Today’s Scripture: Psalm 112 &  Matt 26:64-66 and 1 Peter 3:18-22 again

Just this morning a reporter asked on social media why there are so many angry, middle aged, single, business women in this country. The discussion that ensued was not at all flattering, and I wish I had read this psalm prior to seeing that question, for here in this psalm is the solution to keep from becoming an angry, bitter woman - no matter your age, marital status, or job description.  

There have been a lot of books written on how to be successful in life, but I think God's Word contains all we need to be not only successful, but blessed! 

The psalm begins with, "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with obedience],Who delights greatly in His commandments." (Psalm 112:1 AMP)

 

                

Our Reading: Psalm 103, Isaiah 12:3-6, & John 15:10

Perspective and attitude make all the difference. We have not had opportunity to meet with David or engage him in conversation, but he has shown us the deepest essence of his heart. David’s heart was sure of God’s heart and because of that every fiber of his being was grateful and reverent. Worship naturally flowed from his innermost being because he meditated upon and did not take for granted the unmerited blessings God had provided.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” v1-2

Have you ever kept a gratitude journal? Apparently David had that habit for he begins to make a list. Included here:

• God forgives our iniquities. (v3) David certainly had great iniquities, including adultery and murder and he understood the blessing of forgiveness. Without God’s forgiveness there could be no other blessings at all for we could not have relationship with God. All sin separates us from God and there is nothing we can do to bridge that gap. Only God can make us holy.
• God heals our diseases. (v3) God does not cure every physical illness or infirmity this side of Heaven. David knew that for God did not spare the life of his infant child. But there is healing in our relationship with God. Only He can heal the pain and affliction of sin upon our hearts, souls, and minds. Sometimes, He may also provide us physical healing in this life.
• God redeems our life from the pit. (v4) David knew dark places and caves where he had to hide from those who wanted to take his life. God protected him and sustained Him in his darkest days. God can sustain us through our trials as well and provide eternal life for us, sparing us the death we deserve.
• God crowns us with steadfast love and mercy. (V4) God favors us. We get His abundant never ending, unchangeable love and mercy. We get to be adopted into His royal forever family.

As we continue to read through this Psalm, we see that David is just getting started. He continues to list out the wonders of God and God’s mercy and favor upon man. I think my favorite verses, however, describe the God who is compassionate toward us, remembering that we struggle, and muck things up and can be bratty, and selfish and ungrateful. He remembers our limitations and He is patient with us. We may fail Him many times over but His love is bigger than any of our limitations. 

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,” (v13‬-‭17‬)

Refection: 

1. Just reading David’s gratitude list lifts my heart. How about yours? Do you think gratitude is necessary to offer true praise and honor to God?
2. What would be included in your gratitude list? Do you make a habit of not forgetting God’s goodness and mercy toward you? Do you tell others?
3. Like a loving father, God disciplines us but He doesn’t give up on us. Does it  encourage you to know that God knows your limitations and loves You anyway? Does that make it easier to repent and seek restoration? 

Prayer: Father, we thank You for Your many blessings and we want to give You praise and adoration that comes from our innermost being. How blessed we are to have a Father who forgives us, disciplines and teaches us and is ever patient and merciful to us. Your forgiveness is beyond our ability to forgive and Your love is beyond our ability to love. May our hearts ever grow to know and trust Your heart. May we join the psalmist in worship: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,”

 

Psalm 96, Hebrews 3:7-11

Growing up I remember listening to America’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem. Each week I was excited to hear who held the coveted spot of the new number one song. And each week we too have a new song to sing. One of praise and worship to the Lord for His blessings, glory, and gift of salvation. Because His goodness and mercy are new each morning. (Lam. 3:23) And in our daily Christian walk, when we look, much is the evidence of Him lovingly, working in our lives daily. So how can we help but sing, “great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.” (Ps. 96:4)

Each day God is busy doing something new. He’s building up, tearing down, blessing, intervening, answering prayers, working miracles, and saving souls. For as He says in Isaiah, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise from the end of the earth. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”  (Is. 42:9-10, 43:18-19)

The “new song” we sing comes from when we experience God in a new way. I love how gotquestions.org puts it. “A new song springs forth unrehearsed from the heart of a worshiper who has been struck anew with wonder at the greatness of God and the salvation He has provided. When we see the mighty hand of God working in a way we’ve never observed before, we can’t help but burst forth with a song we’ve never sung before.” Every day the Lord never ceases to amaze me. Because just when I think I know all there is know about Him, He overwhelms my heart with something new! 

