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

A Dream Come True / Tears Turned to Joy - Psalm 126

"When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with joyful shouting;

then they said among the nations,

'The LORD has done great things for them.'

The LORD has done great things for us;

we are glad.

Restore our captivity, O LORD,

as the streams in the South.

Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.

He who goes to and fro weeping,

carrying his bag of seed,

shall indeed come again with a shout of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him."

(Psalm 126)

During the period of Babylonian captivity, the Israelites must have felt as though they were living a nightmare. Here, in this seventh psalm of ascent, Cyrus has set some of them free. They now feel as if they have exited the nightmare and are experiencing a dream.

"When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream."

Was this real? Could this truly be happening? Or were they merely dreaming?

No! This was really happening. The chains had fallen off. Their captors had handed them the key and the prison doors were flung wide open. The terrors of the night that had bound them for so long were vanquished and at long last they were free!

And what did their glorious freedom result in? Joy!!

Joy uncontainable!!

Joy unsuppressible!!

"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with joyful shouting."

Henry writes:

"While the people of Israel were captives in Babylon their harps were hung silently upon the willow trees. But now that their captivity is turned they resume their song! Providence pipes to them and they dance."

I love that last sentence. "Providence pipes to them and they dance."

I have been in that place. I have had my harp hanging in silence and I have had its strings retuned and its melody restored. I have - even over the past 7 days - seen cruel captivity turned to festive freedom. Providence has piped to me and I am dancing, filled with laughter and on my tongue there is joyful shouting!

God has worked wonderful things for His people and their neighbors have noticed.

"Then they said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them."

When God saws asunder the shackles that have bound you, people will notice. They may not like what they see - but they still will notice. How we should pray for God to be glorified by our response in the midst of our captivities (without grumbling and complaining and with trusting and expectant hearts) and how we should equally pray that He would be glorified in how we respond to our rescues from those captivities (joyful shouts of thanksgiving)!

There is a watching world. May they be left without an excuse regarding the promises of God and His power in performing them for His people.

Israel echoes the cries of the nations. "Yes folks, you are right the LORD has done great things for us and we are glad!!"

The captives are set free. The dream is a reality. Laughter fills their hearts. Joyful shouting is on their lips. They are glad. However, they are also realistic. We should be as well.

They have been through much and, even though they are free from one affliction, there are still difficulties that will lie ahead in the time left here under the sun. They recognize the fact that there are still pot holes in the road of life - some bigger than others. They understand that there are still weeds in the garden and that the final harvest has not yet been reaped. And they recognize that many opportunities and many other things have been lost during the time of their imprisonment. So they pray that God would redeem the lost days.

The psalmist's prayer that God would "restore our captivity" immediately drew my thoughts to the prophet Joel and his words regarding God's restoring of that which the locust had eaten. In chapter two of this minor prophet's sermon we are told:

"Do not fear, rejoice and be glad, for the LORD has done great things. Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has born fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full. So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the LORD your God; for He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before. And the threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust.... And you shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; then My people will never be put to shame. Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other; and My people will never be put to shame." (Joel 2:21-27)

Put in the psalmist's language: "Restore our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."

Mr. Henry's thoughts on this were incredibly devotional. I quote him at length. He writes:

"These verses look forward to the mercies that were yet wanted. Those that had come out of captivity were still in distress, even in their own land (Nehemiah 1:3) and many still remained in Babylon.

"'Restore our captivity. Let those that have returned to their own land be eased of the burdens which they are yet groaning under. Let those that remain in Babylon have their hearts stirred up , as ours were, to take the benefit of the liberty granted.'

"The beginnings of mercy are encouragements to us to pray for the completing of it. All the saints may comfort themselves with this confidence, that their tears will certainly end in a harvest of joy at last.

"Weeping must not hinder sowing; when we suffer ill we must be doing well. Yea, as the ground is by the rain prepared for the seed. There are tears which are themselves the seed that we must sow, tears of sorrow for sin, our own and others, tears of sympathy with the afflicted church, and tears of tenderness in prayer and under the word.

