Seek Him and Know

Psalm 105

English Standard Version (ESV)

105 ^(A)Oh give thanks to the Lord; ^(B)call upon his name;
    ^(C)make known his deeds among the peoples!
² Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    ^(D)tell of all his wondrous works!
³ Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
⁴ Seek the Lord and his ^(E)strength;
    ^(F)seek his presence continually!
⁵ Remember the ^(G)wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and ^(H)the judgments he uttered,
⁶ O offspring of ^(I)Abraham, his servant,
    children of Jacob, his ^(J)chosen ones!

⁷ He is the Lord our God;
    his ^(K)judgments are in all the earth.
⁸ He ^(L)remembers his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for ^(M)a thousand generations,
^9 (N)the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his ^(O)sworn promise to Isaac,
¹⁰ which he confirmed to ^(P)Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
¹¹ saying, ^(Q)“To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as ^(R)your portion for an inheritance.”

¹² When they were ^(S)few in number,
    of little account, and ^(T)sojourners in it,
¹³ wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
¹⁴ he ^(U)allowed no one to oppress them;
    he ^(V)rebuked kings on their account,
¹⁵ saying, ^(W)“Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

¹⁶ When he ^(X)summoned a famine on the land
    and ^(Y)broke all supply^[a] of bread,
¹⁷ he had ^(Z)sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was ^(AA)sold as a slave.
¹⁸ His ^(AB)feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
¹⁹ until ^(AC)what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the Lord ^(AD)tested him.
^20 (AE)The king sent and ^(AF)released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
²¹ he ^(AG)made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
²² to bind^[b] his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.

²³ Then ^(AH)Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob ^(AI)sojourned in ^(AJ)the land of Ham.
²⁴ And the Lord ^(AK)made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
²⁵ He ^(AL)turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to ^(AM)deal craftily with his servants.

²⁶ He ^(AN)sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, ^(AO)whom he had chosen.
^27 (AP)They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in ^(AQ)the land of Ham.
²⁸ He ^(AR)sent darkness, and made the land dark;
    they ^(AS)did not rebel^[c] against his words.
²⁹ He turned their waters into blood
    and ^(AT)caused their fish to die.
³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs,
    even in ^(AU)the chambers of their kings.
³¹ He spoke, and there came ^(AV)swarms of flies,
    ^(AW)and gnats throughout their country.
³² He gave them hail for rain,
    and fiery ^(AX)lightning bolts through their land.
³³ He struck down their vines and fig trees,
    and ^(AY)shattered the trees of their country.
³⁴ He spoke, and the ^(AZ)locusts came,
    young locusts without number,
³⁵ which devoured all the vegetation in their land
    and ate up the fruit of their ground.
³⁶ He ^(BA)struck down all the firstborn in their land,
    ^(BB)the firstfruits of all their strength.

³⁷ Then he brought out Israel with ^(BC)silver and gold,
    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
^38 (BD)Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for ^(BE)dread of them had fallen upon it.

³⁹ He ^(BF)spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
^40 (BG)They asked, and he ^(BH)brought quail,
    and gave them ^(BI)bread from heaven in abundance.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and ^(BJ)water gushed out;
    it flowed through ^(BK)the desert like a river.
⁴² For he ^(BL)remembered his holy promise,
    and ^(BM)Abraham, his servant.

⁴³ So he brought his people out with joy,
    his ^(BN)chosen ones with ^(BO)singing.
⁴⁴ And he ^(BP)gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,
⁴⁵ that they might ^(BQ)keep his statutes
    and ^(BR)observe his laws.
^(BS)Praise the Lord!

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+105&version=ESV)

Why is it so important to seek the Lord?  This passage begins with that and my blog is entitled that but why?  The Psalmist demonstrates the importance of seeking the Lord in this passage.  The first part of it really encourages us to seek Him and the longest part of it shows us how the Psalmist sought Him.  It is a recap of the miracles that God has shown us.  The last portion sums it all up.

It begins with Abraham, Jacob, and then Joseph.  They all had struggles along the way but kept their faith. Joseph’s faith allowed God’s people to have abundance and flourish rather than suffering through a drought.   It shows us a people who were strongest at their weakest point.  They weren’t strong in their own power but through the power of God.  This passage shows us that when we seek Him we discover a God who takes care of His people. 

The passage ends by explaining to us why God did so much for His people.  He did this in order for His people to see His glory and walk in His ways.  When this happens we find that we are more likely to Praise His Name.  So I end with the question, I began with, “Why is it so important to seek the Lord?”  In order to know His ways, walk in His ways, love Him more deeply, and give Him praise in ALL circumstances with thanksgiving in our hearts.  Seek Him and know that He is most worthy of our praise.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

The Awesomeness of God

Psalm 104

English Standard Version (ESV)

104 ^(A)Bless the Lord, O my soul!
    O Lord my God, you are ^(B)very great!
^(C)You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
²     covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    ^(D)stretching out the heavens ^(E)like a tent.
³ He ^(F)lays the beams of his ^(G)chambers on the waters;
he makes ^(H)the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on ^(I)the wings of the wind;
⁴ he ^(J)makes his messengers winds,
    his ^(K)ministers ^(L)a flaming fire.

