THE TRUE SOURCE OF ENCOURAGEMENT IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

In difficult times only God’s Word can truly stabilize our sinking heart. In our feelings oriented society we find the source of wobbly souls as people continually nurse their emotions and try to find quick fixes through drugs (legal and illegal), entertainment, relationships, and various other ineffective means. The Psalms give us a rich source for right thinking about life and God. As we study Psalm 77 this week we will see a beautiful example of what happens when we turn our thinking from ourselves to God and His consistent goodness.

In considering this Psalm I found that John Piper had some great thoughts that can easily be applied to our lives. “Christian living means living on the written Word of God, the Bible. In true Christian living, our relation to the Word is intentional, not haphazard. It's active not passive. We pursue it and don't just wait for it to happen. The Christian life is a joyful project that calls for energy and aim and resolve and determination. It is not coasting or drifting or something that just happens to you like the weather. The Word of God, soaked in prayer, is the substance (in the sense of "the material" or "the fuel") of that joyful project. Our delight is in the Word of the Lord, and on this Word we meditate day and night (see Psalm 1:3).  John Piper

Plan to join us this Thursday morning at 9:30 for a great time of encouraging one another to live wholeheartedly for God.

THE PERFECT KING

It is never about the palace, but, about the character of the king.

Of the 31 Psalms that address “deliverance” we sank into Psalms 42 and 43 last week and found great encouragement in understanding that pulling out of a difficult time and toward God is a road that involves switchbacks, but, ultimately our souls will sing again. This week another type of “deliverance” comes into view with Psalm 72. Although this Psalm can easily be seen in light of Solomon’s reign as a wonderful earthly king, it also has a secondary meaning concerning the future rule of the King of kings over all the earth. Rarely do we actually see good rulers (kings) in our world, but, a day is coming when God Himself will reign supreme over every nation and ruler; an absolutely perfect King! Consider what Psalm 72 says about this amazing time.

Psalm 72:11-14 “May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him. For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.”

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! “(Psalm 72:18-19)

“In singing this psalm we must have an eye to Christ, praising him as a King, and pleasing ourselves with our happiness as his subjects.” Matthew Henry’s summary of Psalm 72

See you on Thursday morning for a wonderful time of discussing God’s great goodness to us now and forever.

LONGING FOR GOD

This photo of some of Caleb’s family and me near a more than 5000 year old structure in Malta gives you a bit of a taste of the barrenness of that country. Mark and I remarked on the similarities with Israel’s landscape. Keeping this in mind consider the surroundings when these words were recorded about 3000 years ago. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2 I love this word picture comparison. Spurgeon gives us some great thoughts about these verses that should challenge us on a daily basis. “A camel does not pant after water brooks because it carries its own water within it, but the hart (deer) does because it has no inward resources. After being hunted on a hot day, it has no inward supplies, it is drained of its moisture. So are we. We do not carry a store of grace within of our own upon which we can rely, we need to come again, and again, and again, to the divine fountain, and drink again from the eternal spring. Hence it is because we have a new life, and that life is dependent upon God, and has all its fresh springs in Him, that we pant and thirst after Him. O Christian, if you had a sacred life which could be maintained by its own energies within, you might do without your God, but since you are naked, and poor, and miserable, apart from Him, you must come and drink day by day of the living springs, or else you faint and die.” Spurgeon

This Thursday morning I’m looking forward to being back with you for a spiritually encouraging time in Psalms 42 and 43. I also have a small treat of everyone from Switzerland :).