06 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide in me and I in you, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, as in the provocation, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, behold I stand at the door and knock, cleanse your hands ye sinners, come unto me, crapaud smoke we pipe, deepen my breath, desire the Lord with passion and sincerity, do whatever we want, draw nigh to God, early will I seek thee, faith, find rest unto your souls, for the living God, gladly grace our souls with peace and calm, God can only get as close as we allow Him to, God wants us to truly desire His presence in our lives, God will draw near to you, God's heart's desire, harden not your heart, he that abides in me and I in him, holy spirit, I am meek and lowly in heart, I am the vine ye are the branches, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, I will come into him, I will give you rest, if any man hear my voice and open the door, in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Jesus is knocking at the door of our hearts, Jesus' great invitation, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, learn of me, LOVE, mercy, my burden light, my flesh longs for thee, my soul thirsteth for god, my soul thirsteth for thee, my yoke is easy, not to be used for our convenience, O God thou art my God, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, resist the devil and he will flee from you, salvation, seeking greater intimacy with God, serious repercussions, sincerely seeking God with all of our heart, slow my thoughts, so panteth my soul after thee O God, stay close to Jesus like white on rice, submit yourselves to God, take my yoke upon you, telling it like it is, thank you for this tenderness, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the message is urgent, the onus is on believers to seek God, the same bringeth forth much fruit, time to stop being stubborn and rebellious, today if ye will hear his voice, truth, When shall I come and appear before God, when ye shall search for me with all your heart, will sup with him and he with me, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, ye shall seek me and find me, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Jeremiah 29:13. ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’
The weekend’s here friends! It’s our lazy day Saturday and we can do whatever we want to do without fear of any serious repercussions…well some of us can! (smile) And in my area it’s flurrying which doesn’t give us any inclination to go out there unless we have to. So, hopefully, today we’ll simply stay inside and watch the flurries flutter and fall, while relaxing with a good book, or watching the tube, or just doing nothing at all.
And if you’re wondering why I am up so early on this lazy day Saturday, well, the truth is that I’ve been in bed for most of the night, trying to rest and get over this persistent cold that’s been bothering me all week. So I’m just tired resting now, and my back is protesting the large amount of lying down it’s been doing. So here we are up and about rather early.
But regardless of what we do or not do today, we must offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. So as one strong and sincere voice. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now, that’s the kind of prayer our God really wants to hear from us. One seeking greater intimacy with Him, because that’s His heart’s desire, and therefore He will NEVER turn away such a sincere prayer, but will gladly grace our souls with the peace, calm and closeness we seek from Him. And there are several scriptures that emphasize seeking closeness with, drawing near to God or longing for His presence, and it’s all for our benefit.
So let’s look at a few of those verses, beginning with this one from James, that we all know, but don’t put into practice as much as we should. He admonishes his readers thus: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners: and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’ James 4:7-8) Yes friends, the onus is on us to clean up ourselves, inside and out, and draw near to God, for He is always there waiting for us to come to Him.
It’s like He says through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13) There again we see the emphasis on us seeking God, and not in any old way, but sincerely, with all of our heart. That’s the only way we will ever find Him, because God wants us to truly desire His presence in our lives, and not simply be used for our convenience.
And Jesus said it quite clearly when He spoke about the vine and the branches. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5) Now that’s telling it like it is! Without Jesus in us and we in Him, we are unable to do much of anything for the kingdom. That means we have to get close and stay close to Him like white on rice, or else crapaud smoke we pipe! (smile)
And we see the longing for God in many of the psalms like this one we all know by the Sons of Korah. ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2) Oh my people, that is how we are supposed to be seeking our wonderful God; panting for Him like the deer pants for water at the brooks. Not just a wishy-washy approach like so many of us have, and still expect to enjoy His many blessings.
Now listen to Bruh David as he declares in Psalm 63: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;’ (Ps. 63:1) Now tell me nuh, how many of us truly desire the Lord with such passion and sincerity eh? Not enough of us. But it’s by a deep passion and longing for God that we truly get to enjoy all the benefits of His grace and mercy.
And we cannot forget Jesus’ Great Invitation, where he faithfully promises: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Now why would Jesus offer such an invitation if He did not seriously care for us and desire great intimacy with those who truly seek Him. But again, we have to go to Him, to accept His invitation. He’s done all He can, the next move is now in our hands.
And if you still don’t believe that Almighty God seeks a deep relationship with us, then listen to this telling verse from Revelation, where Jesus declares: ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open up the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev. 3:20) Oh friends, Jesus is always right there at our hearts, knocking on them seeking to come in and dine with us. All it takes is for us to open our hearts to Him, so that we can enjoy all the goodness and mercy He desires to share with us.
And we will end with is this exhortation from Hebrews: ‘Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation (rebellion of the Israelites)’ (Heb. 3:15) Yes my people, the message is urgent; it’s time to stop being stubborn and rebellious, meaning today is the day that you let Jesus into your heart! Please do it if you hear Him knocking. It will be the wisest decision you’ve ever made. Much LOVE!