All of creation cries out in worship to God’s glory, splendor, and majesty. The heavens, earth, sea, fields, and even the trees, sing to the Lord a new song. For one day God will restore everything His hands have made to its original perfection. From the beginning, God has had His master plan in motion. And with the birth of Jesus Christ, that plan was made real before all mankind. In His amazing love, God planned to once and for all destroy evil and reconcile everything back to Himself, our great Creator. And one day soon, all will sing a new song praising and giving glory to Him alone! 

Pause and Reflect -

In this Psalm we are encouraged to sing to the Lord. What songs do you most enjoy singing to the Lord? Why do you like singing those? Why is the Lord worthy of our praise? What changes in nature are you most eager to see when the Lord reigns over all the earth?

Finally, let’s pray together, 

Our dearest Father in heaven above, hallowed be Thy name. Father we lift up our voices in praise and thanksgiving for the wonder that You have done in our lives. And we pray that our lives in thought, word, and deed, may be a song of praise to You, and the goodness of Your grace. Father may we declare Your glory, not only among those who know You, but also among those who do not. For You have sent us into this world to bring the good news of Your marvelous works, most of all Your salvation through Jesus Christ. And we thank You for the newness of Your goodness and mercy each morning. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.

Don't' forget to head over to our Facebook group at, https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2 to join in on the discussion. Also check out our public Facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083156569388 and give us a like!

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings.

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31)

We here at Women in the Word want to wish you and yours all of God's best for the upcoming new year. We may not know what the future holds, but we know and trust the One who holds it! God bless...

The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. A zillion diamonds sparkle against the velvet of your sky every night.  Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart. To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. It does to anxiety what the morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up.”- Max Lucado

I pray that will be our prayer as well.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Week Thirty-six

Welcome!  We pray that you have all had a precious time worshipping the Lord this morning!  Below you will find some thought provoking questions that will provide you a starting point to your journal writing to complete this week.  We hope that you will find this time soul satisfying!

Our reading this week was Matthew 6 - 18...

1. How do you think Jesus would evaluate your prayers? Because of life’s fast pace, we can easily fall into the habit of praying by rote or formula. Today, refresh your prayer life by talking to God as though He were sitting beside you. You may want to write Him a letter, pouring out everything that is on your heart.

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. (Matthew 6:7)

2. List the most meaningful good gifts that God has given to you. Read aloud the list to the LORD, and thank Him. Like Katherine Bates, who penned “American the Beautiful” atop Pikes Peak as she contemplated the beauty of Creation, perhaps you will feel inspired to write a poem about the beauty of God’s blessings to you.

If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him. (Matthew 7:11)

3. What kinds of tyranny can dominate your life? Guilt? Anxiety? Busyness? Give to Jesus whatever burdens you are bearing today. Find rest and freedom in Him.


Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. (Mathew 11:28-30)

I’ll admit early on in my Christian walk, I tended to avoid Psalm 119, or started it, but never read to the end. It was just too long in my opinion, but once I learned more about this Psalm I grew to appreciate all that’s here; which is why I thought I’d write about it today, just in case there might be others out there like the younger me who have tended in the past to skip over it!

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm, and is actually written as an acrostic poem. The verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 stanzas, equal to 22 letters of the (Hebrew) alphabet, with 8 verses each, for a grand total of 176 verses!

The author didn’t sign his poem, but some have suggested it may have been Ezra the priest who wrote it around the time that the temple was being rebuilt, and I’ll admit, I like the idea of Ezra being the author for we already know that he had “set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10). BUT others have suggested David, or possibly Daniel. All of these men are possible candidates because each had experienced severe persecution in their lives, and persecution of those who hold fast to the Word of God is a theme throughout Psalm 119.

However, the overall message of Psalm 119 focuses on the truth of God’s Word. I believe the author wanted to encourage us to stay close and focused on His Word no matter what is swirling around us in this world. Living with the knowledge of God’s ways, is freeing! And obeying His Word above all else is the only way to truly be blessed.

For we know that His Word is powerful, living, and active. It never changes, because He never changes, and it’s sharper than any two-edged sword. His words come straight from His heart to ours, and are designed to be a love letter for our life!

The first two verses remind us, that we are "blessed" as we walk in His Truths, and seek Him with all our heart, and I thought it would be cool to list as many of the blessings and benefits I could find in Psalm 119, but I’m sure there’s more, and if you find some I’ve missed, please feel free to add them!

