Psalm 13 - God is emotionally invested in our lives

Psalm 13How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?How long will You hide Your face from me?  How long shall I take counsel in my soul,Having sorrow in my heart daily?How long will my enemy be exalted over me?  Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;Enlighten my eyes,Lest I sleep the sleep of death;  Lest my enemy say,“I have prevailed against him”;Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.  But I have trusted in Your mercy;My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord,Because He has dealt bountifully with me

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Our church is studying through the Psalms this summer, this past Sunday our Pastor took us through Psalm 13, a Psalm of Lament. I took notes as I listened and I would like to post them here today. Perhaps you will be encouraged as you consider my notes.

"How long Oh Lord?" we have felt this and asked the Lord this question ourselves.

Psalm 13 is a lament before God, spoken from the depth of pain.

We have felt stuck in the brokenness of this world.

The Psalms are personal prayers - we can use these to come to God with our own difficulties.

Also as a community - we can use the Psalms as prayers of intercession - speaking and praying on behalf of another person.

Be honest before God - tell Him what is going on in your situation, we must not be fake. We must come before the Lord with truth, telling Him exactly what our situation is and how it is affecting us.

Pray to God with your emotions - with no holding back!

Laments teach us to pray from the depth of our hearts.

In Psalm 13, David accuses the Lord of having forgotten him "How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?"

God will never forget us - Has has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  It is His #1 promise.

David demands for God to do something, to show up and to move in his life.

God hears our prayers, we need to be convicted and expect Him to act and to answer our prayers.

God remembers His promises to us.

God does respond to our prayers.

When we are completely open with God, we will sometimes ask Him for things that we should not ask for. Do not worry about this - The Lord can handle this.  Bring it all to God. 

Become real before Him.

He will change us when we are honest with God.

He will teach you to bless and to love that person who is causing you grief.

God can handle us!

We can express our fears, our anxieties, our heartaches to Him - He is touched by our grief.

Be real with God.

Praise is the foundation of our prayers.

David is convinced that God is good! And we also need to be convinced that God is good!

What breaks your heart breaks God's heart as well!

God is emotionally invested in our lives - He cares for us.

God loves us!

Trust in His unfailing love.

His love will hold you!

In the LORD I put my trust....

May 5, 2014

Isaiah 25:4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

photo from thisoldhoue.com

Psalm 61:3-4 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

photo from fotothing.com

Isaiah 25 8-9 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

picture from nallifollowthelight.wordpress.com

Click link to listen to George Jones - Jesus Hold My Hand

"Jesus, Hold My Hand" 

( http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/georgejones/jesusholdmyhand.html )

As I travel through this pilgrim land
There is a friend who walks with me
Leads me safely through the sinking sand
It is the Christ at Calvary.

This would be my prayer dear Lord each day
To help me do the best I can
For I need Thy light to guide me day and night
Blessed Jesus hold my hand.

[Chorus:]
Jesus hold my hand
I need thee every hour
Through this pilgrim land
Protect me by thy power.

Hear my feeble plea
O Lord look down on me
When I kneel in prayer I hope to meet you there
Blessed Jesus hold my hand.

[Instrumental]

Let me travel in the light divine
That I may see the blessed way
Keep me that I may be wholly Thine
And sing redemption's song some day

I will be a soldier brave and true
And ever firmly take a stand
As I onward go and daily meet the foe
Blessed Jesus hold my hand.

[Chorus:]
Jesus hold my hand
I need thee every hour
Through this pilgrim land
Protect me by thy power.

Hear my feeble plea.
And O Lord look down on me
When I kneel in prayer I hope to meet you there
Blessed Jesus hold my hand.

When I kneel in prayer I hope to meet you there
Blessed Jesus hold my hand...

Are you in a time of trial and suffering??

