today's meditation (Ps.79) Being a Servant and Giving Thanks

(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 79:1-13)  God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance;
     They have defiled Your holy temple;
     They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2   They have given the dead bodies of Your servants to the birds of the sky as food,
     The flesh of Your godly ones to the animals of the earth.
3   They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem;
     And there was no one to bury them.
4   We have become a disgrace before our neighbors,
     An object of derision and ridicule to those around us.
5   How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever?
     Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6   Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You,
     And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name.
7   For they have devoured Jacob 
     And laid waste his settlement.

8   Do not hold us responsible for the guilty deeds of our forefathers;
     Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us,
     For we have become very low.
9   Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name;
     And save us and forgive our sins for the sake of Your name.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
     Let vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed 
     Be known among the nations in our sight.
11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
     According to the greatness of Your power, let those who are doomed to die remain.
12 And return to our neighbors seven times as much into their lap 
     Their taunts with which they have taunted You, Lord.
13 So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture 
     Will give thanks to You forever;
     To all generations we will tell of Your praise.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

No matter what we are going through, or no matter what is going on around us, we need to stay focused on God;  and in His strength, we should be actively living in His will.  As in verse 9, a good place to start (each day) is to confess any sins we might be struggling with.  We can also ask God to help us move past any sinful situation we have been born into, or any sinful situation we find ourselves.  

In our daily walk with God, we should be giving thanks to Him, not only because there are so many reasons to be thankful, but because this will help adjust our attitude and how we see God.  To behave properly in society, we are taught certain manners which demonstrate respect.  For example, we are taught to say "please" and "thank you".  Why then do we sometimes feel like we can just order God around like He is our servant, without so much as a please or a thank you?

We don't deserve anything!  We are to serve Him!  Yet everything God has done, is doing, and will do for us - is because of His love and compassion.  And this is what should fill our hearts and our lives, and spill out onto all those around us.  No matter where we go, we should be willing and able to tell others about the salvation which is found only in Jesus Christ.

today's meditation (Ps.78) Fostering a Close Relationship

(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 78:1-72)  Listen, my people, to my instruction;
     Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2   I will open my mouth in a parable;
     I will tell riddles of old,
3   Which we have heard and known,
     And our fathers have told us.
4   We will not conceal them from their children,
     But we will tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
     And His power and His wondrous works that He has done.

5   For He established a testimony in Jacob,
     And appointed a law in Israel,
     Which He commanded our fathers 
     That they were to teach them to their children,
6   So that the generation to come would know, the children yet to be born,
     That they would arise and tell them to their children,
7   So that they would put their confidence in God
     And not forget the works of God,
     But comply with His commandments,
8   And not be like their fathers,
     A stubborn and rebellious generation,
     A generation that did not prepare its heart 
     And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9   The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows,
     Yet they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant of God 
     And refused to walk in His Law;
11 They forgot His deeds 
     And His miracles that He had shown them.
12 He performed wonders before their fathers 
     In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
     And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14 Then He led them with the cloud by day 
     And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness 
     And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
16 He brought forth streams from the rock 
     And made waters run down like rivers.

17 Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
     To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And in their heart they put God to the test 
     By asking for food that suited their taste.
19 Then they spoke against God;
     They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out,
     And streams were overflowing;
     Can He also provide bread?
     Will He prepare meat for His people?”

21 Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath;
     And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
     And anger also mounted against Israel,
22 Because they did not believe in God 
     And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above 
     And opened the doors of heaven;
24 He rained down manna upon them to eat,
     And gave them food from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of angels;
     He sent them food in abundance.
26 He made the east wind blow in the sky
     And by His power He directed the south wind.
27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
     Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28 He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
     All around their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were well filled,
     And He satisfied their longing.
30 Yet before they had abandoned their longing,
     While their food was in their mouths,
31 The anger of God rose against them 
     And killed some of their strongest ones,
     And subdued the choice men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they still sinned 
     And did not believe in His wonderful works.
33 So He brought their days to an end in futility,
     And their years to an end in sudden terror.

