“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceases; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things: Who have said, ‘With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?’ For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, says the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffs at him. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted” Psalm 12:1-8 (KJB)
Psalms
Foundations of the Righteous
“In the LORD put I my trust. How say you to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain?’ For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:1-3 (KJB)
The Wicked In His Pride
“Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride does persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and blesses the covetous, whom the LORD abhors. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” Psalm 10:1-4 (KJB)
He Shall Judge the World In Righteousness
“I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Your marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You: I will sing praise to Your name, O You Most High. When my enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence. For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat in the throne judging right. You have rebuked the heathen, You have destroyed the wicked, You have put out their name for ever and ever. O you enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and you have destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them. But the LORD shall endure for ever: He has prepared His throne for judgment. And He shall judge the world in righteousness, He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know Your name will put their trust in You: for You, LORD, have not forsaken them that seek You.” Psalm 9:1-10 (KJB)
Excellent in the All the Earth
“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings have You ordained strength because of Your enemies, that You might still the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm 8:1-2 (KJB)
In You, LORD, I Put My Trust
“O LORD my God, in You do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.” Psalm 7:1-2 (KJB)
For the Sake of Your Mercy
“O LORD, rebuke me not in Your anger, neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but You, O LORD, how long? Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for Your mercies’ sake.” Psalm 6:1-4 (KJB)
My King, and My God
“Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto You will I pray.” Psalm 5:1-2 (KJB)
Have Mercy…, and Hear My Prayer
“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: You have enlarged me in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.” Psalm 4:1 (KJB)
Rage and Imagination
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His anointed…” Psalm 2:1-2 (KJB)
Blessed is the Man…
“Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1 (KJB)
Consider the Poor
“Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. I said, ‘LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against Thee.’” Psalm 41:1-4 (KJV)
In the United States of America we are richly blessed. We are blessed with the grace of God. We are blessed with riches. Yet in the midst of the blessing of riches we are cursed with some levels of poverty; and some of which cannot be avoided. People often find themselves without an income, due to loss of jobs; or sickness, and/or disease; which has robbed them of the strength to make a living. These are the poor that the Christian must not neglect.
It is the light of Christ Jesus that shines in our hearts that causes us to see others as being better than ourselves; and that includes the poor. Paul the apostle writing to the people of Philippi…
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3 (KJV)
As Christians the love of Christ will reign supremely in our hearts; and others will be blessed by our lives and our conduct: even though they may not always realize it. John the apostle wrote the following…
“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” 1 John 3:17 (KJV)
Be a blessing today.
This post is one written in July of 2013.
The Man That Makes the LORD His Trust
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, praise unto our God: many shall see and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Psalm 40:1-4 (KJB)
The LORD does indeed lift us, picks us up, out of the miry clay, the pit of sin, and sets our feet upon a rock; the Rock is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).
The way of sin is darkness, and cold. O, it may seem like the way to go at the time; it may seem like it is the comfortable thing; it may seem to be pleasurable, but it leads to shame, pain, misery, and death. Be an instrument of praise to the LORD God. Call on the name of the Lord and be delivered from that pit to which you are imprisoned.
