Fear God

Psalm 36:1-12

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster. Of David, the ^(A)servant of the Lord.

36 Transgression speaks to the wicked
    deep in his heart;^[a]
(B)there is no fear of God
    before his eyes.
^2 (C)For he flatters himself in his own eyes
    that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
³ The words of his mouth are ^(D)trouble and deceit;
    ^(E)he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
⁴ He ^(F)plots ^(G)trouble while on his bed;
    he sets himself in ^(H)a way that is not good;
    ^(I)he does not reject evil.

⁵ Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
^6 (J)Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
    ^(K)your judgments are like the great deep;
    man and beast you ^(L)save, O Lord.

^7 (M)How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge ^(N)in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on ^(O)the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from ^(P)the river of^(Q)your delights.
⁹ For with you is ^(R)the fountain of life;
    ^(S)in your light do we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who ^(T)know you,
    and your righteousness to ^(U)the upright of heart!
¹¹ Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
    nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² There ^(V)the evildoers lie fallen;
    they are thrust down, ^(W)unable to rise.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2036:1%20-%2012&version=ESV

When I read this passage I saw a stark contrast from someone who did not fear God and someone who did.  In the beginning of this scripture we see the wicked man who has no fear of God.  He does not recognize that he is even a sinner, his transgression are deep in his heart.  At first it seemed a little odd to me that it went from a wicked man to the steadfast of love of The Lord.  As I continued through the scripture I discovered that this passage, entitled by the ESV as, “How Precious is your Steadfast Love” is more about fearing God.

At the beginning we have someone who plots evil and does not fear God and on the other end of the passage we have one who fears God who realizes that he too could fall into the pit of no fear.  He recognizes who God is and recognizes his own vulnerability, a perfect example of one who fears God.  Someone who recognizes not only that there is a God but acknowledges His attributes as the provider of all things.

Often times in life we can get caught up in the world around us and forget that there is a God who we should fear yet who loves us more than words can express.  David had seen this same mistake in King Saul and he feared that his status in this world could place him in the pit like King Saul if he did not recognize that God was in control.  When we forget about God and try to do it all on our own we end up being like the wicked who does not even recognize his transgressions. It is quite a contrast between despair, where the evildoers are thrust down and unable to rise and being able to take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.  I hope you are standing on the side of the one who fears God where we can have comfort and a steadfast love.

As you seek Him, examine your lives and see where you stand.  Are you in the bed of evil or are you able to see the light of our Lord as you travel down a dark path called this world.  Seek Him and know that He is The Lord of Steadfast Love and is worthy to be feared.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Father Forgive Them

Psalm 35:19-28

English Standard Version (ESV)

^19 (A)Let not those rejoice over me
    who are ^(B)wrongfully my foes,
and let not those ^(C)wink the eye
    who ^(D)hate me ^(E)without cause.
²⁰ For they do not speak peace,
    but against those who are quiet in the land
    they devise words of deceit.
²¹ They ^(F)open wide their mouths against me;
    they say, ^(G)“Aha, Aha!
    Our eyes have seen it!”

^22 (H)You have seen, O Lord; ^(I)be not silent!
    O Lord, ^(J)be not far from me!
²³ Awake and ^(K)rouse yourself for ^(L)my vindication,
    for my cause, my God and my Lord!
^24 (M)Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
    according to your righteousness,
    and ^(N)let them not rejoice over me!
²⁵ Let them not say in their hearts,
    ^(O)“Aha, our heart's desire!”
Let them not say, ^(P)“We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶ Let them be ^(Q)put to shame and disappointed altogether
    who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be ^(R)clothed with shame and dishonor
    who ^(S)magnify themselves against me!

²⁷ Let those who delight in my righteousness
    shout for joy and be glad
    ^(T)and say evermore,
^(U)“Great is the Lord,
    who ^(V)delights in the welfare of his servant!”
²⁸ Then my ^(W)tongue shall tell of your righteousness
    and of your praise all the day long.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2035:%2019%20-28&version=ESV

