His faithful love

For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 

Psalm 33:4-5

These are very encouraging words for the person committed to a life's pursuit of the knowledge of God. God's thoughts are found in the pages of His holy Word. If I want to know God I will find Him in the pages. And that will encourage me because His Word is truth. It is upright and makes my heart upright.

God will not disappoint me. My circumstances may test me. People might let me down. But all of God's work is done in faithfulness and in scripture I see that faithfulness lived out among people. And it gives me real hope to stay encouraged even in my most difficult times. God loves righteousness and justice. He is not a worker of wrong for me. He will move even in my pains to bring glory to Himself. And in that I will trust.

God's faithful love fills this world. He is a bringer of hope in a world of darkness. He is the God Who loves the world and calls me to love people like He loves people. And in that call I will find fulfillment. I will commit myself, O LORD, to know Your faithful love and to live within it sharing it with the people in my world.

my hiding place

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 

Psalm 32:7

Sometimes a person needs a safe place. Life can get oppressive. People can be agressive, even abusive. Situations can be frightening. Intimidation can rule our hearts. We need a place to hide.

My soul can take refuge in God. He is my warm cover on a cold night. He is the safe place to run when every place else seems to bring my soul fear. He is a warm place of dry protection as the cold storm rages outside. He keeps me secure. He strengthens me. In the shelter of His arms I can be encouraged to go ahead and face the unknown challenge with His strength.

At some point in the worship at church we stopped singing a chorus based on this verse. For the life of me, I don't know why... I often need its comfort and I am sure others do as well:

You are my hiding place

You always fill my heart

with songs of deliverance

whenever I am afraid

I will trust in You

I will trust in You

Let the weak say

I am strong

in the strength of The Lord

I will trust in You

My times are in Your hands.

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 
Psalm 31:14-15

The words of an old hymn say it best:

My times are in Thy hand;
My God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul I leave
Entirely to Thy care.

My times are in Thy hand;
Whatever they may be;
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.

My times are in Thy hand;
Why should I doubt or fear?
My Father’s hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

My times are in Thy hand,
Jesus, the crucified!
Those hands my cruel sins had pierced
Are now my guard and guide.

My times are in Thy hand,
I’ll always trust in Thee;
And, after death, at Thy right hand

I shall forever be.

praise brings perspective

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 30:4-5

Praise is offered to God for the balance that He brings in our lives. Yes, we may displease Him in our sin, but He is quick to forgive and be merciful to the repentant heart. And even when sin is judged, it is tempered with a lifetime of God's grace upon the repentant. God is merciful and loving and we praise Him for being such to us at all times.

Praise puts perspective on our sufferings. Trials do come. We hurt. We grieve. We suffer in the world by the actions of ourselves, of other sinners, and from the sheer mortality of the curse upon sin. Yet even in our suffering God can bring joy. Such joy is not earthbound. It is transcendent and heavenly. It defies emotional logic because God brings joy in our suffering.

God is a God Who knows suffering. Our sins have hurt and angered Him. He sent His Son to die for our sins. Jesus suffered more than we will ever come close to understanding when upon the cross He was forsaken by the Father. And in that suffering as the Man of Sorrows He bore our griefs. And that is why joy will come in the morning. Jesus knows our sufferings and will bring us joy if we can just trust Him for the relief of His presence that comes with the dawn.

the glory due His name

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. 

Psalm 29:1-2

This is one of the most compelling calls to worship ever given. It describes God as He is and calls us to recognize Him and re-order ourselves accordingly. God is great, powerful, loving and glorious and deserves our worship. Thus worship involves our conscious acknowledgement of His rulership over us and His greatness demonstrated to us.

But the last phrase of this call to worship is what I find to be particularly compelling. The Lord's holiness is a quality of great beauty. It is splendorous and magnificent. It is the perfection of His Person that compels us to worship Him. I acknowledge His greatness, power, and glory, but I worship His holiness.

Lord,

The glory due Your name must come from my heart to Yours. You are holy, wise and powerful. You are great and mighty. But my heart trembles at Your holiness for I am unholy. It is in that knowledge that I realize that You must change me, remake me, and give me a righteousness that pleases You. And through that newly made heart I can worship You in the splendor of Your holiness.

Amen

today's prayer

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. 

Psalm 28:7

O God,

be my strength today. I may face work harder than I knew that I could do. Empower me through Your Spirit to live like Jesus would and do what He would do. Strengthen me so that I will not shrink away from anything difficult. And do more with me than I could ever do by myself.

Dear Lord, be my shield. Protect me from the attacks of the enemy. Keep me and all around me safe. Bless me, protect me, and lead me not into any temptation, but deliver me from evil.

Lord, in You my heart trusts. When so many false allegiances advertise for my attention, please, may You be my one affection. I will trust in You. When I do, You will help me and never disappoint me. I am most at ease when I trust in You.

God, I will worship You. I center my thoughts in prayer upon You now. And in prayerful worship moments today I will give thanks to You. My heart will sing a love song for You to You.

Amen

one thing (really three)

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. 

Psalm 27:4

David's consuming passion is God. PERIOD. That is everything he lived for. He desired God above all. It led him to this prayer request that was one thing yet so full that he could not ask it in just one way. He knew that to seek God would lead him to a multitude of discoveries. And one facet of worship would open up so many more.

So David's "one thing" was really three. He wanted to live in God's presence all his days. David longed to build a temple for the worship of the LORD. But God told him to wait. His son Solomon would do it. David wanted the temple so that he could always be close to God. But there was more than just wanting that.

David wanted to have the beauty of God engage his soul. He longed for more. He filled His desires with a passion for God. God was beautiful. God was worth all of David's love and attention. He desired God in worship more than anything... and as king in Jerusalem David had access to it all. What he really craved was God.

David wanted direction from God. He hoped to live in God's house so that he could always inquire of God. Closeness to God leads to obedience to God. He will lead those who love Him. And real worship leads to a life directed by the object of worship. When we truly worship God, our lives will be led by God.