Psalm 116:1-2 NASB

I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications.  Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.

Have you ever been ignored?  It hurts, doesn't it?  Though, thankfully, most of us have not suffered to the same degree, because we always have someone else to turn to, being completely ostracized or ignored is similar, emotionally, to the suffering endured by prisoner's of war placed in solitary confinement.  Stories coming out of the Vietnam POW experiences, reveal that a human being can endure a lot of things if they just know someone else is there, even if it's the tapping on the wall by a fellow prisoner in another cell.  The greatest harm done to a human being is to cut him or her off from human touch, or to treat them as if they aren't worth speaking to.  We do better with being demeaned than we do with being ignored.  The one at least acknowledges our presence.  The latter doesn't care.  This is why we can be in a crowd and still feel lonely.  It's the feeling that no one really knows me, nor do they care.  It has been observed that orphans with no human touch do not develop as well as those who are continually held and loved. Now we begin to understand the palmist when he says, "I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications".  Initially we might think this love is quite self-centered, but, in reality, it's essential to mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. Human beings desperately need someone who hears their voice and gives heed to their needs.  Without this we shrivel up and die.  As God's children, we must be the listening ear to the world around us.  They need to see and feel us with our ear inclined to them, giving them full attention.  This is why we insisted that our children look people in the eye when spoken to.  People do not appreciate being ignored, and rightfully so.  We are all worth more than that.  Like the psalmist, this is what we love the most about God and, if we'll do the same, it's what people would love most about us.  There is no doubt about it, "Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live."  Who wouldn't?  This is something we can always know.  Yes!  I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications. 

Psalm 111:1a; 112:1a; 113:1a, 9b; 115c; 116:19c; 117a

PRAISE THE LORD!

These particular psalms are a running commentary on reason to praise the Lord, each one declaring with emphasis and expression, "Praise the LORD!"  Without citing each verse, take in the cascade of wonder:

• Great in works
• Great in righteousness
• Great in graciousness
• Great in compassion
• Great in provision
• Great in truth
• Great in justice
• Great in uprightness
• Great in redemption
• Great in blessing
• Great in glory
• Great in name
• Great in lifting
• Great in miracles
• Great in lovingkindness
• Great in help
• Great in protection
• Great in power
• Great in salvation
• Great in bounty

With this knowledge, and with this reality, we can say with the psalmist (115:2-3), "Why should the nations say, 'Where, now, is their God?'  But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases."  And what pleases Him are His children.  God does not come to  us with a tightly closed fist.  He blesses us with open hands, and His hands are good hands.  "May the LORD give you increase, you and your children.  May you be blessed of the LORD, Maker of heaven and earth," (115:14-15).

Psalm 111:10 NASB

The fear (or reverence) of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

There were always two things Sarah and I concerned ourselves with in the raising of our three daughters.  As we practiced the training disciplines in their lives, we cared both about right action and right attitude.  If we got the right action out of them, but they had a rotten attitude, if not dealt with quickly, seriously and decisively, we knew they had still won with their unsurrendered spirit.  The inner man is the rudder that finally determines the direction of the boat. I felt this so keenly that, if some form of discipline was needed and given for wrong actions, usually ending it by sitting them on their bed to think about it, I would keep the door slightly ajar to watch their attitude.  If I saw a bad attitude, I was immediately back in the room to deal with this problem that went far deeper than wrong actions. We knew that if we didn't win here, that attitude would carry over into other areas of life, and especially in their relationship with God.  They learned early on to regard us, to respect us and to respond to us, and that same spirit is evident in their walk with the Lord.  They are way up the road because they, early on, surrendered their will to Him in a deep reverence.  They serve Him both with their attitude and their actions.  I see them as young women with great wisdom, not because their parents gave this to them, but because they haven't stumbled all over God trying to get to wisdom their own way.  Wisdom is never found by having our own way.  It's found only in humbly, reverently and decisively letting God be God.  This is the beginning of wisdom.  Follow it's course and it will fill your life with sense and sensitivity (I meant this play on words), making you a giant in a world stunted by a spirit that got its own way.

Psalm 127:3-5 NASB

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Many times, as I've had the nerve to shop at WalMart, I've been tempted to question our text.  WalMart is an expose of bratty kids, and, in their unbridled show of undiscipline, I have a hard time seeing them as a gift of the LORD.  There is nothing worse than a bratty kid. The scary thing is these kids grow up, and so does undiscipline. The tragedy is, this side, and this sight, of our society is becoming more the norm than the exception. Society pays dearly for this sorry failure, on the part of inept parents, to instill in their children the very underpinnings essential for emotional and social stability.  But, having said all of that, let me quickly state that there is nothing more enjoyable, endearing and encouraging than a well disciplined child. That doesn't mean they're mature, but that they are faithfully and carefully receiving the ingredients essential for maturing into young men and women of character.  Knowing the tone of Scripture, it can only be in this vein that the writer of Psalm 127 would say, "children are a gift of the LORD."  The writer of the Proverbs "warns" us that "Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it."  God has certainly blessed us with the ability to procreate, but that blessing will turn into a curse unless we also take into account God's gift to create; which is that sobering ability and responsibility we have to mold and fashion this child into all God intended our child to be.  As parents, this should be our deep and constant prayer and care.  Sarah and I just spent four days, at Thanksgiving time, with our children and grandchildren.  That included three daughters, three sons-in law, and 7 grandchildren (ranging between 1 week and 11 years of age).  All the while, we were able to say, "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward."  I say this carefully, knowing that Satan never quits, but, with deep humility, sincerity, and prayerfully, we thank God for parents who gave us three of the most outstanding sons-in-law one could ever ask for.  We know it didn't just happen.  Someone poured into their lives what we now appreciate.  We are thankful for young parents who are giving us the blessing and joy of grandparenting some incredible grandkids.  It's not easy, but they are committed to giving their children loving discipline, and they are slowly but surely reaping what they have sown. We are thankful for the privilege God gave us of raising three of the the most wonderful girls one could ever be privileged to raise.  They have made us proud wherever they go and wherever we go .Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.  Amen! 

