Pleaser - Galatians 1:10

"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?

Or am I striving to please men?

If I were still trying to please men,

I would not be a bond servant of Christ."

(Galatians 1:10)

Man pleaser or God pleaser? 
     Where do we fall? 
          Which side do we land on?

Quite often it is a real battle. Am I living for the approval and accolades of people or am I living for the glory of God and the good of His kingdom?

Our right or wrong understanding of the gospel may play a key role in which side of the line we find ourselves standing on.

For me personally, there is often a conflict between the two.

The apostle Paul, here in verse 10, points us to the type of pleaser we should be and the gospel of grace truly is the hinge pin for it all.

Swift to Swoon from Gospel Grace: A Warning to Hearers and Heralds - Galatians 1:6-9

"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which really is not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."(Galatians 1:6-9)

Look out folks. Paul ain't playin'!!


He has heralded the grace and peace that are ours in Christ. He has held forth the glorious good news that Christ Jesus gave Himself for our sins. He has trumpeted the hope of deliverance from this present evil age that is granted to all those who trust in our sufficient Savior. And he has humbly stood amazed at how quickly we forget these things that have so radically changed our lives.


Spiritual dementia seems a common plague from time to time for the people of God. Stealthily concealed gospel deception seems a common ploy of the arch-enemy of God. We'll glance at both of these things.

How To Help a Wandering Sheep - Galatians 1:6

"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting

Him who called you by the grace of Christ,

for a different gospel..."

(Galatians 1:6)

Do you have friends or family that are wandering outside the safety of green pastures and grazing in the desert lands? Maybe you yourself are tempted to stray outside of the guardrails of grace and to roam in the realm of the rebel. Either way, Paul has a message for us this morning from Galatians. It is a message I needed to hear this day. It is a word regarding how we need to react to struggling sinners and wandering sheep.

Delivered - Galatians 1:4 (part 2)

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father,

and the Lord Jesus Christ,

who gave Himself for our sins,

that He might deliver us out of this present evil age,

according to the will of our God and Father,

to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen."

(Galatians 1:3-5)

Real grace and true peace are gifts that come from the Father, through the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins and He gave Himself with a real and tangible purpose - He came to deliver us! He didn't simply give His life as an ethereal portrait of love and grace and peace and sacrifice and deliverance. No, He gave His life to actually free us from our captivity. Christ is the conquering Captain and the rescuing Redeemer. He came and He accomplished that which He came for.


Jesus the Son of God became the Son of Man "that He might deliver us out of this present evil age." He came to deliver us. Is deliverance yours? Are you conquered by Christ or still controlled by the captor of this present evil age? It is an important question to consider.

"This present world is an evil world and it has become so by the sin of man."  (Matthew Henry).

We live in a fallen world.

You know that.

You see that.

It is a world, that though glorious in many ways, is tainted with sin at every turn.

There is a hint of sorrow and sadness even in the greatest blessings that this life has to offer.

Flowers fade.

Friends fail.

Laughter languishes.

Existence is eventually extinguished.

He Gave Himself For Our Sins - Galatians 1:4

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father,

and the Lord Jesus Christ,

who gave Himself for our sins,

that He might deliver us out of this present evil age,

according to the will of our God and Father,

to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen!"

(Galatians 1:3-5)

Grace and peace. Do you long for them? They are ours if we are Christ's. Peace comes from grace and grace comes from Jesus. One flows from the other.


Saving grace is the one necessary pre-requisite for lasting peace. The Lord Jesus came to this fallen world and lived the perfect life that we could not and died the death that our sins deserved. He rose again from the grave that we might not fear the grave. In His propitiatory act, and in that act alone, will we find the grace we need and the peace we long for.

Paul is going to drive that point home in Galatians 1:3-4. I hope to drive it home along with him.


Grace and peace come from Christ "who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen."


Oh, where to begin? How glorious are all of the words before us!!


Paul, in this epistle, will be consistent in his mantra of God's grace.
Peace and deliverance are not found in what we "do".
We will never work our way there.
It is not in our grappling and grasping that we attain it.
It is in His gracious giving.
Peace and deliverance are found in Christ's gracious gift of Himself!! 
Is His gift yours?

Grace & Peace - Galatians 1:3

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father,

and the Lord Jesus Christ,

who gave Himself for our sins,

that He might deliver us out of this present evil age,

according to the will of our God and Father,

to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen."

(Galatians 1:3-5)

So, a new blog series begins this morning. After several weeks of roosting in the Psalms I now turn my devotional attention to the book of Galatians. Galatians- the epistle which so clearly directs our attention to a salvation based on grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone. This is the book of justification by faith and the book which describes the freedom that is ours because of what our gracious Savior has done.


