Be Strong and Take Heart! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 31:23-24,

"Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord."

David has a word of encouragement for those who hope in the Lord: "Be strong and take heart". He encourages the faithful to hold to the Lord in love. The Lord will "preserve" them, unlike those who are proud (those who reject the Lord), who will one day find themselves as the object of his judgment.

"Take heart" is an idiom found in two of David's psalms, Psalm 27:14 and here. Both are addressed to the Lord's people to encourage them. Jesus, using the same phrase, encouraged a paralyzed man, Matthew 9:2 and a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, Matthew 9:22. In another place, John 16:33 Jesus used the idiom to encourage his disciples as he looked forward to his crucifixion and resurrection. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

To "take heart" is to receive courage or comfort from something. It is a phrase intended to bolster someone's confidence, courage and happiness and to inspire bravery since the heart is referred to as the center of emotions.

Since the Lord will preserve his faithful people as we see here in Psalm 31, and since we know we will see the "goodness of the Lord" on our behalf, Psalm 27, and since Jesus Christ has overcome this lost and fallen world, John 16:33, how can we not but take heart? We have the grounds, the basis, for having great confidence, great comfort, great courage and bravery, and great happiness!

"At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:27-28. "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord."
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Miserable Lot of Today's Ungodly Compared to David - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 30:11-12,

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever."

It seems as though the public square these days is filled with pessimism, hostility, perceived wrongs clamoring for a "social justice" redress. You know the drill. A lot of bitter, unhappy folks these days with their thin skin, their truck load of "triggers", all feeling used and abused. Whiney wimps slogging about in the morass of their unfulfilled expectations, their mistaken notions of what is "fair" what is "just" what is expected that everyone else about them is to be held to account for. Unhappy people with unhappy lives looking to everyone else for reparations - demanding that the rest of us change our lives, change the language we use (you know - the politically correct speech we are all expected to adhere to), change our moral and ethical standards (its not nice not to embrace the transgenders, the homosexuals, don't you know). These unhappy people demand we accept the killing of babies, the subordination of our religious liberties in favor of their twisted and godless morality and the like.

The godless are simply a miserable and unhappy lot!

Compare them to David's outlook! David here clearly communicates what all of us believers have found to be the case. Here is what comes from someone embracing the Lord in faith. Look at what the Lord brings into a life that has aligned itself with our Creator! From wailing to dancing! From bereavement to joy! A celebration of life that only God can provide! So much so that David could simply not remain silent! "Lord my God, I will praise you forever."

A stark contrast, isn't it?!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Celebrating Deliverance God Provides! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 30:1-3,

"I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit."

In this psalm, where David expresses his gratitude to the Lord for his response when he called out for mercy in the midst of a plight, he celebrates the Lord saving him.

David recalls his crying out for the Lord's mercy, verse 8, and in verse 10 he calls out for the Lord to help him.

The preface to the psalm claims it was for the dedication of the temple. The theme of it is the celebration of the Lord's deliverance of David while in a desperate need.

I can't help but think this is the very psalm we might be singing to the Lord when we arrive safely into the kingdom of heaven. No plight of anyone can be greater than that of the Lord's judgment of us for our sins. Facing the certainty of that horrific eternal lake of burning sulfur (see Revelation 21:8), our only hope is the mercy of God that David made his appeal to in this psalm.

Just as David found deliverance over his plight at the time, we find deliverance from God's judgment of us at the great white throne judgment after the end of this age. The key to our deliverance is to call out to God as David did, to save us, placing our faith and trust in him to do it.

David found his deliverance at the hand of God's mercy and expressed his celebration of it, "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever."

We can celebrate our deliverance from God's judgment through his mercy both in this life and particularly as we stand with God's people in the resurrection! We just might be singing this psalm together with David!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Deeds of the Lord Versus Deeds of the Wicked - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 28:4-5,

"Repay them [the wicked] for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve. Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again."

