Psalm 18 - Simplicity

While reading in the Psalms this week, I was struck by yet another verse that was so simple, so unfitting in the Psalms, that it caught my eye.

Ps. 18:1 "I love you, O LORD, my strength."

David goes on for quite a while about all the things God has done in his life, from judgment to blessing. I really appreciate how David's conclusion after all of these events is actually in the first verse. Through life we see the many miracles of God every day. If we were to stop and think, I think we'd have a Psalm to write of our own that would go on for many pages. But, how often do we forget these things and let our current circumstances lead us away from being firm in who God is, how we feel towards Him and most of all, how we act towards Him? I'm challenged by this Psalm, as I hope you are, too. I hope we can see that it is possible to go through life allowing our cold hearts to render the miracles ineffective in our own lives. Let's have a conclusion like David! "I love you, O LORD, my strength." That should be our response and it is surely the response He desires most of all!

Psalm 111 "The Fear of God"

This week, I've been reading in Psalm 111. Verse 10 really struck me... "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." The way this really hits me is in the context of God's will and man's will seldom lining up. YWAMers and many others use the phrase "Take God out of the box you've put Him in." Obviously there's the understanding that God isn't really in a box but we've put Him there in our minds. What this really does is  limits the ways we get to see God working in our lives as we fail to recognize God's sovereign hand in the happenings around us. <-- Random tangent. ":)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. How many times do we take  the 'norm' of the world and try to force that upon God's ways or will? If we feared the LORD and had the correct understanding of how we simply can't understand His ways, I think we'd be a whole lot happier and wiser. Instead of looking to our own logic, we'd realize that the most logical thing would be to follow God's will no matter how odd, stupid or childish the acts He calls us to do seem. I truly believe we'd see so many more crazy Divine occurrences happen throughout our lives because we're willing to step out in faith because we fear the LORD.

Just some ramblings from a bran fried SBSer who is falling more and more in love with Jesus daily...

"I Would Satisfy You" Psalm 81

The past few weeks have certainly been heavy. All of my time has been spent in the world of the first couple generations of the Israelites. It’s been bittersweet as God’s glory, grace and love are shown over and over again, but only to be met with the unfaithfulness and idolatry of His people. They remind me so much of myself, over and over again declaring my love and faithfulness to God and yet, rejecting Him in a million ways the next day. However, His grace is still abundant. PRAISE GOD!

This week, I was reading in Psalm 81. The nation of Israel is called to sing out and rejoice over God’s faithfulness to the people in the face of their rejection. God says, “If you would but listen to me!” God desired for them a life of peace, relationship with Him. He desired to bless them and show His love to them every moment of every day. Instead, they constantly chose their own path, seeking to make their own way through the world; making themselves god. They refused to faithfully worship the real God and chose to worship the gods they created; a human way of controlling their life.

The nation of Israel, in PS 81 is called to rejoice over the fact that God had turned them over to destruction. They are to see it as a blessing that God chose to curse His people with their enemies having rule over them. The nation of Israel is to see that their relationship with God is worth more than anything and so, because this cursing caused them to turn back to God, they consider it a blessing and praise God for it.

This really challenges me. There have been many consequences in my life for the sin of myself and for that of those around me. There is no way I could honestly say I have lived as if these were also blessings. But, they are! My relationship with God, today, is stronger than it’s ever been. I’m in Taiwan studying His Word and having the amazing opportunity of deepened relationship with Him. I know that the pain I’ve suffered in life would never have been God’s intention. But what thankfulness I’m beginning to have that He didn’t just let me live my life in peace, never feeling the weight of my sin. Because of His actions towards me, I’ve turned away from a dead and sinful life. I’ve come into relationship with the Creator God whose desire is for me to live in peaceful relationship with Him, carrying out His will on earth and being led by Him every step of the way.

PRAISE GOD!

Psalm 114

You brought me out of the desert place
And set my feet upon the rock
So I could dwell in Your sweet embrace
Just so You and I could talk

In the presence of the Lord is my dwelling place
In the presence of the Lord is Your sweet embrace
In the presence of the Lord all else will fade
All else will fade
All else will fade
All else will fade

My past You put all behind me
A dry straight road lies ahead
The walls of the sea on either side of me
Draw me away from all I dread

In the presence of the Lord is my dwelling place
In the presence of the Lord is Your sweet embrace
In the presence of the Lord all else will fade
All else will fade
All else will fade
All else will fade

Tremble, O Earth, at the presence of the Lord

In the presence of the Lord is my dwelling place
In the presence of the Lord is Your sweet embrace
In the presence of the Lord all else will fade
All else will fade
All else will fade
All else will fade