Deep Calls To Deep!

Reading:  Psalms 85 - 88
My Verse: " O LORD. why do you cast my soul away?
                        Why do you hide your face from me?" (88:14)

This Psalm starts off with "O LORD, God of my salvation;
                                                  I cry out day and night before you."

So many of the Psalms echo this crying out to You, O LORD God!  We live in a society that has become so fast paced.   We come to think we need instant gratification for whatever it is that we want!  Oh, LORD God, this is such wrong thinking!  As this Psalm illustrates we need to be persistent in our crying out to You.  For it is You only that  can help us.  Sometimes we sink into great depths of despair but You, LORD God will - if we allow You - take us to great depths of communion with You as You heal and deepen us in our faith!

You never promised a life without problems.  Because we live in a sinful world, sadness and struggle are very much a part of our life.  We need to look to You even when things feel so bleak, even when it doesn't seem like You hear us!

You have provided many examples of how great men and women struggled and persisted in their walk with You.  I love reading the classics of those amazing disciples.  It is scary and yet they lived at such a depth spiritually that one is drawn to want that as well.

Foster states the problem of our society and the great need.

"Superficiality is the curse of our age.  The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem.  The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people" (Celebration of Discipline).

You, LORD God allow trials to come into my life to strengthen and deepen me.  It is vitally important how I respond to these trials.

"Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me" (Psalm 42:7).

This morning I awoke with this dry barren feeling.  A feeling that something wasn't right in my soul.  I don't know why I felt this but as I read the Psalms and pondered this feeling I came to realize that I will not always know why the feeling of despair comes but what I must do is cry out to You and trust that You are growing me, enriching me, deepening me!

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God" (Psalm 42:11).

You, LORD God, are calling me to a deeper inner righteousness and for this I can only graciously accept and be thankful that You think me worthy.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
                                             

Leaders Walking in Darkness!

Reading: Psalms 79 - 84
My Verse:  "They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
                        They walk about in darkness;
                         All the foundations of the earth are shaken" (Psalm 82:5).

What a condemnation on our leaders! These very leaders that, You, LORD God put  in place because they had such promise like King Saul!  But these leaders refuse to follow Your precepts in the decisions they make and so cause their people to founder.   They cause the very foundations that You set up for us to live on to be shaken!  They walk in darkness and so are blind to all the wonder of what You would have for them and for their people.

So often we see a promising man or woman start to rise in the ranks of our leadership only to see them crash and burn because they forget the true purpose of their calling.  They put You aside and start seeking after their own desires.  They walk in darkness, blindly falling into the traps that too easily ensnare them!

This occurs in the church as well as in the political world.  You, LORD God,  direct all leaders.

     "How long will you judge unjustly
          and show partiality to the wicked?
      Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
          maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
      Rescue the weak and the needy;
          deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:2,3).

Sadly, too many become caught up in the building up of their "image."  This becomes their focus, blinding them to all that is truly important. They come to believe that it is  important to keep company with the rich and famous and to be like them in order to "get ahead."  They put themselves first instead of allowing You the leadership and guidance You so long to give them.

Oh, LORD God, this is so true for even those of us that are not world leaders.  We must in our own small circle be what You would have us to be be!  We must not be seeking world wisdom but Yours.  For You, and You only can enlighten our paths so that we do not stumble and become ensnared in the entanglements of worldly wisdom that only drag one down.

"For You are my lamp, O LORD; and the LORD illumines my darkness" (2 Samuel 22:29).

"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life" (John 8:12).

I pray this prayer for the leaders of our world.

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18).

Thank You, LORD God, that we do not need to be stumbling around in the darkness! You are Light!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

God's Wrath Is Coming!

Reading:  Psalms 76 - 78
My Verse:  "Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
                         a fire was kindled against Jacob;
                         His anger rose against Israel,
                    because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power" (78:21,22).

This is a powerful and frightening truth!  LORD God, You are a God that does get angry.  Revelation is the book that speaks of the end times when Your wrath will be meted out on earth.  You have done so much to bring mankind to You but so many -too many! -  continue to refuse and not trust in Your saving power.  Too many refuse to acknowledge the wrath to come!

In the end when You, LORD God finally decide that it is time, You will come in amazing power and Your wrath will be felt by all.  Sadly, at that time Your wrath will not be to merely discipline but to destroy and eternally judge all that refused You!

You, LORD God, spell it out quite clearly in Your Word of this coming wrath!

"The great day of the LORD is near,
     near and hastening fast;
  the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;
     the mighty man cries aloud there.
 A day of wrath is that day,
     a day of distress and anguish,
 a day of ruin and devastation,
     a day of darkness and gloom,
 a day of clouds and thick darkness,
     a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
 against the fortified cities
     and against the lofty battlements.

I will bring distress on mankind,
     so that they shall walk like the blind,
     because they have sinned against the LORD;
their blood shall be poured out like dust,
     and their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them 
     on the day of the wrath of the LORD" (Zephaniah 1:14-18).

"See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind, He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.  For with fire and with His sword the LORD will execute judgement upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD . . ."(Isaiah 66:15-16).

"From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron.  He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He had a name written, Kind of kings and LORD of lords" (Revelation 19:15,16).

To those who belong to You the day of Your return will be glorious!  But we cannot gloss over the powerful and frightening fact that this will be a terrible end for all who scorn the truth of Who You are! You, LORD God will return and the entire earth will feel Your all-consuming wrath!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

When The Earth Totters!

Reading:  Psalms 72 - 75
My Verse:  "At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.  When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah" (Psalm 75:2,3).

How I need this reminder, LORD God!  It is You and You only Who holds this earth together!  Watching the news is a constant reminder of how very messed up we are!  Our earth is definitely in trouble.  There is no question that it is tottering!

How exciting and reassuring to be reminded that there is an appointed time when You will judge the earth's inhabitants!  And You will judge with equity!  Thank You for that!

It is so easy to wring ones hands and wonder why everything is such a mess?!!  It is too easy to think that perhaps You have forgotten us down here.  But, no, that is not so.  You have things in hand.  You love us so much and want everyone to come to You.  Because of that You will allow as much time as is possible to give everyone that chance to turn from their rebellious ways.

I love Ecclesiastes 3:1- 8.
   "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . ."

I am also comforted to know that You have my time in Your loving and wise hands.  "My times are in Your hands" (Psalm 31:15).  This means that I do not need to fret about the timing of things in my life.  I need to simply and humbly look to You and trust that you love me more than I can ever understand.  You want only what is best in my life; I need to rest and trust in that.

All that You do You do that we may turn to You!  You are relentless in that pursuit of our souls!  Help me LORD God to not be selfish here!  There are still so many that need You.  Help me to be faithful in my walk with You that others may see You in me.  Help me to be faithful in prayer for those many that still need You.

Everyone knows how vitally important it is to have a good foundation for buildings and for basically how we live our lives.  I thank You for being the solid foundation that I stand on.  Though this earth totters morally, socially, physically and psychologically You will "keep steady its pillars."  On that I can rely!

"But God's firm foundation stands . . ." (2 Timothy 2:19).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!