Category: Psalms

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory.  John 1:14

We know that passion can fuel dangerous causes but it can also advance the kingdom of God. Take a look at this recent video in which a group of Christians in China receive their first Bible.   http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0FECC1NU

Am I surprised?  I shouldn’t be.  Once I embrace Jesus, will I not embrace His Words?  Will they not precious to me?  Will I not be challenged to love what He loves?  Will I not grow a distaste for the things He hates?

If I find myself today to be lukewarm, a condition which God detests, I will also discover that I am void of passion.  I’ve lost it somewhere and must figure out where, and why.  In the meantime, there is little more dangerous to my soul than hanging around others who are also lukewarm. Once the Spirit of God revives me, I’ll begin to second guess myself and feel like a freak for caring so deeply about what they so easily dismiss.

If dispassionate Christians comprise the hub of my fellowship, I will attempt to share the most beautiful and personal things of the Spirit with others who squirm to confirm them.  My zeal makes them uncomfortable and when my stories fall flat, I will be undone. The next time around, I will reign in my emotions because I know that to fit in, my fire needs to be repressed.

I’ve asked myself this question today.  If the Scriptures were taken from me, would I be as upset – on the continuum – as those Chinese Christians are joyful?   Do my friends resemble this particular body of believers?  If so, our fellowship is contagious and combustible.  If not, perhaps it’s time to change spiritual company.

I’ll never leave the company of those who are on the move for Your kingdom.  I’ll never settle for less than fellowship with passionate worshipers.  Amen

See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. Deut. 32:39

What exactly is a life-saving wound?  A life-saving wound is a wound with an intended loving purpose. A wound that is given by a friend – not an enemy. A wound inflicted that, when redeemed, will bring ten-fold joy in comparison to the agony once suffered.

The tragedy is that so few children of God recognize the wounds of their past as life-saving wounds. They define them as tragedies. ‘Victim’ becomes their permanent label. Deprivation creates their defeated mindset. God, who was, and is, sovereign over their past, is viewed as an adversary rather than a friend. They reason that only an enemy would inflict a wound. True, enemies strike in order to kill. But God wounds in order to save and bless. Never do I suffer anything that is not an installment to something glorious.

Children of God would struggle to admit this but in the dark places of the soul, in the places of their deepest pain, they are distrustful of God. They have backed up, unsure of Him, shy of His gaze. Because a theology of suffering is absent, some never come out of the corner to believe Him for their salvation, redemption, and restoration. They choose to live in the middle of their plotline ~ without hope ~ failing to believe God for a glorious outcome. How does this work, exactly?

• A child who is never the object of someone’s affection grows up to bear the spirit of rejection. But the wound is life-saving when they discover that God is a seeking God. He woos them to the cross in order to adopt them into a place of favor.
• A teenager who has been bullied because he is different grows up unsure of himself. He doesn’t realize that his uniqueness is really the mark of leadership. But the wound is life-saving when he discovers that God set him apart to think differently in order to lead a cause for the kingdom.
• A woman who has, unexpectedly, been served divorce papers, feels torn apart on the inside. She does not feel she will ever recover from the betrayal. But the wound is life-saving when, driven to God, she experiences Him as her Bridegroom. Daily, He loves, whispers comforts, and provide

The foundation of every life-saving discovery does not begin and end with an understanding of theology but culminates in a childlike relationship with God. In faith, I must believe His proclamations of love and I must believe every promise He made to me.

What is the nature of your unhealed wound? And what is the need that rages as a result? Are you willing to consider that the need you’ve just isolated is life-saving if it takes you into the arms of a sovereign God who waits eagerly to redeem what was stolen from you? Look up. Believe. Live in the promises.

When I don’t believe, it is Your Word and Your Spirit that revives me. Amen

 

Wealth and riches are in their houses; and their righteousness endures forever.  Even in darkness light dawns for the upright; for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.  

Psalm 112:3-4

We once had a family friend in the small town where I grew up who was quite wealthy.  My aunt and uncle took him in as a young man when he was destitute.  He never left.  His life’s goal was to amass a fortune and he didn’t care how he did it.  Was he driven by greed?  In his case, no.  Fear was his taskmaster.  He lived through the depression with a mother and several siblings.  Hungry, he had gone to work at seven years old to deliver papers in order to put food on the table.  As a child, he declared, “I swear I’ll never be poor!”   His entire life was shaped by those words.