Psalm 127:1-2 NASB

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.  It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

There are some who would look for any excuse to do as little as possible in any given responsibility, leaving things to people who care more than they do about the world around them. Irresponsibility is nothing but a toxic mix of laziness and carelessness.  Instead of caring about their environment, these people pollute it. Yes, there are victims indeed, but these are not victims.  They are users.  God help the nation that has to bear an overload of these free-loaders. Now, having said all of that, it is just as needful to say something about the other side of the coin.  Perhaps a greater danger are a people who are so in control of their lives, and so in control of their environment, that they have no need of God.  In fact, they have become as gods, creating a world of their own liking, needing nothing but more like themselves.  To these, Solomon warns, "Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain."  If there is anything our western world has proved these days it is, no matter how smartly we think we have managed our economy and our environment, without God's hand, it is a house built on sand.  If ever there was a time for the Christian world to stand apart from the world's system of security, it's now.  Our voice should be a clarion call to spiritual values that contradict the ways of the world, choosing, by our lifestyles, to live in the calmness and quietness of a God-centered life, where we can truly say, "The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want..."  Friend, there is no glory in being a work-aholic.  Work hard, but don't sell your soul to it. "It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep."  How have we let ourselves get sucked into the world's way of thinking; of frantic consumerism?  No matter how successful and affirming it looks, there's something terribly wrong with it.  My soul longs for this different way; in this dry and thirsty land.  Will you join me?  Maybe we can start a revolution of non-work-aholics.  Now there's a novel idea!

I Chronicles 29:19 NASB

...give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statues, and to do them all, and to build the temple (literally, "palace")for which I have made provision.

Solomon is a great disappointment and discouragement to me, every time, all over again, each time I read the story.  He started out so well, full of promise and potential.  He had parental favor.  He had political favor.  And, above everything, he had divine favor.  His father, David, had set him up for success.  The people were ready to follow.  And God blessed him with unparalleled wisdom and riches.  Yet, with all of this, he messed up.  What happened?  One thing.  Just one thing.  Solomon didn't maintain the "perfect heart" that David prayed for.  O dear one, let this be a lesson to all of us.  The "perfect heart", or the heart that is full or complete toward God, is not something anyone will do for us; and especially God.  The "perfect heart" begins and ends with something David spoke of earlier in this context, as he admonished his son:  "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind (literally, 'soul')," I Chronicles 28:9a.  At any point our heart and soul part from wholeness and willingness, we are on a path leading to our own spiritual death.  And God knows when we've taken it, "for", as David added, "the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts," 28:9b).  This is serious business my friend.  God help us!  And that's what David is praying:  "O LORD, help Solomon!  Give him what it takes to go all the way!"  It's a great prayer, but God won't do in us what we won't will to be done.  This sovereign God will not usurp our God created will, not because He can't but because He won't.  The will is His sovereign release.  So it becomes our sacred obligation.  Sobering?  You bet it is.  This is the most sobering thing about us as human beings.  Here's how David put it:  "If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever," 28:9c.  So, is our spiritual life always in jeopardy?  No!  Not if we seek Him first, fully and finally.  Is that too much to ask?  Is that too difficult? I'd hate to think what my wife, Sarah, would think if I told her it was impossible and, in fact, intolerable, to give her 100% all the time.  Come on, my friend, we aren't serving some stupid, senseless, insensitive and half-hearted God here.  He gives all and He demands all!  Give Him all, all the time! You mean 100% faithfulness, purity and love?  Well, who in the world would want anything less and call it a holy union?  Solomon, in all his knowledge and wisdom, missed it here.  That's why he messed up.  It doesn't take brains to do better than this.  It takes heart!  All our heart!  This is what thrills me about God.  He's all heart, all the time, and He expects the same from me. I like this God!  And, better still, He likes you and me, and "if you seek Him, He will let you find Him."  Amazing!

I Chronicles 28:9-10 NASB

As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.  Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.

Much of God's leading in our lives is confirmed by men and women of God around us, bringing needed counsel to help us along the way.  I don't think we are ever beyond this need, no matter our age.  Probably the most important thing in knowing divine direction is not so much in "hearing directly" from God, but in knowing those who know God.  Certainly these voices must intersect with "the personal peace of God" in anything, but, more often than nought, God uses someone else to help confirm His leading in our lives.  In the Old Testament, David had Samuel.  In the new Testament, Saul had Ananias.  And here, Solomon has his own father, David. A blessing indeed!  May we be this to our own children!  Thank God for these God-people in your life.  They aren't infallible, but they are inspired.  They will never be your savior, but they can be your salvation. They live on a different plain, bringing you to the same.  They will keep you to the essentials rather than than the shallow thinking and seeking that drives so much of our leadership these days.  They keep us honest, with the clarion call of all all the time:  know God...serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind...be courageous and act.  Cherish these people in your life.  God has brought them into your life.

Psalm 145:19, 21 NASB

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them... My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD; and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

I think you would agree with me that the value of the computer is in its capacity and capability for both informational input and informational output. And wouldn't you say that to lose either is to lose the computer's purpose and power.  The same is true of us spiritually.  Too many Christians are bloated with input, but are lacking in output.  Some of us are full of grace but do little with praise. There should be a natural reflex in all of us, that when God's grace is experienced, God's praise is extolled.  As we speak freely, quickly and eagerly of God's constant involvement in our lives, the world around us will know the source of our help, hope and happiness, causing them to "bless His holy name forever and ever."  Our silence is death.  On the other hand, there are those who are heavy into praise, but little on grace.  While the one is power without praise, this is praise without power.  The clear reality of both, working in sync with each other, is a dynamic that testifies to the world as nothing else can.  And oh what grace!  "He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them..."  How can we not but say, "My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD."  Surely the world ought to hear us and say, "Oh what praise!"

Psalm 145:8-20 NASB

The LORD is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 
The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.
The LORD sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His deeds.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
The LORD keeps all who love Him.

The Psalmist begins this Psalm with the words, "I will extol You my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.  Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.  Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable."  But even as He extols Him, he experiences Him.  This God who is so beyond us in greatness, is so near to us in grace!  This is what became so evident in the Old Testament time, confirmed in the New Testament time, and recognized in our time.  Our God spans all time and covers us with the same umbrella.  Our cultures may be different, but not the content.  In any time and any place, if you dip your cup into this bowl, it comes up with grace.  Grace!  Grace!  God's grace!  O taste and see that it is good!  I like this God!

