Oh No!
When disappointment strikes, adrenalin spikes,
our vision narrows, our thinking blurs and our emotions rule.
Sounds like a formula for disaster, and it often is.
It is not easy to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in this.
It is much easier to focus on the hot fire burning in my chest,
and out of that are spewed hot, destructive words.
It is only in preparation for such a time of temptation that we can prevail.
And what is this preparation?
First by memorizing Scripture, especially Psalm 50:23 and Hebrews 12:2.
And second, by practicing offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving
in less charged situations.
Last week I found myself in a position of disappointment:
I had been lied to several times by a company,
promised one price, charged much more.
To my shame, I did not offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
but instead complained, ostensibly closing the door to God’s help.
But He is merciful and gracious in the face of our unbelief.
As I turned to my email, there was an ad from this company
with an offer for what I wanted and cheaper than I was originally offered!
And there was a phone number to call, which I used
and was given the new, lower price!
This was a humiliating experience,
after all, I talk a lot about offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
but then in the heat of the battle, forgot.
However this failure has reinforced my commitment and desire
to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving by faith, to honor God,
and open the way so He can show me the salvation of the Lord.
picture: light shines in repentance
Our Fiery God
“The LORD [Yahweh] is robed in majesty… Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.’ Psalm 93:1,4,5
Glory and praise be to You, O Yahweh,
the Majestic One,
the Mighty One,
the Magnificent One.
Your power is beyond comprehension,
far greater than the might of a Tsunami rising out of the ocean,
sweeping inland for miles,
destroying all in its path.
Or the power of the great waves in a storm,
pounding at cliffs, wearing them away.
You simply spoke to create the sun:
huge,
hot,
high in the heavens,
spewing out tongues of flame
millions of miles into space,
burning at temperatures beyond our comprehension,
emitting heat and light year after year,
century after century,
millennium after millennium;
you control its heat, its light, its life.
And the sun is but one of billions of stars
in billions of galaxies
that you spoke into existence
and sustain by your mighty power.
“Lord, we lift your name on high,
we magnify you in your majesty,
we rejoice in your might,
we exult in your perfection,
we fall to our faces in awe.
Praise be to your name. Amen.
Picture: the sun spewing out solar flares
Spotting your next God sighting
As we have been looking at the infinite, eternal and powerful qualities of God;
every day we have to possibility of seeing Him at work in our lives, giving us God sightings.
I hope that you note them and are thankful, building your faith by seeing them.
Here are some from the last few days.
In visiting with an older widow today she told
how she was bending over at home to pick up something and her leg gave way.
The first God sighting was that she just sat down on the floor,
she didn’t hit her he’d or break a hip or have any other injury.
Second, she couldn’t get up but could scoot over to the phone and call her son.
The third sighting was that he was home, and fourth that her door was unlocked so he could come in.
Just “common, everyday happenings,” but to the practiced eye obviously God helping her.
I was in Home Depot today struggling to load sheets of drywall.
Another customer walked by and stopped to help me load them.
Help when I needed it, a touch from God.
Earlier this week I went to buy some lumber, first stopping at Lowes, looking for cull lumber but none.
So went to Home Depot, loaded up what I needed on a cart and left it at the register,
Then went to get another item. I looked in a couple of places to no avail,
then turned down an aisle (which turned out to be the wrong one)
and there was a friend I’d been wanting to get together with. Perfect timing.
We had a good talk, prayed together, and both went away feeling better.
Coincidence? I think not.
Look for these in your own life, give thanks, nurture your faith,
and experience Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge! (Eph. 3:19
Picture: God leading you on to the next God sighting: are we paying attention?!
Incomparable God
“The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.” Psalm 93:1,2
You, O Yahweh, are the Holy One:
Pure and Powerful,
Sinless and Sincere,
Just and Judicious,
Rich and Righteous,
Glorious and Good.
You are majestic,
magnificently robed in light,
riding on the wind,
commanding the stars,
towering over all the heavenly beings.
You move in wisdom and grace,
you are thorough in your thoughts,
powerful in your plans,
precise in your predictions.
You are never shaken,
never flustered,
never hurried,
never late.
In your magnificent being you are
awesome in power,
overwhelming in scope,
fearsome in glory,
blinding in beauty,
astounding in wisdom,
infinite in knowledge.
You are the only One to be worshiped,
the only One to bow before,
to surrender to,
to live for.
To you be glory today in all our motives, attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. Amen.”
Picture: Our God is Glorious!
The Perfect Shepherd
“He tends his flock like a shepherd….” Isaiah 40:11
You, Lord Jesus, are the Faithful One who protects your sheep at all costs.