34 When He killed them, then they sought Him,
     And they returned and searched diligently for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their rock,
     And the Most High God their Redeemer.
36 But they flattered Him with their mouth 
     And lied to Him with their tongue.
37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him,
     Nor were they faithful with His covenant.
38 But He, being compassionate, forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them;
     And often He restrained His anger 
     And did not stir up all His wrath.
39 So He remembered that they were only flesh,
     A wind that passes and does not return.

40 How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness
     And grieved Him in the desert!
41 Again and again they tempted God,
     And pained the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His power,
     The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
43 When He performed His signs in Egypt 
     And His marvels in the field of Zoan,
44 And turned their rivers to blood,
     And their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sent swarms of flies among them that devoured them,
     And frogs that destroyed them.
46 He also gave their crops to the grasshopper 
     And the product of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hailstones 
     And their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also turned their cattle over to the hailstones,
     And their herds to bolts of lightning.
49 He sent His burning anger upon them,
     Fury and indignation and trouble,
     A band of destroying angels.
50 He leveled a path for His anger;
     He did not spare their souls from death,
     But turned their lives over to the plague,
51 And struck all the firstborn in Egypt,
     The first and best of their vigor in the tents of Ham.
52 But He led His own people out like sheep,
     And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
53 He led them safely, so that they did not fear;
     But the sea engulfed their enemies.

54 So He brought them to His holy land,
     To this hill country which His right hand had gained.
55 He also drove out the nations from them
     And apportioned them as an inheritance by measurement,
     And had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God 
     And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers;
     They turned aside like a treacherous bow.
58 For they provoked Him with their high places 
     And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
59 When God heard them, He was filled with wrath 
     And He utterly rejected Israel;
60 So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh,
     The tent which He had pitched among people,
61 And He gave up His strength to captivity 
     And His glory into the hand of the enemy.
62 He also turned His people over to the sword,
     And was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
63 Fire devoured His young men,
     And His virgins had no wedding songs.
64 His priests fell by the sword,
     And His widows could not weep.

65 Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep,
     Like a warrior overcome by wine.
66 He drove His adversaries backward;
     He put on them an everlasting disgrace.
67 He also rejected the tent of Joseph,
     And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
     Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights,
     Like the earth which He has established forever.
70 He also chose His servant David 
     And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From the care of the ewes with nursing lambs He brought him 
     To shepherd Jacob His people,
     And Israel His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
     And guided them with his skillful hands.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

A huge riddle is that even though people witness and benefit from God's amazing power, love, gracious compassion and generosity, they can still choose not to believe in Him.  And then there are some people who only learn the hard way.  But He knows that we are "only flesh".  Without His mercy and grace, no one could be saved and remain with Him.  And we should be ready and excited to share this good news!

Once we choose to believe and put our faith and trust in Jesus, we have eternal security.  But it doesn't stop with that!  Because we are "only flesh", we still need His constant help and guidance.  But it doesn't stop with that!  In fact, this is where and how it begins - for us to realize that - BECAUSE the Holy One who created everything loves us and desires to foster a close relationship with each and every one of us, He offers us His mercy, grace, help and guidance!!!

today's meditation (Ps.77) Meditating on God's Greatness

(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 77:1-20)  My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud;
     My voice rises to God, and He will listen to me.
2   In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
     In the night my hand was stretched out and did not grow weary;
     My soul refused to be comforted.
3   When I remember God, then I am restless;
     When I sigh, then my spirit feels weak. Selah 
4   You have held my eyelids open;
     I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5   I have considered the days of old,
     The years of long ago.
6   I will remember my song in the night;
     I will meditate with my heart,
     And my spirit ponders:

7   Will the Lord reject forever?
     And will He never be favorable again?
8   Has His favor ceased forever?
     Has His promise come to an end forever?
9   Has God forgotten to be gracious,
     Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah 
10 Then I said, “It is my grief,
     That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

11 I shall remember the deeds of the Lord;
     I will certainly remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all Your work,
     And on Your deeds with thanksgiving.
13 Your way, God, is holy;
     What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
     You have made known Your strength among the peoples.
15 By Your power You have redeemed Your people,
     The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah 

16 The waters saw You, God;
     The waters saw You, they were in anguish;
     The ocean depths also trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
     The skies sounded out;
     Your arrows flashed here and there.
18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
     The lightning lit up the world;
     The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea 
     And Your paths in the mighty waters,
     And Your footprints were not known.
20 You led Your people like a flock 
     By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When you feel that things are hopeless, think about - remember - and mediate on this - God is great!  Our fallible and limited human strength cannot compare to God's sovereign power, but we can consider and remember the great things He has done.  And in our weakness, when we look to Him, He is our strength.  As well, our fallible and limited minds cannot comprehend God, but we can see and understand that God is all-knowing and faithful, and He will look after us.  And in our shortsightedness, when we trust in Him, He is our hope and our confidence.

today's meditation (Ps.76) Considering God's Greatness

(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 76:1-12)  God is known in Judah;
     His name is great in Israel.
2   His tabernacle is in Salem;
     His dwelling place also is in Zion.
3   There He broke the flaming arrows,
     The shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah 

4   You are resplendent,
     More majestic than the mountains of prey.
5   The stouthearted were plundered,
     They sank into sleep;
     And none of the warriors could use his hands.
6   At Your rebuke, God of Jacob,
     Both rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7   You, You indeed are to be feared,
     And who may stand in Your presence, once You are angry?

8   You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
     The earth feared and was still 
9   When God arose to judgment,
     To save all the humble of the earth. Selah 
10 For the wrath of mankind shall praise You;
     You will encircle Yourself with a remnant of wrath.

11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;
     All who are around Him are to bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.
12 He will cut off the spirit of princes;
     He is feared by the kings of the earth.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Selah - think on these things... God is to be feared.  God is great and worthy to be praised.   And He is worthy of our vows, our dedication, and gifts.  But we can only give to Him what we receive from Him.

today's meditation (Ps.75) Humbling Our Hearts

(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 75:1-10)  We give thanks to You, God, we give thanks,
     For Your name is near;
     People declare Your wondrous works.
2   “When I select an appointed time,
     It is I who judge fairly.
3   The earth and all who inhabit it are unsteady;
     It is I who have firmly set its pillars. Selah 
4   I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
     And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn;
5   Do not lift up your horn on high,
     Do not speak with insolent pride.’”

6   For not from the east, nor from the west,
     Nor from the desert comes exaltation;
7   But God is the Judge;
     He puts down one and exalts another.
8   For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
     It is well mixed, and He pours out of this;
     Certainly all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink its dregs.

9   But as for me, I will declare it forever;
     I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 And He will cut off all the horns of the wicked,
     But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God is judge, and one day everyone will face Him.  God is also just, so we can be confident that He knows the exact right time for everything.  Everyone who is to become a believer will have made that decision.  And everyone who rejects Jesus will have been given fair opportunity.

It all comes down to the condition of our hearts.  Is it boastful in thinking that you don't need Jesus and you want nothing to do with Him?  Or have you humbled your heart, knowing that we are all sinners who need Jesus and His salvation, His strength and His guidance?  It's that simple.  If a person has decided they want nothing to do with Jesus, why would they expect to go to heaven where everyone will be praising Jesus for all eternity?

today's meditation (Ps.74) Praising God's Name

(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 74:1-23)  God, why have You rejected us forever?
     Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2   Remember Your congregation, which You purchased of old,
     Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance;
     And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.
3   Step toward the irreparable ruins;
     The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4   Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place;
     They have set up their own signs as signs.
5   It seems like one bringing up 
     His axe into a forest of trees.
6   And now they break down all its carved work 
     With axe and hammers.
7   They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;
     They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
8   They said in their heart, “Let’s completely subdue them.”
     They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9   We do not see our signs;
     There is no longer any prophet,
     Nor is there anyone among us who knows how long.
10 How long, God, will the enemy taunt You?
     Shall the enemy treat Your name disrespectfully forever?
11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
     Extend it from Your chest and destroy them!

