Moments With God

Psalm 66

"Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me." Psalm 66:16

Praise and sacrifices were a part of the Old Testament church. In this psalm as in many of the other Old Testament psalms praise is being offered to God. For the purpose of this devotional this writer is going to take great liberty in paraphrasing this wonderful psalm in order to apply it to our lives today. May our lives always be a sacrifice of praise to our awesome God.

Shout with joyful praise to our awesome God! He is the God of all the earth. He is in control of all the nations and peoples even when they do not acknowledge Him. May we always sing to the glory of His name. May we praise Him for all He is in His character. Let us say to God, "How awesome and wonderful are Your deeds! Even Your enemies cringe before Your great power. Some day every knee will bow down to You, Lord. Every voice will sing praise to Your name." Let us always thank God for all He is and all He does for us by our worship of Him.

Let us meditate on God's great faithfulness to us in the past. How awesome is His works on our behalf! Just as He in His protective love and faithfulness turned the Red Sea and Jordan River into dry ground for His Old Testament people, so He is daily protecting us and providing for our needs. May we always rejoice in the Lord. He rules our lives and the world by His power. All that happens is part of His eternal plan. It is unwise to rebel against the Lord and His plan. God is God! Let us submit in joy and contentment to His will.

Praise our God, O people of God. May the sound of His praise be heard from our lips. Over and over again He has preserved and protected our lives. Even in times of trials and difficulties He has always been with us. Through trials in our lives the Lord has tested our trust for Him and our loyalty to Him. Through these times of testing He has refined us like silver. Just as silver must be refined by heating to remove impurities, so He removes the impurities of sins in our lives through the fire of trials. He takes us through the fire and deep waters of trials to make us more like Jesus. Through these trials He brings us to a place of overwhelming well-being and abundance. In the strange paradox of His mysterious will He takes us from sorrow to joy through the trials and suffering of life. Praise God! May we always thank Him for His wise leading of us in our daily walk with Him!

May we come to Him with a sacrifice of praise. May we offer our "bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God." (Romans 12:1) May we do this by saying, "Yes, Lord" to what ever He asks us to do or to whatever He asks us to endure. May we remember to thank Him and praise Him for His many answers to our prayers and for His many blessings. Let us thank God for what He has done in our lives by our witness of Him to others. When we cry out to Him for help may praise also be on our tongue. May we also not cherish sin in our hearts. Then He will listen to our prayers, as He has in the past. Praise God that He listens to our prayers. Praise God that His love and faithfulness to us is eternal!

Psalm 63

"Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands." Psalm 63:4

Many people in this world are searching for peace and joy, but many people are looking for these things in the wrong places. We must be very careful that we are not relying on our own devices and abilities in this world. The Lord alone is the source of hope, peace, joy, and strength. Searching for these things anywhere else but in the Lord is a vain pursuit.

May we not pursue or desire the things that this world claims to offer us. Instead may we long and thirst for the Lord. We must be passionate about our relationship with the Lord. David said in Psalm 63:1, "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." The Lord wants us to long and thirst for Him at all times in our lives. He, however, especially wants us to run to Him for comfort; when our life's circumstances are like a "dry and weary land where there is no water." In such times He wants us to figuratively crawl onto His lap like a small child crawls onto the lap of his or her mother when seeking comfort. The psalmist says to God in Psalm 119:76, "May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant."

Because of the Lord's great love and comfort we can lift our hearts and lives in praise to God. May we say to God in prayer, "Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You." ( Psalm 63:3-5) The Lord alone must be our all and all. He alone must be our joy and passion! He alone is the source of sustaining, refreshing, and bountiful blessings from His throne! His love is better than anything that this life has to offer. Hence, may our lives, hearts, and lips be filled with praise for our glorious and faithful Lord.

May we trust and rejoice in His faithfulness and love, and may we meditate on them often. May we even contemplate the Lord's character and promises "through the watches of the night," when perhaps we can not sleep. (Psalm 63:6b) Because the Lord is our help, let us sing praises to Him while resting in the protective and powerful shadow of His wings. Let us cling to Him alone; for His right hand upholds us, His children. (Psalm 63:7-8) There will always be difficulties and trials in this life, but let us in faith rejoice in our God and praise Him forever! (Psalm 63:11) "Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart praise Him!" (Psalm 64:10)

Psalm 62

In this Psalm King David found himself threatened by people who wished to dethrone him and do him harm. In this dangerous situation David turned to the Lord. David said in Psalm 62:1, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him." David found his rest, confidence, help, and peace in the Lord alone.

We too can and must find our confidence and help in the Lord alone. If we put our confidence in anything or anyone but the Lord, we will often be disappointed. We, however, can go to the Lord at any time and anyplace; and He will be our help and strength. Hence, the Lord is also our source of peace and repose in this world of turmoil. "He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:2) Like David the Lord is our rock or foundation. We can trust in the Lord at all times. He is our sure foundation even when it seems as if our world is crumbling and falling down around us. The Lord is also our salvation. He is our Savior from our sins. He also saves us from many unseen perils and pitfalls each and every day. The Lord is our fortress or protection. Hence, no matter what is going on in our lives; we need "never be shaken."

In spite of all his troubles David had learned the secret of waiting and resting in the Lord. So often when we face a crisis in our lives we try to work out the adverse situation or circumstances by our own devices. Sometimes we will also run to other people for help. Often we go to the Lord only as a last resort. We need to follow David's example, and go to the Lord first. We must rest in the Lord alone. David said in Psalm 62:5-6 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken." Notice in these verses David was once again repeating and acknowledging what he has already said in verses one and two of Psalm 62. Rest and peace for David's soul could be found in the Lord God alone. The Lord was his only hope for time and eternity. The Lord alone was David's rock, salvation, and fortress. We too must find our rest, peace, protection, and help in the Lord alone. Then we too can say with David, "I will not be shaken." No matter what the situation we can trust the Lord and rest in Him in quiet submission. Our well-being for time and for eternity depends on the Lord God alone. He is our sure foundation and refuge.

