Psalm 54 ~ my Helper †

 

Psalm 54

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. 

A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, 

“Is not David hiding among us?”

O God, save me by Your Name,

    and vindicate me by Your might.

2 O God, hear my prayer;

    give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen against me;

    ruthless men seek my life;

    they do not set God before themselves. 

Selah

4 Behold,

 God is my Helper;

    the Lord is the upholder of my life.

5 He will return the evil to my enemies;

    in Your faithfulness 

put an end to them.

6 With a freewill offering 

I will sacrifice to You;

    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, 

for it is good.

7 For He has delivered me 

from every trouble,

    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

One of the Garden beauties, loved in Russia, at Christmastime, is Siberian Dogwood. It's deciduous with scarlet branches.

Proverbs 31:21 

She is not afraid of snow for her household, 

for all her household are clothed in scarlet.

 The virtuous woman is diligent and strategic. 

She looks ahead and sees the needs that are coming, 

so she can prepare for them in advance 

and be ready when they arrive.

David could not prepare for the turning of his father-in-law's spirit against him. 

King Saul was said to have an evil spirit and David played the harp to soothe Saul.  1 Samuel 16. Not much could be done to prepare for disaster. 

This is the time of year, for trudging along. 

Not so excited.  Just making the motions. Yes. 

And yet, to hear or read the Psalms in numerical order, is to find a soul crying out to God in the difficult years. Homelessness, political persecution, living in a ditch, kidnapping, mercenary followers and mercenary work.  David had every reason in the world to live a life of depression. And David took his hardships very hard.

David is one of the most inspirational sources of faith in the Bible. He teaches us to live in the terrible, fierce grip of disaster. And to let it go when the disaster is accomplished. To believe in God to rouse ourselves again. And in songs, David loves to see ascension. And in ceremony of songs, the singers will climb the stairs and ascend.

Fight!

To fight the negative memories and situations, David finds he gives the sacrifice of Thanksgiving. And he plans for his worship to uplift and encourage. David turns his life completely around to have faith in God. He uplifts and heals. David nourishes others with the Good News.

John 16:33 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. 

In this world you will have trouble. 

But take heart! I have overcome the world

Luke 4:18-20

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    because He has anointed me

    to proclaim 

good news to the poor.

He has sent me

 to proclaim liberty 

to the captives

    and recovering of sight to the blind,

    to set at liberty 

those who are oppressed

The point being...

we have to feed our soul

hope and hopeful

goodness

seek goodness

even scratch the soil

to put good in.

And in putting good in...

we will reap the goodness we feed

our heart

our soul

our mind

and

Please The Lord. 

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, 

whatever is honorable, 

whatever is just, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is commendable, 

if there is any excellence,

 if there is anything worthy of praise, 

think about these things.

When I worked with ProLife

we had so many people praise us for

suggesting Christian Music

to uplift

reaffirm

strengthen

and give Joy and Love.

honorable, 

just, 

pure, 

lovely, 

commendable, 

excellence,

worthy 

praise, 

think about these 

Share the joy of

diligent mood walking

Multi generational Dog Fam Walk

Plan your next Holiday

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Hebrews 13:1

Let brotherly love continue

1 Peter 3:8

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, 

a tender heart, and a humble mind

2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brothers, rejoice. 

Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another,

 live in peace; 

and 

the God of love and peace will be with you.

Ephesians 4:3

Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Abba, Father,

We ask Your blessings. 

May Father God turn HIS face to us with compassion. 

And we rejoice knowing Father God hears and answers. 

Thankful for the day and more and better to arrive.

Asking God to bless our Loved ones 

and our Nation for Trusting in Him. 

For All of God's Beloved around the earth.

For Jesus blessing upon all His Children 

as we Pray The Lord's Prayer

 and ask more Heaven on earth.

Help us find and bring

to become

 more Heaven

on earth.

 May the God of hope fill us all, everyone, 

with all joy and peace in believing, 

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit 

we may abound in hope.

Dwell in me,

Dwell in us,

Dwell in those we Love,

Help us to seek You first.

And we will finish well, in Jesus Christ. 

The Lord,

The Almighty,

Our Father,

Bless,

Save,

Secure

and Uphold

Your Nations.

Israel.

And Ukraine.

The EU.

We know:

Our God is working. His Son, 

Jesus is working.

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

YES Bless the Lord Jesus

Thank You Jesus

Isaiah 53:1-2 ~ we are Healed

Isaiah 53:1-2

Who has believed what he has heard from us? 

And to whom has the Arm of the Lord been revealed?

