Psalm 119:105-112 ESV
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.
I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
and teach me your rules.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
I am not going to go into the details here, but our family is going through a very tough time right now, and we could use your prayers. This passage of scripture is speaking volumes to me today about our real life circumstances, and I am crying my way through it all.
I am severely afflicted. I have been and our family has been stabbed to the heart and wounded by those who said they loved us. And, this is upsetting to us. And, all of this involves the death of a close family member, as well, so emotions are very tender, just with that alone.
Yet, the Lord has been encouraging me all day to trust him, to rest in him, that he has all things under his control, and that he is going to work all this out for my good. I just have to trust him and rest in him.
Through all the pain and all the tears, though, God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, and he is going to walk me through this all the way if I keep holding on to him.
I know God has a purpose and a plan for everything he is taking us through right now, and so I rest in him. I have to rest in him. He is the only hope I have in this crazy situation.
The Lord is my sustaining power through it all, and so I must walk in his light and in his love and let him just lead the way.
Psalm 119:113-120 ESV
I hate the double-minded,
but I love your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.
Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually!
You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,
for their cunning is in vain.
All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
therefore I love your testimonies.
My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
I can’t say that I hate any people, but I definitely hate double-mindedness in people. And, to be double-minded means to be deceitful, dishonest, hypocritical, and betraying of friends and family. It means you tell some people one thing and then tell another group of people the opposite.
It means to stab people in the back while you smile at them to their faces. It means, too, to give a willful false impression of one’s intentions. And, it means, too, to be wishy-washy, vacillating back and forth in thought or belief or opinion, usually depending upon who one is with.
These who are double-minded are also described here as those who are cunning (crafty, calculating), who stray from God’s commands, and as those who are wicked and who are evildoers. And, obviously implied here is that they were those who were scheming evil against others and who were carrying out their wicked schemes with the intent to hurt other people.
And, this, too, is part of what we are being faced with right now. So, with the psalmist, I must make the Lord and his word my shield and my hiding place. I must find my refuge in him, and not let this turn to bitterness.
I must forgive all those who have hurt us, and continue to show them love. And, I must hold on to God with all his strength at work within me through it all so that I don’t grow faint and weary of heart.
Psalm 119:121-128 ESV
I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
Give your servant a pledge of good;
let not the insolent oppress me.
My eyes long for your salvation
and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
and teach me your statutes.
I am your servant; give me understanding,
that I may know your testimonies!
It is time for the Lord to act,
for your law has been broken.
Therefore I love your commandments
above gold, above fine gold.
Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;
I hate every false way.
The Lord has cleared my conscience and he has assured me that I have done what is just and right, too, in this situation, and that the words being spoken against us are unfounded and that they are being spoken in bitterness of spirit, and the actions against us are out of spite and intended to punish us.
And, this is a prayer for God’s mercy in this situation for some kind of deliverance from these oppressors who intend us harm. I know God is applying this to our present situation, and so I leave it in his hands to do what is necessary and to accomplish his will and his purposes through it.
Oh, how I absolutely hate every false way! Lies only hurt other people. Lies are never kind. They aren’t out of consideration of other people’s feelings, either, because when people lie to people they are not being kind to them at all. For, people usually lie to others when they are doing something devious they don’t want others to know about, or when they are covering up some sin they have already committed, or merely because they don’t want people to think badly of them, so for self-preservation, which is totally selfish.
I hate it when someone tells me that they love me and then they stab me behind my back. I hate it especially when they do it to the people I love, and particularly if the people doing it are those who portend to love them.
Yet, again, I must forgive them, and I must put my life into God’s loving and capable hands, and I must guard my heart against any bitterness and I absolutely have to accept God’s sovereignty over my life and my circumstances and put these people in his hands, and trust God with my life and with the lives of my family members.
I pray for understanding so that I respond to all of this with a godly response, and with the wisdom of God in knowing what to say and what to do and how to respond to it all. I know Satan is trying to take me out, but God is with me, and he is my shield and the horn of my salvation, and in him I place my trust, so that I will never be ashamed.
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.
I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
and teach me your rules.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
I am not going to go into the details here, but our family is going through a very tough time right now, and we could use your prayers. This passage of scripture is speaking volumes to me today about our real life circumstances, and I am crying my way through it all.
I am severely afflicted. I have been and our family has been stabbed to the heart and wounded by those who said they loved us. And, this is upsetting to us. And, all of this involves the death of a close family member, as well, so emotions are very tender, just with that alone.
Yet, the Lord has been encouraging me all day to trust him, to rest in him, that he has all things under his control, and that he is going to work all this out for my good. I just have to trust him and rest in him.
Through all the pain and all the tears, though, God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, and he is going to walk me through this all the way if I keep holding on to him.
I know God has a purpose and a plan for everything he is taking us through right now, and so I rest in him. I have to rest in him. He is the only hope I have in this crazy situation.
The Lord is my sustaining power through it all, and so I must walk in his light and in his love and let him just lead the way.
Psalm 119:113-120 ESV
I hate the double-minded,
but I love your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.
Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually!
You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,
for their cunning is in vain.
All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
therefore I love your testimonies.
My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
I can’t say that I hate any people, but I definitely hate double-mindedness in people. And, to be double-minded means to be deceitful, dishonest, hypocritical, and betraying of friends and family. It means you tell some people one thing and then tell another group of people the opposite.
It means to stab people in the back while you smile at them to their faces. It means, too, to give a willful false impression of one’s intentions. And, it means, too, to be wishy-washy, vacillating back and forth in thought or belief or opinion, usually depending upon who one is with.
These who are double-minded are also described here as those who are cunning (crafty, calculating), who stray from God’s commands, and as those who are wicked and who are evildoers. And, obviously implied here is that they were those who were scheming evil against others and who were carrying out their wicked schemes with the intent to hurt other people.
And, this, too, is part of what we are being faced with right now. So, with the psalmist, I must make the Lord and his word my shield and my hiding place. I must find my refuge in him, and not let this turn to bitterness.
I must forgive all those who have hurt us, and continue to show them love. And, I must hold on to God with all his strength at work within me through it all so that I don’t grow faint and weary of heart.
Psalm 119:121-128 ESV
I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
Give your servant a pledge of good;
let not the insolent oppress me.
My eyes long for your salvation
and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
and teach me your statutes.
I am your servant; give me understanding,
that I may know your testimonies!
It is time for the Lord to act,
for your law has been broken.
Therefore I love your commandments
above gold, above fine gold.
Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;
I hate every false way.
The Lord has cleared my conscience and he has assured me that I have done what is just and right, too, in this situation, and that the words being spoken against us are unfounded and that they are being spoken in bitterness of spirit, and the actions against us are out of spite and intended to punish us.
And, this is a prayer for God’s mercy in this situation for some kind of deliverance from these oppressors who intend us harm. I know God is applying this to our present situation, and so I leave it in his hands to do what is necessary and to accomplish his will and his purposes through it.
Oh, how I absolutely hate every false way! Lies only hurt other people. Lies are never kind. They aren’t out of consideration of other people’s feelings, either, because when people lie to people they are not being kind to them at all. For, people usually lie to others when they are doing something devious they don’t want others to know about, or when they are covering up some sin they have already committed, or merely because they don’t want people to think badly of them, so for self-preservation, which is totally selfish.
I hate it when someone tells me that they love me and then they stab me behind my back. I hate it especially when they do it to the people I love, and particularly if the people doing it are those who portend to love them.
Yet, again, I must forgive them, and I must put my life into God’s loving and capable hands, and I must guard my heart against any bitterness and I absolutely have to accept God’s sovereignty over my life and my circumstances and put these people in his hands, and trust God with my life and with the lives of my family members.
I pray for understanding so that I respond to all of this with a godly response, and with the wisdom of God in knowing what to say and what to do and how to respond to it all. I know Satan is trying to take me out, but God is with me, and he is my shield and the horn of my salvation, and in him I place my trust, so that I will never be ashamed.
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
