SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 31:8      And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.
 
Well top o’ the morn mih wonderful Friends in Christ! It’s a chilly Saturday in the northern climes. Oh, that means Sabbath time has rolled around again, it sure comes around quickly, so please show some respect for it, because it glorifies God and refreshes our spirits. Anyway, I read an interesting quote today that meshes well with our Bit. It’s attributed to Flora E Meredith, and says: ‘I’ve heard He works with broken people. I am sick, hurting, broken. I am waiting and willing now…’ Sadly, my people, that’s the unholy plight and cry of too many in our world. They’ve been attuned to their affairs only by human efforts, which true believers know are hopelessly inadequate. So, after relying on themselves, or other humans for far too long, they become sick, hurting and broken. Then and only then, do they give up the foolish search for man made solutions and finally are willing to turn to the Most High God Jehovah for the help that only He can give. And their opening words sure are strange; ‘I’ve heard He works with broken people.’ Why do I say that? Because many have known of this great characteristic of our God, long before they became sick or broken, but possibly because of foolish pride or some such negative emotion refused to come to Him before. But once they’ve reached the nadir of their existence, then they try to find Him. Fortunately for them, my Friends, our God is a most merciful, forgiving and caring Deity, and will NEVER turn away anyone who genuinely comes to Him with heartaches and problems. My point is, if we know of God’s goodness and mercy, why wait until we’re broken and lost before surrendering our lives to Him? We’re just putting ourselves through unnecessary pain and agony. The important decision here is to surrender our lives asap to God, whether we’re whole or broken. Total surrender is necessary so that He can bind us up, lead us to the right path and safely guide us along it. That’s why Bruh David was so blessed despite his many faults. He knew from whence his strength, energy and good life flowed; from the kind, merciful and LOVING God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So he was always in there, like a buzzing bee around a luscious flower, talking to his God, praising and thanking Him, spilling out his hurt, anguish and sin; just laying bare his entire soul to the Lord in utter surrender. And that’s what our God desires of us all; total surrender! Psalm 31 embodies both trust and lament. Bruh David opens it by declaring: ‘In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.’ (Ps.31:1) He could afford to make that demand because he’d placed his absolute trust in the Lord. Friends, we can’t ask any thing from our God unless we also have placed our absolute trust and faith in Him by giving up total control of our lives to Him. We can’t ask Him to do something, then do something different ourselves, usually the opposite of what pleases Him. No organization or person can move in opposite directions simultaneously and succeed, they’ll eventually be torn apart by the internal struggle. That’s why there’s always someone at the helm to make the final decision. So if we want the Lord to help us, then we’ve got to give up control and just follow where He leads, because He’ll NEVER lead us astray, but in green pastures and beside still waters. ‘Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.’ (Ps. 31:5) The Lord could only redeem him because he had trusted and relinquished control to His superior Being. ‘I have hated them that regard lying vanities (vain idols): but I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities.’ (Ps.31:6-7)  Yes Friends, that’s the basic attitude we need to bring to God; disliking falsehood and unrighteousness, and completely surrendering all we are to Him. Note, our God’s not interested in partial surrender. It’s all or nothing! We can’t be of the world, and not of it at the same time. We have to be in it, but not of it. Remember a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. With our God you can’t straddle the fence and try to have the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, that’s what many of us do, then wonder why we’re not getting anywhere. It’s only because of Bruh David’s deep seated trust, belief, faith and reverence for his God that he was able to make some serious mistakes and yet be exalted by the Lord. Because his soul was an open book before the Lord, the Lord took pity, had mercy on him; ‘And hast not shut me up (given me over) into the hand of the enemy.’ As Moses says in his song: ‘How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up.’ (Deut.32:30) Yes my people, only if the Lord intervenes can that happen. As it did to the Israelites, when the Lord became angry with them for turning to evil and idols after Joshua died. ‘He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.’ (Judges 2:14) For Bruh David’s repentance and surrender, the Lord gave him dominance over his enemies, and ‘thou hast set my feet in a large room.’ ‘All praise to the Most High God, for His goodness to those who sincerely seek and surrender to Him!’ He enlarged, relieved Bruh David, put him in a wide place for his righteousness sake. ‘He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.’ (Ps.18:19) Oh Friends, the Lord will do the same for all who seriously come to Him with their problems. He refuses NONE; helps ALL! That’s His motto. But He can’t help until we approach Him. So for all who are sick, lost, suffering, hurting and broken, let’s turn to Him NOW, before it’s too late. And that means all mankind, for we all have problems that we can’t handle on our own, but with the Lord God Jehovah’s help, we can do wonderfully. Much LOVE!…a broken or hurting soul…can only be repaired…if it’s laid bare in surrender…before Almighty God…