Confidence in God

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.”
Psalm 27:1-3 NLT

In these three verses that start Psalm 27, David made a confident statement that, regardless of what was coming against him, he would be ok. He had a confidence that seemed unshakeable, building a picture of God being his fortress, and any attacks from his enemies coming to nothing. But more than just being confident in God’s salvation, he also stated that he would not be afraid. Is that faith in God, over-confidence or what? In the context of this Psalm, David was thinking about physical attacks and dangers from evil people, and so he was apparently sure of his ground, but how could he have reached that state of certainty? 

We can get a glimpse of David’s relationship with, and dependence on, God if we look at the Goliath episode. Goliath appears on the scene in 1 Samuel 17:23, and David heard at first hand what was happening. “As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel“. Goliath was a giant over 9 feet tall and he wore an impressive suit of armour that would have been too heavy for a normal man of that time. In fact, his armour was such that there was only one place where it could be breached and that was in the place we know about, just above his eyes. Along with his armour bearer who carried his shield, Goliath was an impressive war machine, perhaps a Biblical forerunner of the modern army tank. Goliath taunted the Israelites with the challenge that Israel supply a soldier to fight him, with the outcome of that one to one combat deciding the overall fate of the Philistine/Israelite battle. As we can imagine, the impact of this giant warrior was devastating and the Israelites all ran away, even though there were impressive rewards available for the man who took him on. But then along came David. He asked a question, “ … What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”” (1 Samuel 17:26). A faith question and one that has echoed through the times and generations since, a faith question that is so logical in its content because, after all, Goliath’s challenge wasn’t just against the Israelite army, it was against God Himself. 

So, David volunteered to fight Goliath. As we know, David had already been faced with battles of a different kind, against wild animals that had tried to take away sheep from the flock in his care. We read, “ … I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”” (1 Samuel 17:34-37). 

Of course, we know the outcome. This was no natural fight. In the natural, how could a shepherd boy, unarmed with nothing but a sling, ever overcome a man of war, armed offensively and defensively as Goliath was? This was a God moment and one that fuelled David’s unwavering faith in God. If God had come through for him once, He would do likewise again. So David wrote, “The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger”. Of course God was all of these things to David and his faith in God was strong and an example to us all. But how did David’s faith get to this impressive state? A little bit at a time. He saw God come through for him in small things and he stretched his faith into bigger and bigger exploits for God, as the Lord worked with him day by day. 

The Apostle John wrote, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4). This is a verse often quoted in our churches and fellowships, and it sounds good. But do we really believe it when we come up against our own Goliath moments? Jesus too encouraged His disciples. He said to them, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father” (John 14:12-13).

So where, dear pilgrims, is our faith level today? What are we believing God for in the day ahead? Faith for our lives, physical and spiritual, is essential to every pilgrim today and every day. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God looks on at His children in their daily struggles, and sees our often feeble faith attempts. And He smiles. He’s pleased. I will soon be out for my morning prayer walk, and I’m believing God for the opportunity to share the faith God has given me with someone who needs to hear His message of hope. A faith step I take every day. But we’re all different and as we head into our day, we will find that God is listening to our faith-prayers and He works with us to see them answered. A need for healing? Believe God for a remedy. A need for finances? Believe God for the funds. The small things we pray for will help us build our faith muscles and we will find three outcomes, all blessings. We will be blessed. Others with be blessed. And, above all, God will be blessed as well. And if we find that our faith-prayers are not answered in the way we would like, then we persevere. God is listening and one day we will receive His reward for being a faithful man and woman of God, either in this life or the life to come.

David was confident in God, but he was a man like you and me. We may not be facing into a giant or an army, but we can declare with him that the Lord is our fortress, now and forever. Amen?

Dear Father God. Please help us to build;d up our faith in You, this day and every day. Amen.

A Timely Reminder?

Posted on by korgrocker

“Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.”
2 Peter 1:12-13 NLT

We all need Peters in our lives. Faithful men and women who are diligent in reminding us about the wonderful truths and promises in the Bible, and how we must be equally as diligent in applying them to our lives. But do we know a “Peter” who has a spiritual input into our lives? Are we listening when a fellow believer provides some encouragement? Or have we cut ourselves off from contact with other Christians, adopting an “I’ll do it my way” attitude? Peter said to his readers that they, of course, know the truths he is reminding them about, and that, although they probably don’t need any reminders, he is doing so anyway.