His Word creates a thankful heart. “I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.”v.7
His Word breathes new life into us when discouraged. “My soul clings to the dust, give me life according to your word!” v.25
His Word exposes thoughts contrary to God. “Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!” v.29
His Word turns our eyes to what’s important. “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, and give me life in your ways.”v.37
His Word fills us with hope. “Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.” v.49
His Word brings comfort. “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” V.50
His Word causes us to be thankful. “At midnight I rise to praise you because of your righteous rules.” V.62
His Word gives us wisdom. “I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.” V.100
His Word feeds a hungry soul.  “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” v.103
His Word guides us. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”v.105
His Word brings life. “I am severely afflicted, give me life, O Lord, according to your word!” v.107
His Word keeps us from hanging around with the wrong people. “Depart from me, you evildoer, that I may keep the commandments of my God.” V.115
His Word gives us a longing for eternity. “My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.” V.123
His Word encourages us. “I rise before dawn and cry for help. I hope in your word” v.147
His Word gives us peace. “Great peace have those who love your law, nothing can make them stumble.” V.165
His Word leads us back to Christ. “I have gone astray like a lost sheep, seek your servant for I do not forget your commandments.” V.176

Did you know there are blessings in being broken? It seems like such a contradiction of words. The world seems to exalt pride-filled people and look down on broken ones. We applaud success and shun the broken, but not God, never God. In fact, it is in our pain and brokenness that God is closest to us, whether we realize it or not.

 Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”.
The word brokenness refers to the state of defeat and surrender we experience when hardships come and we can’t seem to get past it. None of us enjoy the feeling of brokenness, but it’s powerful in bringing the spiritual benefits we covet into our lives. Being broken can also give us a new perspective on the Lord’s plans for our lives.
Brokenness tends to be God’s antidote for our self-centeredness. I like what Rick Warren had to say about what God can do in our broken state:

God says,

·         For the heart that’s guilty, I’ll give you a heart that’s forgiven.

·         For the heart that’s resentful, I’ll give you a heart that’s full of peace.

·         For the heart that’s anxious, I’ll give you heart that’s confident.

·         For the heart that’s lonely, I’ll give you a heart full of love.

·         That heart that has been bitter and angry? I’ll give you a heart that is forgiving and loving and generous instead. Let me do a heart transplant in you. I will set you free.

Why do we need freedom? Because we’re all enslaved. We’re a slave to the expectations of other people. We’re slaves to past memories. We’re slaves to future fears. We’re slaves to current pressure. We’re slaves to the opinions of society, and on and on and on.

 
If we’re honest, I think we’d probably all admit that most of our time spent before God has consisted of asking Him to bless us. We ask God for healing, for success… we want Him to bless our family, our jobs, our plans and so on, but have you ever asked for brokenness? Even though His word is very clear there will be blessings from it;

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” – Isaiah 57:15

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” – Isaiah 66:2

I know up until now I’ve tried to paint a roses picture of brokenness, but there is a tremendous amount of pain that comes from,
Broken lives.
Broken marriages.
Broken relationships.
Broken families.
And broken dreams.

Along with our brokenness come the lies that whisper to the deepest parts of our soul during our weakest moments in order to keep us down and broken, “You’re useless… a failure…beyond restoring… you’ll never experience joy again…” And we struggle to hide the scars of shame, rejection, and the lack of self-worth.

BUT God can break through ALL of that. 

With God nothing and no one is ever beyond healing! No one is ever too broken for restoration. He can actually bring us to the point where we will glory in our scars, and have an amazing story to tell, if we are willing! The Lord once said, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) Do you take Him at His word?

With God, brokenness has the POWER, unlike anything else, to bring forth new beauty and strength in our lives! It’s also powerful in inspiring others going through where you’ve already been!

We have a Healer; One who is in the business of restoration! Who is able to put the broken pieces (families, marriages, lives, etc) that no longer seem to fit, back into a perfect design, for He was once broken and poured out for us! He doesn’t simply patch us back together, but beautifully pieces everything together with grace so that we’ll be stronger, and more beautiful than before.

That’s Jesus, my Savior! Who brings new LIFE to all that is broken, for He was willing to take on the brokenness of the world in order to set us free!
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If you are in a season of brokenness; broken dreams, marriage, relationships, whatever it may be I'd like to pray for you and have the others on WitW praying as well. Please either leave your request in the comments, or on our Facebook group  and we'll commit to praying that you'll soon begin to see God bringing restoration in your life! I'd truly be blessed to do that for you!

Blessings,

sue