I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
We are the culmination of God’s creative work. When the Lord God created earth and everything on it, mankind was His last and ultimate creation. About man, God said, “It is very good.”
On Monday night at Bible study, as our group waited for the lesson to begin, this photo was the view from the picture window. Isn’t is amazing? God’s creation never ceases to amaze me with its stunning display of color and how everything flows together beautifully. When I see a sunset like this, I am reminded of how very much God loves each of us. We are all special to Him, uniquely created to fulfill a purpose in His plan. I don’t know about you, but my reaction is one of awe and gratitude that the God of the Universe, the One who made this gorgeous sky for us to enjoy, knows me by name and loves me. And He loves you the same way!
First, I must admit that the days before an election have found me anxious and fearful for the future of our nation. Over and over again, God has spoken quietly to my heart and told me to have peace, that He is sovereign and in control and nothing is impossible for Him. But it was not until this morning that I had a real breakthrough.
After the strong storm came up and Jesus awakened and calmed the storm, Jesus’s words to His disciples, those who had been following Him and seeing all of His miracles, were, “Where is your faith?” That is what He asked me this morning. If my faith is in a man to lead this nation and help us to become more moral again, then my faith is in the wrong thing. If my faith is in a party or a church leader or anything or anyone that is not God, then my faith is misplaced. The same God who commands the winds and waves commands the whole world and He can take care of the United States or judge it or whatever He want to do. Whatever God chooses to do is part of His ultimate plan and I can neither change His mind or divert Him from His plan. So, instead of being afraid in the rocking boat, I am choosing to do as Jesus did, to be at peace and to rest, trusting that the Father has it all under control.
As a side note, another interesting thing I got from my devotional this morning is the times Jesus healed and told the person not to tell others. Jesus wants us to focus on the majesty of God, on His glory, grace and mercy, not on the miracles He does for us. Yes, they are numerous and they happen every day. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of what God has done for us in any given day. But the focus of our lives should not only be on what God has done for us, although gratitude is important. Our focus should on our response to what God has done. Are we truly in awe of Him and His power and actions for us? Are we honestly thankful or do we just take Him and His work for granted? Do we tell others the testimony of how He has changed our lives and we are not the same? Or do we only talk about miraculous healing? I am not saying that miracles are not important; they are, but they are not the reason we seek God, or at least I hope that isn’t the reason. God wants a relationship with us, not for what He can do for us, but just because He loves us and wants us to love Him because He is our God. God is not our personal genie (I said the same thing in a previous post long ago.) There is no magic bottle that we can rub and summon the Lord God. He is always there, right beside us, listening to us and waiting for us to come into a right relationship with Him, one of respect and genuine amazement at who He is, yet He still notices us and all the little details of our lives. Our God is truly an awesome God!
Who is your best friend, the one you talk to all the time and tell that person everything that is happening in your life? You tell them how you really feel, the good things and the bad things and everything in between. I think my very best friend is my husband. We have grown together over the last fifty plus years and I can be honest with him without fearing his reaction. But the best friend that I have ever had or ever will have is God.
When Jesus was getting ready to leave His disciples and ascend to Heaven, he commissioned them to go and make disciples of others. One of the last things He said to them was that He would always be with them. That verse is one that I have clung to for many years, especially when troubling times come. I remind myself that I am not alone, that Jesus is right there with me. When my husband was deployed with the military and I was working a full-time job and taking care of three children alone, Jesus was right there. He helped me cope, balance the budget, pay the bills, take children to various activities and appointments and generally keep me sane. I trusted Him to be there for me and He was. Did I have some difficult times? Yes, that is part of life, but Jesus’s presence made all the difference. I was alone, but I wasn’t lonely. I knew then and I know now that Jesus is my friend, the One I can count on to not leave me, ever.
Think about what it means to bless the Lord at ALL times. When we are on the mountaintop looking down at all of our past troubles, I think it’s easier for us to bless the Lord. What about when we are in the middle of the valley experience and the top of the mountain seems far away or even unattainable? Do we still bless the Lord then? Are we still praising Him when we walk through the dark forest of our lives, not knowing where our next step might lead but aware of danger or circumstances beyond our control all around us? Note that this verse starts with a choice…I will. We choose to bless God at all times, to never let praise be far from us. With the praise of God continually coming from our lips, the situations we face won’t seem so daunting or scary. We know He is right there with us, in that valley and those dark woods.
I wish I could say that I have arrived at the place where I always make the right choice to praise God in spite of circumstances. But, that wouldn’t be true. I am a work in progress and sometimes the Spirit has to remind me to stop whining and to praise. That’s where the joy is found…right where God is. The Bible consistently exhorts God’s people to praise. So, if you need God right where you are, choose to praise.
