#825 Patience

O Lord, God of vengeance,

O God of vengeance, shine forth!

2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;

repay to the proud what they deserve!

3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked,

how long shall the wicked exult?

4 They pour out their arrogant words;

all the evildoers boast.

5 They crush your people, O Lord,

and afflict your heritage.

6 They kill the widow and the sojourner,

and murder the fatherless;

7 and they say, “The Lord does not see;

the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8 Understand, O dullest of the people!

Fools, when will you be wise?

9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?

He who teaches man knowledge—

11 the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,

that they are but a breath.

12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,

and whom you teach out of your law,

13 to give him rest from days of trouble,

until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;

he will not abandon his heritage;

15 for justice will return to the righteous,

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

17 If the Lord had not been my help,

my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.

18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”

your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

19 When the cares of my heart are many,

your consolations cheer my soul.

20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,

those who frame injustice by statute?

21 They band together against the life of the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.

22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,

and my God the rock of my refuge.

23 He will bring back on them their iniquity

and wipe them out for their wickedness;

the Lord our God will wipe them out. Psalm 94 ESV

A Psalm that pleads for justice.

- The Psalm is another pathetic form of the old enigma--"Wherefore do the wicked prosper?" It is another instance of a good man perplexed by the prosperity of the ungodly, cheering his heart by remembering that there is, after all, a King in heaven, by whom all things are overruled for good. - C. H. Spurgeon

O Lord, God of vengeance - The Righteous One, Judge above all things, if You will or would but for a moment show Yourself, then all injustice would but melt away. Darkness will not stand before the light. The Psalmist is deeply bothered at the state of things, and they are beyond his power to recompense. I have known of Your justice in times before, O God, why do You wait?

Repay to the proud what they deserve - I wonder how many have prayed this not knowing that they themselves were proud? Lord, You give grace to the humble, let me be humble even when my adversary is not.

They pour out their arrogant words - Now here comes the indictment, the Psalmist's charge against his foes. This is their brutal nature, even their language must put others down and lift themselves up. It is their pride that allows them to bully and suppress others. They believe that might makes right. They are the majority, the powerful, plunderers, laughing from elevated seats, delusional, yet forceful in it.

…17 Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 2 Corinthians 10: 17-18

They crush Your people - This is hard to watch, but this is not the worst of it, what is worse is what the Psalmist cannot yet see. God is sovereign, and one day the only truly Innocent, will patiently endure not only harsh speech, irreverent, blasphemous accusations, but also the spit, the fists, the whips and nails from those who do not deserve His presence. He will know all the anxiety and misery of every soul, know the rabid injustice of the mob, and God will not intervene on His behalf. So yes, dear writer, God sees, and yes their will be deliverance for His heritage. He will come for His elect, He will not despise His own inheritance like Esau, but will satisfy the price in full.

They kill the widow and the sojourner - Much can be seen in the way we treat our old, our young, our helpless. Those that look upon the weak, the unborn, the needy and only see bother, will quickly sell them out. If only we knew the truth, that spiritually they represent all of us, but when we are healthy, wealthy, or in the strength of our youth, we find it too easy to despise those who could use our help.

…26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 26-27

- They deal most arrogantly with those who are the most evident objects of compassion. The law of God especially commends these poor ones to the kindness of good men, and it is peculiar wickedness which singles them out to be the victims not only of fraud but of murder. Must not such inhuman conduct as this provoke the Lord? Shall the tears of widows, the groans of strangers, and the blood of orphans be poured forth in vain? As surely as there is a God in heaven, he will visit those who perpetrate such crimes; though he bear long with them, he will yet take vengeance, and that speedily. - C. H. Spurgeon

The Lord does not see - So we think this is under the cover of darkness, that the persecuted's prayers are in vain. Your God doesn't hear you, who will rescue you? 