We pilgrim believers in our journey through life are constantly dealing with conflicts between two kingdoms. The Kingdom of God, and the kingdom of the world. God has provided all the resources we need in these situations, but sometimes we get a bit wobbly in our faith. The enemy will seek out our weak spots and try and capitalise on them to destroy our faith. The Holy Spirit will guide us to the right truths and promises of course, but we have to go and look for them, examining the Scriptures if we are not sure about something. And sometimes the Holy Spirit will use a “Peter” to help us, particularly if we have gone a bit spiritually deaf.

At the present time, with war in Eastern Europe and, as I write, the conflict in Palestine, we can lose sight of the fact that God is in control of His creation, His world. To think that human beings can destroy something that He created is arrogance in the extreme. In our community Bible Study yesterday we read Psalm 2, and came across verses 4-6, “But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”” This is the reality – God will rebuke the nations who fight against Him, and He will one day in the future instal Jesus in His rightful place as ruler of the world. 

We pilgrims must always be open to the “Peters” who cross our paths. Our loving Heavenly Father is very faithful and He will often lead us to green pastures where we can find the spiritual nourishment we need. A word from a brother or sister at just the right time will often help us when we need help, but we must keep our spiritual ears open. One practical help is the use of a notebook. When we hear a sermon, write down what we are hearing and go over it afterwards. If the preacher quoted Scriptures, check them out. and the truths and promises we find may be just what God wants us to hear. And we must pray for discernment, to filter out the noise that so easily can divert us from the course. If we find a “Peter”, we may want to journey with him for a bit. But in it all, God loves and cares for us, just as He did for the people who read Peter’s message all those years ago.

Father God. Thank You for the faithful men and women who so often provide a word of encouragement when we need it. We pray today for them, and ask for Your blessings to be with them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Good-doers

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.”
1 Peter 3:13-14 NLT

It’s all about perception. Some people will view our good deeds as an intrusion or even downright harmful. For example, administering a dose of foul-tasting medicine to a young child might be perceived, by them, as doing them harm, and the accompanying “it will do you good” isn’t really believed. In the adult realm, refusing to serve one more drink to a drunk at the bar will not be considered, by them, as being good. Doing something to or for another person that goes against their wishes might be considered good by everyone but them. On a national scale, the current drive towards “net zero” is considered a “good” policy but there will be much pain and cost associated with it and many will rebel against something that is “good”. 

We do good deeds for other people out of the kindness of our hearts. We see a need in others and, often to personal cost to ourselves, we do our best to meet their need. In my own community, the old lady across the road is totally flummoxed by anything technical. So when her tv misbehaves and confuses her channel selection, or after a software update changes the interface, it is me she calls on to help her out. And I’m sure she does the same for others in her own way with the gifts she has. Her next door neighbour is a wonderful pastry cook and often supplies her with delicacies. These are all acts of kindness and common actions in our society. If these things happen in secular society, how much more they should happen in God’s family. We read in Galatians 6:9-10, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith”. Jesus taught about doing good for others – we read what He said in Matthew 6:1 and the following verses, “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven”. Note that His association with good deeds was preceded by an expectation of “when” rather than an “if”.

For pilgrims such as ourselves, doing good to others is expected to go beyond what society would normally expect, and this is what will ultimately cause us trouble. We believers can campaign for “good” causes and incur the wrath of both the authorities and our fellow members of society. For example, in the State of Victoria in Australia there is a law that makes praying for, or counselling, someone going through some form of gender dysphoria a crime. A good deed involving genuine caring criminalised. In the same way, a lady in the UK was recently taken to court, charged with an “offence” involving her silently praying on her own outside an abortion clinic. A good deed or a crime? But God knows the right from wrong in the abortion issue and she will be rewarded by Him, I’m sure. Some years ago a man once asked me for money to buy a cup of tea. I gave him some loose change from my pocket but was immediately afterwards challenged by another man, irate because he was convinced the first man would just use it to buy alcohol. A good deed for one was considered a bad deed by the other.

