Wow, I can’t believe how long I’ve stayed away from here! Life hit me like a ton of bricks with the start of this semester. But its finally starting to settle down into the predictable hum of everyday life. I’m feeling a lot more in control and rested, even as time rushes me forward to meet my deadlines.
Life is full, but wonderful. We have decided on a weekly ‘family night’ and last night was a blast! We had a pizza each and played monopoly for hours. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever won! But that’s not the real reason I’m over the moon this morning. Today’s Psalm was full of hype and excitement and I’m feeling it!!
Shall I share a bit?
Psalm 9:1, 2 - and here's a very cut down version of my verse by verse personal commentary :-).
“I will praise you, Oh Lord, with all of my heart…” There’s just no end of “Wow” factor in the care that God has for us, is there? He nurtures us, blesses us, guides us, joys us and loves us. But I particularly love the fact that here David isn’t simply thanking God for something in the now. He doesn’t say, “Right now, I have a good reason to praise you.” No! He looks out into the far-reaching horizon of the rest of his life and says with warmth and confidence, “Father, for the rest of my life, every fiber of my being is going to praise you!”
As I look out into the distant future, unfathomable as it is, I can say, “Father, no matter what happens, for the rest of my days, I know I will always have a million reasons to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“I will tell of all Your wonders.” You know what it’s like when something is so good, you can’t keep it to yourself? You can’t sit at home, smile sagely and just be happy – no! You grab the nearest person and shout, "Can you believe how good my life is?!" You write it in your status on Facebook and tell every person you meet...
“I will be glad and rejoice in you, I will sing praise to Your name, oh Most High!” The joy and wonder that comes from walking with God isn’t a one-off. David knew that tomorrow would be just as rich and wonderful as today, and the next day even richer and the next! Because there is no end of joy to be found in journeying with God. And so he said, I’m not only going to be thanking you from the bottom of my heart every day of the rest of my life, and telling everyone I meet about the way You blow my mind, but I know that every day of my life that is left, I’m going to be dancing and singing – full of joy in You.
How true this is! There is no end of joy to be found in God. The more I know Him and the longer I walk with Him, the fresher I feel, the more I discover, the greater my wonder, and the more exuberant my joy. I will spend all of my life loving him, praising him and laughing with joy and wonder at the unfathomable delight is mine.
Oh how happy I am, and oh how I love You, Father!!! You are everything to me. I will spend the rest of my days worshipping you, praising you and dancing with joy in your love. You are the best!!!!
06
Aug
Between God and Family...
What a day! I managed to drag myself out of bed at 5am in hopes of having a perfect morning - shower, enjoy Bible reading, study, go to work etc. etc. Not so! Once I had my shower and grabbed my laptop to enjoy devotions, I decided to quickly check my facebook, blog and email first - just quickly, you know! Over an hour later, I realised I was still browsing... I felt so foolish. Why get up early just to browse the net?
After I got over my embarrassment, though, I had a blast in Psalms 6. Before I tell you about it, though, let me tell you about a few other highlights of today. My darling little sister posted a blog on the blessings of having sisters, who are always there for you and who share everything with you... so now I'm feeling all warm and sentimental and she goes and credits me with sharing my cold with her!!
Tonight, I planned a perfect Friday evening dinner - I cooked an elaborate meal and I lit candles. Well, I call the boys to the table and my brother starts talking about today's footy game! haha Gotta love family. :-)
Now check out what an incredible Psalm I was in today!
Psalm 6
1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror,
while you, O Lord—how long?
4 Turn, O Lord, save my life;
deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief;
they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;
they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
Just briefly, I noticed that:
- David comes to God, not as a perfect saint, but as deserving of rebuke and discipline (v 1)
- He is experiencing a really rough spot, where he, a grown man, describes himself as soaking the sheets with his sobbing (v 6)
- And, where it feels like God isn't even paying attention. Notice he begs God to turn (as if he is facing away) and save him (v 4)
- But in spite of all this, David comes to God for help and he appeals to God's unfailing love as his argument - he knows the heart of his God!
- David finds courage just from bringing his troubles to God - he immediately turns to his enemies and tells them to watch out because God has heard him!
- Finally, he tells the world what God is going to do about his situation - so strong is his faith!!
I can relate to this Psalm, because no matter how messed up I feel, talking to God about it always makes me feel a ton better. Between God and family, how can I go wrong? :-)
Love you both!!
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| Happy days...! |
05
Aug
Daddy's Girl
I had an early morning today – or late! It depends on whether you routinely get up before or after 4am. Obviously, I usually get up after… (unfortunately). I needed to get up by 4 today to be ready for a 7:30 worship presentation I was rostered for. (Which funnily enough got double booked and I had the surprise pleasure of having tomorrow's speaker sitting in on my worship!)
I’m too tired to condense this morning’s psalm journal, but I can tell you I was thinking about Psalm 5:12 where it says that his favour surrounds us like a shield. What does it mean when you have won someone’s favour? It means that your special to them, doesn’t it? A favourite, in a sense.