Let me share with you the thoughts of Charles Spurgeon from the Treasury of David on verse four…
“Blessed.” This is an exclamation similar to that of thePsa_1:1-6, “Oh, the happiness of the man.” God’s blessings are emphatic, “I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed,” indeed and in very truth. “Is that man that maketh the Lord his trust.” Faith obtaineth promises. A simple, single-eyed confidence in God is the sure mark of blessedness. A man may be as poor as Lazarus, as hated as Mordecai, as sick as Hezekiah, as lonely as Elijah, but while his hand of faith can keep its hold on God, none of his outward afflictions can prevent his being numbered among the blessed but the wealthiest and most prosperous man who has no faith is accursed, be he who he may. “And respecteth not the proud.” The proud expect all men to bow down and do them reverence, as if the worship of the golden calves were again set up in Israel; but believing mean are too noble to honour mere money-bags, or cringe before bombastic dignity. The righteous pay their respect to humble goodness, rather than to inflated self-consequence. Our Lord Jesus was in this our bright example. No flattery of kings and great ones ever fell from his lips; he gave no honour to dishonourable men. The haughty were never his favourites. “Nor such as turn aside to lies.” Heresies and idolatries are lies, and so are avarice, worldliness, and pleasure-seeking. Woe to those who follow such deceptions. Our Lord was ever both the truth and the lover of truth, and the father of lies had no part in him. We must never pay deference to apostates, time-servers, and false teachers; they are an ill leaven, and the more we purge ourselves of them the better; they are blessed whom God preserves from all error in creed and practice. Judged by this verse, many apparently happy persons must be the reverse of blessed, for anything in the shape of a purse, a fine equipage, or a wealthy establishment, commands their reverence, whether the owner be a rake or a saint, an idiot or a philosopher. Verily, were the arch-fiend of hell to start a carriage and pair, and live like a lord, he would have thousands who would court his acquaintance. TREASURY OF DAVID, by Charles Spurgeon verse 4
While in Thought the Fire Burned
“I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue, ‘LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.’ Selah.” Psalm 39:1-5 (KJB)
The Psalmist, the singer, was refusing to speak and be silent. While he is being silent his thoughts rage, the fire burns as he continues to add fuel to that fire.
I have been there. I am fairly certain that all who are reading this has been in that place where you bridle your tongue, and wisely so, but the anger, the hurt continues to rage in your thoughts. What do we do with that?
David realized he had a problem. He took it to the LORD. So must we take it to Him.
Going to God in prayer is the best place to vent, to complain about that man or woman or situation that has caused our thoughts to roar at us; rousing anger, rage, and maybe even bits of hatred.
I was asked not too long ago, ‘Don’t you ever get angry?’ My answer to that was, “Yes!” If it is not seen by others there must be something going on. One of at least two things: 1. I am just covering it and building a fire in me making me even angrier; or 2. I have taken the rage, anger, and hatred to the throne of God.
The first can be dangerous. The second is the way of the faithful Christian. When we take our complaints to the Lord, then we will have less of a problem getting along with others.
Jesus Christ died on the cross to deliver us from our sins. He was buried to carry away our sins and shame. He arose from the grave the victor over sin, death, and hell. He is coming again. Do you know Him?
When You Reach the Bottom in Despair
“O LORD, rebuke me not in Thy wrath: neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure. For Thine arrows stick fast in me, and Thy hand presseth me sore.
No soundness in my flesh because of Thine anger; neither rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink, are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Lord, all my desire is before Thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares, and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long. But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
For in Thee, O LORD, do I hope: Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. For I said, ‘Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.’ For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow good.
Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” Psalm 38:1-22 (KJB)
The following commentary is from F. B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Day by Day…
A long drawn-out sigh of pain. Some think it should be classed with Psa_32:1-11; Psa_51:1-19, as belonging to the time of David’s fall and repentance. It is filled with a sense of God’s judgments and the profound consciousness of sin. Perhaps David was suffering physically, or he may be describing his spiritual maladies in terms borrowed from that source. His friends stood apart and his enemies were near. But it was wise to refrain from man and to wait only on God. When we are buffeted and derided, the true attitude is our Lord’s. As the dumb sheep before her shearers, He opened not His mouth!
In Psa_38:15 the tone becomes calmer. The soul begins to recover its center of gravity in God. Notice the fourfold repetition of For, Psa_38:15-18. Faith marshals her arguments. Out of “stony griefs” she builds “Bethels.” Like Samson, she finds honey in the lion’s carcass. But God will not forsake. He never for a moment withdraws His close attention. The Refiner sits by the crucible, and will cool down the heat the moment it has done its work.
Jesus Christ is the only hope for all Adam kind. We have sinned. When we get to the place of despair over our sin, its pain and disease, its death, and destruction; its theft, and hatred; then we will call on the name of the Lord, and He will hear us.
