Psalm 65:2a; 66:18-20 NASB

O You who hear prayer... If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear; but certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.  Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His lovingkindness from me.

My tendency, if someone shares something with me, is to drive toward a solution to their problem.  I want to fix things and, if not careful, begin to talk instead of listen.  But the greatest evidence of real caring isn't in shooting them a solution, but in listening.  My wife will often tell me, "I just want you to listen to me."  That means, stop what I'm doing, put down the book, or turn off the TV, turn full face toward Sarah, and thereby let her know she has my full attention.  She's not interested in my "solutions".  The person with all the answers is generally a controller rather than a companion.  All Sarah wants to know is that I care enough to listen to what matters to her and, as I give her my full attention, somehow, if she has been struggling with something, she feels better, just because I listened.  But, interestingly enough, when I enter into listening rather than trying to fix everything, our relationship deepens.  I have actually entered into her life by giving her my attention and affection and we draw closer together.  We could learn something from this in our relationship with God.  The greatest thing about Him is, "He's a listener".  He cares so deeply and intimately and  gives us His full attention.  We know He can do anything, but when we begin to treat Him as our problem solver alone, He is no different than someone we look for in the Yellow Pages, whom we call to come and fix something.  The thing I love the most about God is this truth the Psalmist captured in Psalm 65:2a:  "O You who hear prayer..."  Think of that!  When you pray; He listens!  Surely, our greatest hindrance in our relationship with God is that we have relegated prayer to a consumer mentality.  This is the problem with the world.  Though they will not readily admit it, they pray a lot, but their prayers are always consumer in thinking, seeking Him only for something they want on an emergency call.  He's "Joe the plumber".  God is nothing but a Jeanne in a bottle to them.  Does God hear them.  No!  Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear."  O church, let's redeem prayer from this sludge.  May God help us to shift from consumerism to communion again.  If we make this shift, we will again be able to say with deep feeling:  "But certainly God has heard, He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.  Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His lovingkindness from me."  Amen!

Psalm 20 NASB

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! (1a)

May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! (1b)

May He send you help from the sanctuary... (2a)

May He remember all your meal offerings... (3a)

May He grant you your heart's desire... (4a)

May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. (5c)

May the King anwer us in the day we call. (9b)

I love a good, old Indiana thunder storm.  I like to stand out on the porch and watch the lightning, listen to the powerful rumblings of thunder, and enjoy the deluge of rain.  You couldn't pay for a better show of creative power and artistry.  That's the same feeling I get, and a thousand times more, when I read the promises of God.  Psalm 20 thunders this great Presence into our lives. The word "may", as we find it in this chapter, speaks to possibility and probability, both of which lie within the infinite grace of God.  That He can, there is no doubt.  That He will, this is the very cause and heart of prayer.  This is not an appeal to the reservations of God, but an alignment with the purposes of God.  Prayer is not trying to get God to do something He doesn't want to do.  Prayer is joining with God in the things He really wants to do.  And He wants to do more than we can ask or think.  So the potential of prayer is incredible.  It puts us right in the path of an oncoming "storm" of God's grace, where we will be soaked with showers of blessing.  Stand out on this porch of your life and take it all in. 

Psalm 60:12 NASB

Through God we shall do valiantly...

Now there's a note of victorious thinking!  But it is not made off the cuff.  It's made in the face of huge questions and difficulties.  In the earlier part of this chapter, the Psalmist sounds almost despairing as he speaks of Israel's plight, with a feeling that the adversary has gained the upper hand, bringing him to a desperate plea for the help he can't find in anyone else.  He cries out to God, saying,  " O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain," (v.11).  It almost sounds as if he is throwing this last chance up in the air hoping it will produce something. Vance Havner tells of the woman who was facing some physical problems requiring medical attention.  The pastor, upon visiting her in the hospital and hearing her condition, said, "Let's pray".  She cried out, "Oh, has it come to that?"  Sadly, prayer, by some, is used either as a good luck charm or looked on as the last, hopeless recourse. But the statement, "through God we shall do valiantly", isn't any of that.  It isn't some empty verbiage spoken to at least sound spiritual in his hopeless fear.  This was a call to arms!  He aligned Himself with God, committed himself to His authority, and declared victory:  "it is He who will tread down our adversaries", (v.12b).  This is what the old-timers used to call "victorious Christian living!"  Do you know what they were talking about?  As I listen to many, these days, who speak of sin and defeat in their "Christian" lives, as if it's the norm, I think we could use a good dose of good old victorious Christian living again.  Do you know that this is what God actually intended for His children? Why are we settling for less than God's best?  As I was growing up, my father was determined to lift our faith to a higher level.  His favorite Hymn during family worship time was "Victory in Jesus" and, to this day, it's words and tune still reverberate in my heart and mind.  More than that, I realized that my dad really believed this and, what's more, I saw him live it.  Where in the world did he get such an idea?  Well, in a thousand places and more in God's word.  Luke 1:74-75 for one.  Listen to what Zacharias' says about Jesus:  "to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear; in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days."  Yes!  Victory in Jesus!  We would do well to take this up in our lives and actually believe it again.  But more than that, to actually live it because all of God is behind it.  "Through God we shall do valiantly..."  Amen!

