Month: February 2022

I will bless the Lord at all times.  His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 34:1

If you were fleeing from someone who was intent on killing you, would you be able to speak these words from your heart? According to a commentary, David probably wrote this psalm while hiding in a cave, knowing that King Saul was pursuing him to kill him.  You can read about this in 1 Samuel, chapter 20.  David had been warned by King Saul’s son Jonathan, and David fled.

            Think about this.  How was David able to focus on praise and encouraging others when his life was in danger? The answer is in the rest of the psalm.  “I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (verse 4).  “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (verse 7).  “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry” (verses 15). 

            It was David’s knowledge of God and faith in His promises and constant presence that caused Him to praise instead of fear in spite of life-threatening danger. 

            As I write these words, war has just begun in Ukraine.  Russian forces have begun bombing.  A natural reaction would be fear, even for those of us thousands of miles away.  But for those who know the Lord, we can choose to trust God – no matter what!  Here’s a summary of David’s encouraging words from Psalm 34 that I will choose to follow.  Be encouraged as you read his words:

Praise God continually (Remember who God is and what He has done in the past.)

Boast in the Lord (Trust Him, not our own strength or abilities.)

Magnify and exalt the Lord together (Be in community with other believers for encouragement and remind each other of our Lord and His promises.)

Seek the Lord (Cry out to Him in times of trouble.  He hears and answers and saves. Get to know Him better through spending time in the Word, meditating on His promises, and prayer.)

Fear Him (Have reverent respect and obedience as you follow Him.)

Take refuge in Him (He hears when we cry out to Him.  He answers, delivers, saves those who take refuge in Him. In times of trouble, we can be confident in His power and constant presence with us.)

Listen (Choose to obey what we hear Him say to us.)

Keep from evil; do good; seek peace (Keep following Jesus! He is the One who will bring justice.)

I’m challenged by David’s words to praise the Lord continually – no matter how I feel – no matter what the circumstances.  Those who trust in Him have no cause to fear.  I’m convinced of God’s knowledge of what is going on at all times, and He is sovereign over all things. 

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Are you experiencing fearful circumstances in your life right now?  How are you encouraged by these words?

Maybe you know someone who needs to hear this truth from God’s Word. We can ask the Lord for opportunities to share encouragement with others.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…

Psalm 27:4a

If you could ask the Lord for one thing, what would it be?  This week I wrote discussion questions for my women’s Bible study on Psalm 27.  I love the way David expressed his “one thing” desire – to seek the Lord, and to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.”  At the time David was living, that is where God’s presence was known, in the holy of holies in the tabernacle, and later in the temple that David’s son Solomon built.

But now, as those who have received the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus, we are the temple of God, and His Holy Spirit lives in us! (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).  Stop for a moment, and let that truth sink into your heart!  We don’t have to travel to a temple to meet with the Lord.  He is with us at all times and promises never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  The Holy Spirit lives in us! I wish I had known that earlier in my life!

In John 6:38, we read Jesus’ “one thing” desire: “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him [the Father] who sent Me.”  If our desire is to do the will of the Father, we need to depend on the Holy Spirit in us to lead us and show us God’s will, and then trust Him to give us all that we need to do it! We can even ask God to change our hearts and give us that desire.

I love the promise in Luke 11:13 (New Living Translation): “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” The Holy Spirit comes to live in every believer at the moment of salvation.  The “much more” God tells us to ask for, I believe, is more awareness of His constant presence, more awareness of our need to depend on Him for the ability to hear His voice as He speaks to us and leads us according to the Father’s will.  As we experience more and more of His presence in our lives, we become more like Jesus, listening to Him, obeying, following His will and purpose for our lives. We can trust Him throughout every day, knowing that He loves us and that nothing touches our lives without His knowledge and permission.

David cried out to the Lord with his desire, and the Lord answered, “Seek My face.”  And David responded, “My heart said to You, Your face, O Lord, I shall seek” (Psalm 27:8). So, what does it mean to seek the Lord’s face? It means to spend time with Him regularly, getting to know Him better as we read His Word, to see who He is and what He has done for us.  As we begin to understand how much He loves and cares for us, we will have a deepening relationship with Him that will strengthen our faith to trust Him with every moment of our lives, and make us willing daily to follow His will and purpose for our lives, no matter what!

Daniel Henderson, author of the book “Transforming Prayer,” says this about seeking God:

God calls us to an intimate encounter as we pursue Him with all our hearts.  In my understanding, to seek his face means to set our hearts to seek Him in worship with biblical understanding, submitting completely to the control of His Spirit with a longing to know and enjoy Him more.  Again, it is not about rehearsing a quick list of needs with God, but seeking Him because of who He is, with a passion for deeper intimacy and experience of His presence.  

PERSONAL REFLECTION

What is the “one thing” you would ask from the Lord?