1Peter 5:10 - But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Psalm 93:3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their wave

No storm is so great, no wave is so high, no sea is so deep, no wind is so strong, that Jesus cannot either calm it or carry us through it. ( Anne Graham Lotz )


As every one of us can testify we all go through times

of trials and suffering. For Christians this is equally as

true as it is for the non believer. Many times we ask 

the question why or why me. These are hard 

questions to answer but what we do know is that God

 allows trials into our lives and through these trials He 

helps us to become stronger. Just like in nature wind

helps the plants and trees to become stronger so 

it is also in our lives. The trials force us to either 

become strong in the Lord or we will break under the 

pressure of it. I have sometimes planted tomato 

seeds in early spring and set them on the windowsill

 in my house. The plants come up and grow up 

spindley and weak. These plants have no strength or 

endurance in the sun and wind once I transplant  

them to my garden. While if I plant the seeds right 

into the soil in the garden, the plants grow strong and

 healthy. 

Another reason for our trials is that through our 

sufferings we grow in character to become more like

 the Lord Jesus. The fruits of the Spirit are developed 

in our lives through trials and suffering.

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The Lord Jesus endured greater suffering than any of us will ever be called upon to bear. Therefore we must always remember to bring our burdens to the Lord.
So what can we do in the midst of our suffering?

1) we must not give in to sin - 1 Peter 4: 15-16  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

2) we must not take revenge - Romans 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

3) we must give it all to the Lord - 1 Peter 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Christians should be preparing for suffering. If you are not currently going through a period of suffering, it will come some day. Suffering will be a part of our life as a Christian until Christ returns. Those who remain faithful to the Lord during their suffering will see that sinful behaviors have no appeal any longer. Living for the Lord Jesus and to be ready to meet Him at all times takes on a new reality.
1 Peter 4: 1-2 

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

I feel that the song "Take up Thy Cross and Follow Me"  is very fitting as we go through our own personal struggles.

Take up Thy Cross and Follow Me
(by Alfred H Ackley - 1922 )

1. I walked one day along a country road,
   And there a stranger journeyed, too,
   Bent low beneath the burden of His load:
   It was a cross, a cross I knew.
   • Refrain:
     “Take up thy cross and follow Me,”
     I hear the blessed Savior call;
     How can I make a lesser sacrifice,
     When Jesus gave His all?
2. I cried, “Lord Jesus,” and He spoke my name;
   I saw His hands all bruised and torn;
   I stooped to kiss away the marks of shame,
   The shame for me that He had borne.
3. “Oh, let me bear Thy cross, dear Lord,” I cried,
   And, lo, a cross for me appeared,
   The one, forgotten, I had cast aside,
   The one, so long, that I had feared.
4. My cross I’ll carry till the crown appears—
   The way I journey soon will end—
   Where God Himself shall wipe away all tears,
   And friend hold fellowship with friend.

from: http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Take_Up_Thy_Cross_and_Follow_Me/

The Oil and the Wine...

Revelation 6: 5-6 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

I was listening to Back to the Bible yesterday where Woodrow Kroll was teaching on the four horsemen of the apocalypse. What caught my attention was his explanation of the line in verse 6 of Revelation 6 where it says : and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.  The first seal is the antichrist making his appearance, the second seal is a war on the earth and then the third seal  represents a famine. During the times of this famine, it will cost a person's entire daily wage to buy food sufficient for just one person. Then we come to part "and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine".  What does that mean?? Woodrow Kroll seemed unsure of the meaning but he suggested that in the days of this tribulation there will still be a divide among the rich and poor people on the earth. The poor struggling to put food on the table and the rich having excess described by the terms oil and wine. BUT, I would like to share a different perspective on the interpretation of "the oil and wine". My Dad ( he has already passed on to glory) was a preacher and Bible teacher and he had quite a different explanation for this. He believed that the "oil and wine" refers to medicine and heathcare being available to those in need of it. (Whether it will be government run is not clear but  perhaps you could think of organizations such as The Red Cross etc) Let me explain why he thought "oil and wine" could refer to medicine and healthcare. We all have heard Bible teachers say you must interpret Scripture with Scripture. When you look in the story of the good Samaritan - what does the Samaritan use to dress the wounds of the injured man who fell among thieves. Luke 10:34 says And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. We can see from this that oil and wine were used in Biblical times for medicinal purposes.
 So to conclude, I cannot say whether Woodrow Kroll has the correct interpretation here or whether my Dad does but for the benefit of those living in the days of the tribulation period, I would hope that healthcare and medicine would be available to them in those days.