Psalm 50:10--12, 14-15, 23 NASB

...every beast of the forest in Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine.  If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all it contains... Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; and call up Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me... He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.

Some in Israel thought they were doing God a good service by bringing their sacrifices, as if their sacrifices satisfied His hunger, when their own lives were so contrary to God's ways.  He reacts by letting them know that He needed nothing from them because all things are His.  The whole idea was absurd.  And it's still absurd to think that we can appease God with our self-righteous acts, and thinking, when our lives are in flat out contradiction to God's ways.  The only thing, God says, that is a foundational and acceptable offering, and essential  for any other offering to be acceptable, is the offering of thanksgiving and covenant (pay your vows to the Most High).  This, the Psalmist says, is the one who "orders his way aright".  This alone honors Him.  And this alone brings assurance of His Presence.  To this one He promises that when they dial 911, there will be Someone at the other end of the line. He says, "call on Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you...I shall show the salvation of God."  There you have it. The big two; The two heart qualities that have everything to do with anything in our relationship with God.  Without these, anything else is a stench to Him. 

Thanksgiving 

The attitude of thanksgiving is one of deep humility.  We know who we are and we know who He is and, that we could ever know His attention and affection, this is always pouring out of us in deep gratitude and expressive thanksgiving.  In a day when self-importance, self-pampering, self-protection, and self-expression are not only predominant, but promoted, there's a whole lot of dieing to ourselves that needs to happen.  Well, let's get at it because,  if we don't die, we will die.

Covenant

The attitude of covenant is one of deep commitment.  We know what He gave, and we know what we promised to Him, and we are forever given to Him in love, faithfulness, purity, devotion, service and worship, both in life and in death.  This isn't some romantic fling at the altar.  This is what some called "selling out to God".  This is the "from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish" kind of calling, that doesn't suffer memory loss along the way.  These are a people who have the character to keep their vows.

What a deep and powerful relationship!  Don't ever think you can settle for anything less.  It's too sacred for that.

2 Samuel 8:6 and 14 NASB

And the LORD helped David wherever he went.

Every once in awhile I think about what would be nice to have on a tombstone.  Now, lest you think I'm into gloom and despair, I want to make it perfectly clear that this isn't where I park my mind.  There are just occasions that bring it to mind.  But while it's on my mind, wouldn't this be a great statement to have on your tombstone? --"And the LORD helped (your name) wherever he went."  What a great testimony!  And the writer not only says it once, he says it twice in this same chapter.  Whether it's ever put on my tombstone or not, I certainly want to know this in my life.  The New American Standard Bible titles this chapter "David's Triumphs".  It's interesting that the section of scripture (7:18-29) that comes right before this is titled, by the same translators, "David's Prayer", which comes right before the section titled "God's Covenant with David".  It was no accident that "the LORD helped David wherever he went".  God was in the very fabric of his life, as a choice David had made to be wherever God was.  Too many times we find ourselves tasking at something alone because we didn't seek Him alone.  We will know His help as we hold His hand.  Hold on tight.  He'll take you on the ride of your life.

Psalm 39:5-7 NASB

Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight, surely every man at his best is a mere breath.  Selah.  Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.  And now, Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in You.

This is an amazing description of man's plight.  And there's no escaping it's truth.  We are nothing but a small speck of time in the immensity of eternity.  From God's point of view, my lifetime is as nothing in His sight.  So why do we keep living as if we might be the first to beat the odds? Why?  Someone tell me why?   We know we can't, but live as if we will.  As the Psalmist indicates, we make an uproar about nothing and we amass stuff as if it's everything.  The greatest thing that can ever happen to a human being is to really understand his days.  It's a fascinating thing to see someone come to grips with the brevity of his own life.  All of a sudden, that person comes to grips with the immensity of life.  His world doesn't get smaller!  It gets bigger!  They don't lose heart over the shortness of life.  They gain heart over the largeness of life lived on a different level.  The Psalmist, seeing this, exclaimed,  "And now (now that I see), Lord (Master/Owner), for what do I wait?  My hope is in You," v.7.  These are the people that become church active, because this is His body.  These are the people that become mission active, because this is His burden.  You can hear it in their voice.  It's no longer making an uproar about nothing.  They are making their voice heard for a lost world.  It's no longer amassing stuff as if it's everything.  They are living for a greater cause, and they become stewards instead of consumers. What does your life say about you?

