Posts Tagged: psalm

Psalm 139: God’s Complete Physical

Lord, you have given me a complete physical and you know the state of my mind, body, and soul.

My daily planner lays open before you.

My thoughts are front page news as you sip your morning coffee.

When I leave for work, or shut the computer down for the night, you observe.

The bottom line, you have made my life your business.

My words are filtered through your righteousness.

and you determine their worth.

 

You have a 360 degree view–there is not a side of me hidden from you.

I don’t get a personal bubble.

I don’t understand why you are so intimately involved and I’m not sure

I want to.

 

There is no escaping your activity in my life. Your Spirit is everywhere!

Of course you are in charge of the heavens,

and I can’t find a bunker deep enough to hide from you.

I can sit in first class on American and you are there.

You are the navigator of my ship directing my course, like a

father with his child, through a sea of people I could easily be lost in.

 

Let’s face it, I can’t play pick-a-boo with You.

You are a giant flashlight illuminating my soul.

 

In fact, You sewed my soul together, in my

mother’s womb.

You hold the first 4-D image

of who I am.

And you give your stamp of approval,

who am I to argue with that!

 

When I was nothing more than a lump of clay, you

knew what I would become.

You have the first edition of my life

before a word was ever written.

 

I am eager to know your thoughts.

I do not have a databank

large enough to contain them.

That you choose to share your plans

with me when I awake, amazing!

 

So why do my enemies come between us!

Please remove them, I can’t stop thinking about

their threats and schemes.

Haven’t I obeyed you, and they have not.

Ultimately I know their fight is with you.

When they stand against me, they stand

against you.

 

We are back to the beginning. Since You know me so well, you know

that I fear how strong my enemy seems. If there is anything that offends you remove

it so that you stay my companion forever.

 

 

Praising the Lord is not Pie in the Sky Mentality

Psalm 34:1-3

1I will extol the Lord at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

2I will glory in the Lord;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3Glorify the Lord with me;

let us exalt his name together.

There is something amazing that happens when I extol the Lord in the midst of my affliction. My whole demeanor and outlook change. I have shifted from the impossible to all things are possible with God. Extol means  to “lift up”. Good grief, I do not feel like lifting up anything or any one in the midst of my sorrow! I feel like shaking my fists at God and saying why did you take my son. I feel like ripping down others. I cannot tolerate God, others or myself.

When I extol, praise, glorify, rejoice, and exalt the character of God, I am acknowledging that he gave me his son! I am remembering that my hope lies in Him alone. I am recalling to mind all that he has done for me. Extol is not a pie in the sky mentality, it is an in the trenches, my circumstances suck, but I have a resource like no other discipline! David is praising God in this Psalm, in the aftermath of pretending that he was crazy to escape Abimelech. David wasn’t on his throne living the good life when he spoke these words; he was running for his life.

The Latin word for extol is tollere, which is also where we get our word tolerate. I can tolerate so much more in the light of God’s love for me, his sacrifice, and his perfect will for my life. I will extol the Lord at all times!

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