"Job and Joseph and David and many others had harvests of joy after sorrow. Those that sow in the tears of godly sorrow shall reap in the joy of a sealed pardon and a settled peace."

Selah!

Beloved, Christ sets captives free. It is not a dream it is the truest of truths. Are you living in the nightmare of bondage or walking in the freedom of faith?

There is a redeeming rescue available from your captivity. Flee to the One who makes dreams come true and who turns tears into joyful shouting.

In His glorious grace,

Lori

3 Precious Promises - Psalm 125

"Those who trust in the LORD

are as Mount Zion,

which cannot be moved,

but abides forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds His people

from this time forth and forever.

For the sceptor of wickedness shall not rest

upon the land of the righteous;

that the righteous may not put forth

their hands to do wrong.

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,

and to those who are upright in their hearts.

But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,

the LORD will lead them away with the doers of iniquity.

Peace be upon Israel!

(Psalm 125)

Three precious promises! Three promises are here made to the people of God. Oh, how we should hold these dear!!

First, it is promised that we are established by faith. "Those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever."

The people of God are established. ESTABLISHED! We are as settled as a great and mighty mountain. We shall never be shaken, never be demolished, never be moved. (See Psalm 46.) "Those minds shall be truly stayed that are stayed on God. Their faith shall be their fixation." (Matthew Henry)

Oh my friends the faith that God has granted to us is an anchor and a firm foundation. We are, by His grace, securely established. We are a mountain that can't be moved!

Second, it is promised that we are hemmed in by the eternally powerful protective presence of our God. "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forevermore."

God is with us.

Ever with us.

Always with us.

Surrounding us.

Encompassing us.

Keeping us.

From this time forth and forevermore!

He will not leave us nor forsake us. He will not abandon us to ourselves nor to our enemies. Never ever!! This is an eternal promise that is "from this time forth and forevermore."

Beloved, we are never alone. NEVER! We are never in real danger. We will not be ambushed by an unknown enemy. We are secure within the impenetrable fort of Almighty God. His omnipresence envelopes us. His omnipotence guards us. His omniscience watches over us. His love for us knits these three precious attributes together to us!! We are surrounded by our loving LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

Third, it is promised that our troubles will not outlast our triumphs. "For the sceptor of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the righteous."

True, troubles will come. Jesus Himself taught us that "in the world you will have tribulation." But He went on to assure us of our need to "take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). Here is the promise that there is an end to the battle and a grand victory in sight. Troubles will come but troubles will not remain. They are but "light and momentary."

Mr. Henry writes:

"It is promised that, though troubles may come upon their lot, they shall not rest there. They shall not continue as long as the enemy would design nor as long as the people of God should fear. God will cut the work short in righteousness, so short that even with the temptation He will make a way for them to escape."

Three precious promises.

Three precious promises made to those who trust in the Lord.

Psalm 125 ends with a practical prayer based upon these precious promises. Should not the promises of God always press us to prayer? And should not our prayers echo the promises that have provoked them? In these final 2 verses they most assuredly do. God has promised to do good to His people and to deal justly with those who are not His people. Therefore, the psalmist prays specifically for that which God has said will be.

"Oh LORD, do good to those who are good, and to those who are upright in heart. Remember Your covenant promises to Your people whom You have redeemed by Your own blood. BUT as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, lead them away with the doers of iniquity."

There are only two groups of people in this world and there are absolutely antithetical promises made to them.

The righteous will flourish as a tree firmly planted by streams of water. They will flourish even though it may appear that they will falter. The wicked are not so. They will be as chaff which the wind blows away. (See Psalm 1).

Which are you? Which am I?

Do you desire these promises to be yours? Then make certain that you are His!! Flee to Christ the only real Refuge the only true Tower, the Protector and Provider of these three precious promises.