I'll never spend enough time gazing at this glorious grace - nor will you! Mercy is a thing we should marvel at and meditate on more and more and the wise apostle Paul intends to help us do just that over the course of these 6 chapters.


Paul, as he always does, begins his letter with grace and peace.

Accomplishing What Concerns Me - Psalm 138 (part 3)

"I will give Thee thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to Thee before the gods.

I will bow down toward Thy holy temple,

and give thanks to Thy name

for Thy loving-kindness and Thy truth;

for Thou hast magnified Thy word

according to all Thy name....

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

Thou wilt revive me;

Thou wilt stretch forth Thy hand

against the wrath of my enemies,

and Thy hand will accomplish what concerns me;

Thy loving-kindness, O LORD is everlasting;

Do not forsake the works of Thy hands."

(Psalm 138:1-2, 7-8)

This is the final section of Psalm 138 and the last in this group of psalms of hallelujah. This psalm of David encourages us - as do all the hallelujah psalms - to thanksgiving and praise. In the opening verses we are challenged to give wholehearted thanksgiving ("with all my heart") and whole-worldly praise ("before the gods"). There is no part of us that should not be worshipful and there is no place where we should not be worshipping! As has so often been the case in these psalms, the glorious loving-kindness and tested truth of our God are held before us as a grand catalyst for all of these things.


In the next group of verses we were exhorted to become humble humans and not haughty ones! "For though the LORD is exalted, yet He regards the lowly; but the haughty He knows from afar."


Pride goeth before a fall.
Humility is a guarantee of grace.


This morning, in the final two verses of the psalm we are reminded of the care that God takes for His precious people in the midst of awful affliction and of His providential dealings to make them more Christ-like in the process.

Regarded Near or Known Afar? - Psalm 138 (part 2)

"I will give Thee thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to Thee before the gods.

I will bow down toward Thy holy temple,

and give thanks to Thy name

for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth;

for Thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name.

On the day I called Thou didst answer me;

Thou didst make me bold with strength in my soul.

All the kings of the earth will give thanks to Thee, O LORD,

when they have heard the words of Thy mouth.

And they will sing of the ways of the LORD.

For great is the glory of the LORD.

For though the LORD is exalted, yet He regards the lowly;

but the haughty He knows from afar.

(Psalm 138:1-6)

With All My Heart - Psalm 138 (part 1)

"I will give Thee thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to The before the gods.

I will bow down toward Thy holy temple,

and give thanks to Thy name

for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth.

For Thou hast magnified Thy word

according to all Thy name.

On the day I called Thou didst answer me;

Thou didst make me bold with strength in my soul.

(Psalm 138:1-3)

David is determined.

He's determined to give thanks.

He's determined to sing praise.

He's determined to worship.

AND, he's determined to do it with all of his heart!


David WILL give thanks to his God and he will do it with all that is within him. Half-hearted part praise just won't cut it. It is the great God whom we worship and He is worthy of our everything! He is worthy of our ALL!


David "would praise God with sincerity and zeal, with that which is within and with ALL that is within. He would praise God with inward impressions agreeing with outward expressions." (Matthew Henry)

Remembered and Redeemed - Psalm 136 (part 5)

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

for His lovingkindness is everlasting....

Who remembered us in our low estate,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

and has rescued us from our adversaries,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

who gives food to all flesh,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks tot he God of heaven,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

(Psalm 136: 1, 23-26)

So, we come to the end of Psalm 136. We have, thus far, been reminded to thank God for His wonderful character and for His sovereign rule. Those things are practically displayed in His care over creation, His power over persecutors, and His lavishing of a land upon His chosen children.


This morning, the final two sections of the Psalm fall out. In them, we are encouraged to give thanks to the Lord - the good Lord - because we see His everlasting loving-kindness displayed in our redemption and in His daily provision. Good reason, eh?


Friends stop and think about it, we were not born noble but notorious.

Give Thanks to the God of the Nations - Psalm 136 (part 4)

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

for His lovingkindness is everlasting....

To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

and brought Israel out from their midst,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

and made Israel pass through the midst of it,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

but He overthrew Pharoah and his army in the Red Sea,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who led His people through the wilderness,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who smote great kings,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

and slew mighty kings,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting:

Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

And Og, king of Bashan,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

and gave their land as a heritage,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

even a heritage to Israel His servant,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

(Psalm 136:1, 10-22)

This next section of Psalm 136 contains much - MUCH that should encourage the heart of a believer and press him to praise!! Here we see the greatness of our God as the King of kings. Here we see His power in preserving His people and in pummeling their persecutors.


