Psalm 68 has a lot of praise for God. Here are some of them.
Verse 5: A father to the fatherless. a defender to widows
Verse 9: ...you refreshed your weary inheritance.
Verse 19: ...who daily bears our burdens.
Verse 20: Our God is a God who saves;
This Psalm is one that mentions lots of aspects of God. He is the father to the orphans, and defends those who have no one to take up their cause. He made sure that the land he was giving the Israelites was ready for them. He takes on our worries and cares, but most of all, he is our Savior! Praise God!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Psalm 67
Some days you just need a prayer and a blessing.
Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations. 3 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations. 3 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
He is Listening
Update on my Dad. He had a blockage in the back of his heart that was 70 - 80%. The doctor put a stent in and he is as good as new, well, as good as Dad can be. He had to stay overnight in the hospital and will get to go home today, barring no complications. Thanks for all your prayers. He was already giving the nurses a hard time last night before I left.
As I read Psalm 66, I kind of feel that way about how Dad's procedure turned out. Praise God! He answered our prayers. The last three verses kind of sums it up.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
But don't forget, there are so many others to prayer for and with. God will hear you, you have that confidence.
As I read Psalm 66, I kind of feel that way about how Dad's procedure turned out. Praise God! He answered our prayers. The last three verses kind of sums it up.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
But don't forget, there are so many others to prayer for and with. God will hear you, you have that confidence.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Jesus Has a Rocking Chair.
Yesterday at church, I was reminded that Saturday, January 22 was the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I am not here to judge. My story may be similar to some.
My husband and I lost a baby eighteen years ago. It was a tubal pregnancy. That week we went from elation to be devastation, so quickly. I had pain, found out I was pregnant and we were excited. But I knew something was wrong. I had pain. Quickly, I found out that my numbers were not tripling, but going down. Not a good sign. We ended up in the hospital, having a laparscopy. But, in the middle of that God was already at work. When my fallopian tube burst, my bowel came over and covered the area that had burst. I believe to this day that God's hand was there guiding my body to do what it had to to keep me alive. My tube burst on Thursday evening. I had read all the pamphlets and knew that the sharp pain in my shoulder meant that. But by the time I got the hospital, the pain was gone. The doctor really didn't do anything, but told me to see my regular OB-GYN the next day. I did and that's when I ended up at the hospital.
So I ended up with a c-section cut, but no baby. We were saddened that this baby would never be part of this world. We couldn't see, touch or hear him/her. We have to wait until we get to heaven. It was hard, but Mike and I realized that this was God's will. We honestly didn't talk much about it, but we seemed to just accept this and move on. Some people were amazed at our attitude. They were surprised by our reaction and how we talked so candidly about everything. But our faith in God got us through because we realized this child wasn't meant to be. For those of you who have lost a baby due to complications, illness or any reason, may this song be a comfort to you.
Jesus Has a Rocking Chair
Written by Tony Greene
Sung by The Greenes
Many hopeful moms and dads, try to have a child of their own.
Some never get the chance, others do and see them grown.
Still there are those who are expecting that precious baby soon,
But then it's gone before it ever leaves the safety of it's momma's womb.
Jesus has a rocking chair.
And He holds that precious baby with oh, such tender care.
He takes the place of mom and dad,
He's the greatest parent a child can have.
Don't worry about the children there,
Jesus has a rocking chair.
There are those who have a boy or girl, a lovely gift from God.
But illness or a tragedy takes them from their parent's arms.
Mommas wish for days going by,
Daddys long for that lost child.
But children are not lost when you know where they are.
She eighteen and not married, expecting her little one.
In a time of confusion, she took the life of her son.
Since the, Jesus forgave her, and He took all her sins away.
She still cries missing her baby, but she hears the angels say...
Jesus has a rocking chair.
And He holds that precious baby with oh, such tender care.
He takes the place of mom and dad,
He's the greatest parent a child can have.
Don't worry about the children there,
Jesus has a rocking chair.
I hope those of you who have been in this place, find comfort knowing that Jesus is there taking care of your little one. God bless you.
My husband and I lost a baby eighteen years ago. It was a tubal pregnancy. That week we went from elation to be devastation, so quickly. I had pain, found out I was pregnant and we were excited. But I knew something was wrong. I had pain. Quickly, I found out that my numbers were not tripling, but going down. Not a good sign. We ended up in the hospital, having a laparscopy. But, in the middle of that God was already at work. When my fallopian tube burst, my bowel came over and covered the area that had burst. I believe to this day that God's hand was there guiding my body to do what it had to to keep me alive. My tube burst on Thursday evening. I had read all the pamphlets and knew that the sharp pain in my shoulder meant that. But by the time I got the hospital, the pain was gone. The doctor really didn't do anything, but told me to see my regular OB-GYN the next day. I did and that's when I ended up at the hospital.
So I ended up with a c-section cut, but no baby. We were saddened that this baby would never be part of this world. We couldn't see, touch or hear him/her. We have to wait until we get to heaven. It was hard, but Mike and I realized that this was God's will. We honestly didn't talk much about it, but we seemed to just accept this and move on. Some people were amazed at our attitude. They were surprised by our reaction and how we talked so candidly about everything. But our faith in God got us through because we realized this child wasn't meant to be. For those of you who have lost a baby due to complications, illness or any reason, may this song be a comfort to you.