…God can only get as close to us…as we allow Him to…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deep desire for personal righteousness, a hungry animal, a message of hope, a mighty rushing wind, a new heart will I also give you, a new spirit will I put within you, a renewed relationship with God, a sound from heaven, a spiritual transformation, a strong will, a thirsting soul, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, began to speak with other tongues, believers, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, broken right now in the name of Jesus, broken the gates of brass, cause you to walk in my statutes, christianity, cloven tongues like fire, complete satisfaction, curse, cut the bars of iron asunder, divine protection, early will I seek thee, everything originates from God, faith, favour, filled with the Holy Ghost, for his goodness, fulfilment, give you an heart of flesh, good health, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he satisfieth the longing soul, his wonderful works to the children of men, holy spirit, I will bless thee while I live, in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, Jesus Christ, keep my judgements and do them, lift up my hands in thy name, LOVE, mercy, my flesh longs for you, my lips shall praise thee, my soul longeth for thee, my soul thirsteth for god, negative word, O God thou art my God, obedience to God's law, oh that men would praise the Lord, Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament, other languages, outpouring of righteousness, panting for food or water, promostion, proof of their spiritual rebirth, propser, put my spirit within you, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, share our blessings with others, so panteth my soul after thee O God, spiritual poverty, spiritual rebirth, spiritual renewal, succeed, supernatural wisdom, take away the stony heart out of your flesh, the Beatitudes, the BIBLE, The Day of Pentecost, the Holy spirit indwelling believers, the indisputable truth, the living God, the penultimate day of our work week, the prophecy of Ezekiel, the sons of Korah, they shall be filled, thy loving-kindness is better than life, to see thy power and thy glory, truth, underserved blessings, When shall I come and appear before God, wisdom, yearning for perishable things, yearning for spiritual things
Psalm 107:15. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
So we’ve come to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, a warm and sunshiny day, and we’re just panting for Friday, like a hungry or thirsty animal panting for food or water. Oh, how I wish we could be like the sons of Korah say in Psalm 42: ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2)
And Bruh David corroborates it in Psalm 63, ‘A Thirsting Soul’ while in the wilderness, running from his arch enemy King Saul. He writes: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul longeth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;’ (Ps. 63:1)
Yes friends, it’s the living God we should be panting and thirsting for; not the day when we get a break from work! For who do you think allows you to have that break eh? In the long run, it’s the living God! In fact everything that you have or get, initially flows from Almighty God! It might come through other people, but it all originates from the grace, mercy and LOVE of our heavenly Father! As Bruh David spells out in the next couple of verses. ‘To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee (looked for thee) in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-KINDNESS is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:2-4)
Now that’s how we supposed believers ought to be behaving, not looking forward to the material, perishable things of the world, as so many of us are currently doing. It’s like Jesus says in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6)
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of that verse. ‘These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst for righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which ONLY God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Ps. 107:9)
And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers! When we sincerely hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God, He fills us up, because that is His very nature, which He cannot deny. And we find one of the best examples of that in the Book of Acts, on the Day of Pentecost when the church members were sitting together in a room, ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave then utterance.’ (Acts. 2:2-4)
Oh my brethren, that was certainly an unusual outpouring of righteousness all at once, but it marked the beginning of the Holy Spirt indwelling believers and not operating outside on certain occasions. It’s what God promised the Israelites in the prophesy of Ezekiel. ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them.’ (Ezek. 36:26-27)
And this commentary offers an explanation of those verses. ‘They promise a spiritual transformation, where God will replace the Israelites’ “heart of stone” (stubbornness, resistance) with a “heart of flesh” (responsiveness, obedience), and infuse them with a “new spirit,” symbolizing a renewed relationship with God and obedience to His laws. This promise is a type of the New Covenant, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, offering spiritual renewal to all believers.
In essence, Ezekiel 36:26 is a powerful message of hope and spiritual renewal, promising a restoration of the Israelites’ relationship with God through a transformation of their hearts and minds. This transformation is also seen as a foreshadowing of the New Covenant, where God’s spirit dwells within believers, enabling them to live in obedience and righteousness.’
Now that ought to help us believe God’s Word even more, as those prophecies in the Old Testament keep being fulfilled in the New Testament. Consequently, our behaviour ought to be like the psalmist says in Psalm 107: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass (bronze), and cut the bars of iron in sunder.’ (Ps. 107:15-16)
Yes, friends, the Lord has broken all our chains and released us from the prison of sin and being hell bound through the auspices of Christ’s work on the cross of Calvary. That means we should be thankful, grateful and show it through our obedience and LOVE, especially since He’s further showered us with our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s declare and activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yeah!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…instead of yearning for perishable earthly things…we ought to ye yearning for imperishable spiritual or heavenly things…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, anxiety, as long as there's life there's always hope in God, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, Bible, Chistianaity, Christians, confusion, deep longing for God, divine aid, every morning is a fresh beginning, faith, for the help of his countenance, for the hope I have today, Friday chant, give me new direction, goals vanish, God's greatest attribute, guide my steps, holy spirit, hope, hope thou in God, I know you never fail, I shall yet praise him, I take your hand in this place, In you I always have hope, Jesus Christ, longing, LOVE, mercy, my soul thirsteth for god, my tears have been my meat, obedience, omnipotent help, our sinful world, perplexity, prayer on Hope, regret, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, shrouded in darkness, simmering unrest, sing a song of praise, so panteth my soul for thee, sure confidence in God, tempted to fear all is lost, Thank You God, the error of their ways, the living God, the sons of Korah, the throne of grace, the trail ahead, this day of love, trust, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, Valentine's day, wake up and smell the coffee, when plans evaporate, where is thy God, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, with hope anything is possible, without hope there's no real life, witness for Christ, You know the way, you're my light, your great faithfulness
Psalm 42:5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).
And the shouts went up in loud unison this Valentine’s Day morning: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here!’ That said, a Happy Valentine’s Day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! Let’s hope that this day of LOVE will indeed be one that brings God’s greatest attribute sincerely to our hearts, and stay there after the day is done. Because we talk a lot about LOVE, but many of us don’t know what it really means, or don’t show it enough in our relationships with others.
Anyway, it’s been a bright, sunshiny, though somewhat windy day in my area, but at least the streets are clean and the snow has been mostly removed. I heard the snow crew working diligently all night, until around four this morning to get it done. However, after the 25-30 cm. of snow we recently received, it’s forecasted to have another big downpour this weekend. Let’s hope that there’s enough money in the Snow Removal Budget to clean that up also, and we don’t end up like we’ve done in some past years, with not enough money to facilitate a quick and thorough clean up. (smile)
But you know the most important word in that sentence is the li’l word HOPE! It’s small but ever so powerful, so that without it, one is without true life, but with it, all things are possible. Especially if we have Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. And we’ll dedicate this Valentine’s Day Friday to not only LOVE, but also to HOPE, because, if we have those two things in abundance, we are truly blessed. And we’ll begin with this most appropriate prayer on HOPE, from the recently published Prayer Series of Cards by the In Touch Ministries.
