The Battle is Not Yours, but God's...

 Wednesday, July 31, 2024

And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah and he said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you. 2 Chronicles 20:14-17

The Battle is Not Yours, but God's...

Have you ever felt like there was a "great horde" descending upon you?  That is exactly what it feels like when we are facing difficult times. Even though we may not have a great army headed for us, we have different kinds of “great hordes” that descend on us at times. Jehoshaphat was facing a great horde of armies. Prior to this passage God had protected Jehoshaphat by holding back his enemies, which of course He could have continued to do, but He does not. Instead the "great horde" is coming, and instead of rescuing them completely out of the situation, God sends them directly into the middle of it. God often wants us to go to the frontlines of the battle as an exercise of our faith in Him. This battle was not Jehoshaphat’s or the kingdom of Judah’s battle, it was the Lords - for the battle is not yours but God's.

So many times, we just want God to make the great horde disappear, or for God to keep holding back the hordes, but sometimes He wants us to take the step of faith and face the great hordes so He can do a great work in our hearts. It takes a lot of faith and trust to stand still when the hordes are upon you, but this is what faith is. Our faith is built on moments like this when we see God work in our lives, and our faith is strengthened when we witness it over and over again. We see His power and faithfulness at work for us in our lives. God has already fought every battle for us - He already has the victory in His hands. He wants us to trust Him - His sovereignty, power and faithfulness. 

Come, see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth. He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze. “Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth. The Lord of Armies is with us;the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” Psalm 46:8-11 CSB

This past Sunday, Pastor Jim spoke about Psalm 46. In this Psalm, the Psalmist speaks of God's sovereignty over the earth and everything in it - all the natural elements. He speaks of his sovereignty over human elements - the nations and kingdoms. Lastly, in the passage above, the psalmist continues to highlight God's majesty and sovereignty. Then, God calls us to stop fighting and remember who He is. He calls us to stop fighting and know that He is God - exalted among the nations, exalted on earth. He is with us and He is our stronghold. 

Trusting in God’s sovereignty is the only answer in a situation when we don’t know what to do. Believing in His sovereignty is the only way we will trust in Him and His promises on the front lines of battle, in the hospital, in school, inside the walls of our homes. When we have to fight battles for or make decisions that affect our loved ones, trusting Him is the only way to get through. Focusing on Him every step of the way we can find direction and guidance for taking the steps we feel He is leading us to take in faith.

God cares about us. He understands our fears and loves us and wants the best for us. The battle is not ours just like the battle was not Jehoshaphat’s either. There is no battle too big for Him because He is sovereign God and nothing happens outside of His control. He sends us to the battle but we do not have to fight because He fights for us. We just have the faith to take the step forward and to turn it all over to Him.

When Nations Rage and Kingdoms Topple

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

There is a river—its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns. Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice. The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah Psalm  46:4-7 CSB
6 
7 When Nations Rage and Kingdoms Topple

Sanctuary

Do you ever just want to bury your head under the covers and ignore everything that is going on in your life? Problems come, sometimes like bullets fast and hard, leaving gaping holes in our souls. Often, we don’t have time to even process one thing when something else comes piling down on top – especially in the last several years.  Trying to solve our problems when we don’t have any resources or hope of help will only add to our feelings of anxiety and sadness. It makes us feel more out of control, and more hopeless, which sends us spiraling further down into irrational thoughts, feelings, and fear. It is more than we can deal with, so we just don’t, but this doesn’t solve anything and is not healthy because it just continues to pile up. Whether it is just too painful to deal with, or you are afraid, our Heavenly Father offers us a beautiful, peaceful sanctuary in His very presence that gives us so much more peace than hiding under the covers.

The devil always wants to take our focus off God and create unrest in our souls. If he can create unrest in our souls, then he knows that we likely will start looking around for something to make us feel better. The things that we turn to quickly become idols and/or addictions in our lives. Living in fear or circumstances that are too difficult for us to deal with can cause us to turn to other things besides God to numb our pain or fear. What happens then? They turn into bigger problems which then heap fear and sorrow onto what we are already not dealing with. 

We have the Lord of Armies with us. He is our stronghold when the nations rage and kingdoms topple. When chaos swirls around us, He is our calm and serene dwelling place. He is for us. He protects us and leads us through the chaos. The earth melts when He lifts His voice - He is all powerful - over any and every circumstances of our lives. 

