Another update: Barbara is much better, coherent, able to get up and ready to come home. Hopefully tomorrow (Wed) the doctor will release her. Thanks for your prayers.

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Psalm 62: 5 goes on to say, “my hope comes from him.”

[Again, this statement is a bit different from verse one (“my salvation comes from him”). Here is the hope, the certainty of receiving what we desire: rest. But we need to go beyond this, to turn from our desire for rest to desiring the One who can grant it.

As it says in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.” You, Lord, are to be the focus of our affections; then you can safely give us good things, knowing that they will not become idols.

And as we trust, the power of the Spirit comes into our situation; as we intentionally find our rest in you, Lord; then you pour out all kinds of goodness in our lives.]

We can trust you because you are Elohim, the incredibly powerful and persistently faithful One. You show your power in creation–you are the star Breather, the galaxy Former, the planet Hanger, the earth Spinner, the dawn Bringer. You are great beyond comprehension.

And you are the fully faithful One–you promise and it happens; you plan and it comes to pass, you speak and it comes to be. At the right time you came to be our Savior for eternity; and at the right moment you also save us in our daily lives.

Therefore, in the midst of present uncertainty and disappointments, I choose now to embrace your character as Elohim–the powerful and faithful One–for you know what you are doing as you shape, guide, change and transform my life. I gladly join you.

Update on Barbara. The doctors are doing their job and have found that, in addition to Parkinson’s, her thyroid is not doing well and she has a urinary infection and very low body temperature. In the words of the nurse, “She is very sick!”

They have moved her to an area that  is one step below ICU to give her closer attention. Today’s devotional is very applicable for me,  Trusting in God, resting in His goodness.

Psalm 33:22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,”

[Praise you that your love never fails, that your consistency never fades, that you character never changes. Praise you for your promise that your love will rest upon us now, today, in every moment of need, and on into forever!]

“even as we put our hope in you.”

[Again you remind us that this is a partnership: you provide all, you wait for our participation, our choosing to hope in you. May our daily decision be to hope in you and may that hope ever be evidenced by persistent praise in our hearts, minds, souls and mouths.

To you be glory forever and ever, Lord Jesus, King of Glory, Lord of lords, Shepherd of power and God of love. I bow before you now in awe and respect, I rise up in submission and obedience to your, your Word, your Spirit, your Truth. Glorify yourself in my life today.

Psalm 33:20 “We wait in hope for the LORD;”

[Instead of trying to save ourselves in our feeble strength, it is much wiser to pray and wait for you to act, Lord, and then join you in it.

Sometimes we wait for a long time, but you are faithful and will act at the right time, just as you did with Joseph. You kept him in prison until he had learned all that was necessary. Then at the right moment you brought him out, ready for the great work for which you had prepared him.

In you there is hope, a certainty of provision at the right time, the hope of love moved by wisdom and power to bring about what is best.]

“he is our help and our shield.”

[Your mighty, majestic power moves in love to support us in our weakness. You consistently pour out grace, wisdom, insight, peace, joy and rest upon us. Out of your superb strength you move to shield us from the attacks of the enemy, from all that would harm us spiritually.  You hold your hand of power over us to ward off the evil one and evil men. Only you are our true help and shield.]

You are the God who is beyond our dreams, beyond our hopes, beyond our understanding. You are Great and Powerful, Glorious and Perfect, Gracious and Pure. You are the fulfillment of every longing of our hearts and far more. Glory and honor certainly belong to you alone! May they flow from my life to you today.]

Psalm 33:19 “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him…to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.”

King Jehoshaphat demonstrated this for us in 2 Chronicles 20 when he was suddenly confronted by a massive invading army. He chose to fear you rather than the enemy and demonstrated this by immediately coming to you for help and guidance rather than turning first to his generals. He proclaimed a fast and called all of Judah to prayer with h

He then demonstrated his trust of you by sending a choir out before his army to sing praises to you. And as the choir began to sing, you caused the enemy soldiers to turn on each other and the whole attacking army was destroyed.

You saved Jehoshaphat and his people by

–your power

–poured out in response to praise

–generated by trust

–flowing from fearing you.]

Lord help us to find our hope in you, to fear you rather than whatever threatens us. Help us to actively trust you by coming to you first in any challenge, and by offering praise to your name instead of complaining and living in fear, hopelessness and despair.

May we walk in the light of the truth that, “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining on ever more brightly until the full light of day” (Prov. 4:18).

Psalm 33:18 “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,”

[It is wise to choose to fear and reverence You, Lord, rather than people. This means to stand in awe of your wisdom, to care deeply what you think about each thing, and to live in submission to your Truth rather than culture or personal preference. Fearing you leads us to choose what is right, rather than just what is comfortable.

Our hope must be in your gracious and good heart of love, not in people, or circumstances or our own efforts. We must choose to come to you in each situation, to seek your help, to rest in and trust in you. Then you will act on our behalf. You call us to an active partnership role, to live in responses of faith.

This is a timely challenge for me as my wife has been tentatively diagnosed with Parkinson’s. In just two weeks she has plunged from being  pretty much self-caring to needing help with everything: dressing, bathroom, talking and walking. We will see a physical therapist on Monday who specializes in helping patients with Parkinson’s disease. We are also waiting for an appointment with a neurologist so she can be prescribed the necessary meds that will slow the downward slide. Please pray with us for an appointment soon.

This is the time for a big shift in our lives, letting go of many things I will no longer be able to do, for my focus is to be caring for Barbara. And I do this willingly, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving., for God has a plan in this.

What a wonderful security to be in the hands of our wonderful God, with whom we can live the truth that Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy no matter what the circumstance.