Coming Judgements and the Wrath of God....

Much is being said these days about the judgements of God and the coming wrath of God. It is described for us in the Bible in the book of Revelation. We can be sure that all that is written will be fullfilled. How do we know this? We know it because of the accuracy of things previously written and predicted in the Scriptures and all that has already taken place. God's track record is 100% in accuracy. He does what He says He will do and He does not change. Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not;
God's favor is on the nation of Israel and on the Jewish people. God is not favorable to peoples and nations that oppose His people or that would seek to destroy them. God promised the rebirth of the nation of Israel and it happened in 1948. God brought back the nation of Israel into their home land. Isaiah 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
War will break our in the middle east. It is only a matter of time. I want to take an overview look at the judgements and the wrath as described in Revelation. We don't know when these things will happen, but we can see the time drawing ever closer.
We know that the Antichrist will appear at the beginning time of the tribulation period. The Bible says that the Antichrist will make a peace treaty with Israel which he will break at the mid point of the 7 year tribulation period.
As you read the judgements and wraths described below, please make sure that you are ready to meet God. It is of most importance that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior - then come what may you are safe in the arms of Jesus.
So lets begin in Revelation 6 with the 7 Seal Judgements.
First Seal: the Antichrist makes his entrance as a rider on a white horse set out to conquer.
Second Seal:  War - a red horse comes and there is no peace, but people slaying one another
Third Seal : Famine - the black horse - the daily wage of a person will only be enough to feed one person.
Fourth Seal: Death - a pale horse - Revelation 6:8 And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Fifth Seal: Martyrdom - people slain for the Word of God  Rev 6:9 I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Sixth Seal: A great Earthquake, Sun  becomes black, moon becomes as blood, stars fall to the earth, sky is split apart
Seventh Seal: sets the stage for the Trumpet Judgements/Wraths

The 7 Trumpet Judgements/Wraths
We will see that in these wraths - nature is the first to feel the punishing judgements and then secondly it falls on people.

First Trumpet - Earth scorched - a third of the vegetation is burned ( earth, trees and all the green grass)
Second Trumpet - the Sea is smitten - a third of the sea becomes blood and creatures die and ships are destroyed.
Third Trumpet -  A Star named Wormwood falls into the fresh water supplies - a third of the rivers and on springs of water, People die from the bitter water.
Fourth Trumpet - Darkness -  a third of the sun, moon and stars  are struck that they do not shine
Fifth Trumpet - People are smitten  - locusts hurt only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. No one is killed by these locusts, but the locusts torment the people for five months
Sixth Trumpet - A third of mankind is killed by  fire and smoke and brimstone
Seventh Trumpet - Loud voices in Heaven , temple of God in heaven is opened, lightening, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm

7 Bowl Judgements - the last plagues and in them God's wrath is finished
Bowl 1: Malignant sores - painful sores  - a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Bowl 2: Sea is turned to blood - and every living soul died in the sea.
Bowl 3: Fresh Water turned to blood - rivers and springs of water turned to blood   Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Bowl 4: Men scorched with fire - fierce heat on the people but they will not repent
Bowl 5: Darknes over the kingdom of the Beast - his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Bowl 6: Invasion from the East - the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared... And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon
Bowl 7: " It is done"  Great Earthquakes and much Destruction widespread - thunders, lightening, nations fall, earthquake, hail ( the hailstones weigh about 100 pounds each)
Revelation 16: 17 - 21
¹⁷ And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
¹⁸ And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
¹⁹ And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
²⁰ And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
²¹ And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.