Psalm 144:3, 15b NASB

O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?  Or the son of man, that You think of him?  Man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow... How blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

There are two things that will hold you in good stead, and help you keep a level head, all the days of your life:  (1) Know who you are and (2) Know who He is.  In other words, know yourself and know your God.  And the most important thing to always keep in mind about ourselves is the brevity of our lives--"Man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow".  A real grasp of this truth will take the strut and stupidity out of anyone.  But in spite of the stench of death all around us, man just doesn't get it.  We stupidly strut our way through our short life.  This reminds me of an incident my younger brother, Dwight, witnessed years ago.  Going into a small hardware store in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, he noted that someone had slapped a note on a young, strutting worker's back that said, "Pateenme por ser burro".  Literal translation:  "Kick me for being an ass".  How many of us are strutting around with a note like that on our back?  The very brevity of life should cause us to keep a right perspective of life.  But, in that,  the most important thing to always keep in mind is the One who always keeps us in mind.  Here's how the Psalmist put it:  O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?  Or the son of man, that You think of him?  It's this greatest of great truths that causes the Psalmist to say, "How blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!"  What else can anyone say?  This is the most amazing thing about anyone of us; not what we think of ourselves, but that God should think of us at all!  And He not only thinks of us, but He takes knowledge of us!  He puts His attention on us!  Need we say anything else?  No!  We should just bow down and worship.  Amen! 

Psalm 143:1, 6, 7, 8, 10-12 NASB

Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications!  Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness! ...I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a weary land... Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails... Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul... Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level land.  For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me.  In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.  And in Your lovingkindness cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant.

Have you ever tried to hold God to anything?  Say what?  Yes!  This is what King David is doing in this Psalm.  He prays this pleaful prayer on the basis of a commitment God has made; and He appeals to that commitment, putting God under a sense of obligation if you will.  David's sense of expectancy is based on a Levitical law that allowed a "freed" slave to give himself back to his owner as a "bond-slave"; a freed slave who now freely gives himself back to his owner, committed to him for life; even to die for his owner if necessary.  The owner in turn committed himself to care for the slave, but now on a different and unique basis;  one of love rather than law, which is the basis of David's prayer, laid down in verse 12:  "And in Your lovingkindness cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant."  O the beauty of prayer based on love.  Love has reason to expect from the other, simply because there is the commitment of love to one another.  There are certain things lovers can expect of one another, without reservation, because those in love are committed to giving of themselves to each other unreservedly.  This is the "right" of love!  This is the passage of love!  This is the prayer of love!  Thus David can say, in what almost sounds demanding to one who does not know this relationship, in words flowing out of love and appealing to love, "Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications!  Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!  ...I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a weary land... Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails... Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul... Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level land.  For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me.  In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.  And in Your lovingkindness cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant."  A lover's prayer is a powerful prayer.  It feels!  It longs!  It seeks!  It appeals!  It expects!  It trusts! 

Psalm 139:23-24 NASB

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

The Psalmist begins this Psalm with "O LORD, You have searched me and known me," then ends it with "Search me, O God, and know my heart..."  Sandwiched between these two, the Psalmist speaks of God's Omnipresence and Omniscience.  In this light, of God being everywhere and knowing everything, King David is pressed with the powerful need to know what God knows about himself. Truly, nothing can be hidden from God, but we often hide ourselves from ourselves, and David feels the utter folly of this kind of hiding.  He recognizes it as "the hurtful way", or, literally, "the way of pain".  The most serious prayer anyone of us can ever pray is that God would expose anything in us that would finally bring great pain in our lives and others lives; that, at any cost, he would not let us get away with that which will finally destroy us.  And with this prayer is a second like unto it--"And lead me in the everlasting way."  May God help us to pray these with all our heart.

Psalm 139:13-18 NASB

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.  I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.  When I awake, I am still with You.

 As I write this, my wife, Sarah, and I are awaiting news of the imminent birth of our seventh grandchild.  I'm in Kenya and on my way to Uganda, but Sarah stayed in Indiana, just in case the call comes for her to head to St. Louis.  We never get over the joy of this; first with our three daughters, and now our grandchildren.  They are precious in our sight, but, more than that, they are precious in His sight. No matter where; no matter who; and no matter what, every child is already known by God.  From the moment any life is conceived, they have God's full attention and involvement.  Our second daughter, Maria, and her husband, are adopting a baby from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Our prayer is that Oliver might be with us by Christmas, but, no matter what, we know one thing--little Oliver is under God's full attention and involvement.  This truth doesn't cease as we grow older.  The Psalmist exclaims, Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.  When I awake, I am still with You.  God just doesn't stop thinking about us!  This is what I'm counting on for Oliver.  This is what I count on for all my children and grandchildren.  This is what I count on for my own life. I like this God!

Psalm 139:7-12 NASB

Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.  If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,"  even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day.  Darkness and light are alike to You.

As children, we used to love to play hide-and-seek.  And there was no prouder moment than to find that one place where no one could find you and they would finally just give up. The only problem was not knowing that the game was over, but you were still hiding. Not because we're playing hide-and-seek with God, but because sometimes we wonder if He knows where we are, we can be assured that He always does. The Scripture clearly indicates that there is only one thing that that will separate one from God.  Just one thing; and that one thing is the willful practice of sin, which is putting my will before God's will. Other than that, nothing!  Nothing!  The Apostle Paul rejoices in this in Romans 8:35; naming several catastrophic possibilities, he says (v.38), "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  I wonder if he didn't get his inspiration from Psalm 139:7-12?  It's certainly what King David was feeling.  Remember this glorious one thing, dear one, no matter what, God is right there! He takes it upon Himself to be ever present and to keep His eye on us all the time.  In the worst of circumstances, "even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me."  It's just who He is and it's just what He does.  I like this God!

Psalm 139:1-6 NASB

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.  You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.  Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all.  You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand on me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Have you ever thought what it would be like if someone could actually read your mind, or be able to see you at any time?  Well, this is what the Psalmist is trying to grasp in Psalm 139.  He describes the omnipresence and omniscience of God in relation to his own life, in that God is everywhere and knows everything.  That can be terribly troublesome or wonderfully comforting, depending on which side you're coming from.  There should be nothing more terrifying than the knowledge that God would know my ways, when my ways aren't His ways.  But, on the other hand, there is nothing more wonderful, as we are walking in the ways of the LORD, than feeling the watchful eyes of Him who is "intimately acquainted with all my ways".  The beauty of this truth, with one who is walking with God, is that this ever present God is there to help us, not to haunt us.  He "boxes" us in, as it were, with His care--"You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid your hand on me."  I like this God.

Psalm 138:3, 7-8 NASB

On the day I called You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul... Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me...Your right hand will save me. The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD is everlasting; do not forsake the works of Your hands.

