Psalm 103 – His Dominion

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Psalm 103:17-22

The thought of his dominion has brought so much comfort in the past few weeks.  Life has seemed like the sprint at the end of a marathon.  Being that I am running 2-3 miles personally right now that statement gives insight into how busy life has been.  Honestly, in the midst of the craze I have not been as faithful in my memorization of scripture.  It has come but slowly.  I must admit I think that partially its been for my good that I have had to go back over these verses time and time again.  I bless the Lord because He is good.  I bless the Lord because He presides over all of creation (even time!).  I bless the Lord because my heart is His dominion.  I bless the Lord because I remember that He is good.  Take time today with me to bless the Lord, for He is good.

Psalm 103 – Overwhelming Love

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

    he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;

   he flourishes like a flower of the field;

 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

    and its place knows it no more.”

Psalm 103:11-16

This section of scripture has been so precious as I have been soaking in these words but also physically experiencing representations within my day-to-day life. If you have seen me in the last few weeks you know that its been a busy, full and at times seemingly overwhelming season for me.  This section of scripture has been reminding me that the LORD knows where I am and that because I fear Him this last week has not been too much.  It is amazing what perspective causes… For believers it causes peace.  What a beautiful thing it is to know that the LORD knows our frame and remembers that we are dust.  He is indeed gracious and good!  In the midst of things that can seem overwhelming – His love is greater.  His love overwhelms!

Psalm 103 – His Will – His Ways

“The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel.  The LORD is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  He will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever.  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”  -Psalm 103:6-10

As I have savored this section of scripture what has pressed into my heart is that the LORD, because His is good, makes His will known to us.  We see this in the first portion of verse 6, He enables and upholds justice and righteousness.  Secondly, we can see that because we know His will we can more clearly see His ways.  If our basis for God’s character simply comes out of our perception of His acts we might misunderstand who He is.  The acts of God flow directly from His nature-His perfection.  Based upon this foundation we can see and savor the ways of God.  His ways are for our good. This Psalm talks about Moses and the people of Israel coming into a knowledge of the ways of the LORD.  God does not have to act out for our good.  The beautiful connection here is that God makes His will and His ways known for His glory and in turn our good!  His dealings with us are kind, good and perfect.

On Tuesday, April 3rd, I was preparing to write on this section of scripture, intending to post this on Thursday of that week.  I had no idea how the LORD was preparing my heart to receive a good gift the very next night.  In brief, Tom, the young man who have been courting me for quite some time, surprised me on my birthday evening.  He flew in from Key West, FL, where he is currently stationed.  Much to my astonishment and joy he asked me to marry him.  You may be asking, “how does this relate?”  It has been a joy to get to know Tom and to walk through a courtship, albeit it long distance, with him.  Through this time I have come to understand and see the will of the LORD in a greater depth.  We have marveled that the Lord’s ways are not our own.  The whole courtship story and process has been clearly God-ordained and marked by the Lord’s will.  As I was saying “yes” to Tom, I realized that the joy, confidence and ease of committing to walk into marriage with Tom were not of my own strength but of a deeper reality.  In saying “yes” to Tom I was saying “amen” or “so be it” to what God was making known to both of us, and our families, that this indeed is the Lord’s will that He has sovereignly brought about in His way.  Again my heart is overjoyed, indeed His will and His ways produce the greatest and soundest joy!

 

Twenty-Six

This song was in my mind this morning as I woke up.  The LORD is faithful!

Twenty-Six Summers

Vicky Beeching 

I don’t know what the future holds
Or what lies beyond my horizon
The years ahead are just out of sight
Well, I think sometimes that You hide them
So that I’ll walk by faith not sight
So I’ll take Your hand, holding tight

Through twenty-six summers
And twenty-six winters
I’ve laughed in the springtime
I’ve cried in the rain
Though I’ve questioned the meaning
Of some of life’s seasons
It’s true that they’ve left me holding on
Tighter to You

My one desire for the road ahead
Is that we would walk it together
Friend and King, You’re my everything
May I stay by Your side forever
For when my heart’s afraid, You’re near
Whispering to my soul, ‘don’t fear’

And I will trust in You alone
For You’re the hand leading me home
Leading me home.

I’ve spent twenty-six summers
And twenty-six winters with You
Through all of the seasons
And my search for reasons
You’ve carried me through
I will keep holding on to You

Psalm 103 – Our Good

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalm 103:1-5

A dear friend and I are memorizing this precious passage.  As I have been memorizing one line from this section has struck me afresh.  The line that grasped my heart is “…who satisfies you with good.”   So often our hearts and lives do not reflect the fact that the Lord is good.  Let that phrase wash over you again, God is good.  This does not simply that He gives you all that you want or does not permit hard things in your life.   On the contrary, life does not give us all that we imagine we want, at times life is hard, but because the Lord is good we are satisfied.  We can bless the Lord with all of our souls because He satisfies.  As I have been turning this truth over in my soul and allowing it to press into the deepest places the revelation of lasting satisfaction remains.  Satisfaction for my soul causes me to bless the Lord and this in turn satisfies me today.       Let the reality that the Lord is good sink deep within your soul.  Choose today to see and savor the weight of God’s goodness and bless Him with me.

Number Our Days

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. -Psalm 90:12

Lately the urgent prayer of my heart has been for wisdom to increase.  For Jesus to increase in my life.  Today is a special day in my life.  One that causes me to number my days.  Looking back twenty years ago today I began the journey of the pursuit of Wisdom in ernest.  As a small child I made a public proclamation through baptism that I had been redeemed by Christ.  Through the years I can see how the Lord has caused me to seek Him out, to desire a heart of wisdom.  Growth is apparent indeed.  The consuming desire for Jesus, who is “Wisdom”, has not diminished.  Instead it has increased with a ferocity that claims my very being.  I desire to be wise.  Not simply for the sake of knowledge, fame or prestige.  Simply and honestly to be a reflection to the world of an all-wise King.  In God’s graciousness He has granted me today.  My heart longs to be wise, to be obedient in the moments calling for faith and to revel in the glory of sovereign grace.  The Lord is teaching me the joy of numbering my days with Him.  He, indeed, is a treasure worth seeking out for all our days.

Dear Littlest Sister…

Your birthday is today, as you well know.  Tomorrow we will celebrate, all the family together.  Give me just a moment of your time tonight and allow me to tell you what I have observed in the past year.  Dearest little sister, you show us Jesus at every turn.  From the way that you came into this world, a gift of grace to us.  To your dictating that everyone would take part in your “sing and clap and dance” number during dinner times.  Now, you are almost a young woman, time has flow so fast!  It is hard to believe that twelve whole years have gone by since that cold windy January 27th morning.  A single day passes by so quickly.  So, take heed littlest sister.  Do not let one day go to waste.  Continue to live whole heartedly for other people.  Remember that joy is Jesus first, yourself last and others in between.  Your devotion knows no bounds.  I admire your Sunday mornings spent in prayer and your desire for scripture.  Do not waver, littlest sister, and do not allow these beautiful things to become areas of pride.  Dear littlest sister, you are one of the selfless, sweetest people I know.  It is a privilege and honor to call you my sister.  You love others well and you, my dear, are loved.

I’ll like you forever.  I’ll love you for always. As long as I am living my baby sister you shall be!

Love,

Your oldest sister

“ For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”  2 Corinthians 2:15

 

Living Eternally Thankful – 7

Today I am thankful – really thankful – for the little things.  My body has been forcing me to slow down this week.  In an already full week this has been a challenge. So, today this will be brief.

I am thankful for:

• Students who really care about me and ask how I am
• Waking up this morning
• Scripture
• My mother dropping by last night with a can of soup in hand
• A warm, safe place to rest
• For a phone that works
• The reminder that I need Jesus, especially when I physically do not feel well
• An Aunt who brings me confetti for a project and lots of feel better agents
• For friend’s joy

I am grateful… and its these little things that make my heart overflow all the more with a thanksgiving that is shaped by the hope of eternity!

Living Eternally Thankful – 6

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” Psalm 107:1-3

It is imperative that we understand that our thanksgiving does not flow from the things that we receive, have or are given.  Conversely that our thanksgiving flows from the fact that the LORD is good.  These verses highlight that we give thanks because the LORD is good.  Not because we are happy in our circumstances or that all the situations in are lives are good.  The LORD’s goodness is sufficient reason to give thanks.  As if that is not enough the Psalmist continues saying, “for his steadfast love endures forever.”  Not only is the LORD good, and so we give thanks, but we know that His love endures forever.  We give thanks because His love is steadfast.  It does not change or wain.  This section continues saying, “let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.”  We give thanks through talking about the ways that the LORD has redeemed us.  We were once slaves to sin (John 8:34-36) and our lives reeked of rebellion.  But God, in His mercy has redeemed us!  This is something to give thanks about and the natural outcome of thanksgiving should be that we speak of His redemption often.  Lastly, we give thanks because we can.  His redemption is not just for some or for one chosen people but He “and gathered [us] in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”  We give thanks because the LORD is good and His redemption is for all nations.  In these three short verses we come back to verse one.  We give thanks to the LORD because He is good.

Do not overlook His goodness today!

Living Eternally Thankful – 5

“Everything you have is a gift of God so that he may be thanked and you may use it to show He is more valuable than the gift.” -John Piper

Jesus is supremely valuable.  As I read this quote by John Piper I thought; in what ways do I need to be reminded that the things in life are not as eternally satisfying as the One Real Thing?  The Father is eternally good to us – offering gifts that bless us and are for our delight.  We have so much to be thankful for today.  Join me as I stop and thank the Father for these gifts.  Then confess the things that I might be tempted to love as much or in place of Him.  Remember – be grateful for the gift and treasure the Giver!