OUR RESCUE FROM THE MIRE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from You.

Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in You not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek You not be put to shame because of me. For I endure scorn for Your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children; for zeal for Your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult You fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

But I pray to You, Lord, in the time of Your favor; in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide Your face from Your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before You. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out Your wrath on them; let Your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those You wound and talk about the pain of those You hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in Your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

But as for me, afflicted and in pain — may Your salvation, God, protect me.

Psalm 69:1-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, many today are left to try and piece together lives that were more intact before the destructive winds and rain crashed down upon the eastern seaboard. With homes lost and dreams shattered in many instances, many today are hoping to be taken from the mire of their circumstances.

A friend in the Lord is awaiting prognosis from a specialist this week regarding a long standing affliction. In the midst of the suffering and uncertainty, I am sure they are praying and hoping to be removed from the mire of their sickness and suffering.

And somewhere right now, someone is struggling with an addiction of sometime. Whether alcohol, drugs, eating, pornography, or any other number of addictions we fall prey too, they yearn to be free from temptation and released from the mire of enticement.

Maybe you are reading this today and in the midst of any other number of circumstances that shackle us down in life and bring us hardship. Possibly you’re struggling financially in a tough economy or out of work like so many others who are unemployed these days.

Possibly you’re in the middle of relationship troubles. Your marriage is in trouble and the love and magic you once had together has slipped away. You’re trying to keep things afloat but it the prospects for reconciliation seem bleak.

Yes, life has a way of dragging us down into the pits sometimes and we wonder if it will ever end.

David could relate to what we go through and indeed he did. As we read the words of the 69th Psalm, this is very evident.

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from You.

Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in You not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek You not be put to shame because of me. For I endure scorn for Your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children; for zeal for Your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult You fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

But I pray to You, Lord, in the time of Your favor; in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide Your face from Your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before You. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out Your wrath on them; let Your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those You wound and talk about the pain of those You hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in Your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

But as for me, afflicted and in pain — may Your salvation, God, protect me.

David was in the midst of what we might call a double whammy. For as we read his words, we discover that he was in the center of judgment from God for some committed sin. David confesses, “You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from You.” He prays to God that his transgressions might not be passed onto others saying, “Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in You not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek You not be put to shame because of me. For I endure scorn for Your sake, and shame covers my face.”

It’s definitely not a fun place to be, to be in the hands of God’s correction and punishment. It’s even less fun when others slander you while you’re under going that discipline.

David shared the following about his experience:

“The insults of those who insult You fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.”

Maybe you have been where David is. In the heart of troubles, it seems that people want to ridicule you or distance themselves when you need help most. David longed for someone to be there for him but even to his own family he was a “foreigner” and “a stranger to his own children.

It was in this place that David cried out to the only One who was there for him, the only One He could rely on. He called out for God:

“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.”

“I pray to You, Lord, in the time of Your favor; in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.”

“Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide Your face from Your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.”

David was truly up against it, up to his neck in his adversity, gasping for breaths of hope while sinking deeper into the midst of despair.

And yet, he never questioned or cursed God for his circumstances. Instead, he sought Him and His favor, love, and salvation. The God who had delivered His people Israel over and over and over again was the only One who could rescue David from the mire. And he knew it.

Friends, like David, we need to ever keep our focus on the only One who can deliver us from pain and difficulty as well. We need to pray without ceasing unto the God who rescues and delivers His people from the mires of life. He did it in Old Testament times. He did it in New Testament times. And He has continued to do it ever since.

Keep that in mind wherever you are today and always remember as David did that you have a rescue from the mire of life and He is the Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE ONE REALLY IN CHARGE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the young women playing the timbrels. Praise God in the great congregation; praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel. There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah’s princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

Summon Your power, God; show us Your strength, our God, as You have done before. Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring You gifts. Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war. Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.

Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, to Him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice. Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens. You, God, are awesome in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

Psalm 68:24-35

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We have spent the past months watching a campaign where two men vie for the position of President of the United States. Each will tell you that he is the right man to lead this country and bring it to great prosperity, solving the country’s woes and giving the American people a better life. Each will also not hesitate to bash the other one at every opportunity, investing time degrading their opponent in an attempt to deter us from casting our vote their way.

I don’t know about you but I’m just ready to get it all over with. It’s amazing how much our nation can be so polarized and enthusiastic over two political candidates and forget who is really in charge.

For regardless of how this election comes out, God is still on His throne. He is still the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and the President of all presidents. He is our divine Commander in Chief and thus is the One we should turn to when our enemies try and bring harm against us. God’s word is clear on that.

As an example, we can look at the closing verses of the 68th Psalm as David reminds us of who is in power. Keep in mind that David was the king of Israel but he still fully deferred to THE King (capital K). It would be refreshing to see our national leadership follow his lead but at the expense of getting off subject here, I’ll save that lament for another day.

Let’s look at David’s words:

Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the young women playing the timbrels. Praise God in the great congregation; praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel. There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah’s princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

Summon Your power, God; show us Your strength, our God, as You have done before. Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring You gifts. Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war. Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.

Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, to Him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice. Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens. You, God, are awesome in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

You have to love how David portrays God in this passage.

First, there is a triumphant procession into the sanctuary to honor and worship none other than the only One worthy of worship and praise, the God Almighty. The great congregation comes together to give Him and Him alone all the glory.

Secondly, David acknowledges God’s extraordinary power over not just the Israelite nation who have come together to worship but all nations. There wasn’t a single nation not under God’s authority and rule then and there isn’t a nation not under His supremacy and governance today.

Finally, David highlights the majestic nature of God by using a fantastic visual representation of His magnificence. Picture the Lord riding across the highest heavens as He reigns over all mankind, thundering with His mighty voice and providing strength to His people in times of need.

Friends, we can get wrapped up in an election between two men or we can just be focused with excitement and thanksgiving on the One who has been in charge since the dawn of man and will continue to be in charge forever more.

Thanks be to God for all He was, and He is, and all He is yet to be.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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SEE GOD AT WORK

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When you, God, went out before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. You gave abundant showers, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from Your bounty, God, You provided for the poor.

The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:  “Kings and armies flee in haste; the women at home divide the plunder. Even while you sleep among the sheep pens, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold.” When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.

Mount Bashan, majestic mountain, Mount Bashan, rugged mountain, why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord Himself will dwell forever? The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into His sanctuary. When You ascended on high, You took many captives; You received gifts from people, even from the rebellious — that You, Lord God, might dwell there.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death. Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins. The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea, that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”

Psalm 68:7-23

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

One thing is certain about our Almighty God. He saves.

This is the central point of our passage taken from the middle of the 68th Psalm as David praises God for what He had done and what He was presently doing.

It was God who went before His chosen people of Israel and brought them through the wilderness. He provided for His people every step of the way, despite their unfaithfulness and sin, and brought them to their inheritance, the promised land of Canaan where the Israelites settled.

Indeed, God was a God who saved and helped Israel escape death and demise on more than one occasion by protecting them from their enemies.

God was also a God who bore the burdens of His people. Recall all the times, God’s people were in need and God provided a way through what burdened them. From deliverance from Egypt’s captivity to survival through two wilderness wonderings to the final Canaan destination and the conquest of that land from its inhabitants, God was always at work rescuing and preserving His people Israel.

The good news for us today is that God is still the God who bears burdens and saves.

First, let’s consider a passage from Philippians regarding how God bears our burdens:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

This passage has always served as God’s prescription for those who have burdens, anything that would bring stress, anxiety, fear, or worry. And that would include all of us, I think.

The command is so simple and yet we too often mess it up. All we need to do is give all our concerns to God, allowing Him to take care of them in faith and trust. After all, isn’t He God, the One who can do all things? Face it, God has performed greater miracles than taking care of the problems you and I face. We need to keep that in mind when life’s circumstances seem to grow too overwhelming.

We’re to trust in the God who bears our burdens and helps deliver us from them, just as He did the Israelites more than 2,000 years ago. And when we do this, something amazing happens. We find peace, and not just any peace, but a peace that transcends all understanding. It’s a special peace that only comes when we place our full hope and confidence in God. No one else can give you this kind of peace. Not your family, not your friends and co-workers, not some self help book, not even your pastor. Only God can grant it.

