Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.
Unbelievers love to sneer, “Well, where IS God? Can you prove it? Have you seen Him?”
They don’t understand that faith is believing the unseen, believing the impossible, believing in the almighty hand of God in His creation. He created the heavens; He inhabits the heavens; and (I love this part!) He does whatever He pleases!
Right now, it pleases Him to NOT send His Son to return to take the church out of the world and into His presence. The older I grow, the more messed up this old world becomes, the more I long for that day! In the meantime, our job here is to share the gospel. And wait patiently.
Psalm 115:1. Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.
This is a powerful psalm, beginning with a powerful verse. God deserves all the glory, all the time. He is truth; He is mercy.
There are several songs in my mind, competing for my attention 🙂 This one appealed to me because of the instrumentals and the huge choir. There are others I love, including Andre Crouch’s song, sung in the second video by Wintley Phipps.
Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 114: 7 begins with an admonition to the very earth to be subdued in the presence of God. It goes on to recount one of the miracles God performed as Israel journeyed through the wilderness, taking twice as long as they should have because of their grumbling and disobedience.
In the verses I’ve chosen today, we see the story of God telling Moses speak to a rock, and water would come forth. Moses, however, was in a temper himself, and in his anger he struck the rock with his rod.
8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as He commanded him.
Moses Strikes the Rock
10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in Me, to uphold Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 These are the waters of Meribah,[a] where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them He showed Himself holy.
Numbers 20:8-14
Because Moses and Aaron were disobedient and lacked faith, they lost the privilege of leading the people into the promised land. We need to remember that God doesn’t take sin lightly. Temper tantrums rarely lead to anything good.
Now that the Thanksgiving turkey is picked clean and we’re recovering from an overload of football and pie, it’s time to focus on Christmas. I’ve seen posts today from people who are FINALLY enjoying their Christmas music, and many people put up their trees on Thanksgiving Friday.
AND, many people enjoy Black Friday shopping. I do not. I don’t like shopping to begin with, never have.
It’s a good thing Black Friday is not mandatory. I’d be in jail every year. Someone has wisely said that Black Friday is ironic because it’s the exact opposite of the purpose of Thanksgiving, when we are supposedly giving thanks to God for all that we have. Then, the very next day, we go out and act like crazy people competing for tons of stuff we don’t need.
Well, that’s just my opinion, of course. What I would really like is to see less frenzy and more thoughtfulness about what the coming season is really about. I mean, how many of the zillions of advertisements that flood our mailboxes and television sets have anything at all to do with the original reason we celebrate Christmas?
No, the season is becoming more secularized, less Christ-centered, with every passing year. Santa takes priority over Jesus. Getting lavish gifts is more important than spending time thinking about what Christmas is all about.
I’m not a Grinch. I simply wish there were more thoughtfulness and less greediness in the coming season. I love Christmas. I love the music, and the decorations, and the general sense of good will that exists among the people I know. I love the story of the birth of Jesus that is recorded so beautifully in Luke 2.
On Thanksgiving day, I noticed a sound from our car that I knew wasn’t normal. After a while, Terry heard it too. (Takes him longer–his hearing is worse than mine!) I could tell from the look on his face that it wasn’t good news.
“Just take it easy on the brakes,” he said. And I did. It always amazes me that he can tell just from the sound what is wrong.
Yesterday he took the back right tire off, and sure enough, there’s a brake problem AND a bearing problem. He no longer has the tools for such a job; in my opinion, he shouldn’t be doing that sort of work anyway. So this morning he called our grandson, who has his grandpa’s mechanical abilities. I’m not sure what all the arrangements are, but we are now without a car–again–and I’m going to have to cancel a couple of appointments.
It’s a mild setback, annoying to have to cancel important appointments like a haircut 🙂 Somehow, I’ll survive.
That’s really all I have this morning. It was a nice, quiet day yesterday, and I pampered my back because it’s been complaining. So nothing else new to report here 🙂
The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the LORD our God, Who dwelleth on high,
This psalm is a short song of highest praise to God. Please take the few minutes needed to read the whole psalm.
It put me in mind of one of my favorite old hymns. I wanted both the music and the lyrics, so I hope you enjoy what is posted above. Hearing it sung is good; singing it with a competent group of singers is even better.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
It is noteworthy in this psalm that the righteous WIll have troubles. Life will not always be sunshine and roses. But along with the trials, there will be light, the leading of the Lord, He will receive evil news, and not be afraid or intimidated. His life will be marked with generosity, grace, compassion, discretion, and fearlessness.