Jesus Has a Rocking Chair
Written by Tony Greene
Sung by The Greenes
Many hopeful moms and dads, try to have a child of their own.
Some never get the chance, others do and see them grown.
Still there are those who are expecting that precious baby soon,
But then it's gone before it ever leaves the safety of it's momma's womb.
Jesus has a rocking chair.
And He holds that precious baby with oh, such tender care.
He takes the place of mom and dad,
He's the greatest parent a child can have.
Don't worry about the children there,
Jesus has a rocking chair.
There are those who have a boy or girl, a lovely gift from God.
But illness or a tragedy takes them from their parent's arms.
Mommas wish for days going by,
Daddys long for that lost child.
But children are not lost when you know where they are.
She eighteen and not married, expecting her little one.
In a time of confusion, she took the life of her son.
Since the, Jesus forgave her, and He took all her sins away.
She still cries missing her baby, but she hears the angels say...
Jesus has a rocking chair.
And He holds that precious baby with oh, such tender care.
He takes the place of mom and dad,
He's the greatest parent a child can have.
Don't worry about the children there,
Jesus has a rocking chair.
I hope those of you who have been in this place, find comfort knowing that Jesus is there taking care of your little one. God bless you.
Friday, January 21, 2011
He Did it!
I'm a little out of sorts today. Against my better judgment, I went to work. The roads were and are still terribly covered with ice and snow, though the sun is shining brightly. It is so cold that most of the treatments does not work. In fact, our city sent out an email telling us that not much will get done in the way of clearing off streets because of the weather. I didn't have any problems, it just took two hours to get from my house to my place of work. It should only take me 25 minutes. I am tense, irritated, and tired. The one thing I almost forgot to do was say a prayer of thanksgiving. I told God when I got in my Edge, "Well, it's you and me, and I'm depending on you to get me there safely." He did. I sighed a little prayer.
Psalms 65, verses five through seven remind us that,
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
God is the one who made the weather do what it does. God sent us the snow and the freezing temperatures. When I was a little girl, Dad and Mom would take us to Dairy Queen or United Dairy Farmers for ice cream after Sunday evening church. Sometimes, friends of ours would go with us. We were all sitting in the back of the Wagoneer and he swerved or stopped suddenly and her ice cream spilled. She hollered, "Lew did it!" We laughed about that for a long time. Blame gets you know where, especially with God. No matter what comes our way, we can't blame God. He will give you the guidance and knowledge to get through it. So when something does happen, you can holler, "God did it!"
Psalms 65, verses five through seven remind us that,
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
God is the one who made the weather do what it does. God sent us the snow and the freezing temperatures. When I was a little girl, Dad and Mom would take us to Dairy Queen or United Dairy Farmers for ice cream after Sunday evening church. Sometimes, friends of ours would go with us. We were all sitting in the back of the Wagoneer and he swerved or stopped suddenly and her ice cream spilled. She hollered, "Lew did it!" We laughed about that for a long time. Blame gets you know where, especially with God. No matter what comes our way, we can't blame God. He will give you the guidance and knowledge to get through it. So when something does happen, you can holler, "God did it!"
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Be Right Side Up
Psalm 64:10
The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him.
This is the verse that stuck with me today. The upright in heart. Upright means right side up. Is your heart where it should be with God? Are you harboring ill feelings toward someone? Is your heart not in the right place? Do you need to confess something to God? Then do it! Ask him right now to forgive your sin and start finding refuge in him.
The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him.
This is the verse that stuck with me today. The upright in heart. Upright means right side up. Is your heart where it should be with God? Are you harboring ill feelings toward someone? Is your heart not in the right place? Do you need to confess something to God? Then do it! Ask him right now to forgive your sin and start finding refuge in him.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Craving God
This morning, as I drove to work, I was listening to K-LOVE, a national Christian radio station. The morning personalities were talking about a new book titled, MADE TO CRAVE by Lysa Terkeurst. Have you heard or read it? If so, give me a review. Anyway, from what I have heard, it's basically a book on eating and dieting, but the author tells us that we are made to crave God and that is who we should turn our attentions too.
Then, I was listening to an interview with a musician who was talking about how he use to read the Bible every day, just to get through it. He then said, "but now I read it to change me." (That's a paraphrase.) That statement really impacted me. Are you reading the Bible through in a year, or a month (like my Dad), just to say you did? Or are you really diving in to the Word to see how it can impact you? I think for some of us, putting a time limit on how long to read or what section to read, can have a negative affect on your reading. But if you approach your devotion time with God as, 'What are you telling me today? attitude, then maybe you will start craving your time with God.
Psalm 63:1 says,
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
How appropriate for today!
Then, I was listening to an interview with a musician who was talking about how he use to read the Bible every day, just to get through it. He then said, "but now I read it to change me." (That's a paraphrase.) That statement really impacted me. Are you reading the Bible through in a year, or a month (like my Dad), just to say you did? Or are you really diving in to the Word to see how it can impact you? I think for some of us, putting a time limit on how long to read or what section to read, can have a negative affect on your reading. But if you approach your devotion time with God as, 'What are you telling me today? attitude, then maybe you will start craving your time with God.
Psalm 63:1 says,
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
How appropriate for today!
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