There are two sets of deeds done by two different sets of hands in this psalm. That which the wicked have done with their hands (anyone who has rejected the Lord is considered wicked in the Scriptures) and that which the Lord has done with his hands.

The deeds done by these different hands could not be more polar opposite. What the wicked do expresses who and what they are. Those deeds manifest what is in their hearts and calls for God's judgment of them. Here is what their deeds look like, "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy." Romans 1:29-31. Furthermore, they have "no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done."

What the Lord does expresses who he is, his character and nature. Those deeds manifest what is in his heart as well. In my mind, the greatest expression wrought by the hands of the Lord was when he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.

In an incredible act of love he made a way for anyone who so wishes to enter into God's family - eternal life. The apostle John expresses it this way, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10. This is exactly what the wicked have no regard for when it comes to the deeds of the Lord.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Be Strong and Take Heart! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 27:13-14,

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

In this psalm of David, we find an exhortation to be encouraged while waiting for the Lord. The "wait" calls for the patience needed while an expectation is held of seeing the Lord's goodness "in the land of the living", that is, in this life, in the here and now. Clearly this exhortation is for those times when the Lord's goodness is not evident. 

During those times when the Lord's goodness is not evident, it can be easy to slip into discouragement (and even despondency at times) as we witness those things about us that are not good. Not good as understood by those who know our Lord, who know and hold in high regard those things that are appropriate, fitting, honorable, deserving of respect, moral and ethical. I strongly believe we are living in such an age today.

As believers in Jesus Christ, as those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within who brings grief as we witness attacks on the innocent by those given to "Team Cain", as we witness what is vile, despicable, dishonorable and disgusting held in high regard, we need encouragement. We need to know and be convinced of the goodness of the Lord that is certain to make itself evident in his timing.

It is the Lord himself who has brought us new life and regenerated our hearts. He knows we can struggle at times when it appears those bad things of this lost and fallen world with a collective sinful nature can appear to be ascendant. I am convinced he wants us to be strong and take heart, to be encouraged, and to wait for his meticulous and perfect timing.

The goodness of the Lord is certainly coming our way!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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A Purpose of Praise - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 26:12,

"My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the Lord."

As David seeks the Lord for vindication he reminds him of his faithfulness. In verse one we read how his faith has not faltered and in verse two he speaks of his mindfulness of the Lord's love and how he lived in reliance on the Lord's own faithfulness. David points out how his trust has led him to living a godly life as well as avoiding the wicked, verses 4 and 5. It also led David in his praising of the Lord.

It is what catches my eye in both verses 6-7 and 12 this morning that reminds me of the importance of praising the Lord. 

David speaks of praising the Lord and telling of all his wonderful deeds in verse 7. Who is the audience to that praise? Certainly the Lord. However, as David speaks of doing so aloud, he includes in his audience the congregation he is with. The telling of the Lord's wonderful deeds isn't for the Lord's benefit or just his own, but for others as well. This is why he speaks of doing so aloud. To inform and educate with passion of those things of the Lord, what he is like and what he has done.

Consequently, when we get to verse 12, we can anticipate hearing David say that his praise is "in the great congregation". David's faith and trust in the Lord that he claims in verse 1 expresses itself in praise before others. All need to know of the amazing God that created us all. All need to hear of the splendor of God's character and nature, all need to hear of the wonderful and amazing things God has done.

When it comes to praise, David is a role model for us all. Is our Lord due anything less?

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Vindication From the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 26:1,

"Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered."

In Merriam-Webster's online dictionary we learn that to vindicate means to "free from allegation or blame", "to provide justification or defense for". Synonyms include "absolve", "acquit", "clear", "exculpate", "exonerate". It is the perfect word to define the need we have from the fix we find ourselves in.