Jesus came and died on the cross in our place; He was buried carrying away all our sin, death, condemnation, shame; and then He left those things in the grave, and arose to show His victories. He lives today. Call on Him and be saved. Be born again.
Delight in the LORD
It has been several days since I wrote a post for this site. I want to express my appreciation to those who have showed interest in these writings, thoughts, and the word of God. Thank you, and God bless you richly with all heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus.
I will be doing thoughts on the Psalms, taking up where I left off the last time in Psalms which was at Psalm 36..
“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” Psalm 37:1-6 (KJB)
Do not worry about what those who are working evil are doing; rather watch your own heart, and mind. Pray for those who are doing evil, and live your life delighting in the LORD God, and His word. Those who do evil will perish just as the grass, and the flower.
Those of us who are trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ are assured of eternal life with Him; and that is forever and forever. Let us keep our eyes on the Lord and His work. We are not to close our eyes and try to convince ourselves that there is no evil; that would be dangerous and foolish. Our lives of trust, faith, and delight in the LORD will be repelling to all that is evil.
There is a phrase in verse four above “…He shall give you the desires of your heart”. Now many think this means material blessings, health, wealth, survival, security, success. When we delight in the Lord those things will become very secondary in our thinking. Our desires, when we delight in the Lord will be what He desires. He gives us the desires of His heart – heavenly blessing; grace, mercy, peace, joy, and power in prayer; just to name a few.
When the Christian walks with God He brings forth righteousness as light, and everything to do with it will be seen by all who know you.
Trust in the LORD today; delight in Him, and He will bring it to pass.
Description of the Wicked
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil. Psalm 36:1-4 (KJB)
The Thirty six Psalm is titled as “Psalm of David servant of the LORD”. You may, if you desire, follow the link above for a further study of verse one.
The description of the wicked is this; keep in mind this is not my description, it is of no human origin. Though David did pen it down it is divinely inspired; That description of the wicked…
- …The wicked are flattered by themselves, and many times found by others to be hateful.
- …The wicked has a mouth with words of iniquity and deceit; their words are often vile, malicious, full of gossip, and lying.
- …The wicked has forsaken all wisdom, maybe even some common sense, and forsakes doing good.
- …The wicked plans, schemes, and devises wicked mischief while they lay in bed; “How can I better myself against those who appear to be better than me.”
- …The wicked set themselves on the opposite side of good; calling what is good “Evil”; and calling what is evil “Good”.
- …The wicked cares not for what is good, and does not hate what is evil, but lives in it themselves.
As a Christian I am to “Abhor evil” (Romans 12:9), and “to cleave to that which is good”. That begins by trusting in the finished word of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross, His burial, and bodily resurrection. GOD hated evil so much that He put His own Son to death on that cross to redeem evil, wicked mankind unto Himself.
Take Hold; Draw Out
Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. Psalm 35:1-3 (KJB)
The thought that David is giving (concerning the “shield and buckler” v. 2) is that the LORD is his protection and strength against all his enemies; his accusers. The LORD is our protection against the onslaught of the enemy, and our accusers.
There is none who can accuse quite as strongly, maybe even honestly as the devil, that old serpent, Satan himself. John the revelator calls him the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). So when you are attacked, accused, ridiculed, or viciously beaten and bruised; yet, still living; God is your strength and your shield.
Let me make something plain from our text. God, the LORD has no need of physical weapons such as a sword, a shield, or a buckler. They are, however, great examples of God’s means for our protection and safe keeping.
When Stephen was stoned to death in the book of Acts chapter 7 verses 54 through 60 we find Jesus standing to welcome him to his new home with Him. The Lord stands with us in our time of suffering and pain. He is with you today.
If you have not trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior do that today. He is your help, your shield, your strength. He is all those and more for all who trust in Him.
Boasting in the LORD
“I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:1-3 (KJB)
There is a whole lot of boasting going on. I boast of one thing, and then another. So do you. I know of no one who has not made a boast of one thing or another. Let me post a question; Do you ever boast in the LORD? Do you boast of His greatness, His power and authority? Do you boast of His so great salvation? Whoops! That was three questions.
