A Rich Heritage

Psalm 61

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: with ^(A)stringed instruments. Of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God,
    ^(B)listen to my prayer;
² from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is ^(C)faint.
Lead me to ^(D)the rock
    that is higher than I,
³ for you have been ^(E)my refuge,
    a strong ^(F)tower against the enemy.

⁴ Let me ^(G)dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under ^(H)the shelter of your wings!  Selah
⁵ For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

^6 (I)Prolong ^(J)the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
⁷ May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint ^(K)steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

⁸ So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I ^(L)perform my vows day after day.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+61&version=ESV)

I was not born into a home of a much wealth but neither was I born into a home of poverty in terms of finances that is.  However, I was born into a home that had a strong faith in God and was given the opportunity at a young age to make a vow to God, which I did.  In that sense I can very much identify with David when I pray, “You have given me a heritage of those who fear your name” for that I am most thankful.  For what reason was I given the privilege?  He allowed this in order to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Just the other day I was reminded of the honor which was bestowed upon me.  A man in our church showed me little bookmark that had my granddads name on it along with another man that had come to our church almost 60 years ago as an evangelist.  He continued to share with us about the other man on that bookmark.  He had been a missionary in another country and had escaped execution by taking a turn towards home rather than the country.  When he came back he had more of a desire to preach the Gospel than he had ever had before and his drive was phenomenal.  This same man, preached at my granddad’s funeral where he preached the Gospel to anyone who had not heard.  That is how fortunate I am to have been born into a family that feared the Lord.  Yet there are many who have not had that privilege and I seem to sometimes take it for granted.

So many times I find myself asking for this and for that just like a rich kid that has gotten everything they have ever wanted in life.  When I don’t get it I become discouraged and downcast, just like David so often seemed to do.  Would you put up with that as a parent?  I think it would be hard for me to handle.  Yet our God gives me the honor to come before Him.  He wants to hear us say that we depend on Him and He loves us in spite of our weakness.  So, I continue to seek Him and to know Him even more deeply than I have before.  Are you seeking Him with all your heart?  Are you pursuing Him?

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Faithfulness

 Psalm 57

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Do Not Destroy. A^(B)Miktam^[a] of David, when he fled from Saul, in ^(C)the cave.

57 ^(D)Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul ^(E)takes refuge;
in ^(F)the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    ^(G)till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who ^(H)fulfills his purpose for me.
^3 (I)He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame ^(J)him who tramples on me.Selah
^(K)God will send out ^(L)his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

⁴ My soul is in the midst of ^(M)lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose ^(N)teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose ^(O)tongues are sharp swords.

^5 (P)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶ They set ^(Q)a net for my steps;
    my soul was ^(R)bowed down.
They ^(S)dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
^7 (T)My heart is ^(U)steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
^{8     (V)}Awake, ^(W)my glory!^[b]
Awake, ^(X)O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your ^(Y)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

^11 (Z)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2057&version=ESV)

Have you ever found yourself, like David, trapped in a cave?  Maybe it wasn’t a literal cave but a place where you felt trapped.  You couldn’t run but you wanted to.  You were afraid of traps and snares that might eat you up.  Maybe it was a job or even a marriage that you felt trapped in.  Those that you had trusted had let you down, those who you had loved and honored had suddenly turned against you and you had nowhere to go.  What did you do?

As we look at these verses we see David quite literally stuck in a cave hiding for his own life.  He had honored King Saul all his life.  He had even fought in many battles to protect his honor.  He had prayed for him, sang to him to calm him, and befriended his son Johnathon.  He was not against Saul but Saul was very much afraid of David, afraid he would overthrow his kingdom.  When in fact the kingdom was not Saul’s, nor David’s, it was the Lord’s.  So what did David do, besides hide in a cave?  He cried out to the Lord. He put His faith in the God.  He recognized that God and only God had the power to save David and then he waited on the Lord.

Our hearts need to be steadfast towards the Lord.  When we have hearts that don’t sway from Him we will find peace and contentment in times of trouble.  Not to say that troubles won’t come but we can rest assured that we have a God who will not trap us, throw snares at us, or hurt us.  We have a God who has a steadfast love towards us.  The question is where is our love?  Is it honoring God or is it honoring us?  When everything is stripped from us and only God remains are we bowing to Him or are we blaming Him?  How are we truly honoring God?  His steadfast love remains forever but who are we giving our love to?

