Todays Beginning

Psalm 6:9 (NLT), "The Lord heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer." Wednesday... Today is a great day. Oh yes, we have a winner in the Presidential election but that is not what I was thinking about. This is one of the great weeks in my life. Today is my wife, Margaret's birthday and on Saturday, 50 years ago we were married. Now that makes today and Saturday two of the greatest days for sure in my life. Yes, "The Lord heard my plea." and I'm sure if you have a relationship with God you too have had times when you know that God has heard your pleas. And Margaret, definitely was an answer to my plea, my prayer. Now there are two situations in this verse. One is that the Lord heard our plea and that builds confidence. Can you look back and remember when the Lord heard a plea from you? Oh, I'm sure there are so many of them and the looking back and remembering and thanking God builds confidence so you can know that  the Lord will, will, will answer y

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly." Tuesday... So let's get started. This is such an important day. And a great place to start today, election day, is in prayer. Verse 3 says, ""Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly." KIng David here in verses 1-2 says, "O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, My King and my God, for I pray to no one but you." Now there are a whole lot of people here in our nation who are definitely groaning. And there are Christians on both side who are praying for their candidate to win. And that is understandable. So what does God do? Now God sees the whole picture. He sees what our nation really does need and he sees all of the possibilities and the outcomes and he also sees the consequences and the benefits of our choices. Later in verse

Psalm 4:6 (NLT), "Many people will say, 'Who will show us better times?' Let your face smile on us, Lord." Monday... So, who will really do it? Good question, especially before our Presidential election tomorrow here in the United States. But is it really up to them? Will they really be the ones who do it? Well, this thought in my reading in the Psalms this morning gives those of us who are followers of God a different perspective. Yes, God does use people but is it really isn't up to them. Verses 7 & 8 says, "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Yes, "you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Do we really believe that? I mean there will be Christ followers who will be devastated if their candidate loses. They really will.  Oh I know, we have listened to what each candidate has said and we believe them in what th

Psalm 1:3b (AMP), "And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]." Friday... Oh we love this! We love to take portions of scripture and revel in what they say. But many times it is not the whole story. The principle of cause and effect is so important. But many in the day in which we live want the benefit without living out the cause. And that is a real problem Now here is the whole, the cause. Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT) says, "O the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in the mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night." In other words, they read and do what the Bible says. Verse 2 in the Amplified Bible says, "And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night." That is what we do and then this is what we get. Verse 3 says, "And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, which yields its fr