Archive for May, 2009
Psalm 103
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He ransoms me from death
and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
6 The Lord gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He has not punished us for all our sins;
nor does He deal with us as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For He understands how weak we are;
He knows we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.
20 Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
May
22
I’ve been going through a study on Hosea in my quiet time, and some thoughts have been hitting me pretty hard. I thought I’d throw them out there to see what you thought…
For those who aren’t familiar with the book of Hosea:
The book of Hosea is a tragic love story… God called Hosea to marry Gomer, an unfaithful woman. Predictably, Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea, and the marriage was shattered. In the end, however, Hosea “redeemed” Gomer by bringing her back to his home, offering his wife forgiveness and restoration, and urging her to remain faithful. Hosea’s experience with Gomer illustrated God’s experience with Israel. Hosea warned of stern judgment because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, for Israel had turned to other gods, just as Gomer had left Hosea for other men. Like Gomer, Israel would receive forgiveness and restoration if the people returned to God. -excerpt from NLT Daily Study Bible for Women
It is an incredible story, and if you are interested in getting a deeper understanding of the themes behind this story, I highly recommend this book!
I can’t help but read the book of Hosea and personalize it. In this metaphor I see God as my husband. How hurtful for Him – Who sees ALL and knows ALL- to watch me stray time and time again. How often I take my eyes off of Him… His faithfulness and perfect love for me… and place them onto other things – things that can never satisfy, and pale in comparison to Him! I seem to have no shortage of things… choosing to focus on my circumstances, searching for worth in how people perceive me, looking to relationships to fill the void, choosing discontentment as I focus on what I don’t have – or have had to give up – rather on everything He has provided, looking to others to meet my needs, expecting the perfection that belongs to Him alone to also be found in my husband… the list is endless!
He watches me run to these “lovers”. I run to them… all the while proclaiming my love for Him. I can’t shake the betrayal of this! If my husband ran to his lovers with my knowledge, and called from their bed to profess his love for me, would I believe it?? It’s like a knife in my heart!
How deceived am I?? What kind of love not only forgives me, but woos me back?? Will He ever tire of this? Will I?
I SO long to be 100% faithful to my God – this One Who gave all for me! It’s overwhelming to think, just as Hosea knew he was marrying a prostitute, God knew I would be as unfaithful to Him as Gomer was to Hosea. And yet He chose me anyway… He sent His Son to DIE for me, knowing I would be unfaithful. He allowed the price to be paid… and it cost Him dearly! I have to wonder if it was worth it…
Then God so graciously reminded me…
He is outside of time. All of it is laid out before Him. He saw every infidelity I would ever commit – and with this full knowledge – He chose me. I’ll never be able to wrap my brain around this… It was worth it to Him. I will never be the same.
I will commit Myself to you forever; I will commit Myself to you in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and tender compassion. I will commit Myself to you in faithfulness.
-Hosea 2:19-20
I wanted to share our current situation because I know God will provide and I want to let you see His faithfulness! Here we are, May 4th, with no prospect of rent, utilities, car repair money or other basic essentials. I am amazed that God really does give us peace when we depend completely on Him. Why I’m amazed when He does what He promises, I have no idea… 🙂 I guess I’m amazed at His faithfulness, and that’s something I never want to cease marveling at.
In my time with God this morning, I finished a Beth Moore study called Living Beyond Yourself. It was so encouraging to go through the verses I read today in light of our current situation. “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to You and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:3 I will wait expectantly, refusing to focus our circumstances. In order to see God do great things in our lives, we need to be in a position of great need… so bring it on! Keep piling on the bills! I want to see His power and glory!!
“How do you know He will care for you today? Because He cared for you yesterday! And the day before! And the day before! He never changes. He’ll never forget you. When He discloses Himself to you, remember it, praise Him for it, and record it!” He is SO worthy of our complete trust!
Where are you needing God to work today? What are you waiting for, that only He can do? Do you believe He can do it? Do you believe He will do it?
I wanted to invite you to pray, and watch with us today. He will be faithful. I look forward to sharing with you how God meets our needs this time… I will say with the psalmist, “I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart. I have talked about Your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.”
to be continued…
UPDATE:
5/4/09- the Lord is faithful!! He provided enough money to cover rent and a couple utilities!! Praise His name!! Do not fear! He will provide for you as well.
5/6/09- He just provided more, enough to cover every bill we have!!