Moments With God

Psalm 77

In Psalm 77 the psalmist is either currently experiencing or is remembering a time of great personal distress in his life. The psalmist begins by expressing anguished perplexity over God's seeming lack of response to his continual and urgent prayers. He perhaps does not understand why God has allowed the distress he is currently experiencing in his life. The psalmist most certainly is perplexed as to why God is not quickly coming to his aid and eliminating the difficulty in his life. The psalmist says, "I cried out to God for help; I cried out for God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remember You, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint." (Psalm 77:1-3) These expressions of the psalmist may sound like your or my expressions in times of deep trial.

The psalmist goes on to say, "I was too troubled to speak." (Psalm 77:4b) Sometimes when we are in the midst of a deep trial we do not even know what words to use in prayer. Praise the Lord for those who are prayer warriors and for those who pray for us at such times in our lives. Praise the Lord also for the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." (Romans 8:26-27)

The psalmist's remembrance of the Lord's past mercies at first further intensifies His perplexity about the deep trial he is experiencing. It also intensifies his perception that God is not hearing his prayers. The psalmist says, "Will the Lord reject forever? Will He never show His favor again? Has His unfailing love vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time?" (Psalm 77:7-8) The psalmist then comes to the realization that remembering who God is and what God has done for him in the past will help him survive his current deep trial. The psalmist writes, "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; You display Your power among the peoples." (Psalm 77:11-14)

When we are perplexed by the difficult events and circumstances of our lives, may we with the psalmist take the time to think about and list all the Lord's past faithful acts in our lives. May we remember His miracles and mighty deeds in our lives. May we remember His many past answers to our prayers. May we rejoice in the great and holy God we serve who loves us with unconditional love! Doing this will help us to wait patiently on the Lord in whatever current trials or difficulties we may be experiencing. God always has a purpose for every difficulty we experience in this life. This purpose is to draw us closer to Him and for us to be used as His instruments to bring glory to His name in the midst of our trials in life. Let us remember that in every trial of life we are placed in that situation by the appointment of God. We are placed there, however, in His protective keeping. He will always give us the grace that we need at the time we need it. Every trial in our lives is meant to train and teach us to better reflect the Lord Jesus. Further, the trials of this life are only for a time. In His perfect timing He will bring us out of our trials. Finally Paul says in Romans 8:18, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Praise His name!

Psalm 73

Contentment is a rare characteristic in the human race. Strangely contentment is especially rare among those of us who have so much in comparison with the rest of the world. Many people are discontent with their circumstances, but in reality our contentment has little to do with our circumstances. Contentment has everything to do with our attitude. Paul said in Philippians 4:11b-13, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Paul wrote these words while in prison! Paul had learned that contentment lies in focusing on the Lord and not on our problems. Paul understood that God's plan is always for His glory and our ultimate good. What God gives to us and what He withholds from us is His choice. We must rest in the Lord's will with a contented attitude. This is the only way to peace.

In Psalm 73 the psalmist, Asaph, temporarily lost some of his contentment and joy in the Lord; as he looked at the adverse circumstances all around him. Asaph did not understand why the wicked so often seemed to prosper and have no struggles. He did not understand why they appeared carefree, healthy, and on the outside happy; and at the same time they were able to continue in their arrogant and violent ways. Viewing all this Asaph said, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (Psalm 73:2-3) Asaph nearly lost his "foothold" on his faith, when he took his eyes off his Lord and looked instead at the difficult to understand circumstances all around him. Asaph said, "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God, then I understood their final destiny." (Psalm 73:16-17) Life is often puzzling to us, but we must understand that the Lord has an eternal and perfect plan for this world and for our lives. God has a purpose for His children on this earth. God has placed each of us on this earth during a certain time period with an unique set of roles and circumstances. It is our privilege to live our lives for God's glory in our small corner of the world. We also have an eternal relationship and future with Him. Unbelievers have no future. They are on "slippery ground," (Psalm 73:18) and are "as a dream when one awakes." (Psalm 73:20a)

Asaph temporarily took his focus off the Lord, and He became impatient with the circumstances in his life. Hence, during this time he become bitter. Asaph said to God in Psalm 73:22b, "I was a brute beast before You." Asaph was like a beast, because he was not seeing beyond the here and now. He was not remembering that God has a perfect plan in place for us, His children. Asaph was forgetting that there is an eternal future for God's children.

When Asaph took his focus off the world around him and focused on the Lord, he was once again able to rest in peace in the Lord. Asaph was able to move from bitterness to joy and contentment in the Lord. Asaph said to God, "Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:23-26) God is all that Asaph needed or wanted. The Lord is also all we need for life on earth and for eternity. He will be our adequate guide through all the pitfalls and trials of this life, and He will someday take us to live with Him in Glory! Hence, let us say with Asaph, "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge." (Psalm 73:28)

Psalm 71

Do you feel overwhelmed with a new and major crisis in your life today? Do you feel overwhelmed with just the accumulation of small daily problems and responsibilities you face today? The Lord wants us to come to Him in prayer with all of our needs. The Lord is our only true resource for all our needs.

