Psalm 119:73-176 ~ I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

Psalm 119:73-176 

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Yodh

73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;

give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,

because I have hoped in your word.

75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,

and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

76 Let your steadfast love comfort me

according to your promise to your servant.

77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;

for your law is my delight.

78 Let the insolent be put to shame,

because they have wronged me with falsehood;

as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.

79 Let those who fear you turn to me,

that they may know your testimonies.

80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes,

that I may not be put to shame!

Kaph

81 My soul longs for your salvation;

I hope in your word.

82 My eyes long for your promise;

I ask, “When will you comfort me?”

83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,

yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

84 How long must your servant endure?

 [How many are the days of your servant?]

When will you judge those who persecute me?

85 The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;

they do not live according to your law.

86 All your commandments are sure;

they persecute me with falsehood; help me!

87 They have almost made an end of me on earth,

but I have not forsaken your precepts.

88 In your steadfast love give me life,

that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

Lamedh

89 Forever, O Lord, your word

is firmly fixed in the heavens.

90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;

you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

91 By your appointment they stand this day,

for all things are your servants.

92 If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

93 I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have given me life.

94 I am yours; save me,

for I have sought your precepts.

95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,

but I consider your testimonies.

96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,

but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Mem

97 Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,

for it is ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,

for your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the aged, [the elders]

for I keep your precepts.

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,

in order to keep your word.

102 I do not turn aside from your rules,

for you have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through your precepts I get understanding;

therefore I hate every false way.

Nun

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,

to keep your righteous rules.

107 I am severely afflicted;

give me life, O Lord, according to your word!

108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,

and teach me your rules.

109 I hold my life in my hand continually,

but I do not forget your law.

110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,

but I do not stray from your precepts.

111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,

for they are the joy of my heart.

112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes

forever, to the end.

[statutes; the reward is eternal]

Samekh

113 I hate the double-minded,

but I love your law.

114 You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in your word.

115 Depart from me, you evildoers,

that I may keep the commandments of my God.

116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,

and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

117 Hold me up, that I may be safe

and have regard for your statutes continually!

118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,

for their cunning is in vain.

119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,

therefore I love your testimonies.

120 My flesh trembles for fear of you,

and I am afraid of your judgments.

Ayin

121 I have done what is just and right;

do not leave me to my oppressors.

122 Give your servant a pledge of good;

let not the insolent oppress me.

123 My eyes long for your salvation

and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.

124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,

and teach me your statutes.

125 I am your servant; give me understanding,

that I may know your testimonies!

126 It is time for the Lord to act,

for your law has been broken.

127 Therefore I love your commandments

above gold, above fine gold.

128 Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;

I hate every false way.

Pe

129 Your testimonies are wonderful;

therefore my soul keeps them.

130 The unfolding of your words gives light;

it imparts understanding to the simple.

131 I open my mouth and pant,

because I long for your commandments.

132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,

as is your way with those who love your name.

133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise,

and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

134 Redeem me from man's oppression,

that I may keep your precepts.

135 Make your face shine upon your servant,

and teach me your statutes.

136 My eyes shed streams of tears,

because people do not keep your law.

Tsadhe

137 Righteous are you, O Lord,

and right are your rules.

138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness

and in all faithfulness.

139 My zeal consumes me,

because my foes forget your words.

140 Your promise is well tried,

and your servant loves it.

141 I am small and despised,

yet I do not forget your precepts.

142 Your righteousness is righteous forever,

and your law is true.

143 Trouble and anguish have found me out,

but your commandments are my delight.

144 Your testimonies are righteous forever;

give me understanding that I may live.

Qoph

145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!

I will keep your statutes.

146 I call to you; save me,

that I may observe your testimonies.

147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I hope in your words.

148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,

that I may meditate on your promise.

149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;

O Lord, according to your justice give me life.

150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;

they are far from your law.

151 But you are near, O Lord,

and all your commandments are true.

152 Long have I known from your testimonies

that you have founded them forever.