With a vow so far from God’s heart, it’s good for me to think about God’s generosity. The biblical concept of generosity is this ~ Someone who loves to give and just can’t help himself.  He almost dances when the opportunity comes his way.  

There are many reasons why I don’t give generously.  Fear of deprivation, fear of giving away something that I’m attached to, fear that it won’t be received, or fear that I will get nothing back.  Greed is not always at the center of why a person withholds.  What is the cure?  One I might not expect.  Paul said, You will be enriched to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.  2 Cor. 9:11  God promises, through Christ, to make us so rich that we’ll give it away – confident that He will more than compensate.  And when we give recklessly, others won’t understand it and just might give glory to God.

If I’m not a good giver, it is only because I have not fully realized how much God has given to me and how much I have yet to claim.  How well do I know His promises?  There are many resources from heaven’s bank account that I’ve not yet drawn upon.  Only when I stop living like an orphan, looking to the earth to give me what I need and looking to my Father whose arms are full of gifts, will I be overwhelmed by His generosity.  I’ll know I’m on the right track when I am compelled to share it with somebody.  Until then, I’ve only just begun to realize what is mine in Christ.

I know some people who love to give.  I think they love to do it more than I do.  I’m looking hard at the reasons, Lord.  Amen

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children– Psalm 103:17

I’ve done it. Have you? I’d not only attempted to live in the present, which is God’s will for me, but I’ve lived in the past and in the future. Neither of those options is good for me.

How can I know if I am living in the past? When I rehearse the past and wish there had been a different outcome. I review what was done to me and fantasize what life might be like had I not been victimized. I also review my sins, even the unintentional mistakes I made from not knowing better, and then I ache to travel back to fix them. I live in the wonderland of wishful thinking.

How can I know if I am living in the future? When I borrow tomorrow’s trouble and decide that I can’t possibly handle what’s coming. I assess things today and think enough of my fortune telling ability to cast the future in stone. Believing that my prediction is accurate, I succumb to a lifestyle of fear. How many times have I lived in the distress of ~ “I won’t be able to handle tomorrow because . . .”

How can I have peace about the past? How can I lay aside regrets? By believing that God is a redeemer of the past. I can’t mess anything up so badly that He can’t bless me today with abundant life. His mercies started afresh at 12:01 a.m. this morning. I put the past behind me and get up every morning in the faith of His goodness.

How can I abandon a fear of what’s coming? By trusting that He’s already written the future. Nothing is going to take Him by surprise. The scriptures about tomorrow are rock solid and will sustain the weight of my expectations.

The past and the future are out of bounds. I’m not supposed to play God. He is the only one who operates outside of time. He equipped me to live today on the wings of momentary grace. The spirit of Abba Father is within me. He’s speaking scripture to my soul. He reminds me of His sustaining presence. And when needed, He sends angel reinforcements to help me in my battle.

For my yesterday’s, redeem. For today, sustain. For tomorrow, give me confidence that You’ve got it covered. Amen

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Psalm 32:5

King David is clear in today’s scripture about the importance of words in the process of repentance.    He’s not preaching a sermon to his subjects.  He’s reveals his own path back to God by letting us hear the nature of his personal prayer.

Imagine if you had a prodigal son who spurned your love and went off on a long journey.  You mourned for him, prayed for him, and waited for his return.  One day, you wake up to see him sleeping in his old room.  He gets up in the morning and says little.  It’s obvious that he’s come home to stay because he unpacked completely.  He started engaging in household routines but gave no explanation about where’s been or why he’s come back.  It wouldn’t be long until you’d erupt and say, “Look, we have to talk about this.  Where have you been?  What have you been doing?  Why are you home?”  

We can never stray from God and go back without a language of repentance and self-disclosure.  “Lord, I went away because ___________.  I’ve been off doing _______________.  My heart feels ______________.  Please forgive me for ____________.”

The only way to make a solid return is with words.  It’s not because He needs to hear them. Unlike we human parents, He knows the thoughts and intents of His children’s hearts.  We need to speak because, by speaking, we are changed.  The dam breaks and acknowledgement of our actions and feelings brings what was hidden into the Light.  The elephant in the room of our relationship with God has been acknowledged.