We have the absolute assurance of the Lord's protecting presence in our lives at all times. Hence, David said in Psalm 62:8, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." The Lord will never fail us. Hence, we must go to Him alone with our every need; and we must "pour out" our heart's needs and desires to Him. The Lord understands us and our needs perfectly. The Lord understands our needs and sympathizes with us better than any one else is able to do. Human beings are "but a breath." (Psalm 62:9a) Resorting to our own devices, especially sinful ones, to get us through a crisis will prove to be of no avail. But our God is our refuge and help. We serve a faithful God. We also serve a loving and powerful God! If we trust in the Lord, He will direct our paths!

Philippians 4

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

We often think of Philippians chapter four as a chapter on joy. In this chapter we also learn how we can have peace, a sense of security in Christ, and how we can "stand firm in the Lord" (Philippians 4:1b) We are commanded in Philippians 4:4a to "Rejoice in the Lord always." This verse is not just telling us we are able to have joy in Christ, but that we must rejoice in the Lord. We are not to rejoice just on the days when everything is going smoothly, but we must also rejoice on the days which are difficult and full of trouble and challenges. True joy in the Lord does not depend on our circumstances but comes from the Lord. Paul wrote the book of Philippians in prison. He rejoiced in the Lord in spite of his trials and unpleasant circumstances. He had joy because of his relationship with the Lord. That must be our source of joy also.

Joy is first of all found in right praying. Joy and peace are not found in counterproductive worry. Worry accomplishes absolutely nothing except for depressing our spirit and in some cases causing physical ailments to our body. When we begin to worry we need to immediately cast our worries and anxieties on the Lord in prayer. We need to commit all our concerns to the Lord, and then leave them with the Lord. It is so easy to pray to the Lord, and then walk away from prayer still worrying. God commands us not to do that, but instead we are to leave all our worries in His hands. Worry and trust do not go together. When we bring our worries to the Lord we must also approach Him with a thankful heart. We must not forget to thank Him for all His past and present blessings. If we do this; God says that "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

Joy and peace come from right praying, and they also come from right thinking. In verse eight of chapter four of Philippians we are told to think of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Joy and peace also come from right acting. Philippians 4:9 says, "Whatever you have learned or received---put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Obedience to God's Word always produces joy and peace.

Joy and peace come from right praying, right thinking, right acting, and finally from contentment in all circumstances. We need to be content whatever our circumstances, and we must be content wherever God has placed us in this life. Paul was in prison when he wrote the book of Philippians. In spite of this fact, Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11b, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Can we say the same? Surrendering to God's will and resting in Him is the only way to true joy and peace. We might think that this is all easier said than done. The truth is we can do nothing in ourselves. Paul says in Philippians 4:13, however, "I can do everything through Him who gives me the strength" The Lord gives us the strength to rest all our worries in Him. He gives us the strength to face all of life’s problems. Finally, the Lord promises to be with us and meet all our needs. "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) The promises of the Lord are always trustworthy. He has promised to meet all and not just some of our needs. He has promised to meet all of our needs out of His glorious and limitless riches. What joy! What peace!

Philippians 3

Businesses have to consider their profits and losses, if they are going to be able to stay in business. Even families and individuals have to manage their finances. Consideration of profits and losses is even more crucial in our spiritual life, however. We need to ask ourselves what or whom is most important to us in our lives, and what is worth little or nothing. In verses four through six of Philippians chapter three the apostle Paul listed all the things that were important to him in the past. These were things that were important to Paul before he knew the Lord Jesus as His Savior, Lord, and friend. What Paul had considered important in the past, however, Paul now considered worthless. Paul concluded that there is no true joy outside of knowing and serving the Lord. Paul said in Philippians 3:7-9a, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him." Paul went on to say in Philippians 3:10a, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection."

So often we foolishly place value on the things of this world. We each need to ask ourselves, "What is most important to me?" Is it money? Is it possessions? Is it pleasure? Is it my career? There is nothing that this world has to offer that can begin to compare to the joy of knowing the Lord. In comparison to knowing the Lord Jesus everything else in our lives is pure "rubbish." Absolutely nothing can compare to the joy of gaining our Lord Jesus Christ and being "found in Him." (Philippians 3:9a) Absolutely nothing is more important than knowing "Christ and the power of His resurrection." (Philippians 3:10a) Our supreme goal in life must be to grow in our love relationship with the Lord. Our supreme goal in life must be to grow in our understanding of the wonders of His Person.

There is no true joy in this world outside of the Lord. In Philippians 3:1a Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord!" Paul did not say to rejoice in people and possessions, but he said, "Rejoice in the Lord!" The Lord is all that really matters for time and for eternity. The Lord Jesus is our only source of salvation. Depending on our own resources and works will never earn us salvation. Our salvation is completely of grace and a gift of God. The Lord and a relationship with Him is also the only thing that gives purpose and joy in life. Knowing the Lord and living for Him is the only thing that is really important. We must passionately desire to know and serve our Lord better and better every day. We must put everything out of our lives that would detract us from that goal. Paul said in Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Our past with all its successes and failures and even joys and sorrows must be forgotten, and we must focus on our growing relationship with the Lord. We must focus on growing in holiness and on growing in our service to the Lord. Paul said in Philippians 3:13b-14, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." May nothing detract us from our relationship with the Lord and from living for Him. May Christ and His glory be our consuming passion and goal!