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timewithgod.blog-city.com — June 2009
Psalm 61-64 My Defender
Several verses seemed to come together over several chapters to develop a theme this morning:"God, hear my cry; listen to my prayer. I call to You from the ends of the earth when I am afraid. Carry me away to a high mountain. Y
Several verses seemed to come together over several chapters to develop a theme this morning:
"God, hear my cry; listen to my prayer. I call to You from the ends of the earth when I am afraid. Carry me away to a high mountain. You have been my protection, like a strong tower against my enemies ... Let me find safety in the shelter of Your wings ... I find rest in God, only He can save me. He is my rock and my salvation. He is my defender; I will not be defeated. My honor and salvation come from God. He is my mighty rock and my protection .... God is strong. The Lord is loving. God, You are my God ... Because Your love is better than life, I will praise You ... You are my help. Because of Your protection, I sing. I stay close to You; You support me with Your right hand. ... God, listen ... I am afraid ... protect my life ..."
I couldn't help but pick up on this today -- God as my Defender. Several times over the past week I've had occasion to be defender for my youngest son. If he gets himself into his own messes, I usually hold back and make him dig himself out, explaining the moral lesson of consequences for certain actions along the way.
But let me find someone picking on him intentionally and without provocation, and the Papa Grizzly Bear comes out in me.
You see, I remember what it was like to be picked on, badgered, and hounded. I didn't like it, and how I wish I'd have had a defender.
Come to think of it, I'm in good company. Jesus was picked on, called names, badgered, and hounded as well. He knew from where His help came. I'm glad that I know, too.
Father, thank You for being the Defender of the weak. Thank You for coming to my rescue when I call. Thank You for Your Son, for letting Him be the Rock that was cleft for me, in whom I can hide for safety.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 65-68 What A Wonderful Way To Start A Day!
What a wonderful way to start a new day:"God, You hear our prayers. All people will come to You. Our guilt overwhelms us, but You FORGIVE our sins. Happy are the people You CHOOSE and invite to stay in Your court. We are
What a wonderful way to start a new day:
"God, You hear our prayers. All people will come to You. Our guilt overwhelms us, but You FORGIVE our sins. Happy are the people You CHOOSE and invite to stay in Your court. We are filled with good things in Your house, Your holy Temple. You answer us in amazing ways ... Everything on earth, shout with joy to God! .... He protects our lives and does not let us be defeated. God, You have tested us; You have purified us like silver ... You brought us to a place with good things. All of you who fear God, come and listen, and I will tell you what He has done for me... Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or hold back His love from us ... God, have mercy on us and bless us and show us Your kindness so the world will learn Your ways, and all nations will learn that You can save....God is in His holy Temple. He is a father to orphans... God gives the lonely a home.... Praise the Lord, God our Savior, who helps us every day. Our God is a God who saves us; the Lord God saves us from death."
Father, that's the kind of praise that should start every day. Thank You for the indescribable joys You've given to my family. Thank You for calling us together over the many miles. Thank You for not withholding Your love from me when I didn't love You. Thank You for drawing me back to You. Thank You the most for offering Your Son for us, so that we might someday dwell with You both in Heaven.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 69-71 Don't Put A Cloud Over God
It was tough getting my arms around these chapters today. There was so much asked of God and yet there weren't substantial answers FROM God.I read, "Save me ... answer me ... pull me from the mud and do not let me sink. Save me .
It was tough getting my arms around these chapters today. There was so much asked of God and yet there weren't substantial answers FROM God.
I read, "Save me ... answer me ... pull me from the mud and do not let me sink. Save me ... answer me ... turn to me. Do not hide from me ... I am in trouble. Hurry to help me! Come near and save me; rescue me ... God, come quickly and save me. Lord, hurry to help me ... save and rescue me; listen to me and save me. Be my place of safety ... God, don't be far off. My God, hurry to help me."
The sidebar in my Bible seemed to pick up on this. It said, "Are you a complainer, a whiner, always ready to share your life's crises? Share the good. Be JOYFUL. Be encouraging to those around you instead of depressing."
After reading that, I was able to go back and find these:
"When people insult You, it hurts me.... I will raise God in a song and will honor Him by giving thanks.... The Lord listens to those in need.... In You, Lord, is my protection ... You are my rock and my strong, walled city ... Lord, You are my hope. Lord, I have trusted You.... I have depended on You .... You helped me ... I will always praise You ... I will always have hope....I will tell about Your salvation all day long ... I will remind people that only You do what is right ... God, You have taught me since I was young .... God, there is no one like You .... I trust You, my God."
I know which set I'd rather hear from others!
Father, I hadn't realized before just how much my pleading sounds like I don't trust You. As the psalmist said, "Do not let Your worshipers be disgraced because of me." Let me instead tell others about how You should be praised. I know that You hear when I cry out. Help me not to let others think any differently be what I say. I trust You, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 72-74 You Are My All In All
In Psalm 73, Asaph tells us how he let jealousy for sinners almost cause him to lose his faith. When he realizes what he's done and how far from God he'd almost let himself get, he makes a telling confession, and I love the way my comme
In Psalm 73, Asaph tells us how he let jealousy for sinners almost cause him to lose his faith. When he realizes what he's done and how far from God he'd almost let himself get, he makes a telling confession, and I love the way my commentary puts it:
"I see now that the things that were causing me to be envious were mere shadows. It was stupid of me to become bitter and agitated over the seeming prosperity of the ungodly. In questioning Your justice I was acting more like a beast than a man. (Excuse me for behaving as I did.) Yet in spite of my ignorant behavior, You have not forsaken me! I am continually with You, and You hold on to me, like a father holds his child by the hand. Throughout all my life, You guide me with Your counsel, and then at last You will receive me in glory. It is enough that I have You in heaven; that makes me fabulously wealthy. And now I have no desire for anything upon earth apart from Yourself. Let the ungodly have their wealth. I am satisfied with You and find my all-sufficiency in You. My body may waste away and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my life and all I'll ever need or want throughout eternity... As far as I am concerned, I want to be as near to You as possible. I have committed myself to You for protection, and I want to declare all Your wonderful works to anyone who will listen."
Amen and amen, Father! In spite of my ignorance, You have not forsaken me! Thank You for being my all in all.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 75-77 Why Ask Why?
Asaph was having a bad time. He could think of no one and nothing but himself. Despite his prayers, he's heard nothing from God either. My commentary added, "He seeks comfort in remembering the good ol' days when things
Asaph was having a bad time. He could think of no one and nothing but himself. Despite his prayers, he's heard nothing from God either. My commentary added, "He seeks comfort in remembering the good ol' days when things went smoothly for him. But the more he is occupied with HIMSELF and looks for victory WITHIN, the more he begins to doubt the kindness of the Lord... He even asks 5 unbelieving questions:
1) Will the Lord reject us FOREVER?
2) Has God ceased to love?
3) Has God scrapped His promises?
4) Has God forgotten to be gracious?
5) Has His anger cut off the flow of His compassion?
Finally, Asaph turns his eyes heavenward. This leads him at once to the acknowledgment that God IS holy, that everything He does is perfect, righteous, and good. He makes no mistakes."
I remember a song by the group For Him that said, "God doesn't mind the questions now and then." But I'll also never forget that first youth group trip I took to see For Him in concert, where I found the t-shirt that said, "Why Ask Why?" on the front. And on the back, the answer was, "He Holds The Reason Why", with Jesus' nail-pierced hand in the background.
Father, when I'm tempted to ask You why, and when I ever doubt Your love for me and for my sons, please remind me that You hold the reasons why. That was a long, hard lesson to learn, and I don't want to ever forget it!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 78 -- Wanna Feel Like A Slug?
Certain phrases tugged at my heart as I read this morning:"They didn't keep their agreement with God ... refused to live by His teachings ... forgot what He had done ... continued to sin against Him ... turned against God Most High ...
Certain phrases tugged at my heart as I read this morning:
"They didn't keep their agreement with God ... refused to live by His teachings ... forgot what He had done ... continued to sin against Him ... turned against God Most High ... decided to test God ... had not trusted Him ... but they kept on sinning ... their words were false ... their tongues lied to Him ... their hearts were not really loyal to God ... they turned against Him ... grieved Him ... brought pain to the Holy One of Israel ... did not remember His power or the time He saved them ... they forgot ... they made God angry ... they made Him jealous..."
That sounded just like the nation of Israel. But something still bothered me ... It sounded just like me, too. Thankfully, there was something else I read:
"Still God was merciful. He forgave their sins ... Many times He held back His anger and did not stir up all His anger. He remembered that they were only human ..."
That's just like Him. He sure is able to take a lot from me and still love me.
My sidebar says, "As judgment is God's justice confronting moral inequity, so mercy is the goodness of God confronting human suffering and guilt. Were there no guilt in the world, no pain, and no tears, God would yet be infinitely merciful; but His mercy might well remain hidden in His heart, unknown to the created universe. No voice would raise to celebrate the mercy of which none felt the need. It is human misery and sin that call forth the divine mercy. (A.W. Tozer -- The Knowledge Of The Holy)
Father, I'm sorry that my disobedience happens, and happens all too often. Yet I am thankful that You are infinitely merciful and love me so very much. Help me to love You more.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 79-80 Hearing More Of Myself Today
I felt a certain sadness as I read these two chapters. Not so much for that former nation of Judah, but for myself at times when I, too, have allowed myself to listen to Satan's whispers and have disappointed God. Some of those verses
I felt a certain sadness as I read these two chapters. Not so much for that former nation of Judah, but for myself at times when I, too, have allowed myself to listen to Satan's whispers and have disappointed God. Some of those verses sounded like my own:
"Lord, how long will this last? Will You be angry forever? Show Your mercy soon! Hear the moans of the prisoners. Use Your great power ... Use Your strength...."
To do what? To make Satan leave us alone? Perhaps...
Some things I read there almost seem selfish and insincere:
"Save us and forgive us our sins so people will honor You.....We will thank You always; forever and ever we will praise You." Or until the "new" wears off?
I guess the heart-cry came in these verses: "God, take us back. Show Your kindness so we can be saved. Lord God All-Powerful, take us back!... God All-Powerful, come back. Look down from heaven and see. Take care of us.... With Your hand, strengthen the one You have chosen for Yourself."
That's all we dare ask. For we are sinners, and but for God's grace and mercy we would be but burned-up grass under His gaze.
Father, I know that I am not thinking about honoring You when I sin. I'm thinking about myself. I'm sorry that I do that. I love You very much, but I'm human. I so need Your strength from the other side pulling me toward You, and Your Holy Spirit speaking strongly to me at all times. Don't be bashful about it. Speak loudly when I'm about to misstep. I need You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 81-82 Not Hearing God When He Speaks
"I heard a language I did not know, saying [notice that he understood a language he did not know..GF], "...when you were in trouble, you called, and I saved you.... My people, listen.... please listen to Me... I, the Lord, am Your God
"I heard a language I did not know, saying [notice that he understood a language he did not know..GF], "...when you were in trouble, you called, and I saved you.... My people, listen.... please listen to Me... I, the Lord, am Your God .... Open your mouth and I will feed you [spiritually].... But my people did not listen to Me ... I wish My people would listen to Me. I wish [they] would live My way. Then I would quickly defeat their enemies.... You know nothing. You don't understand..." "
We're on vacation in a different place, and accordingly our rules need to be different. But I've noticed that my boys have not been wanting to listen to me, too. Sometimes they talk loudly and stomp around the hotel room. I've told them we have to have consideration for people in rooms around and below us. Sometimes they hurry ahead to the next attraction, not listening when I say, "Wait for each other at the bottom," and we get separated for a time.