I have found that sitting in the quiet with God early in the morning has done wonders for my heart. Sometimes I don’t pray because many times I don’t even know what to say, but God know my heart, and He knows yours too.  Sometimes my heart is so heavy, I can’t put it in words. This silent, still time helps me to get my focus back on God, and HIS TRUTH where it belongs. God’s truth is truly where we can find freedom from everything – pain, worry, anxiety, fear. If we try to find freedom on our own, we will never find it. The world doesn’t have it either, regardless of how hard Satan tries to persuade us it does. 

The Peaceful, Flowing Presence of God  

God’s presence in our lives is the only thing that can provide us with the peace we so desperately need. His presence flows continuously and never runs out. He will not abandon us or leave us, even when we feel He is not there. That is where we trust what we know and not what we feel. We know God’s word is true and He says He will never leave us and that His presence will always be with us. 

No one understands our heart like our Heavenly Father. No one understands the pain, anxiousness, sorrow, worry, or fear that we experience like He does. Most of all, no one cares about us or loves us more than He does. There is no better place for us to go for comfort than to Him. In His presence there is a sanctuary where we can sit quietly, talk to Him and tell Him everything that makes our heart hurt, and leave it with Him. He is so capable, and He has everything we need. 

Have you ever been to the river - any river? It us usually associated with lots of fun and relaxation. There may be floating on giant inner tubes. There may be skiing. There may be a boat. There will probably be food and drink and friends or family. Going to the river is a special thing. Something that most people don't do every day. It can be peaceful to just sit and take in the stillness of the water on a calm day.

God's presence in our lives is like that river, washing over us, cleansing us, calming us, refreshing us. Take a seat by the river. Take refuge in the shadow of His wings. Feast on His abundance, and rest in His truth – that He will take your sadness, problems, anger, fear, etc., and give you the help and peace you need.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Psalm 36:7-9 

Finding Refuge and Strength in a Sovereign God

Monday, July 29, 2024

God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. herefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah 

 Finding Refuge and Strength in a Sovereign God

How does God’s sovereignty impact our daily life and how can that help us in our struggle with fear? 

Over the past few years, we have gotten used to what seems like the earth trembling and the mountains toppling into the depths of the seas. We have seen more things happen that we never thought we would see in our lifetime. When things in the world or in our personal life start spirialing out of control it can send us reeling, causing us to flail in our faith. We know what we know about God, but we still wonder why He allows these things to happen. When we start questioning God and His sovereignty, our fear gets out of control quickly. 

Psalm 46 begins with the declaration that God is the only thing we need in times of trouble. He is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Even though we cannot stop tragedy and pain from finding us in this life, we can know that we have a sovereign God who never leaves our side. Though we may be powerless against the circumstances around us, He is not, and because of that, we do not have to be hopeless. 

Refuge – According to Dictionary.com, a refuge is a shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc.  God provides safety and rest in Him. We can run to Him and trust Him to protect us. He alone is capable of giving us everythikng we need. When we seek to find refuge in anything other than Him we will be disappointed and will not have peace. 

Strength: - God gives us the strength we need to endure the trials and hardships that we encounter. We can lean into Him and He gives us exactly what we need. 

There is freedom in surrender, and when we surrender to Him, we can live freely and peacefully in Him no matter what is happening around us. When the walls are coming down, when the bank account is empty, when a spouse leaves or a child rebels, or when the nations rage, we can trust Him and find refuge in Him. We can remember the works He has done in our lives in the past, reminding ourselves of His sovereignty and faithfulness.  

What are you fearing today? What are you holding onto that needs to be surrendered to Him? We can find refuge and strength in Him and trust in His sovereignty. When we trust Him and His sovereignty, we can lay our fears at His feet and walk in that trust, finding refuge and strength in Him. 

Summer in the Psalms “A Big God"

Summer in the Psalms
“A Big God”
Psalm 46:1-11 (CSB)

Key Truth: “God is deserving of our worship in every circumstance of life.”

 

Main Question: How does God’s sovereignty impact our daily life and how can that help us in our struggle with fear? 

 

1.    God is sovereign over the earth. (Psalm 46:1-3)

2.    God is sovereign over the nations. (Psalm 46:4-7)

3.    God is sovereign over the future. (Psalm 46:8-9)

4.    God is calling us to respond. (Psalm 46:10-11)

After the Message: Read Psalm 118. How has God been good to you? Write down some of these ways in a notebook, bible, or tablet. Pray Psalm 118 back to God as a prayer of thanksgiving. 