God is great to boast in. Boast of a work He has accomplished in your life; and be sure to credit Him, not yourself. When we boast in the LORD we take credit from our own achievements and give them to the One to whom they belong. That is where humility really begins.
The humble will always glorify the LORD with words and with a life that shows forth the power and glory of Jesus.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. Amen
It all begins in recognizing Jesus as your Lord and Savior; the Son of God and God the Son.
Rejoicing with Music
“Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.” Psalm 33:1-3 (KJB)
Does music have any place in the house of God? Does music have a place in the worship of the Most High and holy God in the Church? I certainly believe it does. They used music in the Old Testament in their worship, and when I say “Music” I am speaking of instruments; stringed instruments, horns, drums or cymbals. I believe all of those are mentioned in the Psalms, and through out the Old Testament.
I know there are certain denominations that do not allow musical instruments into their places of worship. That is okay if that is how they want to worship. I believe they are missing out on a tremendous blessing in their worship of God.
The Psalmist mentions the harp and Psaltery with ten strings. These could have been instruments David had made for the distinct purpose of singing songs unto God.
Now, let me be clear; I am not talking about just any kind of music playing; but music that calls your attention to God in worship, praise, and adoration to Him. Let us also remember worship is not for us; you or me; it is to Him and for Him.
Singing words, the lyrics of a song are great, however, when an musical instrument or instruments are added to the worship it calls our attention to the Creator of all things.
There is nothing in the New Testament that does away with musical instruments, or forbids their use in our worship. If Old Testament worship of God was good with these instruments why would the worship in the New Testament not be even better, considering it begins the days of grace.
Draw near to God through His Son Jesus. Let the trumpets sound, the piano strings play, the guitar, mandolin, banjo, and the drums play out sounds of praise unto our Maker, our Creator. He has redeemed us unto Himself – We are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). May the strings be strummed, the horns blow, and the drums rumble out praises to Him who reigns supreme. His name is Jesus.
Not Charged
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Psalm 32:1-2 (KJB)
What a blessed gift it is to receive. We are all thrilled when we receive a gift from someone that is beyond our wildest expectations. We are awed. We might even tear up, with tears of extreme joy.
The above verses are dealing with a thing which is eternal; and is totally beyond our wildest imaginations, or expectations; to be forgiven, and to be accounted as not guilty even though we are.
How can this be so? The Creator of the universe, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus Christ the Son of God and God the Son took all of our iniquities, our sins, our transgressions of the law, and He bore the wrath of God that all our sins debt might be paid in full.
When we believe Him, and trust that His finished work is done God declares each believing individual “Not guilty”. The debt is paid in full.
Call on the name of Jesus. He will hear you, and you will be Redeemed. You become a new person through Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because of Jesus there will be no guile in your heart. You will have new heart and new desires.
You, O LORD, Are My Rock and My Fortress
“In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Thy righteousness. Bow down Thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be Thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” Psalm 31:1-3 (KJB)
Are you feeling down, dirty, discouraged, and in despair today? There is One in whom you can place your trust. David found that trust in the LORD our God.
The Psalmist calls on the LORD to listen to him. He request that the LORD be “My strong rock, for a house of defence…” I am pretty certain that David faced those times like we have too. Lonely, afraid, desperate, and in despair; and in those times he cried out to God; and God hear him and answered his prayer.
Though David was looking for a hasty reprieve from his dilemma, he quickly realized that the LORD was his Rock and his fortress, and simply requested that God would lead and guide him.
In the not too distant past our Vice President was mocked and criticized by a lessor known individual who called him a mental case because he claims that Jesus speaks with him. I was thrilled to hear our VP say that. David spoke with our Lord, and the Lord spoke back, and because of this we have the Psalms which we can read and through them the Lord speaks with us too. That is if we have a heart for Him.
He hears the cries of His people. The question really is today; Do His people hear Him?
