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.

~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~

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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Job 19:21-27 ~ my Redeemer lives

"My Redeemer Lives" Nicole C. Mullen live in Cincinnati. Beautiful, such praise brings tears to my eyes.

 

Job 19:21-27  ~  (New International Version)

 

 ²¹ "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
       for the hand of God has struck me.

 ²² Why do you pursue me as God does?
       Will you never get enough of my flesh?

 ²³ "Oh, that my words were recorded,
       that they were written on a scroll,

 ²⁴ that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
       or engraved in rock forever! 

 ²⁵ I know that my Redeemer lives,
       and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 

 

 ²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed,
       yet in  my flesh I will see God;

 ²⁷ I myself will see him
       with my own eyes—I, and not another.
       How my heart yearns within me!

>

2 Corinthians 13:8-14 

8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

 

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. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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Prayer Request

My neighbor, Charlotte, has requested prayers (from every person she knows) for her good friend who came every day to help Charlotte during her recovery from breast cancer 12 years ago. 

Her friend discovered this year she has severely metastasized breast cancer at the same time her husband was discovered to have colon cancer. As the two parents, in their late 50s, were admitted to the hospital, their son was admitted to the same hospital having been in a motorcycle accident - losing both legs.  Charlotte is asking all Christians to pray for this family.  

(I'm sorry I've forgotten one name. Cindy and Lester, but God does know & I will post it when I see my neighbor again.) We are asked specifically to pray for the strength of all the family members as well as healing.

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Psalm 119:121-144 ~ keep steady my steps according to your promise

 March 25, 2010

Psalm 119:121-144

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.

Psalm 119 is divided into 22 sections of 8 verses each. Each section has a title, such as "Aleph," "Beth," "Gimel," "Daleth," and so on. These titles are actually not words; they are the letters that make up the Hebrew alphabet which has 22 letters, so Psalm 119 has 22 sections. A Puritan Preacher, Rev. Thomas Manton wrote 130 Sermons on Psalm 119. The information in this one Psalm with 176 verses is vast.

This section has trouble finding the Psalmist & he cries out he has not done anything to deserve this trouble. A lot of life is looking for a solution to a tangled problem. This Psalm has the solution to all troubles. Patiently wait upon the Lord. Paul looked at trouble, with contentment, to see what Father God would make of tragedy, inconvenience, dire straits and weakness; he had curiosity to seek how God would use the situation to His Glory.

Psalm 107 is a great comfort when the wild winds of life howl. There is an analogy of men tossed on a ship in a ferocious storm having great fear. With Jesus Christ's name and faith in God, the ship is brought to a desired haven of peace.

Romans 13:11,12

¹¹And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

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Song of Solomon 5 ~ radiant

Song of Solomon 5

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1 I came to my garden, my sister, my bride,

I gathered my myrrh with my spice,

I ate my honeycomb with my honey,

I drank my wine with my milk.

Eat, friends, drink,

and be drunk with love!

2 I slept, but my heart was awake.

A sound! My beloved is knocking.

“Open to me, my sister, my love,

my dove, my perfect one,

for my head is wet with dew,

my locks with the drops of the night.”

3 I had put off my garment;

how could I put it on?

I had bathed my feet;

how could I soil them?

4 My beloved put his hand to the latch,

and my heart was thrilled within me.

5 I arose to open to my beloved,

and my hands dripped with myrrh,

my fingers with liquid myrrh,

on the handles of the bolt.

6 I opened to my beloved,

but my beloved had turned and gone.

My soul failed me when he spoke.

I sought him, but found him not;

I called him, but he gave no answer.

7 The watchmen found me

as they went about in the city;

they beat me, they bruised me,

they took away my veil,

those watchmen of the walls.

8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

if you find my beloved,

that you tell him

I am sick with love.

9 What is your beloved more than another beloved,

O most beautiful among women?

What is your beloved more than another beloved,

that you thus adjure us?

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,

distinguished among ten thousand.

11 His head is the finest gold;

his locks are wavy,

black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves

beside streams of water,

bathed in milk,

sitting beside a full pool.

13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,

mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.

His lips are lilies,

dripping liquid myrrh.

14 His arms are rods of gold,

set with jewels.

His body is polished ivory,

bedecked with sapphires.

15 His legs are alabaster columns,

set on bases of gold.

His appearance is like Lebanon,

choice as the cedars.

16 His mouth is most sweet,

and he is altogether desirable.

This is my beloved and this is my friend,

O daughters of Jerusalem.

John 2:5-11

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

6Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. 9When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." 11This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. His disciples believed in him.

A wedding Jesus attended and a celebration of marriage. What would they have in common?

