Psalm 10

I have been meditating on Psalm 10 since Friday when I heard about the tragic shootings in Newtown.  Not exactly sure what David was referring to in this psalm, but there are verses in here that give me chills.  Psalm 10 sounds almost prophetic to Friday's events.  Maybe they are, I can't be sure.  But, I have to remember, evil has been in our world a long, long time.  And there are no easy answers.  It gives me comfort to know that God sees and He carries justice.  He is the Lord God of the helpless victim and the oppressed.  He listens to them and defends them.   I have listened to several commentators about this event.  Several counslors and pastors.  I think the best thing I heard one say, is that in honor of the victims let us take care of our own bitterness, anger, and rage in our hearts. That we do not put off for tomorrow, what we can take care of today.  Present yourself to the Lord God, and ask for his healing, and then set to work to get the appropriate counsel, bring it to light do not hide in the dark alone, talk to a friend who can be trusted, and possibly get the proper medications if needed.  Pray with me, friends.


Psalm 10:1-18

"Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?  In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.  He boasts of the cravings of his heart; be blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.

"In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.  His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him;  he sneers at all his enemies.

"He says to himself, 'Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble.'

"His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

"He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.  
"He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.  

"His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.  He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees." 

"Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.  Do not forget the helpless.  
"Why does the wicked man revile God?  Why does he say to himself, 'He won't call me to account' ?

"But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.  The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

"Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

"The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from this land.

"You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."

Morning Reflection

Hebrews 13: 8-9 and 14-16 

"(8)Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!  (9) Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings.  For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never benefited those who participated in them.

(14) For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.  (15)Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. (16) And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices."

"Wait" a Poem by Russell Kelfer

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, He replied.

I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate,

And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait."

"Wait? Your say wait??" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why.

Is your hand shortened?  Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future, and all to which I can relate

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me 'wait'?

I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,

Or even a 'no', to which I can resign.

"And Lord, you have promised that if we believe, 

We need but ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:

"I'm weary of asking: I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."

So I slumped in my chair; defeated and taut

And grumbled to God; "So I'm waiting, for what?"

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes met with mine

And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens, darken the sun,

Raise the dead, cause the mountains to run.

"All you see I could give, and pleased you would be.

You would have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust, just by knowing I'm there.

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me,

When darkness and silence was all you could see.

"You would never experience that fullness of love

As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of My comfort late in the night;

The faith that I give when you walk without sight;

The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"And you never would know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'

Yes, your dreams for that loved one o'ernight could come true,

But the loss! if you lost what I'm doing in you!

"So be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.

And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late, 

My most precious answer of all....is still...wait." 

--"Wait" by Russell Kelfer taken from Hannah's Hope by Jennifer Saake pages 177-178 Copyright 2005

Through other people's eyes

You know that old song lyric, "You never know just how you look through other people's eyes"?

Well, this devo message made me think a little about that song, and mostly about one of my biggest fears and weaknesses.  At times, I feel like a geneticly engineered people pleaser.  I know I am this way, it's one of my biggest struggles.   You could say, " I was born this way."  Which is why I am amazed when God calls me to face my fears, and write things or say things from His Word when I feel acutely aware of the scrutiny of others.  That I am offending people, or it may result in someone I care about to avoid me, or maybe not, but I do fear that as a possible reality.  That's why this message really hit home for me, and has been on my mind and heart.


This excerpt is from October 12th's Jesus Calling devotional book.

"Beware of seeing yourself through other people's eyes. There are several dangers to this practice.  

First of all, it is nearly impossible to discern what others actually think of you.  Moreover, their views

 of you are variable: subject to each viewer's spiritual, emotional, and physical condition.  The major 

problem with letting others define you is that it borders on idolatry.  Your concern to please others 

dampens your desire to please Me, your Creator. 


It is much more real to see yourself through My eyes.  My gaze upon you is steady and sure, 

untainted by sin.  Through My eyes you can see yourself as one who is deeply, eternally loved.  Rest 

in My loving gaze, and you will receive deep Peace.  Respond to My loving Presence by worshiping 

Me in spirit and in truth."


God, help me to seek you, and to continually see myself through Your eyes.  That I am Your child, called out and redeemed for Your good purpose and pleasure.  Help me to see others through Your eyes as well.  Beloved creation, made in Your image, and dearly loved.  Amen.

That if....

What God says:


Romans 10:9 

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is LORD," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 

What people say: 

That if you......follow the Ten Commandments

That if you.....were sprinkled by water in baptism as an infant

That if you.....were dunked in water in baptism

That if you.....participate in the Sacraments 

That if you......pray


That if you.....serve the poor and needy


That if you.....have a special rosary blessed by the Pope

That if you.....have parents who gave money to the Church

That if you..... come from a good family 

That if you....donate money to the Church

That if you......reason with God

That if you....wear a cross necklace 

That if you.... wear a blessed scapular 

That if you.....appeal to the Saints

That if you....hold a high position in the Church

That if you....attend a Bible study


"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.  (v 10a) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified"


Once we are saved, we don't "move on" from the Gospel, we "move into" the Gospel.  The truth that "Jesus is LORD" is then applied to every aspect of my life.  I know Christians will say, because I have said it, "yeah, I know this, don't worry about me, I am saved." But the Good News needs to be retold to us, we need to hear it again and again, so that we continue to live it actively, not as something in our past.  As ones who have confessed "Jesus is Lord" we then move on to confess "Jesus is Lord...of my house, of my job, of my family, of my future, of my relationships, of my finances, of my time, and yes, even of my Facebook page..."

God is living and He is active! Help me Lord to grow up in You!

180 Movie

Watch this 33 minute movie if you have the chance.  It breaks my heart everyday to think that babies all over our country are being killed LEGALLY under the guise of "choice."  It happened during the Holocaust, and it is happening today.  As Christians, we know that EVERY human life is created in the image of God.  I am compelled to share this video, so that we start thinking hard about what we say and do.

I also want to include this Back to Life movement video.  I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Esther Call in Dallas in April of this year.  I got to watch Young Women, all of childbearing age, from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and geographic locations take a stand for Life.  A friend of mine, Lisa, and I attended and fasted and prayed.  Some women were post abortive, some survivors of attempted or considered abortions.  All with the same message, that God heals and forgives, that God knows the pain and that we need to stand up for and empower these women and their babies.  Help me to do just that, Lord.  In God's Holy Name, Amen.

Growing increasingly Free

"Walk with Me in the freedom of forgiveness.  The path we follow together is sometimes steep and 

slippery.  If you carry a burden of guilt on your back, you are more likely to stumble and fall.  At 

your request, I will remove the heavy load from you and bury it at the foot of the cross.  When I 

unburden you, you are undeniably free! Stand up straight and tall in My Presence, so that no one 

can place more burdens on your back.  Look into My Face and feel the warmth of My Love-Light 

shining upon you.  It is this unconditional Love that frees you from both fears and sins.  Spend time 

basking in the Light of My Presence.  As you come to know Me more and more intimately, you grow

 increasingly free." 

September 23 Jesus Calling

Psalm 68:19

1 John 1:7-9;

1 John 4:18