Skip to main content

Monday... Our language can be so confusing.


Monday... Our language can be so confusing.

Look at Psalm 34 and what King David says.

In verse 4 he says, "I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me, He freed me from my fears." Now we need to know that. Many wake up each morning and go to bed each night with great fears. Those fears can even keep us awake. There are so many fears so we need to know that we can pray to God and tell him what fears we have and know that he will answer us and free us from the bondage of our fears. And yes he will.


Verse 6 says, "In desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles." That is so awesome. It really is. But then verse 7 says, "For the angel of the Lord defends all who fear him." Wait a minute, I am suppose to fear God? That is so confusing. 

But those are two different kinds of fears. Now the first one is a fear that we really do need to deal with. Yes, we need to pray, we need to reach out to God but then we also may need to reach out and share those deep fears that hold us in bandage with others who can really help us. We need to tell God but also someone else. We don't need to handle those fears alone. And there are so many different types of things we can reach out to to cover our fears and then we get in bondage to those addictions. Yes we need to pray and then to reach out. And God has provided a great place called Church to reach out to. Our church has a great prayer ministry and so many support groups and Celebrate Recovery that helps with those addictions.  Yes, Church is a place but it is also a group of people who have a relationship with God and are an extension of God. In your prayer ask God where to go to find what you need.

But then back to the other fear, the fear of God. Verse 7 in the Amplified Bible says it this way. "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience] and He rescues each of them." Now that is a different kind of fear, isn't it? It is an awe-inspired reverence and a worship of Him with obedience.

Now I was afraid of what my father would do to me if I disobeyed him but I also knew that he loved me and I loved him and that made all the difference. I didn't want to displease him so I did all I could to do what he said because I knew that he really loved me. Now that is not true of every father but it was with mine and it is also true of our Heavenly Father. And that fear and trust and love has kept me on the right path.

Look at verses 8-9, "O taste and see the the Lord [our God] is good; how blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who take refuge in Him. O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones); for to those who fear Him there is no want."

Yes, our language can be so confusing. But His Word and His Spirit can show us what He means. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more