(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Psalm 66:1-20) Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
2 Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will pretend to obey You.
4 All the earth will worship You,
And will sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah
5 Come and see the works of God,
Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of mankind.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through the river on foot;
Let’s rejoice there, in Him!
7 He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations;
The rebellious shall not exalt themselves! Selah
8 Bless our God, you peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
9 Who keeps us in life,
And does not allow our feet to slip.
10 For You have put us to the test, God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon us.
12 You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water.
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.
13 I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was in distress.
15 I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat animals,
With the smoke of rams;
I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all who fear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was exalted with my tongue.
18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
19 But God has heard;
He has given attention to the sound of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His favor from me.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
2 Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will pretend to obey You.
4 All the earth will worship You,
And will sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah
5 Come and see the works of God,
Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of mankind.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through the river on foot;
Let’s rejoice there, in Him!
7 He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations;
The rebellious shall not exalt themselves! Selah
8 Bless our God, you peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
9 Who keeps us in life,
And does not allow our feet to slip.
10 For You have put us to the test, God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon us.
12 You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water.
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.
13 I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was in distress.
15 I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat animals,
With the smoke of rams;
I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all who fear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was exalted with my tongue.
18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
19 But God has heard;
He has given attention to the sound of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His favor from me.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
How many people pretend to obey God?! I would say there would be millions. Billions! Otherwise, we would see more people admitting to and boasting about all their crimes. We are all born with a conscience, so we all realize that there is right and wrong. We are all created with a soul that can only be filled with God, so we all know that there is a Higher Power who created all things, and is the ultimate Judge. So to reject or deny God is rebellion. And so, God will ignore the prayers of the rebellious heart. Sin impedes prayer.
God does and will punish the wicked and rebellious. And God does and will test His children. As verse 10 says, He will refine us as silver is refined. As we go "through the fire" and continue to bless and honor God, being obedient to His will in His strength, God hears and saves the humbled heart. Going through these tests and trials while trusting in God will only make our faith stronger.
I have been through a few things where, while I depended on God, I was expecting Him to fix the situation or fix the other person. There were a few times where I was the one who needed fixing. As we go through any situation, it will always be an opportunity to learn and grow in the Lord! And the biggest "ah-ha" anyone should realize is that - the answer is always to ask and allow God to help!
No comments:
Post a Comment