The sidebar in my Bible today is by Oswald Chambers, and it says, "Just because I have listened carefully to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect of Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, "You are My friends ..." But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don't even hear him. He might as well never have spoken to us. The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing...What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don't want to hear God, but I am not DEVOTED in the right areas of my life .... If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God's voice at certain times. This is not living the life of a child of God."
Father, it's amazing how I find myself listening in the mornings like this, and then in the heat of the battle I often forget what You've warned my about. Help me to always listen to and heed and take to heart all that You tell me, not hearing with one ear and letting it go out the other.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 83-84 EXPECTING God's Intervention
There was an aspect about the faith expressed in these chapters that is often lacking in that of many Christians today, I think. The people in these chapters expected God's intervention in their lives.In chapter 83, they actively sought God
There was an aspect about the faith expressed in these chapters that is often lacking in that of many Christians today, I think. The people in these chapters expected God's intervention in their lives.
In chapter 83, they actively sought God's intervention in what would be a positive way for themselves and a negative way for their enemies -- hardly a Christian mindset, but it was consistent with the revelation they had been given and with what was happening to their nation.
In chapter 84, there was life in their faith -- so much so that they could truthfully say, "I want more than anything to be in the courtyards of the Lord's Temple. My while being wants to be with the living God .... Happy are the people who live at Your Temple; they are always praising You ... One day in the courtyards of Your Temple is better than A THOUSAND DAYS ANYWHERE ELSE. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the Temple of my God than live in the homes of the wicked."
That isn't some comfortable faith that seems to fit in well with their current social existence. It's a faith that drives everything else in life. And as it does, we should be thanking God for those He has directed into our lives that help to draw us closer to Him. As I consider the friends in my life right now, I'm amazed at just how many have been added since I gave up my control of my life and let Jesus be my boss and Lord.
Father, thank You for those friends I've just spoken of. Thank you for growing my faith so that I expect You to actively intervene in my life daily. Now I can't imagine living any other way.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 85-86 Learning Respect
There's almost a sadness in hearing, "God our Savior, bring us back AGAIN." It's that little word again that does it; it speaks of remorse for having failed Him again.Then there was, "Lord, show us Your love and sav
There's almost a sadness in hearing, "God our Savior, bring us back AGAIN." It's that little word again that does it; it speaks of remorse for having failed Him again.
Then there was, "Lord, show us Your love and save us." I'm not sure that the sons of Korah fully understood, in the light of the revelation they'd been given, that God had ALREADY shown His love to them by engineering circumstances that would bring them to the point of asking for His help.
Verse 8 in chapter 85 held out great promise for me, because it states unequivocally that God has ordered peace for those who worship Him. Were this not absolutely true, God would not have allowed it to remain in His word. The peace they are speaking of may not be "absence of strife" but instead "strong confidence in the Lord" in the presence of strife.
86:4 says, "Give happiness to me, Your servant, because I give my life to You, Lord." That sets up a situation where we give up possibly our dearest possession to obtain happiness in return!
Back in 85:9, I'd read, "God will soon save those who respect Him." That word respect shows up again in 86:11-12 in one of the most direct and meaningful prayers we can pray: "Lord, teach me what You want me to do, and I will live by Your truth. Teach me to respect You completely. Lord, my God, I will praise You with all of my heart."
Those parallel "teach me's" led me to believe that what followed each one might also be equivocal -- "What You want me to do" is "to respect You completely". That implies that I'm not doing so right now, and that's what I really need to work on. For had I been doing that, I'd never have to pray, "God, bring me back again."
Father, I'm sorry that I'm such a slow learner when it comes to respecting You. I know it's the truth, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. You are absolutely worthy of my respect. My problem seems to be that there are times when Satan manages to get me to believe the lie that I can't win by respecting both myself and You at the same time. Please remind me next time that anytime I respect You, I'm automatically respecting myself AND I'm a winner.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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