⁵ He ^(M)set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
⁶ You ^(N)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
⁷ At ^(O)your rebuke they fled;
    at ^(P)the sound of your thunder they ^(Q)took to flight.
⁸ The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you ^(R)appointed for them.
⁹ You set ^(S)a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they ^(T)might not again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
¹¹ they ^(U)give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
^13 (V)From your lofty abode you ^(W)water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

¹⁴ You cause ^(X)the grass to grow for the livestock
    and ^(Y)plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth ^(Z)food from the earth
¹⁵     and ^(AA)wine to gladden the heart of man,
^(AB)oil to make his face shine
    and bread to ^(AC)strengthen man's heart.

¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
    ^(AD)the cedars of Lebanon ^(AE)that he planted.
¹⁷ In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for ^(AF)the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for ^(AG)the rock badgers.

¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the ^(AH)seasons;^[a]
    the sun knows its time for setting.
^20 (AI)You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
^21 (AJ)The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
²² When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their ^(AK)dens.
^23 (AL)Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In ^(AM)wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Here is the sea, great and wide,
    ^(AN)which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
²⁶ There go the ships,
    and ^(AO)Leviathan, which you formed to ^(AP)play in it.^[b]

²⁷ These ^(AQ)all look to you,
    to ^(AR)give them their food in due season.
²⁸ When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you ^(AS)open your hand, they are filled with good things.
²⁹ When you ^(AT)hide your face, they are ^(AU)dismayed;
    when you ^(AV)take away their breath, they die
    and ^(AW)return to their dust.
³⁰ When you ^(AX)send forth your Spirit,^[c] they are created,
    and you ^(AY)renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord ^(AZ)endure forever;
    may the Lord ^(BA)rejoice in his works,
³² who looks on the earth and it ^(BB)trembles,
    who ^(BC)touches the mountains and they smoke!
³³ I will sing to the Lord ^(BD)as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
³⁴ May my ^(BE)meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵ Let ^(BF)sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
^(BG)Bless the Lord, O my soul!
^(BH)Praise the Lord!

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+104&version=ESV)

Often times I will split a long chapter like this one up into segments but today I could not bring myself to do that.  This passage is amazing in how it describes what our God has done from the flood to providing for His creation.  We were created for His good pleasure, however, I’m afraid that we tend to give Him more displeasure than pleasure.

You only need to go to the Colorado Rockies to see the beauty that our God has created yet even at the foot of those Rockies we find a sin infested world.  Why is it that even though His greatness is all around us we still doubt His power.  We blame Him if things go wrong but rarely thank Him for all that has gone right.  I love the prayers of the children. Rarely do you hear them asking for “things” but rather their prayers are full of thankfulness.  My granddaughter’s prayers are full of gratitude but she still ends her prayers by saying, “Thank you for our many blessings.” 

Although life is very difficult sometimes we need to remember that we have a God who controls the clouds, who feeds and waters the wild animals and who watches over us.  He is in control of the mountains, the waters, and us.  Yet He allows us to decide whether to follow Him or follow satan.  We need to seek Him and when we find Him we need to bow down and worship Him with all our hearts.  He is an awesome, wonderful God!!!!!

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

His Love/Our Love

Psalm 102

English Standard Version (ESV)

Do Not Hide Your Face from Me

A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is ^(A)faint and ^(B)pours out his complaint before the Lord.

102 ^(C)Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry ^(D)come to you!
^2 (E)Do not hide your face from me
    in ^(F)the day of my distress!
^(G)Incline your ear to me;
    ^(H)answer me speedily ^(I)in the day when I call!

³ For my days ^(J)pass away like smoke,
    and my ^(K)bones burn like a furnace.
⁴ My heart is ^(L)struck down like grass and ^(M)has withered;
    I ^(N)forget to eat my bread.
⁵ Because of my loud groaning
    my ^(O)bones cling to my flesh.
⁶ I am like ^(P)a desert owl of the wilderness,
    like an owl^[a] of the waste places;
⁷ I ^(Q)lie awake;
    I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
⁸ All the day my enemies taunt me;
    those who ^(R)deride me ^(S)use my name for a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes like bread
    and ^(T)mingle tears with my drink,
¹⁰ because of your indignation and anger;
    for you have ^(U)taken me up and ^(V)thrown me down.
¹¹ My days are like ^(W)an evening shadow;
    I ^(X)wither away like grass.