We don’t know what was in Peter’s mind when he wrote the verses that we are considering today, but we believers are counter-cultural and receive our guidance about what is “good” from our Father in Heaven. Inevitably there will be a clash with society’s values perhaps followed by contemptuous  accusations of just being “do-gooders”. Society will choose the “what’s in it for me” road while Christians will look to the good of others.

Paul encouraged his readers to do good to everyone, and particularly to those we know who are in the family of believers. Let us look around us today and seek out opportunities to do good. It may involve our time and money, or skills we possess, but we know we are doing God’s work, following His desires. Any good deed, no matter how small or seemingly trivial, will be rewarded by Him one day.

Dear Father. You are our good God, our lovingly Heavenly Father. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

Evil for Evil

Posted on by korgrocker

“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.”
1 Peter 3:9

There is an old saying – “two wrongs don’t make a right”. In a situation where someone has been wronged, a natural reaction is for them to lash out in some way. Verbally or perhaps even physically. If someone makes a rude comment about you then the immediate response would be an insult in return. Such behaviour has also been a feature in the adversarial nature of British politics, with the front benches in the House of Commons, the UK lower house of lawmakers, being set apart by two sword lengths plus one inch, a relic from those days when men did indeed carry swords. The best response to insults is to just walk away, preventing the escalation of what could turn into an ugly and offensive situation. Just one wrong remains, not two. The recipient of the abuse can take the moral high ground and move on to get on with the rest of their life.

In these days of social media channels, a generation of keyboard warriors has emerged. Men and women who lack the courage to say what they think to your face but instead have no such scruples with a keyboard in front of them. So people in the public eye can suffer huge volumes of abusive responses to their public messages, just because they perhaps had the courage to stand up and say something that others disagree with. A common response is for those receiving such abuse to close down their own social media apps, because any attempt to explain just pours more fuel into the fire. We do seem to live in a very sad world.

Peter encouraged his readers with an appeal for God’s blessing to be on those who respond to their tormentors in a better way. Perhaps Peter remembered that day when Jesus was teaching on the Mount and when He said, “Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you” (Luke 6:28). This instruction went further than a simple act of ignoring the offender. Not to repay evil for evil is just the start. A passive walking away isn’t quite what Peter had in mind in his advice. Jesus and Peter both advised that there is a better way. To bless and pray for those who curse or insult you.

So the next time another car driver undertakes a manoeuvre that nearly causes you to have an accident, call down a blessing from Heaven on the culprit, and pray that he (or she) sees the error of their ways and not be in such a hurry. The next time someone says something about you in the office that you are perhaps not supposed to hear, bless them with a kind word, or even something practical like a cup of coffee. And for all those who are unkind or insulting in their contact with us, we offer up a prayer to the God who sees what is going on and who wants to bless everyone.

Father God. We thank You for Your words of blessing. Even now we pause and reflect on anyone who has harmed us in some way. And we call down a Heavenly blessing on them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Glory and Honour and Peace

Posted on by korgrocker

“There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favouritism.”
Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is a dichotomy between evil and good, as Paul explained in these verses from his letter to the Roman Christians, that we are considering today. Considering a person’s behaviour, there is “trouble and calamity” for doing evil, and “glory and honour and peace” for doing good. Black and white. No shades of grey. But what does “for all who do good” actually mean. What was in Paul’s thinking?

There are plenty of verses in the Bible about doing good. In Galatians 6:9-10 we read, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith“. Doing good to everyone is not a difficult concept to understand. We look out for our elderly neighbour, helping them with shopping or a task in their house. We use our resources to perhaps take someone to hospital when they visit the out-patients. We provide a meal for someone in need. we help our children with their homework. The list of possibilities for doing good is endless. Doing good within our societies, communities and families holds them together, as otherwise they would fall apart.

But these are all ways in which we do good to others. But what about doing good to ourselves? We read in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns“. We must also consider doing good to ourselves. Now, this is far more contentious because it means we should perhaps be considering our inner persons, body, soul and spirit. Take our bodies, for instance. I think we will all agree that some foods are good for us, and others are not. Should we be considering doing good to ourselves by eating the right foods in the correct quantities? And are we engaged in practices that are harmful to our bodies? Enough said on that one! And then we have our spirits. They need feeding as well. A daily diet of Scripture and prayer can only do us good.