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Had It Not Been the Lord - Psalm 124

"'Had it not been the LORD who was on our side,'

let Israel now say,

'Had it not been the LORD who was on our side,

when men rose up against us;

then they would have swallowed us up alive,

when their anger was kindled against us;

then the waters would have engulfed us;

the stream would have swept over our soul;

then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.'

Blessed be the LORD,

who has not given us to be torn by their teeth,

Our soul has escaped as a bird

out of the snare of the trapper;

the snare is broken and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

(Psalm 124)

God's people have been under some form of great oppression. It has been horribly harrowing. It has threatened to undo them. It has come close to pulling them under.

But...

...but God....

But God, in His infinite mercy and covenantal kindness has delivered His people from danger. In view of that, David is overflowing with a thankful heart and has penned this fifth psalm of ascent.

The psalm breaks down into two main parts. Verses 1-5 describe the magnitude of the affliction they were facing and then verses 6-8 give God all the glory and honor and praise for their rescue from it.

Clearly things have been more than a bit unsettling. Men have risen up against the people of God. They have been determined to destroy Israel. Look at the language used to describe their circumstances.

-"They would have swallowed us alive."

-"The waters would have engulfed us."

-"The stream would have swept over our soul."

-"The raging waters would have swept over our soul."

It is not a pretty picture. The clouds are dark and omnious. There is no recognizable light on the horizon. There is deep despair and massive fear. "The people of God were reduced to the very brink of ruin" (Matthew Henry). Their enemies wanted nothing less than their complete demise and utter destruction and they were dead set at accomplishing their goal.

David and his people were in peril - great peril - BUT...

...but GOD...

...but God was on their side!!

Oh that is good news. In that fact we find the great white knight riding to rescue his persecuted people. He has come and He has gained the victory.

David cries out for the entire corporate community that "Had it not been for the LORD who was on our side they would have massacred us!" God was for them, therefore, who could be against them?!

Matthew Henry, writing from David's perspective says:

"God was on our side; He took our part, espoused our cause, and appeared for us. That God was Jehovah and there the emphasis lies. If it had not been Jehovah Himself, a God of infinite power and perfection, that had undertaken our deliverance, our enemies would have overpowered us."

Oh my friends - that same Jehovah is still on the side of His people in this day and time!! He remains for us. Pause and drink in that glorious truth. Jehovah is for us!!

I am reminded of Paul's words to the Romans:

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is 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? Just as it is written, 'For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31-39)

Were it not so, were the LORD not for us - regarding our physical and spiritual enemies, we too would have sunk beneath the mire and been utterly undone. "Had it not been the LORD who was on our side...they would have swallowed us alive!"

With that triumphant truth proclaimed there is only one logical and natural response - praise!! And that is exactly what David does. He blesses the name of the LORD. "Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth."

The danger was great. Their God was greater. It is always the case. Rejoice, oh people of God!!

David beautifully describes the grand extent of their rescue. They were hopeless and helpless. They were as a little bird caught in a powerful snare. There was NOTHING they could do. NOTHING!!

But...

...but God!

"They were delivered like a lamb out of the very jaws of a beast of prey. They were rescued like a little bird out of the fowler's snare. God's people are sometimes taken in the snare and are as unable to help themselves out as any weak and silly bird is, and then God breaks the snare and turns the counsels of the enemies into foolishness." (Matthew Henry)

Oh, how could David and all of Israel not break out into praise of such a redeeming God!! How can we not do the same?

When we pause to consider just what God has done in our spiritual and physical rescues how can we not break out into emphatic praise? The apostle Paul did. In the book of Romans, after spending eleven chapters of noting the majestic works of his omnipotent and holy God, the wretched fallen condition of his helpless fellow man, and the redeeming mercies that are manifested to us in Christ he breaks out with these words:

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36)

That is where my heart lands this day. In all honesty, I have spent the past 13 months in the fowler's snare. The waters have threatened to engulf me. The raging waters have come close to ruining me.

