"Worship God with thanksgiving ... or ..."

Day #157

Scripture Reading:  Psalms 93 - 95 …

God has revealed Himself to mankind from the beginning and what we know about God from His Word is what God desires for us to know as we live in this world.  God is absolute perfection, therefore He does not need to change.  His character is the same today as it was when He said, "Let there be light!"  That is a comfort to those who have come to know Him as "Abba, Father," through faith in Jesus Christ … but should alarm the hearts of those who do not know Him and who reject His offer of forgiveness and life through Jesus.  Those who sneer at our God and who worship other gods will eventually discover that He IS who He says He is!

So who is God?  What is He like?  How can we know for sure?  The Bible gives us a picture of God as loving, kind, compassionate and gracious … slow to anger and abounding in mercy ... AND the Bible gives us a picture of God as holy, righteous and just, carrying out His wrath and vengeance on those who continue in their wickedness and who reject Him by worshiping other gods.  Which picture is accurate?  BOTH!!  God IS who He says He is.  It is not a matter that is up for discussion.  God is not one thing today and something different tomorrow.

This is the God the Psalmist writes of in our Psalms today.  He is the LORD, who reigns over His creation and who is "robed in majesty and is armed with strength" (93:1).  God did not simply create the world, wind it up and let it go.  His reign is an active reign.  He is intimately involved in His creation. He is on His throne.  So the Psalmist writes, "Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days, O LORD" (93:5).   

Psalm 94 thus begins, "O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth.  Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve!" (94:1-2).  Who of those who know God has not asked, "How long will the wicked be jubilant?" (94:3).  When we see those who do evil rejoice we cry out for God's justice.  They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed" (94:7).  But they are wrong.  With question after question the Psalmist notes that the God who created us hears and sees and disciplines the nations.  Yet He promises, "the LORD will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance" (94:14).

What a comfort that is for those who know the true God and who have come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, for we, too, are His inheritance today.  God's "judgment will again be founded on righteousness" (94:15).  As you and I live in this world justice seems hard to find.  The wicked seem to prosper and evil appears oftentimes to have victory over those who trust in the Lord our God, but God WILL have the last word!  With confidence we can testify, "Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death … When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul" (94:17, 19).

Those who do wickedness and evil will not win!  "The LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.  He WILL repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness" (94:22-23).  As those who believe in Jesus Christ we must remember that were it not for God's grace and mercy to US, we would face His wrath and judgment, too.  Knowing who God is … that He is a God of wrath as well as mercy … a God of judgment as well as compassion … leads us to rejoice in the cross of Jesus Christ and to give thanks to God always for revealing Himself to us by His Word and Spirit.

That knowledge leads us to Psalm 95.  This Psalm is written only for believers, for no one else will respond.  "Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song" (95:1-2).  What an incredible blessing, what an amazing gift to know the one true God and to be able to approach Him without fear through the shed blood of Christ … to be able to bow down before Him in worship … the One who is our Maker, our Creator … "For He is OUR God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care" (95:7).

God warns those who hear His voice not to harden their hearts as the people did in days past.  He reminds them that "for forty years I was angry with that generation" (95:10).  That was the generation that came out of Egypt and who refused to go into the promised land because they were afraid of the nations who lived there.  They all wandered in the wilderness for forty years and died without entering God's "rest" in the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants.  God said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways" (95:10).  Therefore God said, "They shall never enter my rest" (95:11).

But there was more to it than not entering the land of Canaan.  Listen to how the writer of Hebrews applies this Psalm:  "Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.  For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.  Now we who have believed enter that rest!"  (Hebrews 4:1-3).  God was pointing to the eternal Sabbath rest that awaits believers as we enter the rest of heaven, and ultimately, the new heaven and the new earth.

And the writer of Hebrews goes on to explain that "TODAY" is the day of salvation (II Corinthians 6:2).  Those who believe God's promise in the Gospel know that our enemies have been defeated by Jesus Christ and we are free to enter the promised land!!  We will live in the presence of God and will worship Him with thanksgiving forever!  The options before all of mankind are clear:  Worship Him with thanksgiving for the gift of His Son, through whom we receive forgiveness and life ... OR, face His wrath and judgment, because God IS who He says He is.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name!  You are worthy to be praised and those who know You through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ will rejoice in the privilege of worship and will give You thanks all our days.  May Your Spirit fill us with joy as we offer our worship to You in Jesus' name, Amen"

"Teach us to number our days ..."

Day #156

Scripture Reading:  Psalms 90 - 92 …

When you understand that "with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" (II Peter 3:8), you learn to look at the big picture as you live one day at a time in this world.  That may seem to be contradictory, but in reality it makes perfect sense.  Let me explain:  one day, one 24-hour period, is like a thousand years to God … AND a thousand years is like one day to God.  That means that God is not confined to time like we are.  He sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end.  As you and I live in time we see God's one plan unfolding over a period of a few thousand years … God sees it unfolding just as He planned it before He created the world, and He is intimately involved in every day, every step, every detail.  The consequence is that every day is important precisely BECAUSE it is part of the bigger picture of God's plan.  It is all connected. The past affects what goes on today, and what goes on today affects the future … and God knows it ALL!!!

Moses understood that as he wrote Psalm 90.  He begins with a testimony of faith:  "Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting YOU are God" (90:1-2).  And in verse 12 he writes, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  Every day belongs to God and using it to praise Him, to serve Him, to glorify Him makes every day important.  Moses lived among a people who were experiencing God's wrath and judgment.  He said, "All our days pass away under Your wrath; we finish our years with a moan" (90:9).  Such is the lot of mankind, then and now.

We live in a world so deeply affected by mankind's sin and God's judgment against it that our only hope is in the everlasting God that Moses knew and that we know today through His Word and by faith in Jesus Christ and the work of His Spirit within us.  The Apostle Paul wrote of this hope to the Romans in Chapter 8, verses 22-25: "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

If you are going to live with hope, your hope needs to be in the everlasting God who never changes.  People look for joy and satisfaction in the things of the world apart from God, but they can never satisfy.  "Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad ALL our days!"  (90:14).  God is willing and able to give you all you need as you live one day at a time in His presence and for His glory.  And it is so beautiful when people live this way.  "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, 'HE is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'" (91:1-2).  The Psalmist then goes on to explain that "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge" (91:4).

I have used those verses to offer comfort and peace to countless people as they enter into the hospital for surgery or treatment of one kind or another ... or when they face the death of a loved one or a trial that seems impossible to bear.  You find rest and peace under the shadow of His wings.  He watches over those who trust in Him, He cares for you, He loves you, He is with you and He will never leave you or forsake you ... EVER!!!  I love the pictures the Psalm-writer gives:  "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked" (91:7-8).  Such is the promise of God to those who know and trust Him through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

"If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the LORD, who is MY refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent" (91:9-10).   "'Because he loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation!" (91:14-16).  God's love never fails those who know, love, trust and serve Him.  And so, "It is good to praise the LORD and make music to Your name, O Most High ... to proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night ..." (92:1-2).

How do you live your life day by day?  Are you trusting in the everlasting God, finding your joy and satisfaction in Him as you rest under the shadow of His wings and praise Him for His unfailing love?  The world may think it foolish to believe in a God we cannot see, but the truth is "the senseless man does not know, fools do not understand. ... But YOU, O LORD, are exalted forever!" (92:6,8).  In a thousand different ways, God blesses those who know and trust Him.  Each day ... each day you live is important when you understand the big picture ... that God is at work in the world AND in your life.  As you confess Jesus as Savior and Lord you can rest assured that God knows you and that you are here, now, for His purposes.

Believe Him, trust Him, seek Him and learn to number your days, knowing that each one is like a thousand years to the Lord and in HIM your life finds meaning.  "O Lord, our God, teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!"

"My Father and my God, I believe that You alone are the everlasting God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.  I find my hope, my satisfaction and my joy in You.  Help me to trust You in the things I don't understand and to rest under the shadow of Your wings, serving You day by day as I rejoice in Your faithfulness!  In Jesus' name, Amen" 





"Don't forget God's promises and His faithfulness!"

Day #155

Scripture Reading:  Psalms 87 - 89 …

Most, if not all people go through times of trials and suffering.  And when they come you and I need to know "the God who saves me" (88:1).  THIS God is faithful … ALWAYS!!  He never forgets His promises ... He always keeps His promises.  And one of the most powerful illustrations of God's faithfulness is His faithfulness to Israel, to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  I mention that often because if God is not faithful to the promises He made to His people in the past, why should we believe that He will be faithful to you and me today?  

Psalm 87 speaks of those promises that God made to Zion, to Jerusalem, and to the people of Israel.  The writer declares that God will note each one that was born in Zion and that in the end God will establish Zion above all the other nations.  Throughout the Old Testament God declares that He will never forget His promises to His servant, David (in fact, we read more about this in Psalm 89).  It is important to understand and believe this truth, because as you come to Psalm 88 you find the "sons of Korah," the writers of these Psalms, in a BAD place, spiritually speaking.

Some people wrongly believe that if a particular emotion and response to circumstances is written down in the Psalms, it is legitimate for us to feel, to think and to speak the same way.  But as you read these words, can this really be what God would teach us through including Psalms like this in His Word?  Or is God telling us, "Other people have felt this way and I delivered them, so don't go there!!!"

Psalm 88 describes a place where you and I who believe in Jesus Christ NEVER need to visit!  "My soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave" (88:3).  He cries out to the LORD, "the God who saves me," but he doesn't believe God hears him.  Is that true?  What does the Bible teach? God hears His children when we cry out to Him.  The Psalmist writes, "You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.  Your wrath lies heavily upon me; You have overwhelmed me with all Your waves" (88:6-7).  He goes so far as to say, "I cry to You for help, O LORD; … Why, O LORD, do You reject me and hide Your face from me?" (88:13-14).

Does this sound like the God you know?  If you answered, "Yes" to that question, you don't know Him!  Let me explain.  Any of us can be TEMPTED to feel what the Psalmist is feeling … be we don't have to go there, and we shouldn't go there.  Such thoughts and feelings are a temptation to be dealt with by declaring TRUTH.  God allows us to face trials and suffering and struggles that we do not have the strength to endure on our own, but He is ALWAYS with us and He ALWAYS hears our prayers and He will ALWAYS give us all we need.  That is His promise in Christ.

Paul writes to the Corinthians and says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But WHEN you ARE tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it!"  (I Corinthians 10:13).  And the writer of Hebrews states, "We do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).

As the writer of Psalm 88 wrote these words, he did not believe he could approach God's throne, but we know God has given us access through the blood of Christ and He will never turn us away - EVER!!   Don't go where the Psalmist went.  Don't listen to Satan's lies.  Believe God's truth and trust in Him.  Run to Psalm 89, where the Psalmist begins, "I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations" (89:1).  How can he be so confident?  Because his mind is on GOD rather than his own circumstances!

He says in verses 3-4, "You said, 'I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,  - I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'" In Jesus Christ God kept His promise to King David.  He says again in verses 28-29:  "I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.  I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure."  And in verses 34-36:  "I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.  Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness - and I will not lie to David - that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun."

Yet, beginning with verse 27, the writer of Psalm 89 laments that God has rejected him, that He is angry with him and that he is facing shame and ridicule.  He asks, "How long, O LORD?  Will You hide Yourself forever?  How long will Your wrath burn like fire? … Where is Your former great love, which in Your faithfulness You swore to David?"  (89:46,49).  It can SEEM like God is far away and it can SEEM like He has forgotten His promises … but when that happens, it is His very faithfulness that you and I must stand on.  The Psalmist ends with a declaration of his faith:  "Praise be to the LORD forever!  Amen and Amen!!" (89:52).

We who draw near to God today through faith in Jesus Christ know that God keeps His promises and that He IS faithful to those who call upon Him in the name of Jesus.  Do that today and do not be shaken by circumstances or trials in Your life.  Trust in the Lord your God, for He is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David … and His love and faithfulness endure FOREVER!!

"Father, I thank You for Your love to me and for Your mercy and grace in Christ Jesus.  I rest in Your faithfulness and I trust in You.  Help me to resist the temptation to doubt, to fear and to worry.  I stand on Your promise to help me escape from that temptation and ask that You help me to testify to others even in the midst of the struggles of life that Jesus is on the throne and the angels are singing, 'Holy! Holy! Holy! is the LORD God Almighty!'  To You I give my thanks and my praise, in Jesus' name, Amen"

"What do you want (NEED) from God?"

Day #154

Scripture Reading:  Psalms 84 - 86 …

As you read through the Psalms, you quickly discover that to the writers of the Psalms prayer is almost like breathing!  We can learn much about how to pray and what to pray for by reading the prayers contained in the Psalms.

But first, what did Jesus mean when He said to His disciples, "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:13-14).  Jesus also told them that there would be a time, after their time of grief (when He was crucified and buried), when "the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:23-24).  So did Jesus give His disciples a "blank check?"  Could they really ask for ANYTHING and He would give it to them or do it for them?  And what about us?  Do WE get the same promise?

What did Jesus mean?  Let's look at two more verses and then come back to our Psalms for today.  We read in I John 5:14-15:  "This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him."  Jesus wanted His disciples to ask for "anything" … "in His name."  Praying “according to His will” means praying for what He has promised to give us. With that in mind, let's look at Psalms 84-86 and see what the Psalmist asked for.

Psalm 84 is a beautiful expression of the believer's relationship with God. "How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (84:1-2).  Can you say that?  Do you believe that those who live in God's presence, who praise Him, who understand that we are His … do you believe these are people who are blessed, no matter what may be happening in our lives?  Are you always asking God TO bless you, or are you thanking Him that you ARE blessed?  The writer of this Psalm loved worship, loved drawing near to God.  He believed that the Almighty God, the God of Jacob, looked with favor on him and he rejoiced that God was his protector.  "No good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (84:11).

But who of us can say we are "blameless?"  All who trust in the forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ!!  That's why he ends the Psalm by saying, "O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in YOU!" (84:12).  We are not blameless, but God's promise of forgiveness through the blood of the Savior makes us blameless in His sight.  Apparently the Psalmist, hundreds of years before the Gospel was ever preached, understood God's grace, mercy and forgiveness as the Spirit moved him to pen these words.  When you know you are forgiven, you know that "the LORD bestows favor and honor" (84:11) and you rejoice in Him.

THEN you are ready to pray for that which God has promised, knowing that He hears your prayers and answers in the best way possible, in His time and in His way.  Psalm 85 begins by stating truth:  "You showed favor to Your land … You restored the fortunes of Jacob … You forgave the iniquity of Your people and covered all their sins.  You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce anger" (85:1-3).  Prayer that God hears and answers flows from your knowledge of the truth.  So what do you pray for?

"Restore us again, O God our Savior! … Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?  Show us Your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us Your salvation" (85:4,6-7).  This was foremost on the Psalmist's mind and should be foremost in OUR minds!  We need to recognize that we are here for God; that our very existence is for His purposes.  Then we will ask for those things that will glorify Him, advance His kingdom and draw people to put their faith in the God of Jacob, the only true God, our Savior and Lord.  "He promises peace to His people, His saints" (85:8).  So we pray for those things that lead to peace with God … for wisdom, for holiness, for strength, for guidance …

Psalm 86 is another prayer of David … one that you and I could pray every day of our lives.  "Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy” (86:1).  Who of us cannot confess that?!  So he asks God to "guard my life" …  Why should God do that?  " … for I am devoted to You" (86:2).  In fact, David prays in verse 11 for "an undivided heart."  Living in this world we face the constant temptation of losing our first love and taking our eyes off of Jesus.  We forget about being part of GOD’S plan and instead want Him to bless OUR plan.  So David prays for mercy and for joy (86:3-4).

Note the confidence in David's prayer:  "You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You.  Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.  In the day of trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me" (86:5-7).  Do you have that confidence?  We should understand God's grace and mercy even more than David, for we know that the Savior has come and His name is Jesus!  "All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, O Lord; they will bring glory to Your name.  For … You alone are God!" (86:10).

In spite of all the gods of the nations in David's day, he knew and testified that there was only ONE true God, the God of Jacob.  When You know God, your heart's desire will be that others know Him, too.   David, like true believers today, trusted in the mercy and grace of God to save him from the grave (86:13).  He rested in God's faithfulness and so do we.  As a loving Father He will give you all you need to love Him, to serve Him, to fulfill His calling on your life as a disciple of Christ, as you come to Him in the name of Jesus.

"Father, I come, confessing my need and rejoicing that You have met my greatest need in the cross of Christ.  With the Psalmist, I can say, 'Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere!'  Give me an undivided heart, that I may praise You with all my heart and serve You with joy all my days.  Give me strength to endure, to persevere and to overcome, in Jesus' name, Amen"