Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 May 2021 Psalm 22:11.

12 May 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 22:11.     Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

All thanks and praise be to thee my wonderful God for offering your saints another marvellous day on your glorious earth! As the psalmist so rightly said so long ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) And believe me fellow saints, if we don’t enjoy this day like it is the last one, we’re only shortchanging ourselves, for it just might be the last one. 

Now that is certainly not wisdom, especially in the turbulent times we’re currently experiencing! It’s only the grace and mercy of a very compassionate God that’s keeping us from being swallowed up in the wily tentacles of the enemy’s negative circumstances. That’s why I am advising us to both enjoy the day to its fullest, but also to praise our God with as much power and sincerity as we can muster. 

That brings me to these interesting verses from Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and a song of praise. That means the two; cry for help and words of praise are not inseparable or exclusive, but can exist together in harmony. And it’s not surprising that Bruh David is the author of this psalm. Let’s read with him as he opens with the state of his agony: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring (groaning)? O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou hearest not: and in the night season, and am not silent.’ (Ps. 22:1-2) 

Yes friends, Bruh David was obviously between a rock and a hard place. And please note the similarity in that first verse, a foreshadowing of Christ’s lament on the cross, as described by Matthew. ‘And at about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27:46) Then David tells how His forefathers had cried out to the Lord for help in time of trouble and had been delivered, (Ps. 22:3-5) 

However, as he further explains: ‘But I am a worm, and no man: a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip (show contempt with their mouths), they shake their head saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.’ (Ps. 22:7-8) Ah my fellow believers, that’s how many of us are treated; laughed to scorn when we talk fervently about God, then get caught up in trouble with no seeming help coming from Him. 

But please let’s not lose our faith or the sight that our God is good and will not turn away from us forever. Please believe like Bruh David did: ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope (cause me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breasts. 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.’ (Ps. 22:9-11) And isn’t that the living truth my brethren. The Lord sees us in our mother’s womb and designates us as followers, and it’s only Him, and Him alone that can help us in times of misery and trouble! 

Then, after pouring out some more of the anguish of his soul to God, (vs.12-18) Bruh David changes tack; he turns to sentiments of praise. But let’s pause here for a moment and take note of verse 18: ‘They part (divide) my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (for my clothing).’ That’s another foreshadowing of Christ on the Cross. Matthew 27:35 reads: ‘And they crucified him, and parted (divided) his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.’ So, this psalm is incredibly significant in foreshadowing Christ’s coming. 

But getting back to the praise section. Hear Bruh David: ‘I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear (LOVE) the Lord, praise him all ye the seed (descendants) of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him (hold Him in awesome reverence), all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.’ (Ps. 22:22-24) Yuh see friends, how praise and worship can cause our heavenly Father to look upon our affliction with grace and mercy? He never turns away from those who sincerely praise and glorify Him when they call upon Him in their time of trouble. 

As Bruh David so reverently continues. ‘My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations. All they that be fat (prosper) upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust (death) shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul (keep himself alive).’ (Ps. 22:25-29). 

Truer words were never spoken my people! The universe and all therein is the Lord’s! And He will judge it righteously. And furthermore, NONE of us can save ourselves. So what’s our best option? Turn to the Lord, like Bruh David did, with shouts of praise and thanksgiving, with the spreading of His salvation, through the good news of Christ, and calling on Him in times of trouble without fear. In other words, living a life that glorifies Him! That’s the only way to make it through this sinful world with peace, LOVE and joy in our souls, despite the trials and tribulation we all will suffer. 

And for those of us who believe that, and are doing our best to live such a life, let’s go home now declaring (yeah!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’  

And it is a given, that if we endure to the very end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Glory Be! Much LOVE!

…cries for help…can only be based…on shouts of praise…                                           

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 December 2020 Psalm 22:28.

23 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 22:28.     ​For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.

So then it was Wednesday – another blessed day for us to draw breath in God’s great universe and give much thanks for the pleasure, just two days before the wonderful day of Christmas, when we celebrate the awesome, incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And in general, that’s wonderful, but our world, instead of getting better, seems to be getting worse. Like they have discovered some new variant of the Covid-19 virus in Britain, that’s going to cause further problems. 