But...

...but God.

The Lord has been on my side and has plucked me out at just the perfect moment. The clouds have lifted. The sun has broken through. The enemy has vanished. "Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth!!" It is my heart's cry this morning.

David ends with a final declaration regarding Israel's Helper. He says: "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

Friends, is the God who made the world your help? Are you resting in the name of the LORD as your only hope against the enemies of your body and soul? If He is for you then who can be against you? If He is against you then all is lost. Faith in Christ makes the difference.

Israel's enemies in Psalm 124 had no hope. They had no hope because they were God's enemies. Jehovah was not for them and therefore everything was against them! They fell eternally into the very traps and snares that they sought to destroy His church in. It is a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of a righteously angry God and there is only one way to escape that wrath that justly belongs to us all. That way is through Christ. Apart from faith in Him you are a helpless and hopeless enemy of Almighty God.

Paul tells us: "For while we were still helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.... and God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (Romans 5:6-10)

Oh friends, the same Jehovah who rescued Israel from the fowler's snare will rescue you. If you are His enemy, flee to Him, through Christ, in repentance and faith and become His friend! He will offer you a treaty of peace - eternal peace. If you are His child, then rest knowing that your "help is in the name of the LORD who made heaven and earth."

Lift up your eyes. Lift up your eyes to the One who is enthroned in the heavens. Lift up your eyes to this Christ who is your all-sufficient Surety. Lift up your eyes to the LORD Jehovah who is on your side and bless His name for His marvelous merices to you! There is lasting help and hope found in none other.

Praising Him for rescuing me,
Lori

The Perfect Picture of Prayer - Psalm 123

"To Thee I lift up my eyes,

O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens!

Behold, as the eyes of servants

look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maid

to the hand of her mistress;

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

until He shall be gracious to us.

Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us;

for we are greatly filled with contempt.

Our soul is greatly filled with the scoffing

of those who are at ease, and with the contempt

of the proud."

(Psalm 123)

Another precious prayer is before us. The psalmist in Psalm 123 is lifting his eyes to the King of heaven in his time of need.

"To Thee I lift up my eyes, O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens!"

It is a repeated theme from Psalm 121 - "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

Since we have just been given a double reminder perhaps we should pay double attention and follow with doubly determined duty!!

Ultimately is this not the picture of every prayer we ever pray? In prayer are we not lifting our eyes above and beyond our situation to the God who is sovereign in our situation?

"In every prayer we lift up the eye of our soul to God." (Matthew Henry)

Clearly we are to "lift up our eyes" to our God. Not so clearly, that can come across as an abstract idea and an impractical proclamation. Thankfully the psalmist gives us a bit of a practical picture of what our heart's attitude and soul's desire in this prayerful posture should be.

He writes: "Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He shall be gracious to us."

We are to lift up the eyes of our soul and look to the Lord of our life. We, as His willing and thankful bond-servants, are to look unto our King who alone can subdue our sinful selves and our antagonistic adversaries. Matthew Henry paints the picture well:

"The eyes of a servant are turned to his master's directing hand, expecting that he will appoint him his work. Servants look to their master, or their mistress, for their portion of meat in due season. Likewise, to God we must look for daily bread and for grace sufficient."

We are to look to our Master - our good and gracious and great Master. We are servants of the Most High God. The cattle on a thousand hills are His. Omnipotent power is His. Omniscient wisdom is His. And amazingly my Christian siblings, WE are His. Not merely in a sense of Divine ownership but in the sense of familial relationship - we are said to be the apple of His eye. Let us therefore look to Him - our Master, our Maker, our Lover, our Lord, our Father and our Friend!!

In this particular Psalm the singers are clearly in some form of trouble. They are objects of "contempt" and "scoffing." Times are hard and days are difficult and what are they doing about it? They are not foolishly trying to fix it all themsleves. They are humbling pleading with the high King of Heaven to grant the grace that is so desperately needed!