Resh

153 Look on my affliction and deliver me,

for I do not forget your law.

154 Plead my cause and redeem me;

give me life according to your promise!

155 Salvation is far from the wicked,

for they do not seek your statutes.

156 Great is your mercy, O Lord;

give me life according to your rules.

157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,

but I do not swerve from your testimonies.

158 I look at the faithless with disgust,

because they do not keep your commands.

159 Consider how I love your precepts!

Give me life according to your steadfast love.

160 The sum of your word is truth,

and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

Sin and Shin

161 Princes persecute me without cause,

but my heart stands in awe of your words.

162 I rejoice at your word

like one who finds great spoil.

163 I hate and abhor falsehood,

but I love your law.

164 Seven times a day I praise you

for your righteous rules.

165 Great peace have those who love your law;

nothing can make them stumble.

166 I hope for your salvation, O Lord,

and I do your commandments.

167 My soul keeps your testimonies;

I love them exceedingly.

168 I keep your precepts and testimonies,

for all my ways are before you.

Taw

169 Let my cry come before you, O Lord;

give me understanding according to your word!

170 Let my plea come before you;

deliver me according to your word.

171 My lips will pour forth praise,

for you teach me your statutes.

172 My tongue will sing of your word,

for all your commandments are right.

173 Let your hand be ready to help me,

for I have chosen your precepts.

174 I long for your salvation, O Lord,

and your law is my delight.

175 Let my soul live and praise you,

and let your rules help me.

176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,

for I do not forget your commandments.

Each of the 22 sections of Psalm 119 has a letter as the title, a song to sing as they approached the Temple stairs or progressed towards the Tent of God. Several sections seems to say the Psalmist is convinced of self-righteousness and God would do well to bless the Psalmist’s supplication.  This is really meant as corporate worship. The Psalm ends with a sympathetic prayer, even if the commandments are all followed, there is a gap between spiritual worthiness and love.  Far better than the cries of righteousness, knowing God loves us and will come to find us in our times of need.

It would be presumptuous of just one individual to express worthiness. This is one of the prayers of the entire Community, the Temple of the Lord.  When Paul thought about worthiness, he wrote he knew he was a sinner. We know we sin, and sometimes it is the actions and thoughts of self-centeredness, innate in our characters from birth.

This Psalm isn't just the petition of the worthy, but in placing our prayers together, we are the community Jesus told his disciples that some prayer petitions require prayer and fasting. This is the strength of community prayer.

Jesus would agree prayer is not repetition.  He asked us to offer praise to God. Not acknowledge our holiness, but His.  The Lord’s will and wisdom first. To ask God to supply our concerns. To give mercy, as well as rely upon God’s mercy. For the Lord to protect us from evil and temptation. To live for the glory of God. And the Shepherd, who is good, will find us. 

Pray, and let God worry 

- Martin Luther

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Joel 3:12-21 ~ And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim.

Joel 3:12-21 

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12 Let the nations stir themselves up

and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

for there I will sit to judge

all the surrounding nations.

13 Put in the sickle,

for the harvest is ripe.

Go in, tread,

for the winepress is full.

The vats overflow,

for their evil is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes,

in the valley of decision!

For the day of the Lord is near

in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon are darkened,

and the stars withdraw their shining.

16 The Lord roars from Zion,

and utters his voice from Jerusalem,

and the heavens and the earth quake.

But the Lord is a refuge to his people,

a stronghold to the people of Israel.

17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,

who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.

And Jerusalem shall be holy,

and strangers shall never again pass through it.

18 “And in that day

the mountains shall drip sweet wine,

and the hills shall flow with milk,

and all the streambeds of Judah

shall flow with water;

and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord

and water the Valley of Shittim.

19 “Egypt shall become a desolation

and Edom a desolate wilderness,

for the violence done to the people of Judah,

because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah shall be inhabited forever,

and Jerusalem to all generations.

