴⁴ You have made his splendor to cease
    and cast his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵ You have cut short ^(J)the days of his youth;
    you have ^(K)covered him with shame. Selah

^46 (L)How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath ^(M)burn like fire?
^47 (N)Remember ^(O)how short my ^(P)time is!
    For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
^48 (Q)What man can live and never ^(R)see death?
    Who can deliver his soul from the power of ^(S)Sheol? Selah

⁴⁹ Lord, where is your ^(T)steadfast love of old,
    which by your ^(U)faithfulness you swore to David?
^50 (V)Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
    and how I bear in my ^(W)heart the insults^[a] of all the many nations,
⁵¹ with which your enemies mock, O Lord,
    with which they mock ^(X)the footsteps of your ^(Y)anointed.

^52 (Z)Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+89%3A38-52&version=ESV)

It seems that so often we can blame God for things that happen to us and we can cry out, “How long?”

We can blame God for breaking His covenant when in actuality it is us that broke it.  It is our sin that causes separation from God.  At the time of this writing the Psalmist had no idea that it would be through the line of David that Christ would enter this world and would make one last covenant with man.  A covenant that would pay the penalty for our sins but the choice would be placed on each of us as to whether we would accept that promise from God or not. 

So often we think of the steadfast love of God as one sided but He requires our love for Him to be steadfast as well.  We ask, “Where is your steadfast love?” while at the same time do things that do not show our love to Him.  Blessed is His name forever and ever and shame on us for questioning His love and His goodness when things don’t go perfect for us. 

Seek Him and fall in love with Him over and over again.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Repentance or Excuses?

Psalm 89:19-37

English Standard Version (ESV)

^19 (A)Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one,^[a] and said:
    “I have ^(B)granted help to one who is ^(C)mighty;
    I have exalted one ^(D)chosen from the people.
^20 (E)I have found David, my servant;
    with my holy oil I have ^(F)anointed him,
²¹ so that my ^(G)hand shall be established with him;
    my arm also shall strengthen him.
²² The enemy shall not outwit him;
    ^(H)the wicked shall not humble him.
²³ I will ^(I)crush his foes before him
    and strike down those who hate him.
²⁴ My ^(J)faithfulness and my ^(K)steadfast love shall be with him,
    and in my name shall his ^(L)horn be exalted.
²⁵ I will set his hand on ^(M)the sea
    and his right hand on ^(N)the rivers.
²⁶ He shall cry to me, ‘You are my ^(O)Father,
    my God, and ^(P)the Rock of my salvation.’
²⁷ And I will make him the ^(Q)firstborn,
    ^(R)the highest of the kings of the earth.
²⁸ My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
    and my ^(S)covenant will stand firm^[b] for him.
²⁹ I will establish his ^(T)offspring forever
    and his ^(U)throne as ^(V)the days of the heavens.
^30 (W)If his children forsake my law
    and do not walk according to my rules,^[c]
31 if they violate my statutes
    and do not keep my commandments,
³² then I will punish their transgression with ^(X)the rod
    and their iniquity with stripes,
³³ but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
    or be false to my faithfulness.
³⁴ I will not violate my ^(Y)covenant
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
³⁵ Once for all I have sworn ^(Z)by my holiness;
    I will not ^(AA)lie to David.
³⁶ His ^(AB)offspring shall endure forever,
    ^(AC)his ^(AD)throne as long as ^(AE)the sun before me.
³⁷ Like ^(AF)the moon it shall be established forever,
    ^(AG)a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+89%3A+19-37&version=ESV)

Why is it that David was given the high honor of being the King?  Why did God anoint Him?  How could David ever complain about anything, or want something he didn’t already have?  Why was David blessed in such a mighty way?

Clearly God loved David with a steadfast love.  God established a kingdom for Him.  God was with David when he slayed the lions and he was with him when he slayed Goliath.  It was by the power of God that David was strong.  Just like the moon hanging in the sky reminds us of our Creator, so did David’s successes in life allow God’s power to shine through.  Because of the power of God, demonstrated through a young boy, the Philistines fled from their attack on the Israelites. 

Although David was the one that God chose to demonstrate that steadfast love He has not only loved David but many after Him.  He did not choose David to be the only example of His steadfast love.  He chose David to be the lineage from which Jesus would be born.  Further on in verse 32 it speaks of the heirs of David not obeying God and keeping His statues.  He says that He will punish them with and rod and stripes.  We know that did happen through Jesus.  Although Jesus was sinless He bore the cross and endured the beatings, all for our sins.  For you see, even if we are not Jewish, Jesus suffered for all of us.  If you have received Jesus as your personal Savior by repenting of your sins to Him asking for His forgiveness, you have been given the same steadfast love from God that He gave David. You may not be the anointed King of the Israelites but you are an anointed child of God. 

