Psalm 78: 35-39 – They remembered that God was their protector, and that God Most High was their deliverer.  ³⁶ But they deceived him with their words, and lied to him.  ³⁷ They were not really committed to him, and they were unfaithful to his covenant.  ³⁸ Yet he is compassionate.  He forgives sin and does not destroy.  He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up his fury.  ³⁹ He remembered that they were made of flesh, and were like a wind that blows past and does not return.”

Several things tugged at my heart as I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today.  God’s presence, purpose, and provision filled my thoughts.  

The presence of God is a double-edged sword.   There is peace, power, and provision in His presence (for the lovers of God).  However, for the unbelievers and disobedient rebels, there can be devastation.

In Psalm 78, the recounting of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage included the declaration in verses 35-39, which amazes me.  They were in need, and they recognized God as their deliverer, “But they deceived Him with their words and lied to Him.  They were not really committed to Him and were not faithful to His Covenant.  Yet He is compassionate.  He forgives… He remembered they were made of flesh…”

Deceived God?  Not literally, but they tried and lied, deceiving themselves.  God became inactive as though He were asleep, not helping them.   In verse 65, “But then the Lord awoke from His sleep; He was like a warrior in a drunken rage.” When God is stirred up, nothing can stand before Him.

In Psalm 84:9, we are reminded of the value of God’s appointed and chosen human leaders.   It calls their king (likely David) their shield.  The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart and mind the power of the government appointed by Him.   David’s heart was to do what was right.  He sought to wholly follow God.  When God’s appointed leader is in place, the people rejoice.  When the wicked rule, the people groan.

Today, people are deceiving themselves and lying to God.  God is calling His remnant to repentance and seeking someone to stand in the gap and intercede.  We need to make the plea or prayer of Psalm 87:11 our prayer: “O LORD, teach me how You want me to live.  THEN I will obey Your commands.  Make me wholeheartedly committed to You.”

Revelation 22:14 – “Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter the city by the gates.”

• God’s presence brings peace to the pure and confusion to the impure.
• God’s presence provides protection to those whose hearts are committed to Him.
• God’s presence is our solace and refuge, making Psalms 91 and 23 our daily reality.

My heart cries today for God’s presence to be perpetually permanent.  Let us live in Your realized presence and go before us in all things.  LORD, make us conscious of Your presence, person, power, provision, and purpose.  I surrender all to You.

I pray that your day will be filled with His Presence!

Psalm 73:1-4 – “Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure.  ² But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me.  ³ For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.  ⁴ For they suffer no pain; their bodies are strong and well fed.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, Psalm 73 became my focal point of meditation.   In it, I was drawn to consider a not uncommon condition experienced by many, if not most, people: the questions about life, fairness, and God.

In our heads, we readily acknowledge the opening decree of the Psalmist.  “Certainly, God is good to Israel, AND to those whose motives are pure.”   The goodness of God is a foundational tenet of Christianity.   We confess that even if we harbor questions about His willingness to be so to us personally.

The flawed mindset of the Psalmist is not uncommon for many believers if or when we focus on what we see rather than God’s precepts.

He said, “I almost lost my faith because…”    Because is the cause!  He said, “I envied the proud (wicked, non-Christians) because they were prosperous.   They were not facing the trials (visibly) that he was facing.   Most have done that.   We have said, “Look at them; I’m trying to live right and have endless problems.  They live wickedly and prosper.  They aren’t sick and have plenty.  It is not fair!”

It got so bad that the Psalmist concluded verse 13, “Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle.”     In verse 14, he laments, “I suffer all day long and am punished every morning.”   I do right; don’t drink, cuss, chew, play around, lie, steal, or cheat, and what does it get me?   If people knew what I truly thought, they would consider me a traitor.  I’m discouraged and ready to quit.  It’s not fair.  Why me, Lord?

In verse 17, something transformational happened.  He encountered God in God’s house.   In light of the revelation of the Word, the light came on inside his heart and mind.   He understood that there is truly a payday someday, and what we reap, we will sow.   He understood that even if, in this life, he endured difficulty, an eternal reaping and harvest was coming.

In verses 22-28, we see his revelation and deliverance.   His faith was restored, and his thoughts were transformed.   He said, “I was ignorant and lacked insight.”   If we focus on what we see and the perceived inequities of life, we will also become discouraged, blind, and lack insight.  We will lose our confidence and faith.  It’s not what is happening to another, but who God is that must hold our hearts and minds.

He realized that God is always with him, guiding him, and his eternal destiny is in God’s hands—the God who does not fail and whose love is unfailing.

He cried out, “My flesh and my heart may grow weak, BUT GOD always protects my heart and gives me stability.”    That is what Paul learned in his ability to be content in God, no matter what.

In verse 28, he makes the declaration that we need.  “But as for me, God’s presence is all I need.  I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter (abode, hiding place) as I declare all the things You have done.”  An attitude of gratitude is always expressed, never silent.  It overflows from the heart to the lips.

If we focus on God, we realize that He never fails.  We realize that our relationship with Him is uniquely personal and has nothing to do with what is happening to other people.

Look to God, care about people, but never compare yourself to anyone else, and never equate their seeming blessings and ease as a sign of special favor or God’s unfairness.    Life is complicated.  Don’t complicate it more by focusing on people.   They do not control your eternity.   But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.    God is never unfair or unjust, and He never fails.

Focus on God and enjoy this beautiful day!

Psalm 56:8-13 – “You keep track of my misery.  Put my tears in your leather container.  Are they not recorded in your scroll?  ⁹ My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side.  ¹⁰ In God—I boast in his promise—in the Lord—I boast in his promise—¹¹ in God I trust; I am not afraid.  What can mere men do to me?  ¹² I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the thank offerings you deserve, ¹³ when you deliver my life from death.  You keep my feet from stumbling, so that I might serve God as I enjoy life.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was reminded of a vital reality that comforted and challenged me.   

• Never give up on God!
• Never stop praying!
• Never stop hoping in God!

The Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent creator is alive, alert, and active.

This Psalm gives incredible insight that is both challenging and comforting. 

• God keeps track of our misery (wandering, trials, and struggles).
• God puts our tears in His leather container (wineskin, a container made from animal skin symbolic of sacrifice to God).
• God records them in His scroll?”

In verse 9, we read, “I know God is on my side.” In verse 11, “In God I trust; I am not afraid.” And in verse 13, “You (God) keep my feet from stumbling so that I might serve God AS I enjoy life.”

Please notice that the word serve is as in the daily pursuit of life, we are to serve God.  God is entwined in everything we are and do.  He is cognizant of every detail of our lives.    Knowing that truth makes prayer even more important and gives us a reason to persist in prayer.   God is aware, cares, and can do something about what we face.

I was drawn to Revelation 8 in this thought about God and prayer.  Repeatedly, we read in Revelation and elsewhere that the incense offered before the throne represents our prayers.  Prayer is not a one-time event.   Our prayers continually ascend before God’s throne as a fragrant incense.  He never ignores them, and decades, if not centuries later, they are still before Him. Praying for the lost is never a waste of time nor an exercise in futility.

I do not want to take this out of context, but to present an idea or principle about prayer.  In Revelation 8:3-5, something captured my thinking.  The angel was given a large amount of incense and the prayers of the saints that ascended before God.  He filled the censer with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth.

Here’s what I saw that I believe came from the Holy Spirit.  Our prayers release the fire of God in the earth, and that fire (energy of the Holy Spirit) stirs hearts.   So, never stop praying!  As long as there is breath in the body, do not give up hope!

God is releasing His fire while the devil is releasing his.  One fire purges the dross, and the other destroys.   One fire brings life, the other death.  Our prayers help release God’s fire and are a shield against the devil’s fire.  God is measuring His temple and purging the dross.

Remember that those we love are worth fighting for, so do not give up, give in, or give out in your prayers.   Release the fire!   Let God’s fire purge and purify us so we can pray effectively with fervency for the lost!  Hold to the command and commission to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, and thy will be done in heaven and on earth!  “

Never stop!   Prayer prevails.   Prayers continue until they are answered.  They are a fragrant aroma to God.  That prayer or those prayers you’ve prayed continually rise from God’s altar in heaven!  Don’t stop!  Victory is not a whimsical fantasy; it is God’s promise.

May God inspire us to persist in prayer and hold to His promises!    Have a fantastic day!

Psalm 43:2-3 – “For You are the God who shelters me… (He was in the midst of difficulty, disappointment, and sorrow of heart, and his prayer grabbed me and shook me).  Reveal Your light and Your faithfulness.  They will lead me; they will escort me back to Your Holy Hill and to the place where You live.”

We are in a new week with new obstacles and opportunities!   God desires to turn our trials into triumphs.    He wants to transform the obstacles into opportunities and enable us to ascend into His presence rather than plunge into the darkness of self.   

What we allow will grow, either good or bad.   God allows difficulty to enable us to trust, not to harm or hurt us.   He desires us to have the gift of the Kingdom and live His abundant life.   That life has far less to do with things than Him.

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, something in Psalm 43 arrested me.  It reveals the two escorts I mentioned in the title – “Light and Faithfulness.”

As I was musing on the Word, I sensed the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart and mind, and this thought cascaded over me: Light = revelation, clarity, understanding.  Faithfulness = grace, long-suffering, and patience.

Notice what revelation and grace or light and God’s faithfulness do:

• They lead us!   
• They show us the path to take and assure us that we can walk in that path.
• They escort (walk alongside us) back to His Holy Hill. 

The word “Back” is interesting because back means we have strayed from where we should be.    Maybe we trusted something or someone other than or more than God.   That something or someone might be our ability, knowledge, or perceived path or method.

They will take us to the place where God lives!  Where does God inhabit or live?  The Bible says it is in the praises of His people.  Maybe we stopped being worshippers.   His light (revelation) and faithfulness (grace) reignite a heart and desire to praise and worship Him.

In that place, we no longer fear and are able to turn trials into triumphs through trust.   If we trust Him, we do not have anxiety.  If we trust Him, we do not look at what seems to be but at what He has promised.    If we trust Him, we have peace.

The question I heard in my heart was, “Do you trust Me?”   Then I heard, “Do you truly want to give everything to Me?”   Then I heard, “Show Me that you trust Me.”

LORD, make Psalm 46:1-2 our confidence and revelation.  “God IS our strong refuge; He IS truly our helper in times of trouble.  For this reason, we do not fear…”    The rest of the Psalm reveals the difficulties faced, and in the midst of everything, GOD IS.

Verses 7 and 11 are phenomenal reminders of Who God is and His power.  “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is on our side!”   Give us pure hearts and resolute spirits filled with the Holy Spirit and the joy of God’s salvation.  We give ourselves and all of our cares or concerns to You!  You are our Light, and in You is no night or fright.

Full surrender equals full victory!

May you constantly be escorted by God’s Light and Faithfulness and be conscious of it!