Category: Psalms

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Surrounded By Love

I hope you are finding strength, joy, comfort and peace in our morning times together, as we explore the depths of God’s goodness.

Each morning the Lord reminds me of His love, girds me with strength, fills my heart with joy and infuses me with confidence that my trust and hope in Him is never in vain.

“Many are saying of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ 3 But You, O Lord, are a covering around me, my shining-greatness, and the One Who lifts my head. 4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice. And He answered me from His holy mountain. 5 I lay down and slept, and I woke up again, for the Lord keeps me safe… 8 It is You Who saves, O Lord. May You bring happiness to Your people.” Psalm 3:2-4,8 NLV

This Psalm was written by King David when he was running from his son Absolom who wanted to kill him and take his throne.

Talk about discouragement and hopelessness – this was it.

Your own son and some of your closest advisors and confidants joined together to kill you. If you stand and fight, lives will be lost, probably the life of your son. It seems to be a no-win situation. But then…you turn to God and He provides the safety and protection that you need.

I doubt any of us has ever faced such a situation, but we have all faced weariness and the enemy of hopelessness.

How do we survive? The enemy seems too large to fight any longer.

“ I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your feet go out from under you. He Who watches over you will not sleep. 4 Listen, He Who watches over Israel will not close his eyes or sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your safe cover at your right hand. 6 The sun will not hurt you during the day and the moon will not hurt you during the night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all that is sinful. He will watch over your soul. 8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going, now and forever.” Psalm 121 NLV

The Father’s watchful care will not cease, He promises it now and forever. We are His beloved children, and He is our loving Father. He is ALWAYS faithful to His word.

“ Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7 NLV

When worries come and they will, we have two choices. We can let them become embedded in our hearts and produce fear or we can give them over to the Father and let Him handle them while we rest in His peace.

“ When we have learned not to give up, it shows we have stood the test. When we have stood the test, it gives us hope. 5 Hope never makes us ashamed because the love of God has come into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.” Romans 5:4-5 NLV

Take today’s worries and hand them over to the Father. Now, rest in His loving care!

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The Purpose of Praise

It’s Monday morning and that’s reason enough to start the day with praise. Praise brings us peace and praise also accentuates God’s power.

There is a Psalm that I often use in my blogs but mostly I only use the last half of it, verses 13-21. This morning as I was reading it was the first verses that really spoke to me.

“ I will tell of your greatness, my God and King.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise!
    No one can fully understand his greatness!
4 Each generation will praise you
    and tell the next generation about the great things you do.
5 Your majesty and glory are wonderful.
    I will tell about your miracles.
6 People will tell about the amazing things you do,
    and I will tell everyone how great you are.
7 They will talk about your goodness
    and sing about your justice.

8 The Lord is kind and merciful,
    patient and full of love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone.
    He shows his mercy to everything he made.
10 Lord, all you have made will give thanks to you.
    Your loyal followers will praise you.
11 They will tell how great your kingdom is.
    They will tell how great you are.
12 So others will learn about the mighty things you do,
    about the glory of your kingdom—how marvelous it is!
13 Your kingdom will never end,
    and you will rule forever.” Psalm 145:1-13 ERV

Things around us seem to change constantly but not God! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is always kind, always good. He is love and His love endures forever. He shows mercy and gives grace. He is just and mighty, He is patient. He forgives sin and makes all things new.

“17 Never stop praying. 18 In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus. ” I Thessalonians 5:17-18 NLV

Never stop praying and never stop praising. Our God never abandons us, and He has a definite plan for our peace and our good.

“ Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLV

The Word of God is our solid foundation. It keeps us stable in the storm. The purpose of praise is to focus on God’s power and that brings peace always, even in the midst of the storm!

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The Kindly Father

Yesterday Dave and I were blessed to be with our dear friends at the Celebration of Life for their father.

Leon was a kindly man – a stately man – an honest man and a true cowboy. He lived and loved fully for his eighty-nine years.

His family shared some of their best memories – from his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren came memories of tenderness and caring. He taught them to work hard, respect others, and have fun. He was a good neighbor and a faithful friend.

I had been asked to share, his daughter wanted to be sure the people who came had an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

After hearing the testimony of his life by those who knew and loved him dearest, the Lord brought these verses to mind.

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:8-13 NLT

Leon was a living example of God’s love, encouragement, kindness, and instruction. A good man, an intelligent man, one who enjoyed the simple and honest things of life.

Never doubt the kindness and compassion of our heavenly Father. God is good!