So please pray with me: ‘Thank You, God, for the Hope I have today. The trail ahead is shrouded in darkness, but You’re my light. Though I’m tempted to fear all is lost, I know You never fail. Guide my steps, because You know the way. When plans evaporate and goals vanish, give me new direction. Every morning is a fresh beginning in Your great faithfulness. So I take Your hand in this place and sing a song of praise. In You I always have hope.’ And all God’s people said a loud and sincerely grateful ‘Amen!’
Yes friends, In Christ our Saviour there’s ALWAYS HOPE! Let’s never forget that. And there are no better words from the scriptures to describe our great hope in God than these awesome words from Psalm 42, penned by the Sons of Korah. Please read with me: ‘As the hart panteth after (deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast). Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:1-5) And that’s the best advice we can ever take or give anyone else; continue hoping in God and His amazing presence!
Now we don’t have time for all of the psalm, but these words of explanation from the scholars bring it’s truth home to us. In the first place, they claim that Psalms 42 and 43 could be read as one, and in fact are joined together in some Hebrew texts. So here, they are talking about both psalms together.
‘Using the refrain Hope thou in God as a marker, the poem yields three stanzas. First, the psalmist expresses his deep longing for God (42:1-5); second, his sad lament and dejection before God (42: 6-11); finally, his sure confidence in God (43:1-5). The three stanzas reveal the changing moods of the psalmist: from longing and regret to perplexity, then to trust and assurance. If only every downcast soul could end up in that third stanza!’
Yes friends, if only. However, we can, because we have the true and real hope in God, for when our souls are cast down and disquieted, we can go confidently, but ever so humbly, to the throne of grace, seeking divine aid to help with our earthly problems. So let’s do that right now nuh, go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant for aid in these dire times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
But please remember, divine aid all depends on our level of obedience, trust and the quality of witness we give for Christ. Much LOVE!
…as long as there’s life…there’s ALWAYS HOPE in Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a greater presence of God in our lives, a man after God's heart, a modicum of circumspection, a new yearning for God, all these things shall be added unto you, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, Bible, Christian witness, christianity, deepen my breath, early will I seek thee, entitled life, eternal life, faith, for the living God, god, goodness, hate, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in a dry and thirsty land, increase my awareness of you, Jesus Christ, labour day weekend, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, light of the world, LOVE, made for a time such as this, mercy, my lips shall praise thee, my soul shall be satisfied, my soul thirsteth for god, O God thou art my God, praise thee with joyful lips, proliferating darkness of the world, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, ruling the roost, salt of the earth, salvation, seek ye the kingdom of God, selfless sacrifice, slow my thoguhts, so panteth my soul after thee O God, spiritual renewal, thanksgiving, the believer's thirst for God, thy loving-kindness is better than life, thy right hand upholdeth me, trust, truth, warms the cockles of God's heart, wisdom, with marrow and fatness, your love surrounds and fills me
Psalm 42:1. As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Well, it’s the last day of August 2024! Just imagine that nuh; the summer holidays done and over with…but we still have the whole long Labour Day weekend to cavort about and get in some last minute flings. (smile) But remember, a modicum of circumspection is always the best advice in those rushed circumstances. And this lazy-day Saturday seems to be tailor-made for laziness. (smile) It’s damp and cloudy, after a big thunderstorm last night, and there might even be some more rain later in the day. But right now the sun is making a valiant effort to overcome the dark clouds that insist on holding it up.
In the meanwhile, while we enjoy a lazy Saturday morning, there’s nothing better than offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. So as one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now that’s the best kind of prayer we can ever pray; asking for a greater presence of the Lord in our lives and desiring to know Him better than we already do. Because there’s nothing the Lord appreciates more than His people wanting to have a closer association with, and knowledge of Him. That kind of prayer warms the cockles of His heart and He immediately answers it. That’s why we’re now feeling the increased warmth, the LOVE, the glowing presence of our God moving in our souls and spirits.
And that mind frame just reminded me of these yearning words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 42. ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2) Yes friends, that’s the kind of hunger and thirst we ought to have for our God, the One True Living God, Jehovah! For all that we are, everything we have, comes from, is derived from Him.
Obviously Bruh David was of the same mind, for although He was running from Saul in the wilderness of Judah, he nonetheless longed for the Lord; for spiritual renewal with thanksgiving and trust. Listen to how he puts in in Psalm 63. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen (looked for) thee in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:1-4)
Now that’s how we ought to feel about our great and LOVING God, my people! And some might say that Bruh David was laying it on somewhat thick because He was out in the wilderness suffering, but we all know that from a youth, out in the fields as a shepherd, he was always entranced by and calling out to God. As these other verses testify. ‘My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after (close behind) thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.’ (Ps. 63.5-8)
Yuh see what happens when we keep God first place in our hearts and souls. He helps us, and when further tough times come, we can remember that earlier help and not be afraid, but rejoice that the Lord will help us again. And that’s why Bruh David enjoyed so much of God’s goodness in his life. He never strayed far from Him, always kept Him at the forefront of his mind. And that’s how we supposed believers in Christ Jesus ought to behave. As Jesus so wisely advised: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
And we see that in Bruh David’s life. He kept God first place and the Lord made him the greatest king that Israel ever had. His life was not easy, but the rewards were certainly worth it. And anyway, after he became king, most of his trouble came from his own doing. The Lord could have certainly demoted him to a lowly servant for his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, but He knew that Bruh David’s heart was right, that’s why He could call him a friend, and a man after His own heart. (1 Sam. 13:14)
And that basically means Bruh David valued the things of God, and generally walked with a heart filled with faith, LOVE and repentance. Now that’s what we ought also to be doing in these very troubled and critical times, because that’s why God has us here at this particular time. We were made for a time such as this; to show forth God’s praise and glory, His goodness and mercy, and challenge others to come to Him in faith and receive salvation and eternal life! We’re not here just to live the good, comfortable, entitled life, as so many of us insist on doing.