Hear the Lord GOD today through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus God Son, the God Man, in whom you can give your life – heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Raised Up
“I will extol You, O LORD; for You have lifted me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried unto You, and You have healed me. O LORD, You have brought up my soul from the grave: You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit” Psalm 30:1-3 (KJB)
David was a man; a King who knew where to go when he was troubled, oppressed, and in dire straights. He went to God, the LORD of hosts. He feels in this Psalm like he has been dead, or nearly so. His life has been threatened in the past, and he is giving the LORD the praise and worship He deserves for delivering David.
In dedicating our homes, our families to the LORD we need to recognize from whence the LORD has brought us, and David did. He was a shepherd boy who had faced a lion and a bear. He was still that shepherd boy when he face Goliath the giant of the Philistines, and slew him with a stone and a sling. David said that it was the LORD who delivered Him.
If we are faithful to the LORD we cannot hold our lives to be more dear to us than the LORD is. Life is good, but it is not cheap. We must not fear anything but the LORD our God, and do so through the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ God’s holy Son.
The Lord Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and raised again can raise you up from whatever dilemma you face; and through your life to the end of your life give you eternal peace.
This song came to my mind as I was writing… MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE
My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lam of Calvary, Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, Take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day Be wholly Thine!
and the final verse of the song…
When ends life’s transient dream, When death’s cold, sullen stream Shall o’er me roll,
Blest Savior, then, in love Fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above, A ransomed soul!
May our hearts and lives be always remembering the grace, love, mercy, and will of God each day we live. Give your life to Jesus Christ and truly live.
Beauty and Holiness
“Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:1-2 (KJB)
For some folks they have a problem reconciling beauty and holiness. We probably have the idea of “Beauty” mostly wrong. Most of us marvel at the beauty of creation, all that God has made in the outdoors. I fear that some see more beauty in the things which Adamkind (mankind) has made. Some see beauty in city lights, and horizons of cities lit up in the night sky.
I see much more of beauty as I look at the stars above at night. The lights of cities I see as “Light pollution”, polluting the sky with man made conveniences. Now, please do not get me wrong; I do appreciate those conveniences just as much as others do.
What is beauty? There is an old saying which state, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”. That is probably true with some things, but not God things. If God states that something is beautiful, then we need to see it as beautiful as well. The heart right with God will see holiness as something of great beauty.
It anything is holy to the LORD, then, it is beautiful as well.
With God human life is holy. The blood that flows through our veins and most living creatures, is sacred and holy to the LORD. The LORD has stated in the book of Leviticus 17:11…
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
For one individual to haphazardly take the life of another individual that is that beauty, neither is it glory to the LORD. It grieves His heart. That is why He authorized human government the right of corporal punishment, or the death penalty. My life is no more important that another life. To intentionally kill for one’s own personal gain, or pleasure is plainly murder, and deserves to die equally.
God created Adamkind in His likeness and after His image. That has been tainted, and ruined by our sin. It is restored through the redemptive work of Jesus God’s Son by His death on the cross. That is holiness in its beauty. The Holy dying for the unholy, that we might be made the righteousness of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Beauty and Holiness in Christ Jesus.
When GOD Seems to be Silent
“Unto You will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if You be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy oracle.” Psalm 28:1-2 (KJB)
This Psalm of David is the prayer of a man who is crying out to God; maybe even yelling out, shouting out to God for a hearing of his requests, or “supplications”, as he states it, which is his earnest prayer. An individual who has a real need which they see, feel, or fear; one who knows the Almighty will go to Him with that need just as David, and plead, yearn, beg for an answer to their prayer.
In the New Testament we are told…
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16
Now, let us get something straight. We do have someone to pray to. It is not prayer that is the power. It is the One who gives the power to whom we direct our prayers. If our hearts are not of Him, His word, His way, His will, His heart and mind, then, we will not get an answer.
I have made a commitment to the Lord which may seem empty to some, maybe brave and bold and dangerous to others. A few years ago I was praying, and said to Him, “If you never again answer a prayer of mine, I will still trust in You.” I can still say that. I know that He never fails to accomplish, to finish His word. He does what He says He will do.
What do you do when God is silent? Keep on praying and keep on trusting in Him.
The Fire and Hammer 