My Strength, Song and Salvation
(KJV) Psalm 118:14 The LORD is my strength and song,
and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous:
the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted:
the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD hath chastened me sore:
but he hath not given me over unto death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness:
I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
20 This gate of the LORD,
into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me,
and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused
is become the head stone of the corner.
I love the songs of salvation. As a little girl the songs comprised of easy melodies giving way to four part harmonies. I found myself sometimes singing the alto line even when alone—it just came that easy. Songs like “Love Lifted Me,” “Victory in Jesus,” and “The Old Rugged Cross” became a part of my being, and I sought out the scriptures in which these songs were rooted.
As praise and worship music began to take hold I became enamored of songs like “Majesty” and “As the Deer Panteth for the Water.” The lyrics were made easy because they so closely mimicked the Scriptures.
Now I am old, and I find myself listening repeatedly to CeCe Winans singing “Come Jesus Come” a song that lends it self to singing, or listening to Nicole C. Mullin “I Know my Redeemer Lives.” My vocal cords are shattered, yet music still lives within my heart, and the music lifting high the name of Jesus is still the best.
May we today begin our morning by lifting high the cross of Jesus, praising Him in song for our salvation, relying on His strength which never fails.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Ready Yourselves
(KJV) Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
When Jonathan was in grade school, I drove carpool along with two other moms. When it was my week, I would not let the kids exit the car until we prayed, putting on the whole armor of God, and asking God to walk with them and keep them safe. Jon came to visit me on Mother’s Day and I was dismayed to learn he did not remember those mornings and the many prayers I prayed.
I still return to prayers of protection, prayers for strength and peace. And I am thankful for the reminder that our battle is not against fresh and blood, although it sure feels like it.
But about the time I am feeling sorry for myself and ready to give up, a short clip appears on Facebook reminding me and other women like me that the women God used in the Bible did not have it easy.
So, I put on the whole armor of God and wait on the Lord. Praise His Holy Name.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord our Strength
Ps 28 (NIV) 6 Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
I love the way David praises God. He recognizes who God is and how God impacts his life. I think of the praise and worship song, “What a mighty God we serve, What a mighty God we serve, Angels bow before Him, Heaven and Earth adore Him, What a mighty God we serve” and I think that song could have been written by David.
Wouldn’t it be a good spiritual practice if we followed David’s example and wrote psalms to God? In this psalm, David praises God’s strength and recognizes He is his source.
Recognizing God as our source is huge. When we admit that God is our provider, He is our present help in times of need, He is our hiding place when we are afraid, then we begin to live as kingdom people. Suddenly everything is seen through the lens of holiness
Today, as I start my day, I listen for the sound of His voice, I look above the battle of life for His banner and run to it for there I will find refuge. Then I consider those in my circle of friends and acquaintances who need prayer, and I pray that God’s banner over them is love.
May we use the Psalms as our guide for prayer, for comfort and for assurance.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and if the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What is Your Promised Land?
Josh 22 (NIV) 1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. 3 For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you.
4 Now that the LORD your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Back in the Forties, it was not uncommon for households to include grandparents, parents, their children and sometimes siblings and their children. In my own family, my grandmother and two of her daughters and their husbands lived together for years. I am sure for such an arrangement to work there had to be compromise and mutual love and respect.
In today’s scripture, we see 2 1/2 tribes who decided to settle together in the land east of Jordan. Why? They had large herds of cattle and when they reached the fertile land east if the Jordan they essentially said, “We’re home!”
There is generally no better feeling than being home. In this instance, the only condition to “going home” was the requirement to help the rest of the tribes conquer the Promised Land, and to keep God’s commandments.
Whether or not we have reached our “Promised Land,” may we hold fast to God and His unchanging hand, and may we serve Him with all of our heart and soul, keeping His commandments.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
El Roi, the God Who sees
Gen 16 (NIV) 7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. ”
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me, ” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
You will remember Sarai and Abram. Sarai tired of waiting for God to fulfill His promise to Abram that he would be the Father of many nations. So Sarai, rather than steadfastly waiting on God, urged Abram to take her handmaiden Hagar, an Egyptian, who got pregnant with Ishmael. But Hagar made fun of Sarai, and as a result Sarai made her life untenable. Hagar ran from Sarai to the desert. While Hagar was awaiting death, an angel found and delivered her and Hagar recognized one of God’s characteristics as “the Lord who sees—El Roi.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when once we practice to deceive. I am convinced the primary reason God speaks against divorce and remarriage is our inability to handle multiple spouses and families. Yet in the Old Testament it was a common practice for a man to have multiple sexual partners. Why? Two possible reasons are (1) God told man to be fruitful and multiply, Gen 1:28) and, (2) it was a form of protection for a woman to be in the household of a man since women were largely untrained and uneducated.
Don’t you find comfort in knowing that God sees us? It is God’s ability to see us that is a part of His being omniscient, or all-knowing. Do you suppose that because there are times in our lives when we feel invisible that we cannot imagine a God who loves us and sees us? When we arrive at the point in our lives when we can see with our minds and our hearts that God loves us and knows our name, then we will be able to know, believe and understand that God not only loves us, He sees us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 