Are you living in fear of the "Pharaohs" this day?
Are you doubting your ability to conquer Canaan?
Well then, don't just glance but gaze deeply at this section of Psalm 136.

Everlasting Mercy Seen in the Created World - Psalm 136 (part 3)

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

for His lovingkindness is everlasting....

To Him who alone does great wonders,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

to Him who made the heavens with skill,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

to Him who spread out the earth above the waters,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

to Him who made the great lights,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

the sun to rule by day,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

the moon and stars to rule by night,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

(Psalm 136:1, 5-9)

For the past two posts I've been slowly stopping to savor the encouragements to praise and thanksgiving that are found here in Psalm 136. First, we are moved to grateful devotion due to the wonderfully repetitive reality of God's everlasting loving-kindness - which just keeps giving and giving and giving. Second, we are moved to reverent thanksgiving simply because of who our God is - Jehovah, the good God, the God of all gods, the Lord of all lords.


Let us give thanks - continually - to this glorious God!!


Verses 5-9 contain the next classified grouping in this psalm. As verses 1-3 pressed us to praise the Lord for the greatness and goodness of His character so the rest of the psalm will press us to praise Him for His deeds.

Thanking God for Who He Is - Psalm 136 (part 2)

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

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

(Psalm 136:1-3)

We have MUCH to be thankful for. God's loving-kindness towards us is everlasting. His mercies are new every morning. His faithfulness is great. Bottom line - HE is great and therefore greatly to be praised!


In these first three verses of Psalm 136 the writer of this poetically repetitive hallelujah psalm points us to the character of God as one of the catalysts for thankful praise.

We are to give thanks to God not only for what He does but at an even more basic level for who He intrinsically is.

Friends, if God did NOTHING for us He would still be worthy of EVERYTHING from us. He is God! We are not. There is a great distinction between the Creator and the creature and we have been created by Him and for Him. Let us therefore give Him praise!

He is God - and He is a glorious God as the writer of psalm 136 will show us.

A Prelude to Thanksgiving - Psalm 136

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

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who alone does great wonders,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

to Him who made the heavens with skill,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

to Him who spread out the earth above the waters,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

to Him who made the great lights,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting:

the sun to rule by day,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

the moon and stars to rule by night,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

(Psalm 136:1-9)

This is a psalm of thanksgiving. (Kind of obvious, eh?!) It is a hallelujah of gratitude for who God is and for what He has done. We have much to thank Him for and just in case we are suffering from some form of Ebenezer amnesia the psalm writer is about to jog our memories.


In these 26 verses (of which I am only going to give a brief intro to this morning) we will be reminded of the greatness of God in and of Himself,of His creative and sustaining power over the entire universe, of His role as Israel's God and Savior and King, of His condescending act of redeeming us from our hopeless and helpless estate, and of His never-ceasing beneficence. He is a good God, a great God, a gracious God, and a giving God. Won't you give thanks with me?


There is a repetitive phrase used very effectively in this particular hymn of thanks:

"for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

Just in case you were wondering, it is used 26 times in 26 verses - I think this everlasting lovingkindness is a point that our lyricist wants to drive home!!

Dead Idols & a Living God - Psalm 135 (part 3)

"Praise the LORD!...

The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,

the work of man's hands.

They have mouths, but they do not speak;

they have eyes, but they do not see;

they have ears, but they do not hear;

nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.

Those who make them will be like them,

yes, everyone who trusts in them.

O house of Israel, bless the LORD;

O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;

O house of Levi, bless the LORD;

you who revere the LORD, bless the LORD.

Blessed be the LORD from Zion,

who dwells in Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD!

(Psalm 135:1, 15-21)

In this first "hallelujah" psalm we've been pressed to meditate on the goodness and beauty and greatness of the God who has called us out as His own prized possession. We've been urged to praise Him for who He is and for what He has done. Here our attention is drawn to the vain things that natural men often naturally worship. There is truly no comparison.


John Calvin has said that our hearts are idol factories and in that statement he has spoken well. While, in our current culture, we may not manufacture quite as many tangible vessels of idolatry - I haven't noticed a "get your statue of Dagon" stand here in my own small burg (not yet) - we most certainly are constantly in the business of making heart idols left and right.


We worship ourselves, our friends, our toys, our desires, our labors, our reputations - on and on and on they go. Yes, our hearts are idol factories and the product that they are producing isn't up to par.

The Greatness of the Good God - Psalm 135 (part 2)

"Praise the LORD!...

For I know that the LORD is great,

and that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,

in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.

He causes vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;

Who makes lightnings for the rain;

Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

He smote the firstborn of Egypt,

both of man and beast.

He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,

under Pharoah and all his servants.