In the book of Psalms, the term "vindicate" is used in the NIV nine times. Each time it is the Lord who performs the vindication and it is the psalmist who either calls out to the Lord for vindication or claims that his vindication is from the Lord:

"Vindicate me, Lord..." Psalm 7:8.
"As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your [the Lord's] face..." Psalm 17:15.
"Vindicate me, Lord..." Psalm 26:1 (this passage).
"Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God..." Psalm 35:24.
"Vindicate me, my God..." Psalm 43:1.
"Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.." Psalm 54:1.
"I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me." Psalm 57:2.
"For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants." Psalm 135:14.
"The Lord will vindicate me..." Psalm 138:8.

It is the Lord's disposition to provide vindication to all who seek him out, to all who place their faith and trust in him, to all who cast themselves on the Lord's love and willingness to vindicate. It really is an expression of God's love for those who look to him.

It behooves us all to recognize that in the coming judgment of God, the only vindication that counts in his courtroom is the vindication he, as our judge, provides. 

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Struggling Leads to Seeking - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 25:15

"My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare."

As David proclaims his trust in the Lord, verse 1, and seeks his help in relief from his troubles, verse 17, David declares his focus, his view is upon the Lord. In acknowledging it would only be the Lord that would release his feet "from the snare", the Lord had David's full attention.

Throughout the book of Psalms we see David is incredibly blessed by the Lord and enjoyed a rich and meaningful relationship with him while in this life. Perhaps the focus David had on the Lord was due to the many difficulties and frustrations the Lord brought into his life.

We know the Lord engages us in ways we do not often anticipate. In his letter to the church in Laodicea, Jesus said, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19. This sounds a lot like what we read in Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in."

David had his struggles that we read about in Psalms and some of the history of Israel. He had a tremendous faith in the Lord, and I am convinced that a part of David's confidence and focus on the Lord was due to those struggles. Those kept David's attention on the Lord.

We likewise are to keep our focus., our attention on the Lord. Paul writes about focusing our hearts and minds on the Lord in his letter to the believers in Colossae. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:1-2.

The next time someone tells you that since God loves you he doesn't want you to have troubles, tell them you would rather find yourself in the company of David, who did have struggles. After all, Jesus said those he loves he brings troubles into their lives (rebuke and discipline). If we are honest with ourselves, it is during those seasons we struggle the most that we seek the Lord the most.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Got Vindication? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 24:5-6,

"They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob."

In Psalm 24 David tells us that those who seek "God their Savior" will be vindicated. Vindicate means to be free from allegation or blame. It means to be exonerated.

Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that all of us have sinned - everybody. You have sinned, I have sinned, the pastor and the pope have all sinned. All the apostles, all the prophets, all the heroes of the faith sinned. Paul also tells us that the wages of sin is death in Romans 6:23. John provides us a frightful scene in Revelation 20:11-15, where all whose names are not written in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire- God's eternal judgment for all sinners.

Since all have sinned, all are destined for that lake of fire for an eternity! This is where the vindication of all who seek God that David speaks of is so vitally important. John tells us "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..." John 1:12. As Jesus said, "...whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24.

We all have a choice while still in this life. Following this life our destiny is set as there is no further opportunity to seek God. Purgatory is pure fantasy found no where in the Scriptures. It is an invention of those who have promoted false religion. There are no second chances following this life.

We can seek God our Savior in this life, or we can fail to do so. This is our primary purpose in this life. Those who seek him spend eternity with God, experiencing eternal pleasures at his right hand, Psalm 16:11. Those who don't will be cast into that eternal lake of fire.

Make sure of your eternal destination today! Seek God and receive vindication for your sins from him!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

With the Lord, Nothing Else Needed! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 23:1,

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."

Such an amazing psalm by David, one of the most beloved. Look at the many ways in which David acknowledged he lacked nothing with the Lord as his shepherd:

Green pastures, quiet waters, refreshment of the soul, guidance in the right ways, no fear of evil, comfort, a prepared table, head anointed with oil (refreshed and comforted), an overflowing cup! Goodness and love, an abiding home with the Lord!

