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Posts Tagged ‘Psalm 94:19’

Heartbeat of Love

Posted in Blessings, Encouragement, God's Faithfulness, God's Goodness, God's Love, God's Presence, God's Promises, Joy, Renewing the Mind, Suffering, Uncategorized, Worry, tagged , , , , , , on March 30, 2023| 32 Comments »

Once again we find ourselves grieving for families, friends, and community of victims gunned down in another school shooting. Why does this madness continue? What makes a person choose to kill children?

And then there’s the war that drags on in Ukraine, causing death, devastation, and hardship. Why do we humans resort to such horror?

Across our nation, crime, homelessness, and drug addiction plague many of our cities. How has such deterioration been allowed to escalate and why haven’t proven solutions been implemented that help correct these plights?

Also producing distress and fear are the continual reports of terrorism, riots, fraud, lawlessness, disasters, and other disturbing events.

In addition, some of you are dealing with your own overwhelming problems caused by other people and not your fault.

When God chooses not to immediately intervene, what’s a person to do? An unidentified psalmist gave us the answer.But before we consider his plan-of-action, note how current his observations sound as he described evildoers. They:

  • Seem to be triumphing
  • Boast a great deal
  • Crush God’s people
  • Band together against the righteous
  • Bring misery to others with their decrees
  • Condemn the innocent to death [1]

Then just before slipping into depression, this poet wrote:

He would want us to know: God provides joy-filled comfort—not just reassuring consolation. The psalmist surely had in mind solace, help, support, cheer, and restoration of a sense of well-being—all facets of comfort.

Our part is to avail ourselves. How? By walking through the G. A. T. E:

1. G = Glory in biblical truth.

Find refuge in God and His infallible Word.

Read until His peace mounts a guard

around your mind and heart and soul.

Kay Arthur [2]

Among the many comforting truths found in scripture, here are a few of my favorites:

  • 1 Chronicles 29:11-13—God is great and all-powerful, the ruler of all things.
  • Psalm 23:4—Our caring Shepherd never leaves us to fend for ourselves.
  • Psalm 46:1—He provides refuge, strength, and help.
  • Isaiah 25:1—We can count on His faithfulness because he’s been completely faithful in the past.
  • Romans 11:33-36—He is continually directing, sustaining, and upholding all things in his perfect wisdom–even in the face of tragedy.

2. A = Affirm God’s promises.

As you glory in biblical truth, keep alert for the promises. Ask yourself, “Has God already done this in my life?” Take comfort in the evidence of promises already fulfilled. For example, when has he:

  • Brought good out of difficult circumstances?
  • Guided you in the way you should go?
  • Delivered you out of trouble—physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually?
  • Granted peace in the midst of turmoil?
  • Provided beyond your expectations? [3]

And as you affirm the evidence of the past, be expectant for the future. What God promises, he will do [4].

3. T = Take joy in who God is.

He is a way-making, promise-keeping,

battle-winning, water-walking, storm-stilling,

Faithful Friend and Savior.

Kaitlyn Bouchillion [5]

Isn’t that delightful description? Let’s use it as a model for creating more uplifting characterization. I’ll get us started with:

He is a sin-forgiving, death-defying, hand-holding, strength-infusing, gift-giving Gracious Father.   

 Do you feel your heart filling with the comfort of gratitude, praise, and joy? Me too.

4. E = Enter into his presence with prayer.

Prayer crowns God with the honor and glory due His name,

and God crowns prayer with assurance and comfort.

The most praying souls are the most assured souls.

Thomas Brooks

Take comfort in knowing that:

  • God is not only here, he is near.
  • As we call out to him, he’s already answering.
  • God’s presence quiets the soul, calms the mind, and warms the heart [6].

Decades ago, researchers recorded the heartbeats of mothers and played the tapes in a hospital nursery. They discovered that the infants cried less, slept better, and even gained weight at a better rate.

Those recordings evidently brought comfort, allowing the babies to rest and even thrive.

