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Psalm 37:23-27
Psalm 37:21-22
National Day of Prayer, Suggested outline for this day:
Psalm 37:18-20
Psalm 37:16-17
Wow!
Heavenly Follow-through
Psalm 37:12-15
Psalm 37:12 “The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;”
[There will always be hatred for those who follow Jesus. The wicked will seek to eliminate anything that stands in their way–as we are, a thorn in their side–so we should expect opposition, hatred and attack.]
Psalm 37:13 “but the Lord laughs at the wicked,”
[“But” is a wonderful word here, bringing hope of justice, protection and deliverance. God is not intimidated by the anger and plots of the wicked: “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Prov. 21:30). He is completely in control and will easily limit their actions to what He will use for good.]
“for he knows their day is coming.”
[God will competently bring judgment against all those who oppose Him. He stands outside of time, seeing the future as well as the past, so He knows what He will do to thwart the plans of the wicked, judging them rightly at the right time. We can rest in this certainty of God’s plan and purpose.]
Psalm 37:14 & 15 “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.”
[God, in His greatness and power, will turn the plots of the wicked back on themselves. In the end, they will not be successful in their schemes, but will be brought to justice in His time and in His way. He will shatter them, like the great tree in this picture below, destroyed by a powerful storm.
I think of Hitler’s reign, lasting only 12 years instead of a lifetime. And he was used by God to plow the hearts of many people, making them open to the seed of the Word, with many coming to Christ. Plus God used him to give many believing allied soldiers a vision for the needs of the world, resulting in tens of thousands going out as missionaries after the war. The wicked did terrible things; God used them for good.
Praise be to you, O God, my Father, my King, my Shepherd, my Brother, my Lord, the One we can fully trust, for you are powerfully and consistently in control. You are good, you are wise and you are infinitely strong, able to bring what you desire to pass and to block the way of all you proclaim to be wrong.
Praise you for the protection, as well as the problems and trials you bring to us, so we may be shaped and sharpened into better instruments in your hands.
May you be glorified in my life today, Lord, having more honor before men and angels. Fill me with your Spirit, may He overflow onto those around me, keeping us all washed with the cleansing, transforming water of your Word.
Blessings Galore
I praise you, Lord God, for your care and protection, your guidance and grace. I thank you for your goodness evidenced in your daily provision—it’s good to list these out periodically, as I so easily can take these for granted.
I have a bed to sleep in, a home to live in, food in abundance, income, warmth, water, clean air and physical strength. I can see, hear, walk, talk, feel, taste and grasp. You have given me good relationships, protection, work, meaning, hope, purpose, a certain future and love.
I praise you for your Word–your prophetic, powerful, pro-active, penetrating, pro-creative Word–bringing revelation, repentance, rejuvenation, rebirth and release from Satan, sin and self.
I praise you, Lord Jesus that in you I am complete: you are enough, you are the total sum of my needs, wants and longings. I was made to be one with you, to fit into the perfect relationship where you empower, employ, empathize and eternalize all who come to you.
You, Lord, are my wonderful and wise Shepherd, watching over us, causing us to lie down in green pastures and know when to move us on. There is nothing I lack, even from a human perspective, and certainly nothing from a heavenly perception.
You, Lord God, are the great and gracious provider. I thank you for all that you have given and will give, for you are faithful and wise and good.
To you be glory in my life today, help me to do what is best, what is wise, what is glorifying to you. Help me to rest in you, to rejoice in you, to resist the devil with you, to rise up in praise at each challenge. I praise you now for how you will lead me in doing these things. Praise and glory be to you all through this day.
The Course
Each day, each week, each month is a new start, a white parchment stretching out before us, blank to the horizon. What will God write on it? What will we write? We cannot know now, but we do know that God is good and has prepared a course for us that will move us upwards and onward, no matter how it may appear.
Hebrews 12:1&2 has been a great help to me this year, assuring me that God has laid out a race for us and that Jesus is running with us. It gives us the perspective needed to realize what great roles He has offered us in the midst of distressful happenings.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,”
[Indications are that we are being watched by many: certainly angels, demons and maybe those who have gone on before us who lean over the balcony of heaven to cheer us on, as well as the people who see us every day. We are not hidden in a corner, but are in the stadium, running for God, and our performance matters.]
“let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
[Realizing our role, we should eagerly look to jettison anything that prevents us from running well. This could range from too much phone/TV/movie/game time, to sin we are willfully engaging in. Like a runner shedding his street clothes, stripping down to just the essentials, so we should eagerly give up what hampers us in this race for life.]
“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”
[It’s clear: God has set out a course for each of us; nothing is random, we cannot get lost as long as we follow the path before us as it twists and turns, dips and climbs. The race will require perseverance, and endurance, but God gives those, too. Are we going to run or will we sit and feel sorry for ourselves when the climb is steep or the mud is deep?]
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”
[Jesus is running with us! And as we run, we are to keep our eyes on him, not circumstances, other people or our feelings. When we encounter difficulties, we can know they are for the development of our faith as Jesus works to mature and perfect it.]
“For the joy set before him, he [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
[We need to have Jesus’ attitude. As He faced the cross, He looked beyond to where he would be seated again with God. We, too, need to look to where we are going (eternity with God), to count as nothing the shame we and the world try to heap on us, and to rest in the Truth of the coming new Heaven and new Earth.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Christian, meditate much on heaven, it will help you to press on and to forget the toil of the way. This vale of tears is but the pathway to the better country; this world of woe is but the stepping stone to a world of bliss.”
So true! So let us run with perseverance and endurance the race He has set before us for this day, keeping the big picture in mind, laying aside whatever hinders us, looking to Him, trusting Him, praising Him in all, following Him–and we will fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring Him before all.