Seek Him and know that only He is worthy.  He is faithful, are we?

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Recognize Him

Psalm 60

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Shushan Eduth. A^(B)Miktam^[a] of David; ^(C)for instruction; when he ^(D)strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

60 O God, ^(E)you have rejected us, ^(F)broken our defenses;
    you have been angry; ^(G)oh, restore us.
² You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
    ^(H)repair its breaches, for it totters.
^3 (I)You have made your people see hard things;
    ^(J)you have given us ^(K)wine to drink that made us stagger.

⁴ You have set up ^(L)a banner for those who fear you,
    that they may flee to it ^(M)from the bow.^[b] Selah
^5 (N)That your ^(O)beloved ones may be delivered,
    give salvation by your right hand and answer us!

⁶ God has spoken ^(P)in his holiness:^[c]
    “With exultation ^(Q)I will divide up ^(R)Shechem
    and portion out the Vale of ^(S)Succoth.
^7 (T)Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    ^(U)Ephraim is ^(V)my helmet;
    Judah is my ^(W)scepter.
^8 (X)Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I ^(Y)cast my shoe;
    over ^(Z)Philistia I shout in triumph.”^[d]

⁹ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    ^(AA)Who will lead me to Edom?
¹⁰ Have you not ^(AB)rejected us, O God?
    You ^(AC)do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
¹¹ Oh, grant us help against the foe,
    for ^(AD)vain is the salvation of man!
¹² With God we shall ^(AE)do valiantly;
    it is he who will ^(AF)tread down our foes.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2060&version=ESV)

How often do we find ourselves in a tough situation and we blame God and then tell Him that He needs to fix it?  It is an age old problem and yet God listens and He responds.  I wonder sometimes why God puts up with that.  Yet God uses those situations to grow us.  He loves to hear us repent as Israel did in this passage and He loves for us to depend on Him.  Some people think that God is not listening but I believe He is just using planned ignoring, a parental technique to help children stop bad behaviors that they do to get attention.  Once we realize that He is not giving us the attention we want, we recognize our downfall, we come back to Him with a repentant heart.

I was recently told that I was not needed for a task.  I was hurt and disappointed that I was not considered valuable enough to help.  Yet I backed off and did nothing to assist in the situation.  Once it was discovered that I was needed, that person apologized and I forgave them and offered my assistance once again.  I think maybe that is how God operates at times. When we think that we have it under control we try to do things on our own but soon realize that it is only by the power of God that we can be successful and then we call on Him.  He gladly accepts our apology and then we want Him to jump right in and help us out.  He delights in our recognition of our dependence on Him, yet He longs for us to put our entire trust in Him.

As you seek Him today let us ponder on the times that He has forgiven us for being hardheaded and stubborn.  When we remember those times when we rejected Him and then blamed Him for our problems we can be reminded of His forgiveness and can rest assured that He has things under control.  Or maybe that is where we are today, trying to do all things on our own and forgetting that He is there as our guide and strength, the victor of the battle.  Are we truly calling on Him and seeking Him or are we trying to do it on our own?  He will sustain those who recognize Him and call upon His name through Jesus Christ our Lord

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

In God I Put My Trust

Psalm 56

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A ^(A)Miktam^[a] of David, when the ^(B)Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 ^(C)Be gracious to me, O God, for man ^(D)tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
² my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
³ When I am afraid,
    I ^(E)put my trust in you.
⁴ In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; ^(F)I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

⁵ All day long they injure my cause;^[b]
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶ They ^(G)stir up strife, they ^(H)lurk;
    they ^(I)watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
⁷ For their crime will they escape?
    ^(J)In wrath ^(K)cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You have kept count of my tossings;^{[c]
    (L)}put my tears in your bottle.
    ^(M)Are they not in your book?
⁹ Then my enemies will turn back
    ^(N)in the day when I call.
    This I know, that^[d] (O)God is for me.
¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
¹¹ in God I trust; ^(P)I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

¹² I must perform my ^(Q)vows to you, O God;
    I will ^(R)render thank offerings to you.
^13 (S)For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
^(T)that I may walk before God
    ^(U)in the light of life.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2056&version=ESV)