Foundation of Your Throne

Friday, July 26, 202 4

Foundation of Your Throne – Psalm 89:14 Submitted by Kay Crumley

What comes to mind with you hear anything about foundations? I work crosswords and sometimes the clue just doesn’t seem to correspond with the solution because I didn’t associate the two the same way the puzzle writer did.  Foundation can mean different things to different people or in different settings. The reference today is the foundation as in what holds something together. There is no shortage of TV ads about foundation repair. Strong foundation is necessary to a stable and lasting building.

The key verse is Psalm 89:14. Here we find that righteousness and justice are the foundation, the columns that support God’s throne. His faithful, steadfast love is forever His character, and His Word is true. Those are the attributes that lead our path as we follow Him.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you. CSB

Justice may be the way we think of right versus wrong. What do we mean when we say we want justice? Generally, in our society we want the right to prevail over wrong or those who are law abiding to win against those who break the law. The Hebrew word for justice is mishpat. God advocates for the widows and orphans and expects His followers to do the same. At the core of mishpat is honor and shame. Those who are considered ‘less than’ in our society are dismissed and often made to feel ashamed. That may be due to many circumstances, such as lack of wealth, education, social standing, or ethnicity. Author and educator Kristi McLelland explains the actions Jesus took as reaching down from a place of honor to the one in a place of shame and lifting them out of their shame to restore honor in their life. Isn’t that what happened when Jesus lifted us out of our lives of sin into a life of honor as adopted children of God.  How then can we not do the same for those who have been cast aside by society? Have you ever felt that you were surrounded by darkness or living under a cloud? Psalm 97:2 restates the idea of what our foundation in God is,

Clouds and total darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.  Regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, justice, restoration to honor, is one of the pillars that support the foundation of His throne. 

We are reassured of the presence of both justice and righteousness in Psalm 99:4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob. Our mighty God loves justice and is fair in His treatment of all of Israel.

The Hebrew word for righteousness is tzedakah. When it is used within relationships it means generosity. In Matthew 6:1-4 we see that being generous to the poor is considered righteous. Jesus taught that giving to those in need should be done privately, not to impress others, but to glorify God by doing what is right in His sight. Righteous living is doing what is right in the sight of God and includes being generous to others.

We can be generous in many ways other than just by giving money to others. For some, having someone spend time in conversation with them is what they truly need. There may be neighbors, family, or friends in your life who are lonely and feel no one cares about them. Just having a cup of coffee with them and listening to their thoughts might be the most helpful thing for them to feel honor rather than shame.

Psalm 85:10 reinforces the idea that righteousness holds a broader meaning than we think. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. The idea that the true faithful love of God and truth of God are together is amazing. They aren’t separate and cannot be separated. To love someone as we are commanded to do means to be true to them and treat them rightly, generously, and to live in peace with them. As Christ followers, we have no other option than to practice justice and righteousness since those are the foundations of His throne.

The deeper understanding of those terms leads us to understand justice to be to lift that one in shame to a place of honor. That may be changing the way we treat others. Then to live generously to others by giving what God has given us to them without expecting anything in return. In today’s world of busyness, time may be the most valuable commodity we can give. Sharing the gift of God’s love and salvation through Jesus is our command and truly is the greatest gift. 

 

Who Is This King of Glory?

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord of Armies, he is the King of glory.Selah. Psalm 24:7-10 CSB

Who Is This King of Glory?

At the beginning of this psalm we see the soverign majesty and glory of God as David praises the master of the universe. The earth and everything in it belongs to Him. He created it and He is the Lord of all. Next David speaks of what God requires of us to stand before Him – clean hands, a pure heart, pure devotion (no idols), and pure speech. Near the end of Psalm 24 David speaks about the King of Glory and poses the question Who is this King of Glory?

This psalm gives us a picture of The King of Glory entering Jerusalem. Possibly  a time of celebration because it is possible this Psalm was written to mark the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant back into Jerusalem.  This symbolized the presence of God returning.  Psalm 24  also foreshadows the coming of the King of glory, Jesus Christ, centuries later. 

Who is this King of Glory – the strong and mighty? The one who is mighty in battle? The Lord of the Armies? This King of Glory is Jesus. Jesus is The King of Glory who came to earth as a baby, and died on the cross for you and me, giving us clean hands, and a pure heart so we can come before God. He is the King of Glory who was crucified and rose from the grave defeating sin, death, and the grave. He is the King of Glory who gives mercy, grace, and salvation to all who will believe and receive. This is the King of Glory who will come back again one day. And through this King of Glory, we can see the encompassing glory of God. Through our relationship with The King of Glory, we reflect this glory to a lost and dark world. 

He fights our battles for us – am I worthy of fighting for? Is the risk too great? Have I already cost him too much? Is he tired of my flailing and ready to give up on me? Did he ever want to fight for me? Does he think I deserve the defeat I fear and feel sometimes? These feelings come from forgetting who Jesus really is and instead focusing on our circumstances.  

Our view of God gets covered up by the mountains of difficulty. We allow them to rise up and wipe out our view and forget that He truly is The King of Glory. Jesus is our righteousness, and he alone meets the righteous requirements of the law. Only through him can we be made righteous enough to come before holy God.

Ultimately, we all have to answer this question of who is this King of Glory? Who is Jesus to you? Is He your King of Glory? Will you surrender and let Him be that King – to let Him come in and let Him fight your battles?  

What Does God Require?

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24:3-5 CSB

What Does God Require?

In Psalm 24, David talks about the sovereignty and greatness of our Holy God. He made the earth and everything in it, and it all belongs to Him. We can never fully grasp the greatness and holiness of our God with our human understanding. He is so much bigger than we can ever imagine.  

David tells us in this Psalm what God requires of us to be able to come before Him. As His children we do have total access to Him, but He does have some requirements because He cares about our hearts and our relationship with Him. God doesn’t ask something of us that we can even do ourselves but He, in His infinite wisdom, sovereignty, and love for us, provides a way we can come to Him. What does God require of us?

The one who has clean hands… Clean hands is a reference to pure in actions. It is literally about the physical acts we commit with our hands. The things we do as a child of God matter. We cannot just go about doing sinful acts and think that it doesn’t matter because we are a Christian. It matters to God and although once we are saved we are in His family forever, confessing our sin and cleaning our hands before coming to a Holy God is not only what He says we are to do, but an act of respect for God on our part. 

and a pure heart… Clean hands are connected to a pure heart. If our intentions and thoughts are pure, most likely our actions will be pure as well. Everything starts in the heart. (and mind) Wrong thoughts and motives lead to wrong actions so we need to take every thought captive. It is our thoughts and motives from our heart makes us unclean before Him. 

who has not appealed to what is false… Here David is speaking of idolatry. Idolatry is a big heart issue. Idolatry is when we remove God from the throne of our lives and repolace Him with something or someone else that we love and adore more than Him. Idolatry not only begins in the heart, but it has to end there too. We can stop going through the motions of bowing down to the idols in our lives, but if we are still pining for them in our hearts, they are still on the throne. God alone deserves to be on the throne of our hearts. He is jealous for us and does not want to share that place with anyone or anything else. 

who has not sworn deceitfully… God requires us to not use deceitful, lying speech. Just like our motives and actions, our words flow from our hearts as well.  

Our hands are stained by our sins. Our hearts are stained. Our devotion is sometimes misguided and our lips are stained. We are insufficient to stand before our Holy God. God knows how insufficient we are and made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. The main thing we need is a new heart – one that will love pure thoughts, motives, devotion, and speech to honor and glorify Him. We will never be able to do this for ourselves but through the shed blood of Jesus Christ we are justified and made clean. Jesus gives us the clean hands, and a pure heart to stand before God. This is the only way. 

He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. – God cares about our thoughts, motives, actions, speech, and devotion. We are His children once we are saved, but that doesn’t mean we get a pass for life on our behavior. When we live lives that are honoring to Him, we will be blessed. It won’t be easy, but we will be blessed.

When we surrender all to our King, we will receive righteousness – the greatest treasure of all. When we follow Him and walk The Jesus Way, we are honoring Him with our lives. We are a living testimony to His righteousness and salvation that He gives to all, but we also give Him all the glory and honor with our whole lives. 

How often do you think about the world and the Holy, Soverign God who created it all? Do you realize that you and everything you own is actually His? Do you surrender it to Him? 

We get so busy doing all the things that we take for granted what a gift it is that God created this world for us. We can put God on the back burner and when we don’t give God the honor that He deserves, we certainly won’t give Him the worship that He deserves in every circumstance of our lives. 

Are you taking your life and your salvation for granted today? 

