Skip to main content

Monday... This is what I really appreciate.


Monday... This is what I really appreciate. This is what I really appreciate about the Psalms. This is why I read a Psalm everyday.

This is how Psalm 13 starts. It says in verse 1 (NLT) what you may be feeling today. This is how David, the writer of this Psalm starts. He says, "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?" This is David talking to God and I'm sure some of us are feeling this way but afraid to say it. Is this what you are feeling as you start this new day, this new work week?

I really do appreciate the honesty of the Psalms. They seem to start where each of us are and they seem to allow us to feel what we feel but they don't stop there.

Normal was something that we thought we were going to eventually have. But we're not sure what that means normal now means, do we? "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" But that is not the last verse in this Psalm. That is where we start but we don't need to stop there though many people who don't have faith will end there. 

Now if you have read the story of King David you understand why he starts here and if we could see your story today we would also understand what you may be feeling but David didn't stop there.

He goes on. Verse 2 says, "How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?" Those are honest questions and they sometimes need to be asked. 

He continues, verses 3 & 4 say, "Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. Don't let my enemies gloat saying, 'We have defeated him!' Don't let them rejoice at my downfall."

It is so easy for us to just whine and stop there. No, David continues and he ask God to do something and David was specific. 

And then David brings power to his request. He says in verses 5 & 6, "But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me." I trust you God even in what is happening to me. I know you love me with unfailing love and everything that is happening to me must go through your unfailing love. So I am going to sing, I'm going to rejoice because I know that you have been good to me in the past and I know that you are good to me now and that you will be good to me in the future.

I appreciate the Psalms because they show me how to change my perspective in what I am going through.

Again, "But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me." Now that is the way to begin a new day, a new week.Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is!

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is! Look at this, Proverbs 5:21-23 (CEV) says, "The Lord sees everything, and he watches us closely. Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds. They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control." That is true of so many. Now look at this, Luke 15:1-7 says, "Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, 'This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this story: If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? And when you find it, you will put it on your shoulder and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, 'Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep.' Jesus said, 'In the same way there is mo...

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call  out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...