I have found that nothing helps my spirit more than the daily practice of early morning reading and praying.  There are certain disciplines I've incorporated into my life, but nothing has served me better than this hour alone with God.  So many times (more than I like), I have awakened with a heavy heart.  Sometimes there are things swirling around in my mind that affect my morale.  But, almost without fail, especially as I read God's word, and many times when I concentrate in prayer, my spirit is helped.  Just as real as I'm sitting here writing this, I have felt strength to my soul in these vital moments.  You see, the words of the Psalmist aren't some fantasy.  They're real.  They're true.  They're powerful. This is something God wants anyone of us to be able to testify to, that "On the day I called You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul... Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me (keep me alive)..."  With this, I think one of the most wonderful promises in Scripture is found in Psalm 138:8: "The LORD will accomplish what concerns me."  Isn't that great!  The Creator of the universe concerns Himself with everything that concerns me. Amazing!  I can't think of any better care than that.  That's why my spirit is helped as I look to Him each morning.  Try it.  It will be the best thing you ever did.

Psalm 109:21-22, 30-31 NASB

But You, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; for I am afflicted and needy, and my heart is wounded within me... With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; and in the midst of many I will praise Him.  For He stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who judge his soul.

There are some who seem to always see the negative side of life, and if we aren't careful, anyone of us can easily fall into this kind of thinking and living.  If we stay here too long, soon everything is bad, everyone is against us, and the only hope is "the second coming".  I dare say, much of the evangelical world has fallen into this terrible morass of pessimism, where the problems of the world are impossible.  I think we as Christians, especially North American Christians, are suffering from a terrible eye problem.  We don't see what is there because we suffer not persecution, but blindness.  We talk about God, but we don't see Him, for, if we saw Him, our heart language would move from an I (the play on words is intentional) problem to His profound presence. This is what happens with the Psalmist who genuinely feeling the wounds this world can inflict, all of a sudden sees;  He's right there, "at the right hand of the needy".  With this joyful knowledge, his language changes from "poor me" to "praise Him":  With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; and in the midst of many I will praise Him. We desperately need eye surgery; the kind that removes the "I" and causes us to see Him; where, like Steven in Acts 7, under deadly opposition, instead of the nearsightedness we have suffered with, we now see the unseen.  Look at what Luke says about Steven, as Steven's case worsened:  "But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God," (Acts 7:55-56).  Better yet, where Steven saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father, look again at what the Psalmist sees  "For He stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who judge his soul."  God's people see well!  They see Faithful Presence!  And "If God be for us, who can be against us".  Our outlook has changed.  Now, because we aren't so taken up with who is against us, we aren't so heavy into who we're against. Can you see that?

Psalm 108:13 NASB

Through God we shall do valiantly; and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.

Like any other kid, I loved competetive games as I was growing up, and especially "futbol" (soccer).  With any number of kids around, it didn't take us long to pick teams and go at it. But it was the "picking" that was key.  We had various ways of deciding who would get to pick first; and that would usually be the game winner because he was the strongest player.  That's who God is; The Game Winner!  These promises of many, many years ago, to Israel, bore witness to the fact that God was there, actively involved in their needs, their care and their affairs.  In a world of oppression and depression, gods and ghosts, fightings and fears, the knowledge of God for them was their hope. It was the knowledge that, with Him on their side, they couldn't lose. The victory would ultimately be theirs.  This God hasn't changed.  In the chaos of our world, He is still the same. Whatever, or whoever, our "adversaries" are today, this promise is still alive and well:  "Through God we shall do valiantly; and it is He who will tread down our adversaries."  So, a word to the wise, if you want to win, pick God.

Psalm 30:4-5 NASB

Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.  For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.

We fear the idea of anger these days, as if it's always something wrong, hurtful and unacceptable.  And certainly it has been abused. There is an anger that has no place in society.  The same could be said about drugs. There are certain drugs that are wrong, hurtful and unnecessary, and it must be stopped, but that doesn't mean we eliminate drugs altogether.  Drugs aren't the problem.  It's the misuse of drugs that is the problem.  The same with anger.  Expressed for the right reasons, at the right times, and by the right person, anger can have a strong, positive, healthy affect.  But this isn't an out of control, self-centered, lashing out at the world around us, kind of anger.  This is anger with reason, responsibility and love. As a child, the direction and demonstration of my spirit was often halted because I knew my parents were angry with me.  Dad never spanked me with a soft, loving smile on his face.  When there was cause for this kind of discipline, I feared it.  It protected me from my own stupidity, senselessness and, often, sinfulness.  Of my parents, I could truly say "Their anger was but for a moment, their favor for a lifetime.  Weeping lasted for awhile, but joy followed quickly."  Thank God for His anger.  It is an anger that reacts against anything that violates us as His children.  This anger is the full emotion of God for us. When it's done, He pulls us to Himself.  King David had known these moments; few, but severe enough to turn him back to the great love of God.  He knew what he was talking about when he said, "Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.  For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."  Isn't that wonderful!? 

A word to the wise... God's anger isn't something anyone of us want to endure for long.  Tilted against willful, stubborn, determined evil...  Well, none of us want to go there. And no one need go there.  He has made a way of escape. It's called the cross; and the way of the cross leads home!  Joy!

1 Chronicles 22:11-13 NASB

Now, my son, the LORD be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the LORD our God just as he has spoken concerning you.  Only the LORD give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God.  Then you shall prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel.  Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.

The writer of Ecclesiastes, in his own honest and cynical way, said, "the writing of many books is endless..." (12:11).  That's the way I feel about books on leadership:  endless!  I weary of the pontificating going on on this subject.  Much of it, I think, is an ego trip about our own importance. I believe Christian leadership is as serious and simple as what King David admonished his son Solomon concerning the building of the Temple, or, as he called it here, "the house of the LORD".

1. Know that the LORD is truly with you personally.  David's main concern to Solomon was, "the LORD be with you that you may be successful."  There would be nothing more foolhardy than to tackle something in your own power. This is the height of arrogance.  Tragically, some look successful with "their building projects", but there is nothing of true success in it, which is the second point.
2. Know that what you are building is truly of the LORD.  We pull God into way too many things these days to try to prove spiritual credibility. I wonder what "the burning day" will reveal?
3. Know that your call to leadership is truly of the LORD.  David was able to say to Solomon, "build the house of the LORD our God just as he has spoken concerning you."   This thing David calls "discretion and understanding" has nothing to do with the reading of leadership books. It comes from the LORD.
4. Know that your heart is truly for the LORD.  Here's what David said to Solomon:  "Then you shall prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel."

Like I said, the role of leadership is that serious and that simple.  We must learn whatever else we need to learn along the way, but we dare not ignore these four corner stones of Christian leadership.  I think this calls for some serious seeking and honesty before God because these things we must know.