I asked some questions at the beginning of that blog and I could so easily take out David’s name and put mine in his place.

Why is it that David was given the high honor of being the King?  :  Why is it that Sheila has been given the privilege to be called a “Child of God?

Why did God anoint him? : Why did God anoint Sheila to be a part of His family?

How could David ever complain about anything, or want something he didn’t already have? : How could Sheila have ever complained about anything or wanted something she did not have?

Why was David blessed in such a mighty way? : Why was Sheila blessed in such a might way?

You see, David was not perfect and neither is Sheila.  David sometimes became depressed, anxious, and basically a mess and so does Sheila.  David wanted things that were not his and sadly so does Sheila.  It is not the life of David, or Sheila that is so amazing but rather the steadfast love of our Father in Heaven.  David repented and so has Sheila.  David loved God but his sinful human nature clouded the way and got him in trouble and the same is true for Sheila.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  It is not a question as to “why” but more of a question as to “how”.  How will we respond when we are convicted of that sin?  Repentance or excuses?  Seek Him and know that He loves you and wants to be in communion with you. 

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Worthy of our Praise

Psalm 89:1-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)Ethan the Ezrahite.

89 ^(B)I will sing of ^(C)the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
    with my mouth I will make known your ^(D)faithfulness to all generations.
² For I said, ^(E)“Steadfast love will be built up forever;
    in the heavens ^(F)you will establish your ^(G)faithfulness.”
³ You have said, “I have made ^(H)a covenant with my ^(I)chosen one;
    I have ^(J)sworn to David my servant:
⁴ ‘I will establish your ^(K)offspring forever,
    and build your ^(L)throne for all generations.’” Selah

⁵ Let ^(M)the heavens praise your ^(N)wonders, O Lord,
    your faithfulness in the assembly of ^(O)the holy ones!
⁶ For ^(P)who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
    ^(Q)Who among the heavenly beings^[b] is like the Lord,
⁷ a God greatly ^(R)to be feared in the council of ^(S)the holy ones,
    and awesome above all ^(T)who are around him?
⁸ O Lord God of hosts,
    ^(U)who is mighty as you are, O ^(V)Lord,
    with your faithfulness all around you?
⁹ You rule the raging of the sea;
    when its waves rise, you ^(W)still them.
¹⁰ You ^(X)crushed ^(Y)Rahab like a carcass;
    you ^(Z)scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
^11 (AA)The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
    ^(AB)the world and all that is in it, you have ^(AC)founded them.
^12 (AD)The north and the south, you have created them;
    ^(AE)Tabor and ^(AF)Hermon ^(AG)joyously praise your name.
¹³ You have a mighty arm;
    strong is your hand, high your right hand.
^14 (AH)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    ^(AI)steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are the people who know ^(AJ)the festal shout,
    who walk, O Lord, in ^(AK)the light of your face,
¹⁶ who exult in your ^(AL)name all the day
    and in your righteousness are ^(AM)exalted.
¹⁷ For you are ^(AN)the glory of their strength;
    by your favor our ^(AO)horn is exalted.
¹⁸ For our ^(AP)shield belongs to the Lord,
    our king to ^(AQ)the Holy One of Israel.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+89%3A+1+-+18&version=ESV)

This is quite a contrast from Psalm 88 where the Psalmist is pleading with God to hear him and Psalm 89 where the psalmist is giving God all the glory, honor, and praise.  How often do we view God for who He really is and how often do we let Him know that we recognize Him for His glory.  He is above all, everything is His because He created everything that is. 

Let’s put this in human terms for a minute.  Often times, we as humans, forget there is a hierarchy of authority.  Children forget their parents are the ones in charge.  They tend to take over and tell the parents what they should and should not do.  Or, an employee stands up to a boss and says, “No, I won’t do that”.  In both cases the ones in charge may have a little different opinion of  that child or employee than they do of the child or employee who is obedient.  The employee who looks upon their boss as the authority and does as they are asked will tend to find more satisfaction in the work and in the same respect, the child too will be more satisfied with their family life.

