Today I read Psalm 107…

I’m amazed at the grace and mercy of the Lord. Here in this psalm a snippet of the repetitive work of the Lord with His people.

Psalm 107:19 – Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

If you have read Judges, you will have seen this pattern. The people turn away, He disciplines them, they realize their need for Him, they turn and cry out to Him and He responds in saving them out of their trouble.  Now, we should not take this response for granted and thus knowingly live in opposition knowing at some time He will turn and save.  In Hebrews 3:12-15 the writer compels us to believe and to follow His ways, today.  He states that we should pursue the Lord every day, as long as it is “today”.  We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, or when the Lord shall return.

The Lord is full of grace and mercy.  He saves when we call on Him, in our darkest times.  Not always how we desire or imagine, but those who belong to Him, He sustains according to His will.  May we be delivered and may we walk and abide in Him.

Have you called on Him or are you attempting to save yourself?

Psalm 108:9 says something interesting…

Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.

It makes you wonder what He has against Edom.

Where does Edom originate? That should help you figure it out.

this morning I read Psalm 106. I just had to point out the ridiculousness of this and then point it to ourselves.

verse 20:

They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.

they had the very glory of God around them, had seen his miracles and His power, and yet, when Moses went up the mountain to meet with God of whom they were terrified to meet themselves, they quickly turned and had an image of a calf, an ox, something that eats grass.  Other than an occasional goring by a bull, cows are generally gentle creatures that have some power, but not the might and power that had been displayed by God, but they were happy to exchange that glory for such a thing.

And so do we.  We are distracted by all manner of things that we often exchange for the glory of God.  We pursue our desires and sometimes our desires are not Godly and not of God.  We justify it away in all sorts of ways.  At the foot of the mountain, they declared that they did not know what had happened with that Moses.  We declare similar things.  Let it not be so.

Let us treasure and hunger and thirst for the Living God above all other things, not just so that it appears so externally, but that there is no questioning what we glory in.  May we glory in God and desire Him only.  The things of this world are not bad, but when they distract us from Him, they become sin.  Let us crush and destroy our idols and turn back to God.

my reading this time was Psalms 100 thru 104

Psalm 101.  I’ve been spending a lot of time considering the life of David and the way that he prays.  Many times we (that’s the we in the now) tend to look at Bible characters and use them as examples to live by.  I think most would think that’s ok, but is it really?  Every person in the bible, other than Jesus has some serious sin issues.  David is a warrior, a King, brave, courageous, after God’s own heart.  Yet, he is still a sinner and there were awful things that happened due to his sin.  Likewise, we are sinners and we do awful things.  The one person to look to as an example is Jesus.

Now, in saying that, I’m not saying that we are to go and be murdered adn expect to save the world.  I’m not saying that we are to be Jesus, but what I am saying is that Jesus was without sin, He showed us how to combat temptation, He showed us how to pray, He showed us how to be angry righteously.

When you read Psalm 101, you are really impacted by David’s words, how strong he states things.  Like in verse 7 “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.”  David was making adamant claims to extinguish evil and to walk in integrity.  Yet we know that he didn’t at all times.

Yes he was a sinner and the thing is that he knew it and he knew he needed a Savior and he knew that was God.  The bent of David’s heart was toward God.  He messed up, he had consequences, but overall, he lived before the Lord and asked forgiveness from the Lord and he depended upon the Lord.  The Lord is the only one that can enable us to walk with integrity.  And what integrity would there be at all if it wasn’t for the Lord.

let us cry out at every occasion for God’s help and saving grace. May we recognize the source of our salvation and life.

This morning I read Psalms 92-99

In Psalm 99 verse 8-9

O Lord our God, you answered them; (Moses, Aaron and Samuel, mentioned in verse 6)
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.

Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy.

Moses and Aaron and Samuel, among others were priests of God who called out to God on behalf of Israel.  When God’s anger was kindled against Israel, they called out to God in pleas for the sparing of Israel.  God was forgiving to them, He cooled his anger, and did not destroy them.  And He was Just as well.  Israel may not have been destroyed, just as we have not been destroyed, yet God in His love and justice disciplines us.  His love does not mean that all is let go.  We are forgiven and we have consequences and disciplines for our wrongdoings.  God is the avenger it says of wrongdoings.  We may be wronged and we may wrong others.  God is forgiving.  AND He is the avenger of wrongdoings.  He will make things right and He will make things new.

It is beautiful to see that when we deserved destruction, we got forgiveness and a loving father who disciplines us for our good.  Nothing goes unseen.  In response to our new life, our being brought back from having been determined by God to be destroyed, our response should be as in verse 9.  That we would desire to exalt the Lord and see Him lifted on High.  May we respond to His mercy and grace today in exaltation and worship of the Creator!