Yes, God is a God who bears our burdens. He also is a God who saves.

For this God who takes our stresses and fears and anxieties and worries, replacing them with a perfect peace beyond understanding, is the same God who loved mankind so much that He gave His only Son Jesus as a living sacrifice to pay the price for sin and save anyone who places their faith and trust in Jesus as Savior (John 3:16). Those who do accept the offer of salvation through Christ will find themselves heirs to a rich inheritance, even better than the Promised Land the Israelites enjoyed. For the Promised Land that awaits us when Jesus returns will be free of suffering and hurt and hardship and sin. It will be a perfect utopia, an eternal life spent with God the Father and Jesus the Son. We will worship forever in the light of the Lord’s love and live in the purest sense of joy and praise.

Friends, life is such a rich blessing if we really step back and see God at work.

For He bears our burdens today and brings us a peace beyond understanding and He grants us life eternal and liberation from all of life’s ills in the future.

Truly, our God is an awesome God and worthy of all our praise.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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HIS NAME IS THE LORD

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

May God arise, may His enemies be scattered; may His foes flee before Him. May you blow them away like smoke — as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Sing to God, sing in praise of His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before Him — His name is the Lord. A Father to the fatherless, a Defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, He leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 68:1-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The 68th Psalm begins with a great declaration: His name is the Lord. David exhorts us to sing out praises to the Lord God, rejoicing before Him for no one else is worthy of all of our praise.

What are some of the qualities we find in the Almighty Lord? David gives us a few?

The Lord is a Father to the fatherless and a Defender of widows. For the homeless, He provides shelter and He frees the prisoners. The righteous are glad and happy and joyful because their lives are grounded in the One whose name is the Lord.

The Bible has much more to say about the name of the Lord. Consider just these dozen mentions regarding what the Lord does for you and me:

1. The Lord is the everlasting God and Creator of all things.

“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 40:28

2. The Lord is great in power.

“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power.” Nahum 1:3

3. The Lord is righteous and just.

“For the Lord is righteous, He loves justice.” Psalm 11:7

4. The Lord is good.

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7

5. The Lord is faithful.

“The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

6. The Lord is compassionate and merciful.

“The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:11

7. The Lord is patient.

“The Lord is - patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

8. The Lord is our Shepherd.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1

9. The Lord is our Light and Salvation.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation.”Psalm 27:1

10. The Lord is our Strength and Shield.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield.” Psalm 28:7

11. The Lord is the true God.

“The Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King.”Jeremiah 10:10

12. The Lord is King forever.

“The Lord is King for ever and ever.” Psalm 10:16

Father, Defender, Provider, Deliverer.

Everlasting God and Creator, infinitely powerful, righteous, just, and good.

Faithful, compassionate, merciful, and patient.

Shepherd, Light and Salvation, Strength and Shield, true and living God, eternal King forever.

Who is all these things?

His name is the Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us — so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You.

The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

Psalm 67

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How many ways has God blessed you? Do you think about it?

I’m convinced that we should do it daily. In fact, if you haven’t done so already, sit down and begin to write down every blessing you have received in your life. I think you’ll discover that your list will be extremely extensive.

Why should we do this?

Because something awesome happens when we take the time to formally count our blessings. We find ourselves taken to a place of praise.

That’s what happened to the psalmist who penned the 67th Psalm. Look at these wonderful words:

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us — so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You.

The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

The psalm’s author knows of God’s blessings, not just for them but for all. Those blessings include thanks for the land’s harvest, for God’s just and equitable rule, and for the guidance He provided the nations. There was no doubt that God’s ways were known and the people were urged by the psalmist to praise the Lord for all He had done for them. All were to be glad and sing for joy.

Friends, when we count our blessings, we too are taken to a place where we are thankful, living our lives with a sense of gladness and joy. We see the full abundance of God’s goodness unto us and find our hearts and minds feeling compelled to respond with the fullest sense of gratitude. Truly count your blessings and see for yourself.