With the Lord, David truly lacked nothing. I am quite certain David would have sang the words to Asaph's psalm, Psalm 73:23-26:

"Yet I am always with you [the Lord];
    you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever." Asaph, Psalm 73:23-26.

Nothing in this life and nothing in the next is needed for those who know the Lord, just as David and Asaph!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Terrified of Death? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 23:4,

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. "

The NIV footnotes this verse that "the darkest valley" in this verse could be rendered "valley of the shadow of death" as our good old King James version has it.

The fear of death is a palpable thing. We have never been on the other side or seen the other side. However, we are all headed to that other side of the grave. We have never known existence apart from the bodies we inhabit. These we leave behind as we move on into life beyond the grave. It is all unknown and foreign to us - save for what the Lord has decided to reveal to us about it.

The account of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, is a fascinating look at life beyond the grave. See Luke 16:19-31. There we read of two separate experiences: one enjoyed by Lazarus and the other suffered by the rich man. We have other passages that can pique our curiosity as well.

Paul tells us it is better to die and go be with the Lord than to stay here in our bodies. In a revealing passage he tells us about how God has made preparation for us for the time we leave our bodies and go to be with Lord. It is preferable. Paul also speaks of a guarantee God has provided us of this that we have within ourselves today, the Spirit as a deposit. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul also goes to length to tell us about the "spiritual body" we will have in the resurrection. An all new improved resurrected body awaits all those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith. It is really a truly remarkable thing we read of.

Many face death as an unavoidably terrifying event. It doesn't have to be. Just as David was assured of the Lord's care and concern for him, so his provision for those of us who have placed our faith in him - we find his comfort as we face that "darkest valley".


A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Suffering Versus Prosperity: Which Gospel? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in ,Psalm 22:1-2

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest."

I guess I must be a glutton for punishment, but the other evening I tuned into several of those cable channels that host "religious broadcasting." Every once in a blue moon I do it just to see what kind of childish nonsense these shysters are peddling. I admit, a diseased curiosity.

One year (trust me, I punish myself no more that once a year or so with such an unwholesome activity - and I can bear no more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time at that) I discovered it was a year of Jubilee! Just send in your Faith-Promise-Pledge of a thousand dollars or more and you can throw out those overdue credit card bills. God will take care of them! If you have a medical bill or are behind in your mortgage, God will take care of it! Just send in that Faith-Promise-Pledge! Several "ministries" were on board, pitching the same game. They seem to copy each other at times. I surmise they would point to the Holy Spirit as to why they copy each other... you know... the common source of their schtick prompting them to imitate one another on whatever the "new thing" is that year - as long as it is working.

This year I found myself somewhat disappointed. I didn't find any of the "creative and meticulous" research into years of jubilee or anything like that. It was just pretty hum-drum "Sow your seed! Send in that Faith-Promise-Pledge of a thousand dollars and see how God prospers you in the new year!" The term "seed" is always used as a euphemism for a quid pro quo, pay-to-play payment made by the fleeced sheep. Of course, since it appears the same venues are populated by the same people, it has to be evident it isn't working, otherwise the farmers that sowed their hard-earned Faith-Promise-Pledge would have no need for the camp meeting the following week. Yet, there they are. Certainly they didn't receive their "blessing" due to a lack of faith on their part or something. But, no matter! This next one is really going to work!

So what does all that have to do with Psalm 22:1-2? Simply, the writers of Scripture were apparently left bereft of the insights of these "TV evangelists". Look how David suffered, as he makes his appeal to God in the opening verses of this psalm. A man commended by God as one who was after his own heart. Yet, David suffered. I suspect these name-it-and-claim-it preachers would say that it must have been because of David's adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. Yet, as it turns out, this psalm, although accurately pointing to David's suffering was really a prophecy about the suffering of Jesus Christ as he hung on that miserable cross, an amazing first hand account of Jesus as he hung there suffering.