He smote many nations,

and slew mighty kings,

Sihon, king of Bashan,

and all the kingdoms of Canaan;

and He gave their land as a heritage,

a heriatage to Israel His people.

Thy name, O LORD, is everlasting,

Thy remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations.

For the LORD will judge His people,

and will have compassion on His servants."

(Psalm 135:1, 5-14)

We, the chosen people and prized possession of God, have been told to praise the good and lovely God. Here, in verses 5-14, we are extolled to praise the greatness of this good God.


Yes, our God is good. He is kind and His mercies are new every morning. But He is not merely some jovial old grandpa pouring forth blessings upon His children. No, our good God is a GREAT God. Mighty in power. Sovereign in all things. He "is above all gods and whatever He pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps."


Henry sums it up this way:

"The Lord is great, great indeed, who knows no limits of time or place. He has an absolute power, and may do with it what He will. This absolute almighty power is of universal extent; He does what He will in heaven, in earth, in the sea, and in all the deep place that are in the bottom of the sea or the bowels of the earth."

God is great and greatly to be praised. Hallelujah!


The psalmist not only arbitrarily claims the greatness of our God, he goes on to give instances and examples of His great power. He does so in "the kingdom of nature" and in "the kingdoms of men".

Hallelujah!! - Psalm 135 (part 1)

"Praise the LORD!

Praise the name of the LORD;

praise Him, O servants of the LORD,

you who stand in the house of the LORD,

in the courts of the house of our God!

Praise the LORD for the LORD is good;

sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,

Israel for His own possession."

(Psalm 135:1-4)

Psalm 135 begins the final contextual group of psalms in God's hymnbook. The previous group (120-134) is known as the psalms of ascent. These (135ff) are the psalms of praise. Matthew Henry refers to them as the "hallelujah psalms" - I like that!


Each of these begins with a hallelujah and ends with a hallelujah and in between they are full of the reasons why we should shout hallelujah to our great God.


Henry says that hallelujah is the "alpha and omega" of each of these songs. How I pray that examining these hymns of Zion would move me to make praise the alpha and omega of my songs and of my life!

Bless the Lord / Be Blessed By Him - Psalm 134

"Behold, bless the LORD,

all servants of the LORD,

who serve by night in the house of the LORD!

Lift up your hands to the sanctuary,

and bless the LORD.

May the LORD bless you from Zion,

He who made heaven and earth."

(Psalm 134)

This morning I come to the final Psalm of ascent. I'll miss these. This last one is a short one, but it says plenty. It speaks of blessing God and being blessed by Him. Glance with me at these 3 short verses and at the three points I have derived from them.


1. The ascenting psalmist begins with a call for ALL of the servants of the Lord to bless the Lord.

"Behold, bless the LORD, all servants of the LORD,

who serve by night in the house of the LORD!"

In the cultural context it is a call to the Levitical priests who served during the night watches of temple time to bless the name of Jehovah. It encourages them to speak well of their God - is He deserving of any other type of speech?

Unity - Precious and Profitable - Psalm 133

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

for brothers to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,

coming down upon the beard,

even Aaron's beard,

coming down on the edge of his robes.

It is like the dew of Hermon,

coming down upon the mountains of Zion;

for there the LORD commanded the blessing -

life forever."

(Psalm 133)

There is nothing less harmonious than a quarrel. There is nothing more melodious than unity. This is a psalm about the beauty of a song sung together in unison. These words speak of the precious and profitable nature of true communion with the saints.


David is speaking on the excellence of brotherly love. He says, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity!!" This is a GOOD thing. This is a pleasant thing. This should be a desired thing.


Is it?
Are we living with the fellow followers of Christ in this manner?
Are we united or divided?
Are we seeking to mend the breaches or striving to tear down those things which should bind us together?

Weaned from Wandering in Worldly Wonder - Psalm 131

"O LORD, my heart is not proud,

nor my eyes haughty;

nor do I involve myself in great matters,

or in things too difficult for me.

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child rests against its mother,

my soul is like a weaned child within me.

O Israel, hope in the LORD

from this time forth and forever."

(Psalm 131)

Over the course of the past two weeks I have been utterly amazed at the timing of landing here in the Psalms of ascent. Just being flat out honest - life has been dark for me recently - blindingly dark. As, I shared in my last post, the previous psalm in many ways is the psalm of the past 13 months for me. I have been in the depths - deep depths! I have cried out to God for mercy - at times uncertain of whether He was even there to hear. I have been made painfully aware of my sinfulness and have seen His merciful lovingkindness poured out to me where His wrath should have gushed forth! I have been made to wait upon the Lord - for quite some time and while waiting I have hoped in His Word. The lessons I have learned in that precious Word - many of which have flown off of my fingers onto this blog - have truly been an anchor for a soul that has been so violently adrift at sea. My friends, Lori Sealy has been in the midst of a spiritual war of epic proportions and I have, by grace - by NOTHING but grace - been kept in this overwhelming flood and have been enabled to wait and watch for His redeeming rescue.