21 I will avenge their blood,

blood I have not avenged,

[Or I will acquit their bloodguilt that I have not acquitted]

for the Lord dwells in Zion.” 

The Scriptures repeat themselves again and again. It’s a blessing.

Matthew 25:31-36

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Two things in life are certain – death and taxes. But if you die this year, your pockets will belong to someone else and they get to pay. Another truism failed.  So instead we realize…. we are all going to leave this life. 

When doubts come to me, I remember what I believe. 

I remember my grandmother’s dreams of Heaven, with her husband Ray waiting for her.  The fruit of her dreams -  peace and joy. She spoke about her dreams for the rest of her time on earth.  What were her dreams? The gift of God for her faith.  Her faith came first. Before her dreams.

When the Day of the Lord is at Hand

Unfortunately, maybe instead you have seen death avoidance modeled to you. Have you seen relatives and friends avoid a death bed? If you avoid it, it will stay away from you. Right. Death is part of the plan. It is only a comma. When we trust in Jesus Christ, we have already attained eternal life. 

I’ve been part of death 6 times, intimately with loved family, in 4 decades. Each time I have marveled at the peace surrounding death. As I’ve driven home from the dying, I wondered at the Ecclesiastes time passage – a time to be born, a time to die.  God usually provided a peace for this time. How many times does He provide?

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Revelation 15:3

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!

Revelation 15:4

Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 21:23-25

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

For whom will this salvation occur?

Jesus said:

John 10:9

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

1 John 4:10

 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 10:10-13

 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Luke 11:15-26 ~ whoever is not with me scatters

Jesus the Good Shepherd, by Del Parson

Luke 11:15-26

English Standard Version, Max McLean

15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

I really like October. I love to garden and October coolness brings new invitation to open windows and sit outside. I’m not fond of the increase of supernatural media that Halloween brings. So what. We approach “Thee Super Natural” every time we open our minds to prayer. And we aren’t fooling around with “From goulies & ghosties, long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us!” When we pray.


You know why you don’t hear a sermon on the 700 exorcisms in London each year; you know why you don’t hear a sermon on the exorcisms priests have told about in Dallas? Because a man of God has no reason to go to faith through the back door. These things that go bump in the night exist. So what.

“When danger lurks, what kind of protection do you seek? Jesus came to free us from the greatest danger of all – the corrupting force of evil which destroys us from within and makes us slaves to sin and Satan (John 8:34). Evil is not an impersonal force that just happens.” ~ Don Schwager

Philippians 2:9-10
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth

Matthew 16:18
I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

John 1:4-5
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Father God, You are the Light of the World. In all circumstances You are there. In You, we live, move and have our dwelling. Happy, joyous, filled, hopeful, loving, sincere, moved and grateful are those who take refuge in You. You gather us as chicks under Your wing. You are the LORD - Jesus Christ. Amazing grace, You have given us in Jesus. Amen.

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Jonah 4 ~ save him

Nineveh is almost in the center of the orange Assyrian Nation

Probably Jonah sat under a Castor Oil plant

Jonah painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti in the Sistine Chapel

Jonah 4
Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, [it was exceedingly evil to Jonah] and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant [probably the castor oil plant] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort [his evil]. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Jonah had an enemy. He really did not want the Chaldeans/Assyrian /Babylonian Nation to receive mercy or to be part of their forgiveness. Judah had fallen from being the golden state of Israel and was divided, merely hoping and hopping along. Successive kings had done evil, the Scriptures had been lost and reclaimed. Various Empires threaten peace and security.

We experience this from time to time, envy of each other. We wonder if God knows what He is doing. Asaph, David’s appointed Celebrant of God, writer of the 73^rd Psalm knew about envy.

Psalm 73

2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,

my steps had nearly slipped.

3 For I was envious of the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For they have no pangs until death;

their bodies are fat and sleek.

5 They are not in trouble as others are;

they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.

6 Therefore pride is their necklace;

violence covers them as a garment.

7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;

their hearts overflow with follies.

