p s a l m 4 6, v v. 1 - 3 ~ s e l a h

p s a l m 4 6, v v. 1 - 3

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Selah.

[God] is more present than friend or relative can be; yes, more present than even trouble itself. Spurgeon, Treasury of David

S e l a h We can sit and wait while earth dissolves, mountains race, and oceans roar.

S e l a h We can calmly confront the danger, meditate on the terror, dwell on its separate items and united forces.

S e l a h We do not suspend our song in alarm, but we tune our harps with deliberation in the midst of the storm.

Unfortunately, too often we speak in haste, lay our bewildered, trembling hands on the strings, and strike the lyre with a rude crash, marring the melody of our life song. Spurgeon, Treasury of David

April 2 - Keep Looking Up

A-ha! Here I am, writing on the blog :) I have wanted to write the last few days but, alas, time did not allow.

Today's devotion said a lot about depression, and I am not going to focus on that...it is a topic for another day. Rather, I want to talk about the eyes being kept heavenward!

I just drove back from New Mexico (home away from home) and I have to tell you that your eyes are easily cast to the heavens...in fact, they are drawn there...why? Well, there is little distraction when you look out and see only the fields that stretch out and lead into the plains ... the plains give way to the mountains and their majesty. The song by George Strait played often during our drive through the deserts and we could see God's fingerprints all around us.

I remember China and the city of Guangzhou (Gwon-Joe) where it was buildings all around. I remember coming out of LAX and, to my surprise, the first thing I noticed was the SKY! It was night but it still caught my eye...the openness of El Segundo (!) Of course, in contrast to driving back from New Mexico or toward Arkansas, you gain a new perspective on openness. But, there in lies the truth. It is in our perspective and our disposition toward God that leads our eyes heavenward, is it not?

"...They looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud." In reading chapter 16 of Exodus today, I was struck by certain pronouns. In verse 3 the Israelites complain that "you have brought us out into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" and they are talking to Moses. But Moses did not lead them into the wilderness, God did. Moses points out to them in verse 6 and again in 8 that it is God that their complaints are against.

In verse 3 it says that "the children of Israel said to (Moses and Aaron), 'Oh that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, where we sat by the pots of me and when we ate bread to the full!'..." They acknowledge God's hand in Egypt but not in the desert. Clearly they have no faith or, at best, little faith. But then, in verse 6 it says that Moses and Aaron spoke to "all the children of Israel." This indicates to me that it was not all that approached them in complaint. In verse 20 it says that "some" of the Israelites did not heed Moses instructions regarding taking only enough food for them to eat and not store any for later. That means others did follow instructions. Again in verse 27, "some" of the people went out on the Sabbath to gather food even though they were told it would not be there and had been told to gather twice as much on the day before. Again, this means that there were others obeying instructions...others with greater faith...those that had they eyes on the cloud of God's glory, shall we say, heavenward. Just as there were some among the Israelites (God's chosen people) with little faith or no faith, there are those within the church with little faith or no faith. (In studying the New Testament we learn that the nation of Israel as God's chosen people is a foreshadow of the church.) I say all of this, because we need to pray for each other...the saved and unsaved...the little faith and the great faith. And, we need to pray for ourselves..."(Lord) Increase our faith." Lk 17:5.

In our prayer meetings after the Sabbath sermon, a woman always prays for those in the church that are unsaved. The first time I heard her, it struck me as odd. But each week that she prayed for the unsaved among us in the church especially the children, I became more and more aware of the need for this particular prayer. I then interpreted this need for faith as a need for increased faith among the faithful. Then, I read this,

We need, also, to guard against unbelief as we would against an enemy.
Faith needs to be cultivated. We need to keep on praying. "Lord, increase our
faith." for faith is susceptible of increase. Paul's tribute to the Thessalonians was, that their faith grew exceedingly. Faith is increased by exercise, by being put into use. It is nourished by sore trials.

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Faith grows by reading and meditating upon the Word of God. Most, and best of all, faith thrives in an atmosphere of prayer.

It would be well, if all of us were to stop, and inquire personally of ourselves: "Have I faith in God? Have I real faith--faith which keeps me in perfect peace, about the things of earth and the things of heaven?" (The Necessity of Prayer by E. M. Bounds, p 21)

In conclusion, I read these words yesterday which struck me square between the eyes and I believe they relate very well to our keeping our eyes HEAVENWARD:

I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to
fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth "home." Before
you know it, I am calling luxuries "needs" and using my money just the way
unbelievers do...I don't think much about people perishing. Missions and
unreached peoples drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of
grace. I sink into a secular mindset that looks first to what man can do, not
what God can do. It is a terrible sickness. (Don't Waste Your Life by John
Piper, p 112)

FAITH

God honors FAITH! This 3 little word sentence says lots and is filled with motivation. When it seems that FAITH is hard to come by - this sentence spurs me on. Sometimes, as weak little human sinners, we need some kind of motivator. The really sad thing for me is that FAITH isn't gained once - NO! it is something that you have to continually strive for. Wouldn't it be easy if once you obtained great FAITH it was yours at that same degree forever? Well, for some reason (maybe that God wants us to exercise our spiritual muscles) we get to wake up each day and deem in our hearts that today we are going to TRUST and have FAITH in our God. If we can't seem to do anything else - this should be our daily goal - and sometimes our every breath goal.

