Only the Lonely

Psa 107:4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.

Having been there myself, my heart goes out to those who seem to be wandering in the wilderness in a solitary way.

Perhaps you've been there, all by yourself in a crowd. Maybe you feel like nobody understands, nobody knows all you are up against, nobody knows what you are going through. It could be that you are there right now.

If any of these are the case, know that the Lord is with you every step of the way. Just acknowledge His presence and seek His fellowship. Also, don't be afraid to reach out. There are many around you who really care and if only you would get their attention, they would be glad to help shoulder your burden.

Additionally, realize that there are a bunch of folks around you today who are wandering in the wilderness in a solitary way. An arm around the shoulder, a kind and caring word or some little notion would be all it takes to let them know they are not alone in their journey.

May you be blessed and be a blessing today.

Jesus is Riding Your Way!

Mat 21:1-11 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

I've been to the old city of Jerusalem a couple of times.

The city is so very intriguing. All kinds of different people are everywhere. Jews, Palestinians, pilgrims, religious leaders and followers, international government types. There is a buzz everywhere you look. Nobody is laid back, nobody is taking it easy. The air is thick with anticipation of something...the past coming alive, a coming Messiah, a religious feeling, fervency of worship, or a good buy on some relic, souvenir or even a loaf of bread.

And everybody is scurrying around. They are going to the temple mount, or just leaving. Or they are headed to a mosque or synagogue, or have just left one. Nobody is stationary very long. Even those who do stop don't stand still.

And crowds, they are everywhere! Never or nowhere have I ever witnessed so many groups of people, anywhere from 3 or 4 to 30 or 40, huddled around some guide listening intently to some anecdote.

That's the way it is in the holy city now, and that's exactly the way it was 2000 years ago when a former Carpenter rode into town from Mount Olivet on a borrowed donkey.

People were stirring, thoughts were expressed, opinions were bandied about, emotions were displayed. Anger, joy, doubt and exultation comingled as a crowd grew from 13 to hundreds, maybe even thousands.

Passover week was in view as pilgrims made the city swell to more than double its normal population. Many of them were enveloped in this special occasion, the King of Zion, the Son of David, making His entry amidst the cheers and adulation of the growing throng.

They spread their clothes in the path of the parade. They defaced the palm trees so they would have branches to wave in honor of the King. They cried out, "hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."

The account tells us that all the city was moved. Those in the dark asked who the Honoree was, others answered that it is Jesus, the prophet from Galilee.

Let all the People Praise Him

Psa 106:48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to
everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.

The 106th Psalm enumerates the goodness and grace of God against the backdrop of His amazing patience. Truly, He deserves all our highest praise. As with Israel, He has led us, fed us, provided for us, forgiven us, protected us, given us His presence, and the list goes on.

So let all the people voice an Amen and let each individual specifically praise the Lord.

Is it a habit of yours to vocalize your praise in the congregation of the Lord, as well as in public? Do you actually find yourself blessing the name of the Lord, even in private, when He has blessed you?

God inhabits the praises of His people. When we give it up for God, it glorifies Him , edifies others and lifts our own spirit.

While we are thanking and praising Him, there is no way we can be discouraged, angry or upset. As James said, from the same fountain there cannot proceed better and sweet waters, and from the same mouth there cannot come forth blessing and cursing.

I encourage you to be praiseful today. Look for those positive things that God is doing in your life. Make it a point to say "Amen!" often and praise ye the Lord.

The Fickle Faithful

Psa 106:12 Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.
Psa 106:13 They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:
Psa 106:14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

The history of Israel's failings in the wilderness causes a person to wonder about their sanity. God gave them miracle after miracle. They seemed to praise Him one day and curse Him the next. They received regular attitude adjustments from the Lord which never lasted too long.

Spiritually, the wilderness experience was as up and down as anything we read in the Bible. How sad that their memories were so short.

We have the benefit of hindsight. We read of their 40 year wanderings in a condensed period of a few days. We don't take into consideration that the time between a great miracle of God and a great failing of the people may have been several weeks or even months apart.

That brings us to the present day. How often does the Lord do really great things on our behalf? Deliverance from some enemy, a big provision of some sort, etc. And yet, how short is the time lapse before we pull some boneheaded sin against the Lord.

