What do
you long for? In His Word ~1- 2-2020
This year
has been long, it has been rough to get through for some and for others it has
been a time of fear. As I read through the Word each day I find myself longing
to hear the words I read spoken to my heart from the Lord Himself someday. I
just want the pandemic to end and people to love one another and everything to
be just right. I long to hear His voice just as the deer in Psalm 42. I thirst
for the times of basking in His presence while the cares of the world pound at
my door.
When
these days come I kneel, in body or at least in spirit, and spend time in His
presence, reading and praying and just waiting to hear that still small voice
of the Lord.
As the
deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God,
the living God When can I go and stand
before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually
taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”
My heart
is breaking as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! Psalm 42:1-4
I too miss the times in church buildings and camp meetings, I remember the times at the altar, praying and singing and worshiping Him in spirit and in truth… it sometimes felt so far away this year and then I read the following section of Psalm 42.
Why am I
discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise
him again—my Savior and my God! vs5-6
Have you
ever felt as the Psalmist did in this passage? Did you feel as if everything
was against you, as if God had left you forgotten in the midst of your misery?
Perhaps you were left behind when a family member died; or maybe you where the
child left behind when a parent left in divorce. It could be that you are
feeling 'stuck' and forgotten in a level at work, or after High-school
graduation when all your friends are going off to college you are left behind
working for a living.
Whatever
it is, wherever you are at this moment, God cares about you and what you are
going through.
In this
Psalm I chose this morning the writer is clearly feeling as if God has pulled
away from him. But we know better than that, we know our God will never leave
us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) We can also know that if we are stuck in a
spot, and tempted to go or do where we should not go or do; He will make a way
of escape, if we but seek Him to find it. (1 Corinthians 10:12-14)
When
things happen in our lives that we do not expect or plan we can know that God
is not leaving us there to suffer alone but as the writer of the poem
“Footprints” He may be carrying us, or we may be walking in the steps He has
first put down for us to step in.
As a
young child in British Columbia I can remember walking to school in the early
snow, not yet prepared for it. We still had our tennis shoes and had not yet
been able to get boots for winter when a beautiful snow would dust the ground. I
remember that if I tried to walk in the fresh clean snow my shoes would be
soaked through to my socks, but if I walked in the footprints of someone who
had already gone down that road; the way was made clear for me.
That is
what Jesus did for us on Calvary; He walked in the snow before us. He took on
the cold wetness of the snow so that our feet could remain dry and warm and get
us where we need to go.
Though
sometimes it may seem as if He has walked on ahead of us down the trail where
we cannot see him anymore, but he is still there. He told the disciples in John
14:2 that He went to prepare a place in His Father's house. This tells us that
He has gone on ahead and will be there when we need Him.
The
Psalmist at the beginning of this article tells us how much he longs to spend
time with the Lord God. We need to ask ourselves today do we long to spend time
with our God today? Or do we just dash through life tossing a few hellos to God
and run on at the mouth about all our problems then run off to our busy existence?
I have to admit I have often been guilty of the later. I throw out a nibble of
a prayer of thanks giving then run off to do my daily deeds, amidst that I find
myself complaining about how this person or that person left a towel or a shoe
or a cup or saucer in the wrong place. These are such small things yet if I
allow myself to dwell on them I become a whiner, and I can see them as such big
holes in my existence if I choose to. Generally when I catch myself fussing
over such foolishness I remind myself of how great a God I have that has given
me the people who leave these things around. I remind myself also of the fact I
can bless them by not making them come from their slumber to pick them up but
can do so myself. I think it is all about perspective. We need to think like
the psalmist and put our trust in God. We need to praise Him in the midst of
the trials we are living in no matter how we are feeling about it at the
moment.
“...O'
God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.”Psalm
44:8
This was
written to remind us to give Him glory and honor and praise throughout our
days. No matter what we are going through, no matter what is in our way; we
need to praise our Lord each hour of every day. Let's try this as our challenge
this week! Let's try and speak out a praise to the Lord for every hour of our
day. Look for the small things first then go to the big things; thank Him for
the light turning green just when you needed to get to work on time. Thank Him
for the Lord who sends that one friend to phone you just when you needed a
friend to call and ask you how you are doing. Thank Him that you can go to life
groups, Bible studies, or other fellowship times with friend, or would be
friends. Thank Him that you have a home to live in, or food, or shoes on your
feet. I could go on all week with praises!
Now I am
not expecting us to sit and watch the clock, you all know how praise and thank
the Lord for things I just want you to think of it when you glance at a clock,
think to praise Him for something. Speak it aloud if you can because someone
else may hear you and think about praising Him too! This is how we multiply our
praises to our God; we exalt Him, we lift Him up and He will draw all men unto
Himself! Praising God aloud is one way we can help other people come to know
Him.
It is a
great way to get perspective on our troubles as well.
When we
begin to praise Him and thank Him for those small things and work our way to
the larger things, we will see things more in His eyes, than in our own. When
we look through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, we will see things as they really
are; small in comparison to the greatness He has given us.
Today let’s
try to praise Him 8-10 times, that would be a good start. Then let’s try to
praise Him more and more each day this week. Write it down if you want to be
sure you remember to do so but shout out for Jesus today!
Dear
Heavenly Father, we give you praise today for waking us up and getting us on
task for the day. Help us to realize this week that we have an abundance of
things for which to give You praise, In Jesus' name, amen.
Suggested
readings Psalm 42:1-11, Psalm 43:1-5, Psalm 44:1-9, John 14:1-31 and 1
Corinthians 10:1-33
Trust in
the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all
your ways acknowledge Him,
And He
shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Now I am
deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon,
the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. I hear the tumult of
the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. But each day the
Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.
“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you
forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?”
Their
taunts break my bones. They scoff,
“Where is this God of yours?”
Why am I
discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise
him again—my Savior and my God!