I did NOT think I was the endurance athlete in my family - but apparently, we were a little mixed up in our thinking. The triathlete got to be the sprinter in life and the couch potatoe got to be the ultra marathoner of the family. Endurance is gained by mere discipline. Disciplining your spirit is an all out war. Good thing that I have God (the victor) on my side. A big part of that discipline is waking each morning and declaring my TRUST and FAITH for the day. Don't think of it over the long haul - for this is very discouraging to an endurance athlete - a really good friend told my girls not so long ago, "we'll run from this light post to the next and then we will walk from that light post to the next." Taking our lives in this manner greatly reduces the overwhelmingness of life and has a tremendous advantage with our abilities to have FAITH. God is AMAZING in all circumstances - be they heart ripping or joy topping. Trust Him and He will honor you in ways that you can not even fathom. Live your lives for Him and Him alone. The rewards are so beautiful!

(I am also posting this on the streams blog - so that my really dear friend will NOT be mad at me)

Mar 21 - Increasing Faith

"According to your faith be it unto you" Matthew 9:29

When I give out a copy of Streams in the Desert, I always recommend that the devotion be read followed by reading the Bible chapter that the verse is taken from, in today's case, Matthew chapter 9. Before I get to Matthew 9, let's look at a few of the statements in today's readings:

"Praying through" might be defined as praying one's way into full faith,..." c-bug said once during devotions, "we cannot go around this or under this, we have to go through this." She was referring to the grief and mourning that lay ahead of her and her family.

"...no earthly circumstances can hinder the fulfillment of His Word..." Thank God that our ignorance, mistakes, wants, etc. cannot thwart the fulfillment of His promises.

So, reading today's devotion, I am left looking at the verse "According to your faith be it unto you." I read chapter 9 of Matthew and in this chapter there are several examples of Jesus healing according to the faith of those in need. "When Jesus saw their faith" bringing the lame man to Him, He healed (9:2). To the woman who touched the hem of His garment to be made well, He said, "your faith has made you well"(9:22). He raised the daughter of the ruler from the dead because the ruler believed He could (9:18). Two blind men begged Him for mercy, and He asked, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" and then He told them, "According to your faith let it be to you." Again he heals a mute and demon possessed man because of the faith demonstrated in the act of bringing this man to Jesus (9:32). Again and again, we see in this chapter the deomonstration of faith and the results of the faith.

In Luke 17:5, the disciples cry out to Jesus, "Lord, increase our faith." This is what our prayer needs to be every day. Our faith is not to be left stale or 'as is' but instead, it should be increasing every day. This beggs the question, How?? How do we increase our faith? I have begun reading a book by E. M. Bounds (an author introduced to me in Streams) and I will share with you some of his comments that I highlighted yesterday (while I was getting highlights LOL):

"Faith is increased by exercise, by being put into use. It is nourished by sore trials."

"Faith grows by reading and meditation upon the Word of God. Most, and best of all, faith thrives in an atmosphere of prayer."

"Doubt and fear are the twin foes of faith."

In closing for today, I leave this quote found also in E.M. Bounds book "The Necessity of Prayer."

"Ask of God more faith. Beg of Him morning, and noon and night, while you walk by the way, while you sit in the house, when you lie down and when you rise up; beg of him simply to impress divine things more deeply on your heart, to give you more and more of the substance of things hoped for and of the evidence of things not seen." -anonymous

Hallelujah!

