Psalm 137 ~ we remembered †

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Psalm 137

By the waters of Babylon,

    there we sat down and wept,

    when we remembered Zion.

On the willows there

    we hung up our lyres.

For there our captors

    required of us songs,

and our tormentors, mirth, saying,

    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How shall we sing the Lord's song

    in a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

    let my right hand forget its skill!

Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,

    if I do not remember you,

if I do not set Jerusalem

    above my highest joy!

Remember, O Lord, 

against the Edomites

    the day of Jerusalem,

how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare,

    down to its foundations!”

O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,

    blessed shall he be who repays you

    with what you have done to us!

Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones

    and dashes them against the rock!

The Victory from original Tyranny in 1776 was brought about with violence, war and death. As were all the wars. And riots.  The 4th of July, does anyone over the age of 16 not think about the cost of Freedom? 

The Exodus from Tyranny. The Exodus. 

The cellophane wrapper is very thin.  Many do not want to think of the last verse of Psalm 137. We cannot sweep the Word of God under the rug. Why would God include this? To allow us in terrible times to believe God reaches us, as He held up Peter, overwhelmed by the waves. To know when the terrible, wretched events happen and our emotions react, God is With Us. Emmanuel. With Us. 

So many times, people say, how can God allow this Terror or Horror or Evil? 

Psalm 137 ends with the ability to go to God as Counselor. Invitation. Counsel. Counseling. Help. Helper. Comfort. Comforter. In Real Time Life. Sincere emotion, the kind not spoken of in casual life or happy events. 

Not just Corey Ten Boom lived with faith, the survivors of the Nazi Concentration Camps went on boats to the Nation to become Israel, Again. The resurrection and the Life to come. Reality of Faith.

Jesus brings us to every Jot and Iota of Scripture. He will Fill.

When we study the Exodus and think of living in the desert for 40 years. We might agree we would complain. And possibly, probably, complain some more. In 40 years.

In life, we will all have a situation where we experience Grief or Pain beyond what we knew. We will all deal with people who are evil, too lazy and sin, or criminal, or both. We will see people become what we did not think they had within them. And seeing 4 businesses end from being unreliable and uninterested in real business.

And in those times that are dark indeed, we need to be able to tell our Father, in Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit, our dark emotions and reactions.  We would not want to see Jesus suddenly become the Saturday Night Live Church Lady. And tsk, tsk our lives.  If we have bottomed out and burned out, we need to tell The Lord our anger, our grief, our fear. We arrive with great need for God's Righteousness. 

The Lord does not turn us away.  When many human beings would turn away. The Lord is not shocked, and The Scriptures readily tell us. Those who have turned away believe this to be foolish. Or hope to skate by.

Even the day-to-day muck.  The entertainment we are presented and the constant barrage of slime, carefully arranged, to be called virtue, or acceptable.  The comment from the offensive and not merciful or kind or worthy.  To see violence surround the city we live in.  The people we ask for help in areas in our lives and this is their livelihood, but they are only present to seek for themselves, and they are a front for greed. Customer service pretense.  Seeing groceries double and being told inflation is 20%.  Utilities double in cost. Insurance surge with the reviews saying claims are unpaid.  Not 20% Historic. 

Being lied to by the news. The fires burning during the riots. Knowing the media knows we know.

In Jesus Christ, we can find genuine gratitude. And find peace. Overcome the world. Let our Holy Spirit Light shine and give to one another. Going forth with The Lord again. Give us the Day. Our daily Living Bread. 

God gives us a Scripture to be calm in the storm. Several!

Psalm 4:3-5

Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself;

    the Lord hears when I call to Him.

Be angry, and do not sin;

    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. 

Selah

Offer right sacrifices,

    and put your trust in the Lord.

Psalm 131

I have calmed and quieted my soul,

    like a weaned child with its mother;

    like a weaned child 

is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

    from this time forth 

and 

forevermore.

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving. What does work, in our lives, to rejoice and have gratitude! 

Believe God will work all things to good, in Loving the Lord and working to His Purpose.  Seek what is good and noble and pure. Find the Good. Be the one who helps the real person, who lives in Mercy and Love. Our Neighbor.  To pray. Pray when surrounded by darkness, for His Miracles and Mercy to prevail. Not, ever, to accept or normalize the unacceptable. Sincerity. To love ourselves. Live in Truth.  

As Jesus did, to pray, and believe He upholds the Universe with the Power of His Word.

Colossians 3:3  

your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 2:18

Let no one disqualify you, 

insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, 

going on in detail about visions, 

puffed up without reason 

by his sensuous mind

And you aren't handing over little children, yours, mine 

or anyone's children 

to this evil, noneducational, idiocy.  

Colossians 3:2-3

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 

When Christ, 

Who is your Life, 

appears, 

then you also will appear with Him in glory. 