8 They scoff and speak with malice;

loftily they threaten oppression.

9 They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongue struts through the earth.

Jonah does not even have the satisfaction of calling Nineveh heathen. Jonah didn’t want to make peace with the enemy, he wanted God to be victorious in war. God doesn’t leave Jonah to brine in his own spleen. God doesn’t suddenly become busy. God genuinely has sympathy for Jonah. God the Father hurts for the people holding fast to Him, even the reluctant Jonah. God takes time to sit with Jonah, feeling what Jonah feels. God takes time for Jonah, knowing Jonah is going to be a hero.

We have to take this up to the larger level and say God knows what is coming to Israel, His chosen people. God’s mercy for the decades of Israel’s defection is coming to a close. Seeing a larger picture, Babylon is going to grow, and eventually the seed planted in Nineveh will grow to become Nebuchadnezzar – the first king outside of the Davidic line who will have God’s blessing. Psalm 73 isn’t the Assyrian Nation, it is Israel.

Something bigger than Jonah is here. God the Father is offering salvation to all of His Children. Not just the children of Abraham. Jesus loved Jonah, and mentions him in Matthew 12 and Luke 11. The Holy Spirit of God has empowered Jonah to do amazing work. This reform is not going to be seen again until the Son of God walks the earth. Because the Jews are God’s Chosen People, this Book of Jonah is read every year in Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement.

God is so forgiving; He not only forgives racism, but anger, rebelliousness to Himself and still loves.

How will we reach out to the people we just are not thrilled with? How will we cope with our less than loving feelings? God gives us an answer in:

Psalm 8

O Lord our Governor:

how glorious is your name in all the earth!

Your majesty above the heavens is yet recounted :

by the mouths of babes and sucklings.

You have founded a strong defense against your adversaries:

to quell the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers:

the moon and the stars which you have set in order,

What is man, that you should be mindful of him :

or the son of man, that you should care for him?

Yet you have made him little less than a god :

and have crowned him with glory and honor.

You have made him the master of your handiwork :

and have put all things in subjection beneath his feet,

All sheep and oxen:

and all the creatures of the field,

The birds of the air and the fish of the sea:

and everything that moves in the pathways of the great waters.

O Lord our Governor :

how glorious is your name in all the earth!

What we share with the people we don’t rush to love, is this: God is the God of us all. We share that amazing regard. God created this person and in God’s eyes, this person is just below the Lord in the order of His creation. God is mindful of us all.

John 15:9

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

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Habakkuk 3 ~ in the midst of years

Habakkuk 3 

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1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.

2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you,

and your work, O Lord, do I fear.

In the midst of the years revive it;

in the midst of the years make it known;

in wrath remember mercy.

3 God came from Teman,

and the Holy One from Mount Paran.

His splendor covered the heavens,

and the earth was full of his praise. Selah

4 His brightness was like the light;

rays flashed from his hand;

and there he veiled his power.

5 Before him went pestilence,

and plague followed at his heels. [feet]

6 He stood and measured the earth;

he looked and shook the nations;

then the eternal mountains were scattered;

the everlasting hills sank low.

His were the everlasting ways.

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;

the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?

Was your anger against the rivers,

or your indignation against the sea,

when you rode on your horses,

on your chariot of salvation?

9 You stripped the sheath from your bow,

calling for many arrows.  Selah

You split the earth with rivers.

10 The mountains saw you and writhed;

the raging waters swept on;

the deep gave forth its voice;

it lifted its hands on high.

11 The sun and moon stood still in their place

at the light of your arrows as they sped,

at the flash of your glittering spear.

12 You marched through the earth in fury;

you threshed the nations in anger.

13 You went out for the salvation of your people,

for the salvation of your anointed.

You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,

laying him bare from thigh to neck.  Selah

14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,

who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,

rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.

15 You trampled the sea with your horses,

the surging of mighty waters.

16 I hear, and my body trembles;

my lips quiver at the sound;

rottenness enters into my bones;

my legs tremble beneath me.

Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble

to come upon people who invade us.

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength;

he makes my feet like the deer's;

he makes me tread on my high places.

A good friend of mine had to teach her first two Bible Studies in one week.  The second was unexpected and a long bible study, she had to teach her working husband’s Bible Class. She started telling me about teaching the High School CCE class and she did such a good job, I told her she’d written my Scripture for Today Blogspot.

She was very nervous and she asked the crowd of 30 teenagers how many had gone to Church that weekend. No one really wanted to respond, but Renee called for a show of hands. One (1!) teenager had attended Church. She asked what the sermon had meant to him, he said he was sorry, but he hadn’t gotten much out of it. Renee smiled and said, that is exactly what the sermon was about.  We go to Church expecting to be filled and there are a lot of Sundays, if something had happened, we missed it. 

This woke up the teenage crowd. Wow, something unexpected. Yes, the Book of Habakkuk is about the times in life, where we want justice, we want mercy, we want a miracle, we want a glimpse of God’s goodness and not a lot happens. 

It is part of Dr. Seuss. Oh, the places you’ll go, until your sails have no wind in them. And you will sit. 

The Priest agreed some seasons of our lives, we feel our relationship with God is dry, all dried out. We go to Church and not a lot happens. He told about his own Habakkuk story of his life. He was being ordained, but at the time, you had to be ordained first & only then you were given your first assignment because, if they gave you your assignment first – you might flee. And he was ordained, his assignment came in - Lo(w) & behold it was a failing Church in North Houston. Extremely poor with a Senior Priest struggling with Cancer.  The fiscal part of the Church was falling into dust. Yet the young priest knew he’d been “Called”.  Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland style  - they were having a Gala to help the Church hold on one more year. The make it or break it year. 

The young priest attended every single committee meeting for the Gala. This was known to the congregation and surrounding congregations how important this Gala was. Everyone felt so blessed to have a young priest who had been called to them for this Gala. He was commissioned and agreed to pray in the Church for one hour every day for the sole purpose of good weather for the Gala – held outdoors with a famous singer.  It was a month known for good weather; the young priest knew good weather was God’s plan. He met with the Lord every day.  The night before the Gala - a perfect forecast.  The priest slept soundly. The day of … rain. That was okay, the famous singer, was scheduled for the second day. The second day, not rain, just all day thunder, lightning, and a monsoon. The event site kept the down payment, even though the event was canceled. The singer was canceled.

The priest went back to the Church. He didn’t pray for sunshine, he prayed about his embarrassment his prayers were unanswered. He prayed about the failure of his first work. He prayed in distress and anguish. The prayers and hopes he felt had been downcast. The Senior Priest, so ill, now had to worry how they would make it through the year.  

As the young priest left the building he wondered what he would say to the congregation. For the next two weeks, checks poured in from the congregation and the surrounding congregations – more money than expected to make with the Gala. The letters came in, with checks, saying how sorry everyone had been the Gala work had not been able to came to fruition.  The priest went back to the Church, hit his knees, he was embarrassed again. He was so sorry, he'd relied upon his own wisdom, his own eyes to see the path, to plot the direction. God had been working His plan all along.

Just as we all have times of  dry spells, we will have patience and wait upon the Lord.  Dry spells or rainy spells, God will be praised.

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Jonah 1:1-2:2 ~ O Lord, let us not perish

Jonah from the Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo



Jonah 1:1-2:2

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1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil [evil or disaster] has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah (Proverbs 16). 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard [the men dug in their oars] to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah – Chapter 2:1-2

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.


The Jonah witness bothers people. It sounds like it should begin, “once upon a time.” Great for the kiddies in Sunday School. As Christians we should remember disciples asked Jesus who would be good enough to have salvation, He replied. “All things are possible with God.”

Sooner or later, you will have a Jonah story in your own life. This story is bigger than a fish tale, it is about having a personal conversation with God, not in your brain which isn’t going to survive death, but in the essence of your being – your soul.