In Psalm 71 David, the Psalmist, prayed for help in his old age. His enemies were threatening him, and his strength was declining. David prayed in Psalm 71:3 "Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress." In spite of David’s appeal for help from God in this Psalm David was also expressing his trust and confidence in the Lord. God had been David’s refuge and help in the past, and David knew God would be his refuge in his present crisis. In Psalm 71:5-6 David continued to express his confidence and trust to God in prayer. David said, "For You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on You; You brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you."

The longer we serve the Lord the more clearly we see the Lord's continual faithfulness to us in past problems. Then we can also begin to grow in our trust in Him to sustain us in the midst of our present problems and needs! We need to contemplate the Lord’s faithfulness in the past; so that we can proceed in faith, trust, and peace in facing today’s challenges and problems. Our constant prayer must be that no matter what circumstances the Lord allows in our lives we will continue to say to Him, "I will ever praise You." May our mouths be filled with praise for the Lord every moment. This means in pleasant times and in difficult times. This is possible, if we are truly trusting that the Lord is leading and guiding our lives in faithfulness.

In Psalm 71:9 David went on to pray to the Lord. David prayed, "Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone." David was facing a new major crisis in his life. In this new crisis in his life David needed a sense of the Lord’s presence even as he was growing older. David then went on to say in prayer in Psalm 71:14, "But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more." David knew with an absolute certainty that God had been faithful to him in the past. David also knew that the Lord would be with him in the present crisis in his life! Notice that David was also praising God in the middle of his crisis! We must do the same.

We can praise the Lord in all circumstances, however, only if we are trusting in God’s complete faithfulness and guidance. David said in Psalm 71:19-20a, "Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you have done great things. Who, O God, is like You? Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again." Then in Psalm 71:23 David prayed, "My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you-I, whom You have redeemed." Because of the Lord’s past faithfulness to us, we can trust Him for today's challenges and problems. We can also trust Him for the future challenges and problems we will face. We can do this with a joyful heart and with a heart full of praise, because our God is a faithful God!

Jeremiah 29:11-14

On one of the wall hangings in our home are the words of Jeremiah 29:11. These words became very precious to me during a time of unemployment and difficulty in our lives, and they continue to be precious to me in facing new challenges. These words were originally penned to God’s Old Testament people who had been taken into exile, but they are still so relevant to the Lord's people today.

God’s plan for us is to prosper us and not to harm us. He always works for our spiritual good, and no ultimate spiritual harm will ever come to a child of God! Our definition of success and prosperity may not always match the Lord’s definition, but His way and will for us is always best. True success and prosperity is found in seeking to please and honor the Lord with the resources, opportunities, and blessings that He has given us. True success is found in trusting the Lord's leading and direction in our lives.

God may allow difficult circumstances in our lives as well as times of relative calm, but we can be certain that His plans for us are always for our best and are not meant to harm us. His plans are to give us "hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11b) When everything around us seems to be falling apart, the Lord already has it all figured out! The Lord already has a plan in mind for our lives from all eternity! Every step and event in our lives has been planned by the Lord and is known by the Lord. Why should we fear anything? The Lord allows difficult times in our lives to test our faith and to help us grow spiritually. The Lord allows these difficult times to help us get our eyes off ourselves and more focused on Him. His plans in even difficult times are meant to give us "hope and a future!"

In order to have the assurance of the Lord’s presence in our lives, however, we must always call upon Him in prayer. We must seek a relationship with the Lord with all of our hearts. It must be our passion to serve and please Him. The Lord must be most important in our lives. Our lives in what we consider good times and in times which we consider difficult times must be centered on our growing love relationship with the Lord. We must also find our strength in the Lord alone. This is the path and secret to joy and success in the Lord. Life will continue to contain uncertainties and times of difficulty. The Lord, however, is our certain future; if we seek Him with all of our hearts. People and things will fail. The Lord will never fail. He will bring us from victory to victory! Praise His name!

Jeremiah 18:1-6

God often teaches us spiritual truths in the Bible through the use of parables or living pictures. In our Scripture passage today God gave the prophet, Jeremiah, a living picture. God did this to help Jeremiah understand an important spiritual truth. God told Jeremiah, "Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message." (Jeremiah 18:2) In Jeremiah’s day one could not go down to the local retail store to buy a bowl, vase, or pot. One had to go to the potter’s house. The potter would start with a lump of clay. The potter would then put that lump of clay on a potter’s wheel; and with the touch of his hands he would form the clay into a beautiful vase, bowl, or pot of some kind. Sometimes the potter made something that did not please him, or the vessel "was marred in his hands" (Jeremiah 18:4) This may have happened because some impurities had not been removed, or perhaps a piece of unwanted material in the clay would not yield to the work that was being done on the potter’s wheel. If that happened, the potter would smash the pot and remake it over and over until it was a vessel pleasing to him.