As we walk through the G.A.T.E. God has provided, and Glory in biblical truth, Affirm his promises, Take joy in who he is, and Enter his presence with prayer, we will hear the comforting heartbeat of God’s love, even through the darkest night.  

[1] Psalm 94:2, 4, 5, 20-21.

[2] His Imprint, My Expression, 289.

[3] Genesis 50:20; Psalm 32:8; 34:18; Isaiah 26:3; Ephesians 3:20.

[4] Numbers 23:19.

[5] Take Heart, edited by Grace P. Cho and Anna E. Rendell, 210.

[6] Psalm 145:18; Isaiah 65:24; Psalm 91:1-2.

Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com; http://www.commons.wikipedia.org; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.commons.wikimedia.org (Bonnie Gruenberg).

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Driving Out Bad Habits

Posted in Encouragement, God's Provision, God's Strength, Godly Character, Perseverance, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on June 9, 2022| 43 Comments »

A nail is driven out by another nail;

habit is overcome by habit.

So said Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch philosopher and theologian of the 1500s.

Desiderius Erasmus

Research in recent times has proven his statement true.  One of the best ways to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one.

That’s why President Reagan replaced his cigarettes with jelly beans, dieters replace chips with popcorn, and late-night TV addicts forego talk shows to read calming books.

Some of the most stubborn bad habits are those that occur in the mind. It’s no easy task to shut down anxious, negative, or covetous thoughts—even when we know they contribute nothing to our well-being.

But if we apply Desiderius’ advice, we can retrain our brains toward healthy, even delightful thinking. For example, we can:

Replace anxiety with trust.

Worry spirals us downward into fear; trust-statements provide the way out–trust-statements such as these:

  • I can trust the One who died for me. He will thwart every plan that should be stopped and complete each one that results in his greatest glory and my highest good.[1]
  • God is with me and for me. His strength enables me, and his light guides my way.
  • Time and again I’ve witnessed God’s provision and protection, his miracles and blessings. “All that I have seen has taught me to trust him for all that I have not seen.”[2]

As other trust statements come to our attention, we can record them in our journals or in Notes on our phones. Then we’ll be prepared when the slide into worry begins.

Replace negativity with positivity and praise.

Continual praise is what changes the emotions,

lifts the darkness, offers hope, frees the mood

and blesses God so that evil is driven out.

Praise changes everything.

–Arnold Prater[3]

Throughout the day take a praise-pause now and then. Praise God for his power to keep this world on its axis, tilted just right to support life. Praise him for the proofs of his creativity in nature, for his goodness and loving mercy that prompted him to make a way to heaven for us.

Of course, the demands of the day often distract us from such thoughts. But if we post reminders here and there—around the house, on the visor of the car, at our places of work—we can jump-start this habit.

Replace covetousness with gratitude.

Gratitude doesn’t change the scenery;

it merely washes clean the glass you look through

so you can clearly see the colors.

–Richelle E. Goodrich

Too often our attention gravitates toward wants instead of haves, fostering discontentment and envy–emotions we’d do well to eliminate.

One helpful strategy is keeping a gratitude journal. Even brief entries can be effective. I only record one or two things each day, but discovered there’s benefit in the process of reviewing the day to glean the highlights. An added delight: rereading old entries and feeling grateful all over again.

Of course, developing good habits is not as easy as driving out a nail. What about those days when we fail? That’s the time to remember: even in failure there is progress.

Failure points to the inadequacy of striving on our own, and turns us toward greater dependence on God.

We learn, on the one hand,

that we cannot trust ourselves

even in our best moments,

and, on the other,

that we need not despair even in our worst,

for our failures are forgiven.

–C. S. Lewis[4]

We can begin our habits of trust-statements, praise, and gratitude right there!

[1] Based on a quote from J.H.M., Streams in the Desert (Zondervan, 1997) 295.

[2] Ralph Waldo Emerson

[3] Bonding with God (Marno Books, 2000) 78.

[4] Mere Christianity (MacMillan, 1952) 78.

Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com (2); http://www.heartlight.org (2); Nancy Ruegg; http://www.wikipedia.org; http://www.heartlight.org.

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Genevieve Bartlett’s Inheritance–and Yours

Posted in Blessings, Encouragement, God's Faithfulness, God's Goodness, Hope, Joy, Uncategorized, Worry, tagged , , , , , , on May 23, 2019| 10 Comments »

 

A homeless woman slumped against the familiar brick wall of the warehouse, then grouped her plastic shopping bags snugly around her. Next she looped several bag-handles on her legs, and stretched her arms over the rest. The worry of losing to theft any of her treasured possessions kept her vigilant. Once settled, she succumbed to a fitful doze.

A man approached. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he called gently. “Are you Genevieve Bartlett?”

The woman startled awake, instinctively clutching her belongings more tightly. “What if I am?” she grumbled.

“Well, if you can answer a few questions for me, I may have some excellent news for you,” he replied calmly, recognizing that defensiveness in her position was only to be expected.

Genevieve returned his gaze with a scowl, but sat up straighter, readying herself to listen. The questions were easy: what were the names of her deceased parents and grandparents, when and where had she been born, and where had she attended school.

The man handed her his card and began to explain. “My name is Henry Lewis. I’m a lawyer, here to inform you you’re the last surviving Bartlett of your family, and you’ve just inherited fifty million dollars. If you’ll come with me, we can take care of the details at my office, and start the process of…finding a more comfortable situation for you. Would that be to your liking?”

 

 

Genevieve didn’t move for several moments. “Fifty million dollars,” she repeated slowly, and studied the lawyer’s face. Could he possibly be telling the truth? But why else would he seek her out at the warehouse?

Genevieve suddenly slipped the bag-handles off her legs, stood up, and announced, “I’m ready, let’s go!” Without even looking back, Genevieve left her shopping bags and their worthless contents on the pavement.

Out of several interpretations for this story, consider the shopping bags as representative of our fears. Don’t we sometimes hold on to them—worthless as they are—as tightly as Genevieve held on to her belongings?

But as God’s children, we possess tremendous wealth, worth much more than fifty million dollars, because “the kingdom of heaven is like treasure” (Matthew 13:44). And unlike Genevieve during her homeless days, we have access to a good part of that treasure now, if we let go of our worries and lay hold of our wealth.

 

 

So what might that treasure include?  Consider the following:

1. God’s Glorious Provision. Unlike Genevieve, we know a glorious inheritance is waiting for us.  Ours is in heaven—an inheritance so magnificent, when we arrive there, we’ll look back on our earthly lives “as an insubstantial dream from which we have happily awoken” (Austin Farrer).

2. God’s Involvement. He is always at work. Take note of his wisdom in creation, his engineering of life-circumstances, and his generosity in the blessings he bestows. God even makes joy available in the midst of trouble. 

3. God’s Sovereignty.  No doubt Mr. Lewis designed a plan for Genevieve to provide for her well-being. God too has designed a perfect and purposeful plan to accomplish much good, in the world at large and for each of us individually.  Whatever we entrust to him, he will take care of much better than we can.

 

 

4. God’s Unfailing Love.  We can leave our worries behind, as Genevieve did her shopping bags, when we dwell on the lovingkindness of God. In fact, peace of heart is guaranteed–if we keep our focus upon him. 

5. God’s Constant Presence. He is always with us—even as we wait for him to act. The attentive person recognizes his presence in the aria of a songbird, the sunbeams of a morning, the spontaneous hug of a friend.

 

 

6. God’s Kindness and Care.  Surely Genevieve marveled for the rest of her days how Mr. Lewis had changed her life.  We can draw strength and great delight from remembering God’s gracious provisions of our past.

7. God’s Powerful Word. Scripture offers indispensable comfort and encouragement, reminding us that God is our protective Shield and dependable Rock, our caring Shepherd and devoted Helper, our loving Provider and strong Confidence.