My Redeemer has come! The Psalms of ascent - the Psalms of those who sing on their way to worship their Redeemer - have truly been my Psalms. At this moment in my life I own these words, by sheer grace and by perfectly planned providence. Today is no exception. Today is, yet again, the cry of my heart and the testimony of my circumstance. Several particulars grabbed me as I meditated this day.

Out of the Depths / Into Redemption - Psalm 130

"Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O LORD.

Lord, hear my voice!

Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

If Thou, LORD, shouldst mark iniquities, O LORD,

who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with Thee,

that Thou mayest be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,

and in His word do I hope.

My soul waits for the LORD

more than the wathcmen for the morning;

indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD;

for with the LORD there is lovingkindness,

and with Him is abundant redemption.

And He will redeem Israel from all iniquities."

(Psalm 130)

I must admit that this psalm made this sinner smile this morning. It is a psalm that resonates as real in my life. It has been my prayer. It has been my lot. It has been my hope. It is my certainty.

For 13 months I have cried out of the depths for God to hear my voice. He has often appeared silent. More often than that I have often appeared stubbornly deaf! Over the course of the past 2 weeks He has seen fit to pull me out of the depths and to put me radically back into the arms of redeeming grace. I am overwhelmed at His mercies to me. This psalm, in so many ways, is a mirror of my recent days.

In these eight verses we see the cry of the afflicted, the reality of their sin, the promise of forgiveness to the repentant, the need for patient perseverance while in the trial, the rule of God's word as our guide in the darkness, the lovingkind character of our God even when all would say it is not so, and the declared fact of abundant redemption - that is ultimately ours in Christ. Wow! There is much here.

First, the psalmist is in deep waters. "Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O LORD." He is surrounded and sinking. "The best men may sometimes be in the depths, in great trouble and affliction" (Henry).

Second, in these deep waters he cries out to His God. "Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let Thine ear be attentive to the voice of my supplications." Sinking times must be praying times!!

"In the greatest depths, it is our privilege that we may cry unto God and be heard. To cry out to God is the likeliest way both to prevent our sinking lower and to recover us out of the pit." (Henry)

Are we overwhelmed by deep waters? Let us, with the psalm writer, cry out to the Lord!

Third, let us always recognize our sinfulness. "If Thou, LORD, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" Folks, friends, fellow failers... do we have any idea just how wretched we are left to ourselves? There is NOTHING good in us - save Christ. All of our most righteous deeds are but filthy rags - the MOST righteous ones - and if God were to treat us as our sins deserve we would be decimated in the dust. But...

Fourth, let us always remember the mercies of our God. "But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared."

Summing up these two points Mr. Henry writes:

"We cannot justify ourselves before God or plead 'not guilty.' If God were to deal with us in strict justice, we would be undone. It is of His mercy that we are not consumed by His wrath. It is our unspeakable comfort, in approaches to God, that there is forgiveness with Him,for that is what we need."

How true...how marvelously true. I read these words and my heart both weeps and leaps. My sin is obvious to me. It is ever before me. The battle with it is real. Equally true - no, more powerfully true - is the mercy of my Master towards me. The Holy One has looked upon me and has lavished me with lovingkindness. He has seen my sin. He has sent my Savior. He has forgiven me and I am now enabled to stand, clothed in Christ's righteousness. Ain't it grand?!?! Ain't it gloriously grand?!?!?!

Fifth, we must wait upon the Lord. "I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait." Sinking times should be praying times and praying times are often waiting times. Patience is a virture that is most frequently developed in the school of affliction. Sanctification is not a microwave meal. There is no "easy" button. There is no quick fix. There is the long haul -therefore, wait upon the Lord.

Henry writes:

"I wait for the Lord; from Him I expect relief and comfort, believing it will come, longing till it does come, but patiently bearing the delay of it, and resolving to look for it from no other hand."

Sixth, we must fix upon His word. "And in His word do I hope." His word is the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path that will guide us through the murky darkness. It alone is our rule of faith and life and upon that firm foundation we must build our house of hope.