They are lifting their eyes to the One who can supply their needs. They are going to the God of mercy. They are seeking their Father's face. They are honestly setting their grievances before Him and are trusting that in due time their marvelous Master will rescue them from their current woes.

What about us?

Are we living with lifted eyes or are we living as hypocrites and fools who merely have our eyes fixed on the things of this world? Are we trying to take matters into our own hands and seeking to be blessed by the benefits of this life only? If so, be forewarned that what we have attempted to fix will fail and that our reward will be received in full in this world alone (Matthew 6:2).

But if we are living as the psalmist of ascent, lifting our eyes to the real Rewarder and trusting ourselves to His care, then our Father who sees grants eternal, imperishable, undefilable, lasting rewards.

Psalm 123 is prayer in its finest form. Let us therefore pray with eyes lifted up to the One who is enthroned in the heavens. Let us patiently set our sights on the perfectly providing hand of our gracious God.

"To Thee I lift up my eyes, O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens? Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He shall be gracious."

Lifting the eyes of my soul heavenward,

Lori

Glad to Go / Prepared to Pray - Psalm 122

"I was glad when they said to me,

'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'

Our feet are standing within your gates,

O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, that is built

as a city compact together;

to which the tribes go up,

even the tribes of the Lord -

an ordinance for Israel -

to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

For there thrones were set for judgment,

the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

'May they prosper who love you .

May peace be within your walls,

and prosperity within your palaces.'

For the sake of my brothers and my friends,

I will now say, 'May peace be within you.'

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God

I will seek your good."

(Psalm 122)

David is glad to go to the house of God. Here is one who did private worship well - very well! Throughout the Psalms his personal prayers, meditative musings, and soulful songs are laid out for us. This is a man who knew how to spend honest, heartfelt time with his God. He glorified gladly within his own house.

Yet David knew that true religion is more than just a "personal relationship" it is also involves public practice and corporate communion. David loved gathering together with the saints in the worship of God.

Psalm 122 gives us a grand glimpse into David's love for the church of the Old Testament and it has granted me a growing groaning for the church of our own day and time. I hope it will you as well. With David, can you and I honestly say "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord"?

Two simple points jumped out at me this morning regarding David's love for the church and are serving as a catalystic hinge pin for examining my own.

David's love for the church was evidenced in the fact that he was glad to go. "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD."

When his fellow believers said, "Hey Dave, let's go and worship our God," David jumped for joy. He hopped to the head of the line. He ran eagerly to the temple. He went to worship. And he went GLADLY!!

Those that love God should react in the same manner today. We should leap for joy and be filled with gladness when our friends say to us, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."

Might I ask, are we glad to go? And if not what does that tell us either about our own heart or about our current congregation?

Oh how we should be glad to go! A biblically functioning church - a church where the word is faithfully preached, where discipline and accountability are mericfully ministered, where fellowship is sweet, where the sacraments are regularly given - is a small taste of heaven on earth. It is through the church of Christ that we find "our feet standing within [God's] gates."

A gospel church is a foretaste of glory.

"When our journey here is tedious we should comfort ourselves with this - we shall be in the heavenly Jerusalem shortly and that shall make ammends for all the fatigues of our journey." (Matthew Henry)

Are we glad to go?

David's love for the church was evidenced in his preparedness to pray. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem....I will now say, 'May peace be within you' for the sake of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good."

David was not only glad to go, he was prepared to pray.

Our prayer life says much about our love life. (I confess that is a personally convicting statement and one that our gracious God has been mercifully dealing with me on over the course of the past year. By grace I am learning.) The things that we most love are often the things that we most meditate upon and if our devotion to them is truly God-centered, will we not dutifully lay them before His throne?

David loved the church and his spoken lip service was backed up by his active prayer service. He prayed for the peace of Jerusalem.

Several specific points of his prayer are laid out in the closing verses of Psalm 122.