Paul said we will receive “glory and honour and peace” by doing good. Honour may happen in our lifetimes, recognised perhaps by an award of one kind or another. But most people who are doing good will not be recognised in this life. It’s the same with glory. Something that we are banking for the next life. However, we can experience peace in our lives today. That comfort we achieve in knowing that the life of someone around us has been made a bit easier. Peace, because we don’t have on our consciences something we should have done for someone else, but didn’t do it. Peace, in these troubling and challenging times is something that is invaluable.

We pilgrims are the glue that holds our societies and communities together. And we achieve that by doing good. Being examples to those around us. Doing good enables us to enjoy “glory and honour and peace from God” both is this life and in the life to come. 

Dear Father God. You have blessed us so much. We thank You and worship You today. Amen.

 

No More Curses

Posted on by korgrocker

“No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.”
Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT

The word “curse” isn’t commonly used in Western society today. If it is, it would be in connection with some sort of expletive. In other societies, curses are taken much more seriously. So what is a curse? A dictionary definition is “a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something”. But in the society in which I live, anything to do with the supernatural is discounted or even ignored.

Moses warned the early Israelites about blessings and curses. We read in Deuteronomy 30:19, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Moses listed the pre-requisites for living a life of blessings, and the consequences of making the wrong choices. 

In the New Jerusalem, curses won’t exist, because everyone by definition will want to live God’s way. But curses became much more widespread after the sin committed by Adam and Eve. Snakes became cursed (Genesis 3:14). The ground became cursed (Genesis 3:17) and a previously fertile environment became difficult to grow anything, thorns and thistles abounding. So we look around at our world today in sadness. Isaiah pointed out the consequences of sin. We read in Isaiah 24:6, “Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.” Paul pointed out the difficulties being experienced in the created world around us. We read in Romans 8:22, “For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” In the Spring, I’m always excited and impressed by the explosion of new growth. Fresh colours. New life. And I remind myself that if this is a world under a curse, how amazing it will be to see a New Earth with the curse removed.

The verses today continue with a wonderful description of the relationship between God and His servants, that’s us pilgrims when we get to join Him one day. We will see the face of God – something that has always been denied mankind. His name will be a part of us, written on our foreheads. And He will shine on us.

There will be no doubt as to who we follow when we get to Heaven. But what about now. Today. Will the people we meet know who we follow? We may not have God’s name tattooed on our foreheads, but will His light reflect from us into the lives of others? Bringing hope to the hopeless? Bringing healing to the sick? Showing the way to eternal life? As servants of God, will our lives reflect our worship of Him? It’s not just singing songs in church or genuflecting at an altar. Our worship of God extends into our everyday lives. How we treat our wives and children. How we behave in the office or school. What we say on social media. We may not be specifically holding out our arms, or be on our knees, in an overt act of worship to God, but worship is all about honouring our Father in Heaven. Keeping His name holy. Bringing His influence to bear in everyday situations. In the supermarket. On the bus. We pilgrims are His servants and His ambassadors here on Planet Earth. We enjoy a little bit of Heaven’s Son-shine, but are we reflecting it to those around us?

Dear Father God. We worship You today. All other gods pale into insignificance in the light of Your glorious face. Amen.

The Time is Near

Posted on by korgrocker

“God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and He blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.”
Revelation‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Right at the beginning of his book, the Apostle John, the writer, said it was a prophecy. It is common for Christians to expect a prophecy to tell of some future event that has not yet happened. A revelatory glimpse of the future granted to a chosen person from God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Well, this book is full of such events, portrayed in graphic and pictorial, even apocalyptic, language that is both fascinating to read but difficult to understand and relate to in our world today, particularly our physical world. But a prophecy can be more than that. Our “revelatory glimpses” can apply to the here and now, as God unfolds a situation or problem that has somehow eluded the attention it should have had through personal or pastoral care, bringing admonishment and exhortation as part of a prophecy. Such matters are in this book as well. 

