Posts
Adapted from 9-28-2009 A walk in the Word study.
Whisper His name, cry out to Jesus, and listen for that
still small voice. Today as we read the verses of Psalm 73 posted below, I want us to begin with prayer. Ask God to reveal what it is that you personally can glean from them.
Truly God is good to
their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like
everyone else.
Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the
wicked.
Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? Those
who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. Psalm 73:1-28
What stood out to you? Years ago (2009 to be specific) I saw the following insights and put them down in my notes.
"The writer is noticing the rich get richer, and the good
people getting poorer and struggling to make ends meet. He asks God why the
wicked of the world have such a wonderful life, they appear to be enjoying good
health and happiness while living in sin. Then as we read on, we see that God
has their end figured to match their wickedness, just as He has our end matched
up with the pure hearts we attain to keep."
"Today I want to focus on crying out to Jesus; as Christians
we need to cry out to Him daily, many times in our day if needed. We also need
to whisper His name…Jesus. Softly as we
can, in fact let’s do it right now, just whisper His name. Jesus. Do you feel
His presence with you right now? He is there with you right at your desk. His
arms are around you holding you and telling you that He loves you today. He
wants you to know that He is near."
Try it! Whisper Jesus' name and see if you feel His precious love surround you! His presence flows through us as we whisper the name of Jesus! It is amazing! There is a difference in just saying His name loud, or quiet because they are for different reasons that we do so. When we cry out to Him for help, hope or just to be held by Him we are usually louder, depending on the circumstances.
If you notice even in church services sometimes the worship leader signals the instruments to be silent and yet continues with just all of our soft sweet voices which we are lifting up to God. This is when our worship is sweetest, partly because we are no longer distracted by the sound of the tune but instead, we are focused on singing out from our heart to His that much more.
"So often we forget as we go through our day that God is with
us in everything we do. He is but a stone's throw away, close enough to hear and will come with one cry
of sorrow to comfort us. He also wants us to know that he is there to share in
the happy times too. It sometimes seems that we call on Him more in trouble
than in rejoicing or thankfulness."
"Early in the morning it is always easier to talk with the
Lord. Have you ever woken up at night and listened to the sounds? There are
distant trains, road work being done on the freeway and the occasional dog bark
or cat cry. During this time, you can
feel so close to the Lord as well. Why do you think that is? I will tell you,
you have nothing else to distract you from listening for the still small voice
as He calls your name.
One reason I like to rise up early in the morning is because
there is a stillness that helps me to focus on Him and His word. I don’t have
to worry about someone walking in the room to interrupt my thoughts on what I
am reading, or my prayers as I kneel and pray, it’s just me and He.
This week Pastor Jeff mentioned that we all need TAWG time. Without it we just have Time Alone. When we have time with God without others to interrupt us, we can gain strength that we did not know we needed, and joy we longed for will fill our hearts. We can find clarity for the day, for the week ahead or for the month or year even when we take time to discuss our day with Him. Then later on as you find yourself sitting there wishing you had someone to talk to over your lunch… there He is again waiting beside you. Ready to listen to your joys or fears of the day. What a ready friend we have in Jesus. All a cry away, a whisper away and so close we can feel His presence if we only seek to find Him."
Younger me was obviously inspired by the Word and the Worship music I listened to and sang aloud on my own. Are you able to seek His face right now? If so, take time and then write out what it is that reached down to your heart and soul influencing your mind and thoughts today.