1. David prayed for the prosperity of the people who loved Christ's church. "May they prosper who love you." Might I ask - are we praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we praying that God might grant them true prosperity (not particularly financial nor physical - though those are worth of our intercession). Are we praying for their prosperity that they might be used for gospel prosperity? Are we interceding for the saints?

2. David prayed for the protection of Christ's church. "May peace be within your walls." Are we praying for unity among those within her walls and safety from those without? Are we praying that the gospel church might grow and flourish and be spared from unseemly blemishes and from harrowing attacks?

3. David prayed for proper provisions of leadership in Christ's church. "May prosperity be within your palaces." Are we praying for our leaders - praying that God would raise future leaders up and sustain those who already are serving? Are we standing in the gap for our pastors, our elders, and our deacons? They often stand in the gap for us and are so regularly the objects of the fiery flaming arrows of discouragement, temptation, and exhaustion. Are we praying that God will prosper them in their efforst to prosper the Kingdom of Christ?

David owned the call to prayer. He not only exhorted others to do so but took it upon himself to hit his knees.

"I will now say, 'May peace be with you.' For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good."

He was committed to pray for the peace of the church and he did so all for the glory of God and for the good of the saints.

David was glad to go and prepared to pray. Are we?

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Look Up Your Help is Here - Psalm 121

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

from whence shall my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The LORD will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The LORD will guard your going out

and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore."

(Psalm 121)

I've come to the end of Ecclesiastes and as is my habit, now begin to work my way through another 10 Psalms. This morning the lines have fallen to Psalm 121. Wow!

I must admit, I hated leaving Solomon's sermon. Its providential pertinance to the present path that I've been traveling has been amazing. I have learned much from the old wise king.

This past year has found me, in many ways, walking in Solomon's shoes. Testing. Questioning. Searching. Faltering under the weight of vanity. Striving to remember my Creator and yet often finding myself forgetful of Him. My God has guided and guarded me through an incredibly dark valley and even this past Sunday morning as I meditated on Ecclesiastes 12 some of the scales fell off of the eyes of my heart. I have loved this book!

This morning I found myself sighing as I went to the Word. "Oh, I'm going to miss Ecclesiastes."

Opening my Bible I found that the next passage in my study order was Psalm 121. A psalm that teaches us to look to God as our all-sufficient One. As I read through this song of ascent I found myself ascending to the mount of thanksgiving. This psalm declares that which my God has done for me, is doing for me, will do for me all the days of my life here under the sun. I have been surrounded by a swelling storm surge - one that has come frighteningly close to pulling me under - yet the God of this psalm has proven true regarding the promises of this psalm - even over the course of the past week. This is a perfect place to land after Ecclesiastes!

Psalm 121 begins with a determined statement from the psalmist. "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains."

Far too often I find myself not looking up, but looking down and looking around. Like Peter when he sought to walk to Jesus I find myself being so overwhelmed by that which is threatening to undo me that I get undone! I look at my circumstances rather than to the God of my circumstances. It is then that I sink - and often sink hard and deep.

We are here admonished not to look down, not to look around, but to look up!

Look up, Lori! Look above your adversarial circumstances. Look above the valley of the shadow of death. Look above the waves. Look above the winds. Look to the mountains - the high mountains. Look to Mount Zion. Look beyond the mountains to the God who is higher and wiser and more settled than the mountains. "I will lift my eyes."

Lift your eyes and look up! There is no safety nor security in focusing on the things that threaten. There is nothing in looking down that will preserve you. Do you need help? Do I? Then look up. Let us lift our eyes!

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes form the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

Look up! Look up to the mountains. Greater than that look up to the God who created the mountains. In Him is our help. He who created heaven and earth can create a way out of the wild wilderness for us. Let your hope and your confidence be found in this God who is your Help! The strong God. The steadying God. The steadfast God.