John spoke out a blessing, to be bestowed on those who read this book to the church. A blessing direct from God. But when did we last hear a passage from Revelations dispensed from the pulpit? It is not a book commonly read because it needs a sharp mind to discern its meaning. In other places in the book it makes for uncomfortable reading and listening. But the blessing continues to those who listen to this book being read. There is much in John’s writings to bring a blessing, if we only take the time to read and study, listen and apply, the truths within. 

John finishes this verse by introducing a sense of urgency. He said “the time is near“. Other translations use different phrases such as “the time of fulfilment is near” (AMP), or “the time is almost near” (CEV). The KJV uses the phrase “the time is at hand“. But all these translations bring across the impression that what is contained in this book will soon happen. But it begs the question – if John said the time is near 2000 years ago why hasn’t what he wrote about happened yet? How near is near? There will be several answers to this question, just as there are several different events and situations mentioned in the book. “Near” started before the ink dried on John’s parchment and will continue until the end of time. This book did not describe a single point in time but set out a series of events that will encompass time as we know it but also might even push the boundaries of eternity. To start getting our affairs in order is probably a bit premature if all we take from Revelation is a picture of the end of the world. Jesus told us in Matthew 24:36, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows”. So we need to trust our Heavenly Father with this. Sadly, there is always someone who pops up with a pronouncement that the world will end on such and such a time, only to find that the time comes and goes, with no end in sight.

There is much more in Revelation, however, that does apply to the hear and now. Timeless parts of the prophecy that we do well to take note of and apply in our own lives and the lives of our churches. So we pilgrims tramp on, studying the words of John, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what God wants us to read and hear. The Book of Revelation is an amazing book. Yet again, God used a man incarcerated in a prison cell, set apart from every day life, to hear and record His Word. A man in a special place at a special time in history. And John faithfully wrote down what he was told. 

Dear Lord. We thank You for Your servant John and his faithfulness. We pray that the legacy of his words helps us to grow in our pilgrimage to become more like You. Amen.

Blessings

Posted on by korgrocker

“May our sons flourish in their youth
    like well-nurtured plants.
May our daughters be like graceful pillars,
    carved to beautify a palace.
May our barns be filled
    with crops of every kind.
May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands,
    even tens of thousands,
    and may our oxen be loaded down with produce.
May there be no enemy breaking through our walls,
    no going into captivity,
    no cries of alarm in our town squares.
Yes, joyful are those who live like this!
    Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.”
Psalm 144:12-15 NLT

What a lovely picture of God’s blessings. In just a few verses, David, the Psalmist, sums up blessings in three areas – the family, prosperity, and safety. And all because these people truly believe, and trust, in God, their Lord. What a lovely picture of sons and daughters, being raised in a Godly home, growing and functioning just as God ordained. Near where I live there is a new wooded area with some Ash and Sycamore saplings. Many of them are growing incredibly straight and strong, reaching skywards because they are “well-nurtured” by the climate God has provided for them. And you can just imagine these beautiful daughters exquisitely sculpted like “graceful pillars” by our Master Craftsman, God Himself.  Mums aren’t mentioned in these few verses, but I’m sure they were in there somewhere too. In today’s society, often experiencing dysfunctional family life, there is something very attractive about David’s picture. And everything that this family does seems to multiply prosperity – these family members don’t need to enter a world of crime or dodgy deals to see their wealth increase. And there’s more – they live in a time of peace without fear of an attack by the enemy nations around them. No fear of burglars breaking in, or attacks in dark alleys. 

Are you thinking that this is all too good to be true? I don’t think so. Just because we don’t realise the blessings as described, or relate to the pictures the Psalmist paints, doesn’t mean that they do not, or will not, happen. But we notice that the blessings described all start with the word “May”. The Psalmist is praying a blessing on his family. He realises that it is only God who can turn his vision into reality. Though we know from various accounts, that David’s family life was often lacking functionality – we read for example the debacle with Absalom in 2 Samuel – such experiences didn’t stop David from praying. And neither must we stop praying either. Those of us who don’t have a family must know one that we can pray blessings over. And we must never stop thanking God for all the blessings He pours out on us. Food on our tables. The basics of life like air to breath and water to drink. The list is endless. It is pointless to focus on what we don’t have. Rather we should focus on God Himself. He never tires of blessing us, often in ways we won’t appreciate until we are in His presence. And there’s only one condition, and that is we must obey Him. Not for His sake, but for ours.

