Enthroned

On June 1, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 102: 12 – 22

But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord: “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.

This is a large selection of text today, but hopefully it reveals a central truth and comfort. You might be interested to know that the title of today’s psalm is, “A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.” What a title! However, this segment of the psalm does not sound like it is written by a person in despair and that is the key lesson. From despair, we lift our heads and see God’s glory.

The author may have wondered, like many other saints, “Where is God?” In times of trouble, it may seem God has abandoned us. However, as the psalmist indicates, our God is still on the throne and He reigns. He will save Zion, and your town, and rain down upon it His compassion and favor. Though the author was afflicted and had grown weak, yet he says of God, “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.” Then he tells us that this is recorded for a future generation, i.e. for us, that we might have courage and confidence in our time of need.

We are not abandoned, and God is not ignoring our plight. He attends to the prayer of the destitute, the needy. We will not ignore our cry for help. God will save us. He is with us and we will yet praise His name as we assemble to worship His name. His love surrounds and keeps us. He is Lord Protector and Father. Let us leave a testimony for a future generation too, that our Father lifted us and showed us His favor in our time of need.

Glory to God! Let the earth sing. Praises be to Yahweh; Father, Lord and Savior. Come Lord Jesus, show us your grace; shower us in your mercy and favor. Lift our heads that we might praise you with a joyful voice. Let the world see the beauty of your countenance as you touch and bless through your presence, your glorious, shining presence with your people. Amen.

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Chosen

On July 26, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 41: 9

I have chosen you and not rejected you.

Did you know that God has chosen you? Do you know that you are precious to him? Sometimes we think that the only people God has chosen and called are those called into ministry. That just isn’t true. It took me awhile to understand the call on my life but now I can help you. I thought He was calling me into business as a Christian business person. Then I thought He was calling me into law. And while those were appointments for a time, I finally realized that the real call on my life was to Him. And just the same, He is calling you to himself. That is the call on your life. Yeah, it may ultimately manifest in a variety of ways, but you need not worry about that. He will lead you into your path once you have answered His call. You need not concern yourself with what He has called you to in terms of a task or an occupation. All you have to do is recognize that He has called and chosen you. Answer Him. It is no different than when you were a child and a parent called you. They meant for you to go to them. They called you to themselves. Then you would go find them. This is the same with God. He is calling. He has chosen you. He has not rejected you. Go to Him. Seek Him.

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Not Forsaken

On November 22, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 22: 1

My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?

Many people recognize these words as having been spoken by Jesus from the cross. When the sin of the world hit him, he was isolated from his father. Did you realize, though, David penned the same words and that they are recorded in the 22nd Psalm? Appreciating that fact made me think that other people have likely felt the same way at some time in their lives. I know I have. Yet, if you read the rest of David’s psalm, you hear how his attitude changed. The end of the psalm is written in confidence and gratitude for God’s delivering power.

David went through some challenges in his life but he well knew that the Lord was his strength. No matter how bad things got; no matter how worried David became, in his depths he knew God would deliver him. From deep within him, the strength of the Lord would rise up. David’s trust and confidence in the Lord would overwhelm the greatest of problems. Before long, he would be writing a psalm of praise extolling the Lord’s delivering grace.

No matter how alone you feel and how desperate your situation appears, know for a fact that the Lord has not abandoned nor forsaken you. I know it feels like you are alone but just like David, when you take your eyes off of the enormity of the problems surrounding you and put them back on your Father, you will find that He was standing right beside you the whole time. He is well able and willing to deliver you from this present trouble. Trust his love and power.

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Never Forsaken

On March 22, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Hebrews 13: 5 – 6                 Index Card 6

He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

This verse speaks about confidence and I find myself thinking, “Yes, this is the kind of confidence I need.” I want to be unafraid. I want to abound in radical trust in the Lord. Life will certainly take on a different flavor when we trust the Lord that extensively. We will answer His call on our lives. We will believe we can do what he says we can do because he is our helper. We are not alone. He will not abandon us.

I used to often feel lonely. Now I almost never do. I have grown in my awareness of God with me, Jesus in me and the Holy Spirit leading me. I certainly am not in the full radical trust in the Lord Jesus that I would like to live but I have learned that he is always with us and thus, we never have to feel alone or lonely. His word is good and it is true. He will never leave us nor forsake us. You will never be abandoned or left to fend on your own. Amen.

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In His Arms

On July 21, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 27: 10

For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me up.

Have your ever felt forsaken? Almost everyone feels some level of abandonment or rejection at some point in their lives. If you have gone through a divorce you may have suffered through feelings of abandonment. Maybe a parent was not completely present for you or their death left you feeling like an orphan. One can experience these feelings either from a spouse, parent, boyfriend or girlfriend. You might have even gone through a period when you felt all of your friends abandoned you. You may even feel abandoned by your children. The point is that most everyone goes through a period where they at least felt abandoned and certainly there are real instances of abandonment. These feelings of rejection can be devastating and have lifelong implications. They are not only life altering but life determinative by which I mean that if one has experienced deep feelings of abandonment at a young age they may never develop into the person that God created them to be. Their lives could be determined by the injury rather than by the blessing of God. That is a great loss.

There is great news though. No matter how devastated we have felt, we have never been orphaned, never once left alone or forsaken. At every one of those uncomfortable bends in the road the Lord, our God and Father, has been standing there with His arms open. Actually that is an understatement. He wasn’t just waiting for us to jump into His arms but rather He was carrying us. In the midst of our pain we may not have felt His love and support but it was there as was He.

Can you remember instances in your life when you felt the deep pain of abandonment and rejection? If you will mentally and emotionally go back to those times and this time see your Holy Father there embracing you, you can rectify the damage that those injuries caused you. You do not have to go along all your life carrying the hurt from parents or other loved ones who did not meet your needs. You can be fully healed and restored. You are not alone and you never have been, not even for an instant. Your heavenly father has been ever present and ever loving. Fill those voids with the love that knows no bounds. Reach out for the love that heals.

It is tragic to see a life not only unfulfilled but tainted by hurts suffered. So many people continue to bear the scars and battle wounds when there is healing available. What’s worse is that we remain susceptible to further injury when we do not allow healing to take place. Even worse, we pass those injuries onto our children and other loved ones. There is no need when we have a father who is full of love and grace and has healing in His hands. Embrace the loving hands of the father and allow Him to take all the hurts away.

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