Words are a gift we give to God that only come back to benefit us in the long run.  When we speak words of repentance, we are bathed in forgiveness.  When we speak words of praise, we are delivered from the chains of darkness.  When we speak words that reveal our own story, we gain self-awareness.  When we speak words of faith, we surmount the barriers of unbelief.  When we sing, we push back the darkness.  Let’s take our words and live in the presence of the Lord today.

If I am wordless, I am poor.  Breathe on my tongue, Jesus.  Release my language of remorse and repentance.  Amen

I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace. I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name. For I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears.  Others too were radiant at what he did for them. Theirs was no downcast look of rejection!  This poor man cried to the Lord—and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles.  For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him. Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is!  Psalm 134:1-8  TLB

I shared a meal recently with someone who just needed to talk. She admitted that her heart had shut down. One storm after another had overtaken her but for a while she believed things were manageable. There was more right than wrong so she stayed optimistic. She believed in her natural problem solving skills.   Eventually though, things fell apart with most every family member. She wept as she admitted that she had lost her voice, lost her hope, and lost her fight.

What’s missing from this picture is a mention of God. Prayer, faith, and strategy, are absent. It’s not that she doesn’t know God. She does but her prayers are way too sporadic. Passivity means that she has abdicated the outcome to stronger forces she doesn’t have the will to fight anymore.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, I don’t have to stand back and wring my hands over the invasion. When sickness overtakes a family member, I can do more than watch. When bad news is announced, I can do more than listen. When sin dominates another part of the house, I can do more than worry. When a family member succumbs to depression, I can do more than offer platitudes. When the bank account is depleted, I can do more than expect destitution. God will raise up a standard and He will use me to be His temple of faith and praise.

If you’re lying down because you feel hopeless, get up. If you’ve lost your voice, get it back. If you’ve stopped praying, fall to your knees. The language you need is the language of the scriptures. If you have a mouth that can read the Word of God out loud, you’re not wordless. No home need permeate darkness when praise music plays twenty-four hours a day. No mother need cry herself to sleep with hopeless tears when God gives her scriptures to address every single thing that assaults her household. God’s daughter is meant to walk the house and pray scripture out loud. She does it in the morning. She does it again at night. Her faith is revived as she speaks God’s promises. They are the battle cry that declares war on God’s adversary.

What happens when the enemy hears her scriptural pronouncements and when God’s Word assaults his ears? His schemes are threatened. He is reminded of his limits and flees. Know this ~ he will try to re-group, only to be met again with the the child of God who knows that the secret is persevering. Let that be you. Have a word ready for his next act of aggression.

Is everything you’ve read merely my attempt to give a good sounding pep talk? No. I’ve lived long enough to have experienced life falling apart on many fronts and, oftentimes, it happened all at once. There were periods when I capitulated to a serious depression. But somewhere in the night, there was an infusion of faith and God tutored this child to learn strategy and warfare. The turnaround didn’t happen all at once. His Word drove out the despair like the slow drip of a life-giving IV and it revived me. What I thought I needed to tolerate became history. God’s glory came to rest but not without my full engagement and cooperative effort. There’s a reason scripture trembles in my hands. It’s wonder – not fear. Let me pass along my well-founded confidence to you. It is a gift from someone who once lived in the pit of nothingness.

I’m praying for the one whose hands are limp and whose tongue is silent. Nudge her to pick up her sword. Help her conceive a strategic plan to take back what the enemy has plundered. Lead her to scriptures for every area of defeat. Give her a voice to speak them out loud. Let the enemy know that You are raising up a standard against him with a resurrected daughter. In Jesus name, Amen

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

I was three years old. After one of my bath times, I held out my arms to my mother. I wanted her to wrap me up in the towel she was holding. I longed for her to keep me warm and hold me close. I asked in my three year old language. “I want to come and see you.” I waited with arms extended. Time froze. But intimacy was not to be found in our family ~ even though kindness was ever present. I can tell you that they are not one in the same. My mother answered but without moving toward me. “Take a good look! Here I am.” I put my arms down. For how long? Another forty years! I concluded that my experience with God would be identical to my experience with my mother. A heavenly Father would also keep His distance so I better not ask for much.