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| My darling "baby" sister |
I sat for awhile thinking about that.
To me, it says... I’m not just a random person shuffling along from day to day. I'm a significant person to the God of the universe! I’m his girl.
Wow Father, it almost seems unbelievable, but I really am special to you. Me, myself - as an individual! I picture the smile play on your lips as you see me and you say, “There goes my girl!” and you whisper to me, “Daddy will always be here.” Well, I hear you, Father, and my heart thrills. There’s nothing else I could want - in the whole wide world! This is the best day… and I’m in love with You.
04
Aug
Love that name!
{Psalm 5:11 "Those who love your name will rejoice in you."}
I was walking to the caf with a friend when I mentioned Cherith. At the sound of Cherith’s name, my friend's eyes lit up and she said, "I love that girl!"
There's something special just in hearing the names of people that have profoundly touched my life. There aren’t too many people in this category and it takes a very deep impact for me to feel this way about someone’s name, but I do.
If I hear Wendy’s name, it always makes me smile. I can’t hear her name without saying something about how beautiful she is. She doesn't have a face to win Miss Universe (not that I do, either!), but there's a warmth and an “I care” that shines from her eyes that I think of every time I hear her name.
David speaks of God’s children as those who “love his name”. I don’t know if I could say I really loved the sound of his name a few years back... It used to make me think of all the ways I had let him down and all the things I ought to do better. But now… it makes me think of someone who cares about me, about a man who has walked my road beside me, has hugged me when I cried and has carried me when I couldn’t stand. I love his name! To me, it is Wonderful, Counsellor, Abba, Daddy, Friend, Love, Purity, Great Judge, Gentleness and Wisdom.
David prays “that those who love your name might rejoice in you…” This joy is not like a box of candy. It’s not like you open it up and go, look at this, I have this joy! Great stuff! The joy is in a person. It’s in the one who’s name I love. I find delight, wonder and joy in him. Because he's so beautiful… and because just being close to him fills me to the bursting with happiness.
Oh Daddy, your name mean so much to me. I have joy, intense brilliant, beautiful joy in you. There is nothing in the whole world like it. It’s so true that… your love is better than life!
Oh Daddy, your name mean so much to me. I have joy, intense brilliant, beautiful joy in you. There is nothing in the whole world like it. It’s so true that… your love is better than life!
04
Aug
Longing to be in his arms...
I had that dream again last night. I didn’t know who the man was, but I knew I wanted a hug. In my dream, I watched the man hold a little girl in his arms and I thought, I need that hug! I’ve had similar dreams a million times over in the past. I know that it’s not a sister hug I’m after, not a friend hug, or even a husband hug that I’m aching for… no, I want a hug where I can bury my head on a shoulder where strong arms wrap around me and hold me in a place where time stops. I guess I really want a daddy hug.
I talked to God about it in my prayer journal this morning and I told him, “When I see you, I think I want to hug you for a year! I just want to throw myself into your arms and stay there and rest… feel the warmth of your love holding me, holding my heart, be hugged closely and tenderly without impatience or anything improper. I can hardly wait."
I couldn’t write that without sobbing, wishing so desperately that it could be now. I just can’t wait to see him!
03
Aug
Dancing in His Castle
{Psalm 5:11}
Hey...! I spent a few minutes reading a random inspirational blog today and I thought, "I'd like to do that!" I find so many awe-inspiring thoughts in the Bible and it would be a whole lot of fun to share them! So... right now, I'm sitting on a train headed to a Sydney University Library to borrow some incredibly dull, but relevant books for a paper I'm writing and I SHOULD be researching. But first... here's a bit from today's inspiration. Blessings to you!
"Let all who take refuge in you be glad…" Why take refuge? From the devil? From the evil in the world? From ourselves? The verse goes on to speak of protection. And there is plenty that we need protection from! This world isn’t a safe place. But God is a safe place where anyone can find rest and absolute safety from whatever is threatening. He is a place of rest. But not of rest only! Nope! the refugees in this castle aren’t huddled in a corner, feeling petrified and claustrophobic! They are singing, shouting and dancing with joy.
And so, Father, I will rejoice in You. I'll always take refuge in You! Am I not good enough? Is the credit card debt getting to me? Are my papers overdue? Are people critical? Am I afraid I'm being a bad wife? Well, I'll just hide in YOU! In you, I find the wisdom, peace and confidence to face anything. I'm safe in You – and I'm happy!!
This is just soo true. Peace and joy blend in the most wonderful way in God. Everything is right with my world while I rest in Him. And so… why not live here? And when I fear, could it not mean that I have foolishly ventured out of my safe haven and it is time to return, rest and rejoice? Hmm…. :-)
Authoress
- Bethany
- Australia
- I'm a girl who's been captivated by the God of Abraham, David and Isaiah. I gave Him my heart when I was 17, and for years I ached for a deeper relationship. As I've journaled through Scripture, I've discovered a love that truly is better than anything else in life. This blog is a chronicle of my spiritual journey.