I think we have probably all had a time or times in our life where people ridiculed us, schemed against us, wrongfully accused us or broke our hearts.  It is a tough place to find ourselves and generally we cry out to the Lord to rescue us from the situation.  Yet, I have to think of Christ when I read this.  He even refers to this passage in John 15:25 where He speaks of being hated without cause.  In John 15: 26 He speaks of the Holy Spirit who will come and help the followers of Christ.  Christ says He will bring the Helper who will bear witness of Christ.  The Holy Spirit came upon all those who believed and He comes upon all those who believe today.  No matter what this world throws at a believer in Christ, there is the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us through the troubles.  When our focus becomes more on what is happening to “me” rather than on The Lord, then those troubles become unbearable.  I have to go back to Christ on the cross, asking for forgiveness for those who were hurting Him.  My human nature always tries to pull me to the “me” side of things.  When I focus on “me” I become more agitated not only at the people and the situation but even towards God.  “Wake up Lord”, “take revenge Lord”, “show them who is boss Lord” are all  “me” attitudes.  The Christ attitude on the other hand is, “forgive them Lord”, “show them your love oh Father”, “open their eyes to you Father”.

No one wins with the “me” attitude but with the “Christ” attitude we will win and hopefully our opponents will win too.  In this game of life we don’t have to have winners and losers we have the choice to all be winners through Christ Jesus our Lord.

As you seek Him, ask Him to be your Helper in times of trouble as well as times of great joy.  Ask Him to bear witness through you by the power of the Holy Spirit.  When He does this we like Stephen will fix our eyes on Heaven and see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55)  and will be able to say as Stephen did in Acts 7:60 “Lord do not hold this sin against them” as he was being stoned to death.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Be Careful What You Ask For

Psalm 35:1-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

Of David.

35 Contend, O Lord, with those who ^(A)contend with me;
    ^(B)fight against those who fight against me!
² Take hold of ^(C)shield and buckler
    and rise for my help!
³ Draw the spear and javelin^[a]
    against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
    “I am your salvation!”

^4 (D)Let them be ^(E)put to shame and dishonor
    who seek after my life!
Let them be ^(F)turned back and disappointed
    who devise evil against me!
⁵ Let them be like ^(G)chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
⁶ Let their way be dark and ^(H)slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!

⁷ For ^(I)without cause ^(J)they hid their net for me;
    without cause they dug ^(K)a pit for my life.^[b]
8 Let ^(L)destruction come upon him ^(M)when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
    let him fall into it—to his destruction!

⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
    ^(N)exulting in his salvation.
¹⁰ All my ^(O)bones shall say,
    “O Lord, ^(P)who is like you,
delivering the poor
    from him who is too strong for him,
    the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

^11 (Q)Malicious^[c] witnesses rise up;
    they ask me of things that I do not know.
^12 (R)They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is bereft.^[d]
13 But I, ^(S)when they were sick—
    I ^(T)wore sackcloth;
    I ^(U)afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed ^(V)with head bowed^[e] on my chest.
¹⁴     I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
    I ^(W)bowed down in mourning.

¹⁵ But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
    they gathered together against me;
^(X)wretches whom I did not know
    tore at me without ceasing;
¹⁶ like profane mockers at a feast,^[f]
    they ^(Y)gnash at me with their teeth.

¹⁷ How long, O Lord, will you ^(Z)look on?
    Rescue me from their destruction,
    ^(AA)my precious life from the lions!
¹⁸ I will thank you in ^(AB)the great congregation;
    in the mighty throng I will praise you.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2035:1%20-%2018&version=ESV)

Be careful what you ask for.  In these scriptures David is once again feeling sorry for himself.  In the previous chapter he was finding comfort in the Lord but in this chapter it seems like life has gotten the best of him and now he just wants his enemies to pay.  Sound familiar?  It is all too familiar with me.  Why is it that we can know that our Lord is the Lord of all comfort yet when we are being wrongfully treated we want to seek revenge?

I have a dear friend that was from another country.  She was forced out of that country by the leader and came to the United States.  Her family had to be separated for a while until all could be settled and they could all legally move to the United States.  The leader of that country died and I said to her, “You must feel relief” but her words will ever ring in my ears, she said, “In some ways yes but he was a human being who had a family so I am a little sad too.”  Wow, she is an amazing woman!  If we only looked at our enemies as human beings who need the Lord, would our prayers be different than this song of David?