No, we need to be sacrificing some for Jesus and those who don’t know Him, and will thus lose out on His selfless sacrifice on their behalf. That’s what Jesus expects of those who call themselves, Christians, or His followers. But unfortunately we’re not doing enough good Christian witness, otherwise the world would not be in as sorry a state as it currently is. Hate, and not LOVE, is ruling the roost.
We’re not being the true salt of the earth and the light of the world as Jesus desires. Sadly, our salt has lost its flavour, and our light has been dimmed by the proliferating darkness of this ungodly world. That means we’re not seeking God and His presence in our lives as much as we ought to. But please, let’s try and turn that around with a new yearning for our Creator, so that we can do a better job, and thus leave our children’s children a better world. Much LOVE!
…the believer’s thirst for God…is not as dire as it ought to be…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Annie sherwood hawks, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, bankruptcy of any inherent righteousness, be not far from me, Bible, bless me now my Saviour, christianity, come quickly and abide, come unto me all ye that labour, early will I seek thee, faith, fellowship, filled with the sense of nearness, god, God rested on the seventh day, hallowed it, holy spirit, how one could live without christ, I need thee every hour, I need thee oh I need thee, I will give you rest, in a dry and thirsty land, in joy or pain, in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life is vain, LOVE, make haste to help me, make me thine indeed, mercy, my flesh longeth for thee, my hour of sweet serenity and peace, my soul thirsteth for god, my tears have been my meat, no tender voice like thine, oh God my strength, our inconsolable loneliness, our utter poverty without Christ, out of fellowship with God, remember the sabbath to keep it holy, rest from our toil, Robert Lowry, six day shalt thou labour, so panteth my soul after thee O God, stay thou nearby, sweet sacrifices of praise, teach me thy will, temptations lose their power, the colossal truth, the comforting power, the great invitation, the hollow emptiness, the impotence of our own strength, the living God, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, the need for Jesus is undeniable, the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God, the shadow fell over my way, the world's godless gain, thou blessed Son, touched the great throbbing heart of humanity, trouble is near, truth, uplifting words, When shall I come and appear before God, when thou art nigh, where is thy God, wisdom
Psalm 42:1. As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
And then it was Sunday, the day on which we rest from our toil and labour, and instead go to the Lord’s sanctuary to praise and worship Him in the company of other believers. Now that was His idea not ours, as He said to the children of Israel when He gave them the law. ‘Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work… For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it (made it holy). (Ex. 20: 9-11)
That’s why we’re in the Lord’s house on a Sunday to offer thanks and praise and receive His awesome blessings for the upcoming week. And as always, we begin the day’s proceedings with a song of praise, which today is one we all know and LOVE, one that’s ever so timely. It’s titled, ‘I Need Thee Every Hour.’ Now that’s the gospel truth friends! We need Jesus Christ…and badly too…every hour of every single day. The lyrics of the song were written in 1872 by American poet and gospel hymnist Annie Sherwood Hawks with her Pastor Robert Lowry adding the music.
Mrs. Hawks described the song and its origins thus: ‘One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words, I Need Thee Every Hour, were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me…
I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give out to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace.’
Yuh see that my bredrin; the song was technically a prophetic gift from God, rather than one born of Mrs. Hawks own personal experience, and it was only long after, when she finally encountered a great loss, that she fully realized the worth and the magnitude of the hymn. So, knowing all of that, let’s finally raise our voices to heaven in sweet sacrifices of praise, in a mid-tempo, sincere, and heart-felt soulful version of the song.
Singing: ‘I need thee every hour, Most gracious Lord, No tender voice like thine, Can peace afford. (Chorus: I need thee oh I need thee, Every hour I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee.) I need thee every hour, Stay thou near by, Temptations lose their power, When thou art nigh (Chorus) I need thee every hour, In joy or pain, Come quickly and abide, or life is vain. (Chorus)
I need thee every hour; teach me thy will, and thy rich promises in me fulfill. (Chorus) I need thee every hour, Most holy one, Oh make me thine indeed Thou blessed Son. (Chorus: I need thee oh I need thee, Every hour I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee. I need thee, Oh I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee…I come to thee…’
Oh my people, are those ever true and uplifting words! And they echo the heartfelt cries of several psalms. For instance these words of Bruh David from Psalm 22 – A Plea for God’s Presence. When he finds himself alone and in trouble, he cries out: ‘I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help…But be thou not far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.’ (Ps. 22:10-11, 19)
And we all know this heartfelt cry from the Sons of Korah in Psalm 42 – My Soul Thirsts for the Lord. They declare: ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?’ (Ps. 42:1-3)
Then what about these faithful words of Bruh David from Psalm 63 – A Thirsting Soul, when he was in the wilderness running for his life from King Saul. He cries out: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ (Ps. 63:1) And that’s how badly all of us need God in these angry and strife-filled days, where truth and justice don’t seem to amount to anything, while all the negative actions of Satan and his evil cronies rule the roost.
Now, here’s an excerpt from article on the hymn by Jon Bloom from the desiringGod.org website. He writes: ‘One of the sweetest refrains in English Christian hymnody is this: “I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.” Thank God for Annie S. Hawks who wrote these lyrics and her pastor, Robert Lowry, who composed the music. The lyrics could hardly be simpler, and yet they capture one of our heart’s most profound longings and can be prayed in the sweetest, most sorrowful, or most mundane moments in life.
The prosody (the patterns of rhythm and sound) of the music, the way the melody and meter aligns with the wording, could hardly be more perfect. But it is not the skill of the hymn’s construction that makes it so powerful. It is the colossal truth it so beautifully expresses. O I Need Thee!
Yes, We need God. It is not until we feel in the depths of our souls our utter poverty without Christ, our bankruptcy of any inherent righteousness, the impotence of our own strength and self-sufficient planning, our inconsolable loneliness when we are out of fellowship with God, the pathetic pretentiousness of our pathological pride, the hollow emptiness of all the godless gain of the world, our utter helplessness in the face of personal, institutional, cosmic, and molecular evil, that we know just how much we need God.’
Ah my fellow believers, unfortunately it’s not until we are wallowing deep in the mire of sin and Satan, with the slime up to our necks, that we truly realize how much we need Almighty God. And we are certainly blessed to know that if we sincerely cry out Him even at that late stage, He will indeed help us. Because that’s the kind of gracious, merciful, forgiving and LOVING God we serve.
But please, let’s be wise nuh, and don’t wait until we’re drowning to cry out to Him for help. Instead, let’s take the proverbial bull by the horns and go to Him right now, regardless of what state we’re in, for He’s ready and waiting to welcome us. Don’t you hear Him calling: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt. 11:28) So in wisdom, let’s accept that Great Invitation right now, and thus turn our lives and our world around, because there’s none greater than it! Much LOVE!
…the need for Jesus is undeniable…because that’s how we were created…to need Him…and ONLY Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Annie sherwood hawks, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, believer fellowshipping, bless me now my Saviour, Christian uplifting, confidence building, faith growing, for the living God, I come to thee I come, I count all things but loss, I need thee every hour, Jesus is the answer to every question and every need, joyful God worshipping, my lips shall praise thee, my soul thirsteth for god, neither is there salvation in any other, no tender voice like thine, on the wings of love and joy, renew our souls bodies and spirits, Robert Lowry, so panteth my soul after thee O God, temptations lose their power, that I may know him, the power of his resurrection, the storne that was set at nought, the stress of personal sorrow, thy loving-kindness is better than life, wafted out to the world
Psalm 42:1. As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Sunday, oh Sunday, our day of confidence building, faith growing, Christian uplifting, believer fellowshipping and joyful God worshipping! Wow! Yes friends, those are some of the things that happen in and to us when we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary on a Sunday. No wonder we hunger for Sunday to come so that we can get there and refresh and renew our souls, bodies and spirits!
And today we open our God worshipping with a song of praise that describes our situation to a T. It’s most appropriately titled: ‘I Need Thee Every Hour.’ It’s referring to our everlasting need for Jesus every single hour of every day! I would further like to add though, that it’s not only every hour we need Him, but we desperately need Him, every single minute of every hour of every day, especially in these very turbulent and ungodly times.
So, let’s gather round and sing this very uplifting hymn written by American poet and gospel hymnist Annie Sherwood Hawks and her Pastor Robert Lowry. The hymn is said to have been translated into more foreign languages than any other modern hymn at the time of her death. And it’s very interesting to know how the hymn was birthed. Hawks apparently stated – “For myself, the hymn was prophetic rather than expressive of my own experiences, for it was wafted out to the world on the wings of LOVE and joy, instead of under the stress of personal sorrow.”
And isn’t that strange that such a personal and emotional hymn was not born from her own personal sorrowful experiences, as so many of our other touching hymns are. It was truly prophetic, the awesome work of the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile, Lowry, who wrote the music reputedly said: ‘”I believe it was the expression of her own experience. It came to me in the form of five simple stanzas, to which I added the chorus to make it more serviceable. It inspired me at its first reading.’
So let’s get it to inspire us on this its umpteenth singing, by raising our voices in sacrificial praise in a rich, soulful, scintillating version, not the dirge like manner in which so many people sing it. With feeling now: ‘I need thee every hour, Most gracious Lord, No tender voice like thine, Can peace afford. (Chorus: I need thee oh I need thee, Every hour I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee.) I need thee every hour, Stay thou near by, Temptations lose their power, When thou art nigh (Chorus)
I need thee every hour, In joy or pain, Come quickly and abide, or life is vain. (Chorus) I need thee every hour; teach me thy will, and thy rich promises in me fulfill. (Chorus) I need thee every hour, Most holy one, Oh make me thine indeed Thou blessed Son. (Chorus: I need thee oh I need thee, Every hour I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee. I need thee, Oh I need thee, Oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to thee…I come to thee…’
And for our own sinful sakes, we had better be sincere in our sentiments and truly go to Jesus, otherwise things bad with us mih people! Now what scriptures can we find to corroborate those amazing sentiments of Ms. Hawkes? I think the first and most appropriate are these words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 42: ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2) Now that’s how we ought to long for the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac, my fellow believers!
Or, as Bruh David declared when he was running from King Saul in the wilderness of Judah. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen (looked for) thee in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:1-4)
That’s the kind of desire we need to have for God, especially in these very trying and uncertain times! But unfortunately, not enough of us have that overwhelming desire to seek Almighty God, our Creator and Controller. Why? I don’t know. We either don’t believe, don’t believe enough, or simply don’t care. But as Peter and John so rightly and boldly proclaimed before the Jewish rulers, when they were questioned as to the healing of a blind man at the temple gates.
‘Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone that was set at nought of (rejected by) you builders, which is become the head of the corner (chief corner stone). Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 2:10-12)
That says it all my brethren! Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can save us from ourselves and our sins, so if we don’t truly believe in Him, then things won’t go very well for us. And it’s not like we don’t know it nuh, but we just seem to take it for a joke, or we’re besotted by the empty, short-term pleasures of sin, and we put it off until some later date. But sadly friends, then it might just be too late. So, if you know of Jesus, please accept Him today, RIGHT NOW! It will be the wisest and most timely decision you’ll ever make in this life!
And I want to quote one last scripture re the depth of need we ought to feel for Jesus. This one comes from Bruh Paul, the great apostle of the New Testament, who was himself a persecutor of the brethren, until the Lord set him straight and recruited him to spread the good news of His gospel all around the then known world. Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Philippi:
‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count ALL things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (rubbish), that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.’ (Phil. 3:7-10)
Wow! Now that’s powerful faith in and LOVE for Christ! And until we come to approximate that kind of faith in Christ, that kind of hunger and thirst for Him, we’ll not become truly mature Christians. That’s the kind of level of maturity we need to aspire to. So hopefully those scriptures will put a jolt in our system and wake us up today, to the reality that we need Jesus even more desperately than we think we do! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is the ANSWER…to EVERY question that we have… the fulfillment of EVERY need…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
07 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deep desire for personal righteousness, a privilege and a gift, according to the riches of his glory, all the fullness of God, be strengthened with might, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, by the Holy spirit, faithful believers, God grant you, God satisfies the thirsty soul, humble ourselves, hungry and thirsty, in a dry and thirsty land, in the inner man, indisputable truth, Jehovah Rapha, know the love of christ, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my flesh longeth for thee, my soul thirsteth for god, negative situations, physical food, read the obits, rooted and grounded in love, sincere repentance, spiritual nourishment, strong faith in Christ, successfully live the Christian life, the God who heals, the living God, they shall be filled, thou art my God, time to rise and shine, turn from our evil ways, we have all sinned, When shall I come and appear before God, where no water is
Psalm 42:2a. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God.
Well, a good Monday morning my Scrip-Bit friends and family! It’s time to rise and shine and begin another new day in God’s great universe. But first thing we need to do every day is to give thanks for being alive, for being able to have the awesome breath of Jehovah God still coursing through our human bodies. That’s a great privilege and gift, because if you read the obits, you’ll see many who didn’t receive that privilege and gift this morning. And since we are alive, it means that the Lord still has important work for us to do down here on planet earth.
But the only way to find out His plan for each of us, is by sincerely seeking Him out and asking what He has in mind. However, we can’t just go to God in any wishy-washy manner, but we must be primed, hungry and thirsty to know His will. And one of the best opening prayers in the Good Book is that from Psalm 63 – God satisfies the thirsting soul, where Bruh David solemnly declares: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ (Ps. 63:1)
Yes my brethren, that’s how we ought to long for communion with our God; like a thirsty man in a desert, as though we will die from thirst if we don’t contact Him to get the living water that His Son Jesus, our Lord and Saviour has offered to those who sincerely believe in Him. And it’s not only Bruh David who wrote that way, but also the sons of Korah. Listen to them from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God. ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after (longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2)
Oh my people, do we have that insatiable hunger and thirst for God and the things of God? We ought to, if we are true believers. For, like Jesus says in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6)
As the scholars explain. ‘Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: ‘He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Ps. 107:9).’
And we all know that’s the indisputable truth my fellow saints! When we come to the Lord seeking Him and His amazing gifts, He fills us up with His Spirit, and all the other good things that we need to do His will. Consequently, Bruh Paul did not pray for believers to be rid of problems, or not experience any, but for them to experience inner growth that would enable them to handle the problems in a Christian manner.
Listen to his prayer for the church at Ephesus. ‘That he (God) would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye be rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph: 3:16-19)
Wow! What a rich and marvellous prayer! And if it all seems a bit much for our understanding, let’s allow the scholars to explain. ‘3:16-19. In these verses, Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit (v.16), that is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ, that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
Now that is the kind of prayer we ought to be making for our fellow believers, not to simply bless them, although that’s better than nothing. (smile) And having awakened both our bodies and spirits with a hunger and thirst for both spiritual and physical food, let’s go to our omnipotent God for help and guidance, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, as we step out today to do His kingdom work.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now,, let’s remember if we want those prayers to come through, we have to change our evil ways and become faithful believers. Much LOVE!
…just like our bodies can’t survive without physical food…our souls and spirits can’t survive without spiritual nourishment…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Apr 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as the hart panteth after the water brooks, awe inspiring god, awesome benefits, Buccoo, Controller, cultivate an intense longing for God, deliverer, Easter Tuesday, for the help of his countenance, forgiveness, friendship of Jesus, Goat races, grace, hope thou in God, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I shall yet praise him, I went with them to the house of God, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, in god's eyes, in the night His song shall be with me, LOVE, my giver of salvation, My god is awesome, my soul thirsteth for god, no one can take that from me, omnipotent power of God, our Maker, provider, sad lament and dejection, share His love with the world, so panteth my soul after thee O God, sure confidence in God, sweet Tobago, the health of my countenance, the in-crowd place, the ingenuity of my people, the Lord allows us to get wealth, the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytiem, the sons of Korah, trust and reassurance, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, where is thy God, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, will for our lives, with the voice of joy and praise
Psalm 42:5b. Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).
Welcome to Easter Tuesday friends! And the in-crowd place to meet today is in the town of Buccoo, in sweet Tobago, where Goat Races are the featured event of the day…and has been for many, many years! It’s become so big, that they even built a stadium just to hold it! Awesome! But who knows if it’s going to be happening in this pandemic time, with the lockdown that’s currently in place?
However, given the ingenuity of my people, I wouldn’t vote against it happening, though in some reduced form and fashion, especially since I understand that Tobago is now the new playground for Trinidad, as the citizens can’t go further afield. Yes people, when it comes to partying, you can’t beat a Trinbagonian to find unique ways and means to bring it to fruition!
But what we all need, so much more than partying is to cultivate an intense longing for Almighty God, our Maker, Controller. Deliverer and Provider! That’s because He’s so awesome, so LOVING and compassionate, so protective of His people, hides us from the rain, heals us when we’re broken…! What else do I need to point out for us to understand that our God is great and greatly to be praised eh? And that the number one purpose for which we were created is to praise and worship Him, to have a most excellent communication between the Creator and the created!
Wow! My God is awesome! He’s the giver of salvation, author and finisher of our faith, high priest of our church…and so many other wonderful things! And instead of partying in the evil sense of the word, we ought to be rejoicing in the righteous way that speaks of Jesus; of His most awesome deliverance of sinful man in this Easter Season! No one else could do the miraculous deeds that He’s done. So we ought to celebrate His mercy, holiness, His forgiveness, grace and wonderful, unconditional LOVE for us, instead of bowing to the evil fool Satan and desiring to enjoy the pleasures of sin, instead of the righteousness of God!
So what we should be doing, as I said earlier on, is cultivating an intense longing for our awesome God! In these trying and troubled times of worldwide sickness and strife, only a return to God in true and sincere repentance can solve them! Yes my brethren, like the Sons of Korah sing in Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God – let’s do the same nuh, let’s celebrate and worship our graceful, merciful and awe-inspiring God. So let’s lift our hands, as we lift our voices in prayer.
‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say to me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast).’ (Ps. 42:1-4)
Yes friends, in earlier times we would go to the Lord’s sanctuary and praise His holy name in song and prayer. But then, as we became successful and prosperous, we began moving away from the very source of our success and prosperity. We forgot that it is the Lord who allows us to get wealth and prosperity, and instead began trying to turf Him out of our society. And now that immense strife and sickness have befallen us, we’re wondering what happened, how such a plague befell us? And the simple answer is that we turned away from God and began praising the devil instead. So now that we can’t find remedies for our awful predicament, we’re wondering what to do.
But like the sons of Korah asked so long ago: ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted with me?’ (Ps. 42:5a) Today friends, the correct answer to the problem is still: ‘Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:5b) Yes my people, that’s the only sensible answer there is to our current troubles…hope in the God of our forefathers!
Hear the sons of Korah continue with their praise nuh. ‘O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill (the mount of) Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts (waterfalls): all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Yet the Lord will command his LOVING-kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God my rock, why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones (the shattering of my bones), mine enemies reproach (revile) me; while they say daily (all day long) unto me, Where is thy God?’ (Ps. 42:6-10)
And yes, my fellow believers, the heathen are at our throats every day with that question. And that then leads us to ask ourselves: ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me?’ And what’s our reply? ‘Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (my giver of salvation) and my God.’ (Ps. 42:11) Oh friends, let’s praise His holy name! Let’s look back over our lives and see where the Lord has brought us from, the mighty and magnificent things He’s done for us, and realize that He can, and will do the same things for us, once we are obedient to His word and will!
And I like this explanation from the scholars about the overall effects of psalms 42 and 43, which in some Hebrew texts are joined together. ‘Using the refrain Hope thou in God as a marker, the poem yields three stanzas. First, the psalmist expresses his deep longing for God (42:1-5); second, his sad lament and dejection before God (42: 6-11); finally, his sure confidence in God (43:1-5). The three stanzas reveal the changing moods of the psalmist: from longing and regret to perplexity, then to trust and assurance. If only every downcast soul could end up in that third stanza!’
And there’s no real reason why all of us can’t find true trust and reassurance in our great and mighty God! We all know His amazing, omnipotent power, and have all experienced some good and awesome benefits while walking in strong tandem with him. So why shouldn’t He do it again, if we sincerely seek Him and His awesome will for our lives? No reason whatsoever! So, for those of us who sincerely believe and diligently try to live for God, let’s go home now declaring (oh yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, proclaiming to the whole world, who and whose we are.
Altogether now, 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 obvious corollary to that is for us to now go out into the confused and godless world and gladly share Jesus’ awesome LOVE and friendship, so that we can overcome our ever so pressing problems! Much LOVE!
…our problems will diminish…in direct proportion…to our sincere longing for God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
09 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cross, age after age, an intense longing for god, another bountiful day, at rest, Bethel, blessing, bondage in Egypt, bow down, Caleb, cleaving the sky, darkness, desires of the flesh, disgusted with, disobedience, doubting disciple, enter into my rest, err, faith, forty years, gather together, glory to God, go astray, God's awesome word, grace, grief, grieved, guidance, harden not your heart, holy presence, Jacob, Joshua, joyful wing, kneel before the Lord, let us worship, loyalty, mercy, miracles, my Father's home, my Saviour's love, my soul thirsteth for god, nearer my God to thee, our Maker, planet earth, praise and worship, privilege, proved me, provocation, rebel against God, Sabbath, safe, saints of Christ, sanctuary, Sarah Adams, strengthens, temptation, the living God, the Promised Land, the Red Sea, the sacrifice of praise, the sun gone down, the ultimate act, Thomas, truth, waking thoughts, wandered aimlessly, woes, words of wisdom, wrath
Psalm 95:6. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Oh Glory to God my fellow believers for blessing us with another bountiful day on Planet Earth! And also for giving us the wonderful privilege of being able to gather together, in His sanctuary this Sabbath Sunday morning, to praise and worship Him and to hear His awesome word, which, as its truth seeps into our hearts and souls will strengthen us, by giving us His mercy, grace and guidance to face the upcoming week!
What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! Every day He gives me greater reason to make that declaration. And when I reached out for a song of praise and worship for us to sing today, I just felt like getting closer to our Maker, hence this old hymn, ‘Nearer My God to Thee,’ written in the 19th century by Sarah Adams.
It is based on the topic of loyalty and the scriptures of Genesis 28:11-13, when God spoke to Jacob at Bethel and promised to make his progeny abundant and prosperous. It’s also based on Psalm 42:2: – An intense longing for God. ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before him.’
Therefore friends, this morning, if our souls indeed thirst for the living God, then let’s offer the sacrifice of praise from our lips, as we endeavour to get closer, or as close as we can get to Him on this our earthly journey. So in full voice, in unison and perfect harmony, let’s sing! ‘Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain: Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!)
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness be over me, my rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n; All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n; Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise, Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise; So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain)
Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky, Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest, There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest; Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!’
Oh faithful saints of Christ, that was marvellous! And as we sang, one could feel the strong and beautiful presence of God in His house! The heartfelt feelings were so sincere that He had no choice but to grace us with His Holy presence!
Now let’s continue in that same vein; the sincere seeking and longing for and getting closer to God by invoking the glorious words and advice of our Bit. ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.’ That’s the ultimate act my brethren; coming before the Lord in sincere, heartfelt prayer! Why, you ask?
Listen as the psalmist explains after our Bit. ‘For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under His care). (Ps.95:7a) There could be no better reason than that friends: we are beholden to our great and wonderful God in each and every aspect of our lives! We are His people, and He cares for us, both in LOVE and by providing our earthly needs every day.
But then the psalmist does something strange; he pleads with us: ‘Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion); and as in the day of temptation (trial or testing) in the wilderness. When your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work.’(Ps.95:7b-9)
Now why would anyone in their right mind, rebel against God and try to test Him eh? Especially after they had seen the wonderful miracles he had performed on their behalf while bringing them out of four hundred years of bondage in Egypt? Only a people mad with lustful desires of the flesh, egged on by Lucifer could be so obtuse as to rebel against their maker.