The Lord God is the Potter in our lives, and we are the clay in His hands. He is in sovereign control of our lives, and He controls all the events of our lives. When spiritual impurities come into our lives the Lord God recreates and molds our lives to be more in tune with His will. All the events of our lives are used to make us more like Jesus. God especially uses problems, difficulties, and trials in our lives to mold us into the kind of people who truly reflect the Lord Jesus. The Lord wants to bring us ever closer to the center of His will. Difficulties teach us to not rely on our own self-effort and devices. Difficult times in our lives teach us to rely and trust only on the Lord. Difficulties in our lives also help to remove the impurities of sin from our lives, and they help us to grow in our love relationship with the Lord. All the events of our lives, including difficult times, are meant to shape us into beautiful vessels for the Lord.

Our prayer to God should be that He will make us into beautiful vessels of purpose for Him. When we fail and allow spiritual impurities into our lives we need to pray that the Lord will take us back to His Potter’s wheel. We need to pray that the Lord will then reshape us and form us into something more beautiful for Him. From the broken fragments of our lives the Lord can make us into beautiful vessels for Him!

We must not fight against or question the Lord’s molding of our lives. We need to pray that each touch of the Lord’s hand on our lives will help us to become whom He wants us to become. The Lord knows just the right amount of pressure to put on our lives. We must remain thankful for how He has made us and thankful for how He is working and leading in our lives! We must persevere in our willingness to submit to the Lord's will. We must be submissive to the Lord even in trials and difficult times in our lives. The Lord has promised to be with us all the way.

We must also ask the Lord for the filling of the Holy Spirit’s power and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We must yearn for the Lord to control our lives completely every hour and every day! There is a song that this devotional writer has taught to her Bible class children for many years. The words to this song need to be our prayer each day. "Lord, You’re the Potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me in Your own way. Take me and break me, Savior, I pray, into a vessel of honor today."

Jeremiah 17:5-17

There is much anxiety and emptiness in the hearts and minds of most people in this world. For the Christian there should always be a sense of peace and resting in the Lord. For even the Christian, however, worry sometimes creeps into our lives. Worry is sin. Worry occurs in our lives, because we are trusting in something or someone other than God. It means we are making someone or something else in our life more important than the Lord. Sinful worry involves having our roots or foundation in life in anything other than the Lord. Sinful worry involves putting our trust and hope in things other than the Lord. Jeremiah 17:5 says, "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord." If we put anything before the Lord, we will be like a dried up "bush in the wastelands." (Jeremiah 17:6a) Such lives are meaningless.

What makes you and I anxious? What makes us worry? What are our hearts set on? What we worry about may be a clue as to what is becoming more important to us in our lives than the Lord. Many things can be "good" things in themselves, but even "good" things must not be more important to us than the Lord. Is our jobs or careers more important to us than the Lord? What about our families? What about our reputations or what people think of us? Even when we think we are doing the Lord’s work we must be very careful that people’s perception of us does not become more important to us than the Lord. We need to be emptied of ourselves and filled with the Lord. If we are chasing after anything other than the Lord’s will, we will not even notice the blessings and prosperity that do come to us. We will still be discontent. It will still be as if we are living "in the parched places of the desert." (Jeremiah 17:6b)

What a contrast there will be in our lives, if we are truly resting and trusting in the Lord! "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream." (Jeremiah 17:7-8a) Blessed and joyful are we, if we trust in the Lord and find our total fulfillment in Him! Blessed are we, if we trust Him and have our confidence in Him alone. He will fill us with His living spiritual waters. He will give us all we need for time and eternity. In our natural state we are born in sin, and we are like a tree which is "a bush in the wastelands." (Jeremiah 17:6a) But the Lord Jesus through His wonderful salvation and work in our lives transplants us by the living waters of His Holy Spirit! We become rooted in Him!

Such a tree or life in Christ "does not fear when heat comes; it’s leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:8b) Such a life in Christ does not fear and wilt in times of difficulty and challenge. Such a life continues to trust and rest in the Lord even in difficult times in life and continues to bear spiritual fruit. Such a life finds his or her joy and confidence in the Lord alone and puts the Lord first in his or her life. May we be deeply rooted in the Lord. He alone is our "spring of living water" (Jeremiah 17:13b) He alone is our "refuge in the day of disaster." (Jeremiah 17:17b) He alone must be the Lord of our lives!