Journey Through the Psalms - 2:1-3

FaithWalkDaily January 9. 2009

Why do the nations rage? Why do the people waste their time with futile plans? 2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one. 3 "Let us break their chains," they cry,"and free ourselves from this slavery." ~Psalms 2:1-3

I love God's timeless Word. What was true in King David's time has been true through every age and every war - it is still true today as we battle with the middle east in what is essentially a holy war.

The world is a many faceted gem. What we see is only from U.S. soil. While we read the news and get word of what's happening on the other side of the world, what we learn is written by those from our culture, written from an American perspective. Whether coming from a liberal or conservative point of view, it's still coming from an American who lives in the safest, freest, most wealthy nation in the world. We see through somewhat rose-colored glasses.

Suppose your view of the war in Iraq was from Africa, a land of oppression; Ireland, a land embroiled in it's own age-old holy war; Australia, Iraq's ally and a passive people; or China with trading ships in the Persian Gulf. Your thoughts and feelings would be much different about this war if you were a citizen of another nation. Each country also views through the lens of their leaders. We don't any of us know all that goes on, or all that's going to happen, because there are many secrets kept by our leaders for our own good.

As we saw in the first Psalm, living in alignment with God's plan brings peace and joy in one's life. The wicked will ultimately fall. Nothing really changes much in our world. If we align ourselves with God, rely on His strength and promises, put our trust and hope in Him, we will prevail. Those who have felt enslaved by the freedom of our faith are looking through dirty lenses. They do not realize that in surrendering to Jesus, true freedom awaits.

As Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:27-28

We can be grateful that we live in the greatest nation in the world; we are the children of God. Wherever we call home on planet earth, our home, our true nation, is in the heavenly realms because of our Savior. The blood of Jesus was spilled for people of every color and every nation, that we become one nation under God, free forever from the bondage of sin.

Heavenly Father, we don't pretend to understand all that goes on in this world. The ways of man are not the ways of God. We bicker amongst ourselves even neighbor to neighbor about what's best for our country, our children, our freedom. You are sovereign and holy, all wise and all powerful. May our trust be in You alone. May the leaders of our nation, who are taking office at a volatile time in our history, seek Your wisdom and guidance to protect not only our borders but the very foundations upon which those perimeters are defined. Lord we lift up today Barak Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, Timothy Geithner, Tom Daschle, Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, Susan Rice, Steven Chu, Lisa Jackson, Shaun Donovan, Arne Duncan, Ken Salazar, Tom Vilsack, Leon Panetta and all our state representatives, that You would hold them in Your mighty hands, pour out Your wisdom into their hearts and minds, turn their eyes toward You to fulfill Your plans for our nation. Grant each Christian the heart and wisdom to pray for them, be active in sharing our godly hopes, desires and dreams with our state representatives, and that we not stand passively complaining about what they do or don't do according to what we think is right. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

My Hope is in my God

FaithWalkDaily October 2, 2008

~ Psalm 9:18
But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

Recently we've been faced with climbing some very rough terrain in our lives and I know my only hope is in God. When the world fails us - and it does time and again, God NEVER does.

I am who I am and there's no getting around that. At this very moment I'm dealing with a screaming worn out hip joint that needs to be replaced (and lack of money or insurance to take care of it,) bad liver, weepy eye, sinus pain and inflammation, frequent headaches, and nerve pain in my feet. Today is a good day. Add to that problems with a rental property we've invested in, the US economy is in the pits, troubles with my adult son who's moved back home and acts like a demanding tantrum-throwing toddler - honestly, some days I really want to catch the next train for the furthest reaches of the universe and disappear forever.

I'm not afraid to tell God how I feel. The One who knows every hair on my head, already knows! I don't have to be afraid to share my pain and sorrow with God. He is my Father, my comforter, my strength, my shield, my deliverer - He is everything to me. My hope is in Him. If I don't pour out my heart to Him, in essence it's like saying I can handle this alone; I don't need God. I can't handle anything in life with out Him; I do need God.

The truly marvelous thing is, that while I refocus my attention on Him, I forget about my hip, my eye, my sinus headache, and all the stress life throws my way. For just that time, all is well. I can see only good in my scope when focused on Him. My hope is in Him.

Where's your hope today? Perhaps it would help to adjust your focus. Psalm 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You! Thank You for always being there for me to lean on when otherwise I would just fall over. Thank You for being the merciful and loving Father You are, to hold and comfort me as I go through all the trials of life on earth. Thank You for saving a special place in heaven just for me. I can't wait to get home! In the meantime, pour out your strength, courage and perseverance to keep plugging along for Your purposes, a day at a time. In Jesus' name, amen.

Return to Recovery Road

Infinite God, Finite Man

FaithWalkDaily 9/11/08

The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
~ Psalm 27:1, NLT

On this memorial of probably the worst day in American history, it is hard not to fear in these times. On top of dealing with all the memories of that tragic day and so many things that happened in my own personal life at the same time, today I learned that the husband of a very dear friend has passed away suddenly. He was only forty something.

My dear friend Mimi is left without her husband, the father of her sons and her best friend in the whole world. She said to me, "we were a we, I can't even think in terms of I. I don't know how I'll do anything without him. He was always my comforter and now when I need him to comfort me more than ever, he's not here."

Can we find comfort today in the words of David, when he faced a great adversary?

Satan wants to use the terrible things that happen in life to convince us God doesn't exist or to make us fearful, angry, confused, or turn away from God.

But these are the times God waits quietly on us. He is there to comfort us with His sovereign presence, to speak to our hearts the words we need to hear, to prompt loved ones and friends to reach out in our darkest moments, to guide us to seek the comfort of those left behind. This is the very time to turn to him, for He has promised to see us through with our best interests at heart. As so often, I turn to Jeremiah 29:11 which has been my anchor verse for the past couple years. God knows the plans he has for us - not plans to harm us, but plans for our good, plans to give us hope and a future. He says in that still small voice, be still and know that I am God.

So while nothing makes sense in our grieving, something is happening. God is at work. We cannot know how. Someday my dear sister Mimi will testify to God's glory through all this and God will be honored and people will be blessed. For now, it just hurts.

For all those who are mourning again today losses or wounds from 911, God be with you.

Lord, You are sovereign and merciful. We don't pretend to have wisdom to understand all that happens in our world: when a young, healthy man suddenly dies for no apparent reason; when a whole building full of innocent people going about their business are suddenly attacked for no reason - in the name of a foreign god. None of it makes any sense to us. But You are God. You are holy, perfect and in control. And so today, we humbly bow before You, conceding how small and finite we are, and how much we need You. Bring comfort today to those who mourn, bring peace to our nation, bring wisdom to our leaders, bring hope to us all. In Jesus name we pray, amen.