 For He grew up before Him like a young plant, 

and like a root out of dry ground; 

He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, 

and no beauty that we should desire Him. 

He was despised and rejected by men, 

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; 

and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, 

and we esteemed Him not. 

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; 

yet we esteemed Him stricken, 

smitten by God, 

and afflicted.

But He was pierced for our transgressions; 

He was crushed for our iniquities; 

upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, 

and with His wounds 

we are healed.

Isaiah 53 is living and active. We could be speaking of Moses in his 80's tending his fathers-in-law's flocks. Or we could be thinking of David, by passed by his father, Jesse, for being the youngest and least worthy. Samuel, the Rabbi and Prophet, had to order Jesse to fetch David, and they all stand, to wait for David to arrive before them, David had been doing his father's work in the fields. Samuel heard the Lord speak to Samuel and say the Lord would choose.  Based upon the heart, the Lord could see. 

As we continue down Isaiah's 53rd Chapter, we can see this sad situation is redeemed by Jesus, the Savior of the world.  

Psalm 22 says 

6 But I am a worm and not a man, 

scorned by men and despised by the people. 

7 All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads

This is certainly a sorrowful remembrance of Good Friday. And Psalm 23 bursts upon us!

Psalm 23 now reveals,

You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy 

shall follow me

    all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord

    forever.

The Scriptures are like Praise music song progression.

What is song progression in music?

Put simply, a chord progression is a series of chords played in sequence that all work around a key. The Scriptures are about Jesus Christ and the people who are following Jesus to their flawed nature and abilities. 

Isaiah 53 is hard to think of as Jesus and His ministry. Not difficult at all to think of Good Friday and Isaiah 53. And really Jesus wanted His longest discussion with His Disciples in John 14, 15, 16 and 17 to be the Joy Jesus has in Life. This Life.

During November, December and January, Edward and I encountered several illnesses. I had the worst cold for decades. Then Edward and I had norovirus, which led to Edward's colon bleed and Critical Care in the Hospital.  And then we learned something new about Covid.

It turns out the home tests for Covid have expiration times. In November, I took a Covid home test and it was negative. But for 3 weeks, I just couldn't get up and go. I sat very still for three weeks and did nothing, nor went anywhere.  Edward needed the doctor after coming home from the Hospital, he took a home test and it said, "Negative."

When we got to the Doctor's office, they ran a flu, a strep throat and a Covid test. Edward had Covid. Every symptom I had, Edward had. I was completely fine being near Edward with a mask and plenty of 99% virus kill Lysol.

The new information is - home test for Covid only with new Covid tests. And Edward and I found when past Covid, you have a week of feeling great and then a week of saying, I need to go rest, right this exact minute. And you should.

The other portion is Covid really is more like a nasty cold or flu, but with a slower recovery. And I wore masks to run errands and everyone gave me the non-verbal, "Why do you have a mask on?" Generally, I explained my husband has Covid, but I am fine.

The January Hospitals are full. With Flu and Covid. Perhaps, maybe, it's time Hospitals suggest masks should be worn in the Hospital. We did during Swine Flu too. 

We are still Profoundly Grateful for the people who prayed for Edward to recover. He wasn't eating, there was no reason to suggest his own body would heal. And did after an hour of prayers that arrived. We are Grateful!

Life is a Process and we are SO GLAD TO BE ON THE MEND!!!!!

Abba, Father,

Father, You have said

All these blessings will come on you 

and accompany you 

if you obey the Lord your God.

The Lord will send a blessing on your barns 

and on everything you put your hand to.

 The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

The Lord will establish you as His Holy people, as He promised you on oath,

 if you keep the commands of the Lord your God 

and walk in obedience to Him.

We believe Your blessing Father God,

 for ourselves, 

the ones we Love, 

the People You have given us. 

We believe Your Blessing for Our Jesus and Scripture believing Churches. 

We believe this for Your people around the world. 

We will believe this for Our Nation. 

Dwell in me,

Dwell in us,

Dwell in those we Love,

Help us to seek You first.

And we will finish well, in Jesus Christ. 

Help us find and bring

to become

 more Heaven

to this earth.

And the Nations of the world,

Your Good Creation,

Calling upon You.

And in Jesus - this Hope, 

Faith and Love - we will rise up believing Jesus. 

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes Bless the Lord Jesus

Thank You Jesus

Psalm 91 ~ He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust

Archaeological evidence of biblical King Hezekiah found in Jerusalem

Daniel Esparza 

A tiny fragment of limestone found in the Siloam Tunnel, beneath the City of David, seem to mention King Hezekiah.