All we hear from the TV evangelists is the prosperity and health we can all enjoy if we send in our "seed" - a real distortion of what life in Jesus Christ is all about.

Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Paul points out we likewise will suffer as his children (not for our sin but for his purposes as he pursues his agenda through us), "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18.

 It appears these "health and wealth" preachers no nothing of that. The only suffering I've heard them talk about is what might come our way if we don't send in our Faith-Promise-Pledge, the "seed" they attempt to squeeze out of their listeners.

Well, I feel disgusted talking about these things - but why not point it out? It never hurts to identify just who those wolves are in sheep's clothing.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Why David's Prayers Were Answered - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 21:2,

"You have granted him [King David] his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips."

David had a grateful heart when it came to the Lord. Here he acknowledges the Lord's answers to his prayers. I find this instructional for myself - if I follow David's example, I should bring my heart's desires to the Lord in prayer. As the Lord answers those requests I need to be mindful and express to him my own gratefulness for his provision.

The apostle John provided us some direction in our prayer life that undoubtedly was a feature in David's, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15.

There is an important point in John's instruction to us: confidence. In our prayers to the Lord we need to have confidence, to have faith. When asking for wisdom James says, "when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord." James 1:6-7.

Faith is not the only thing John mentioned. He made the point that if we ask anything "according to his [God's] will" he will hear us and whatever it was we asked we will have from him. I have to think David's heart's desire must have also been within the realm of God's will, God's agenda, God's desires.

I am reminded that if my prayers seem to go unanswered, it might just be that I am interested in something the Lord is not interested in.  Do I care only about my own desires to the neglect of the Lord's? Am I all about only my own agenda and not the Lord's? Perhaps if I synced my own desires with that of the Lord, possibly I may find the Lord responding to my prayers as he did David's. I have always been fascinated with the simple truth of Psalm 37:4, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." If I change what it is that I take delight in, if I delight in the Lord, then I should expect the desires prompted from that delight to be fulfilled.

I just may need to take inventory from time to time to see if I am delighting in the Lord and therefore placing myself in the position of having the Lord answer my prayers. As the second part of the couplet of Proverbs 10:24 says, "...what the righteous desire will be granted." Proverbs 10:24.


A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Care and Concern for the Welfare of Others - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 20:5,

"May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God."

I love this verse! I guess I have to say I love the whole psalm! It has always caught my eye over the years and as I read through the book of Psalms each month I always look forward to it.

(Might I suggest a wonderful way to impact your day in a very positive way? The book of Psalms has 150 psalms in it. If you read 5 a day, you will read through the whole book every month. I guarantee it will impact your life! Try it and see if you don't agree with me. If you miss a day or two, don't worry about it. Just take the day of the month it is, multiply by 5 and make that the last of 5 psalms you read that day. Today is January 10, so I read Psalms 46-50 this morning.)

What I love about this verse is that David expresses his desire to celebrate the victory of others in the Lord. It is the sixth of seven desires David expresses in this psalm where he is concerned with the welfare of other believers. Other than the beginning of this verse, each begin with "May the Lord..." or "May the name of the Lord..." or "May he..." with each expressing his desire to see the Lord answering on the behalf of others. In this one it is "May we..." David desired to celebrate the victory of others!

How often we run into people who seem to care only about their own welfare!

However, occasionally, in the church as well as other places, you run into those who find a heartfelt joy in the successes and victories of others. Often we see it in the hearts of the wonderful pastors and elders, seasoned believers and others we may have had an opportunity to get to know. Some of these have had the greatest impact on my life, and I'm sure you have had similar experiences as  well. They express that rare love of others that truly point to the love of Jesus Christ.

Here is a passage that reveals another who had a similar heart for others. It comes from Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesus, "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19.

I suspect if Paul's prayer for the Ephesians found its fulfillment in all of us, we might find many people who shared in both David's and Paul's hearts for others.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Trust in the Lord (and Pursuing the Right Things) Brings Success! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 20:7-8,

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."

