Psalm 147
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the Lord!
Mary would recognize Psalm 147 for coming through the very difficult time of almost being stoned. With the help of Jesus, Mary did all of this in her recovery. Mary was very interesting to the Sadducean Council, and because the history of their interest in Mary, we know Luke 3 is the family tree of Mary, whose father's only remembrance in the Bible is being Heli, the descendant of David's non-king sons.
Mary rose in fame and Biblical proportion just as she prophetically said in Luke 1. So Mary was a Prophet of God, with some amazingly more accurate help. More than Joseph's forefather Hezekiah in Isaiah. Mary's help was Jesus, the Son of God.
Ok, what does that have to do with us today? Mary said something interesting about health. We are all concerned about Alzheimer, Dementia and the branches of brain health.
Mary comments on this, Luke 1. Remember God said we shall live on 'Every Word of God'.
51b he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
And John the Baptist had something to say about clarity also.
Make Straight Paths to the Lord.
Mary says pride makes plans and the confusion of those plans causes scattered thinking.
John the Baptist says surround ourselves with honesty, godly people, do good, stay on His Path, be honest about troubles and prayers, be Light bearers who believe God's Plan is a Hope and a Future. Joy of the Lord.
One of the reasons history is interesting is we look to those in history, see their difficulties and have hope. Jesus and Abba decided a Royal story of kings would cause us to have interest. Combined with the Anarchy of the time and Book of Judges - where all do what feels right to them - makes the nation of Israel beset by the tyranny of evil men. God causes the kings to be shepherds, but because they are not Jesus, problems ensue. God hopes the problems are interesting.
So, let's go with Seed Parables. I can't tell you the stories of your grandparents and what you learned about them or your great grandparents, so let's go with some life stories we can see.
James Brown. b. 1933 That man was worn down. He was constantly trying to be a leader. Hiding his insecurities, performing boldly. He started out with singing the Gospel. Calming the civil rights outbreaks, called a hero and asked to meet with President Nixon. Brown felt life was rolling all over him. Like Mary said, scattered all over like David being King. Had to keep up appearances.
In the beginning of his fame, he fired many band members for drugs. More time, more pain, a loss of a child. And Brown began outdoing women with his drug use. Fame wore him down and out. His Will is still in contest because all of the women, marriages and children wanted a chunk out of him. As he passed on, he said, "I'm going away tonight", and then took three long, quiet breaths and fell asleep before dying. Died in his early seventies.
The fact of the matter is, you don't give up what's natural. Anything I've fantasized about, I've done. Ray Charles
Ray Charles, b 1930 felt, like Johnny Cash, he was responsible for the drowning death of his sibling. Ray coped with the hallucinations of the death with heroin. Many children were also born to him. His success was in reinventing himself, but this was clouded by drugs. He re surged with "America The Beautiful". Which actually was Gospel music.
Ray grew up. Ray also died in his early seventies and left a wonderful philanthropy to the deaf for all hearing and music had brought him. I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't been able to hear. Ray Charles
Affluence separates people. Ray Charles and he didn't tell people that he had hallucinations of his younger brother he medicated with Heroin.
I did it to myself. It wasn't society... it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing. Ray Charles
Eventually, Ray was worn down by liver disease.
I'm a firm believer in God himself, but that's as far as I can go. I'm not any denomination. I'm not Catholic or Presbyterian or Baptist or Methodist or Jewish or Muslim. I'm none of those things. And I'm sure that's just fine with God. Ray Charles
Elvis Presley, b 1935, started in Gospel Music and was pushed like a money machine. He was attacked on stage and wondered if the Beatles had anything to do with it. Learned Karate to be safe. The Karate Instructor had an affair with his wife (Elvis was constantly raving and screaming) and in the resulting down turn was used in all aspects of the gravy train hangers-on to stay stoned. He had two or three overdoses before he died. A singer, an entertainer, and unheard.
Mary would say they were scattered. All lives end. But these men were trying so hard to be all that, that the "all that" ate them.
"I'm a Christian. Don't put me in another box."
Johnny, b. 1932, and June Cash were married for 35 years, died within months of each other. Johnny overcame his guilt over his brother's drowning. Did a long time with drugs, repented loudly and went to rehab. The children, the drugs - he regretted the way he kind of let his career slip away and he thought he lost his legacy until this final round of recordings.
Those final recordings included "Hurt" from a hit by Nine Inch Nails. It was one of many late-in-life collaborations with producer Rick Rubin. Their last album released in 2003, the year Cash died, sold more than 2 million copies, renewing his legacy as an artist and a star.
Cash is credited with converting actor and singer John Schneider to Christianity.
People say about Johnny Cash, "In the end it all came back. The children, he had their love. June and Johnny could not have been better off. The fans came back. So on his deathbed, Johnny Cash who always said, 'you can be redeemed,' Johnny Cash was redeemed. he fought long and hard to overcome." He fell. He rose.
If you roll all these life stories together, what you have is a few stories we are privileged to know about. People with struggles. And the one with hope - inspires others to hope - God will hear them and give them encouragement every day to bring more Heaven to earth.
Jesus breaks the Chains. The name of Jesus breaks the chains.
Father God,
Life pushes and pulls us. Just when we have hold of the good times, the old wine, suddenly the new wine of new situations and troubles arrive. Mortality and life crisis pull and push.
There is great peace in being a Child of the King and waiting upon Him. Remember to smile at the end of the day as you pray. If you really tried to please Father God - He is pleased. On His Great Love ~ we can rely, rejoice, depend, unfurl, and rest here.
For this we pray, for His blessing of health and peace upon us.
We will wait upon the Lord, Wait upon the Lord. He will raise our horn. Like the Festival Call. We will let His fresh oil renew us.
You tell us, Father God, the righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
We, in Jesus Christ, are planted in the house of our God, our God.
We will flourish in the courts of our God.
We will still bear fruit in old age; we are ever full of sap and green, declaring the Lord is upright!
Father Abba, is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him!
We lift up to You, our concerns for health and family. The ones we love, our people, our Nation, the concerns of people of Jesus Christ. Giving thanks to get a phone call from my mom. Off of oxygen. Talked to her twice, the first time she got to the point she could hear me. We will hope and pray for restoration of her ears. And my ear infections are lessening.
From birth day to long life, that we are passing easily to His Kingdom without suffering - to end well in Jesus, we pray. And give thanks smart Catholics pray this in Church, every Sunday. Father God sends out his command to the earth, and we live by His Word!
Our Amens are always in Jesus. Alleluia.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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