2 Samuel 24:24 NASB

I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.

David committed two great sins that affected not only him but the nation.  One was his adulterous and murderous affair with Bathsheba, and then this one--a blatant affront to the command of God not to number the people; putting his confidence in numbers rather than God.  His salvation in both was a broken heart.  Concerning this sin, the writer says, "Now David's heart troubled him."  Literally, his heart smote him.  God has an immediate problem with any sin, but I think the worst of our condition is when our heart doesn't smite us anymore.  A lot of grace was given to David because he broke. The broken heart isn't looking for some latitude.  This heart makes no excuses, but takes full, heartbroken blame and responsibility for what they have done;  who, like David, cries out to God saying, "Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong," (2 Samuel 24:17). We desperately need this kind of brokenness today.  This is one who is deeply conscious of the fact that his sin was against God, but also that his sin affects those around him.  Anytime we choose to go against the ways of God, we carry a poison that distorts us and infects those around us.  It's impossible to keep it isolated and it's always destructive to community life, unity, and spirit.  The only remedy for this venom of the soul is an altar and a sacrifice, and this is where we find David.  With a broken heart, he humbles himself before God; and God takes him to "the threshing floor of Araunah" to erect an altar.  He makes an offer for the property, but Araunah, meaning well, says, Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight.  Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.  Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king," (2 Samuel 24:22-23).  There are always some well-meaning souls who offer an easier way, but David wouldn't have it.  From the depths of his broken heart he says, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing."  This was not an attempt to earn or buy his salvation.  No.  This was an acknowledgement of the terrible price for his salvation. The cross will never bow to our consumerist thinking of "cheap grace".  We don't get something for nothing.  The cross cost everything. Let's never forget that.  This truth should shake us, and transform us, at the core of our being.

Psalm 98:9 NASB

...He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

To speak of God as Judge is not generally a part of our conversation these days.  God as Love, yes, but we usually steer away from anything that portrays Him as making any absolute and final ruling concerning our lives, or anyone's life, as far as that goes.  This is usually "judged" as too negative when talking about God.  Certainly, some have used the "judge" word in the wrong way, expressing a harshness and hardness against people who don't fit their "christian" mold, but that's no reason to dispose of the word.  When the Psalmist wrote, "He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity", he was not thinking negatively, but positively.  Leading up to this promise, he says, "Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth, break forth and sing for joy and sing praises...Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.  Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it.  Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing together for joy before the LORD..."  WHY?  "for He is coming to judge the earth;  He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity."  The best thing about this life is that there is more to it than we can see!  "God", as Steve DeNeff has described, "wants to shift us from seen to unseen".  And when this happens, we see that God is still in the picture!  In fact, He dominates the picture.  He has never been out of it and never will be!  So, whatever injustices you may witness, or whatever wrongs you may suffer, He is actively, aggressively and decisively bringing it to an end. The word "righteousness", in the phrase "He will judge the world with righteousness", is the word justice.  It has to do with doing what is right/just for all people. No wonder the Psalmist says to "shout joyfully...sing for joy!"  A lot is happening!  Hang on tight.  We have an incredible ride ahead of us. Enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of our God in motion, judging the world with righteousness.

Psalm 97:10-12 NASB

Hate evil, you who love the LORD, who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.  Light is sown like seed for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.  Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones; and give thanks to His holy name.

I have observed that, when it comes to making a point, when argued at extremes, we generally miss the point. Usually it's extremes that get us off balance and into danger.  On the entertainment side, we have what are called "extreme sports", which means they're dangerous; and people flock to these events.  On the political side, we deal with extreme movements that appeal to the masses.  In the religious realm, we have radicals who are called "terrorists" or "extremists", and they generate a following of like-minded zealots.  Needless to say, these extremes have created much harm and hurt.  Bent on taking their cause to extremes, their passion is more important than compassion, becoming the very evil they denounce. Evil!  That's the word we need to key in on.  The Psalmist says "Hate evil, you who love the LORD".  Evil is anything that advances a cause by either removing God or using God to achieve any given end, something which both politics and religion have effectively done down through the ages.  This is the heart at pitch black, and, for those who truly love the LORD, there is a deep hatred for it. Out of its belly comes corruption, oppression, slavery, murder, abuse of children, abuse of women, and abuse of the poor. A pure love for God will bring a pure hatred of evil, and this evil we must confront with passion, but only within the checks and balances of love. As we swim in this love, we are kept from the very thing that leads to evil, which, as we noted, is advancing a cause (any cause) by either removing God or using God to achieve any given end.  That's a poison that will kill the soul, and many evangelicals have swallowed this poison. God's great concern is to protect our souls from being poisoned with the very poison we hate. 

Psalm 95:8-11 NASB

Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.  Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness; "when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen My work.  For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways.  Therefore I swore in My anger, 'Truly they shall not enter in My rest.'"

There is one thing that comes across conclusively in Scripture, and that is that God's "default", if you will, or where His heart leans, both easily and abundantly, is His incredible care for His people.  The evidence is enormous on the side of watchful love.  This is not a God we have to appease.  He is already so open and receptive to us that we immediately bump into Him as soon as we turn to head His direction.  He's right there!  This heart pours out in constant presence, provision and protection; as a shepherd cares for his sheep--"For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand."  It's in this light that it's difficult for some to grasp the "anger" of God; that, "if God so loves this way, how could He ever be angry with us?"  But we must understand something about this love;  it isn't stupid love.  To be "stupid" is to be dull in feeling or sensation and, as a result, to act intelligently or unreasonably. God is too passionate to be dull in feeling or sensation, and too bright to let anything get by Him.  We can only try to understand, but He is infinite in passion and knowledge.  From this heart flows passionate and knowing love.  His love is like a fire that will warm us or burn us, depending on how we treat it. When John Wesley turned His heart toward God, he said, "I felt my heart strangely warmed".  When the children of Israel turned against this same "fire" of God's presence in the wilderness, they felt His burning anger.  This was the God who, with full control and full understanding, could say, "For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways.  Therefore I swore in My anger, 'Truly they shall not enter in My rest.'"  Without even a hint of talk of trying to appease an angry God, for that would be stupid, the Psalmist warns us to wise up and know who we're dealing with.  "Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness; when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen My work."  Rather, "(1) Come, let us (2) worship and (3) bow down; Let us (4) kneel before the LORD our Maker.  For He is our God...   Do you see the difference?  Do you know the difference?  Oh, what a glorious difference!

