Heads Up

Psalm 3: 3                   KJV

But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

Do you remember the old song written from this verse? It has really been running through my head lately. I think I saw it better the other day than ever before. Proclaiming God as the lifter of my head never really meant that much to me until I realized that people who are sad, under pressure or in trouble literally go around with their head down. That is when it struck me that our Father carries the weight of our trials and comforts us so that we are no longer bowed down.

There is the story, in Luke 13: 11, of a woman who was plagued by an evil spirit for eighteen years. This woman was hunched over so that she could not stand up straight. In other words, she was bowed over. We believe that story was about a disabling spirit which tormented her with a physical disease, but one can also imagine a person who is bowed over from the cares of the world. Perhaps their worries are plentiful or have been ongoing for a long period of time and the weight of those troubles have bowed their shoulders.

Our God is the remedy for these woes. He does not intend that we stay bowed over in torment, as seen in Jesus’ response to the woman that was bowed over, “When Yeshua (Jesus) saw her, He called out to her and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your disability.’ Then He laid hands on her, and instantly she stood up straight and began praising God,” (Luke 13: 12 – 13 TLV). I like her response too, don’t you? She began to praise God because she knew Him as the source of her healing.

The same manifestation of God’s grace is available today. Our Father is still our shield and He still is the one who lifts our head when we are under the weather or under pressure. He heals our minds, restores our bodies and comforts our souls. He is the source of all goodness in the universe and, therefore, should be the first person to whom we turn.

As you begin your morning, renew your mind to this old truth. Remember today that God is with you. Put Him out in front of you so He can shield you from the enemy even as He guards your heart.

Singing Through the Rain

Psalm 69: 13

But as for me, my prayer is to Thee.

David was in great distress, but he knew to whom to turn. He sought people to sympathize with him. He looked for comforters among men. Ultimately, though, salvation and compassion are in the arms of the Lord.

There is something very interesting about this Psalm. It is equally a lament of Jesus as of David. Read the entire psalm with the thought that Jesus wrote it and you will be amazed. Jesus’ problems were those which are common to us all and are mirrored in the passionate songs of David.

In David’s passion, we can read so much of our own hearts, the trials and victory of Jesus, and the faithfulness of the Father. Walking through these Psalms is a journey of the heart. If you allow yourself, you feel the pain and struggles of the writers. You will also experience the victory in Jesus which is always the end of the story. David wrote of his woe, but then he lifted his head and saw the Father. “My prayer is to You,” he sang. Regardless of the trials, despite the hardships, he knew his daily salvation from every challenge and danger was in the Father.

Do you have challenges in your life right now? Fear not! The Father, Son and Spirit are standing by to assist and comfort you. I encourage you, also, to take a stroll through the psalms. Let your heart hear the anguish yet ultimate victory. Be encouraged. What God did for David, He will do for you.

Vanishing Enemies

Isaiah 41: 11

Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish.

Trouble comes. You know that. Even for Christians there are challenges. Sometimes I think we ought to be able to live charmed lives where nothing can touch us but that is fantasy. In reality problems affect everyone. The secret is in how we deal with those issues and how we let them affect us. We really can live above the fray, above the chaos if we will let Jesus be Lord of our entire day rather than just our philosophical Lord. What do I mean by that? We have all given our lives and hearts to Jesus. We have asked him to be Lord of our lives and we are sincere in our surrender to his lordship. However, Monday morning always comes and in the clamor of all that must be done we lose sight of our position with Christ. That is why it is so good to give the Lord even just a few minutes in the morning before you are confronted with the tasks of the day. We need to re-establish first thing in the morning Jesus as Lord over our lives and, significantly, over every minute of our day. Then throughout the day when issues and questions present themselves we take them to Jesus. If he is Lord then he ought to have a say in what goes on. When we systematically apply Jesus’ lordship to everything we do and to everything that invades our lives then we can move from the center of the tumult. Jesus fights the battles, completes our task lists, multiplies our time and does everything else we need.  

You can’t fight the battles on your own because your detractors will lie and cheat. You need the supernatural power that the trinity can provide. If you want to look around and find the enemy just gone, then you need to put the problem in Jesus’ hand and leave it there. Sometimes that is a minute by minute process but when you allow the lordship of Jesus to prevail over the problems of your life then it becomes his problem rather than your own. That is when you will look around and find that those who contended with you are as nothing. We don’t pray against them, of course. We don’t have to. And if you truly understand today’s verse you will understand very clearly why Jesus told us to pray for our enemies. Those who attack, criticize and condemn us are walking into a hornet’s nest of their own making. The bad seeds they are sowing are going to sprout and produce a bountiful crop of trouble for them. We need to pray for them because if they mess with you they are going to be shamed and dishonored, be as nothing and perish. Okay, not a good forecast.

God is on your side. He is in your corner. Let Him be your fight manager. Let Him be the boss, the Lord and then the outcome is assured. You will arise and your enemies are going to suffer. Pray for your enemies because they have signed a destruction order over their own lives. Get a big revelation of Jesus as Lord of your challenges and step out of the turmoil and into his glorious victory. Amen.