So many times we get so wrapped up in what others are doing to us that we forget about what Christ did for not only us but for them as well.  If only they could recognize His love for them and become followers of Christ.  That is what our song should be, redeem them Father, reveal yourself to them.  I have to wonder if someone prayed that prayer for Saul, later the Apostle Paul, as they were being persecuted under his direction, maybe even Stephen.  Stephen, just before being stoned, gave account after account of God’s greatness and how they had turned from it.  They did not listen to him but chose to stone him and Jesus on the cross asked the Father to forgive those who were persecuting Him because they did not know what they were doing.  Yet, when I feel rejected, put down, wrongfully accused . . . I find my request for justice to be noteworthy and expect God to answer and not to linger on.  Wow, that is not who I am called to be.  That is not what any of us are called to be. 

Even David lamented over the death of the one who had chased him and who tried to kill him on numerous occasions. When King Saul died David mourned.  I think at that point I would have felt a sigh of relief but when Saul was taken so was David’s best friend Jonathon. 

We need to keep our anger in check.  We need to keep our wants and our desires in check.  We need to continually seek the Lord and His ways.  It is so hard sometimes to put our full trust in Him and let Him act in His time.  He understands that our wait seems long to us but we can rest assured that He sees the greater picture, we only see a piece.  There is no doubt that our Father loves us but the Kingdom of God is far greater than any of us and first and foremost we should be praying not for revenge but that those who hurt us can see the Lord in all His glory.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

The God of Comfort

Psalm 34:19-22

English Standard Version (ESV)

^19 (A)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    ^(B)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He keeps all his bones;
    ^(C)not one of them is broken.
^21 (D)Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord ^(E)redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be ^(F)condemned.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2034:%2019-22&version=ESV

If anyone ever told you that if you became a Christian, life would have not troubles, they may have led you astray.  As we see in this scripture passage, afflictions will come our way, in fact there will be many.  Take special notice though of the first word in the second line, “but”, a refreshing word in this sentence.  It is followed by, “the LORD delivers him out of them all”.  We can see affliction throughout the Bible, New Testaments Christian were not exempt from affliction. The greatest affliction was Christ on the cross but He arose!  Paul was beaten many times but God gave Him to the strength to write many letters to churches that were in trouble and were being afflicted. God gave Him enough strength to sing while in prison even though he was in chains and had been beaten. 

The Lord does not always take the affliction away but He leads us through it.  So in some ways those who tell people the Christian life is a good life are telling the truth.  Not that we don’t have troubles but that we have someone who will deliver us from those trials and tribulations.  We can’t conquer the affliction on our own but we can be led through it by the God of comfort.  Contrast that with an atheist or anyone who is against God.  They believe that we are here for a short time and then gone.  Our bodies are nothing, live for the moment, when we die it is the end.  What purpose is there to live a life like that?  Why have children?  Why marry?  We are just here and gone.  When troubles come their way they have no one to comfort them.  Words of comfort mean nothing to them.  Rather than seeking God they finally say, “Well if there is a God, He isn’t any good” because they do not have or know the comfort of God.

I, myself, can’t imagine living a life without the comfort of the LORD.  He is the comforter of all those who comfort.  He is the One that brings peace in times of trouble.  He is the One who spoke the Words of Matthew 5: 1 – 12  

 

Matthew 5:1-12

English Standard Version (ESV)

5 Seeing the crowds, ^(A)he went up on the mountain, and when he ^(B)sat down, his disciples came to him.

² And ^(C)he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

^3 (D)“Blessed are ^(E)the poor in spirit, for ^(F)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are ^(G)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the ^(H)meek, for they ^(I)shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and ^(J)thirst ^(K)for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are ^(L)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are ^(M)the pure in heart, for ^(N)they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are ^(O)the peacemakers, for ^(P)they shall be called ^(Q)sons^[a] of God.

^10 (R)“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for ^(S)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^11 (T)“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ^(U)on my account. ^12 (V)Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for ^(W)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:%201-%2012&version=ESV

Blessed means “happy” or “content’.  We are blessed because Christ took our sins upon Himself on the cross at Calvary.  We are blessed because He conquered death and in doing so conquered sin.  He is alive and He is there to comfort us.  He didn’t promise us a life with no troubles but He did tell us that we can be content because of our salvation.  Prosperity preaching is incorrect if the focus is on this life  and its comforts but if the focus is on the comfort of the Lord then it is right on.  We will have trials, tribulations, pain, but Christ will lead us through it.  He has promised us an eternal life with no pain and we wait eagerly for that day but while we are here on earth we can be assured it is not the time.

Seek Him and know that He is good.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila