Here I Am, Lord

by Pastor Mark Jeske

The Bible is the very Word of God. But these words were not given to mankind all in one gulp, all at the same time, all through one person, all in the same style. The Bible was revealed to us over the course of 1,600 years and utilizes quite a variety of literary styles: history, law, sermons, poems, libretto to a musical, wisdom sayings, drama dialogue, letters, and prophetic visions. Almost all of the Bible is presented in a style that brings information from God to us.

Except the Psalms. The content of the Psalms came from God, but he couched much of the book in first-person language to give us a vocabulary for speaking to him. The Psalms are first-rate devotional literature, guiding our thoughts and emotions as we give God our praises, petitions, groans, laments, puzzles, confessions of sin, cries of pain, and pleas for protection, forgiveness, guidance, and healing.

Arrows in the Hand

"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth." (Psalm 127:4)

 

This is the central verse in the 101 verses contained in a remarkable group of fifteen psalms called "The songs of degrees" (Psalms 120-134). The central verse in the central psalm of this group is the preceding verse: "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward" (Psalm 127:3). The origin of these psalms and this peculiar superscript has always been uncertain. Four are said to be by David, one by Solomon; the other ten are anonymous.

 

A reasonable supposition, however, is that they were composed by King Hezekiah, after he had been miraculously healed of a lethal illness. "I will add unto thy days fifteen years," God had said, and gave Hezekiah a miraculous sign as confirmation, causing the shadow on the sun dial of Ahaz to go "backward ten degrees" (2 Kings 20:6, 10). In thanksgiving thereof, the king proclaimed, "Therefore we will sing my songs . . . all the days of our life in the house of the Lord" (Isaiah 38:20).

Help, or Harmonic Convergence?

I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.  
Psalm 121:1-2

Recommended Reading Psalm 121

What did the psalmist mean when he said he was looking to the hills for help? He certainly didn't mean that the hills themselves provided help. He wasn't like the New Age thinkers in Arizona who suggest that the red hills around Sedona emit a "harmonic convergence" that gives healing and strength to visitors. Nor was he expecting the cavalry to come charging over the hills like in a TV Western.
Though various commentators of Psalm 121 offer different suggestions, perhaps the simplest explanation is the best. The psalmist, in facing great difficulty, looked up and saw the hills that God had made. And he said to himself: "The Creator of heaven and earth is my Lord, and if He can create all things, He can surely take care of me."

Our Daily Bread -- A Song To Remember

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Deuteronomy 31:16-22

Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect. —Deuteronomy 32:3-4

I was delighted when I received a free gift in the mail—a CD of Scripture set to music. After listening to it several times, some of the melodies took root in my mind. Before long, I could sing the words to a couple of verses in the book of Psalms without the help of the recording.

Are You A God Chaser?

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;  but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water  springing up into everlasting life." -John 4:14

Are you a God Chaser? As we prepare our hearts and minds to dive into 2013, I find myself wondering how I can jump-start the New Year by immersing myself even deeper into the Lord.

Last month we talked about allowing our spiritual, emotional and physical batteries to run low. I promised that I would follow up this month with help for recharging ourselves through our ultimate Power Source - The Ever Present Spirit of God.

As the New Year quickly approaches, it seems fitting that we look at how we can begin the next year of our lives totally plugged-in to God, and going even deeper in Him than we ever have before.

OUR SPIRITS BLOSSOM WHEN WE SING

Paul Estabrooks

God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:6

Our Open Doors colleague, Ron Boyd-MacMillan, shares the following insight from his teaching, “Why I Need to Encounter the Persecuted Church.”

Chinese evangelist, Mrs Yang, was visited by another full time preacher who was very downcast. The preacher wanted to buy a tape player, but had no money. Mrs Yang sat down and just began to sing to him. Her voice was deep and scratchy, the tune barely discernible, the words simple: I am a wanderer, my home is in heaven/ Life is fleeting/ Our home is in heaven/ In this world we have many trials/ And sadness and sickness/ True happiness is not in this world/ But in heaven.

How To Win Him Back From The Other Woman

This is for my friend, I am charm, whose husband has left her and their child and is off having his affair with the other woman.

The statistics for an affair actually working out are very low, I think it is less than 2% of affairs actually turn into marriages, it is most likely not going to work out between him and the other woman, and it probably won’t even last past a year. This is good news for a wife who wants her husband to return to their family. However, you have many disadvantages on your side right now to work through.

Dear Friend of Insight for Living:

It isn't pretty, but it's here to stay. It occurs in every life and in every season of life. I call it the "daily grind."

Homemakers face fourteen-hour days with ever-present children and an endless grind of responsibilities. Students endure the grind of assignments, classes, and exams. Salespeople have quotas to meet. Musicians must constantly rehearse. Therapists can't escape one depressed soul after another. Husbands have grass to mow and things to fix each weekend. Preachers forever face the grind of sermon preparation.

Fact is—let's face it—the grind isn't going away! Instead of fussing about it or dreading it, we must find a way to live beyond it. How? Songs! But not just any songs. I have in mind a songbook that's really old. In fact, it's one of the first-ever composed, inspired by our Creator-God. Its timeless songs were written specifically to help us live beyond life's daily grind. That's right, beyond it. Why else would God have inspired those age-old compositions called psalms?

From Grapes to Wine

"Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?" —Psalm 80:12

In Psalm 80, the Psalmist has a question for God. Using a grapevine as a metaphor, King David describes how God took the children of Israel out of Egypt and planted them in the Promised Land. There, they took root and flourished, covering the land with their sweet fruit. Yet, over time, the situation changed, causing the Psalmist to write: "Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?" After all that work, why has God allowed his precious vineyard to be pummeled and ravaged? Why has the God of Israel allowed His people to be all but destroyed?

The prophet Hosea, as if answering King David’s question, had this to say: "Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones. Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt" (Hosea 10:1–2). Translation: While the Israelites blossomed and thrived in the land of Israel, their abundant blessings led them toward idolatry instead of toward God. In the place of thankfulness, they substituted forgetfulness. They forgot who had blessed them and what they were supposed to accomplish with all that they had been given.

How To Die

The doctor wasn’t smiling. “There’s no way I can sugarcoat it. You have a rare, fatal disease and there is no known cure.”

by Rabbi Benjamin Blech

“How to Die” – the three words on last week’s cover of Time magazine – made my heart race. I rushed to read what has assumed such powerful personal relevance ever since my unforgettable moment in the doctor’s office.

I had no previous warning.

It was just my annual physical exam. No health problems. No complaints. Both my mother and father lived into healthy old age. I figured I’d receive my usual reassuring words that all was well, coupled with the suggestion that I return in six months to a year.

It seemed strange that the doctor wasn’t smiling when he called me to his office to provide me with the results of his examinations. It was then I began to suspect something might be wrong.

My Powerful Judge

I had sinned. Despite my efforts to convince myself that I hadn't really failed God, guilt whispered quietly, and then more loudly when I ignored its protests. It didn't matter if anyone else was aware. I knew. That self-knowledge made it terrible to bear. 

During that period, I read every day from the Psalms. Although I didn't speak quite as dramatically as the poet, I understood his words on an emotional level: "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever-heat of summer" (Ps 32:3-4, NAS).

I had sinned. 

To make it worse, it wasn't what the Old Testament refers to as a sin of ignorance. I had deliberately gone astray. Before I sinned, I told myself that I was protecting my rights, standing up for myself and being faithful to my convictions. At other times, I've told myself that I had technically sinned, but I had really been overwhelmed by temptation (as though that made it a lesser offense).

The Lawgiver

On the chalkboard for my Sunday school class I drew a small square inside a large circle. "The circle represents life and the box stands for the laws of God. Where are you?" I placed an X inside the box and I placed another outside the box. "Which best represents you and your understanding of the laws of God?"

From there I went on to explain that committed Christians tend to take one of two positions: inside or outside the box. Those inside the box are keenly aware of God's laws and carefully obey them. Their lives revolve around staying away from the four walls of the box. Their freedom, although limited, is that they can do what they want, but within the confines of the walls.

Some in the class used the box to define their lives. The laws, rules, regulations, injunctions, commands, and statutes of God were about as far as they would travel.

Come and See!

Today's reading: Psalm 66:1-20

In Psalms 65 and 66, the psalmist recounts all that God has done and all that he has created. In jubilant psalms of praise, the psalmist describes God's "awesome and righteous deeds" (Ps 65:5), God's power displayed in his creation, God's abundance in caring for the land and watering it, God's bounty in providing for humankind and animals alike. "Come and see what God has done," he says in Psalm 66. "his awesome deeds for mankind" (Ps 66:5). Physician and author J. Matthew Sleeth invites us to share the healing that comes from bearing witness to the miracle of God's creation:

When the psalmists advise us how to heal spiritually, they do not tell us to purchase a television, car, house, self-help book, or exercise equipment. God, they say, is to be found in the natural world that he created, a world filled with the grandeur, beauty, and peace that are so often lacking in our material world.

Does God prohibit space travel?

by Troy Lacey, AiG–U.S.

A: Psalm 115:16 says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” But does that mean mankind’s biblical dominion is limited to the earth?

The context reveals that the passage has nothing to do with space exploration, and nowhere else in Scripture is the concept spoken of in a negative light. Remember that the Psalms are poetic literature, and sometimes they conceptually portray people or angels in heaven worshipping God.

The essence of the passage is that heaven is where the throne of God is, and He alone controls heaven and the rest of the universe. Even if the Hebrew word is extended to include the atmospheric and interstellar heavens (as it often does), this still does not mean that God is prohibiting men from flying in airplanes or rockets, but rather that He is in control of these places as well as earth.

When Life Seems Unfair - Spending time with God puts everything else in perspective.

by Joe Stowell

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Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn

Read: Psalm 73

I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. —Psalm 73:3

Bible in a Year:
2 Kings 24-25; John 5:1-24

Have you ever felt that life is unfair? For those of us who are committed to following the will and ways of Jesus, it’s easy to get frustrated when people who don’t care about Him seem to do well in life. 

A businessman cheats yet wins a large contract, and the guy who parties all the time is robust and healthy—while you or your loved ones struggle with finances or medical issues. It makes us feel cheated, like maybe we’ve been good for nothing. 

If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re in good company. The writer of Psalm 73 goes through a whole list of how the wicked prosper, and then he says, “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain” (v.13). But the tide of his thoughts turns when he recalls his time in God’s presence: “Then I understood their end” (v.17).

When we spend time with God and see things from His point of view, it changes our perspective completely. We may be jealous of the nonbelievers now, but we won’t be at judgment time. As the saying goes, what difference does it make if you win the battle but lose the war?

Like the psalmist, let’s praise God for His presence in this life and His promise of the life to come (vv.25-28). He is all you need, even when life seems unfair. 

All wrongs will one day be set right 
By God who sees both bad and good; 
All motives and all deeds will then Be fairly judged and understood. — D. De Haan  

  Spending time with God puts everything else in perspective.

http://odb.org/2011/05/16/when-life-seems-unfair/

Making Miracles

As the Passover meal progresses, we go from recounting the Passover story to expressing our gratitude for the great miracles that God did on behalf of the Nation of Israel. What better text to read from than Psalms of thanksgiving written by King David? In Psalm 114 we read about the Exodus from Egypt. The Psalmist reveals that when the Israelites approached the Red Sea, it “looked and fled.” But what exactly did the sea look at that made it split?

Jewish tradition teaches us that the sea saw the bones of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who had requested that the Israelites take his remains with them when they left Egypt. Something about the bones of Joseph caused the sea to react. What? For the answer, we turn to Joseph’s greatest moment.

Joseph’s greatest achievement was not becoming the second-in-command of Egypt. It wasn’t even his willingness to help out his brothers even though they hadn’t exactly treated him with the same kindness that he would later bestow upon them.


Joseph’s greatest moment came when he refused the advances of the wife of his master. After being sold into slavery in Egypt, Joseph found himself working in the home of Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife took a liking to him and tried daily to ensnare Joseph in sin.

Against his grain and natural desires, Joseph was able to refuse her offers: “…‘How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her” (Genesis 39: 9–10). Tradition teaches that when the sea saw the remains of Joseph it said, “If Joseph can go against his nature, I too can go against my own.” And it split.

Sweet and Powerful Moments of Prayer

Lucy Neeley Adams


Before I left church Sunday, my friend Linda asked if she could come to my house later that day and talk with me about prayer. Since she was a very busy person, I was glad for the opportunity to listen to her and share what I had learned about that all important subject.

I knew that for some Christians, prayer comes easily. It depends on one's relationship with Jesus since childhood. Heartfelt prayers can be a natural part of growing in the faith. For others, their life of prayer needs to have a definite beginning.

That afternoon Linda and I sat at our cozy kitchen table as we sipped from our mugs of coffee. She got right to the point. "Lucy, I am ashamed to tell you this since I am so active in our church. But I do not know how to pray! If I am asked to pray in a group, I read a prayer, but I can't say the words that will form my own prayer."

I told her about the time I too discovered I did not know how to pray. I was the wife of a minister and was often expected to lead a group in prayer. So I read the closest one at hand. The day I discovered a booklet entitled Adventures in Prayer by Catherine Marshall, I discovered the reason I could not pray: I had no relationship with God the way that Marhsall did. That is always the turning point of one's prayer life. First, develop a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and then talk with Him as if talking with your best friend.

Linda laughed as she replied, "Yes, I imagine you see me talking with many people. But how can I talk to God like that?" I opened the Bible to the Psalms. We discussed the psalmist's conversations about everything from heartache to praise and thanksgiving. His love for God and his reliance on Him was straight from his heart.

We discussed coming to God with a clean heart free of any trash of the past. "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened, but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer" (Psalm 66:18-19). Sometimes we forget to pray first for ourselves so that God knows we desire to be pure vessels through which His power will flow.

Turning to the window, I said, "Look at that sparrow slowly hopping along the rock wall." We smiled as we noticed the leaf in its mouth was almost the size of its small brown body. The nest hidden among the ivy was probably its destination. But during the short flight there, the bird sank to the ground and dropped the leaf.

"Linda, sometimes I am like that bird," I said. "I stumble under the weight of worries and thoughts that I am not able to carry. Prayer is always the answer to that heaviness, as I call on God's wisdom and ask for His will to be done in the situation. Then I try to let it go," I sighed.

The remainder of our time together was joyful and filled with excitement about a new life of prayer. Before she left, Linda prayed a prayer of thanksgiving because her burden was gone. She talked to God straight from her heart not from a book of prayers.

After she left, I continued to think about our visit, and realized we did not discuss the hymns that we sing. Many of them are actually prayers put to music and they feed the deep needs of my soul. The well-known hymn, "Sweet Hour of Prayer" is a perfect example. I am encouraged as I sing its powerful invitation:

Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care.
And bids me at my Father's throne make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief.
And oft' escaped the tempter's snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

My burdens are not so heavy when I know that this hymn writer found relief from his distress and grief through prayer. An English lay person, William Walford, was the author of these beautiful words. He showed his work to a visiting clergyman from America and asked that he take the poem with him when he returned to his country.

So it was that Rev. Thomas Salmon returned to his home in New York and immediately sent the lyrics to the editor of a newspaper. It was printed in The New York Observer in September 1845. There is no doubt that many readers were touched by its simple but profound message.

However, it was a musician who made the difference in the poem's travels through the church worldwide. The lovely tune was composed by one of the most outstanding musicians of his day, William B. Bradbury.

Oh God, we thank You for wanting to express Your love to us from our birth. We come in humble adoration that You make this possible with the living presence of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is an honor to talk to You in prayer and to sing to You in prayer. It is too marvelous for words, so we softly sing a loving "Hallelujah." We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Lucy Neeley Adams has always loved music. She began telling the story of hymns on Christian radio WWGM in Nashville, TN, in the '80s. She then wrote a newspaper column titled "Song Stories" for five years. During that time Lucy's book, 52 Hymn Story Devotions, was published by Abingdon Press in Nashville. Each of the 52 stories contained in the book is written in a devotional format, with the words of the hymn concluding each devotion. Lucy lives at Lake Junaluska, NC, with her minister husband, Woody. They have four children and fourteen grandchildren. She may be reached for comment at lucya424@aol.com. Visit her at 52hymns.com

http://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/sweet-and-powerful-moments-of-prayer-11541259.html 

Wisdom from the Psalms Psalm 50:14

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High.

Early Christians suffered terrible persecution, even death, for refusing to bow down to idols. Images of Caesar were prominent throughout the Roman Empire, and all were expected to pay tribute to these graven images.

The Christians refused, and so they were thrown into jail, and sometimes they were thrown to wild beasts. God was so important to these early Christians that they could not offer tribute to anyone less worthy.

 Only God is worthy to be praised. In all we do and all we are, our lives should pay tribute to God. Nothing else is good enough. Offer to God thanksgiving and praise, for He alone is deserving. 

Prayer: Thank You for the gifts You give, Almighty God. From the rise of the sun to its setting in the night, I will praise You for all that You have done. Glory is Yours, Father. Amen.

 http://www.lightsource.com/