Consequently, the psalmist, speaking on God’s behalf, continues: ‘Forty years long was I grieved with (disgusted with) this generation, and said, It is a people that do err (go astray) in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.’ (Ps.95:10-11) And God fulfilled His promised, when only Caleb and Joshua of all those who had left Egypt, set foot in the Promised Land.
For forty years the Israelites wandered aimlessly in the desert because of their disobedience to Almighty God. And friends, it just boggles my imagination that they could be so stupid after seeing all the miracles of God! No other group of people, to this day, has seen God work so miraculously on their behalf. Just the parting of the Red Sea should have been enough to convince them forever.
However friends, they saw it and didn’t believe, we didn’t see it, but let’s be wise nuh; let’s believe and be obedient, otherwise we will not enter into God’s rest. And let these words of Jesus to His doubting disciple Thomas, be a sure promise to us. ‘Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’(John 20:29)
Words of absolute wisdom my brethren! Words to wisely and confidently live by! Much LOVE!
…true faith in Jesus…means…believing…without…or before seeing…
16 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a longing for God, a rainy morning, actions, adventurous, appear before God, bad pay kill him, bad pay poison him, Baton Rouge, children of the Most High God, Christian, colourful language, dire situations, do a worthwhile job, early will I seek thee, enemies, feel empty, filled the hungry, flooding, friend of Jesus, glamorous, glorious, God's help, gospel truth, grace, habits, heartfelt declaration, heavenly blessing, hope for the future, hunger and thirst, hunger for God, hurry, in a dry and thirsty land, in God's image, indisputable truth, lament, level of our faith, lost, Louisiana, maturity, my soul thirsteth for god, nourishment, off and running, pay debt, petition, praying, righteousness., sent empty away, Sermon on the Mount, share His love, spiritual renewal, testimony, thankful mood, thanksgiving, the Beatitudes, the beloved of God, the living God, the Magnificat, the thirsting soul, trials, tribulations, Trini Quote, Trust dead, trust in God, trust my friend Jesus, trustworthy, truth, Tuesday Mantra, walk of faith, watch your thoughts, wisdom, words, worry
Psalm 42:2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Ah friends, it’s a rainy Tuesday morning in my area… Thank the Lord! The earth, and all in it, desperately need that heavenly blessing! They’ve been going without heavenly nourishment for much too long now.
Let’s hope that it doesn’t go to the other extreme and cause flooding and other related damage as is happening in some parts of the southern U.S, especially Louisiana. In Baton Rouge it’s reported they got a month’s rain in something like one day! Now that will certainly cause flooding problems. Anyhow, we’re praying that it will not get that bad up here.
Now here is our Trini Quote Of De Day from my Trini friend – ‘Trust dead because bad pay poison him.’ Generally said to/about someone; who, in the past was not trustworthy or did not pay their debt as promised.’
And who says we West Indian’s don’t have colourful language eh? I remember often hearing someone go into a business place and ask for trust, what we now call credit, and the other person would reply: ‘Trust…Hn! He done dead long time yes! Bad pay kill him oui!’
And our Trini friend ends by advising us to ‘Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become character.’ Indisputable truth my brethren!
And to get us off on and running on the right foot this Tuesday morning, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with the enthusiasm and sincerity it so rightfully deserves. ‘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 that’s gospel truth my friends! As Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, the world and its definitions don’t define us, we just live in it, but are not supposed to be a part of it. We are children of the Most High God Jehovah and a friend and follower of His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ! That’s who we are! Glory Be, my precious people!
So please, let’s not allow the names and tags that the world places on us to influence our self-worth. Always remember that we are first and foremost God’s children and Jesus’ friend and follower, and consequently, we need to go out and share the good news of His wonderful LOVE with the rest of our society, so that they can come to Him and receive His awesome free gifts of salvation and eternal life!
Wow friends! What a beautiful job it is to be an ambassador for Christ. It’s not an easy one, it has a lot of responsibilities, but with God’s ever-present help and grace, we can do a worthwhile job. Yeh mih people, working for Jesus might not be glamourous, but it’s always adventurous and glorious!
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’
Oh blessed children of God and faithful friends and followers of Jesus, can that be said about us, individually as well as collectively? I certainly hope so, otherwise we won’t be worthy of those definitions.
The Lord made us in His own image and set apart a small compartment within us that can only be filled with His Spirit. And until that space is filled with Him, then our lives won’t function properly. That’s why so many people are lost, don’t know where they’re going and feel empty inside. But when you fill that space with a true longing for God, then your life begins to function in a right and godly manner.
As Bruh David so passionately declares in Psalm 63 – God satisfies the thirsting soul. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ (Ps.63:1)
Oh friends, what a heartfelt declaration! And note too, that psalm was written while he was hiding in the wilderness from his enemies. But also note, according to the scholars: ‘Unlike many of the psalms written in these dire situations, however, this psalm is overflowing with thanksgiving rather than lament and petition.
David declares his longing for spiritual renewal (vs.1-2), he expresses his thankful mood (vs.3-6), he gives voice to his trust in God (vs.7-8), and he announces his hope for the future (vs.9-11). Enemies are mentioned only in passing (vs.9-10).’
Oh my brethren, what a powerful testimony! How many of us can behave like that when trials and tribulations beset us eh? Not too many. But it’s in those trying times that we really see how mature we are in our Christian walk of faith.
And as Mary, Jesus’ mother says in her song of praise and joy, The Magnificat – ‘He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.’ (Luke 1:53) Yes friends, it’s a good thing to hunger for God!
And the definitive statement on that comes straight from the mouth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, from the Sermon on the Mount, from the section called the Beatitudes. ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt.5:6)
Oh my people, please let’s take that to heart and go out today hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of God, for it’s wisdom of a heavenly nature. Much LOVE!
…the level of our faith is shown in the level of our longing for God…
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 