Are you giving God the place and the honor and glory He deserves in your life?

  

Serve

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Jesus rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.  John 13:4-5  

Serve
What does it mean to be a servant? True servants can only serve when self is out of the way. Service takes humility and sacrifice and the ability to see value in everyone – to see everyone worthy of your personal time and efforts. Otherwise, you are only going through the motions, and though there will be benefits to those receiving, they will not receive the full benefit, and neither will you.  In the passage above, we see with great humility, Jesus poured out the water and began the menial servant task of washing feet.  It surprised everyone that night … but it shouldn't us who sit on this side of the table. 

Serve in spite of your circumstances. Jesus was a servant in spite of His circumstances. – How many times has your heart been broken to the point that you don’t even want to see anyone? We can actually miss some opportunities that God sends our way when we are too wrapped up in our own circumstances. Most often serving is a healing balm to a broken heart, and maybe two broken hearts, depending on the circumstances of the ones you are serving. Jesus was very close to his death at this point and He knew it. But He put it all aside to serve – to model to us how we should serve. Serving others takes our minds off our hurting heart and focuses on others and their needs. We may have a whole new perspective on our own problems when we spend time really serving others and see the hardships that others go through. 

Serving is sometimes dirty work – In this story Jesus got up from His supper and took off His garments. He had to get down on the floor to get to the disciples’ feet to wash and dry them. Feet are one of the most humbling parts of our bodies, right?  Who wants to take off their shoes and let someone else clean their feet?  They are sweaty and smelly, and it is a real sacrifice to want to serve someone by rubbing or cleaning their feet.  It is also a beautiful gift. In Jesus’ time, they walked the dusty roads all day long and it was necessary because they would get so dirty. Feet were considered the dirtiest part of the body.  

Sometimes serving is really dirty work, like cleaning out buildings, cleaning up after disasters, or helping homeless people who may have not bathed in quite a while.  All are precious in God’s eyes and that means that they should be precious in our eyes too.  They need to know that they are valuable and worthy of care and help.  This is what being the hands and feet of Jesus are all about – sometimes doing the work no one else wants to do. We must always remember that God does not love us anymore than He loves anyone else – all people are the same in His eyes and heart.

Serving takes time.  Jesus took His time with each disciple while washing their feet, and not only did Jesus wash their feet, He took the time to wipe them dry. He could have had them all line up and pour water over their feet, and then tossed them a towel.  But He didn’t.  They deserved His time and attention, and those we serve deserve out time and attention too. 

Service is a choice we make to give something of ourselves to others, strictly for the benefit of others. Self-centered service performs an act of service to get something in return – even if it is just to be noticed. True service from the heart can never be about ourselves.  Self has to be removed from the equation.  Even though service is about others, our hearts will be blessed and our lives so much richer for serving others. God is always glorified when we serve others.  Jesus knew this so He made sure He modeled this form of boundless love for us. 

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

The Source of Light

Monday, July 22, 2024

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:15-16

The Source of Light

Can you imagine what life would be like without "light?"  Groping in the darkness is a scary thing to almost anyone.  Even familiar surroundings can seem frightening when you are in total darkness.  Insecurity and fear are strong emotions in the darkness.  The Bible refers to our world without Christ as living in the darkness and in need of light.  Paul spoke of the darkness of this world as where we were without Christ.  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, Colossians 1:13

All light is able to be traced to a source.  As believers, we are not the source of the light but the vessel for the light.  Scripture speaks clearly about Christ bringing light into a darkened world.  John spoke of the incarnation as the coming of light when he said, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

Christ spoke of Himself as source of light for the world.  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.  John 8:12  Clearly, we bear the light within our lives that has been born in us through Christ.

The Light Identifies 

Matthew 5:14-16  You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Our identity in Christ Jesus is not to be a hidden identity but one that is to been seen by all. Consider these scriptures which remind us of who we are because of Whose we are: 

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  John 12:36 

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5  

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Ephesians 5:8  

The beginning of our being a light that transforms the darkness is to see the light in ourselves…to let Christ’s light shine in us that He might shine through us.  The scripture does not say we “might be the light” or that we “can be the light”; it says “we ARE the light.”  That is because the light of Christ burns inside us.  It’s not always easy being a light in the darkness.  Tim Goble said, “It's tough to be in the dark and not let the dark get in you.  The unending struggle for the Christian is to walk in the light and at the same time keep moving into the shadows.”  But is there that we are to shine.