12 Yet God is my King from long ago,
     Who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength;
     You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
     You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You broke open springs and torrents;
     You dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
     You have prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have established all the boundaries of the earth;
     You have created summer and winter.

18 Remember this, Lord, that the enemy has taunted You,
     And a foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
19 Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild animal;
     Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
20 Consider the covenant;
     For the dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.
21 May the oppressed person not return dishonored;
     May the afflicted and the needy praise Your name.

22 Arise, God, and plead Your own cause;
     Remember how the foolish person taunts You all day long.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries,
     The uproar of those who rise against You, which ascends continually.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Those who are ignorant and/or hate God will abuse His name.  Those who love God will respect and praise His name.  God hears and sees everything.  God knows everything.  And God remembers everything.  And He is faithful.  So He will be faithful in fulfilling the covenant He made with the Israelites.

The Israelites were chosen - to be the "missionaries" to the rest of the world - but they walked away from God.  They as a nation rejected Jesus.  Their suffering will only end when they as a nation accept Jesus as their Messiah and King.  And that will only happen when they see their signs... which are the judgments that will take place in the Tribulation.  THEN they will believe and be righteous in God's grace and obedient in His strength.  THEN Jesus will return to earth.

After the victory at the battle at Armageddon, Jesus will bring the Israelites and all those who became believers in the Tribulation into the Millennium.  This is when He will fulfill all promises made to the Israelites.  He has not forgotten.  This will happen in God's perfect timing!

Meanwhile, His salvation is available to anyone who believes in Him!  With that, not only will we be saved from eternal death, but we will be saved from the wrath to come, which is the Tribulation.  Because of this we can be thankful and praise His name!!!

today's meditation (Ps.73) Waiting is Worth It

(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 73:1-28) God certainly is good to Israel,
     To those who are pure in heart!
2   But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
     My steps had almost slipped.
3   For I was envious of the arrogant 
     As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4   For there are no pains in their death,
     And their belly is fat.
5   They are not in trouble like other people,
     Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind.
6   Therefore arrogance is their necklace;
     The garment of violence covers them.
7   Their eye bulges from fatness;
     The imaginations of their heart overflow.
8   They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
     They speak from on high.
9   They have set their mouth against the heavens,
     And their tongue parades through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return here,
     And abundant waters are drunk by them.
11 They say, “How does God know?
     And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
     And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure 
     And washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken all day long,
     And punished every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
     Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.
16 When I thought of understanding this,
     It was troublesome in my sight 
17 Until I entered the sanctuary of God;
     Then I perceived their end.
18 You indeed put them on slippery ground;
     You dropped them into ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment!
     They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
     Lord, when stirred, You will despise their image.

21 When my heart was embittered 
     And I was pierced within,
22 Then I was stupid and ignorant;
     I was like an animal before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
     You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your plan,
     And afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom do I have in heaven but You?
     And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
     But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
     You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;
     I have made the Lord God my refuge,
     So that I may tell of all Your works.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

I love the picture that David paints of God taking his hand and guiding him through life.  This is what God does when one becomes a believer.  God has a plan for each of us, which goes alongside His plans.  And even though we struggle and stumble, God is with us continuously!  He will never let go of our hand.  

We might look away from Him or act disobediently, but as our perfect heavenly Father, He will discipline us, but never disown us.  And because He is faithful, one day He will take us home to be with Him in glory.  Here is where the real treasures are!!!  And it will be so worth the wait!!!