My Week

Emotionally, this has been one of the more difficult weeks for me. I cannot identify any specific reason other than that the deceiver has been busy. My response to that thought repeatedly has been “greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world.” This morning as I awoke early thinking about the past week, I reviewed each day and how the Lord both spoke to me through His word and through several of His choice servants who stopped to chat, called, sent a note or invted me for a meal. I wrote out a list for each day and the blessings they held. I could not believe how frequent those contacts were throughout the week and how often I had taken them for granted.

Several readings in Indeed this week took their topic from Psalm 34 which has caused me to reread the Psalm several times when I could not sleep. I believe that I am beginning to “hear” what God is trying to say to me through His Word.

“I will praise the LORD at all times, I will constantly speak his praises.” (vs. 1) The author challenges us to imagine what would happen if we let every thought and every breath bless God, reminding us that; “Underlying everything we go through and every responsibility we’re given is the loving hand of a God who is leading us closer to Himself.”

“Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy.” (vs. 5a) Some thoughts from this encouraging Psalm were that its promises are extravagant, its message comforting and its priorities our pattern: “We are to praise God first, seek Him second, and then look to Him in gratitude and love.”

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!” (vs. 8) I liked the thought that when we are in a desperate situation – relational, economic, physical or spiritual and we call out to God, we’re worshiping! The author reminds us that; “In our depths, His heights are more visible. In our depravity, His righteousness shines brighter. In our poverty, His riches are so much more appreciated that they ever would have been otherwise.”

“The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.” (vs. 17) The author says “He (God) wants to deliver us from the internal captivity we face – the emotional anguish, the sense of dread, the worries about our future, the idols that we clutch…We know God better than to think He’s obsessed about our circumstances without giving attention to our hearts. The heart is where He delivers first. The circumstances almost always follow afterward.”

Hopefully that gives you a brief picture of where my thoughts have been traveling during the week, making my heart stronger, I trust, for the next challenge.

You each are a great encouragement to me. I thank God for you! I continue to pray for you and for your specific needs that I am aware of.

Have a blessed weekend and new week!

Love to each one of you,

Chuck