“5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! 6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith;  I was facing death, and he saved me. 7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.” Psalm 116:5-7 NLT

Do you know someone like Leon? We should all be so blessed. God gives us special people like him to show us God’s character in human form.

God is the good and kindly Father.


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A Shadowed Valley

At present I have several friends who are walking through the shadowed valley. They aren’t camping there, but they are walking through. This is for them and for you.

David, before he replaced Saul as king of Israel, faced daily pursuit from his enemies, physical pursuit. These are his words when he was hiding in a cave from Saul and his soldiers.

“I cry out to the Lord. I beg the Lord to help me. 2 I tell him my problems; I tell him about my troubles. 3 I am ready to give up. But you, Lord, know the path I am on, and you know that my enemies have set a trap for me. 4 I look around, and I don’t see anyone I know. I have no place to run. There is no one to save me. 5 Lord, I cry out to you for help: ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’” Psalm 142:1-5 ERV

Maybe you are voicing the same words to the Lord. Maybe you have been tempted to give up. Maybe you feel surrounded by your enemies. King David’s enemies were physical people, but not all enemies are.

Some are emotional, or circumstantial; others are financial or relational; still others may be illness or physical, enemies come in all sizes and forms. But there is not one of them that is too big for our God.

We all need to come to a place that we repeat what David said.  ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’

Let me remind you of some of King David’s other words about enemies.

“Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me. 5 You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies.  You welcomed me as an honored guest. My cup is full and spilling over.” Psalm 23:4-5 ERV

Surrounded by enemies, no matter what they are, I will not be afraid because the Lord is with me. In fact, the Lord has prepared a banquet and has invited me to sit down and enjoy a life-refreshing meal of good things. I am His honored guest.

He stands near with his rod and staff to defend and protect. He is our place of safety!

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.’ 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases.” Psalm 91:1-3 ERV

The Father wants us coming to Him to find safety, protection and deliverance from our enemies, from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. He wants us to put our total trust in Him. Even when those enemies seem to be circling us like a wolf pack surrounding a sheep – He says do not fear. I am with you. I will never leave you!

“You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day. 6 You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terrible suffering that comes at noon.” Psalm 91:5-6 ERV

“The Lord says, ‘If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help. 15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. 16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.’” Psalm 91:14-16 ERV

There is no fear in life’s shadowed valleys because the Lord is with us and we have His promised protection and salvation!

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I Will Live

Last night as I was drifting off to sleep, I felt the Lord encouraging me to share part of my story with all of you.

About thirteen years ago I nearly died from acute pancreatitis. It came on suddenly, very suddenly. I was home alone one afternoon doing my ironing. I had such severe abdominal pain that I had to keep sitting down to avoid passing out.

I got up to use the bathroom and when I stood, I fell to the floor in excruciating pain. These were the next words to come from mouth. “I will live and not die and declare the glory of the Lord”. I knew I was in trouble.

I lay there only a few minutes when there was a knock at the door. I called out to come in and it was a dear neighbor, sent by God, who came to return an empty dish. Yes, God sent her. She got my phone and called Dave and he and another friend took me to the local ER.

It was there they discovered that my liver enzymes were off the charts. The ER doctor told me he had never seen numbers that high. We were working out of state and unfamiliar with any medical facilities and they needed to transfer me by ambulance to a larger city hospital. We had to make a choice not knowing anything about any of the hospitals. The Lord directed that too.

“I will live and not die, and I will tell what the Lord has done.” Psalm 118:17 ERV

With each wave of pain, I kept standing on God’s word; telling myself and the enemy, Satan, that I will live and not die and declare the glory of the Lord. I knew I was not only in a physical battle but a spiritual one. God is not a liar; He doesn’t break His word.

“A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

For the next seven days I was hooked to IV’s. Fluids, pain meds and nutrients. Doctors, nurses, specialists and a dear sweet chaplain.

“But I really believe that I will see the Lord’s goodness before I die. 14 Wait for the Lord’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord’s help.” Psalm 27:13-14 ERV

“He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses. Psalm 103:3 ERV

These were the verses that gave me strength.

Dave brought me my Bible and the chaplain gave me a cassette player with praise tapes. Other than a few friends visiting and answering nurses’ and doctors’ questions that was my total communication.

Seven days later Dave took me home and I was still saying I will live and not die and declare the glory of the Lord.

