psalms

Psalm 34

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears Psalm 34:4

A pastor of mine many had once worked on steel towers several hundred feet tall. He talked with me one day about the process of training that men went through to be able to join the crew. One phrase that he often said is ,”Any man who says he isn’t afraid is a liar!”

I believe that King David would have agreed with my pastor. He didn’t try convincing God that he was courageous. No David’s response to the fear he felt while in danger was to cry out to the Lord. He knew that God already knew that he was terrified. He wasn’t trying to fool God or anyone else. David knew of only one place to go; that was to his knees! Like a child shouting for his father’s help David unhesitatingly cried to God. No matter what anyone thought David was convinced that God would listen. 

If you are facing your biggest fear today God already knows. He is able to deliver but He is patiently waiting for our cry!

 

You Prepare a Table

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever Psalm 23:5-6

God loves to do is to bless us especially when our enemies are watching! He is not at all afraid of their power, their schemes or their desires. He has everything so under control.

The night that Jesus sat down for the last supper it seemed that just about everything was going wrong. Judas had already gone to the high priests to betray him. The Sanhedrin had already decided to have Jesus put to death. Even Jesus other eleven disciples were spending part of their time at the table arguing over which one of them was the most important. But in the presence of so many enemies the Bible tells us that on that same night when he was betrayed He took bread and blessed it, saying “This is my body which is given for you.” Jesus was not depressed, discouraged or dismayed. Jesus shared the bread, then the cup. Not one single detail of His plan was stopped by the enemies that were watching. His cup ran over so much that all around the world Christians are still drinking from it. The goodness and mercy that came as a result of His sacrifice still follow us. He went ahead of us to the Father’s house and prepared a place so that together we will forever live in the house of the Lordfxcd0002-2

For I Shall Again Praise Him!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Soon the last colors around here will be the blue of the sky and the gray of the bare trees. But today I had to stop the car and run out into a field to capture this bit of blue and green with just a few dabs of the creator’s paintbrush left on our mountains.

Ahead lie months of slush covered roads, gray snow clouds and chilly winds. As if to say, we will be back in full leaf and beautiful again next season, the trees wave good-bye. Maybe King David was feeling down and a little sorry for himself on the day he left us these words. But just as He was headed on that downward spiral of despair and depression he caught a vision of what praise was still to be! For I shall again praise Him!

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God  Psalm 42:11 ESV

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