Recently I was listening to a talk show where an agnostic was speaking against Christians.  He made the statement that Christians just tried to push their beliefs on other people and how he didn’t like that about them.  Funny, as a Christian I feel that everyone wants us to conform to their beliefs and if we don’t, we are radical and annoying.  My first reaction when I heard that I said, “If we are pushy it is because we want everyone to know our awesome wonderful God.”  But the more I thought about it the more I could understand where he was coming from.  So often we cry out against the things that are morally wrong and we bring out the Bible to defend our point.  The problem is that many people who are on the other side of the issue don’t care about what the Bible says.  What people should be seeing when they look at a Christian is the light of Christ.  When He was being accused, He stood silent.  There was nothing He could say to change the people’s mind about His guilt.  So should we just let people run all over us?  Did Christ?  There was a time when Christ was not silent, He spoke His mind many times.  He called sin for what it was and He paid for that sin on the cross for all those who believe on Him.  Thus my next question, “Are we ready to pay the price?” Christians being put down, ridiculed, spat upon, and even put to death is not a new happening.  This has happened since the establishment of Christianity through Christ Himself.  We are to pick up our cross and follow Him.  Should our testimony be about how wrong people are in their lifestyle or should it be about how much a Savior bids them to come to Him?  Should it be about being a nation that trusts in God or should it be about how “I” trust in God? 

I have been fearful of the talk to take “In God We Trust” off of our coins taking away our nation’s founders belief in a God Almighty.  I have been fearful because I believe our success has come only by the hand of God and God alone.  He blessed our nation and allowed us to be prosperous because of those founding fathers who trusted in Him.  I want our nation to trust in God for my own benefit. Ouch, how wrong is that?  We as Christians need to recognize we live in a dark world and it is our duty to bring light into it.  What will we get for doing that?  Probably ridicule and hatred by most, maybe some will choose to listen and believe but a Heavenly reward awaits for all who believe and call upon His name.   Many think we are weak but yet we remain stronger than they will ever realize because of our faith in a Mighty God and our trust in Him.  I am no longer concerned about whether the coin says, “In God We Trust” because frankly I can see that we as a nation don’t have our trust in Him.  But what I do care about is where I put my trust, is it on a coin or is it on the Almighty God.  I will say, as did the Psalmist, “I Trust in God”  if my country wants to join me in that trust I will be happy and thankful for that but I must first look to God and trust that He is in control of my life and He is my all in all.  Will you seek Him, put your trust in Him and not be afraid?

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila  

Trust

Psalm 55

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: with ^(A)stringed instruments. A Maskil^[a] of David.

55 ^(B)Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
² Attend to me, and answer me;
    I am restless ^(C)in my complaint and I ^(D)moan,
³ because of the noise of the enemy,
    because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they ^(E)drop trouble upon me,
    and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

⁴ My heart is in anguish within me;
    ^(F)the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
⁵ Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and ^(G)horror ^(H)overwhelms me.
⁶ And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest;
^7 (I)yes, I would wander far away;
    I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
⁸ I would hurry to find a shelter
    from ^(J)the raging wind and tempest.”

⁹ Destroy, O Lord, ^(K)divide their tongues;
    for I see ^(L)violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they go around it
    on its walls,
and ^(M)iniquity and trouble are within it;
¹¹     ruin is in its midst;
^(N)oppression and fraud
    do not depart from its marketplace.

¹² For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who ^(O)deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
^13 (P)But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
¹⁴ We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in ^(Q)the throng.
¹⁵ Let death steal over them;
    let them go down to Sheol ^(R)alive;
    for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.

¹⁶ But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.
^17 (S)Evening and ^(T)morning and at ^(U)noon
    I ^(V)utter my complaint and moan,
    and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He redeems my soul in safety
    from the battle that I wage,
    for ^(W)many are arrayed against me.
¹⁹ God will give ear and humble them,
    he who is ^(X)enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not ^(Y)change
    and do not fear God.

²⁰ My companion^[b] (Z)stretched out his hand against his friends;
    he violated his covenant.
²¹ His ^(AA)speech was ^(AB)smooth as butter,
    yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
    yet they were ^(AC)drawn swords.

^22 (AD)Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
^(AE)he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.