Meanwhile, some foreign government has hacked into the computers of numerous government and security institutions in the U.S. of A, thus further opening the spying war. And still in the U.S. A, the what you call it of a President, on his shameful way out, hasn’t said a word about that, but has pardoned some 20 crooks, several of whom were his associates, and is hemming and hawing to sign a bill giving millions of starving and suffering Americans some money to ease their ‘sufferation.’ Is democracy dead or what? If it ever was alive? 

And then back here in good ole Ontario, our government has decided to go with a bigger lockdown on Boxing Day, while our Covid-19 numbers remain over two thousand every day. Hn! Now that’s food for thought! Why wait till then eh? That’s what the medical people are asking. But can you imagine the hullabaloo if we were locked down earlier this week, just before Christmas? 

I wouldn’t want to be in the Premier’s shoes cause he would be getting it from both sides simultaneously; the merchants who wouldn’t be allowed to make a quick Christmas penny, and the citizens who wouldn’t be allowed to finish their Christmas shopping, as difficult as it already is. So the Premier took the easiest of the three routes possible; it’s much easier to handle the medical personnel than the citizenry and the merchants. (smile) At least that’s my rational for the whole business. 

Ah mih people, what’s happening in our world eh? Is there no sense of sanity, of togetherness, of coming together? Is there only a sense of division, disunity, hate, anger and strife amongst us? Our world has never been a real peaceful and unified place, but I don’t know if it’s ever been this divided, disjointed and adversarial before, with everybody up in arms about something or the other. Nobody seems satisfied with their lot, be it their fault or not, with all the chickens finally coming home to roost! (smile) 

And this Christmas season is certainly not going to be a merry and jolly one for way too many people because of all the adversity and resentment that’s hovering over and between us. And what’s the answer to it all you ask? Well the only solution I can offer is that we cry out and turn back to the God of our forefathers, like Bruh David did in Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and a song of praise. Nothing else seems to be working, so what have we got to lose eh? Nothing really. And we have a whole lot to gain, because the Lord has faithfully promised to heal our land and forgive us if we stop being disobedient and return to His fold. 

Friends, it’s time for us to sincerely cry out: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring (groaning)’ (Ps. 22:1) Now that’s a good start my brethren, but the truth of the matter is not that God is far from us, but we have drifted away from Him. He’s as near to us, as He always is, it’s just that we don’t pay Him much attention or call on Him often enough. 

Here’s how Bruh David puts it a few verses later nuh. ‘Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed).’ (Ps. 22: 4-5) Now doesn’t that tell us something my fellow saints in Christ? It ought to. It ought to tell us that trusting in the Lord God of our forefathers is the sensible thing to do, because when they trusted and cried out to Him, He delivered them, and they were not ashamed or confounded like we currently are! 

But no, too many of us feel that we have reached this pinnacle of evolution, enlightenment, or whatever you choose to call it, on and in our own strength. And that’s the biggest falsehood we can ever propagate! Why? Because Bruh David firmly and truly proclaims otherwise: ‘For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.’ (Ps. 22:28) Now friends, that’s the indisputable truth, and until mankind learns to believe and accept that li’l matter of fact, we’ll certainly be in for a rough ride. 

And Bruh David gives good reason for His proclamation. ‘The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee… All they that be fat (prosper) upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust (death) shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul (keep himself alive).’ (Ps. 22:26-27;29)

That says it all friends; we are not the masters of our own lives, it’s all in the hands of Almighty God, our Maker and Provider and Protector! None of us can extend our lives beyond the time that He has set, and the very breath we breathe is His, so why are we being so foolish, obstinately refusing to come to and follow Him eh? 

And as somebody said, even Satan believes in God and all that He supports. Why do you think the evil one fights tooth and nail to keep the earth in such turmoil eh? Friends, no one knows better than the ex-archangel Lucifer the might and power and goodness and mercy and LOVE of God! So if, evil as he is, he can acknowledge it, why can’t we eh? 

Oh my people, the only way our world will ever get better is if we unite under the banner of Christ; fight the good fight of the LOVE Revolution, and steadfastly resist the evil doings of the demonic devil! Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! 

Altogether now. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And let’s remember that if we endure to the end, that the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. Much LOVE!

…to LOVE…to LOVE…and yet to LOVE…that is the answer…