This is why I start my day with prayer and reading God’s word. This is why I share with you each morning.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. And He saved them from their suffering. 20 He sent His Word and healed them. And He saved them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness and His great works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:19-21 NLV

I declare to you God’s goodness, God is faithful, God’s word never fails. He is worthy to receive all the glory for His marvelous work.

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Every Morning

What things do you do each morning? Well, there’s the obvious. Getting out of bed, making the coffee, brushing teeth, getting dressed, having something to eat, checking your email, kissing your mate. All of these are good, very good, but one is excellent.

“They are to stand every morning and evening to thank and praise the Lord. ” I Chronicles 23:30 NLV

Yes, there is no better way to start the day than thanking God for His goodness and faithfulness.

We are told to come to Him with our cares and our weariness, come with our heaviness, come with our pain. Come with our praise because He is God.

“ O Lord, be kind to us. We have waited for You. Be our strength every morning. Save us in the time of trouble.” Isaiah 33:2 NLV

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 ERV

When we don’t receive instant answers we can get discouraged. Our mind begins to tell us that God isn’t interested in us or that our needs are too small. There is nothing farther from the truth.

“O Lord, in You I have found a safe place. Let me never be ashamed. Set me free, because You do what is right and good. 2 Turn Your ear to me, and be quick to save me. Be my rock of strength, a strong place to keep me safe. 3 For You are my rock and my safe place. For the honor of Your name, lead me and show me the way.” Psalm 31 NLV

Don’t give up. Don’t get discouraged. Continue to put your hope and trust in the Lord.

“The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 19 He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them.” Psalm 145:17-19 NLV

Every morning, as sure as there is a sunrise, the Lord is faithful. Trust Him.

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A Good Place

I don’t know who you are and I really don’t expect that you will admit this openly but someone said, just last night, “I have come to the end of my rope and I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”

Been there – said that! And so have many others. Let me show you just a few.

There was the professional fisherman who couldn’t manage the storm at sea.

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Mark 4:37-38 KJV

Then there was a woman who spent every thing she had on doctor’s and only got worse.

“And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.” Mark 5:26-27 KJV

What about the military leader whose servant was very ill?

“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” Matthew 8:5-6 KJV

Or the leper whose body was being eaten away?

“And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Matthew 8:2

And there was the man who was paralyzed, laying on a cot. He was literally at the end of the rope.

“And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.” Mark 2:3-4

We can’t forget the rich tax collector who had everything but friends and peace.

“And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” Luke 19:3-4 KJV

I want you to notice that in every situation Jesus met the need of those who came to him. He didn’t lecture them and say “what took you so long”. Nor did he get offended that they had tried everything else and he was their last resort. Jesus met them where they were and took control over the situation.

He’s still that way today. Jesus isn’t a dictatorial tyrannt that comes in demanding allegiance and forcibly takes control; no, he waits for us to come and ask and then He moves with compassion to change the circumstances.

Don’t get discouraged. Wait on the Lord, watch Him change the circumstances. He is good.

“Are not two small birds sold for a very small piece of money? And yet not one of the birds falls to the earth without your Father knowing it. 30 God knows how many hairs you have on your head. 31 So do not be afraid. You are more important than many small birds.” Matthew 10:29-31 NLV

“17 The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 19 He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The Lord takes care of all who love Him.” Psalm 145:17-20 NLV

I’m not sure who you are or what you’re going through but I do know if you’ll call out to the Lord he’ll be there and he’ll take you through to victory. He’ll take you to a good place!

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In Times of Trouble

I want to take you back to the words that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, spoke in the book of John.

“ The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” John 10:10 NLV

We see destruction and death on a daily basis. What do we do, how do we replace fear with trust in times of trouble?

“ God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. 2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, 3 and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.” Psalm 46:1-3 NLV

I think of the Israelites when they were escaping Egypt. They were so excited to be leaving a land of bondage and heading toward the land God had promised them. But in short order, fear set in. There was the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army was closing in from behind.

“10 When Pharaoh came near, the people of Israel looked and saw the Egyptians coming after them. And they were filled with fear and cried out to the Lord…13 But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Be strong, and see how the Lord will save you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you. All you have to do is keep still.’” Exodus 14:10-14 NLV

The recurring theme throughout all the Bible is fear not, be not afraid. Why? How? The Lord will save you! In times of trouble we are never alone; God’s presence is always with us.

“I will give You thanks with all my heart. I will sing praises to You in front of the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy house. And I will give thanks to Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth. For You have honored Your Word because of what Your name is. 3 You answered me on the day I called. You gave me strength in my soul.