So, set out today and let’s all sing together, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine.  Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness. Psalms 18:28  

Summer in the Psalms “The Sovereign King of Glory”

 

Summer in the Psalms
“The Sovereign King of Glory”
Psalm 24:1-10 (CSB)

Key Truth: “God is deserving of our worship in every circumstance of life.”

 

Main Question: What does God require of us? How does this Psalm impact our view that God is King and what does he require of us and how does that lead us to worship and follow Him?

1.    God’s Dominion. (vs. 1-2)

2.    God’s Requirements. (vs. 3-6)

God’s Provision. (vs. 7-10)

Under the Shadow of His Wings

 Friday, June 19, 2024
Under the Shadow of His Wings – Psalm 91Submitted by Kay Crumley

There are phrases or verses that just stick in my mind more than others. One of those is that He covers us with His wings. Being a country girl growing up with a variety of animals may contribute to this being so very meaningful. When a hen, like a chicken, has baby chicks she is very protective of them. Anytime a danger comes near she will fluff out her feathers to appear larger and open her wings for her chicks to come huddle under for protection. That’s the image that comes to mind when I read verses about being protected by His wings. Another thing I learned recently is that the Jewish prayer shawl also carries the idea of wings. The rectangular garment’s corners can be referred to as wings. A Rabi may teach children using the prayer shawl extending it over the heads of the students to demonstrate the protection of God when He shelters us under His wings.
That then leads me to ask, ‘who are those who will be sheltered in this way?’  I have selected some passages from Psalm 91 as the framework for today’s devotional with three points to consider:

Take Refuge in Him 
Verses 1-2 identifies those who are protected as those who dwell in, or live in, the shelter of the Most High, the Almighty God. Those who spend time with God in study, in applying His teachings to our lives are those who abide in Him. Because we know Him and His attributes we take refuge, a place of safety, in Him. He is our fortress, protection from enemies. We go there because we trust in Him. He is all powerful.
1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”
 
The idea of taking refuge in Him is stated again in Psalm 18:30. Those who have a relationship with God trust Him knowing that His path for our lives is perfect and the Word of God is without error, flawless. Therefore, when we go to Him as a place of refuge, He is faithful to shield us from the enemies or fears we encounter.
As for God, his way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
 
·      He is our Shield
What comes to mind with you hear or think of a shield? Do we imagine a large concave device made of metal that the soldier holds to protect himself form arrows? That’s what I think about. But, in verse 4 we find that we are shielded, or protected by His feathers, under His wings. Some versions use pinions rather than feathers. Pinions are the outer part of a wing including the flight feathers. That would be the most sturdy, resilient part of the wing. We find refuge, safety and security, under His wings. His faithfulness is what we rely on because He is trustworthy, and His word is true. He will shield us who depend on Him. He is our rampart. That’s not a word I use! It is a physical barrier. God is the barrier, placing Himself in the path of our enemies, any harm that may come toward us.

4He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
 
We can then shout or sing with the Psalmist in 36:7 that His unfailing love is priceless. There is nothing that can surpass God’s faithful, undeserved love He has for us. We must run to Him for refuge in the shadow of His wings.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
 
·      He is our Protector
The conditions are simply stated in verses 9-10. If you confess that He is your refuge and live with the Lord God Almighty, you will be safe. You will not be overcome with harm and disaster. We face enemies but God is our protector so we can weather the storms of life.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
 
The Psalmist begs for mercy from the Lord in chapter 40:11. He asks knowing God is listening and that He is a God of love and faithfulness. He has promised to protect His own. When we cry to Him for help, we do that in confidence that He is faithful to His promises.
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
    may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
 
His answers may not be those we hoped for or expected but we can rest in the knowledge that His way is good as we see in Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

A Wedding, A Feast, and an Eternal Invitation

 Thursday, July 18, 2024

“Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!”

 

A Wedding, A Feast, and an Eternal Invitation

This week we have seen God as Shepherd and God as host. What a special honor to have the God of the all creation love us so much that He adopts us as His own, and welcomes us to His table. He loves us so much that He never leaves our side. He watches over us and walks with us through all the valleys and wilderness. We are His adopted sons and daughters and that makes us royalty. If you struggle at all with low self-esteem it is crazy hard to accept this but it is true. He loved us enough to send His Son to die for our sins so we could live with Him for all eternity. 

