The heavens declare...The firmament shows....
This week our reading in the scriptures will bring us to the 19th chapter of Psalms. This Psalm begins with the glorious words, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork." The chapter ends with the prayer, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."
When we recognize the glory of God in His creation it is like seeing a beautiful painting. When we see the painting we are amazed at the skill of the artist. The beauty and creativity of the work that we see makes us appreciate the skill of the one from whom that beauty flowed. The difference however is in this, when we consider the fact that the one who created the firmament also created us, appreciation for His creative power is no longer sufficient, appreciation becomes gratitude and our hearts move from being pleased by His creation to being filled with a desire to become a creation that is pleasing to Him; thereby eliciting the response, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."
It is amazing to me that the God who spoke the universe into existance is actually concerned about the course of my life! Whenever I read of God's dealings with Abram it just stirs my heart! In chapter 12 I read today that God told Abram to "Get out ofyour country, From your family and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you." Not to a land that I HAVE SHOWN you, but a land that I WILL SHOW you. God guides us as we go. How awesome is that!?!
ReplyDeleteComparing Gen 12:8 and Gen 13:4 with Romans 10:13 is really cool
ReplyDeletePsalms 18 talks about the Lord being our strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, and the horn of our salvation, and in Genesis 15, our reading for Friday, vs. 1 God tells Abram, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." I love the symbolism here, God is our shield. He is our defender. It is the shield of faith that quenches all the firey darts of the enemy we are told in Ephesians. What peace it brings to know that the Lord is the shield behind which we take shelter!
ReplyDeleteLooking at Mat 14, I really find encouragement from the Lord's words in vs 27. So often the fears we face are only from ignorance of what God is doing (like the Disciples in vs 26).
ReplyDeleteSadly like Pete, I would have stepped out too, but I'm certain that I would have sunk long before he did. Why is it that when we pray and ask God for something, He gives it, and then we are unwilling to walk in it?
Fear and unbelief beloved.
In reading Psalms 18, David gets straight to the point early. God is our strength, our rock, our fortress, our deliverer. I believe that my tendencies are to try to handle my problems in my strength and to go to the Lord when I realize that I cannot deliver myself, I am no rock in myself and I have no fortress except the Lord. When I was a new believer and even before I knew these scriptures I had many trials, situations that were life threatening and life changing. I understood Davids statement that death surrounds him, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me, the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God,: He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Looking back, I don't know how I lived through those times except that I know that God was my strength. I spent my days and nights reaching out to the Lord and listening and reading His Word. It seemed like each day was an eternity, but God was and is my strength, my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. I find that when the life gets rough we either draw closer to the Lord or we pull away from the Lord. When Jesus asked Simon Peter "do you also want to go away?" After many disciples walked away from Jesus and walked with Him no more. Peter understood and believed the answer he gave Jesus,"Lord to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." None of us could have said it any better! To God be the Glory!
ReplyDeletePraise the Lord that we can call out to Him and He does hear us John. Thanks for sharing from your testimony.
ReplyDelete....Psalm 20:7 is one of my favorite verses in the Psalms! "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God." It reminds me not to trust in worldly methods or in man, but to remember all that God has done, and look expectantly toward what He is going to do! Our God is so awesome!
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