Ah, perhaps the Jews of old aren’t the only ones with a case of spiritual Alzheimer's.

The things written in the Old Testament are to be an example for us. In the New Testament, we are told not to provoke the Lord like they did in the wilderness.

So let's be ever mindful of the miraculous and ever grateful to our wonderful God as we travel through the wilderness of this life.

Don't fly off the handle when you're full of bologna!

Psa 106:3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth
righteousness at all times.

The story is told of the two flies in the kitchen gorging themselves on lunch meat on a platter. Suddenly the lady of the house comes in and sees the disgusting little pests and heads for the fly swatter. One of the little beggars immediately takes off for the window, the other is so stuffed he can't get going. He sees the broom leaning against the table and decides to run up the broom handle, jump off of it to get a flying start. He runs for all he's worth, plunges off the end a falls right to the floor. SWAT! She smacks him right there on the floor.

The moral of the story is, don't fly off the handle when you are full of bologna!

The Word tells us that we will be happy if we use good judgment and do what's right at all times. Unfortunately, many of us are guided by our emotions rather than good judgment. We blow up at the gal who cut us off in traffic, especially when we see she is on the phone and is doing her make-up. The temptation is to ride her bumper while laying on the horn. Now don't look so smug, you know exactly what I am talking about!

Or what about the kids making too much noise while we are trying to work on the computer? We react rather than act and end up yelling at them when we could have used a better solution.

It is much more blessed to use good judgment rather than flying off the handle, especially when we are so full of bologna. Now, go out there and do the righteous thing today.

Water From the Rock

Psa 105:41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the
dry places like a river.

I don't suppose we can fully appreciate this miracle of God.

Have you ever looked at a rushing river and wondered how all that water
keeps flowing? I mean, thousands of gallons gushing by per minute. Where
does it all come from? I know the scientific answer. Rivulets from the hills
feed tributaries which feed the streams which contribute to the river. That
river flows into another and then to the sea the water goes. Evaporation
draws the water to the sky and precipitation starts it all over again.

But really, that's still a lot of water. Amazing!

But even more amazing is when you get water from nothing but a rock in
the desert. Enough water to take care of a few million people and their
animals. Enough to bathe, wash clothes, drink and cook. And all of this in
the middle of a place like Saudi Arabia where oil is more plenteous than
H2O.

Well that's our God for you. He's great at making something out of nothing.
He can meet needs when resources are unavailable.

I guess the best example of that is my own life. He took a nothing and made
a something. Not a whole lot, but a bunch more than is naturally possible.

Man can manufacture items out of a certain amount of raw materials and
resources, but only God can create something out of nothing.

Aren't you glad our Creator is still in the miracle business?

A Miracle for You Today

Of all the great miracles in the deliverance of God's people from Egypt, this has to be the best. First, there were the miracles that God used to prove Moses was His man and deliverance was His plan. A rod turning into a snake and vice-versa, then the leprous hand, etc. Then there were the ten plagues, again made special in that not one of them touched the area of Goshen where the Jews lived.

In the wilderness, Israel witnessed the dry crossing of the Red Sea, the leading by the cloud and pillar of fire, the quails, the manna, and shoes which lasted for 40 years (enough to drive a shoe loving woman crazy!)

But Ps 105 37 presents the best miracle of all, in my book.

“He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.”

Now think about this. On a given Sunday in your church, how many of the folks are
going to be ill? Probably at least 5 to 10%, a few more during cold and flu season.

But imagine, at least 3 million Jews, and not one feeble person among them. Wow!
Maybe I should stop eating catfish and shrimp and mixing meat and dairy like our
Israelite friends!

No, this had nothing to do with diet and everything to do with God's protection.

What does this tell us? Well, the things written in the Old Testament are there for an example to us according to I Cor 10:11. God is able to take care of His own. God is able to take care of you. That doesn't mean sickness won't come to your house, but it surely can't pay a visit without God's permission. Our lives are in His hands to do whatever is
best for us.

As surely as God did the miraculous for the children of Israel so long ago, He is doing great and marvelous things for you every day, you just have to pay attention.

Assignment: Look for God's hand to do the miraculous in your life today and then let others know of His power and might.

One final thought…Why does the Lord do such wonderful things for us? The answer is
in Ps 105:45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the
LORD.