I’ll close this message with words of a treasured part of church worship services since 1674, when the well known “Doxology” was written by Thomas Ken. May we ever keep these words on our lips as we thank the God for all He has been, all He is, and all He is yet to be in our lives:

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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TELL WHAT GOD HAS DONE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot — come, let us rejoice in Him.

He rules forever by His power, His eyes watch the nations — let not the rebellious rise up against Him. Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard; He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For You, God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance.

I will come to Your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to You — vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble. I will sacrifice fat animals to You and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.

Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Psalm 66:5-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In an election year, we find candidates out campaigning and telling prospective voters about what they will do for them if elected. If they have a political record, they will want everyone to know about their successes and how they will continue those successes if placed in office. At the heart of these deliveries is an attitude of self centeredness, candidates talking about what they have done and what they plan on doing.

God’s word has a different idea about what we should be saying when we are out and talking to the public. Consider these words from the 66th Psalm:

“Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me.”

As you can see, God’s word encourages us to tell others about Him. Our speech should be centered on Him.

Given this, what would you tell others regarding what God had done for you? It’s something we need to think about.

Let’s look at what the psalmist has to say about God?

First, God has done awesome deeds for mankind. The psalmist uses the example of God delivering the Israelites from Pharoah and their Egyptian captivity. We know God and God alone “turned the sea into dry land” so they could pass “through the waters on foot”. God has continued to do amazing wonders ever since then and will continue to do so. For God is a God who does awesome deeds for mankind.

Second, God rules forever by His power. Scripture tells us that “His eyes watch the nations” and warns against any that would rebel against Him. I don’t know about you but I gain a great deal of peace and comfort in knowing that God is in charge. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Man may try to do a lot of things but God is in charge and in control. He always has been, He is today, and He always will be.  

Third, we should tell others about how God has preserved and still preserves our lives. The psalmist proclaims that God “kept our feet from slipping” and “tested us” while “refining us like silver”. He “let people ride over (their) heads” and brought them through “fire and water” to a “place of abundance”.

What has God done to preserve you? Are you in good health? You should give God the credit for keeping you that way. Have you been afflicted and now are healed? You should tell of God’s power of restoration. God has done more for us than we can list. Surely we have a lot to tell about Him.

Finally, God answers our prayers. The psalmist testifies that the Lord had listened and heard his prayer, answering his cries for help. God is in the business of answering prayers because He yearns to have a relationship with us and that relationship requires concerted, deliberate, and honest communication.

Friends, the message of this scripture passage is clear. We are to tell others about God and what He has done for us. And when we do, we will find ourselves fully immersed in praise for it’s our praise that drives us to testify about God’s goodness, mercy, grace, and love.

Who have you told about what God has done for you today?

I encourage you to leave a comment today and tell other readers your testimony.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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ATTITUDES TO LIVE BY

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!

So great is Your power that Your enemies cringe before You. All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You, they sing the praises of Your name.”

Psalm 66:1-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What is your life attitude?

As we observe people, we see all kinds of different types.

Some people tend to live indifferently. To them, every day is pretty much like the one before and the days ahead look like they’ll be likewise. This would be the classic “groundhog day” attitude.

Some people carry a negative attitude of life around with them. You’ve seen them right. Nothing is good. No one is good. Everything has a sense of gloom and doom. And no matter how positive something might be, these types will always manage to find a downfall of some sort. If you live like this, you can be labeled as a pessimist.

The opposite end of the spectrum from a pessimist is the optimist. They will find a glimmer of hope in everything. Nothing or no one will be able to take away their positive attitude.

There are plenty of more types of life attitudes but these three seem to be the most prominent.

As we look at the opening verses of the 66th Psalm, we are exposed to a whole different life attitude to consider, a divine, Spirit-filled lifestyle that seeks to first and foremost honor God, who gave us the life we form attitudes over.

So what attitude is preferred by God?

Let’s look at the scriptures and look at five different actions that constitute a God-pleasing life approach.

1. Shout for joy.

“Shout for joy to God, all the earth!”