I have to believe that these two Psalms are a contrast of two different lives and how they approach life and ultimately how they approach God.  One has no hope to ever be joyful in this life while the other one sees what God has done in their lives and gives Him the glory for it.  Both see that God has not been pleased with the actions of His chosen people and feel that God has turned His face away but one recognizes the love of God and one just cries and blames God for his troubles. 

I have often times been guilty of crying out rather than praising.  May my prayers bring more glory to God than my troubles to Him.  May He know that I love Him above all else and sing of His glory in my heart.  May I recognize Him for who He is and not what He can do for me.  May I seek Him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding but on His wisdom, power, mercy.  At that point, I will find peace in Him.  I want nothing less for those reading this blog.  May we all choose today to seek Him and know that He and He alone is worthy of our praise. 

It is not life’s circumstances that define us but how we respond to them.  Will we respond by recognizing the steadfast love of God or will we just blame Him?

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Depressed?

Psalm 88

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Song. A Psalm of ^(A)the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to ^(B)Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil^[a] of^(C)Heman the Ezrahite.

88 O Lord, ^(D)God of my salvation;
    I ^(E)cry out day and night before you.
² Let my prayer come before you;
    ^(F)incline your ear to my cry!

³ For my soul is full of troubles,
    and ^(G)my life draws near to ^(H)Sheol.
⁴ I am counted among those who ^(I)go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
⁵ like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom ^(J)you remember no more,
    for they are ^(K)cut off from your hand.
⁶ You have put me in ^(L)the depths of the pit,
    in the ^(M)regions dark and ^(N)deep.
⁷ Your wrath ^(O)lies heavy upon me,
    and you overwhelm me with ^(P)all your waves. Selah

⁸ You have caused ^(Q)my companions to shun me;
    you have made me ^(R)a horror^[b] to them.
I am ^(S)shut in so that I cannot escape;
^{9     (T)}my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
    I ^(U)spread out my hands to you.
¹⁰ Do you work wonders for the dead?
    ^(V)Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
¹¹ Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
¹² Are your ^(W)wonders known in ^(X)the darkness,
    or your righteousness in the land of ^(Y)forgetfulness?

¹³ But I, O Lord, cry ^(Z)to you;
    ^(AA)in the morning my prayer comes before you.
¹⁴ O Lord, why ^(AB)do you cast my soul away?
    Why ^(AC)do you hide your face from me?
¹⁵ Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.^[c]
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
    your ^(AD)dreadful assaults destroy me.
¹⁷ They ^(AE)surround me like a flood ^(AF)all day long;
    they ^(AG)close in on me together.
¹⁸ You have caused ^(AH)my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness.^[d]

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+88&version=ESV)

                                                                                                                    

As I read this Psalm I had to think that this Psalmist was depressed.  He had no hope except the hope that the LORD would hear his plea for help.  He was convinced that he had been shunned by God but yet there was a glimmer of hope that the LORD would hear his cry otherwise he would not have written this Psalm.  Yesterday I was at a training for Mental Health First Aid and in that training they showed a video, The Bridge, of a man that attempted suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge but by the grace of God he survived to tell his story.  The thing that impressed me the most is that this man just wanted someone to care about him, to ask him how is was.  Any type of interaction with someone else to know that he was worthy to live was what he was seeking.  Rather than that type of interaction he had a lady stop and to ask him to take her picture, which he did.  After he had taken the picture she said thank you and went on her way and he went over the bridge.  How many times do we pass people on the streets who just want someone to care?  Probably more often than we would ever know.

Depression makes you feel like there is no hope, there is no sense in trying anymore, no one cares about you let alone loves you and certainly no one understands your situation.  Often times people think that you are just having a pity party and you need to snap out of it others might peg you a weak.  It is none of the above.  In this world of medication we have found that sometimes it is a chemical imbalance that makes you depressed and a simple prescription will cure it.  Yet even with medication there may be something missing if your heart is not right with the Lord.  Other times it may just be that you need a listening ear.  Sometimes when we talk out our thoughts we see that they are really not thoughts from the Lord and we may see the inappropriateness of those thoughts.  There are professionals who can guide you through this process; you don’t have to do it alone. 

Getting your heart right with God is of utmost importance.  When you realize that He is the reason that you live not the reason you are depressed.  When you become more aware that even if no one else in the world cares, God does, you find hope.  God cared enough to send His Son as a sacrifice for us.  If that is all He ever did for us that would be more than enough yet we seem to forget that so often. 

Seek professional help if you feel that you are depressed, hopeless, and helpless there are people who care and want to help you.  But also, most importantly seek God with all your heart because He cares for you.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila