Hearing from the Psalms...

It has been quite sometime since I wrote regarding the journey through Psalms. I decided to combine my thoughts of the last couple weeks. Psalms 66 focuses on "remembering what God had done and being thankful."

We are called to praise Him for what he has done. It gives a look into the future when all shall bend knee and worship God: 

All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee;              they shall sing to thy name. Selah. Psalms 66.4

Reference is made to many great things God has done, including the parting of the waters for the Israelites as they left Egypt. Although that was a "big" thing that God had done, we are reminded to be praise Him for the small things that He does in our lives as well. He is in our life at every moment and shapes our life.

Verses 13-20 reflect our response to what He has done for us. I will offer sacrifices, I cried unto Him with my mouth. What is my true response, when I feel the effect of God working in my life? I am afraid too often I brush it by without a second thought, when my immediate response should be that of immediate and constantly thanking Him for the wonder He has wrought  in my life. 

In reading this passage, I realize how lax I have come in thanking God for what He has done and continues to do in my life. But as the verse 20 reminds us, He has not turned away from our prayers. If we come to him in prayer, He has never turned away from us, even when we forget Him-a remainder to me that He loves me and cares about me. Why then should I not praise Him every opportunity that I have.

Blessings on your week, Andrea

♥Life is not measured by the breaths you take, 

but by the moments that take away your breath♥

Complete Commitment - Psalms 31:5

"Into thine hand I commit my spirit:

thou hast redeemed me, 

O Lord God of truth."

Psalms 31:5

Here we find the Psalmist committing Himself to the Lord and what He has planned for His life. This is not the only time we find this particular commitment in the Bible. We also find it in the lives of at least two others in the Bible.

We encounter it as Jesus hung on the cross: 

“And when Jesus had cried with a loud

voice, he said, Father, into thy hands

I commend my spirit: and having

said thus, he gave up the ghost.”

Luke 23:46

And also Stephen uttered these last words as he was stoned to death:

“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon

God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive

my spirit.” Acts 7:59

In all three occasions, we find complete surrender. In two of the three occasions we find surrender, even in the face of death: my Lord and Stephen. Such a commitment is a complete surrender, no matter the costs. David was committed because his spirit had been redeemed. To him, his redemption was of great value. A value that was so great, it required a full, complete surrender.

So what about me, what about you? Jesus has paid the ultimate price for redemption – his life of the cross. What does that mean to you and me? We have been redeemed when in reality, we were doomed to die and we deserved every bit of our punishment. But amidst the punishment we deserved, God looked down on His people, His heart filled with compassion for the dear ones that He had intricately created. Each individual soul meant so much to Him and it hurt Him to know that without a Redeemer, each one would die…but the story doesn’t end there. Praise God!

He sent a Redeemer. His beloved & Only Son!

I tremble when I recognize what I deserved, but by the grace of God, I have been saved. Seeing this, I realize that my daily life needs to be in complete surrender to the One who redeemed me. Such surrender is a daily moment by moment surrender to the perfect Will of God. My cry should equal that of the Psalmist:

“Into thine hand I commit my spirit:

thou hast redeemed me, 

O Lord God of truth."

Psalms 31:5

Am I committed to God’s story? Or am I determined to have my own story?

My heart's cry - I surrender all!

Blessings as you surrender! Pray for me! I am praying for you!

Andrea

Wait! - Psalms 27:14

WAIT!

What does it mean to wait? According to Merriam Webster, "wait" says to remain stationary in readiness or expectation, to pause for another to catch up, to look forward expectantly, to serve or be ready or available. "Wait" according to Strong's Concordance is to look for, hope or expect.

In looking at each of the individual definitions, I found that they all fell in one of two categories. One was that of serving and the other was that of being ready. So what did David mean in Psalm 27:14. The verse is as follows:

"Wait on the LORD: 

be of good courage, 

and he shall strengthen thine heart: 

wait, I say, on the LORD."

In this verse, David appears to be reminding us to be ready to go at a moment's notice. That thought truly convicted me. Am I living my day to the fullest, all while being prepared to go when God says "GO." That thought alone can be scary at times. What if God calls me to pack up and move or maybe just to minister to the sister in my backyard? I can testify to such moments and praise God that He strengthened my heart in those moments.

As David further says, "be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart." So if God calls me to move or to minister to the sister, all He asks is that we have courage. He promises to strengthen us in those moments. 

So with the promise of God by my side, I am challenged to wait and be ready at any moment to do what He calls me to do. I challenge each of you to also wait! He will give you the strength to do the task before you!

Blessings!

Andrea

The first post to 52 weeks of Psalms. We are studying Psalms 28 this week!

Psalms 25 Recap

I have truly been blessed and challenged as I spent time in this Psalm. The words that God gave David were words of simplicity, but so full of meaning and depth. This Psalm is labeled as a prayer of guidance and I claim it as my personal Psalm.

David cries out to God: I lift my soul unto you. He is declaring his neediness. He realizes how small and insignificant he is without God by his side. He is trusting in God and desires to not be ashamed of God. He recognizes that there will be times of conflict, and though it would be easier to "deny" God, that is not his desire at all.

He is desiring the guidance of God in his life, just as I do in my life. He is looking to God for direction. He desires to know the truth. He "waits" on the Lord. Wait according to Strong's means to look for, expect, hope. He is looking for the Lord.

In verse 11, he starts with a question of what man is he that feareth the Lord, to which he answers: he shall be taught in the way he shall choose. Such a man shall dwell in goodness! He is surrounded by the counsel of the Lord.

He finishes up the Psalm, his eyes drawn to the Lord, pleading for mercy and guidance in life's paths. He cries out for protection and deliverance from enemies. He desires to serve, unashamed, with integrity and uprightness, as he waits on the Lord.

This Psalm became real and personal to me this weekend. I spent several days surrounded by fellow believers at a weekend retreat. Though many of us did not know each other, we had several things in common:
1. We were all believers following an Eternal and Everlasting God, saved from sin's trap, by the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. We all held a common interest: we all had a love for the field of medicine - in the midst were doctors, RNs, LPNs, CNAs, EMTs, paramedics, nursing students, pre-nursing students, and therapists.
3. We all came searching for a refreshing weekend in God's Word, while surrounded with others of like professions.

The point that was stressed continuously through the weekend is to seek God's will for each moment today. Take time to pray about the small things in life, because God always answers prayer. It will always be "yes," "no," or "wait." He is faithful, guiding us today as we walk and look to Him for instruction.

Seek His face today!

Blessings!

Andrea

Who Shall Dwell - Psalms 15 Review

David starts this Psalm with a question for us all to ponder. "Who?" The next verses clearly state those will dwell. As we look into the next verses, we soon realize that there is more than a single action.

He who walks uprightly and worketh righteousness,  and speaketh truth in his heart: What is uprightly? According to Strong's: complete, whole, sound, entire, healthful, innocent, having integrity, that which is complete and entirely in accord with truth and fact - this is he who walks uprightly! As I look over my personal life, is it complete, sound, healthful? Or is it lacking integrity and full of half-truths? In my everyday life, do I do that which is right and just, or do I slide into the background, afraid and ashamed to do what is right?

He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor: To backbite not with my tongue-not only does that mean slandering with my tongue, but being a tale-bearer and/or a spy. Do I go out of my way to "spy" on my neighbor, so I can advise my friends of the bad that my neighbor is doing? As I interact with my friends/neighbors, am I aware of what I say or do I intentionally say something that I know might hurt them. In my relationships, do I make it my main goal to  be approachable or am I always at odds with my friends? When differences of opinions arise, do I listen with an open mind, or do I refuse to listen?

He that doeth these things shall never be moved! Though I only expounded on a few of the many challenges that God revealed through the Psalmist, there are many others listed in this short Psalm. Revealed at the end of this Psalm, we are reminded that if we do this things, we shall stand firm. 

And as I looked at these verses and the rest of the chapter, I realized that so often I fall short, but I questioned myself. Am I willing to change and strive to serve and grow more in my relationship with God, since the Lord has revealed His standards to me. Or will I sit back and sulk and say that I never will attain that which He desires?

My challenge that I received is to step up to the plate today and ask God for the strength to change my life and live more like Him.

Blessings to all as you desire to grow more like our Lord!

Andrea

PS: We will be turning to Psalms 16 this week!

Psalms 4: Recap

I don't know about the rest of you, but this first week of studying Psalms has been such a blessing. It is amazing how much one can draw from even one or two verses. What I found very helpful was to read the chapter once or twice each day and then to spend time to focus on one or two verses. The memorization has been a little hard for me, but I decided to write them on index cards and keep them with me as I commute daily.

What really stuck out to me in Psalms 4 was David's continuous cry was to be heard of the Lord and he passionately cried out. His heart broke with the reality of the ungodliness around him. He wondered "how long" they would continue to dabble with sin. I was struck with the realization that this needs to also be my daily and passionate cry.

However I was blessed with how amidst the anguish of all this sin that surrounded him, David still realized that he was set apart for God and amidst all this anguish he could still lay down at night and be sheltered in the peace that only God gives. 

But even amidst it all, human tendencies tend to flare, such as becoming angry. God admonished David not to sin in anger, but rather to meditate and be still!

My motto for the coming week: Be Still! Selah!

Blessings to all!

This week, starting 1/7/13, is based on Psalms 8.

For more info on these studies, either refer to my info post or Radiant Purity's info post.

Coming Soon: 52 Weeks of Psalms

I am planning on joining my friend Melinda on this journey of studying the Psalms throughout 2013.

When: Starting the first week of January, then followed through weekly

What: Studying a new Psalm and expounding on each week, and memorizing the key verses of the passage

Where: Hosted by my friend Melinda

Feel free to join us! Check out Melinda's site for the instructions!

Weekly Schedule
Study Tips
Memory Verses

Andrea