A small fragment of a stone inscription was recently found in the Siloam Tunnel. Carved in ancient times, the tunnel is now located in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, in eastern Jerusalem. Its popular name, “Hezekiah’s Tunnel,” is due to the most common hypothesis that it dates from the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, between the late 8th and early 7th century BC.

It has been commonly believed that this tunnel corresponds to a “conduit” that is mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20:

“The rest of the deeds of Hezeki’ah, and all his might, and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?” 

Now, archaeologists have found a little piece of evidence (a small limestone fragment) that connects King Hezekiah to this tunnel.

Biblical narratives explain how King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians. 2 Chronicles 32:30 explains how he blocked “the source of the waters of the upper Gihon” and led them “straight down on the west to the City of David,” to prevent the enemy forces under Sennacherib from having access to water.

Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For He will command His angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

If we want to stand firm with God as our refuge and fortress, the first thing we do is
we believe the Truth.

Deuteronomy 10

12“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you,

but to fear the Lord your God,

to walk in all his ways,

to love him,

to serve the Lord your God

 with all your heart 

and with all your soul,

And to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord,

which I am commanding you today for your good?

Behold, 

to the Lord your God 

belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, 

the earth 

with all that is in it.

15 Yet the Lord set His heart in love 

on your fathers

 and chose their offspring after them, 

you above all peoples, 

as you are 

this day.

And the writer is Moses who stood and saw the Glory of God.

Now Moses and Psalm 91 have a good deal in common. Endurance.

2 Thessalonians 2

14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

People always have a choice, either increase in gratitude for a life worth living - or you get to be bitter.

Now Moses could have been bitter. He was the Pharoah's son. This is going to be a life of luxury. And comfort. But he saw that the midwives were told to kill of human people. Without the grace of God, Moses would be dead. And something in him didn't rest for feeling he couldn't prosper seeing how hard the lives were for the Children of Israel. Moses felt that he was charged to do something. And killing the Egyptian was certainly not the best thing. The Pharoah's house was going to think he was not within a controllable range. And he fled to death. Instead, Moses found he could stand for days and watch the flocks.

Where was the bitterness? Instead, Moses had a wife, children, and interesting father in law. And a job caring for animals that need care. Moses chose to see - God was taking care of him.

Hezekiah is the King who rivals Solomon. Solomon had so much given to him. Hezekiah has war and the Assyrian Army. Egypt wanting war. And Hezekiah is remembered as raising the Holy Spirit within his people, The Children of God.

Was Hezekiah grateful for his incredible legacy and life?

Isaiah 38

14 Like a swallow or a crane I chirp;
    I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
    O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!

15 What shall I say? 

For he has spoken to me,
    and he himself has done it.

I walk slowly all my years
    because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live,
    and in all these is the life of my spirit.

    Oh restore me to health and make me live!

17 Behold, it was for my welfare
    that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
    from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
    behind Your back.

18 For Sheol does not thank you;
    death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
    for your faithfulness.

19 The living, the living, he thanks you,
    as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
    Your faithfulness.

20 The Lord will save me,
    and 

we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
  at the House of the Lord.

Isaiah 38:1-20

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.

7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.

What Life requires is Faith. Sad times come - life changes as people age. And in volunteering, I found that people have the strength to do their lives.

Abba, Father,

Your Mercies renew each day. 

Help us in times we endure - to keep enduring.

In times of prosperity, 

to give Thanks. 

And not be unmindful.

In times of Change, to Trust.

In the day at hand, to see the good.

During times of grief and end, 

to live today knowing that time will ease.

To live Knowing God Loves and is our destination. 

In knowing that God loves us, we feel our emotions,

know our emotions, 

come to understand what makes each of us 

uniquely the Child of God. 

And rule over our emotions to tame them to please God. 

Knowing the framework Your Word gives is where happiness dwells 

and 

allows room for Joy, Peace, 

Encouragement, Patience and Love. 

Father, please dwell in me.

Please, Father, dwell in those I love.

Help us to seek You first.

And in Jesus Christ, we will finish well.

Help us to see more Heaven on earth

be more Heaven on earth

and find more Heaven on earth

by being faithfully living daily to You.

Father, we hope for Your grace and favor in Your sight, 

Bless us when we carry and proclaim 

the Light of Jesus in all mankind, 

we are pleasing to You.

Our God is working. His Son, 

Jesus is working.

In Jesus,

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes Bless the Lord Jesus

Thank You Jesus