Four decades later, in my forties, I had a vivid dream that healed my soul. I was a child in a dirty blue dress.  I was standing in the middle of a bombed out city like Berlin in WWII. Rubble all around me. It was post-war and I was lost, not knowing where to go or what to do. Way down the street, there was a man kneeling in the dust. He was facing me, down on one knee. Looking at me intently, he opened his arms to me in invitation. It was Jesus. That day, in my dreams, after much deliberation, I ran to the refuge of His embrace. I came with all of the baggage of my past story. Shame, rejection, self-doubt, and disappointment. I came out of hiding. Since that day in my forties, I’ve been internalizing what Jesus is really like. His love is not like any person’s love. It is perfect, divine, healing, and safe.

Take in the beauty of His heart another way. The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

I can be a Christian all of my life and still be shy of God’s love. I dare believe that some of it is true – but in the places I’ve been burned most – I doubt that He can be trusted. Oh, but He can. He’s kneeling. Inviting. Reassuring. And He’s patient. I need not run in any other direction but to the One waiting at a respectful distance.

Thank you for sweeping the girl in the blue dress off her feet. Amen

Save

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.  Psalm 143:10

 If each of us is a container for the Spirit of God to live His life, why is He not on full display through the people of His church?

I’m convinced that life is one long series of choices where I choose whether or not to quench the Spirit. He speaks; but then I turn my ear toward more enticing voices. He suggests; but I ignore His suggestions and adopt something that promises instant gratification. He begs obedience; but I procrastinate and then live in perpetual guilt. He woos me to behold Him in all His glory; but my desire for him is dulled by the lights and glitter of Babylon.

The only time I am more than willing to drown out everything that competes with the Spirit is when I suffer. My need of Him is stronger than my need for things that offer little consolation. Stripped of everything that used to matter, Jesus is in full view. His voice is clear and merciful. “I’m here!” His invitation is gracious though I don’t deserve the welcome He extends for this prodigal’s homecoming. As I sink into waves of mercy, He proceeds to say what He has said across the ages to repentant sinners. “Go and sin no more.” Of course. How could I think of doing less after such a lifesaving encounter!  And yet I do.

Are you in great need today?  Need is a gift because it focuses our eyes on the One we need but rarely depend on.  Like you, my greatest God-moments were experienced in fiery trials.  And like you, my dullest spiritual experiences were lived in the ‘valley of no need.’  The truth is ~ I am always in great need but shy away from asking God to show me exactly where.  My pride tempts me to pretend that I’m stronger than I really am.  Then, self-sufficiency quenches the Spirit.  I lose.  My world loses.

Show me my need, even when Your conviction burns.  In Jesus name, Amen

As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.  Psalm 18:30

Truth and love are always paired in the context of the Gospel. God speaks that way and as His child, I am asked to communicate with others like this too. Truth can be brutal but when wrapped in love and kindness, it need not injure needlessly. It can instruct and encourage. But how many have claimed to be truth tellers in the name of Christ, only to do long-term damage to a child or young disciple? Even the most seasoned Christian can be brought low in an instant by reckless words spoken without grace.

The only cure for the deep pain of others’ words is to allow God to speak the truth in the context of love and tenderness.  I must be willing to disown hurtful words and no longer have them define me in any way. These injurious comments should be dealt with severely at the cross, in prayer.  What do I do with the hurtful attitude of the one who originally spoke it?  I ask God to remove the arrows of their intent.  If their comments came with anger or revenge, Jesus will deal with the spirit that came with the words and cleanse me from all their effects.

For each of us who has sustained damage from the words of another, I must isolate the words, reflect on them, examine the damage, and then talk to Jesus about it all. I must own any sinful reactions I had to their sin against me. Anger, revenge, sharp retorts, etc.. How do I heal?  Here is a prayer.

“Lord, nullify the effects of these comments under the power of Your shed blood. Take these words from my mind and my heart.  Remove the arrows that wounded my soul so deeply.   Make it as though the words had never been spoken.  I forgive the person who spoke them and give up my right to take revenge.  I put this person in Your hands for You to rule righteously.  Arise on my behalf.  Hear my prayer.  Hold me, breathe over me, kiss my heart with Your living Word and may I live in abundant life.  Lord, I stand today on Your promise.  “The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings.”  Malachi 4:2   Because of Jesus, I pray…Amen