…8 Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.… 2 Peter 3: 8-10

25 It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 So do not be afraid of them. For nothing is concealed that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.… Matthew 10: 25-27

He Who formed the eye, does He not see - The design of the eye and the ear must give rise in the mind of the sane, that there is a Designer much above our observation. But to think that He, Who made all these things, does not see or hear Himself, such is the state of the arrogant, the self exalted. The atheist and the deist are not much different, one thinks that God is not, and the other that God does not care, that He is blind to good and evil. The church of late has forgotten that all outward sin, every idle that a man holds, that which he is a prisoner to, an addict of, that is not his original sin. He holds on to these because regardless of his claims of God or spirituality, he is still in unbelief. Whom the Son sets free shall be free indeed.

…17 in order that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. 18 I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,… Ephesians 1: 17-19

He, Who disciplines the nations, does He not rebuke - Remember the flood, the tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Benjamin, the norther kingdom's rebellion, Judah, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, God is and they are not. The fool has said in his heart, "there is no God", another fool has said, "I am god", and yet another, "I have no need of God." A thousand times men have promised peace, prosperity, justice and equality, that men are evolving towards a common good and purpose, just follow them. They are great orators, stoic posers, geniuses, all they need is for you to follow them and they will make everything better. 

Until a pit is dug for the wicked - Before this is the man who is blessed because God chastens him. If we are left without the Lord's discipline we will only dig ourselves into a pit. They cannot see that great day, and the gallows they make for the righteous, will be the same they swing from. We should, as those who were once enemies of God, have enough compassion to warn those who are His enemies still. Yet, we should look forward to the day of God's justice or we have not loved the Just or Him Who justifies. 

For justice will return to the righteous - Our present circumstances, if they are hard at the hands of the arrogant, if we are treated unjustly, pray for those that persecute you so that you can be sons of your heavenly Father. It is really just a little while, and the wicked will be no more.

…33 When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”… Luke 23: 33-35

When the cares of my heart are many - Knowledge of God through His word, knowledge of self from where we came from, what we deserved, and have yet through Him escaped, these things bring much comfort. It is always easier to move forward, to forgive and to have hope in light of the cross.

…18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”… Romans 12: 18-20

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#824 Kingdom Above kingdoms

 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.


3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!


5 Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore. Psalm 93 ESV

A Psalm of Sovereignty.

The Lord reigns - Whatever we may think of ourselves or claim as our own, even our lives, it all comes from and will answer to Him Who is above and before all things. We have kings and rulers, governments and a thousand systems, but God is on His throne from eternity. No human kingdom, nation or man has existed in infinite authority. 

The floods have lifted up - We might fear these things, for without God we are subject to nature, outside of Him there is no place to ride out the storm, no ark. He told Noah, He taught him how to prepare. Another kingdom rises and everyone scatters, fretting at the power of the wicked, the overbearing. The wheat have not banked on earthly peace, trusted in towers or their own strength, but rather fixed their hope and affections on God's eternal purpose. Voices rise up against the church, in China the government suppresses truth, calls good evil and evil good. They imprison anyone who claims that God is above the state, they put the Word of God in the category of pornography, and only allow state sanctioned copies of the Bible, yet there are still Christians. In my country the Word of God is so easily accessed, yet we deem it a small thing, voices well up and flood the airwaves with those who would make their own gospel. They mishandle the Word of God and we are so accustomed to it, it speaks so much to our fleshly wants that we refuse to stand against it. It is a land sewn with tares, reading the Scriptures, I have to think more tares than wheat. 

1 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, 2 to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.… Isaiah 10:1-2

…22 Your silver has become dross; your fine wine is diluted with water. 23 Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them. 24 Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be relieved of My foes and avenge Myself on My enemies.… Isaiah 1: 22-24

…9Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and pervert all that is right, 10who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”… 12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge. Micah 3: 9-12

Your decrees are very trustworthy - What God says, He has the power to bring to pass. Circumstances may not look the way we would want, the giant may seem unbeatable, the flood overwhelming, the multitude of those against us may seem too many, but for God it is just a word and no more. When we lift up the true God of Scripture, we hold up Sovereignty, declare His right over His creation. The child of God can rest in this, and if our eyes look elsewhere it is because our heart holds up something else, but what can replace God, there is nothing like Him.

…9 Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. 10 I distinguish the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come, saying: ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’ 11 I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, I will surely do it.… Isaiah 46: 9-11

…51 He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.… Luke 1: 51-53

5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!” 6 And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.… Revelation 19: 5-7

Providence

Providence 2

Providence 3

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#823 Thanks and Winter

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

3 to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

5 How great are your works, O Lord!

Your thoughts are very deep!

