Moments With God

Colossians 1:1-7

In Paul's letter to the Colossians Paul refers to the Colossian believers as "holy and faithful." (Colossians 1:2a) Because of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross they were holy in their standing in Christ. These believers were now wearing the righteous robes of Christ's righteousness. They were not holy and righteous in themselves, because every human being is filthy in their own sins. They, however, were now clothed in Christ's righteousness. When God, the Father, looked down on them; He no longer saw their sins. Instead He saw Christ's righteousness and holiness. This is true of believers today also. We are righteous and holy in Christ's atoning blood alone. A new life in Christ, however, also brings about growth in practical righteousness and holiness. A new life in Christ brings about a growth in Christ-likeness in our day to day lives.

In Colossians chapter one Paul lists several characteristics in the lives of the people of the church in Colosse for which he was thankful to God. Paul was thankful to God for these characteristics, because all evidence of spiritual growth and spiritual fruit in a believer's life comes from God. These were characteristics in the believers’ lives which showed a growth in practical holiness and a growth in Christ-likeness in their lives. These are characteristics of growth in holiness that should be increasingly evident in our lives as believers today also.

Faith and love are the first two characteristics Paul mentions. Faith is trusting and leaning our entire personalities on the Lord in absolute and complete trust. It is trusting the Lord for everything we need for time and eternity. Faith is trusting in God's wisdom, power, goodness, and faithfulness. Love means love for God and for others, especially our fellow believers. This kind of love extends even to those people who are sometimes not loving to us. It extends to those who are unlovely or difficult. It is easy to love those who are pleasant and loving to us. It is much more difficult to love those who are sometimes insensitive and unloving to us. The Lord loved us, however, in our sinful and unlovable state. We need to show that same love to others.

Hope is another characteristic of a spiritually growing Christian. The word "hope" in the Bible does not refer to something one is not certain about. The word "hope" in the Bible refers to the absolute certainty of the promises of God which we have not yet fully attained. It is an anticipation of the glories of our rewards in heaven. It is also a willingness to cling in faith to the Lord in times of trial. It is a willingness to cling in joyful anticipation to His precious promises of victory in our lives as children of God. It is a willingness to wait for the Lord's perfect timing for the events of our lives.

Fruitfulness and faithfulness are two other characteristics of a true child of God. A child of God will show the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his or her life. They will show that they are children of God by their lives and words. They will be spiritually fruitful in their attitudes and actions in their lives. They will also be faithful in their service to the Lord to the very end.

We need to examine our lives to see if we are growing in holiness and Christ-likeness in our lives. We need to be growing in our faith, love, hope, fruitfulness, and faithfulness. We need to be growing in becoming more like Jesus every day!

Psalm 84

"My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." Psalm 84:2b

Psalm 84 is an expression of deep longing for the house and presence of the Lord. The Psalmist said in Psalm 84:2, "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." Do you and I long for and love being with God's people in mutual worship of our Lord? Do you and I long for time alone with the Lord in our daily devotions? Do you and I long for the presence of the Lord in our daily activities?

Even the restless sparrows found rest and a home for themselves at the Old Testament altar of God. So we also can find rest and peace for our souls in the presence of the Lord. He alone can fill the longing and emptiness of our hearts with His joy. The Lord alone provides for our salvation; and He alone meets our every emotional, physical, and spiritual need. The Psalmist said to God in prayer, "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You." (Psalm 84:4) Yes, blessed and joyful are we who are secure in the presence of the Lord! Blessed and joyful are we who are drinking in the blessings of His grace!

The Psalmist went on in his prayer. He said, "Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion." (Psalm 84:5-7) Blessed and joyful are we who find our strength in the Lord. When we pass through the valleys of weeping, trial, and difficulties in our lives the Lord gives us His strength. The Lord is our sustainer. Not only does the Lord sustain us during difficult times, but He makes even the difficult times "a place of springs" in our journey through life. Even the trials of life are transformed into blessings under the Lord's direction, as we submit to Him! Hence, even the valleys of life can be turned into valleys of praise to the Lord! A child of God goes from "strength to strength" and from victory to victory until he or she "appears before God in Zion." Paul tell us in Romans 8:37, "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

We must be busy serving the Lord in our small corners of the world. It is not important that we are significant or popular in the eyes of the world. What is important is that we are experiencing fellowship with the Lord and are serving Him. "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless." (Psalm 84:11) The Lord is our sun directing us on the paths of life. He shatters the darkness all around us. The Lord is also our shield. No one or nothing else can provide us better protection than the Lord. He gives us all we need, and He gives us only what is for our ultimate good. Blessed and joyful are they whose trust in the Lord!

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!

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!