Well that promise of snow finally came through yesterday morning to disrupt the early morning commute. Good thing there weren’t as many travellers on the road as in normal times. And it was only wet snow too, although some big flakes fell and remained on the ground for a while. By mid-morning though, it was all over. Just goes to show that anything’s possible in this modern world! (smile) And today we’ll look to our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin for some words of sincere encouragement; they’re titled ‘Three Discoveries.’
Please pray with me: ‘I have made three overwhelming discoveries regarding God’s reliable faithfulness: The first: God will never let us go – NEVER! We may fall flat on our faces. We may resist until we feel exhausted, but nothing can separate us from His matchless LOVE. (Rom. 8:39) The second: God will never let us down – NEVER! He is forever faithful, even when we are faithless. He cannot deny Himself. He will never leave us nor forsake us. (2 Tim. 2:13) (Heb. 13:5)
The third: He will never let us off – NEVER! Whenever we give in to temptation, when we determine to have our own way – He says with all the LOVE of His Father-heart, “I LOVE you too much to excuse disobedience.” Whom He LOVES, He chastens.’ (Heb. 12:6) You could say that again! Yeh, whom He LOVES, He definitely chastens! (smile) No doubt about that, as many of us can attest to.
Anyway, the poem continues: ‘God is determined to bless us. He is eager to show us His kindness. He is glad to teach us the proper paths; but He must have access to our hearts. He will allow our guilt to become a burden until conviction comes, then confession, and finally renewed commitment! May David’s prayer be our prayer.’ And what prayer is that you ask? Psalm 143 – Teach me to do thy will.
Yeh faithful saints of Christ, like Bruh David, we too can pray: ‘Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgement with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no living man be justified (righteous).’ (Ps. 143:1-2) And is that ever so true friends! None of us can ever come to righteousness on our own; it’s only attained through belief in the finished work of Christ.
And Bruh David continues: ‘For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten (crushed) my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness (dark places), as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.’ (Ps. 143:3-4) And I know my people that many of us are currently feeling that way, especially in these unprecedented and uncertain times. But we should not give up hope, instead let us remember and do like Bruh David did:
‘I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse (ponder) on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.’ (Ps, 143:5-6) Yes mih bredrin, in tough times, instead of losing faith, that’s when we need to build it up more than ever! And we do that by remembering all that God has done for us in the past, plus His numerous promises for the future, meditate on His works and words, work up a sincere and mighty thirst for Him and seek Him with a renewed passion! Wow!
And cry out to Him in all honesty and sincerity: ‘Hear (answer) me speedily, O Lord; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be (become) like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk: for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (take cover under thee).
Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken (revive) me O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off (put an end to) mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.’ (Ps. 143:7-12)
Yes friends, in times of trouble, we need to desperately call out to the Lord for help, for He is indeed our guide, our help and our refuge, as Bruh David rightly declares in Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection. ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:4-5)
Now there are two things I want to point out friends. The first is that last clause from Ps. 143: ‘for I am thy servant.’ I just want to remind us that we can’t go crying that out to God unless we try to make it true in ordinary life. And the second thing deals with the last clause from Ps. 25:5: ‘on thee do I wait all the day.’ With that we need to remember that God’s timing is not like ours, thus we should not expect an answer right away, unless it’s a real emergency. Waiting on God is one of the joys of this life! (smile) I can assure us though that just as God is faithful and always near, He is NEVER late! To that I can testify!
So please, today, when all the world’s problems assail us, let us not forget who is our Maker, Our Guide, Our Hope, Our Trust and Our Refuge – Almighty God, in whom we live and die and have our very being. And having reignited our passion, let’s go home declaring (Steups!) our Tuesday Mantra letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
In strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the natural response is for us to now go out… sorry, to physical distance and use technology (smile) and do just that! Much LOVE!
…thy word…is a lamp unto my feet…and a light…unto my path… (Ps. 119:105)
SCRIP-BITS 