Learn to trust God at all times. He is listening for our prayers and knows that the praise will follow. Sometimes it’s harder to trust God than others. My husband and I have had some health issues lately, not serious ones, just part of the aging process. Pressing closer to God during the multiple doctor’s visits and procedures that have to be done have helped me to stay calm and focused. In a period of time in our lives when we had planned to travel and celebrate together, we are going to dentists, eye doctors, regular physicians, and specialists instead. My prayer is to be a good witness to each helper we come across, so I lay aside my impatience and anxiety and smile with sincere thanks for the service they are offering me. Every day that we have together is a day to praise God for His grace and mercy; we are still celebrating, just not on a cross country train trip yet as we had planned. We actually planned it a year and a half ago,for our fiftieth anniversary, but I had multiple heath issues that arose that required that we stick around home for testing and such. This year, my husband had to undergo a dental procedure that will ultimately result in a dental implant when all the prep work is done. He also has to have cataract surgery that he has postponed until now when he really needs it to be able to drive. So, prayers for the procedures, the doctors to be wise and skillful and for a good recovery. But mostly praise that God has provided us for each other. When I was down, Harry was up and ready to help me. Now it’s my turn to be his helper. Praise God that we are not alone and that we are both believers, saved by grace and moving forward with the Lord into whatever adventure He has for us next.
Taking time to watch this video will be worth your time…we can depend on God because He protects us, delivers us and gives us confidence to move forward. I needed this today and I hope that it blesses you, too.
I have two favorite Psalms that I often read to help me get through challenges or walk through valleys. This is one of them; the other is Psalm 91. Both are filled with promises of God’s loving care, so I turn to them when I need to feel His comfort all around me.
We are not supposed to just praise God when all is going well for us. We are to praise God AT ALL TIMES! If we feel like bragging (and who doesn’t sometimes), then our boast should be in the Lord and all He has done. There is always something great that God has done or is doing for us that we can tell others about. As Christians, when we give a testimony about what God is doing or has done, we are exalting His name in the hope that others will want to know God in the same way that we know Him.
These verses don’t say that God takes away our troubles; rather, He takes away our fears. He saves us FROM our troubles, surrounding and defending us, but we still have troubles. I have found in my life that I grow more spiritually during the challenging times because that is when I press in closer to God.
The big word for me in these verses is “refuge.” Those who are safe don’t need to look for shelter, so this is telling me that troubles will happen, even to those who are “godly people.” But even when we face difficulties, God will continue to supply all that we need, physically, emotionally, mentally. Trusting in the Lord means that we don’t have to fret over our needs because we will “lack no good thing.”
How do we show that we fear the Lord? By speaking truth and love and goodness, not evil and lies. By turning away from bad choices and choosing to do good instead. It is up to us to maintain peace with others, even those with whom we disagree. Notice the word “work.” I think that means peace doesn’t come easily but it is a task that we must exert effort to keep.
I am so thankful that God is always watching over me and listening to me when I cry out to Him. I am not righteous because of what I have done, but because of His Son’s sacrifice, so I call on God frequently for help. I feel sad for those who don’t know God and who live for doing evil; they may have everything shiny here on earth but one day, they will no longer exist, with even the memory of them gone. God does not promise that we won’t have troubles, but He promises to rescue us. If we are broken-hearted and our spirits are crushed, assailed by all of the evil around us, God holds us close and rescues us from our feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
I really don’t like the reality and truth of this verse: “the righteous person faces many troubles….” But I do like the promise here, that the Lord comes to rescue us each time. He doesn’t sometimes look away and leave us to be washed away. He protects us. Verse 20 is a prophecy about Christ. If you recall, Jesus did not have His bones broken on the cross as the soldiers started to do because He had already died. I would like to claim this promise for me, too, but it specifically refers to Jesus. (I have broken my right elbow three times and my left ankle once because I fell. Fortunately, God took care of me during these incidents and I did not need surgery…just time to heal.)
I love the idea of redemption for those of us who are serving the Lord. And the part about the wicked being destroyed spurs me to tell more people about Him so that they can change their lives and become righteous. My favorite part of this section is that the psalmist returns to the theme of God’s being our refuge. We take refuge in Him because we need a shelter and He doesn’t kick us out to fend for ourselves. He provides the shelter we need for as long as we need it.
I pray that these verses have spoken to your hearts today just as they do to me each time I read them. I will leave you with a song that started me on my journey of seeking solace in this beautiful and promise-filled Psalm.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 