Psalm 95:1-5 NASB

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth; The peaks of the mountains are His also.  The sea is His, for it was He who made it; And His hands formed the dry land.

There are some people who, in their zeal and zaniness, think it a great show of spirituality to do do something that makes everyone around them very uncomfortable.  Generally, the problem with this is just that; it's a show and all it does is draw attention to themselves.  There may be occasions when we are called upon to look foolish for our faith, but there is no merit in playing the fool. Usually when we single ourselves out from the "us", we err.  Worship is certainly personal, but the "personal" part of worship is much more private.  Mostly, worship is community, and when community enters into worship together no one is drawing attention to themselves.  They are drawing attention to God.  As we worship in community, we respond with community, allowing us to express ourselves together, no one becoming the point of attention except God.  Take note of this plurality in Psalm 95, with outward expression that would likely be out of place singularly.

• Let us sing for joy to the LORD
• Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation
• Let us come before His presence with [songs of] thanksgiving
• Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms

What a beautiful thing to join in community praise to God, because we are less likely to draw attention to ourselves individually.  All praise goes to the God who is worthy of all praise, with great expression and emotion. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth; The peaks of the mountains are His also.  The sea is His, for it was He who made it; And His hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 57:1-3 NASB

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, until destruction passes by.  I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me.  He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples on me.  Selah.  God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.

The greatest conflict with God's will is self-will.  The mistake we make though, in seeking to align anyone with God, is to go after anything that has to do with self, almost to the point of seeking to destroy it.  But "self" isn't our problem.  Our problem is self-will that is set against God's will.  Self, in and of it's self, is who we are as a person.  Cleansed from the sin that keeps us from God, and dead to the self-will that stiff-arms God, self is worth everything to God.  Again, free from the poison that kills self, there is nothing wrong with self.  "I", "me", or "you" cannot and should not be taken out of our vocabulary.  This is the very essence of coming to God.  Give a lot of attention to it in the right way.  Listen to how many times the Psalmist uses the personal pronoun in our text.

1. Be gracious to me, O God. (1a)
2. Be gracious to me (1b)
3. My soul takes refuge in You (1c)
4. In the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge (1d)
5. I will cry to God Most High (2a)
6. To God who accomplishes all things for me (2b)
7. He will send from heaven and save me (3a)
8. He reproaches him who tramples on me (3b)

It almost sounds like it's all about "me".  Well, it is!  God is all about you and me.  The only way we can come to Him is to bring "me".  But note that the Psalmist's prayer is not "me" without God.  It's all about God!  That's it!  That's what God wants:  Me and God!  God and me!  Don't let anyone kill that!  Just point it in the right direction.

2 Samuel 22 NASB

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock in whom I take refuge; My shield...my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior.

Real Christians love to sing and tell stories!  Why?  Because they have a song on their heart and a story of their life.  We lift our song up to the LORD and we tell our story out to the world. These are incredible stories of deliverance, and who doesn't like an incredible story?  This is one of our great tools of witness.  It's a God-present story among a people who live God-forsaken lives.  This is what 2 Samuel 22 is all about.  Verse 1 says, "And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul."  And like his, our story is alive with God, and the world needs to hear it.  We need to speak with story-telling emotion that (vs. 7, 8), "in my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears.  Then..."  Yes!  Then... (all of chapter 22)

• He sent from on high
• He took me
• He drew me out of many waters
• He delivered me
• He was my support
• He brought me into a broad place
• He rescued me

Our heart breaks forth in song, saying, "You are a lamp, LORD, and the LORD illumines my darkness... by You I can run upon (crush) a troop... You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your help makes me great.  You enlarge my steps under me... You have girded me with strength for battle...  What's your song?  What's your story?  Let Him write it on the pages of your life.  It will be worth living and it will surely be worth telling!  God bless you today and every day!

Psalm 42:1-3; 8-9, 10, 11 NASB

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God...  The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.  I will say to God my rock, "Why do I go morning because of the oppression of the enemy...while they say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'"  Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

Good, kind, gracious, and loving Father.  There is no doubt we don't understand all that You are, nor Your ways with us, but we know this--you are good, kind, gracious and loving.  I join with people, both past and present, who are grateful for this knowledge.  We respond to the extended hand.  Lord, whether we understand you completely or not, we have all seen the extended hand.  O Spirit of God, You are full of mystery and wonder, but, through the mist of the unknown, we see the extended hand.  We take hold of that hand.  "Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God."  I feel the strength of Your grip, leading me through the difficulties of life with resolve and confidence.  Thank you for the extended hand!

Psalm 5 NASB

1. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my groaning. 2. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. 3. In the morning O LORD, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.  4. For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.  5. The boastful will not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.  6. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit... 10. Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall!  In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, for they are rebellious against You.  11. But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.  12. For it is You who bless the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor like a shield.

You can't read the Psalms without feeling the revulsion the Psalmist has with the wicked.  It almost sounds non-New Testament in its tone.  But it's not.  The fact is, a Christian lives in an ongoing tension in his heart and life.  There is within Him the heart of God who said "love your enemies, and do good to those who despitefully use you", but there is also within him the heart of God who "hates all who do iniquity and destroys the wicked."  While passionately pursuing the salvation of evil men, we are also actively opposed to the injustices of evil men.  Some say, "Love the sinner, but hate their sin."  The difficulty with this is that, in the eyes of God, sin and sinner are one.  Sin is the sinners very nature.  Therefore, in God's justice, His judgment will fall on the sinner.  As an aside, this is why we need a transformation of our nature. That's what God is in the business of doing!  But, back to this tension we're talking about.  It's important to note that this is a tension God lives with as well.  He fights to save the sinner, and He fights against the sinner.  We can be just as passionate about both, and we must be.  Christians are a people who rejoice when the wicked are converted, but they are also a people who rejoice when the wicked fall.  We can be assured that God will deal with them one way or another. Either way, wickedness will not prevail. The Psalmist knew, that because God does not take pleasure in wickedness, nor will evil dwell with Him, the future does not bode well for the sinner, but God's character bids confidence and contentment for the righteous.  Concerning the wicked, the Psalmist says, "God will shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they will be wounded... Then all men will fear, and will declare the work of God... Concerning this he says, "The righteous man will be glad in the LORD," (Psalm 64:7, 9, 10).  Followers of Christ are not soft. With God, they are always fighting against something, both for or against the sinner, and they do it with everything they have.  Join the fray!  It's a no lose situation, with victory one way or another.  And, by the way, aren't you thankful that God fought for you!?  Can you imagine Him fighting against you?  You don't want to go there!