The scriptures exhort us to let the joy of the Lord be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). When we realize how good God has been to us, we can’t help but shout for joy as we fully grasp the depth of His blessings.

2. Sing of God’s glory.

“Sing the glory of His name.”

The glory of the Lord is all around us as we experience His creation. Who else can do the things God has done? Who else can do what He is doing today? The answer is no one. All glory belongs to God and the scriptures command us to sing the glory of His name.

3. Bring God praise.

“Make His praise glorious.”

“They sing praise to You, they sing the praises of Your name.”

As we shout out our joy and sing of God’s glory, we elevate ourselves to a place of praise, praise unto the God who can do all things, praise unto the God who never leaves us nor forsakes us, praise unto our God who ever loves us with a parent’s tender care and shows us unending grace and mercy.

4. Proclaim God’s awesome works and great power.

“Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power.”

As you look at the world around you, God is evident everywhere. Each day is filled with examples of His awesome deeds and amazingly great power. All of God’s actions speak to His magnificence and our life attitude should involve proclaiming the awe-inspiring nature of God at every opportunity.

5. Live humbly before God.

“All the earth bows down to You.”

The world would say that humility is a weakness. God considers it one of a person’s greatest strengths.

Do you remember these words from God’s word in Micah regarding our life attitude?

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

The psalm tells us to bow down before God. That is one of the purest displays of humility, acknowledging God’s rule over us. We are to submit to Him and His will for our lives. We do this when we walk humbly with Him.

Shout joy, sing of His glory with praise, proclaim His greatness as revealed in His astounding works, and walk humbly with God with every step you walk with Him.

These are the components of a life attitude centered on God and acceptable in His sight. They are attitudes to live by. Let’s make it a point to live by them each and every day.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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A SNAPSHOT OF GOD

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Praise awaits You, our God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled. You who answer prayer, to You all people will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions. Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple.

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed Yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, You call forth songs of joy.

You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.

Psalm 65

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We truly serve an awesome and amazing God. There’s little doubt about that. If you wanted to get a snapshot of the God we love and serve, you need only go to the 65th Psalm. In it David does a good job of highlighting many of the Lord’s greatest qualities. Consider the following things about God and how they apply to your life:

1. God answers prayer.

“You who answer prayer”

Sometimes people wonder if God really answers prayer. Perhaps this is because He hasn’t answered the way they wanted Him to. I mean, we’re like that aren’t we? Don’t we pray expecting for God to do our will, the will we are expressing to Him?

If you carry that attitude, it’s not going to take very long before you’re going to realize prayer doesn’t work like that. For it is all about God’s will and never about ours. Remember that Jesus taught us how to pray saying, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

I think an old saying about prayer comes as close as any explanation about God and answered prayer. For God does answer every prayer and He does so with one of three responses: Yes, No, or Wait. Yes and No are easy enough to understand but what about wait?

Here God is saying one of two things: Either He wants you to wait because He is about to do something better than you could ever have hoped for or He’s telling you to wait because He’s trying to teach you patience and perseverance through faith and trust in Him.

Remember this always: God answers prayer.

2. God is always there for all who come to Him.

“To You all people will come.”

We could certainly go to a buffet table full of people in our lives, each providing us a particular service we need. Or we simply go to where we have one-stop shopping for everything we need. We could simply go to God.

Truly, when a person comes into a personal relationship with God, underscored by trust and faith, there isn’t anyone else they need to go to because God is the One who can provide them anything. Why would they go elsewhere?

3. God forgives.

“When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions.”

There isn’t a human being alive today who isn’t a sinner (Romans 3:23). We are all afflicted by sin, sometimes overwhelmingly, so it’s a great comfort to know that we serve a God who forgives us with a grace, mercy, and love like no other.

4. God fills us with happiness as we experience His goodness to the fullest.

Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple.

When we choose to allow God to live and abide within our hearts and minds, then we live with Him. And when we live with Him by way of Him living in us, then we are filled to overflow with the good things of God, filled with the riches that are only found in Him.  

5. God performs awesome and righteous deeds.

“You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior.”