As I settled in just now and prepared to share my thoughts, I first read the last few entries by M and I realized I had been found out! I pretty much only post on the Lord's Day. Most days, I read the devotion in the book, but don't seem to find time to read the blog or post until Sunday. Thanks for encouraging me, M-- Each week, I really look forward to checking out this blog and hopefully finding something to say.
So, here it goes... God has been driving home the same point to me everywhere I turn. I mentioned it a little last week. I hear it from the people I talk to, it's in the books I read and today it was in two separate devotions. One being Streams and the other being The Christian in Complete Armor. Streams sums it up this way, "The saints' burdens are God given." The saints burdens are God given. The saints burdens are God given!!!!!!!!!! Hallelujah! I have known this since my conversion, but just now am beginning to learn to rejoice in this blessed truth.
From The Christian in Complete Armor... "Know this for certain: If we had not been Satan's prisoner first, we would not fully understand or appreciate our deliverance at last. God permits Satan's temporary reign in order to increase the saint's eternal joy. Does this sound like a paradox? Think about your own life, and you will find that often the occasions for the greatest joy arise from the ashes of suffering. Scripture gives three illustrations of great joy: the joy of a new mother, the joy of a prosperous farmer, and the joy of a successful soldier. The exultation of all three is harvested from hard soil. It costs the travailing woman great pain, the farmer many months of backbreaking labor, and the soldier grave peril, before they come to their reward. But at last they are paid in full. And it is a peculiar attribute of sorrow that its past remembrance so often adds a sweetness to our present joy."
I find myself greiving with people in their pain, but there is a little spot of joy in me, believing that the Lord can use their sorrow to mature them in a way that is otherwise impossible to achieve. I pray that their difficulties will drive them into the hand of God and will not lead them into bitterness. I pray that my difficulties will drive me into the hand of God and will not lead me into bitterness. The world looks different when we believe God's sovereignity. May we all have a godly perspective on sorrows and difficulties through the power of the Holy Spirit. May our "greatest joy arise from the ashes of suffering." Christ suffered enormously more than we ever will. May we rejoice with Christ in his victory over our sins and his care for our sorrows.

J

Mar 8 - Promises

There is only one Promise Keeper...everyone else is a promise breaker. What great comfort in knowing that He keeps His promises. In fact, where would we be if He did not keep His promises. Recently, my children and I read the story of Noah and there He made a promise to never destroy the world again by flood. I have to wonder at the very fact that He promises us anything to begin with. He certainly doesn't owe us a promise. It is only another indication of His love for us in that while we are sinners, He cares for us.
At the beginning of today's devotion reading. F. B. Meyer says of prayer, 'many times we ask for things which are not absolutely promised.' My children and I pray together every day. I noticed that every day they would each pray and include this phrase somewhere in their prayer, "God, help us to have a good day today." Last week, I said to them that I wanted them to think about what they each meant by that phrase "a good day" and then we would talk about it later that night during devotions.
Each of us prays along those lines...the 'having a good day' prayer...but what does it mean exactly? Are we asking God to give us all that we want that day? Are we being shallow and hoping He'll save the best parking spots for us, etc.? Are we being righteous and hoping we don't sin all day? Are we being servants and wanting to 'do good' all through the day? When we pray for a 'good day' are we praying God's promises? In truth, all of our days are good...each are numbered along with the strands of our hair. Each day from Him is a good day. How we see the day or interpret the day is negotiable, but that they are good is not questionable.
God doesn't change...another promise from God. We change. We are fickel. Our tastebuds change and our taste in clothes change. Our habits change and our hobbies change. Our priorities change. But God never changes.
God is so full of promises...great promises of love toward us...but how can we pray and receive the promises that we don't know about? We must first produce the promise...meaning, "Look, here, God. You say in Your Word that You will never leave me nor forsake me. I claim the fullfillment of that promise right now...in this very moment of discouragement. I call out to anyone who can hear me that my God will not leave me alone here...I cannot see Him but He is here."
Sisters, we are only here for a "moment"...and, truth be told, we are pressed on all sides for a purpose...to be squeezed until all that is left is what is pure ...what is true.
I hope that you are all blessed with a wonderful day of rest tormorrow.
I also hope that Jalamadreamer posts her Sunday tidbit...I do look forward to her Sabbath reflections on Streams.

leaving the stream for the well (just for a moment)

Taking a risk that no one will stone me for departing from Streams to take a drink from the well that is found in the Psalms, drawn by the pen of C.H. Spureon...

Psalm 41:12a
As for me, You uphold me in my integrity...

Your power enables me to rise above the reach of slander by living in purity and righteousness. Our innocence and consistency are the result of divine upholding. We are like drinking glasses that do not have a base but can only be upright while they are held in the hand. We fall, spill, and spoil all, if left to ourselves. the Lord should be praised when we are preserved from gross sin. When others sin, they show us what we would do but for grace. "He today, and I tomorrow," was the exclamation of a holy man when he saw another falling into sin. Our integrity is comparative as well as dependent; we must therefore be humbled while we are grateful. If we are clear of all alleged faults, we still have enough actual blame to make it shameful to boast (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David).

I must thank God for His divine upholding! And I must also thank Him for when He allows me to sin even while He is upholding me. "The most wise, righteous, and gracious God does oftentimes leave, for a season, His own children to manifold temptations, and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and, to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon Himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends" (Westminster Confession of Faith V.5).