Shady Green Pastures

Psa 95:7-8 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the
sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart…

I am comforted today by the fact that I belong to Jesus, He is my God. He is my Good Shepherd, Who gives His life for the sheep, Jn 10:11, my Great Shepherd Who has resurrected, Heb 13:20, and my Chief Shepherd, Who is coming for me to pass out crowns of glory, I Pe 5:4.

How wonderful to know today that I am led to lie down in green pastures and to drink from still waters.

I am comforted to know that His unseen hand leads me when I am willing to follow.

I thrill to the sound of His voice that I can follow to a table spread for me.

Lord, may I not harden my heart, but always listen to your voice that I may not hearken to the voice of the enemy, no matter how he disguises it.

I am yours Lord, lead and feed me this day.

What is the Lord hearing from me?

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. Psalm 95:1,2

Do you receive phone calls from an individual and you cringe when you look at the caller ID because you know they are going to be griping about something? Or, possibly they are going to be wanting something. And maybe you are frustrated because they only call to give you the latest details on their health problems.

You know what I mean, don't you? If not, maybe you are the one on the caller ID? :<)

I know we are to bring our petitions to the Lord. We are even welcome to complain to Him, as happens so often in the Psalms. But don't you suppose that the gracious Father in heaven would love to hear something positive from us once in a while?

Perhaps it could be something as nice as a sweet love song from our hearts, or just a joyful noise, which would pretty much describe some of our singing. (Noise, Hebrew; Rua - to mar, to split the ears).

We are also invited in these verses to come before His presence with thanksgiving and poetry.

"How do I love thee Lord? Let me count the ways..." Believe it or not, that's what a psalms is.

And when was the last time we came before Him, not to ask or gripe, but to just praise and thank Him for Who He is and what He has done for us?

I encourage you for the entire day, pray to the Lord, and pray often, but resist the urge to petition the Lord, only praise Him. And then sing Him a song. Go ahead and split His ears with a nice song. Make a joyful noise before the Rock of your salvation.

Getting Even

Ps 94:1-3 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whome vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
Vs 10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

One of the most difficult things for our sinful human nature to cede to God is exacting vengeance on someone who has done us wrong. Turning the other cheek goes against the grain of this rotting flesh as much as anything.

Allowing the unseen hand of God to punch someone's lights out when we can easily take the matter into our own hands is difficult. Talk about a matter of faith!

The question is, do we really believe God is taking notes? Does He see every time we are taken advantage of? Is He truly cognizant of all the wrong that is foisted upon us?

The answer is yes! In verse 7, it says, "they say, The LORD shall not see" but He sees all. The wheels of God's justice do indeed turn, sometimes very slowly, but always surely.

We want our pound of flesh and we want it now. If someone owes me money, or if they have done me wrong, if they have talked about me, lied to me, stabbed me in the back, my flesh cries out for a payday.

But God sees the whole picture. He also sees the needs of the offender. He gives them time and space for repentance. He offers them forgiveness if they will turn and do right. But in the end, if they do not do right, be assured that they must answer and give an account to God, just as you and I will.

We must recall His promise in Romans 12:19, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

God is the judge of the earth and He will render a reward to the proud, according to verse 2. In another Psalm we are told that the Judge of all the earth shall do right.

The problem with revenge in our hands is that it is never as satisfying once we exact it. When we have gained our pound of flesh, it is still not over. Hard feelings prevail, guilt lingers, forgiveness wanes, and we are left with an awkward empty feeling. Revenge has no more quenching effect on emotions than salt water has on thirst.
When God takes care of the matter, there is complete and utter satisfaction.

Revenge is best left up to the One who knows how to deal with the intricacies of the matter.

And if vengeance is not met in this life, be assured, it will be taken care of in the next. Be sure you are on the right side of that equation!

Finally, know along with the Psalmist, that the LORD is our defense; and our God is the rock of our refuge. vs 22

The Glorious King

Psa 93:1 The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
Psa 93:2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
Psa 93:3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
Psa 93:4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
Psa 93:5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

I am struck that this Psalm possibly extols the Lord as much or more than anything I have ever read. I am impressed with the impressions of the writer of this chapter concerning the Lord.

Of this Psalm, Spurgeon says, "...he puts on his regal apparel and ascends his lofty seat, while his happy people proclaim him with new joy, shouting “The Lord reigneth.” What can give greater joy to a loyal subject than a sight of the king in his beauty? Let us repeat the proclamation, “the Lord reigneth,” whispering it in the ears of the desponding, and publishing it in the face of the foe. “He is clothed with majesty.”

There is coming a day friends when we will behold this glorious King in all of His majesty. What a day that will be! I am enraptured just by reading this chapter.

Planted In God's House

Are You Planted in God's House?

Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. Ps 92:13

Vegetation has three basic needs, water, nutrition and sunlight. If a plant has the proper amount of these sources, it will flourish.

When a soul is planted in the house of the Lord, he or she receives the water of the Word, the Bread of Life, and the Sunshine of God's glory. As the soul soaks in these nutrients, it flourishes, but when starved of any of these, wilting occurs.

I have seen it a thousand times. Well, not literally, in reality, more like 10,000 times. Those who forsake the assembly dwindle in their spiritual lives. It happens EVERY time, without fail.

It serves a soul well to stay faithful in God's house.

The Secret Place

Ps 91:1,2 et al. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust...

Ah, God's secret place... do you know of it? Have you experienced it.

"Where is the place?" you may ask. It is His ark of safe retreat for the child of God overwhelmed by the onslaught of the world. It is a safe dwelling in the palm of His hand. It is being hidden in the cleft of the Rock. It is finding refuge under the shelter of His wings. It is being surrounded by His glory, guarded by His angels, led by His Spirit.

It is the sweet hour of prayer, it is being caught up in the everlasting arms and held close to His breast. It is the whisper in your ear, "You are my child, I love you unconditionally, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper. I have good thoughts for you, a master plan to bring you to an expected end."

If you are overwhelmed today, run to Jesus. Find safety, shelter and retreat in the innermost sanctum of His love, mercy and grace. Let the world fade away as you concentrate only on Him. Read His Word and let Him speak peace to your storm.

The Beauty of the Lord

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us Ps 90:17

Strong's defines beauty as agreeableness, delight, suitableness, splendor or grace.

The desire of the Psalm singer is that God's beauty be upon the believer.

He who crowns the mountaintop with snow, graces wildlife with wonder, imbues the flower with fragrance and moulds all of creation with majesty wishes to gift His children with His own splendor and grace.

And that brings us to the point of today's blog...drum roll please!

If the Spirit of God is upon His child, they glow with His presence. The Lord allows us to be endeared to those we meet. You have ran into this person, haven't you? Some have the Shekinah glory and some have only a kinda glory.

I pray that the beauty of the Lord our God would be upon you today.