gladitudes

Psalm 44:3 NLT

3 They did not conquer the land with their swords;
it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
It was your right hand and strong arm
and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
for you loved them.

Ah, sizzle. This is from where victory comes! HIS right hand!

Two passages today to share:

Psalm 121 (NLT)

¹ I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
² My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
³ He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
⁴ Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

⁵ The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
⁶ The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

⁷ The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
⁸ The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)

¹⁴ So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. ¹⁵ This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Briefly, I share these two passages because despite the fact I’ve been a Christian for 10+ years and despite growing up in the church there is still something astonishing to me about how close God is to each of us and how engaged He is in our lives. Look at verses 5, 7, and 8 in Psalm 121: “The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you [...] The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go[.]”

Then, also, in the Hebrews passage: “This High Priest of ours understands our weakness, for he faced all of the same testings we do[.]“* Wow. No other god stepped down from his position to connect with people and experience their plight–but our God did.  Our right response to such a compassionate and sympathetic God? “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we fill find grace to help us when we need it most.”* Amazing. Praise the Lord today!

*emphasis added, of course

Verse of the Day:

Psalm 89:14-18 ESV

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵Blessed are the people who know the festal shout*,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
¹⁶who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
¹⁷For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸For our shield belongs to the LORD,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

(*Note: “Festal shout” basically means joyful sound.)

Here are my thoughts that have been encouraging today:

1. Verse 14 says that the foundations of God’s throne are righteousness and justice. That is so comforting to me. There is so much in the world that is corrupt, broken, dishonest, and that really concerns and even scares me. I can trust that in God there is no corruption, but only righteousness and justice. Furthermore, the next part of that verse says that steadfast love and faithfulness go before Him. God’s love will always be steadfast toward me and He will always be faithful. This, too, gives me so much comfort when it seems the things to worry about are mounting up. I don’t have to fear that God will let me down. He won’t.

2. Verses 15 and 16 say that people who walk in the light of the face of the Lord and people who exult in His name all day are blessed. This is the part of this verse that really impacted me this morning. I was struck with how often I totally fail to recognize that I get to know the Almighty God! He, who created the heavens and the Earth, who spoke all things into being, has chosen to allow me (a totally unremarkable, ordinary guy) to know Him! That’s amazing! I don’t deserve it at all, but I have access to the Most High God!

If I only thought about that more and let it affect how I see my circumstances, my life, and even myself, how much would my attitude in life change?! I think I want to make this a new goal of mine, to just recognize a.) what an honor it is that I can know God and b.) how mighty He is always. It’s crazy to me in a good way.

The other verses are really good, too, but I’ll let you think about them on your own.

That’s all for today. Surely, if we know the Lord, we are truly blessed. Think about that today.

Andrew

I was listening to an album of hymns this morning and came across this one. I caught myself almost in tears as I grasped the truth and beauty of the words. Praise the Lord, for He love us so. (I especially love the last verse.)

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love, so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

(The album I was listening to was by Ascend the Hill and was a free download from Come & Live. Listen and download it if you’re interested.)

Psalm 18:3

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

My God is worthy of praise. When I call on Him, he will save me because of his love and grace. This gives me great hope and courage.