"We must hope for that only which He has promised in His word, and not for the creatures of our own fancy and imagination." (Henry)

Seventh, we must watch while we wait and we must watch with expectance! "My soul waits for the LORD, more than the watchmen for the morning; indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning." When in the depths we often watch out for the waves more than for the Maker of them. Peter walked on the water as long as His eyes were on Christ. He sunk when he stopped watching. How true it is of us as well. We need to watch for our Helper. He will come - right on time - and pull us from the dark and dank depths.

I love the comparison with those who watch for the morning. Morning dawns. We know it is coming. Even so - honestly, more so - the morning of our redemption from the pit is coming. This picture presses us to be confident in the coming of our conquering Captain.

The psalmist is in essence saying:

"Well-assured that the morning will come; so am I that God will return in mercy to me, for God's covenant is more firm than the ordinances of day and night, for they shall come to an end, but the covenant is everlasting!" (Henry)

Eighth, our hope will not be disappointed. "O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is lovingkindness, and with Him there is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."

What more can be said than is said in these verses?

Are you in deep waters? Pray! Cry out to the One who can hear you over the crashing waves and the howling winds. Cry out to Him recognizing your sins and the just consequences for them. Cry out to Him knowing that He is a merciful and forgiving God who longs to lavish His lovingkindness upon us. Wait as you cry - wait on His timing and not your own. Wait in the Word - let it be chart to keep you from being lost on the stormy sea. Wait with expectancy KNOWING that morning will dawn at exactly the right moment. Wait - for your conquering King is coming in abundant redemption. What more could we ask for?

After 13 months of drowning in the sea of forgetfulness. After a little over a year of hanging on to hope by a thread - a tattered and torn thread - I have seen the abundant redemption of the LORD poured out upon me - a sinner who cannot stand on her own. But - He has made me stand. He is making me to walk on the water with Him - the very water that pulled me under on my own.

Watch and pray, my friends. Watch and pray - redemption will raise you from the depths!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Plowing Persecuters Don't Prevail. Praising People Do! - Psalm 129

"'Many times they have persecuted me

from my youth up,' let Israel now say,

'Many times they have persecuted me

from my youth

yet they have not prevailed against me.

The plowers plowed upon my back;

they lengthened their furrows.'

The LORD is righteous;

He has cut in two the cords of the wicked.

May all who hate Zion,

be put to shame and turned backward,

let them be like grass upon the housetops,

which withers before it grows up;

with which the reaper does not fill his hand,

or the binder of sheaves his bosom;

nor do those who pass by say,

'The blessing of the LORD be upon you;

we bless you in the name of the LORD.'"

(Psalm 129)

"The church of God has been often greatly distressed by its enemies on earth. God's people have always had many enemies, and the state of the church, from its infancy, has frequently been an afflicted state."

So begin Mr. Henry's comments on Psalm 129. This is a psalm about persecution. It is a psalm that speaks of the enemies of God's people, of their actions against Zion, and of God's actions against them!

You who are counted among the beloved Israel of God on this day, are you being hounded by the hoardes of hell? Are those who hate your Father pursuing you, His child? Take comfort in this psalm. There is much hope found in its contents and there is much hope found even in its context - for this psalm is a song of ascent as have been the 10 previous psalms. This psalm about the persecuting plows of the wicked is a psalm that the church of old sang on its way to worship. May we be moved to worship as we examine it - not matter who is striving to stop us!!

Here Israel is encouraged to speak as one man - this psalm is personal because their persecution (while corporate) has been personal. They have been trampled upon - each of them. They have been pursued - every one of them. They have been taken captive - all of them. It is not difficult for them to look at their circumstances and to speak personally - as one man. It is true, "many times they have persecuted ME from my youth up."

The psalmist tells us that "the plowers have plowed upon my back; they lengthened their furrows."

This is descriptive language, poetic language, picturesque language. Their enemies have sought their destruction through harsh and painful means. They have set upon them as a farmer would a field. They have put the plow to the body and soul of these folks and have sought to tear them asunder. If they could have their way they would rip Israel to pieces, limb by limb. They want to demorilize them. They want to demolish them. They want to decimate them!

Yes, things have been horrible and times have been tough. Doggone it, the hairy hoardes of hell have gone to bush hogging on their backs!!! "YET they have not prevailed against me." Why? Because "The LORD is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked."

Henry sums it all up well, very well:

"The enemies of God's people have all along used them barbarously. They tore them as the husbandman tears the ground with his ploughshare. When God permitted them to plough thus He intended it for His people's good, that, their fallow ground being thus broken up, He might sow the seeds of His grace upon them; even though the enemies meant it not so!"

The persecutors made their furrows deep and long. They were unrelenting in their pursuits. They cared not how it cut. They were unconcerned with how long it would last. They simply wanted to inflict pain and bring Israel to her knees. They were "aiming at the destruction of the church."

But...