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9

The Holy God who created the universe wants you and me to sit at His table. In fact, He doesn’t just want us to sit with Him, He prepares it for us, a job usually reserved for servants.  

In Bible times, Kings would invite important and favored people to his banquet table. Sometimes the banquets would be held outdoors so everyone could see who was invited to the party.  Everyone knew who the king favored – and who he did not. You and I are invited, highly favored, anointed, and chosen, by the King of Kings. The difference between God and the ancient Hebrew kings? There is no one that is not invited to His banquet table. 

Our Father, the King of Kings, identifies Himself with us. Our pain is His pain. Our joy is His joy. Our struggles are His struggles.  I love nothing more than sharing a meal with my children and God feels the same way about us.  He wants us to pull up a chair and share our heart with Him as we feast on His grace. He anoints us with His spirit.  He saturates us with His living water and our cups overflow.  There is never an empty cup at the king’s table, only overflowing abundance that we can spread to others. Do you need to come to the table today? Do you need to come and soak up the sustenance of your Heavenly Father?  Only when we accept His invitation to the table can we truly be renewed, filled, and ready to give it away to others.  

While we are here on earth, we get to sit at the table with Him and feast upon His banquet of grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. We also feast upon His word that guides us through life. All that we feast on, we give to others to show them the gifts He gives. When we walk the Jesus Way, our life is constantly spilling out to others. 

In Revelation 6:9, John writes about the greatest banquet of all - Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!

On that day, everyone will see the church for what she really is: the precious bride of Jesus. “The Bride of Christ is a sort of Cinderella now, sitting among the ashes. She is like her Lord, ‘despised and rejected of men’; the watchmen smite her, and take away her veil from her; for they know her not, even as they knew not her Lord. But when he shall appear, then shall she appear also, and in his glorious manifestation she also shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.” Charles Spurgeon

This is the vision of a glorious eternity – all the Christians gathered around His banqueting table as the Lord takes His bride, the church. Those who are invited are blessed. Who does not want to spend eternity at the King of Kings banquet table? Are you certain that you will be there? If not take some steps today to make sure you are spending eternity celeberating at the marriage feast of the Lamb. 

How Will You Journey?

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing. Philippians 2:14-16

How Will You Journey?

Our whole life is a journey, and as is true with any journey, the way we journey and who we journey with can determine the quality of the journey. Sometimes we are in the valley, sometimes we are on the mountaintop and sometimes we are in the wilderness. We can even end up being in one place or the other for a long time. The mountain top experiences we have in life are important. We need to celebrate and praise God when we are on the mountain top. But don’t underestimate the goodness that can be found in the valley and even in the dry and barren wilderness. 

Our Heavenly Father, who is our Good Shepherd, is with us every step of the way through every valley, wilderness, and mountain top. It is in the valleys and wilderness that our faith is strengthened and we learn to cling to Him. Often there is a special lesson to learn there as well. If we spend too much time grumbling we might miss the best parts of the valley and wilderness. 

Beauty in the valley and wilderness.

Victory in the valley and wilderness

Wisdom in the valley and wilderness

Submission in the valley and wilderness

Peace in the valley and wilderness

Everyone’s journey will have some of all three – valleys, mountain tops, and wildernesses. Even though it may be hard to walk through some of these, the way we walk on this journey and who we take with us matters. Who or what will you let dictate the way you walk on this journey? 

It is hard not to grumble and argue on the journey. The valleys and the wilderness – they make us want to complain a lot sometimes. But if we are focused on complaining we will miss all the good parts of the valleys and wilderness, and even in adversity, there is value. There may be something God is wanting to reveal to us but we are too busy grumbling to see it. Grumbling can cause us to miss all the good parts of the jouney, and if we are not careful, it can even cause us to miss the mountain top. 

In the midst of adversity it is hard not to grumble and complain. Some friends may even tell you that you have every reason to complain due to all that you may be experiencing. But if we focus on our Shepherd, who is with us every step of the way, we can see the beauty and find the wisdom even in the midst of adversity. 

The scripture says not to grumble or argue so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life. How great it would be for the kingdom of God if we shine like stars, holding firm to the word of life all the way through the valleys and wilderness? There are crooked and perverted generations all around us and they are watching how we journey. They are watching how we go through adversity and when we shine like stars, holding firm to the word of life no matter what, we are a living testimony. Lean into Him, hold firm to the word of life and shine like stars.

You are on a journey right now. Who will you take with you on your journey? What will you focus on? How will you journey?