Psalm 62:5-8 NASB

My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.  On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.  Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him.

I'm a clingy kind of person when it comes to anything that threatens my sense of security.  As a child, I've clung to my parents as we passed through dark places, feeling that they held my life.  I've climbed high, narrow mountain paths and I would cling to the mountain side, and anything it offered me to hold on to, hoping to come out with my life.  I've crossed rivers on flimsy, bouncy rope bridges, and I would cling to the rope for dear life.  I've worked on steep roofs and would cling close to the shingles as if it meant my life. I've crossed a storm tossed lake in a small dugout canoe, and I remember clinging to the sides of the boat as if I was going to lose my life.  I'm still here, so three cheers for the clinging!  I'm the same when it comes to living life overall.  There are a lot of things we face in this world that can make us feel like we're right on the edge of a precipice.  Here's where many begin to frantically grab on to anything around them, hoping it will secure them.  I've watched people cling to the things of the world, thinking it will hold them.  Countless numbers cling to false, hopeless religions and ideas, believing it will save them.  But, like the thousands caught in the burning and doomed twin towers of New York on 911, it will come crashing down on them.  What are you clinging to?  I'm still a clinger, and God knows it.  He has felt my tight grip on His very available and ready hand, but, better still, I have felt His tight hold on my outstretched and trembling hand.  Here I have found peace in the midst of the storm.  Here I have found help in the depth of sorrow.  Here I have found stability in the earthquakes of life.  My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.  On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.  Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him.  Cling to Him with everything you have!  He alone can save you.  "To Him I've given all my heart.  The world shall never share a part. What a wonderful Savior!"

Psalm 61:1-4 NASB

Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.  Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.  Selah.

If one could ask any man or woman, who is staggering under the circumstances of life, overcome by unbearable sorrow, gripped by a crippling disease, or lying on their death bed, whether they felt like they were in control of their own lives, or the masters of their own destiny, we would think them insane if they said "Yes".  Even those who seem to have the world by the tail, for the moment, will ultimately be forced to concede their total lack of control.  This is what it means to be human in a fallen world.  And, whether Christian or non-christian, we are still human.  The only difference being, and it's a huge difference, that we, as Christians, believe in Someone outside of ourselves, Someone we know to intervene for us.  This isn't an escape mechanism from reality, but a sane understanding of our total dependency on Someone bigger than ourselves, and a sensible reaching up to this One who can and who cares.  So, gratefully, humbly, deeply, and confidently, we join with the Psalmist in praying, "Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.  Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.  Selah."  This is not only a beautiful prayer; this is an amazing truth. May God bless this truth to your own heart and in your own life.

Psalm 40:9-11 NASB

I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips...I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.  You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

God is excessive in His care of us.  We ought to be expressive in our praise of Him.  You don't know what to say?  Really?  Honestly?  How can that be?  The truth be told, if these things are real in our hearts and lives, we won't know when to quit. As the Psalmist declares, if they're real, these are not things you conceal within your heart. If these things are true, how can we not proclaim them?  We have "glad tidings!  Don't restrain your lips!  Our testimony should resound with the passion of God's response to our heart's need.  It comes with an exclamation point!

• His righteousness!
• His faithfulness!
• His salvation!
• His lovingkindness!
• His truth!
• His compassion!

Is God-in-you lived with an exclamation point? How can we yawn when we speak of Him, or cause anyone else to yawn? He is not trepid or tepid!  He explodes with life within our lives, and our testimony and tongue ought to declare it with fire!  Send the fire LORD!  Send the fire!

Psalm 40:6-8 NASB

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; My ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.  Then I said, "Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is in my heart.

Have you ever worked with someone who does only what their job description states and no more?  They can argue that they did they're job, but they are unwilling to go the extra mile because they are consumeristic in their thinking rather than community.  The job becomes all about them.  If they can walk away with their pay check, that's all that matters.  When work becomes community, it has no lines.  It is in this for the sake of all concerned and not just his/her concerns.  This consumeristic thinking has plagued Christianity; a people who want only the minimum requirement, if that, and no more.  It's all about themselves, so they bring their "sacrifice and meal offering", their "burnt offering and sin offering", and consider themselves Christians; translated into western thinking that's a Sunday morning service and maybe some Bible reading and prayer.  After all, this is their job description.  But it's a religion with a finish line, and God doesn't work with finish lines. God's people are different, in that they aren't living for the minimum, but are always pursuing the infinite maximum. But, even here, if you will observe, the difference isn't even in their pursuit.  It's in the pleasure of their pursuit.  Like Jesus, they are able to say, "I delight to do Your will; O my God".  How do you get there?  That's the interesting part of this text.  In verse six it states, "Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; My ears You have opened".  The word "opened", in "My ears you have opened", literally means "dug".  This is a work of God that digs our ears out so we no longer suffer the deafening malady of head law, but we now have the liberating quality of heart Law:  I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is in my heart".  This heart Law does amazing things because it no longer functions from the standpoint of law that limits itself to duty, but rather from the standpoint of love that lives outside itself with delight.  O give me this heart!

Psalm 40:5 NASB

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You; If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

"I was thinking of you!"  Why does that comment mean so much to us?  Why does it matter?  After all, it's just a thought.  But it matters.  In a world where people are so focused on themselves, it matters when we become the focus of someone else's attention for good. It makes us feel significant. It gives a lift to the soul.  Someone has said that the worst thing you can do to another person is not to physically or verbally harm them, but to ignore them; treating them as if they aren't there; as if they don't matter.  The most wonderful thing about God is that He thinks about us all the time.  We matter to Him.  But, more than that, He puts His thoughts into action on our behalf.  This is what the Psalmist is saying when he writes, "Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You; If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count."  All that God has done, He has done for us!  From creation to the cross, it has been all about us!  This is God saying, "I was thinking of you".  Amazing!  The Psalmist is right. There is none to compare with You!  Thank you Father. Thank you!