We’ve had discussions in the past, that if you’ve lost a child, have a serious illness, something that causes a lot of contemplation – we wonder if we are being punished. No, Jesus Christ died for your sins; you need no further redemption upon believing you are, personally, saved by the Lord Jesus.

When Christians believe they are saved, how do they know? Christians in Bible study have this conversation a lot. The reply is usually this, “you know what you know, what you know.” It describes a deep inner conviction. Unshakable.

Jonah does not want to go into the Assyrian Empire and help the enemy. Just as Winston Churchill would not have wanted to go to Berlin and preach to the German people. Jonah is convinced this is wrong, is too big for him, will ostracize him from the good opinion of his people, sounds nuts and will endanger him. Jonah has a big dilemma. Jonah must have decided God was not asking him something out of line with God’s nature. It did not violate anything he had learned about God, His nature or His word. Jonah decided to use his option God gave him – his free will.

And Jonah’s free will works. Jonah is traveling far and away. Until there is a crisis and every person on board begins to have a situation where they reach out desperately in their belief in their higher power. Paul would have called this their Unknown God. We might call this what the entire Scripture says is true – God’s unshakable Plan. Jesus would probably say this is His promise of “ask and the door will opened for you.”

The men on the ship are 1. Crying out to God. 2. Understanding only by spiritual conviction what the problem is. 3. Seeking to save Jonah’s life. 4. Placing Jonah’s safety before all the ship. Mercy before sacrifice, even at the cost of their lives.
Remember Jesus’ advice to Martha in Luke 10:38-42, the better portion will not be taken away from people seeking the Lord. Jonah finally decides his life is not more important than other men. He offers to do God’s will, even if it will kill him.

So many people are very afraid of doing God’s will and trusting God for exactly the reasons of the Jonah story. It points to a fear button of committing themselves to God. God Will Make Them Uncomfortable. So… NO. Jonah wasn’t forced into doing God’s will. Jonah was grown into placing himself in God’s hands with powerful results. At the end of Jonah’s life, there is no doubt, he thanked God for being part of his life.

The story of the Scriptures is always God’s will is done. In all situations, God hears our voice, we are not left without His help.

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Psalm 8 ~ Thou dost crown him with glory and honor

Psalm 8 ~ (Revised Standard Version)

1 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted.

2 by the mouth of babes and infants,

thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

the moon and the stars which thou hast established;

4 what is man that thou art mindful of him,

and the son of man that thou dost care for him?

5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God,

and dost crown him with glory and honor.

6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands;

thou hast put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the sea.

9 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

Two days ago we talked about Isaiah 6:8 - when mankind becomes aware of the greatness & awesome love of God - we eagerly ask to do God's will in His mighty works. Man plays a part in God's plan. Yesterday was Hebrews 11, and it paraphrases John Wesley's quote about God's workmen go on home to heaven, but God's work continues. God's plan is far beyond the efforts of men.

This Psalm cause problems for people, theologically. God created all of creation and He places us, mankind, just below Him. We understand more easily we are far below the Lord, not just below Him in salvation.

1 Peter 1:10-12

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

A bit of mystery; God not explaining everything. He is God. And when we don't understand something we feel left out. Not the meek souls protesting we are not just below Him in salvation. We want to understand.

When Jesus quoted to the crowd, the Messiah was David’s line, He quoted Psalm 110. They appreciated Psalm 110 is also a mystery. How David could call his own son Lord? How could David not call the Messiah Lord?

Psalm 8 has a bit of the same mystery. On Psalm Sunday, the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke the crowd from proclaiming Him as King. He replied the rocks and stones would cry out. Jesus earlier told the Pharisees, in the Gospels, God could create children of Abraham from the very rocks. Psalm 8 tells us:

Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted.

by the mouth of babes and infants,

The Book of Wisdom 10:21

and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.

From Palm Sunday:

Matthew 21: 16

16"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.

