October 6, 2005
Psa 5:1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
The Lord encouraged the prophet Isaiah to be bold in prayer by telling him, “…concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” (Isa 45:11) The God of the universe has put himself at the command of mortal men and is flattered by our requests for His attention. Don’t we like it when our children enjoy our company, when we feel that we are their closest friends and that they are not fearful to confide in us? But a child only does that when he has in his heart the utter confidence that when he shares his most private emotions and feelings, there is a sensitive soul at the other end who will handle his heart with care.
In his hour of trial the psalmist has this confidence in the God who created Him, that He will lend him His ears, and that He will be a faithful, diligent and sensitive handler of his deepest heart cry.
Therefore neither should anyone of us fear to enter in the temple of His presence. Whatever the fear, the doubt, the sorrow, the pain, the frustration, the emotion, He will handle your heart with the care, sensitivity, love and warmth of a mother with her newborn child.
How many of us pray “Our father…” but then, by failing to go to Him in our time of need to fulfill His fatherly role in our lives, act as if we were orphans?
“Lord, help us to have faith in your love, care, concern and dedication to us, knowing that you have said, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
1Ti 5:8
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
(Heb 4:16)
October 8, 2005
(Psa 5:2)
Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
In a time when there are so many types and means of “help”, when faced with trouble, we have to make a conscious effort to say, “unto thee will I pray”, and not turn to these other “helps”.
Israel constantly received rebukes from the Lord for leaning on the arm of the “flesh”—Egypt--for its protection, and for praying to idols while giving them thanks for its sustenance. It was not enough for them to be regimented and sustained by the Lord alone through His judges. They wanted a king--a physical, visible and tangible person to rely on, and mostly to blame, when things go wrong.
These days, it is an act of great faith to make the Lord our first call for help and to put aside all the “self-help” books and videos, the teachings of all the specialized “gurus” to help us fight the war against all the ailments that plague us today such as addiction, depression, financial instability, psychological and physical disorders, problems with our marriage, problems with our children, and the list goes on and on. It is not that we can’t gain some helpful information from these other sources, but shouldn’t we as Christians give the Lord our first place? When we ask the Lord first, not only does He help us, but He will show us what we may have done wrong in disobedience to His word, that may have gotten us into such a mess in the first place, and then teach us how to fix it by amending our ways.
Lord, help me, teach me, train me to make You my first call for help in the day of need and of trouble, and give me a receptive heart so that I can learn to amend my ways and live closer to Your will and Your Word.
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
(Jer 17:5)
October 9, 2005
(Psa 5:3)
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
The Lord is always there for us wanting to help, waiting for us to make the connection, waiting for us to call upon Him.
Should He have to wait till the whole day is done when our ships have come home with broken sails and we finally come to Him to get soothing for our souls--when our frustrated hearts and minds wonder what went wrong?
Why should He be expected to do the function of “repairman” in our lives, when He should be the “Chief Executive”--the “Jacob” and the “Joseph” on whom Laban and Potiphar leaned because everything in their hands prospered when they did? Even these, not even knowing the Lord, were able to recognize the value of leaning on the Lord, in this case, through His people! Why should we carry the burden of trying to direct our own steps when we have the Lord who is eagerly waiting to help show us the way throughout the day?
Let us make the Lord, the Creator of the universe and of our hearts, minds and souls be the focus of our attention when we wake up in the morning; let us receive our first instructions from Him, let us “direct” direct our prayer to him and “look up” when we wake up in the morning.
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
(Jer 10:23)
October 10, 2005
(Psa 5:4)
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
In the Gospels, Satan reminds Jesus (as if He’d forgotten) that the world had been given to him. (Luke 4:6) Today, we don’t need to be reminded of this. All we have to do is look around us and watch the nightly news, and it is easy to see what power dominates lifestyles, politics and economics. In light of such, it is such a comfort to know that our God has no pleasure in wickedness. What security there is in knowing that whatever wrong or wicked thing that there are in the world or in our lives, He will not tolerate it!
For the disobedient, this Scripture should serve as a fearful reminder of future judgment, but for the obedient, there is no fear to be had, only the warm fuzzy feeling that God cares for him, and will not allow anything wicked to happen to him.
“Lord, I know that one of these days, at your appointed season, all that is not of you will vanish, all swords will be turned into plowshares, all instrument of destruction will be destroyed, and most of all, Satan will be stripped of his power to kill. Help me, your child, not to dishonor you by having pleasure in wickedness, or allow evil to dwell with me.”
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
(Pro 4:23)
October 11 2005
(Psa 5:5)
The* foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
This prophetic statement is one of the building blocks of our faith. No matter what foolish puny man invents, no matter what he does or says in order to justify his actions to man or God, we have the assurance that none of his card castles and illusions of truth will stand.
The world has now a little time more before the great judgment appears and everyone’s work is put to the great test. We know that at that time, foolish unrepentant and arrogant hearts will not be able to stand before the brightness of the Spirit of God.
This statement stands today like John the Baptist by the waters of baptism telling us to check our hearts, and make straight our paths; to rid ourselves of froth, vanity, pride, unyieldedness, arrogance and the time-wasters in our lives, so that when He comes, he will find us doing the work of the Father. And He will say…
… Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
(Mat 25:34-36)
*Foolish:KJV: Void of understanding or sound judgment; weak in intellect; applied to general character, uwise; imprudent; acting without judgment or discretion in particular things, proceeding from folly, or marked with folly; silly; vain; trifling.
October 12, 2005
(Psa 5:6)
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
This is the cry of a man who put the total sum of his trust in the Lord. This type of man does not try to exert vengeance; neither does he attempt to vindicate his own cause.
This is the beauty of having the certainty in your cause and fight. You do not have to justify yourself, you do not have to even fight because any time that the righteous and his cause are attacked, the battle of vengeance belongs to the Lord (Is 63:4).
In all of our battles, let us therefore have the assurance that God is the One who upholds the righteous and His cause, and that He Himself will show His power against those who malign His children. Let us not be guilty of the same sins of leasing and blood as are practiced by the enemies of righteousness. But rather let us in the time of trouble find refuge in God and the knowledge that He will repay evil.
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
(Isa 29:18)
King James dictionary”LEASING”: Falsehood; lies. Obsolete or nearly so.
October 13, 2005
(Psa 5:7)
But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Hear the heart cry of the king who has been humiliated in front of friend and foe! Hear the assurance of the one who, when everything, even his own self, has failed, has so much trust in the mercy (Mercy: Undeserved forgiveness) of his God.
So many in this world today live a life of misery while our God waits with patient and moist eyes for the slightest inclination of our cry to Him for help. What a mistake we make when we measure the mercy and love of God by our poor failing and selfish standards.
Heaven can seem so far away to those who don’t know where it is, and God is crying for them to find Him. If they would only unite their heart with Him, they would find that, just like two heart cells start pulsating in unison when put together, Heaven is just one heartbeat away.
Oh, that we would learn to make a temple of our heart to house the love and mercy of the Almighty God for the world to see, His righteousness would then begin to cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
(Psa 27:4)
October 14, 2005
(Psa 5:8)
Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
Do you have enemies? Have people hurt you and caused you rancor? Is there bitterness in your heart because of evil deeds done unto you unjustly? Seek not to straighten your own right cause; seek not revenge. The Lord is the”lifter-upper” of the righteous, the one who vindicate all those who seek righteousness. Only ask Him to lead you into His righteousness; this is the greatest vindication that you can obtain.
Ask the Lord to show his ways to you, unperverted by the desire to return evil for evil. This desire is exactly where the enemy of all good wants you because when your way is led by any other emotion and stimulation than the will of your Lord and King, it is led of the destroyer, and when he sees that he cannot sway you, he will give up.
Pray to the Lord, and He will help you be perfect, as His Father in Heaven is perfect!
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
(Mat 5:38-48)
October 15, 2005
Psa 5:9
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
What a feeling of utter disgust with the accepted things of his generation David had!
Reflect here on the things that David felt repulsed by:
- Unfaithfulness to God in one’s speech
- “Wickedness” of heart (The definition of wicked is actually “twisted”)
- The flattering lies of the tongue that swallow up the righteous
These, friend, could be considered the sources of the evil of today’s world, but the thing that one should ask is:
-Do I, like the author of this sentence, feel utterly disgusted with the ideas of unfaithfulness, wickedness, lies and deceit? Do I allow my heart, mind and spirit to be day in and day out filled with things that are opposite to the spirit of God?
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, they shall see God” (Mat 5:8)
Let us consider carefully the content of what we see and hear, and ask God to give us repugnance against ungodly so that we can keep our hearts pure, and…see God!
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
(Psa 19:13)
October 16, 2005
(Psa 5:10)
Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
God’s people do not have to worry about anything, especially about their enemies. They have the assurance that the very counsel of those who would want to hurt them will swallow them. The only time when this does not happen is when God gives permission to, or even uses their enemies as a form of chastisement against His people’s disobediences and evil deeds; at that time, He even fights against them, very often by using their opponents.
If our heart is right, if we have obeyed His commandments and lived the way we know He wants us to; if we have stayed within the parameters of the pavilion of His protection, then we do not have to worry about the fall of the ungodly and of the wicked; we do not have to worry about the demise of the devil. Their fall has been predicted from the Garden of Eden, and we can live with the assurance that we are more than conquerors.
Lies, deceit, rebellion and transgressions cannot stand before God, therefore anyone who practices these things seals his own fate. We do not have to fight them, all we have to do is stand, stand against it! Here is the picture of the true soldier of the cross, standing adamantly in defiance against the fiery darts of the enemy, not budging an inch from his position, knowing that his God is on his side and has already destroyed the enemy of his soul
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
(Eph 6:11-18)
October 17, 2005
(Psa 5:11)
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Joy--pure joy from the Spirit--is the trademark of Christian faith. The child of God who truly puts his trust in his God rejoices because he has the assurance that God has answered his prayers even if he doesn’t presently see it. The faith of the Child of God doesn’t hope, it doesn’t wish that his Heavenly Father will answer his prayers, it knows because “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1) The Greek word used for “substance” in this text is “huposthasis”, meaning “title-deed”. So the verse could also be translated as: “faith is the TITLE-DEED of things hope for”. You know that you possess it just because it is written on a piece of paper called a contract.
Each child of God has this contract with God signed in the blood of Jesus-Christ. The promises in His Word are the terms and they cannot be altered. We have His assurance of supply (Phil 4:19), of protection (Psa 91), and of His love (Heb 13:5b).
Lord, open my eyes that I may see and behold that there are more with me than there are against me (2 Kings 6:15-17). Help me to throw myself completely at Your feet in total trust and confidence, not only that You will take care of me and defend me, but that you already have taken care of me and vindicated me. Help my countenance to reflect this inner peace and joy of this assurance and trust in You--that all those I meet would know that you are my Lord, My God, my Savior and my defender!
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
(Phi 4:4)
October 19, 2005
Psa 5:12
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
In the book of Job, Satan challenges God by saying, “Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land”. Job 1:9,10
If God could only open our eyes, we would see how much He protects us from evil. And the shield that He protects us with is His favor, as though we were His favorites. God does have favorites! He is bound to be closer to those who stay close to Him by their own choice. If He is our “favorite”, and we give Him our “favor”, then we are His favorite and we are protected by His favors.
Before asking God for the protection of His “favor”, let’s ask ourselves: ”Is God my favorite”? Is He my favorite hobby, pastime, counselor, presence, and friend?
As a reflection on 9-11, Ann Graham, the daughter of the famous evangelist by the same last name answered the question, ”How could God let something like this happen?" By giving this extremely profound and insightful response.
She said, "I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?"
Looking at all the areas in our lives where we wish that God would somehow intervene, let us check to see if perhaps He is perhaps not there because we either have not invited Him, or have even escorted Him out of the issue!
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
(Psa 24:3-5)
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