David was quite the military strategist and leader. He certainly enjoyed more than his share of victories over his enemies. However, he did not find his capabilities and successes to have their origin and efficacy within himself but in the Lord, and he placed his utmost confidence and trust in the Lord for them.

There is quite a life lesson we can learn from David here! Those things for which we strive that have their foundation in the agenda of God are best pursued in the way David pursued his: faith in God's ability, faith in God's strength, faith in God's action on our behalf!

This is no half-hearted "I sure hope the Lord will help us", but a full-throated commitment to God's strength, ability and willingness to achieve what may seem unachievable. Again, that is if what it is we are pursuing finds its fulfillment within the agenda God pursues (as David did).

And, just what is God's agenda for today? He is building his kingdom, his family! If we chose to expend our lives pursuing God's agenda (as opposed to begging God to pursue ours), and if we commit to that effort in the faith David had, I am quite certain we will find our trust in God to bring the results from him that trust in whatever it is we bring to the table just can't.

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord." Proverbs 21:31. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6. "Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe." Proverbs 28:26.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

What to Know to Understand the Bible - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 19:4-6,

"In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth."

I've heard it said, and I'll bet you have to, "But... the sun doesn't rise in the east and go down in the west! The earth spins on its axis and the sun just appears to rise and fall. The Bible is not scientifically accurate!"

Ignorance is not necessarily a pejorative term (although it is often used that way). It literally means a lack of knowledge, education, or awareness. The observation that a literal understanding of Psalm 19:4-6 does not comport with celestial realities displays ignorance - not on the part of the Scriptures, but on the part of the person making that observation of Psalm 19.

Psalm 19:4-6 does not violate what we know of the solar system and how it operates. It is using the speech that all mankind uses. A part of that speech includes figures, idiomatic expressions, literary devices, metaphors, similes, etc.

Many people, particularly those who comment more on the Bible than actually read it, have a-priori misunderstandings about the nature of the language used in the Scriptures. There are those who feel the use of the Bible is distorted by some because they take the language in it too figuratively. Therefore they may be apt to miss where the Bible is using some figure of speech. There are those who struggle to accept the miraculous in the Scriptures and are tempted to see everything in it as some form of allegory. Some assume the Bible is little more than "the rule book" and so approach the Scriptures in a very distorted way. Some see nothing more than a moral yardstick and little else.

Whether by ignorance (and we really should read and understand something before we start making comments or having opinions) or by intentional deceit or dishonesty, there have been a lot of distortions and false things said about the Bible, or the use of it to condone or justify the unjustifiable. False doctrines, cults, bad teaching, attempts to discredit the Bible are many of the ways we see people using the Scriptures in pursuit of some agenda.

The Scriptures are comprised of sixty-six books (and no, the apocryphal books do not belong in this sacred library, no matter what the pope says), written by over forty authors over a period of some fourteen hundred years. It was written primarily in ancient Hebrew in the Old Testament, and Koine Greek in the New. There is a smattering of Aramaic (the language Jesus and his disciples most likely spoke in) a phrase of Latin, etc.

Within the pages of the Scriptures we find various genres of literature: epistolary (correspondence), poetry, narrative, apocalyptic etc. We find court records, tables of laws, poems, songs, predictive prophecies, wisdom literature, stories and so forth. If one were to make the assumption that the language we encounter in our Bibles, including all the acceptable translations (whether older or newer) was of a uniform format, it would bring a huge distortion to the understanding of it.

It needs to be recognized that many of the passages of Scripture were written in the way people communicated in a regular way on a daily basis. Much like picking up the newspaper (although what we find in the Scriptures are true, and the other, well...) or a magazine or a novel or whatever. Figures of speech are used just as David did in Psalm 19. Mankind has always employed these literary devices in written and oral communication.