Look up to Him. He has promised us so much. Look at just a sampling of His precious promises from this Psalm.

"He will not allow your foot to slip." He will steady you from fully falling.

"He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." He will never NOT be available. We have an ever watchful and an ever wakeful God. He is never napping and is always watching.

"The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand." God has made it His duty to keep us. He is our protector. Could we be any safer?

But not only is the LORD our refuge, He is also our refreshment! He is our shade. He comforts us from the scorching heat of a dry and weary land. He is an oasis in the desert and an ever-flowing fountain for a thirsty soul.

He is at our right hand - "the working hand. Therefore, let us turn ourselves dextrously to our duty and we shall find God ready and near to assist us and give us success" (Henry).

"The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul." No matter what the circumstance. Be it the flames and fires of persecution, be it the frozen tundra of abandonment, the Lord will protect us from ALL evil - from ALL evil! He will sustain us from evils within and from evils without. He will keep our soul - eternally. Even if our flesh and our heart fail - our soul is secure! How safe we are in all situations!!!

Beloved, there is nothing to difficult for our God. NOTHING! There is no situation that can snatch us from His hand (Romans 8:28-39) and no evil that can ultimately overcome us! How unbelievably amazing is this helping, keeping, protecting, always watching, never sleeping Creator God?!

Are you lifting your eyes to Him? What else would you dare lift your eyes too? Look up! Lift your eyes to the moutains from whence your help shall come!!

Oh, these are precious promises. These are protective promises. The God who has made us will help us. The God who is with us will keep us. The God who has ordained our steps will protect us in them. Look up! Lift your eyes to the One from whom your help comes!

The psalmist closes with these words. "The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever."

Beloved - this is an ongoing, ever applying, never failing promise. God is our guard. He guards all of our days! He guards all of our ways! He is guarding us as we go out and as we come in. He is our hedge. He is our shield. He is our fortress. He is our comforting and conquering King!! From this time forth and forever - eternally, continually, in life and in death - He is with us. Lift your eyes. Look up!

What circumstances are sinking you this day? What are you looking at? Oh friends, look up. LOOK UP!! Your Helper is near! Your Creator is awake! Your Keeper is kind! Your Guard will guide! Look up and find help for your time of need.

He has enabled me to finally lift my head above the raging river of the past 13 months. He has granted me the grace to look to Him. He has helped me and I am humbled!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

The Succinct Sum, Root, and Rule of Religion - Ecclesiastes 12:13

"The conclusion, when all has been heard, is:

fear God and keep His commandments,

because this is the whole duty of man."

(Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Quite often I like to just get to the bottom line of things. Let's cut to the chase and filter through the fluff. While Solomon has most certainly not been feeding us any fluff throughout these 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes, he does succinctly boil it all down to the basic message here in the closing words of his grand sermon.

Israel's king has taught us much about the vanity of life lived under the sun. We have been challenged with its brevity - it is but a "puff" - and honestly with the ultimate meaninglessness of it if it is lived only with a horizontal, here and now understanding.

Finally, in verse 13 the preacher's prime and powerful purpose is proclaimed. Life is to be lived veritally if it is to have any lasting meaning horizontally and Solomon is about to give a thumbnail sketch of what vertical, religious living looks like. Here the succinct summary of lifegiving religion is revealed and its foundational root and rule are exposed.

What is the bottom line according to Solomon?

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

Do you want to cut to the chase? Well, here it is.

The true way to live well, the ultimate pathway to peace, the home of happiness, the essence of our chief end is found in godliness. Here is the summary of true religion...

"Setting aside all matters of doubtful disputation, to be religious is to fear God and keep His commandments. The root of religion is the fear of God reigning in the heart - a reverence of His majesty, a deference to His authority, and a dread of His wrath. The rule of religion is the Law of God revealed in the Scriptures. Our fear towards God must be taught by His commandments and those we must carefully observe. This is of vast importance - it is the whole duty of man, it is all his business and all his blessedness. Our whole duty is summed up in this and our whole comfort is bound up in this." (Matthew Henry)

When all has been said and heard this is what it all boils down to: the fear of God and the keeping of His commandments.