"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,

" 'From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise?"

When I think of Jesus, Living Word of God, Light of the World, fulfilling a Psalm of David, I cannot imagine that the babes and infants gave Jesus anything less than the glory of heaven, by what they sang.

God gave us salvation – as a gift. God made us only lower than Himself in the order of Creation. And God gave us another mystery. One we did not hear, but see with the eyes of faith.

Psalm 50:2

From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

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Luke 17:5-10 ~ unworthy

Luke 17:5-10 ~ (New International Version)

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5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

7 "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8 Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

Unworthy. Not anyone's favorite word.

A prayer that sounds more like a demand for more faith - to accomplish what the disciples want... and a reply about servants who have only done their duty.


The next part of this chapter explains a lot:

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Why did these people acknowledge Jesus as Master, yet fail to return? What reasons can you come up with? Because we can all create this list of probable reasons, we can all be placed in the unworthy category.

When God tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

God is telling us about His plan, His nature and Who He is. People cannot fail to bring forth God's plan.

What about the awesome heroes, saints of the Scriptures?

Hebrews 11:
11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 1 2And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.


20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.


22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.


23 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.


24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.


30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.


31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.


32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.


What about these 'good, worthy ones who did their part'? Surely God was more pleased with them, because they did not fail. Weren't they so strong so the 'strength' of God could rest??? The Book of Hebrews is telling us they did their part, but God's plan still goes on without them. John Wesley had this saying placed on a memorial tablet of him, "God buries His workmen, but carries on with His work."

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.


We are the Easter people. And Hallelujah is our song!


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Psalm 121 ~ help comes from the Lord

3D Photoshop of Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh

Psalm 121

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1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.


When my parents divorced, I was 18 and my brother was 10, my father had a high school  friend who had recently moved to Dallas. He called to arrange dinner with the two families not knowing a terrible, nasty divorce was in the midst. My mom told him of the impending divorce, she appreciated his call, and if they wanted still to get together - that was fine, but we were not our normal selves. They came anyway. My mom told them my dad had fallen in love with a friend of her's for 20 years and was leaving. I remember being embarrassed, I thought for sure, well that is the last we will see of them. Joe was pretty quiet. He carried his plate into the kitchen. He returned to the table, it was a big lull in the conversation.


Joe Dickey and his wife Sue looked at each other. Joe said, so you'll need to move your furniture to the property my mom was receiving in the divorce. My mom agreed.  He said well, we are here to help. Bigger silence. My mother, my brother and I all said, Oh, no, we had it covered.  Joe said, no you don't. It's too big a job for a woman in the middle of a divorce. He said he would rent a truck and help. They did.  And my mom's long-time ago roommate after college came, with her husband, and they also rented a truck and helped.

My 10 year old brother was really having a hard time coping with the loss, the move and being a latch key child. He was fearful of the hours alone. Sue and Joe moved. They had joined our Church. When they moved, it was down the street a block from us in Dallas. They moved so my brother wouldn't be alone in the afternoons.  On Friday night, 3 really sad people would go with Joe and Sue to eat Mexican food. Every Friday night.  Later, Joe got me my first summer job.

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Many years later, jumping ahead 20 years; Our youth minister said to the youth group, today we are going to Tamina. Tamina isn't a wealthy place, people struggle to get by. We have a lady who cares for her two grandchildren in a small 2 bedroom frame house. The house has needed paint for 20 years. Our new friend has always wanted her house to be painted pale pink. Some of you boys will think pale pink is an unusual color for a house. Let me tell you something important for today. Jesus said, what you do for the least of My Brothers - you do for Me. Today, kids, Jesus wants His house painted pale pink. Our new friend is a child of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within her. So this is Jesus' house and we are giving a gift that will really be appreciated.  We are painting Jesus' house pale pink.

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Just what Joe and Sue Dickey did for us. Just what we did for the lady with the pale pink house. Help comes from the Lord.

Isaiah 6:8
 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

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