2 Timothy 2:19

Nevertheless, 

God’s firm foundation stands, 

bearing this seal: 

“The Lord knows those who are His,” 

and, “

Let everyone 

who Names the Name of the Lord 

depart 

from iniquity.”

The Bible is Living and Active.

The Scriptures exist to allow all those who have sorrow for their attitudes, deeds and works and words to repent and be redeemed in God's Heart and become New. In Jesus Christ.

The last verse of Psalm 137 is for the times we need The Lord and know Him to be our Help and Helper when dark and darkness surrounds us. 

His Light lights mankind, the nations, the world and Heaven. In His Light, we are Comforted, Strengthened and stand in His Goodness, Love and Mercy. For ALL. 

John 13:1

Now before the Feast of the Passover, 

when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world 

to 

The Father, 

having loved His own 

who were in the world, 

He loved them to the end.

Abba, Father,

Dwell in us, please, Father.

Dwell in those we Love.

Help us to seek You first.

In Jesus Christ, we will finish well.

To see

to bring

to be

more daily

Thy Kingdom come

Thy will be done

on earth

as in Heaven

In Jesus Christ is 

Our Love, Joy and Hope.

Bless those working for

Post Pandemic Healing

and 

Care

with Faith, Hope and 

LOVE.

Thank You for Jesus.

To You, our Father, be the Glory

Our God is an Awesome God! 

Amen and Alleluia

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

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Psalm 99 ~ The King in His might loves justice. You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

Jacob sees Esau Coming to Meet Him, painted by James Tissot (Genesis 33)

Psalm 99

The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!

He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!

2 The Lord is great in Zion;

he is exalted over all the peoples.

3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!

Holy is he!

4 The King in his might loves justice.

You have established equity;

you have executed justice

and righteousness in Jacob.

5 Exalt the Lord our God;

worship at his footstool!

Holy is he!

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,

Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.

They called to the Lord, and he answered them.

7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;

they kept his testimonies

and the statute that he gave them.

8 O Lord our God, you answered them;

you were a forgiving God to them,

but an avenger of their wrongdoings.

9 Exalt the Lord our God,

and worship at his holy mountain;

for the Lord our God is holy!

Isaiah 6:5
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Not everyone who stays away from Church is unbelieving. Some people stay away because they realize they shouldn't stand too close to the Holy mountain of God Almighty. Going to Church makes them feel second rate and guilty.

The disciples were frankly terrified during the Transfiguration. The Glory of God was overwhelming to them. Moses and Elijah - to stand in their midst made them utter weak comments that they must have cringed over later.

Much easier to stay on the most traveled, well worn paths of the work a day world. A resume comes to you, someone knows someone and they are looking for work. A personal email/letter to you is accompanying the resume. Yes, the applicant has had a rough path. He has cheated his dying father. But he was young & his mother helped him. Sure, he was a run away during his father's dying, but he went to work for a relative for years. Years. And he did great work. The relative/boss cheated him. Then he stayed with the cheating employer for years. Sure, he has his way with women and ... women servants. And yes, he did put the women servants in harm's way when his dangerous brother came to call. Oh, yeah. He does have an angry, violent brother who terrifies him.

This man needs work. He has 12 sons and a daughter. He's a great father. Except he favors two of the children. One son, slightly more than the second. The kids are angry, but come on - the man needs work. One of his sons was killed in a wilderness trip. He is willing to leave his beloved promised land and relocate. He is the kind of man to wrestle with great difficulties. Look at the years of work record - this man is even willing to change his name if you promise him eternal loyalty and steadfast love.

So please, make Jacob your banner. He will make a great CEO.

Our God is might to save. And forgiving, seeing the intentions of the heart in difficult situations, forgiving the intentions of the heart in difficult matters.

If God had a name what would it be? I AM, ABBA, FATHER, DADDY
And would you call it to his face? Jacob was known to wrestle God
If you were faced with him in all his glory - Like Jacob
what would you ask if you had just one question? Bless me?!

Yeah, Yeah, God is great
Yeah, Yeah, God is good
Yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us? This has been known to happen. With angels, star and shepherds
Just a slob like one of us - Like Jacob
Just a stranger on the bus - "I am a stranger, in a strange land"
Trying to make his way home - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me

If God had a face
What would it look like? Early Christian art of Jesus, before the 5th century, looks like the Shroud of Turin - Jesus' face
And would you want to see it - Usually there is a crowd at the Shroud
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and Jesus and the saints
and all the Prophets - So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Yeah Yeah God is great
Yeah Yeah God is good
Yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah!

What if God was one of us? Jesus of Nazareth sending His Holy Spirit to dwell in who All who believe

Just a slob like one of us- He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
And there he lets the hungry dwell

Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Just trying to make his way home
Back up to Heaven all alone - Nations shall dwell with Him!
Nobody callin' on the phone - As long as there are tests there will be prayer in school!

cept for the Pope maybe in Rome - Whenever 2 or more gather in His name....