...but God!! (It seems a common theme in these psalms!)

"The church has always beeng graciously delivered by her Friend in heaven. The enemies' projects have always been defeated. Christ has built His church upon a rock, and the gates of hell have not prevailed against it, nor ever shall. God has cut asunder the cords of the wicked. He has cut their gears, their traces, and so spoiled their ploughing. He has cut their scourges, and so spoiled their lashing. He has cut the bands of captivity in which they held God's people." (Henry)

Oh friends, what persecutors pursue you this day? Are you currently ravished for righteousness? Take heart in your hurt for Israel's God is your God!! They shall not prevail against you and the very wounds they inflict will be used by our gracious God for your good. He will sow seeds of grace in the painfully plowed parts of persecution. From those rows He will grow you into a cedar of Lebanon - tall and strong and straight and prospering.

But the wicked are not so...

You will be as a tree firmly planted they will be as grass quickly fading!

Those who hate Zion will be brought to shame. They will be turned backwards. Their forward momentum will take a 180 and they will find their own plows to be pursing their own backs!! The wicked are sovereignly destined for destruction by the God whose beloved they have belittled!! God will not be mocked and His people will not be jostled without justice!

Turning one last time to Henry:

"As they are enemies to Zion they are so certainly marked for ruin that they may
be looked upon as the grass on the house-tops, which is little and short and sour and good for nothing. It withers before it grows up to any maturity, having no root; and the higher its place is - which perhaps is its pride - the more it is exposed to the scorching heat of the sun, and consequently the sooner does it wither."

Here's the summation of the psalm. God's people are often persecuted in this world. They are often mangled mercilessly. But...God... will not allow the enemies of His church to prevail. He will deal justly and right on time with our adversaries and He will take their very schemes of destruction and use them to grow us in greater grace!! Peace will not be upon them. Blessing will not rest among them. But it shall be with us - for the God of peace is for us!

Plowing persecuters don't prevail. Praising people do!!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

The True Secret of Blessedness and Well-Being - Psalm 128

"How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,

who walks in His ways.

When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,

you will be happy and it will be well with you.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine,

within your house,

your children like olive plants

around your table.

Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed

who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion,

and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life.

Indeed, may you see your children's children.

Peace be upon Israel!

(Psalm 128)

All of us want a blessing. We naturally want things to go well for us. We long to prosper, to flourish, to succeed in life. Yet, many flounder and fumble and falter and fail. Life is hard. Things don't go as we would devise. Our plans don't always execute as orchestrated. What to do? How to respond? How can we be blessed?

Blessed and earthly successed are not always synonymous. Real prosperity doesn't necessarily mean an expansion of goods and an increase of worldy gain. True blessedness and ultimate well-being are not found without but within. The ninth psalm of ascent gives us the true secret of true blessedness and the one key that shall truly unlock everlasting well-being.

The psalmist wrtes:"How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways."

Do you long for blessing? It is available for you - no matter who you are - no matter what you've done - no matter where you've come from. Blessedness is a gift that "everyone" can own. But it comes from a place that our natural inclinations would never look. Being blessed comes from fearing God.

Doesn't it echo Solomon's words from Ecclesiastes 12?!

"The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man."

A quick perusal of just a few of the Proverbs will give us further examples of the blessedness of fearing God - of rightly revering Him, humbly honoring Him, and acquiescing to His authority.

- "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." - Proverbs 1:7

- "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." - Proverbs 9:10

- "The fear of the LORD prolongs life." - Proverbs 10:27

- "In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence." - Proverbs 14:26

- "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life." - Proverbs 14:27

By grace through faith in Christ, fear God and walk in His ways. There you will find a fountain of life and a river whose banks overflow with true blessedness.

The psalmist goes on to tell us that in this reverant fear and faithful walking we shall find well-being. He states, "It will be well with you."

I love Matthew Henry's take on this:

"Whatever befalls you, good shall be brought out of it. It shall be well with you while you live, better when you die, and best of all to eternity."

No wonder Solomon tells us that "in the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence." Truly all things are working together for our good - even death itself!

Two particular categories of terrestrial blessedness are given as examples in this psalm. The blessedness of successful labor and the blessedness of a godly family.

A god-fearing man is a god-fearing worker. Whatever he does he does unto the LORD and therefore he seeks to do his job as well as is possible. He will be honest. He will be diligent. He will be gracious. He will be faithful. Therefore he "shall eat of the fruit of his hands."