He invites us to ask for more of His Holy Spirit.  Do you want more of His presence and power in your life?  He delights in answering that prayer.

What steps will you take to seek His face?

I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail.  And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

Luke 22:32

On the night of Jesus’ last Passover supper with His disciples, He told them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, “I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.” Jesus knew that He would be betrayed and arrested that night, and knew all that He would be crucified the very next day. But He lovingly took the time to give Peter ahead of time a message he would desperately need to hear.

Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crowed the next morning, he would deny even knowing Jesus three times. Peter heroically responded immediately, “Lord, Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny You.” Jesus told Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, and once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”  (I love the New Living translation of Jesus’ words: “So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”)

You may be very familiar with the story.  Jesus was betrayed and arrested that night in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was taken to the house of the high priest and spent the night being questioned by the Jewish authorities.  Peter was waiting in the courtyard, warming himself by the fire.  Three times during the night, he was recognized and accused of being with Jesus.  And three times Peter denied it, even cursing and swearing, saying he did not even know Jesus.  But when he heard the rooster crow in the morning, he remembered Jesus’ words, and he began to weep. His failure to keep his promise to the Lord he loved was devastating.

The words in Luke 22:32, that Jesus had prayed for Peter, are the words God spoke to my heart after my own devastating experience of turning away from Him.  You may have read my story before. After many years of knowing God and even teaching His Word, I turned away from Him and became involved in an affair that nearly destroyed my marriage. After several months of separation and planning to divorce, God called me back home.   But I’m thinking a lot about faith now as I am currently writing Bible studies from the book of Psalms.  I’m reminded again of God’s words to Peter that are so precious to me.  The Lord had prayed for me, as He had for Peter, that my faith would not fail.  And when I turned back to Him, I knew I was forgiven.  I knew He still loved me.  His love, His grace, His mercy, His power to change my heart and my marriage have created an unshakeable foundation of trust in my Lord.

I received the words Jesus spoke to Peter as His words to me: “When you have returned to Me, strengthen your brothers” (and I always add “sisters!”).  God could have set me aside as useless.  But He called me back to Himself, restored me, as He restored Peter, and He has given me a ministry of encouraging others by writing and leading women’s Bible studies and weekly devotional messages.

Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us! I believe He is praying for us that our faith will not fail.  He knows the temptations we will face, and He has given His followers all that we need to resist those temptations as we trust Him and depend on His Holy Spirit living in us to strengthen us. And when we fall, He is there to hear our cry for help, and He will deliver us. 

Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Can you identify with Peter in his failure?

Will you choose to receive God’s loving words of forgiveness and restoration, knowing that He prays for you?

How do you respond to the knowledge that He is praying for you?

You may want to write a prayer expressing your heart.

We walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

One of my favorite men of the Bible is Abraham.  What impresses me so much is his absolute faith in God.  In Genesis 12:1-4 we read: “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing… So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him.

Hebrews 11:8 says “By faith Abraham (called Abram until God later changed his name), when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.”  That’s what I love so much about him.  He didn’t argue with God, he didn’t complain about leaving his family, he didn’t require a road map of where he would be going or any details about what life would be like if he obeyed.  God said “Go,” and Abram went! 

God had promised Abram that he would be the father of many nations.  Romans 4:19-21 tells of the impossibility of that promise being fulfilled in human terms:  Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

And then we read in Genesis 21 about the birth of Isaac, at the time God had appointed.  Imagine the joy of God’s promise fulfilled after so many years of waiting!  But some years later, chapter 22 begins with God testing Abraham’s faith.  He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” Verse 3 says, “So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son, and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” There is no mention of Abraham arguing with God or delaying to follow His command.  He left early the next morning!

Abraham prepared all he would need for the sacrifice of his son.  He had the knife ready in his hand to slay Isaac.  At that moment, Abraham heard an angel of the Lord calling to him from heaven.  He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”  Abraham looked up, and just behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.  Again, God clearly told Abram to “Go,” and he went!

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  We can’t see all that God is doing.  But if we belong to Him, we can wholeheartedly trust His promises in His Word.  Here are some of God’s promises that I keep on my desk to review often:

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.  [One of the Hebrew names of God is El Roi, the God who sees.]

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

John10:4 When He puts forth all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.

From Jesus Calling, October 27th:  As you become increasingly aware of My Presence, you find it easier to discern the way you should go… Instead of wondering about what is on the road ahead or worrying about what you should do if…or when…, you can concentrate on staying in communication with Me.  When you actually arrive at a choice-point, I will show you which direction to go.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

How have you experienced God’s leading in your life? 

Can you think of something He has called you to do that seems impossible?

Will you follow Abraham’s example and just obey without question when God has made it clear what He wants you to do?

What would keep you from doing what He asks?