Purification becoming wine. To be drunk with love. A heart that is awake. Radiance. Eyes of a dove. A beloved, a friend. A manifestation of God's glory. A belief in enduring love. 

Okay. How do you feel reading the Song of Solomon?  Pleasure, discomfort, guilt. The usual emotions to read this. Life and sexuality are like a high wind storm at sea.  Solomon wrote this and later said in Ecclesiastes 7 that he hadn't found a good, worthwhile woman. During his 700 marriages. No one can stand firm to say they can write the Bible for our guidelines. Yet, you could safely say Solomon fell into the trap written by the Eagles song: "you can spend your life making money, you can spend your love making time." Solomon was making too much time with too many women. Solomon never spent time "being" the right person. He seems stuck in the physical perfections.  A whole lot of love is about loving what isn't so perfect in the people you love.  When we read Song of Solomon we are reading not just about young love, but the ideals we see in the people we love.


It's almost (tragically) funny how the disciples react when Jesus says God doesn't really want or really approve of divorce:


Matthew 19:10
The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

And how to react when you are the parent? My good friend from college went home in elementary school to ask her mom about the facts of life - her friends were kidding her on her lack of knowledge. She knew her older sister was illegitimate.  So, her mom, a good Christian who had later married and had huge life in her Church told her this:


"I've thought about what I would say to you about this a long time, I haven't always lived perfectly. Sexuality is an enticing thing, but I can tell you this... it is wonderful with the one you love. Love is a wonderful thing." She went on to tell my friend commitment, marriage and honor is part of real love.

Why did God direct it to be so?

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

7then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

When Adam was made both male and female, he was the image of God. Eve is part of God, created from Adam. Adam & Eve together are the image of God. Marriage is about two souls seeking to live life as one soul. To grow up, to care for someone as deeply as ourselves, to lift our concerns up.

Genesis 2:21-25

21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said,

"This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man."

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Proverbs 5:15-19

15 Drink water from your own cistern,

flowing water from your own well.

16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,

streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be for yourself alone,

and not for strangers with you.

18 Let your fountain be blessed,

and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.

Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;

be intoxicated always in her love.

We have heard for the last 3 decades 1/2 of all marriages end in divorce. More reliable statistics would say 2 in 3 marriages last. Isn't it great news to hear with the economic downturn more marriages are staying together. Statistics say when two people determine to stay married within a rocky relationship, within 5 years, that commitment brings both people to saying the marriage is actually good again. 

1 Timothy 6:10-12

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

11But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

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Ephesians 2 ~ by the blood of Christ

Ephesians 2     ~ (English Standard Version)

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1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body [flesh] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But [And] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, [sojourners] but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by [in] the Spirit.



This passage is the reason we should be able to see the difference in actions, in speech - we are Christians.  I asked a man in our Church how he was reacted to, in the business world, as a Christian. He said just fine, he experiences respect because other see him as giving fairness with kindness.


1 Corinthians 7:23
  You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

i.e.  

in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body [flesh] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath


Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. 


Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

Psalm 67:1-2

May God be gracious to us and bless us
   and make his face to shine upon us,
                         Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
   your saving power among all nations.


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Psalm 141 ~ make good

Psalm 141 ~ (New American Bible)

1

LORD, I call to you; come quickly to help me; listen to my plea when I call.
2
Let my prayer be incense before you; my uplifted hands an evening sacrifice.
3
Set a guard, LORD, before my mouth, a gatekeeper at my lips.
4
Do not let my heart incline to evil, or yield to any sin. I will never feast upon the fine food of evildoers.
5
3 Let the just strike me; that is kindness; let them rebuke me; that is oil for my head. All this I shall not refuse, but will pray despite these trials.
6
When their leaders are cast over the cliff, all will learn that my prayers were heard.
7
As when a farmer plows a field into broken clods, so their bones will be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
8
My eyes are upon you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I take refuge; do not strip me of life.
9
Guard me from the trap they have set for me, from the snares of evildoers.
10
Into their own nets let all the wicked fall, while I make good my own escape.


How close is the Lord God, the Almighty, Father God, from our prayers? He dwells within us and He completely understands all of our prayer as a fragrance. He understands all of us as well as we know ourselves.

My Church uses incense on High Holy Days, everyone afterward has a comment either favorable or unfavorable. How does do the Scriptures record incense?


The first mention of incense is almost the beginning of the Scriptures (Exodus 25), so I would have to say God is pro - incense.

Revelation 5:7-9
7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation


Revelation 8:4
and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

Fragrance in prayer is understandable when compared with this verse:

Romans 8:26-27
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Prayer is always something Father God comprehends. He is never like, as Elijah taunted the idol Baal - asleep.

Luke 18:1
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

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