6 The stupid man cannot know;

the fool cannot understand this:

7 that though the wicked sprout like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they are doomed to destruction forever;

8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever.

9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord,

for behold, your enemies shall perish;

all evildoers shall be scattered.

10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;

you have poured over me fresh oil.

11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;

my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;

they flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They still bear fruit in old age;

they are ever full of sap and green,

15 to declare that the Lord is upright;

he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 92 ESV

A Psalm or song for the Sabbath Day.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord - Given the title, it reminds me of Sunday worship at my church. I use to look for every and any excuse to stay home, and all of us that are this way have many reasons that we give when asked why we don't attend. I was sick, but always recovered in time to go fishing or out with a friend. There were too many hypocrites, and I preferred solitude over company. The word of God does not back my disenchantment with the body, but says not to forsake, and it is enough here that it says it is good to give thanks. For all the many reasons I didn't give thanks or cared to spend time with other believers doing so, they were all rooted in pride. The next time I do something so marvelous as creating the heavens and the earth, hold back my wrath from those who have lived in constant offense to my holiness, and then provide an infinitely pure and just sacrifice to save those who I have called from eternity, then I shall not speak from the dark. I was called and so I give thanks, I was created and so I give thanks, I was sustained and so I give thanks. Meditating on my problems, my wants, my desire to be recognized and esteemed by men, to be thought clever and deep, to impose my will, this left no room to thank God for all I could see was myself. If the church could not entertain me, provide me with self fulfillment, euphoria, and moving experiences, then what good was she? It is a sin against God and nature, God, for He is worthy above nature, and nature, because she is His handiwork, and even her rocks cry out, glory to the Most High, there is nothing that was not made.

To declare Your steadfast love in the morning - Chase all else away, every temptation, every road to nowhere, and as the sun rises so let my praise. Early will I seek You, O God of my salvation, let me start each day in Your presence and walk in Your shadow at home, at work, at church, everywhere. Thank you for another day, another opportunity to know more of You, to be bathed in Your word, illuminated by Your Spirit, thank You for Your mercy and Your unfailing love toward me.

And Your faithfulness by night - I have much to bring to You by the end of the day, and mostly not good, so I have much to confess, but You are faithful and just to forgive. Lord, don't let the sun go down upon a hardened heart. Help me to forgive those that have trespassed against me, to not return insult for insult, injury for injury. Forgive me for those sins which I knew to be so and committed anyway, for those I thought, for those I sought to justify because of someone else's behavior, and for those sins of omission that I have not yet come to see. Give me Thy peace, O Lord, let me rest in Thee.

The stupid man cannot know - This is not against the simple, but against the arrogant, those that think they are too smart to believe in God, or believe there is a Creator, yet worship themselves instead. No one seeks the truth, no one can find God on their own. He is known because He makes Himself known, reveals Himself to the blind and deaf. We are born dead in our trespasses and sins, no one raises themselves from this state. Without Him I have no righteousness in myself, I labor in vain. Thank You for making Yourself known to me, writing the story about Your Son, and drawing me by Your Spirit.

- So far from paying respect to great thinkers who will not own the glory or being of God, we ought to regard them as comparable to the beasts which perish, only vastly lower than mere brutes, because their degrading condition is of their own choosing. O God, how sorrowful a thing it is that men whom thou hast so largely gifted, and made in thine own image, should so brutify themselves that they will neither see nor understand what thou hast made so clear. Well might an eccentric writer say, "God made man a little lower than the angels at first, and he has been trying to get lower ever since." C. H. Spurgeon

Your enemies shall perish - The time for their self exaltation will come to an end. Those that lift themselves up, who carry their egos, haven't a shoulder left for the cross. They did not want You, and so they hate reason, shun humility, and in the end they have what they wanted all along, separation from You, but what a sad state.

…10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.… Romans 3: 10-12

You have poured over me fresh oil - Taken from what men did not esteem, a lowly beginning, a nobody, and yet Your mercy covers me, Your grace anoints my head, and I am adopted into a royal family forever. 