Psalm 40:1-4 NASB

I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.  And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear, and will trust in the LORD.  How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

The most difficult thing in the world, for most of us, is to wait patiently for the LORD.  But God is more eastern in his way of thinking and working than He is western.  Relationships, not time, are the main factor.  Whereas, westerners are into production and product, God, like most of the eastern world, is into people. And, with people, life is formed in the process.  Therefore, what seems like the slowness of God to move on our behalf, is actually the goodness of God to mold us along the way.  Until we come to this kind of faith, we will forever chaffe against the ways of God with us. The Christian life cannot be appreciated by looking ahead; all that creates is fretting, worry and anxiety.  It is only when we wait patiently for the LORD, that we will, over time, look back and see His hand in our lives.  Certainly, He has a great future planned for His children, but the future is secured in the present and seen in the past.  It is as we have patiently waited on the LORD that we can then look back over our lives and see how He has orchestrated our lives.  It is then that we know He was not indifferent to our needs.  We can see where He protected us from disaster and established our ways.  This is the testimony of those who "wait patiently for the LORD".  This is what forms our songs and quickens our witness.  Frankly, much of the "Christian" music of our day is drowning in shallowness.  Many are singing songs rooted in self rather than the knowledge of the Holy; songs that aren't born in "waiting patiently for the LORD", where one has truly made the LORD his trust, but, rather, songs that are born out the emptiness of pride and falsehood.  We must do better than this, if we are to again affect this world with eternal truth. 

2 Samuel 18:13 NASB

And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chanber over the gate and wept.  And this is what he said as he walked, "O my son Absalom, my son Absalom!  Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!

There is nothing as heart wrenching as grieving over something that has to do with your own child. Though David fell short of many things Absalom needed from a father, he didn't deserve the way Absalom treated him.  But, like any father, no matter what the child has done, that child means everything to a father.  In the same way, God feels this toward everyone of us.  The difference being that God has not failed us in anything. But His heart feels the pain of a child's waywardness.  If there is anything we know about God, one thing is certain--He is not willing that any should perish.  His heart yearns for us with a deep love.  Where David could only wish that he had died instead of his son, God, in Christ, did die for us.  "Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou, my God, dids't die for me?" 

Psalm 55:16, 17-18, 22 NASB

As for me, I will call upon God, and the LORD will save me.  Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice.  He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me... Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

As I write this, I find myself in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, working with a church team to build a home for someone who suffered great loss during the destructive earthquake that shook this city just a few years ago, killing thousands.  We drive by poverty and debris each day as we go to and back from our work site. We wonder what hope there is for these people.  Then we had one of those sureal moments.  As we waited for our ride back to the guest house, amidst our busy chatter, my wife Sarah said, "Everyone quiet!  Listen!"  As we quieted down, we could hear someone singing.  She was easy to see and hear because of her position on the hillside just across from us.  As she handwashed clotes, and with less than decent condtions all around her, she was singing, "What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see..."  We sat there mesmerized by this scene and this sound.  In the midest of the poverty and devestation around her, and without her knowledge, this woman was proving and pronouncing something some Americans needed to hear, and that is that life has nothing to do with what you have, but it has everything to do with Who you have.  If we know this God, when our world is shaken, the Psalmist says, "He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."  Do you know Him this way?  Is there a song in your heart, and on your lips, that speaks of a peace and stability found only in the Eternal?  I pray so!

Psalm 28:6-8 NASB

Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplication.  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I will thank Him.  The LORD is their strength, and He is a saving defense to His anointed. 

An old movie, Ghostbusters, had the famous line, "Who you gonna call?"; the answer, of course, being "Ghostbusters!"  The idea was, when you are up against something bigger than you are, something you can't handle, call in the ones who knew how.  Whatever we think of the movie, it's a great question.  Who are you going to call?  When you're up against circumstances that are bigger than you, who are you going to call?  When you are facing problems that will bury you, who are you going to call?  When the forces of evil press against your soul, who are you going to call?  This was a no-brainer to David.  As natural as breathing and eating, he knew where His help was, and He found Him a ready responder, because He knew who his God was.  This was not a 911 number he dialed on dire occasions.  God wasn't somewhere else.  God was right there with him, so it was natural, in the course of life's journey, to speak his heart earnestly and eagerly.  That's just the way it is with those in close fellowship.  You can feel the realness of this relationship in the richness of his supplication throughout Psalm 28:  "To You, O LORD, I call; my rock, do not be deaf to me... Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary (presence)... Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplication.  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song will thank Him.  The LORD is their strength, and He is a saving defense to His anointed."  So, who are you going to call?  Do you know Him this way?  If not, you can.  He's right here!

Psalm 13:5-6 NASB

...I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.  I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

I was listening to my youngest brother over the phone, as he wept over the condition of his suffering and invalid wife (who after 6 years of battling with a horrific disease, passed away last August, 2010).  He agonized over "the silence of God" in all of this; where it seemed, even after much prayer, God did nothing.  But, then, after pouring his heart out, and between sobs, he said, "But I want you to know Hubert that I still believe!"  His faith was dangling over the precipice of life, but it was not decimated.  He knew that, alongside all of the pain and suffering in this world, there was the God who was right there.  He believed that the clouds that obscured the light didn't destroy the sun.  This is where the Psalmist lands in Psalm 13.  He speaks from the agony of his soul, with words that will tear your heart out, saying, "How long, O LORD?  Will You forget me forever?  How long will You hide your face from me?  How long will I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day?  How long will my enemy be exalted over me?"  David, the Psalmist, then pleads with God:  "Consider and answer me, O LORD, my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death..."  And then he lands his soul on this foundational truth:  But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.  I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.  Amazing!  That is a different kind of faith than what we see among so many who so easily quit and give up on God.  I like this faith of my brother Jimmy, and my friend David.  Powerful!  I want to link arms with this kind of people.  They know in whom they have believed, and they help my faith.  We have reason to keep believing, for He is still God!

Psalm 12:1, 5-6 NASB

Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men... "Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he longs."  The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

I was watching a program the other night, showing a map of the thousands of pieces of debris in space, left there from broken up satellites, some weighing up to 300 pounds, and some of which they know will soon crash somewhere on our earth. I felt very unsafe knowing all of that was over my head.  But you don't have to go out into space to know that we live in a dangerous world, with many evil forces seeking to gain dominance, bringing destruction and despair on so many innocent people.  If you were to show a map of all the out-of-control, social fires in the world, we would all panic. Actually, just listening to programs like CNN or Fox news, could send you into the depths of depression.  The one thing we feel is, this is not a friendly world.  This is nothing new.  This is the way it has been since the fall of man, and Satan has taken advantage to ply his oppression on all he can, trying to create a sense of hopelessness.  That's the feeling the Psalmist felt long ago.  In his despair, he quickly realizes there is another, stronger Force in this world; One who sees and acts on behalf of the needy. We have come to know Him as the One who didn't forsake this world, but intervenes and intercedes for us, steadily and certainly winning hearts back from their fallenness, to again establish holiness and righteousness in souls and society.  This is the promise of God!---"Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he longs."  And we can join the Psalmist in affirming this great truth:  "The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times."  Amen!  And Amen!