Psalm 36:5-10 NASB

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep.  O LORD, You preserve man and beast.  How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!  And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.  They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.  For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.  O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Historically, much has been made of searching for "the fountain of youth", when something better was there all the time, just for the taking!  The Psalmist exclaims his exciting find in verse 9, declaring, "with You is the fountain of life"!  But there's more.  He adds, "In Your light we see light".  Life and light!  This is who God is and this is what we find by coming under His care.  What a find!  Verse 8 says, "They drink their fill of the abundance (literally, 'fullness') of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights".  God just simply holds nothing back with His children.  As the world frantically seeks for security, meaning and pleasure, in all the wrong places, we have all that matters in Him.  It's found in the vast and infinite riches of His lovingkindness (5a), faithfulness (5b), righteousness (6a), and judgments (6b).  In Him are found the building blocks of life as it is meant to be, with all that is good, right and enduring.  Transgression, iniquity, and wickedness, as described in the first 4 verses of this chapter, have its day, but it will be thrust down, never to rise again (v.12).  It's a senseless, stupid way to go.  Its "highs" are lies.  Its hold isn't satisfaction; it's addiction.  Though now acutely aware of its boredom, they are caught in its venom, "needing" more and more of its emptiness.  That, my friend, is the face of addiction.  But God's children?  Ah!  Sing it again! They drink their fill of the fullness of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights".  Now this is the kind of drinking one can enjoy!  Drink up my friend!  This just simply can't be beat!

Psalm 33:18-22 NASB

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.  Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.  For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.  Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.

God keeps a keen eye out for His people!  In constant and attentive vigil, He watches over us, protecting and providing, or so says His word.  Do you believe this?  How can one take hold of a promise like this when everything seems to contradict it?  All of us will one day face death; if not ours, the death of family and friends.  And how do you take hold of a promise like this when things collapse financially and we find ourselves without work and substance?  Are promises like this just pipe dreams?  Are we blindly believing the unreal and pathetically covering for a God who does nothing?  Let's talk real reality.  The real facts are, one, we are eternal beings and, two, you can't measure results by temporal measurements.  The promises of God aren't so small that they go no further than the todays.  His promises are infinite, taking us into the tomorrows, infinitely.  Until we grasp that, we will forever be praying with small thinking.  Soul and life are central to who we are and it's to soul and life that God gives full attention, to keep us from soul death and soul famine.  Hang your hat on that!  That will keep you in the todays as well.  "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."  Amen!

Psalm 25:14-15 NASB

The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant.  My eyes are continually toward the LORD, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.

Have you ever been let in on a secret by someone you especially admired?  Somehow it makes us feel more intimately a part of that person's life.  And that's the real feeling behind the word translated "secret" in the NASB.  The word comes from a Hebrew word that means "couch", carrying the meaning of sitting together with someone in close fellowship or intimacy.  Isn't that powerful?  As we regard and reverence our God, He enters into close fellowship or intimacy with us, and He makes us know His covenant.  In other words, He envelopes us in the deepest relationship possible between God and man; one of complete union and binding commitment, with a deep understanding between each other that connects soul with soul.  This is a union of sweet obligation.  It's in this sense that the Psalmist says, "My eyes are continually toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net."  He knows that this "covenant" means God will constantly protect his step and watch His back.  You can't get a better deal than that! 

Psalm 25:3 NASB (Part 2)

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed...

Have you ever had someone you trusted in let you down or make you look bad?  There's no worse feeling; it's a feeling of betrayal.  This is the underlying concern of the Psalmist.  In verses one and two, he says "To You, O LORD, I lift my soul.  O my God, in You I trust, do not let me be ashamed..."  But then he says, "Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed..."  The word "indeed" carries the idea of strong certainty.  He knows God has never let him down and never will; certainly not those who wait for Him.  Gesenius's Lexicon reveals that the word "wait"  carries the idea of "twisting or binding; hence a rope and, hence to be strong, robust (for the notion of binding fast, tying fast, is applied to strength."  Strong's Concordance speaks of "entertwine with".  What a beautiful picture!  If we will wait, or entertwine ourselves with Him, we will never be ashamed or embarrassed.  This is the same word used in Isaiah 40:31:  "those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."  God does not let His people down.  He does not make them look bad.  He can be trusted, absolutely!

Psalm 25:3, 4-5 NASB

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed...  Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.

I have watched parents who try to control their children by shaming them in front of others, using words and ways that make a child cower and sour.  It's a travesty in so called parenting.  They have no idea how to raise children.  Aren't you glad for our heavenly Father who never puts us down, but is always building us up? Oh, yes, He will convict us when necessary, He will humble us if necessary, and He will discipline us as necessary,but He will never shame us.  God's ways with us are always good and, if we wait in His presence and walk in His ways, we stand straighter, hold our heads higher, and walk stronger because He builds character, increases confidence and creates contentedness. Indeed, none of those who wait for Him will ever be ashamed!  The LORD knows how to bring us up in the way we should go, abundantly filling our lives with everything we need for this life and the life to come.  Our daily practice in prayer, and our prayer all day every day (as the Psalmist put it:  "for you I wait all the day") should ever be, "make me know Your ways, teach me Your paths, and lead me in Your truth.  If we would do this, we would be the better for it, learning the best from the Best.  He knows how to raise children!