I love the phrase, “His heart is fixed (settled, firmly established). . .on the Lord. Even in the face of dire need, his heart does not falter because he knows and trusts that his affairs, his very life, are in God’s hand.
I’m going to take the day off tomorrow, so I’m wishing you all a warm and heartfelt Thanksgiving Day. Take the time to truly think about all that you have for which to be thankful. Consider the promises of God; consider the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in your place; consider His victory over sin and death, and that because He lives, we can live also.
Psalm 111:10. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth for ever.”
This photo seemed to me to be an excellent illustration for today’s verse. If you know me personally, you are probably aware that I’m a great reader. I read every day, and now that I’m retired and somewhat disabled I have more time to indulge my habit 🙂 I love books. Books have always taken me away, like that old advertisement for Calgon: The harried housewife who begs for Calgon to “take her away” to a place of peace and quiet.
The Bible has always been central in my reading. From my earliest years, memorizing scripture has been a part of my life experience. When I was growing up, there were no options I knew about besides the KJV, so all my Bible memory comes from there. I’m not a “KJV only” advocate, but I do love it. It’s my go-to for daily reading and study, and I believe it influenced my vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension skills.
Those are all by-products, though, of the most important thing: My early introduction to having a strong sense of awe and respect (fear) for God. All of the other millions of books that have been written and forgotten cannot compare to the profound influence of the Bible. The fear–respect, awe, humility–of God is indeed the beginning of wisdom.
My paternal grandmother was saved simply through reading the Bible. Her influence brought all of her children to the Lord, over time, and many of her grandchildren. She had no formal education beyond high school, of which I am aware, yet she influenced her family and many other people because of her love of God and her understanding of the Bible. The wisdom she gained from her Bible took her through some very hard years.
There are times when I just grow weary of all the arguments and debates that clamor against our minds. So much of it could be easily resolved if only people would quit “following their hearts” and, instead, get into their Bibles and follow the Lord! Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked, and that we don’t understand the depths of that evil.
We need to follow God’s heart, not our own. The only way to know His heart is to read His word. The only way to find wisdom is to have a deep and profound respect and awe for God.
Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
His work is honourable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth for ever.
He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
Do we? Do we praise Him with our whole heart? Or are we, behind the praise, thinking about what to cook for dinner? What we need at the store on our way home? Whether or not we remembered to set the oven before we left home?
Earthly care can certainly infringe on our focus on the Lord. Look at the descriptors of His works in these verses: His works are great; they are honorable, glorious, and enduring; they are wonderful, gracious, and compassionate.
There is nothing that expresses the worship, joy, and honor due to Him like the joyful, earnest singing of a congregation of believers! Music is an expression of worship, and should be done with zest and enthusiasm. I have always loved the singing in church. It unites believers as we join our voices in harmony and praise to the Lord. It should be ALL we focus upon while we are singing, or praying, or listening to the sermon.
It’s really hard to block out the cares of this life, but we need to pray that God will fill our hearts and minds with Himself, and that we will leave the rest behind while we are praising Him for His goodness, and His wonderful works to the children of men.
Fanny Crosby is on my mind this weekend. This, I believe, is the last song she wrote:
It is said that when she was asked whether she was upset about never being able to see, she replied “No, because when I get to heaven the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”
What an incredible testimony she had. Blind since she was just a tiny baby, she never lost her spiritual sight and insight as she grew up, came to know Jesus, and lived out her life in bringing joy to others.
I’m not a person who can sing and cry at the same time. The tears choke my voice completely, and that happened when we sang this song yesterday at a hymn- sing based on Crosby’s songs. Here are the lyrics:
I SHALL KNOW HIM
When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide, When the bright and glorious morning I shall see, I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side, And His smile will be the first to welcome me. I shall know Him, I shall know Him And redeemed by His side, I shall stand. I shall know Him, I shall know Him, By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face And the luster of His kindly beaming eyes; How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love, and grace That prepared for me a mansion in the sky.
Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come, And our parting at the river I recall; To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home, But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.
Thro’ the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white, He will lead me where no tears will ever fall; In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight, But I long to meet my Saviour first of all. I shall know Him, I shall know Him And redeemed by His side, I shall stand. I shall know Him, I shall know Him, By the print of the nails in His hand. I shall know Him, I shall know Him, By the print of the nails in His hand. By the print of the nails in His hand.
It is no wonder that we still love her songs today.
Linda's Bible Study 