4 O Lord, all the kings of the earth will give thanks to You when they have heard the words of Your mouth. 5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord. For the shining beauty of the Lord is great. 6 For even if the Lord is honored, He thinks about those who have no pride. But He knows the proud from far away. 7 Even if I walk into trouble, You will keep my life safe. You will put out Your hand against the anger of those who hate me. And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will finish the work He started for me. O Lord, Your loving-kindness lasts forever. Do not turn away from the works of Your hands.” Psalm 138 NLV

Focusing on God’s goodness, giving thanks, trusting His word builds trust and quiets fear.

The words in verse 7 are very similar to the words in Psalm 23 verse 4.

“Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 NLV

“ I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLV

Keeping our hearts strong and free from fear comes when we have hope and know that the Lord is with us, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

In times of trouble, we put our hope and trust in the Lord.

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Everlasting

“ Praise the Lord because he is good. His faithful love will last forever.” Psalm 136:1 ERV

He is good and His love is everlasting! Thank you, Father.

I love reading the Psalms. David, who wrote most of them, writes of his life experiences and how he trusted God. He includes his successes and his failures. It was important to him that others could learn by what he had faced.

This morning I was reading Psalm 34 and I read it from several different translations and really wanted to put down the whole chapter here because it is all so good, but I’ll just share the first 8 verses, and you can read the rest in your Bible or an on-line source.

“I will always praise the LORD. 2 With all my heart, I will praise the LORD. Let all who are helpless, listen and be glad. 3 Honor the LORD with me! Celebrate his great name. 4 I asked the LORD for help, and he saved me from all my fears. 5 Keep your eyes on the LORD! You will shine like the sun and never blush with shame. 6 I was a nobody, but I prayed, and the LORD saved me from all my troubles. 7 If you honor the LORD, his angel will protect you. 8 Discover for yourself that the LORD is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad.” Psalm 34:1-8 CEV

Notice how the word LORD is in all caps.

The name “LORD” meant all that God is – all of His attributes and power. We praise the LORD because there is no one greater; we look to the LORD because there is no one with more power and wisdom; we honor the LORD because there is no one that deserves more reverence or respect. We discover the LORD and find that He is all loving, kind, good, merciful and gracious.

David is writing about his fears, his needs, times of distress; not just for him but for all of us, no matter how humble or common others consider us. Helpless, fearful, of low reputation it does not matter to the LORD. He will answer those who call on Him from an honest heart.

“From far away, the Lord will appear to his people. The Lord says, “I love you people with a love that continues forever. That is why I have continued showing you kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 ERV

Forever isn’t over yet. God’s love is everlasting, it is still in effect today.

Take time with the LORD and let Him reveal to you that He is and can be all you need.

He is good!

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It’s All Good

Yesterday I had a regular check up with the doctor. When we came to the end of the exam he said, “It’s all good, I won’t need to see you for another year”. I like those words.

It’s All Good.

Yet, this morning as I sat here thinking about the second part of that phrase “I won’t need to see you for another year” it made me sad. Not sad because I won’t be seeing the doctor, I’m glad of that, but sad because that’s how so many think of their relationship with the Father.

When He walks us through the tough times and we find ourselves on the other side of the adversity some find it easy to go back to their regular routine which doesn’t include as much time with the Lord. It’s that time with the Lord that brings us to the good life.

“We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan.” Romans 8:28 ERV

Yesterday I ended with Jesus telling his disciples that He is the good shepherd. Amen!

“The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. 4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice…14  I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15  Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.” John 10:3-4,14-15 CEV 

I love this analogy. Sheep following a shepherd. King David used it as well when he wrote Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lay down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.”

A good shepherd, our Good Shepherd leads us and feeds us. He brings us to a place of rest, and he also cares for us in the presence of our enemies. It’s a daily leading. If sheep are left to themselves in a pasture they will eat the grass to the ground and then colic because they ingest the soil. They need to be led each day, making sure they are still well fed and safe.

“Show me your faithful love this morning. I trust in you. Show me what I should do. I put my life in your hands! 9 Lord, I come to you for protection. Save me from my enemies. 10 Show me what you want me to do. You are my God. Let your good Spirit lead me over level ground.” Psalm 143:8-10 ERV

It’s wonderful to know that the Father is there every morning to show us His love. Every morning. He protects and leads. Holy Spirit is a good leader.

I was so pleased to hear my doctor say all is good, I’ll see you next year but I am more delighted to hear my Father say, “all is well and I’m here to show you my faithful love this morning and each day that follows”.

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