1July2009
Posted by Myra under: Worship; Love; Faith.
Mid morning I received a text from a friend! She is in Idaho and of course I am in Tennessee! She had asked me if I had seen the marriage announcement and photos of her granddaughter? Well I found online the photos and sent her back a text that simply said, “you must sing a loud song of praise!
No matter if there is a wedding celebration or just a beautiful sunset- we must sing a song of praise! Don’t forget praise is celebration, rejoicing about what God is doing in our lives, the lives of others as well as just praising God because of “who” He is!
How about you? Have you ever sang a song of praise?
Read the following scripture and learn how David sang a song of praise! Perhaps you will grasp the level of his praise and begin to sing your own song of praise simply because of God’s goodness and faithfulness.
This is a lengthy amount of scripture but it is exciting to read!
Charles Finney reminds us all….”A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart.”
2 Samuel 22
David’s Song of Praise
1 David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
2- He said:
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3- my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent men you save me.
4- I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
5 -”The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 -The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7- In my distress I called to the LORD;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8- “The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9- Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
10- He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
11- He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
12- He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
13- Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14- The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15- He shot arrows and scattered the enemies ,
bolts of lightning and routed them.
16- The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the LORD,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
17- “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18- He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19- They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
20- He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21- “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22- For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23- All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
24- I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
25- The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26- “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27- to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
28- You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29- You are my lamp, O LORD;
the LORD turns my darkness into light.
30- With your help I can advance against a troop ;
with my God I can scale a wall.
31- “As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.
32- For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?
33- It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
34- He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
35- He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36- You give me your shield of victory;
you stoop down to make me great.
37-You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.
38- “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39- I crushed them completely, and they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
40- You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet.
41- You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.
43- I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.
44 -”You have delivered me from the attacks of my people;
you have preserved me as the head of nations.
People I did not know are subject to me,
45- and foreigners come cringing to me;
as soon as they hear me, they obey me.
46- They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
47- “The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!
48- He is the God who avenges me,
who puts the nations under me,
49- who sets me free from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men you rescued me.
50 -Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing praises to your name.
51- He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”
Tags: accountability, praise, trust
30June2009
Posted by Myra under: Wisdom; Hope.
Psalm 30:10-12
10- Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help.”
11- You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12- that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
A couple weeks ago when my friend wrote me she was trying to explain how deeply grieved and sad she was that her Jack Russell Terrier was dying. Frosty had been a companion through many years. But my friend had to make a grave decision by giving vets permission to put Frosty down. She said the phone rang at 10:30 the night before I received her email– stating that Frosty was suffering and a decision had to be made over the phone because the vet was not in the same city.
Sadly my friend made the decision that was best for Frosty. Her heart grieved over her loss as if a part of her life was back-tracking to the time Frosty was just a wild, and happy puppy. But eventually over a couple weeks my friend said she had prayed and sought God’s help and her tears were no longer falling.
God turned this hardship and loss around and turned my friend’s sorrow into dancing so that she could move forward with her other dogs Darla and Clover. But in her heart she knew all the kindness and love that she had given Frosty over the past few years and God did help her overcome her grief.
How are you doing? Are you in a time of sorrow? Re-read the verses above and ask God to turn you away from sorrow and to make your heart and mind joyful. Let someone know about your sorrow so that they can pray for you and encourage you. My friend decided to let go of sorrow and turned to God for help and she can now rejoice because God had given her fond memories with Frosty and she moves forward every day!
Are you moving forward are are you stuck? How can we pray for you?
Charles Spurgeon said…..”Go forth today, by the help of God’s Spirit, vowing and declaring that in life—-come poverty, come wealth, in death—come pain or come what may, you are and ever must be the Lord’s. For this is written on your heart, ‘We love Him because He first loved us.’”
Tags: accountability, focus, trust
29June2009
Posted by Myra under: Obedience; Wisdom; Faith.
How is life going for you?
That is a real question we must ask ourselves? We must stay in tune with our thoughts and feelings! God’s commands direct us and if we truly seek God with our whole heart then He reigns! We must look inward before we look outward. Our purpose for knowing God and following Him is to fellowship with Him and share the good news of eternal life to those we are capable of knowing.
Are you following God’s commands? Are you focusing on eternal things not seen? or are you captivated by things that are seen? As your read the following verses– pray– ask God to direct your steps!
Perhaps it is time to surrender your selfishness and begin to live a selfless life! What is important? What really matters?
Isaiah 52:6-8
6- Therefore my people will know my name;
therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it.
Yes, it is I.”
7- How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
8- Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy.
When the LORD returns to Zion,
they will see it with their own eyes.
1 Samuel 12:14-15
14- If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God-good!
15- But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
A.W. Tozer wrote…..”Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ.”
Tags: accountability, faith, focus, trust
26June2009
Posted by Myra under: Ministry; Wisdom; Love; Faith.
One thing I enjoy is keeping in touch with people. It is most difficult when people refuse to opt out of communicating! It is at that point I choose to let go and allow freedom between myself and those who will not respond to messages or phone calls. Keeping in touch with God is the most pleasurable. No matter my location or state of mind God is always willing and ready for us to communicate with Him.
Today we are back on-line to communicate with you. Thank you for checking in on our blog! We were attending the SBC Convention last week and there was little time to blog.
We were both blessed by the sweet Spirit of Christ in those meetings as business was taken care of. Yes, change is coming for SBC as it should. There are places where change must take place so that God can restore hearts and minds to the task of “true” ministry of spreading the gospel of Christ to all people groups.
Keeping in touch is vital for the SBC churches to stand spiritually strong and for the sake of encouragement and to keep on task of sharing the good news of Christ to all people groups. The following scripture reminds us the importance of assembling together for the sake of staying in tune with God’s plan!
Deuteronomy 31:12-13
12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Tags: awakening, change, guidance, salvation