²³ But you, O God, ^(AF)will cast them down
    into ^(AG)the pit of destruction;
men of ^(AH)blood and treachery
    shall not ^(AI)live out half their days.
But I will ^(AJ)trust in you.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2055&version=ESV)  

Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend?  If so, you know how much it hurts.  An enemy can say things that infuriate us but when a friend turns their backs on us, it cuts to the bone, hurting more than words can describe.  This passage reflects the inner most hurt of the betrayal of a friend.

I have recently felt that hurt in a couple of different settings and it is quite painful.  In fact the entire reason this blog was started came from the rejection of longtime friends.  I went running to God to get help in trying to understand what was going on in my life.  I decided it was time to seek Him more than to seek approval from man. 

There is only one friend that will not break promises and that is God.  We see throughout scripture that many promises have been broken and it was not because God decided He didn’t want to keep His promise.  The result of broken promises comes from the actions of man.  We say we are going to read our Bible more this year, even read through it and after the first two weeks of January have past, all of a sudden we find ourselves busy with other things and so the reading get puts down until next year when we make the same promise to get to know God better.

As a child I was afraid that if I died I would not know who anyone from the Bible.  Moses, Joseph, Elijah, Elisha and the list goes on.   The stories would get confusing and there seemed to be an emphasis on these important people.  The only way to get to know them is through the reading and studying the Word of God.  But, do we really even know God?  Not in the sense of knowing Jesus as our personal Savior but do we really know God?   Again, the only way to get to know Him is to spend time with Him. 

Who is the one friend that we disappoint the most?  In my opinion we most likely disappoint our Lord the most. 

He has probably had more people than imaginable break promises that were made to Him yet He remains faithful to us. When we let so called friends get us down we become vengeful.  Then we start blaming God for our situation.  We wonder why He lets them get away with it.  We think that He is not hearing our cries and that He is not taking care of the matter the way that we think He should.  But this scripture today reminds us that He is the only One that we can put our trust in.  Others will let us down and most likely we will let others down, we even let the God of the Universe down when we don’t trust Him.  I have to think of the suffering of Christ.  There were few that stood beside Him throughout His arrest and crucifixion.  Yet, He remained faithful.

To pull this all together, we need to remember when we pray that we are speaking through Jesus Christ, the One who sacrificed His life for us, to the God who created us and the universe that surrounds us.  He is not hiding from us but how often are we hiding from Him?  He is the One friend who won’t let us down.  When I get to Heaven the only One I want to be sure to recognize and know is our God, the Trinity, the three in One.  Recognizing Him will not be a problem, even those who disclaimed Him will recognize Him but I want to truly know Him.  The only way to do that is to seek Him with all my heart.  When I do that, nothing that man does to me will matter because knowing the Father gives us strength, endurance, trust, and a passion to serve Him.

Seeking His with all my heart,

Sheila 

In His Time

Psalm 54

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: with ^(A)stringed instruments. A Maskil^[a] of David, ^(B)when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

54 O God, save me by your ^(C)name,
    and vindicate me by your might.
² O God, ^(D)hear my prayer;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.

^3 (E)For ^(F)strangers^[b] have risen against me;
    ruthless men ^(G)seek my life;
    they do not set God before themselves.  Selah

⁴ Behold, ^(H)God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.
⁵ He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your ^(I)faithfulness ^(J)put an end to them.

⁶ With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord,^(K)for it is good.
⁷ For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has ^(L)looked in triumph on my enemies.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2054&version=ESV

I have never feared for my life because of ruthless men, not to say that I won’t but thus far I have lived a sheltered life.  However, there have been times in my life when I have felt the attack of the enemy upon my life and I want the Lord to quickly take care of it.  There have been times when I have seen those who do not honor God prosper and I wondered why God would allow that to happen.  I have come to realize that they are being given their time of glory on this earth but eternity belongs to those who love and serve the Lord.  Vengeance will come to those who do not honor God.  It is not for us to decide when that time will be.  What we need to do today is give thanks to the Lord!  He is good and His love endures forever.  He will deliver us from our times of trouble at the perfect time.  Our job is to remain faithful to Him because He is faithful to us.

Seek Him and find Him and when you do, thank Him for what He has done and will do for you.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila