What Concerns Me

Christsfreeservant said:

Thank You, Jesus!
Psalm 138:1-3 NASB

I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing praises to You before the gods.
I will bow down toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.
On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.

No matter what is going on in my life; no matter what trials may come my way, I must still give praise to God. I must still thank him, because I know that he works all things for good for those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose, not according to our purpose.

I know that he is God, and that he made me, and that he always has my best interest in mind, and that he has a plan and a purpose for everything he allows in my life. I thank him and I praise him for his love for me, and for his salvation, and that he did not leave me in the pit of sin, but he rescued me, and he gave me a new song to sing.

I thank him for his Word, and for his Spirit, and for how they minister to my heart, and how they direct my path and lead me in the way that is right for me. I love, too, how they encourage and comfort me when life has its troubles, and how they urge me to be strong, and to be of courage, and to keep pressing on, because my work for the Lord will be rewarded.

He Regards the Lowly
Psalm 138:4-6 NASB

All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
And they will sing of the ways of the Lord,
For great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is exalted,
Yet He regards the lowly,
But the haughty He knows from afar.

The Lord regards the lowly, i.e. the humble and the submissive. I believe this includes those who are also among those regarded with low esteem and value by the people of the world, and who are treated with contempt and with disdain because they don’t measure up to the world’s standards. And, this includes, as well, those who are being persecuted for righteousness’ sake, who are being hated and mistreated because they share the gospel of our salvation, which is an offense to many who reject the gospel.

He regards us, i.e. he shows favor and value to us. He honors us and has concern for our well-being and for what troubles our minds and hearts. He looks out for us with a warm affection, like the affection of a parent for his or her child. He watches over us day and night, and he guides us in the way he would have us go. And, he strengthens us and helps us in all ways and in all situations which we may encounter in this life here on this earth.

The haughty, i.e. the proud, conceited and self-important, who are neither humble nor submissive to his will, nor do they submit to his Lordship, he knows, as he knows all of us, but he does not know intimately. He has no personal relationship with them, because they are unwilling to humble themselves, to repent of their sins, and to trust him completely with their lives. They are not willing to accept the truths of scripture into their lives, but they choose their own path to travel, which is the way of sin.

Though I Walk
Psalm 138:7-8 NASB

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Those of us who are the lowly, who have humbled ourselves before God, who have repented of our sins, and who have submitted to Christ’s lordship over our lives – we live among the haughty who have no or little regard for our Lord and for his ways and for his truth. And, so the haughty among us may persecute us and treat us with contempt, because we stand on the Word of Truth which they reject and which they refuse to obey.

Yet, even though we walk in the midst of trouble, our Lord revives us daily with His Word, through His Spirit, and via the body of Christ whom he gives us to encourage and strengthen us, and to spur us on to love and good deeds.

I am so grateful to the Lord for my relationship with Him and how he speaks words of strengthening, comfort, guidance and courage to my heart on a daily basis. Yet, I am also so thankful for the body of Christ and how they minister God’s love and grace to me, as well, and to the rest of the body, and on a daily basis, too, and for how the Lord uses me to minister God’s love and grace to them, as well. We have such sweet fellowship together.

Sometimes the Lord does physically rescue us from evil and wicked people, but not always. But, he always rescues us from the effects of what we often must suffer at the hands of the ungodly. He does this by teaching us to rest in him, to not fear, to trust in his sovereignty, and to believe he is working all things together for good in our lives. And, he teaches us to trust him that our godly efforts will result in changed lives if we do not give up hope, and if we keep pressing on in doing what He says.

So, even though we have not yet seen answers to all of our prayers, and that some days things may look pretty dark or even hopeless, we have to keep believing, keep trusting, keep singing, keep speaking, and keep praying and following our Lord in obedience. And, we have to keep on praising our Lord and thanking him for all that he has done for us. And, we must never give up hope, for our God is completely faithful to fulfill all that he has said that he would do. Amen! So, believe him!

Only in Him
An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;
Who turn away from Jesus Christ;
Forming an alliance not in step with God;
Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,
They close their ears to what is right.
Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;
Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.
Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.
Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.
Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.
He cares all about you, ‘tis true.
He forgives you all of your sin
When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be
When you bow to Him on your knees;
Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.
He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.
He delivered you from your sin.
You’ll tell others now of His grace,
So they may see Christ face-to-face.

Friday, June 29, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for these encouraging words. Help us, the lowly and the despised, to keep looking to you. Amen!

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