¹² But you, O Lord, are ^(Y)enthroned forever;
    you ^(Z)are remembered throughout all generations.
¹³ You will ^(AA)arise and have ^(AB)pity on Zion;
    it is the time to favor her;
    ^(AC)the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For your servants hold her ^(AD)stones dear
    and have pity on her dust.
¹⁵ Nations will ^(AE)fear the name of the Lord,
    and all ^(AF)the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord ^(AG)builds up Zion;
    he ^(AH)appears in his glory;
¹⁷ he ^(AI)regards the prayer of the destitute
    and does not despise their prayer.

¹⁸ Let this be ^(AJ)recorded for ^(AK)a generation to come,
    so that ^(AL)a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:
¹⁹ that he ^(AM)looked down from his holy height;
    from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
²⁰ to hear ^(AN)the groans of the prisoners,
    to set free ^(AO)those who were doomed to die,
²¹ that they may ^(AP)declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
    and in Jerusalem his praise,
²² when ^(AQ)peoples gather together,
    and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

²³ He has broken my strength in midcourse;
    he ^(AR)has shortened my days.
²⁴ “O my God,” ^(AS)I say, “take me not away
    in the midst of my days—
^(AT)you whose years endure
    throughout all generations!”

^25 (AU)Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
    and ^(AV)the heavens are the work of your hands.
^26 (AW)They will perish, but ^(AX)you will remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
²⁷     but ^(AY)you are the same, and your years have no end.
^28 (AZ)The children of your servants ^(BA)shall dwell secure;
    ^(BB)their offspring shall be established before you.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+102&version=ESV)

I don’t think I need to say more on this one!  These verses are very clear and to the point.  We don’t deserve anything that the Lord gives us but He deserves all of our praise, glory and honor.  He removed our sins as far as the east is from the west, do you know how far that is?  My father-in-law loved this verse and would talk about it often.  He said there is a point North and a point South but East from the West cannot be measured, that is how much our God loves us, it’s immeasurable.  Hallelujah, Praise the LORD!!!!!!!! 

Now, the question is, how much do we love Him?  Do we love Him enough to put our full trust in Him?  Do we love Him enough to spend time with Him?  Do we love Him enough to seek Him so that we can know Him better?  His love is established but now it is our turn to love Him in return.  Do you love Him?  Why do we (I) ask for anything more when He has given us His love to the fullest?

Seek Him and know that His love is steadfast and it endures forever unlike our dusty bodies.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

May my words bring Him Glory

Psalm 102

New International Version

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.

1 Hear my prayer, Lord;
    let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me
    when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
    when I call, answer me quickly.

3 For my days vanish like smoke;
    my bones burn like glowing embers.
4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
    I forget to eat my food.
5 In my distress I groan aloud
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like a desert owl,
    like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake; I have become
    like a bird alone on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
9 For I eat ashes as my food
    and mingle my drink with tears
10 because of your great wrath,
    for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like the evening shadow;
    I wither away like grass.

12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;
    your renown endures through all generations.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
    for it is time to show favor to her;
    the appointed time has come.
14 For her stones are dear to your servants;
    her very dust moves them to pity.
15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
    all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
16 For the Lord will rebuild Zion
    and appear in his glory.
17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
    he will not despise their plea.

18 Let this be written for a future generation,
    that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
19 “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high,
    from heaven he viewed the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners
    and release those condemned to death.”

21 So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
    and his praise in Jerusalem
22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
    assemble to worship the Lord.

23 In the course of my life[b] he broke my strength;
    he cut short my days.
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
    your years go on through all generations.
25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
    and they will be discarded.
27 But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.
28 The children of your servants will live in your presence;
    their descendants will be established before you.”

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 102:1 In Hebrew texts 102:1-28 is numbered 102:2-29.
2. Psalm 102:23 Or By his power

I am writing on my iPad today because my computer does not want to work today.  I apologize in advance  if there are errors.  It is a little more difficult using the iPad.

 The Psalmist was groaning for The Lord to hear him and take away his pain yet he did not lose sight of who God was.  Despite his pain, he did not turn from God.  Often times when tough times come we tend to take on the attitude of the thief on the cross who told Christ to save Himself and them if He was really who He said He was.  We tend to think, like the thief, that we somehow deserve to be treated as royality.  My pain is a result of my selfish desire to have it my way and not God's way!

The verse that stood out to me today was Psalm 102:18.  The Psalmist knew of God's power, His mighty creations, and He knew the importance of our time on this earth.  Our purpose is to bring Glory to God.  Each word that I write down in my blog or otherwise may not stand from generation to generation yet our Bible has and will.  However, everything I say and write should stand true for whomever reads or hears it no matter what generation.  I want my words to have an everlasting impact on those who see or hear them.  Words that bring glory to our Lord and Savior are the words that should be coming from my thoughts, and they should be words that fear His name and give Him praise, may they stand the test of time and forever be true.  When tough times comes may I not be distressed but rather cling to the One whom I fear and love.

Seek Him with all your heart and know that He is God!!

Seeking Him with all my Heart,

Sheila