A View From The Sycamore Tree: For Me

Saturday, April 3, 2010

For Me - Psalm 118 (part 1)

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Oh let Israel say,

'His lovingkindness is everlasting.'

Oh let the house of Aaron say,

'His lovingkindness is everlasting.'

Oh let those who fear the LORD say,

'His lovingkindness is everlasting.'

From my distress I called upon the LORD;

the LORD answered me

and set me in a large place.

The LORD is for me; I will not fear;

what can man do to me?

The LORD is for me among those who help me;

therefore I shall look with satisfaction

on those who hate me.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in princes."

(Psalm 118:1-9)

Here in Psalm 118 David is continuing his themes of love for God, praise to God, and thanksgiving for His marvelous mercies. In verses 1-4 he is celebrating the greatness of God's goodness and the eternality of God's lovingkindness. Not only is he celebrating but he is spurring others to join him in the celebration. "Come on Israel, house of Aaron and all of you who fear the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

David understands God's goodness and lovingkindness first-hand. His entire life is an Ebenezer of those things. In his distress he called out to God and the Lord answered him and set him in a large place (vs 5). David had a need and God more than met that need. He did much more than David was able to even ask or imagine. He "set him in a large place." David had drunk deeply of difficulty and each chalice of suffering caused him to taste and savor more and more of the goodness of God. What difficulties are you having to swallow this day? Are you crying out to the good and everlastingly lovingkind God as David did? In His way and in His time He will answer you and set you in a large place. Trust Him and thank Him.

Trust Him and thank Him because as your good and lovingkind God He has promised that He is for you. Do you hear that? GOD IS FOR YOU oh suffering saint!! All hell may be against you. All of fallen man may rail at you. All of the redeemed yet still sinful saints may hurl insults at you. It matters not because GOD IS FOR YOU!

"The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" What precious words. What a grand promise. God is on my side. And as Paul has proclaimed:

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? ... But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:31-37)

Beloved, let us not fear for "perfect love casts out fear" (1 Jn 4:18) and God has loved us perfectly!! Those who hate us are not greater than Him who loves us.

Rest in Him. Rest in His goodness and lovingkindness. Rest in the refuge of His goodness and mercy. They shall surely follow you all the days of your life (Ps 23:6). With David may we recognize that "it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes."

May He help us to give thanks for His marvelously divine character which is "for us". And may we rest in Him who alone is our safety our surety and our song!

In His glorious goodness,

Lori

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Here We Go!

This is a blog about the goodness and grace of God, even amidst the angst of autism.

So ... how did this whole thing start?

Well, I said I'd never do this but obviously here I am. After being challenged, encouraged, goaded and double dog dared, several years ago I began to blog.

Near the end of 2008, I found myself with renewed passion for God's Word, Kingdom, and people and I was stirred, through nothing other than the simple means of grace, to a hunger and thirsting for righteousness unlike any other time in my 20+ years as a Christian.

During that period, I began typing out the things that were striking me the most in my quiet time each morning. Honestly, I started because I wanted to have a written record that I could pass along to my children one day - lettered Ebenezers reminding them of how much their Mom loves God and His Word.

While doing that I found myself so excited on certain days that I began to email my musings to some of my girl friends, hoping to encourage them even as Christ was encouraging me. Many of those gals challenged me to put these things online in a blog form so others could have access to them. That's how this site started.

Now, to shoot really straight with you, that personal "revival" of mine has pendumatically ebbed and flowed over the course of the days, months and years since 2008. For a prolonged period after that initial renewing surge I actually found myself in an utterly antithetical place. God, in His wisdom, was pleased to grant me a substantial season in the dark dungeon of "doubting castle" - those days were some of the hardest of my life post-Jesus but were providentially ordained days ultimately used for my good and for my God's glory.

"Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come" by nothing but the amazing grace of an amazing God.

I've learned that even in the midst of the darkest of days there's just something about the light of God's Word that is powerful. The Scripture has been an anchor for me in the storm surge of life. Even when my eyes have seemed to be rather veiled and my vision somewhat dimmed, there has still been a re-focusing force that has risen when I have gazed long and hard upon the Word of God. Thus, even as a saint who struggles, I continue to write of my God, my Redeemer, His promises, and His truth.

I'm not always very regular at posting here because there are many more important duties in my life right now than blog uploads - ie. being wife, mom, housekeeper, cook, taxi service, chief bottle washer, and laundry lady - along with that music thing I do as a side gig! But, as time allows I'll be cutting and pasting from Joshua and Elizabeth's future journal gift and sharing some of it with you as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Who's Doing This?

Lori Sealy is daily amazed at the grace of God in her life. Adopted as an infant and raised in an evangelical church, she rebelled against the things of Christ during high school and considered herself an atheist. Upon entering college, the God who ordains our steps ordained that her path would cross with several students who loved Christ and loved His Word. During that first year of college, she set out to destroy the faith of these young Christians. They set out to pray for her salvation.

Knowing that "faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ," six college students daily confronted her sin and challenged her with the truths of God's glorious Word. Their obedience in proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Christ bore fruit in August of 1988 when by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, she was adopted for the second time in her life - this time into the family of God.

Lori is now the wife of Phillip Sealy. They live in Sylva, North Carolina where Phillip has been called to plant a new church for the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) - Redeemer Church Sylva. The Sealys have two children Joshua (14) and Elizabeth (12). Lori and Joshua both live with autism.

In her spare time (what little there is) Lori masquerades as a part-time songwriter/singer and performs on a limited monthly basis. Lori's newest CD, "The Strife is Over," has recently released. Hard copies of it, along with her last release "Begone Unbelief", are available through CD Baby and Lori's own website. Digital downloads are available through iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon mp3!

Be sure to visit http://www.lorisealy.com/ to learn more!

Why the Sycamore Tree?

Zaccheus, the wee little man, wanted to see Jesus and so he climbed into the sycamore tree in order to get a good look. Lori, the wee little wife and mom, longs to see Jesus as well. I realize that the place where I will catch a true glimpse of Him is in the pages of His Word.

The Bible is my sycamore tree and I find myself longing more and more to climb up into its branches that I might see Christ more clearly. This blog is simply a record of what God is teaching me as I spend time in "the tree" of His glorious Word. If anyone reads it I'll be amazed; if anyone profits from it I'll be humbled; and if anything good is found in it Soli Deo Gloria!