"He shall have something to do (an idle life is a miserable life) and he shall succeed in his emplyoments and enjoy what he gets." (Henry)

A god-fearing man is a god-fearing husband and father. He will seek to love his wife and lead his children in ways that will bring honor and glory and praise to His God. He will seek to nurture and protect and cherish his wife as a precious fruitful vine. He shall seek to teach and train and build up his children cultivating them carefully as young olive plants that will one day grow into strong olive trees.

Blessing - real blessing...

Do you long for it? It can be yours. It is for "everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways."

"In every nation he that fears the LORD and walks in His ways is accepted of Him and therefore is blessed by Him whether he be high or low, rich or poor. In this world, if religion rule him it will protect and enrich him." (Matthew Henry)

Are you fearing? Are you walking? Ultimately, are you resting upon the only One who can enable you to - the Lord Jesus Christ? He is the key that unlocks the vault of true blessing. He is the One who's active obedience in fearing God and keeping the commandments enables you so to do.

Be blessed - everyone of you - be blessed!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

A Well Built House / A Well Filled Quiver - Psalm 127

"Unless the LORD builds a house,

they labor in vain who build it;

unless the LORD guards the city,

the watchman keeps awake in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early,

to retire late,

to eat the bread of painful labors;

for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD;

the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

so are the children of one's youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

they shall not be ashamed,

when they speak with their enemies in the gate."

(Psalm 127)

Throughout my life I've had the opportunity to look at a lot of houses. Phillip and I have had to move quite a few times in our 15 years of marriage and I've also done some househunting with friends over the years. I have seen incredibly well built houses. Houses with firm foundations, solid infrastructures, well planned out living space, well thought through storage space, intricate detailed trim work, immaculate yards, and containing the latest kitchen appliances. Sweet - well built - houses. Houses that I'd LOVE to live in.

I've also looked at some real humdingers. Dumps you might call them. During our search for seminary housing we looked at houses with sagging roofs, rotting wood, peeling paint, falty foundations, unplanned entrances to basements (ie. massive holes in the floor) leaky pipes, crooked doorways, and weed filled lots.

Some houses are well built and well maintained. Some houses are not.

In similar fashion, some homes are well built and well maintatined. Some are not.

Solomon, in his psalm, tells us the secret to a truly well built house/home. The secret is in the Builder. The security is in the Sustainer.

"Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it."

Do you want a well built house? Do you want a well built family? Then you want God as your architect!! "We must depend on God's blessing and not our own contrivance for the raising of a family" (Matthew Henry).

Don't labor in vain trying to create a faithful family - leave it to God to design the blueprints and then follow them! Who is the builder of our homes? What architect are we relying upon? Are we living in a strong and solid site built structure or in a massively manufactured man made mess?

It is God alone who fabricates a TRULY well built home and it is God alone who guards a truly well built home.

"Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain."

Ultimately, it is not our strength, nor our wisdom, nor our watchfulness that will keep our homes in order - it is God's! The strongest men, the mightiest armies, the craftiest invaders are NOT match for Him though we are no match for them. Who is guarding the gates of our homes? Are we depending on Him as our chief Watchman and are we putting on the armor He has provided for our protection?

The grand Architect and omnipotent Watchman is also a benevolent Benefactor. He gives to His people. He gives to those who live in His houses, who rely upon His rule, and who rest in His security.

"For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep."

A home built on Christ, a home guarded by God is a home full of rest and peace and blessing. Knowing that our homes are well-built and well-protected we can sleep soundly knowing that even while our eyes are closed and our minds are dull that our gracious God is still meeting our every need - perfectly - abundantly - continually. Oh - the rest of the righteous is sweet!

Going further in his description of a well built house, Solomon reminds us that our children come from God, will be cared for by God, and will be used of God. They are a glorious addition that He gives to fill the homes that He builds and to increase the Kingdom that He rules.

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate."

Henry writes:

"Children are a heritage and a reward and are so to be acccounted as blessings and not as burdens, for He that sends the mouths will send the meat if we trust in Him. Children are a heritage FOR the Lord as well as a gift FROM Him. The family that has a large stock of them is like a quiver full of arrows, of different sizes we may suppose, but all of use at one time or another; children of different capacities and inclinations."

I for one am thankful this day for a well built house. It is not a perfect house, it is full of sinners (mainly full of me!) - but it is a secure and settled house becaue it's architect and wathman is Christ! It is built on a solid rock and all of the rains of this life shall not sink it. (Matthew 7:24-27)

God has indeed built and is still building our home. It is He who heads it up. It is He who keeps it going. It is He who loves and leads and guides and guards us. While my quiver has only two arrows - and two incredibly different arrows - they are the arrows He has given and they are the arrows that I entrust to Him to use as He would most see fit.

I am a well blessed woman in a well built house and I am grateful beyond measure!!

In His glorious grace,

Lori