Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Psalm 52, Psalm 57, Psalm 142, Luke 22:24-46
I love the Psalms. I love the praise and worship and self-awareness that all happens in Psalms. I love how the Psalms praise our great and mighty God of love but also contrast it to us remaining in Him.
Psalm 52:8-9
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.
I love this passage. There is so much power there! "I will hope in your name, for your name is good". So true, right?! We will never be left disappointed if we are hoping in the Name of God. We may not understand our directions and journeys in life, but if we hope in HIS name, we can always be assured that it will be good.
Psalm 142 is all about crying out to God. Just as Pamela said yesterday - there WILL be hardships in our life - that is a guarantee, but "Stand firm and you will win life" Luke 21:19. I see Psalm 142 the practical steps of standing firm in the middle of hardships.
1 "I cry aloud to the LORD"
2 "I pour out before him"
5" I cry to you, LORD"
6 "Listen to my cry"
What an incredible blessing that we can cry out to our Lord and Maker and He will hear our cry. So although we WILL be persecuted and experience hardship, we have the absolute opportunity to pour ourselves before our Father.
7 Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of your goodness to me.
Father God, I pray today that our first reaction to hardships in our lives will be to pour ourselves into you. I pray we can flourish in our hope that your will in our lives will always be for good. Thank you Father for always, always hearing our cries and setting us free from whatever prisons surround us.
Tomorrow's passage (Tuesday's post on Monday's passage): 1 Samuel 22, Psalm 56, Luke 22:1-23
5 comments:
Our reaction to our hardships is the key. We can bring our pain to God, or we can let it turn us away from Him. That choice will have two drastically different outcomes!
That last verse you quote really stood out for me, too ~ "the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me."
To me, this says a couple of things. Firstly, that we need to share how God has blessed us, how we've seen His handiwork in our lives, so that we can encourage and inspire other believers.
Secondly, we need to love hearing these reports from other Christians. We need to gather 'round them and praise God together when they experience His goodness.
Thirdly, we need to keep clinging to Him, praising Him through all circumstances (including our "prison times") so that we grow spiritually and get to experience His amazing goodness in order that we have something to share with others, especially in times when they may be going through similar experiences.
God's goodness in our lives is supposed to draw others to Himself THROUGH us, so we need to let His goodness BE KNOWN!!!
Just noticed that you posted about tomorrow's passage instead of today's ;) I will post on today's passage tomorrow, and it will all be sorted out!
Ok, I really messed things up didn't I?! Thanks for picking up after me... ;)
No worries - I messed it up first. And it all worked out in the end ;)
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