Yeah Yeah God is great
Yeah Yeah God is good
Yeah Yeah yeah yeah

Exodus 34:7

maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Numbers 14:18

‘The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’

Nehemiah 9:17

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them

Psalm 86:5

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Psalm 99:8

LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.

Daniel 9:9

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Matthew 6:25-34 ~ Sufficient for the day. Achieving gratitude

Through us

Hebrews 3:14

Abba, Father,

Blessed Be the Name of Jesus

Thank You for hearing our prayers

and answering us

as our Father.

Matthew 13:16-17  

Blessed 

are your eyes, for they see, 

and your ears, for they hear. 

For truly, I say to you, 

many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, 

and did not see it, 

and to hear what you hear, 

and did not hear it.

Father, 

You are working

and so is Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Turn again

to the Lord.

With Your Help

We will act justly

 and to love mercy

 and to walk humbly with You, our God.

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. 

Lord Jesus Christ,

Bless those working for

Post Pandemic Healing

and Care.

The healing and safety of Your people.

The safety of those

helping the earth 

to heal.

Let evil and practicing evil

depart and be ended

far from us

and our children.

Worldwide Peace

Prosperity and

Peace.

Worldwide

Peace!

HEAL OUR NATION

We have 41 days

or sooner for Early Voting

until 

our National Election.

Please Vote 

and Vote Responsibly.

For Children in their Schools, all safety.

For those who protect and defend the USA,

protect us from arsonists.

Keep our food supply safe.

Support the Police.

The Preservation

and Honoring

ALL of our Constitutional Rights.

Veterans fought for us.

For Worldwide Peace.

And the Peace of Israel.

 

Those protecting

and defending

All The Word of God.

Freedom in our Churches.

Wholeness, Holiness.

In the Highest Name of

Jesus, Alleluia,

Amen

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yay Lord Jesus 

Today

 Hurricane Beryl Category, 90 mph gusts, 10 inches of rain, wanted a good look at Houston and Montgomery County. We saw the eye of the Hurricane. A first for us. Of the many trees that leaned over and fell over, few hit houses. Roads were the target. The Lord our God, merciful Lord.

Most are without electricity, but utility texts, when the phone works, say perhaps….Today!!!

Our Scripture today

THE MERCY OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER 

Our Father, You are upholding the Universe.

Hallowed be the Name of Jesus, Lamb of God

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Good and Perfect Will

Be done on earth, as in Heaven.

Give us today, this Day

Our Daily Living Bread, Jesus.

Forgive us our flaws, weaknesses and sin.

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us far away from temptation 

And Deliver us from evil,

In Jesus, we see Your Kingdom, Power and Glory.

Alleluia in Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 49:1-13 ~ my God has become my strength

 

Isaiah 49:1-13

Listen to me, O coastlands,

and give attention, you peoples from afar.

The Lord called me from the womb,

from the body of my mother 

He named my name.

2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;

in the shadow of His Hand He hid me;

He made me a polished arrow;

in His quiver He hid me away.

3 And He said to me, “You are my servant,

Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;

I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;

yet surely my right is with the Lord,

and my recompense with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says,

He who formed me from the womb to be His servant,

to bring Jacob back to Him;

and that Israel might be gathered to Him—

for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,

and my God has become my strength—

He says:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7 Thus says the Lord,

the Redeemer of Israel and His Holy One,

to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,

the servant of rulers:

“Kings shall see and arise;

princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;

because of the Lord,

Who is faithful,

the Holy One of Israel, 

Who has chosen you.”

8 Thus says the Lord:

“In a time of favor I have answered you;

in a day of salvation I have helped you;

I will keep you and give you

as a covenant to the people,

to establish the land,

to apportion the desolate heritages,

9 saying to the prisoners, 

‘Come out,’

to those who are in darkness, 

‘Appear.’

They shall feed along the ways;

on all bare heights shall be their pasture;

10 they shall not hunger or thirst,

neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,

for He who has pity on them will lead them,

and by springs of water will guide them.

11 And I will make all My mountains a road,

and My Highways shall be raised up.

Behold, 

these shall come from afar,

and behold, these from the north and from the west,

and these from the land of Syene.”

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;

break forth, O mountains, into singing!

For the Lord has comforted His people

and will have compassion 

on His afflicted.

John 13:1

Now before the Feast of the Passover, 

when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world 

to the Father, 

having loved His own who were in the world, 

He loved them to the end.

Abba, Father,

Dwell in us, please, Father.

Dwell in those we Love.

Help us to seek You first.

In Jesus Christ, we will finish well.

To see

to bring

to be

more daily

Thy Kingdom come

Thy will be done

on earth

as in Heaven

In Jesus Christ is 

Our Love, Joy and Hope.

Bless those working for

Post Pandemic Healing

and Care.

Thank You for Jesus.

To You, our Father, be the Glory

Our God is an Awesome God! 

Amen and Alleluia

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

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