Sunday, Ezekiel 3:23,24a; I recall a story that my wife (the oldest of three children) used to tell about when she was growing up. It seems that one day some of her little brother’s friends were giving him a hard time and he finally told them that he would go get his big sister if they didn’t stop. They persisted and he went into the house and brought her out. He stood there basking in a sense of protection and power (and glory) from having his big sister stand behind him. Needless to say the problem was resolved quickly. Life is made up of mountaintop experiences, as well as times when we are in the valley of uncertainty and adversity. But if we have been listening to and doing our best to follow our Heaven Father’s guidance, even when we are in the valley we will still be confident because we are aware of the light of His glory, and He will send his spirit to protect and guide us and set us on our feet again. I rose up and went out into the valley; and the glory of the Lord stood there… The spirit entered into me and set me on my feet.
Monday, Psalm 8:5; When humankind’s short-sighted reasoning led them to misuse their gift of free will and disobey God they lost what Dutch Reform Theologian James Arminius called their “original righteousness” and the presence of the Holy Spirit was withdrawn, yet they (and we) are still in the image of God (though damaged) and therefore able to be restored to that pre-fall state through faith. Psychologists tell us that one of the driving questions of human existence has to do with who we really are and why we are here. The Psalmist tells us that those of us who have exercised restorative faith are truly the highest order of God’s creation and that the Creator has crowned us with glory and honor. No true child of God need ever suffer from inferiority feelings or a sense of inadequacy because as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father we have a very special place in not only God’s creation but also in his care and plan. Yet you have made them a littler lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor
Tuesday, Psalm 36:9; Several years ago, Frank Sinatra recorded a hit song entitled “That’s Life”. The song is about a person who, looking back over his life realizes that “now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain” and has admissions of “mistakes, I’ve made a few…” and also the fact that regardless of how difficult things got, “I saw it through, without exemption.” With pride the singer says, “I took the blows…I stood tall…and did it my way.” I’ve always liked that song because it reveals the type of character, goal oriented perseverance and individualism that made America great. But unfortunately, too many people take that same approach when it comes to governing their lives. They are going to do it “My way” with little or no regard for God or traditional values. But for those who live their lives by faith, they realize that God’s steadfast love provides them with a fountain of life. Of course, this doesn’t refer to the length of our lives, rather the quality of our lives. For with you is the fountain of life…
Wednesday, Psalm 40:1,2a; The Bible, wisest of all books ever written, is full of references to waiting and patience. Unfortunately, the meaning of these words is often lost to us in our hurry up and wait world. As I understand it, the biblical concept of waiting with patience refers to collecting oneself through expectant faith that gives us an unperturbed sense of peace as we pass the time until our expectation from God materializes. The Psalmist testifies to the validity of this type of patient waiting because he says that in response to it, God himself leaned down to clearly hear his petition and drew him out of the seemingly hopeless situation he found himself in. I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit…
Thursday, Psalm 40:2; A friend once told me that during one period of his life, he honestly considered suicide because he felt so alone and mired in a seemingly hopeless situation. He had lost his job and his family and friends had forsaken him. He confided that he had been raised in a good home by godly parents, but that in his adult years he had drifted away from the faith of his childhood. Finally, in the depths of his despair he said he prayed a simple, honest prayer, “God, I was taught about you as a child, but I’m so confused now that I don’t know what to believe, if the teaching from my childhood is right, please do something to confirm it…” Suddenly, he said a sense of calmness came over him. His of hopeless feelings lifted. He kept praying honest prayers and eventually prayed his way back to his Father’s house, where he found the solid ground needed to rebuild his life and career. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
Friday, Psalm 40:3; I recall a lunch meeting I had a few years ago with a couple of friends, In the course of the conversation the name of a mutual friend came up. One fellow said that he had recently run into this person and the other lunch companion asked how he was doing. The reply was simply, “Same song, different verse.” We all knew what he meant. Our mutual friend was known for “singing his blues” to everyone who would listen. In fact, most people tried to avoid being around him because he was such a downer! What kind of song do we “sing” to the folks around us? Is it constantly negative, focused on our problems, concerns and the unfairness of life? Or is it a song that accents the potential in problems, the goodness of life and the positive values that a life of faith can give us? He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God…
Saturday, Psalm 40:5; I suppose that it is human nature to keep count of our difficulties, maintain a list of all the times someone has done us wrong, and keep an inventory of all the problems we’ve been through. We’ve all known people who keep such lists and seem to enjoy reviewing them as often as possible. When practiced over a period of time, such people become cynical and negative. Unfortunately, we all have the tendency to do this, especially when it seems that the chips are down. Today’s text provides us with the antidote to such negative thinking. When we realize that our mind is going through our bad things that have happened to us inventory, deliberately stop it by taking out a piece of paper and begin listing all the wonderful things God has done for you. You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us…
Friday, June 19, 2009
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