 

 

In these seven ways and more, God generously shares his inheritance with us now, giving us the opportunity to overcome anxiety with joy.   After all, every fear about our future, safety, health, suffering, death, financial woes, inadequacy, and events beyond our control are good-for-nothing baggage.

The question becomes: Will I let go of my worthless bags of worries and lay hold of my glorious inheritance?

 

 

Scripture Notes for:

  1. 1 Peter 1:3-4
  2. Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 94:19
  3. 2 Chronicles 20:6; Romans 8:28
  4. Psalm 94:17-18; Isaiah 26:3
  5. Psalm 23:4
  6. Psalm 92:4
  7. Psalm 3:3; 18:2; 23:1; 46:1; 78:23-29; Proverbs 14:26

 

(Genevieve’s story is based on an illustration from Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, “To Give You the Kingdom.”)

 

Photo credits:  http://www.flickr.com; http://www.maxpixel.net; http://www.publicdomainpictures.net; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.pexels.com; wwww.canva.com; http://www.dailyverses.net.

 

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Cleaning Out the Ideas File

Posted in Excellence, Faith, God, Godly Character, Maturity, Perseverance, Renewing the Mind, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on May 9, 2019| 15 Comments »

 

Along with spring-cleaning of the house, I thought perhaps a purging of the blog-post-ideas file would be worthwhile. Six years of collecting starters has produced thirty-five pages of possibilities.

Some ideas have languished in a notebook nearly the whole six years. It’s probably time to admit they’re never going to amount to anything, I decided.

Then you came to mind! Maybe you’ll see potential where I’ve given up hope. And with a deft question or suggestion you’ll send me off researching and keyboarding with your fresh insight.

Or, you’ll say, “I’d like to know more about that. Keep that one in the hopper!” And the life of that idea will thus be saved.

So what occurs to you about these topics, dear readers? Do you see any possibilities here for a worthwhile post or two?

  1. From Anxiety to Joy. Psalm 94:19 says, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” What might those consolations be that can bring joy in the midst of anxiety? (That’s quite a feat!)

 

 

2.  God’s ways are an outgrowth of his character—even when tragedy strikes. How can hurt and pain be the outgrowth of God’s beautiful and perfect attributes?

3.  Delight and Desire. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” How do we learn to delight in the Lord and desire what he desires?

4.  The Adventure of Grace. What insight might we gain from the definition of adventure? How is the life of grace is like an adventure, and why is that attitude helpful? How can we embrace the adventure more enthusiastically?

 

 

5.  The power of right attitudes over body, mind, and spirit. What have medical science and psychology discovered about the impact of attitudes? What does scripture have to say? How can we change our attitudes?

6.  “He who keeps one end in view makes all things serve”—Robert Browning.   That statement is true in the Christian life: if our main ambition is to fulfill God’s purpose, then all events will serve equally well.

7.  Goodness is not only good for those around us, it’s good for us.

8.  How do we accept with grace the circumstances that are unpleasant and outside our control?

9.  Turning Boredom into Contentment. Life can be full of mundane tasks that sap the joy right out of our spirits. What’s a person to do?!

 

 

10.  Game-Changers. Our viewpoints of life’s circumstances are perhaps more important than the circumstances themselves. Sometimes all it takes is a pithy statement to change our attitude. Possibilities include: “We obey God, not because we have to but because we get to” (A quote from one of the lay pastors at our church.) Or, how about this statement: “If the Lord does not change the place for the better, he will make us better in the place” (Charles Spurgeon). What other perspective-changers can we apply on a circumstantial rainy day?

11. Taking offense at less and less provocation seems to have pervaded our culture. What happened to resilience? Is it important? Does the Bible give us instruction for this attribute? How do we develop it?

12.  Rock Climbing—a metaphor for life. We need the handholds of God’s character when life becomes a difficult climb. We must cling to his attributes.

 

 

That’s enough for today. I’ll look forward to reading your creative suggestions in the comment section below!

 

(Photo credits:  http://www.thebluediamondgallery.com; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.nps.gov; http://www.flickr.com.)

 

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