Looking at that which is left in the pot of life's purpose I find myself saying: " But...but..but can't do this!!" Oh, how I need God's grace, for who IS able to do that? No one! Not you! Not me! No not one! (Romans 3:10-12)

We are not by nature God fearers. We are by nature self pleasers.

We are not by nature Law keepers. We are by nature rule breakers.

As I have meditated this morning on the "conclusion of the matter" I am overwhelmed by the absolute impossibility of the task before me and it has made my thoughts turn to the true story of Christ's encounter with the rich young ruler. (Luke 18:18-27)

This gentleman came to Jesus wanting to know what he must do to inherit eternal life? He wanted to get to the bottom line and the succinct sum, root and rule of religion.

"Let's cut to the chase good Teacher, what must I do to be saved?"

Jesus, in infinite wisdom, cut to the chase of this young ruler's chase cutting question. In a matter of moments Christ undoes this proud fellow's thinking about his own goodness - "No one is good except God alone" and about his personal ability to keep the Law perfectly.

"So, you want to know what you must DO - well, you know the commandments of the One Good God, so keep them." (Read between the lines "Fear God and keep His commandments.")

"Oh, Teacher, that I have done since my youth!! Whew!! Thanks for the info. Glad that's settled."

But it was NOT settled. Not by a long shot.

Christ went for the heart and He pressed this man with the hypocrisy of his proud assessment regarding his own character and ability to perfectly keep the Law.

Jesus said to him, "One thing you lack, sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me."

"What?!"

This fellow hadn't really kept the law. He had other god's before God and he was controlled by covetousness!

This rich young man relished his riches. This young ruler was ruled by them. This leader was led by his own lusts. And Christ showed him that ultimately he feared losing his things more than he feared God and that he obeyed the desires of his flesh much more than the Law of his God.

Friends, are we not really in the same boat? I know that I am. When backed into a corner with this different twist on Solomon's same bottom line the rich young ruler failed at the conclusion of the matter. He didn't fear God and keep His commandments. We fail as well - every time!

"When the rich young ruler heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich.... And they who heard it said, 'Then who can be saved?' But Jesus said, 'The things impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:23-27)

The ultimate bottom line, the dutiful conclusion of the matter is that the things which are required of us - fearing God and keeping His commandments - are impossible for us.

IMPOSSIBLE!

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

That is why we need a Savior and that is why our God sent One.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

We cannot keep the Law of God perfectly, but Christ did!!

The Lord Jesus came and lived that life that we could not live, died the death that we deserved to die, and rose again from the dead that we might live in newness of life during our days here under the sun and for all eternity with Him in the Celestial City beyond the sun!

Christ came to redeem us from the Law and to justify us by grace through faith in Him.

God made "Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor 5:21)

Do you long for the bottom line of the bottom line? It is Jesus!

Christ has done for you what you cannot do for yourself. He has fully fulfilled the "conclusion of the matter." Jesus has done it for you and if you will rest in Him as your only hope and help He will even now do it through you. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" "Apart from Him you can do nothing."

Christ's obedience to the bottom line of fearing God and keeping His commandments is the root of your salvation. It is impossible for you. All things are possible for God!

Rest in the root of His righteousness. Be clothed in the coat His character. Your own garments are but filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)

"The conclusion, when all has been heard is: fear God and keep His commandments." Christ has conquered the conclusion and calls you to merely come to Him in repentance and faith. Even that He enables you to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).

He, Himself is the succint sum, root, and rule of religion. May we, by grace through faith, rest in the Root and through Him bear much fruit! That's the bottom line of the bottom line!

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:5-7)

"And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)

Fearing God, keeping His commandments, and resting in Christ's accomplishment of my duty,

Lori