Friday... "But then" can make such a difference.

Psalm 77:11 (NLT), "But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago."

Friday... "But then" can make such a difference.

So how is your friday going? Did you wake up in a mess and it just doesn't seem to be getting better?

For those living in LA this is one of those times. I have lived there two different times and I have gone through some fires but nothing like what is happening right now. We turned the TV on last night and saw a house burning in Studio City just off of Coldwater Canyon. We live closed to where that fire was burning. Now when I lived there there were many fires "but then" they alway finally stopped.

Now the words, "but then" are such a tremendous set of words. There are some people who never get to the "but thens" of life. They live in the deep troubles and that is where this Psalmist starts in Psalm 77:1-3 (NLT) by saying, "I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I am in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help." And that is where so many people live and will live the rest of their lives.

But I want you to know that "but then" can make such a difference when we quit living in the "when I was in deep trouble."

I love the Psalms they start with the "when I was in deep trouble" but they don't stop there. You just need to keep reading.

Verse 11 says, "But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago."

Verses 10-12 says, "And I said, 'This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me.' But then I recall all you have done, O Lord. I remember your deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts, I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works." We just need to keep reading and remembering and recalling.

It is a very good practice to start our day not with requesting but with thanking. It make such a difference recalling the good things of yesterday that God did for you and thanking him as you start your day. That helps so much in your having hope in the deep troubles you are facing. Now it may be difficult to find the good but it is there. And then thinking about what God is like and praising him gives you confidence and faith as you then give him your requests. That goes a long way in breaking the living in the despairs of our lives. Life is tough.

The Psalmist goes on in verses 13-15. He says, "O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph."

I am almost at the end in Genesis of the story of Jacob and Joseph. Today I read in Genesis 48:21, "Then Jacob said to Joseph, 'Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to Canaan, the land of your ancestors.'" It is such an amazing story. Verses 14-15 of Psalm 77 in The Message says, "You're the God who makes things happen; you showed everyone what you can do - You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble, rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph."

Now this is a great way to start your day by thanking God, by praising him for who he is, recalling what he has done by reading the Bible and then asking him with faith and confidence. Yes, "But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago." Yes, "But then" can make such a difference. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but...

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but... We each one have our own way of explaining what we are going through, don't we? Some of us are maximisers, other are minimizers and neither one is better. We each one are different and we see what we are facing differently but no matter what it is and how you see it and describe it, God can handle it! Now the writer of Psalm 46 shows the extremes. In verse 1 he states the basic reality and then he moves on into our fears and he maximizes them to make sure we really understand. Here is what Psalm 46:1-3 (NLT) says, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" So what do you fear? The Amplified Bible says verse 1 this way, "God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable], a very presen...

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...

Wednesday... It didn't just happen.

Psalm 16;10 (NLT), "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." Wednesday... It didn't just happen. We are headed into a weekend of deep emotion. One that we really really love was killed and it didn't just happen. David in Psalm 16:10 (NLT) writes of this happening. He says about God, "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." We read over in the Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament in the Bible of the life of God's Son who came to earth to be our sacrifice so that our soul would not be left among the dead. Jesus came so that we wouldn't have to be buried at death and just left there. But he also shares that Jesus who was going to be killed as a sacrifice for our sins would not have to rot in a grave. David many generations before foretold this and that is what happened. Now that had to be a God thing. We can guess a lot about our future and we d...

Todays Beginning

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