The Apostle Paul said in his epistle to the Philippians church, “I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have, for I have seen the abundant riches of glory revealed to me through Jesus Christ!” (Philippians 4:19 TPT). On the wall of his prison cell, Paul could see in his mind a similar picture to David. A vista vibrant with the potential of God’s “abundant riches of glory“. God’s blessings are not beyond our reach. He is not a stingy God at all. As David prayed, we pray too – may God bless us all today. Amen.

God Knows Us

Posted on by korgrocker

“O Lord, You have examined my heart 
and know everything about me.”
‭Psalms‬ ‭139:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The thought that God knows everything about us, good and bad, is both comforting and scary at the same time. In the next few verses, the Psalmist, David, goes on to say that God is intimately acquainted with not just what we are doing but even what is about to come out of our mouths. Distance and time are no problem to God. And there is nothing that we can do to escape His presence; should we want to, of course. So if we know all that, why do we get so caught up in doing things that we know would cause God pain? The sins that blight our lives. Actions that are just plain wrong. The Apostle Paul felt that frustration. He wrote in Romans 7, “I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.” Thankfully God forgives us of our sins when we repent. And we allow His life-giving Spirit to lead and guide us, and live within us (Romans 8). 

But back to our Psalm. It gets better and better. The wonder in David’s heart comes out in verse 5, as he remarks that God goes before him and follows him. Can you imagine that? God is there right in front of us, leading the way. Pointing out the pot-holes in life to help us to avoid them. But in case we still stumble and fall, there He is behind us, picking us up and dusting us off. And there’s more – if we look up, there’s His hand of blessing about to touch our heads. It is no wonder that David can’t cope with what it all means, as we read in verse 6. And he continues to meditate on God’s omnipresence, which extends all the way from Heaven to the place the Jews called Sheol (verse 8). And the lovely word picture emerges of David riding “the wings of the morning” and “dwelling by the farthest oceans” (verse 9). And he finishes this section with the thought that God is always there in the dark, because it is light to Him. Perhaps there’s a comforting thought there for people who do have a fear of the dark.

There is an amazing truth in this Psalm. No matter how we view God. No matter if we reject Him and try and run away from Him, He is still there with us. Embracing us. Encouraging us. Blessing us. All because He loves us. So if we’re feeling neglected and unloved today, we are believing a lie. Our enemy, the devil, would want to deprive us of God’s presence and His blessings. But he can’t. We reach out, switching on our God-receptors; switching off our devil-receptors. And because God knows our very thoughts, He will complete the circuit. Connecting us to His throne room. Giving us a glimpse of His wonder. Helping us in our life-pilgrimage, every step of the way.

Blessing Others

Posted on by korgrocker

“May all who hate Zion
    be turned back in shame.
May those who pass by not say to them,
    “The blessing of the Lord be on you;
    we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 129:5,8

There is something significant about speaking out blessings. Or withholding them if appropriate. There is power in the spoken word. We can bless people in different ways. Practically by an act of kindness. Verbally by a kind word. But there is something special about speaking out a blessing from God. In fact, it is so special that we don’t want to waste the words or the sentiments on people who would not appreciate it. In this Psalm, the writer mourns the ill-treatment that Israel has been subjected to, and reminds his readers not to bless those who hate them, their treasured Zion, and who are wicked.

But the society in which the Psalmist lived was well used to speaking out blessings on each other. And this is something we need to do more of in our societies today. Not only can a blessing be just that when spoken over God’s people. It can also be a form of encouragement for people who are harassed, lonely, miserable, and neglected. People who we meet in the street, the supermarket checkout, the petrol station, or, as I have found recently, the electric vehicle charge points in a car park. The blessing we speak out need not be anything more than a kind word, or a “good morning”. Just something that shows a fellow member of our society that we care for them. That’s a real blessing from God. 

There is a lovely blessing recorded in Numbers 6. It is so significant that I added it to my business card. I speak it out over all my readers today.

“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”