My Father Watches --

The songwriter said -- "I trust in God!  I know He cares for me!  On mountain bleak, or on the stormy sea!  Though billows roll, He keeps my soul; my Heavenly Father watches over me!"
It is a blessed privilege to trust my Heavenly Father at all times and in all circumstances!  At least three times in the 37th Psalm, we are told not to fret! 
     "FRET NOT thyself because of evil doers . . . for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb."
     "FRET NOT thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."
     "FRET NOT thyself in any wise to do evil.  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

Oswald Chambers has written:
     "God is my Father -- He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?  Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural."
So let us praise the Lord for the blessed privilege to "come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need"!

Light - Salvation - Strength

The 27th Psalm is such a wonderful Psalm, and the very first verse says:
     "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
I am quite sure that this wonderful Psalm of David has brought blessing and encouragement to many people, and I think it is also rather amazing that David is the author of this great Psalm that talks about Trusting, Delighting, Committing, and Resting!

I think we would agree that David had more than his share of opposition!  His older brothers thought little of him, and King Saul relentlessly pursued him.  His generals often conspired against him, and his own son tried to usurp his throne!  But in this wonderful Psalm, which is an anthem of trust, we see the special and close relationship that David had with his God that encouraged him, lifted him up, and held him steady in times of trouble.

In the very first verse of this Psalm, David tells us :  The Lord is my LIGHT -- The Lord is my SALVATION -- and the Lord is the STRENGTH OF MY LIFE!
God is our defense -- a wonderful place of refuge!  Psalm 18:2 says, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

As we begin this new week, we know not what lies ahead, but let us remember that even if we face difficulties that seem overwhelming, we have no need to fear if we belong to Jesus!  Let us keep our focus on the Source of our deliverance, rather than on the problem!
 Let us end this little devotional with another wonderful verse from the 27th Psalm!  "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." 
   

Freedom!

A little over a week ago, our nation celebrated our freedom on Independence Day in what the song-writer called "the sweet land of liberty".  But we know that freedom is never "free".  Our forefathers fought and obtained it for us at a tremendous cost, and we have a responsibility to preserve it.
The Apostle Paul said in I Peter 2:16 -- "As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."  So even though we are free and have liberty, we are still the servants of God.
Romans 6:18 says -- "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."  Praise the Lord!  What a privilege to love and serve our wonderful Saviour!
Jeremiah 4:2 says -- "The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory."

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the freedoms we enjoy as a nation; but thank you most of all for the glorious freedom we have in Christ, our blessed Redeemer and soon coming King!  And as we look to the coming Lord's Day if Jesus tarries, let us keep our hearts rejoicing as we meditate upon these beautiful words by Haldor Lillenas:

     "Freedom from fear with all of its torments;
Freedom from care with all of its pain;
      Freedom in Christ, my blessed Redeemer --
He who has rent my fetters in twain.

      Glorious freedom!  Wonderful freedom!
No more in chains of sin I repine!
      Jesus, the glorious Emancipator --
Now and for ever -- He shall be mine!"

Scripture "Shall Nots"

Some people seem to think of God's Holy Word as a book of prohibitions or "thou shalt not's", but it is interesting that many of God's sweetest promises use the phrase "shall not" in an opposite way -- not listing prohibitions, but provisions!  A beautiful example is the opening verse of the much-loved 23rd Psalm -- "The Lord is my shepherd; I 'shall not' want."  Psalm 34:10 says:  "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they that seek the Lord 'shall not' want any good thing."

In John 5:24 we read:  "He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and 'shall not' come into condemnation."  John 8:12 gives us a wonderful promise of divine guidance -- "He that followeth Me 'shall not' walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
In Psalm 16:8, we read -- "The Lord is at my right hand, I 'shall not' be moved"; and in 37:24, we see:
"Though he fall, he 'shall not' be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand."

I love the promise in Isaiah 43:2 which assures me no matter how great the trial, the Lord will not leave me alone!  "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they 'shall not' overflow thee."  It is wonderful to know that God's Word and God's purposes can never fail.  "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words 'shall not' pass away."  (Matthew 24:35)
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 -- "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell 'shall not' prevail against it."  And praise the Lord for this wonderful 'shall not' in Romans 6:14:  "Sin 'shall not' have dominion over you."
As I was thinking of these gracious 'shall not' promises, I also thought of this wonderful 'Shall Not' song by John T. Benson --

     "Jesus is my Saviour; I shall not be moved;
In His love and favor, I shall not be moved --
      In my Christ abiding; I shall not be moved;
In His love I'm hiding, I shall not be moved.

      If I trust Him ever, I shall not be moved;
He will fail me never, I shall not be moved --
      On His Word I'm feeding, I shall not be moved;
He's the one that's leading, I shall not be moved.

      I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
      Just like a tree that's planted by the waters,
Lord, I shall not be moved."

God Keeps The Key

It is a beautiful Monday morning!  God's warm and lovely sunshine is streaming through my windows and makes me want to say with the Psalmist -- "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!"  I believe if you will just take a little time on this Monday morning to be still and "have a little talk with Jesus",  your heart will be encouraged and ready to face the challenges that may be facing you this week.  I trust that this lovely little poem by an unknown author will be a blessing and encouragement to your heart today!

     "Is there some problem in your life to solve,
Some passage seeming full of mystery?
      God knows, who brings the hidden things to light,
He keeps the key!

      Is there some door closed by the Father's hand
Which widely opened you had hoped to see?
      Trust God and wait -- for when He shuts the door,
He keeps the key!

      Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet,
Or answered not as you had thought 'twould be?
      God will make clear His purpose by and by.
He keeps the key!

      Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest,
To know of every door He keeps the key;
      That He at last, when He shall see 'tis best,
Will give it thee!"

     "So I go on, not knowing -- I would not if I might --
For I had rather walk with God in the dark, than walk alone in light!"

The Day After

The beautiful fireworks that lit up the heavens last night are finished -- the grills sizzling with delicious hamburgers and hotdogs are put away -- the loved ones from afar are on their way back home -- the house is quiet this morning, but my heart holds many sweet memories of the happy times we enjoyed together as a family this past week!!
 And sometimes we might want this special time of family fellowship to continue, but we know (as Jesus told the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration), they could not stay on the mountain--they had to come down.  So today is Friday, and our duties of the day are well under way, and it is time to begin preparing our hearts for the coming Lord's Day, if Jesus tarries.

And, sadly, if some great tragedy has taken your earthly family, you can still be a part of God's great family!  So, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus -- look full in His wonderful face!  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!" 

 

Independence Week!

Independence Day is actually Thursday, but I think it began yesterday in many churches across our great land!  My heart was thrilled as the orchestra played the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the congregation stood and saluted the flag!  Before our pastor preached, our hearts were lifted in praise and thankfulness as my son, Joel, sang "God Bless the U.S.A."  Throughout the service, I was reminded again that--"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, but sin is a reproach to any people."

So today is Monday, but already flags are flying, fireworks are lighting up the heavens, families are gathering together (my heart is happy that my son and granddaughters are traveling now on their way to Grammy's house), and before long grills will be filled to capacity with hotdogs, hamburgers and chicken!  What a wonderful week it is as we take time to reflect upon our founding fathers who paid a tremendous price to give us the freedoms we still enjoy today!  It makes me want to lift my voice and sing:  "God bless America!  Land that I love!  Stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with a light from above . . . "

But as we celebrate this week, let us not forget that God's great liberty is of the spirit and the mind, not just of the land and the national population.  So as we celebrate the wonderful liberty that God has granted the United States, may we pause and pray:  " . . . Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be
done . . . For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever!  Amen"