You watch over us with care, with compassion, with competence, with completeness.
In your sight we are not just possessions but your beloved children.
“He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;”
You are tender with us when we are weak.
You love us graciously, kindly, gently.
You think of each of us continually, aware of our needs,
protecting and guiding us through the difficulties and joys of life.
“…he gently leads those that have young.”
You know our condition, you adjust your leadership according to what we are able to do and take.
You are gracious and good, providing and protecting, caring and compassionate.
Yes, You, Lord Jesus, are
the perfect Shepherd,
the powerful King,
the present Savior,
and the pleasant Lord.
You are trustable at every moment, always worthy of obedience, of love, of honor, glory and praise.
“May you, Lord God, be lifted up in my life today through
thoughts of thanksgiving,
words of praise,
actions of obedience
and attitudes of trust,
for you, as the Good Shepherd, are worthy of all exaltation and worship. Amen.”
Picture: Jesus the Perfect Shepherd (from turnbacktoGod.com)
Our Glorious God
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28
What a wonder you are, O Triune God, the Mighty Ruler and Powerful Shepherd.
Isaiah wrote of your greatness in chapter 40, starting in verse10,
“See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him.”
You, Lord God, are the King of Glory, Almighty Ruler, Powerful Creator and Eternal Sustainer;
you are faithful to govern rightly with overwhelming power.
No one can withstand you, no one can successfully resist your glorious plans.
You will come at the perfect time to right all wrongs in grace and righteousness. Glory be to you.
“See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” You are a generous and rich God with endless resources,
who pours out blessing and grace and goodness on all people and especially on your children.
You reward us with salvation, forgiveness, grace and goodness
when we actually deserve punishment, suffering, death and destruction.
Glory be to you. You have rewards, crowns and all blessings in heavenly places
awaiting those who love and follow the Lord Jesus.
Help us to liver in the light of this Truth throughout the day.
Picture: a glimpse of the glory of God
Purpose of Praise
“My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:2,3
How good that we can encourage others by praise, helping them to also praise, as we lead the way in extolling God.
It is so good to look through the purifying leans of God’s Word and to keep up the shield of faith with words of praise.
And it is also good to thank God that He is teaching us to praise in all, even though we are slow learners!
Prayer: “Lord, help me to remember
in each disappointment, difficulty and discomfort,
as well as in the positive and pleasant, to respond with praise, surrendering to the Truth of your being God,
the final Authority, the all wise One.
Help me to affirm my trust in you
by praising when I feel like complaining,
by giving thanks when I feel like rebelling.
May you be exalted in my life through praise and thanksgiving today
so those around me may be encouraged to praise also. Amen.”
Picture: Every dawn is another chance to praise God
The Opposite of Praise
Yesterday we looked at how we can get closer to God by praising Him in all things.
In contrast, failure to praise is resisting God’s working in our lives. It is a form of rebellion.
This is laid out in Psalm 106:24-26, giving the Israelites’ response to the report of the spies after they had seen the promised land.
“Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. [They failed to praise, to trust, to submit to God’s leadership]
“They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.” [Instead of praising, they complained, rebelling against what the Lord was giving them.]
“So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the desert.” [So the Lord did not give them the good things He had offered
and waited till all those grumblers had died before bringing the Israelites into the land].
In contrast, we should more follow David’s example in Psalm 34:1-2.
“I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be on my lips.”
[We can always say, “Thank you, Lord God, that in every happening there is potential growth in my focus on you
and a platform upon which I can demonstrate your grace to the world.”]
Help me, Lord, to praise you in every situation that I may draw close to you and demonstrate faith in You to the world.
Picture: in the twists and turns of life, God has a plan and will carry us through.
Trust at Dawn
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” Proverbs 3:5
Sometimes we find ourselves frustrated in all our plans with none of the things we’d like to see happen getting accomplished.
In this I have to remind myself that my main purpose as a Christian is not productivity, but knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ.
We may be successful in the eyes of the world because of our accomplishments, but if we aren’t close to Him, it’s all a mirage.
The Lord has been stressing to us again and again the importance of getting closer to Him by praising.
And we certainly had opportunity to do this while Barbara was in the hospital, not something we wanted,
but something the Lord allowed and something we could praise Him in and for. (She is home now).
When we praise God for each thing that comes to us, whether it seems good or bad from our perspective,
we are surrendering to God at that particular moment, reaffirming our trust in Him.
In such praise we are declaring His goodness and His power to all those around us.
We are proclaiming His intent to bring to us only what is for our good and His glory.
This is pure faith, the best way to please God! So, let’s join Him by trusting in praise.
Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.”
Picture: When the way seems closed, God has a plan