I don't intend to communicate that the study of the Scriptures is for professionals only. As a matter of fact, I feel quite the opposite. Professionals often bring distortion into the study of the Scriptures precisely because of their "professional background." Nonetheless, ignorance of what is before us when we begin making comments about passages of Scripture simply will not do.

And, no, the Bible is not scientifically inaccurate. It is entirely and uniquely inspired by God (and therefore authoritative) and without error throughout in whatever it touches on. Additionally, it is intentional! God wants us to know what is in it. That is why he made the effort to have it written by his prophets.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Evolution: Fake Science - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 19:1-6,

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth."

David has his eye on God's wonderful creation at the beginning of Psalm 19. He speaks of how the heavens "declare the glory of God", verse 1. This is not simply idle "window dressing" to spruce up his psalm, but a very important statement of truth about how God reveals himself to all mankind.

As man views God's wonderful creation, and particularly the upward view in this psalm, man can find his Creator to embrace in faith. Paul quotes this psalm as he contemplates how a person can find God as his Savior and be granted a place in his family for eternity. Paul explains to us that no one can come to God unless he places his faith and belief in who Jesus Christ is and what he did, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Very simple and straight-forward. Romans 10:9-10.

Paul then anticipates the challenge of someone questioning how the above can be done. He says that the gospel needs to be proclaimed so that people can make their choice to accept or reject Jesus Christ. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:14-15. Here is the very important task of the evangelist! The gospel needs to be proclaimed!

Paul then moves on to the question: what if someone never had the opportunity to hear the gospel message? This is the point at which Paul quotes Psalm 19. He says, "But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: 'Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.'" Romans 10:18. It is God's creation, as viewed in the heavens, that speaks to us about God in such a way we can find him if we desire him - even if the gospel message has not reached us.

Earlier in his letter to the Romans Paul said that no one will be excused on judgment day for not having enough information. All have everything they need and the full opportunity to accept or reject Jesus Christ. Paul says, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:18-20. Again, we have all we need to know about God by simply viewing his creation.

This is why the "fake science" of evolution is promoted with such force and energy. It is "Team Cain's" effort to deny God those he seeks for his kingdom. The spiritual dark side attempts to explain away the reality of God, our culpability before him, and the opportunity to know him by promoting delusions to explain how God's creation came into existence - with no Creator God! This is one of the primary ways Team Cain suppressed the truth!

If you are like me, you were provided an education steeped in hiding the reality of God through the promotion of sinful and lost mankind's alternative to God as our Creator - Evolution! If you have not availed yourself of all that has been discovered disproving every aspect of evolution and the nonsense of an "old earth", get your homework done! You can begin by going to https://creation.com/articles to begin a real education about the origin of things, the age of the earth, dinosaurs, the fake "Geologic Column", what is really in the fossil record, etc..

You will discover the Scriptures have been scientifically accurate after all! Don't compromise with Team Cain! Get educated!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

God's Response to a Plea for Help - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 18:6,

"In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."

In the superscript of Psalm 18 we are told David sang this psalm to the Lord when the Lord delivered him from "the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul." David declared his dependence upon the Lord and among other things he stated the Lord was his fortress, deliverer, refuge and his stronghold.

What is just amazing about this psalm is David's account of how the Lord responded to his plea when he cried out for the Lord's help. When his plea went into the Lord's ears we read that the Lord responded in this way:

"The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he [the Lord] was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils." Verses 7-15.

This is a stunning account! In another psalm David asks the question, "what is mankind that you [Lord] are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:4. Yet, look at how the Lord responded to David's plea for help!

How might we feel if the Lord responded in such a way to our pleas? This raises a fascinating question... might we be astonished at how the Lord has responded to our own prayers at times? I have a feeling we just might be amazed to learn of the many times the Lord may have responded to our pleas in the past and yet we did not have the insight as David to observe or sense it.

Something to think about...