The God who answers prayer doesn’t do so with mere words. No, He often answers with amazing, miraculous works that proclaim the mighty power of His hands. Perhaps no other act was more amazing and powerful than God saving us through His one and only Son Jesus. For it wasn’t enough for our forgiving God to offer Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins on Calvary’s cross. He reserved His greatest act for the third day after Jesus had been put in the tomb. On that day, God showed all humanity that He held power over even death, resurrecting His Son from death to life and raising Him to power at His right hand in heaven.

It is this God who is for us. It is this God who answers prayers with miraculous deeds.

6. God is the hope of all the earth.

“God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.”

Can you think about the world without thinking about God first? After all, everything came from Him including all mankind.

With this, the earth and everything in it exists because of God and is only sustained by Him. He and He alone is the only real hope we will ever have, our only hope in this life and our only hope ahead through Jesus.

7. God’s creative power is on display in turn the earth is filled with his wonders.

“You formed the mountains by your power, having armed Yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with Your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades.”

The creation work of God is all around us and He continues to show us that He is the grand Conductor of life, everything ebbing and flowing in a perfect symphony of His work called life. And we are in the midst of it, in the midst of God’s astonishing, astounding, remarkable wonders.

If this Psalm doesn’t lift your spirits as it brings God and His nature to the forefront in a mere snapshot of eleven verses, then I don’t know what will. It calls us to praise our Maker and Creator and to be as faithful to Him in our ways as He is faithful to us.

For this God who enriches, cares, and loves His creation abundantly is truly great and worthy to be praised. Let us, like Isaiah, tell others about Him saying:

“I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done (for Israel), according to his compassion and many kindnesses.” Isaiah 63:7

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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DON'T FOOL YOURSELF

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear.

They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see it?” They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

But God will shoot them with His arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn. All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done.

The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; all the upright in heart will glory in Him!

Psalm 64

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How many times have we seen it?

How many times have we seen people think they have concocted the perfect scheme, one that will surely work to the desired end, one that certainly work perfectly? Typically these plans are evil in nature, meant to either fulfill the perpetrators selfish desires or denigrate an opponent. Sometimes people work alone in their conniving. Still other times it is a group effort. Either way, those who have plotted never go forward thinking they will not succeed.

Now think about how many times these plots actually succeeded. More often than not, no matter how airtight the planning may have been, something seems to happen that the schemer didn’t count on. And that something leads to the plan being foiled and the offenders brought to justice.

Think that happens by chance? Think again.

For as we see in the 64th Psalm, David does a good job explaining that the deeds of the wicked are fruitless. Consider his words:

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear.

They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see it?” They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

But God will shoot them with His arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn. All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done.

The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; all the upright in heart will glory in Him!

David knew all about evil scheming. It was happening to him.

We know his life was threatened by the conspiracy of the wicked against him. The evil doers encouraged one another in their sinful plans and thought their shrewdness would go undetected by anyone. In fact, they proclaimed that their devised plan was perfectly contrived by their cunning hearts and minds.

Funny how things seem to never change for today we see people still trying to get away with things, using their seemingly cunning hearts and minds to manifest evil, sinful deeds – all in the spirit of getting away with it because they believe their plan is perfect.

And this leads us to one other thing that has never changed across time. God has always frustrated the schemes of the wicked. David knew this fully. He knew God would shoot down any sinful plan and remove the “perfect” label permanently. People might be cunning but nothing is concealed from an all knowing, all seeing God. God strikes down evil plots and then strikes down those who devise and execute them. It is God who passes ultimate judgment on the wicked, bringing them to ruin and leaving them scorned.

The truth of the matter is that God is in control and cannot be deceived. Ever. A seemingly perfect evil plot will be defeated by a perfectly judging God ten times out of ten, leaving all in awe and wonder over His works as they ponder what He does.

Friends, why do we even try to get away with sinful acts? For nothing is concealed from God. Not in the times of David, not today, and not in future times.

Keep that in mind next time you think your cunningness might trump God’s judgment. If you’re contemplating it, I have three words for you:

Don’t fool yourself.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to ourchristianwalk@aol.com