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Monday March 30, 2020 (Reading and thoughts for Psalm 71:1-24)
Psalm 71:15
"My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure."

I know not the measure of your salvation O my God.
It is something from eternity that I cannot fathom. The depths of your heart is eternal and your plan of salvation likewise. You know my heart my Lord. How from one minute to the next I swing from good to bad and back, and yet by your salvation Jesus, I am seen as righteous. By your blood I am redeemed. By your love I am surrounded. By your grace I am shored up and made steady. I stand on the rock of ages. When I fall your forgiveness returns me to that place of steadiness and trust in you.
Your word is a constant, the truth through the ages. Your spirit my constant companion in the times of trial and the times of complete joy and life.
And yet I still do not know the measure of your salvation. The depth, the wonder, the all-encompassing love and faithfulness of the Father. The obedience, the trust and the heart of the Son. The friendship, the leading and the watchfulness of the Holy Spirit.

I will proclaim your mighty acts O God.
I will proclaim your righteousness.
I will declare your mighty deeds.
I will declare your power to the next generation.
I will declare your might to all who are to come.

Who O God is like you.

You will restore my life again.
You will again bring me up.
You will increase my honour.
You will comfort me once again.

I will praise you for your faithfulness.
I will sing praise to you.
I will shout for joy for you have redeemed.
I will tell of your righteous acts.

In the midst of this trial I will trust in you.

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June 18th is Fathers Day. It is so good to honour the Father's and to honour our heavenly Father also.
It is an exciting time to be alive, but it can also be a hard time and for our children and families a scary time. I came across an old hymn last week, which I hope will spur the men on to stay close to the Lord and to be obedient in all that He is telling them at this time.

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
to serve the King of Kings.

Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
and end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
her strength unequal to her task;
rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where his feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
rise up, O men of God!

Isaiah 30:15 says, This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”
He was talking to Israel , but we can all take a lesson from this verse.

Repentance  
Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

Rest
Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Repentance removes the wall that comes up between us and God when our sins are left unchecked.
When we seek Him, He removes the heavy burden and gives us His easy yoke.
Refreshing comes when that wall is removed and we find that rest for our souls. Who would not want those times when the Lord comes and refreshes His weary, tired people?

Quietness
Psalm 23:2 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.”

Trust
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

When we walk beside the quiet waters that God leads us to, we are able to hear His voice speaking to us, leading us, encouraging us, loving us. This builds our confidence in Him and who He is and how much He loves us.
Great strength comes from hearing His voice and trusting Him who is able to keep us from falling.

And so my prayer for all fathers on this Father's Day and to all of God's faithful warriors is for the gift of repentance, the assurance of His rest, times of refreshing, quietness in His presence, and a growing trust  in the One who has chosen you.

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April 3 2017

As we are coming up to Good Friday I have been doing a study on Psalm 22. My son actually put me onto a particular line and some fascinating info which I'll share as I go on. Some of you have probably heard it before but it was new to me.

The first verse of this psalm starts with the words Jesus spoke from the cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Interesting that the suffering Christ should speak words of the old testament as He hung on the cross. (Matthew 27:46). I have heard teaching that He was actually pointing out those words to those at the crucifixion who would know the scripture. That He was pointing out to them the the picture of the cross and Messiah.

I love verse 5: “To You they cried out and were delivered; In you they trusted and were not disappointed.” The holy one who is enthroned upon the praises of Israel, the One whom they trusted, delivered them. They cried out and were delivered. Then it says, “In You they trusted and were not disappointed.” What a wonderful God we serve. He will not disappoint us, as we keep our eyes on Him and listen to His voice.

Now verse 6 is the interesting bit that my beautiful son pointed out to me. It says “For I am a worm and not a man.” The Hebrew word for “worm” or “maggot” is “Tola”, or Crimson Worm. It is the Crimson Worm that was spoken of in this verse and a prophecy pointing again to the Messiah and the cross.

Read more: The Crimson Worm