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

David's Faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 18:1-2,

"I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
In Acts 13:22 Paul quotes God as saying, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." It is really quite a statement God makes of David! Could you picture the Creator of all things, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob saying such a thing of you? Of me? David was a man after God's own heart in such a way that God claimed it before us all in the Scriptures! It is a statement of God acknowledging that David was worthy of his acceptance, that David was worthy or competent to be recognized by God.

What made David so unusual that God would make such a statement about him? There are not many of these kinds of endorsements by God of individuals - Abraham and Job come to mind (I'm sure there are others... do you know of any?).

Certainly a big part of David's recognition by God had to do with what others who had been recognized by God, such as Abraham, Job and others, shared with David: David was a man of deep and abiding faith! The beginning verses of Psalm 18 make clear David's confidence, trust and faith in God:

David considered and claimed the Lord was his strength.
David considered and claimed the Lord was his "rock", his steady foundation.
David considered and claimed the Lord was his fortress (the place of protection).
David considered and claimed the Lord was his deliverer (that the Lord was the One who saved him from peril).
David considered and claimed the Lord was his refuge, his place to go during times of danger.
David considered and claimed the Lord was his shield (again, his protection).
David considered and claimed the Lord was his "horn of salvation", that is, the strength of his salvation.

David provides his own testimony to these things as he faced danger, "He [the Lord] reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." Verses 16-19.

I'm sure we have all heard the criticisms of big, rough and tumble guys that, unlike many of us, don't need a crutch in life to get them through. They are quite capable of making it on their own, thank you very much. You know, the crew that intends to have a beer together in Hell when the day comes. (From what we know of David, tough guys today are milquetoasts compared to David.)

Yet, when their bodies lie in the grave, helpless and hopeless, they will have to stand before the One to whom we all must give account, Hebrews 4:13, God's great judgment throne, and explain just why it is they should not be cast into that fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.

No one on that day will not find a need to possess what David had in the Lord while still in this life! It is only in this life when embracing the Lord in faith as David did, in the way he did, that makes a difference for all eternity!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

What Did David Tell Us About God? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 17:2,

"Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right."

David asks the Lord to make sure his "eyes see what his right." David refers to the eyes of the Lord in this verse. In other verses of this psalm David refers to other body parts:

The Lord's lips, verse 4.
The Lord's ear, verse 6.
The Lord's right hand, verse 7, and his hand, verse 14.
The Lord's eye, verse 8.
The Lord's wings, verse 8.
The Lord's face, verse 15.
The Lord's "likeness", verse 15.

In addition to these bodily references, David mentions:

The Lord hears, he listens, verse 1 and 6.
The Lord sees, verse 2.
The Lord probes, verse 3.
The Lord examines, verse 3.
The Lord commands, verse 4.
The Lord has his own paths (his own ways), verse 5.
The Lord answers, verse 6.
The Lord turns his ear, verse 6.
The Lord loves, verse 7.
The Lord shows, verse 7.
The Lord saves, verse 7 and 14.
The Lord provides refuge, verse 7.
The Lord holds preference (apple of his eye), verse 8.
The Lord hides/protects, verse 8.
The Lord confronts, and destroys, verse 13.
The Lord rescues, verse 13.
The Lord judges (storing up for the wicked), verse 14.

I can't imagine I caught all of the Lord's attributes, character and nature David provides us in this psalm. Perhaps you can add to the list (see if I missed any!).

From our timeframe we know that Jesus Christ inhabits a resurrected body that his disciples were able to interact with. They ate with him, drank with him, went fishing with him, met with him in the upper room, etc. However, David's psalm here was written prior to the earthly body the Son of God took on himself (as well as his resurrected body). From this we acknowledge that David is using the normal use of language, including the figurative use of literal attributes since God himself does not have a physical body.

Regardless, we don't have to leave our impression of God up to our imaginations entirely. Certainly there is much more to God than David refers to here, but just look at this list! There is a whole lot of descriptive information about our transcendent God in what David provided us in this very informative psalm!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..