My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies - Look down the road, this is a blessing of God's word, that you can see so much farther than before. There are only two possible ends for my enemies, that they come to know God and become therefore my family, or they die in their sin and come to know God's judgment. I pray the former, but trust God either way, for only He knows, and He knows best. Help me to deny myself in this, O God, leave me innocent of their blood, that I have told the truth, loved my enemy, and prayed for those who have mistreated me. You have done all that and more for me, so thank You once again and forever.

They are planted in the house of the Lord - Grass is a shallow thing, it withers easily, but the righteous are like trees, planted in the soil prepared by the Lord, nourished by His every Word. The root runs deep, and the heat of the sun does not burn it away.

They still bear fruit in old age - Let my later years far outshine today. Let everyday bring me the joy of Your salvation, Your praise upon my lips, and the gospel to share with others. I am watching winter come upon two people even now, and Lord I have looked hard, but I have not seen the fruit of Your Spirit. There is nothing about them that is not self serving and yet I would be an ungrateful servant if I did not love them the way You have loved me. Can I be so bold to appeal to the story of the thief upon the cross? Greater than the parting of the sea, or water from the rock, Lord those are but shadows, and I would ask to see the greatest miracle of all, there is nothing more beautiful than a dead soul being raised unto life. "Remember me when You enter Your kingdom." God, save my parents, for I do not know. Everyone tells me that doctrine is not important, that we can hold on to bad Theology and still be saved, as if that were the goal, to not know Who You are, Who Christ is, or that I am a sinner whose works cannot save. Please keep me from error, from saying things without love and compassion, from saying what You wouldn't say. Thank You for Your word and let it stand as my light and measure, keep me hungry and ever growing in the knowledge of Your truth. Help me forsake the desire to be liked, to cave in, but let me instead stand firmly on Your Word. 

…24 And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. 25 He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.… 2 Timothy 2: 24-26

…15 Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4: 15-16

…15 But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have. But respond with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you will be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.… 1 Peter 3: 15-17

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#822 Dwelling

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5 You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8 You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—

the Most High, who is my refuge—

10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

12 On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;

the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91 ESV

A Psalm with no title, but a song of assurance to those who have made the Lord their refuge. Some attribute it to Moses and others, David, but the authorship is uncertain.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High (Elyon) - We put a lot on our buildings, our towers, but the Son of man had no place to rest His head. In the last Psalm the Lord was Home for Moses and the people wandering in the wilderness.

…6 When I remember You on my bed, I think of You through the watches of the night. 7 For You are my help; I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.… Psalm 63: 6-8

The shadow of the Almighty: “This is an expression which implies great nearness. We must walk very close to a companion, if we would have his shadow fall on us.” (Duncan, cited in Spurgeon)

I will say to the Lord - This is the writer's profession of faith, and I shall profess the same, the Lord is my refuge and my strength, whom shall I fear? I shall trust God, rather than those things which are called into being, for He is without beginning or end, there is no safer place, though the storm blows and the waves rage, I will draw ever closer to my God.

From the snare of the Fowler - Men of no integrity will often lay a block of stumbling, a net or a snare, hoping that your capture is their honor. They will not lift a finger to be great, but to look that way by your looking less, by corrupting, by setting you up for failure, that is the way they know. It is God that delivers us from the liar by giving us the truth. It is God, Who upholds us, when we do not notice our enemy laying his snare. Thy Word, Oh God, is truly a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Protect me from the Fowler, but also from my own pride and error.

ii. “Lord Craven, a Christian, was a nobleman who was living in London when plague ravaged the city in the fifteenth century. In order to escape the spreading pestilence Craven determined to leave the city for his country home, as many of his social standing did. He ordered his coach and baggage made ready. But as he was walking down one of the halls of his home about to enter his carriage, he overheard one of his servants say to another, ‘I suppose by my Lord’s quitting London to avoid the plague that his God lives in the country and not in town.’ It was a straightforward and apparently innocent remark. But it struck Lord Craven so deeply that he canceled his journey, saying, ‘My God lives everywhere and can preserve me in town as well as in the country. I will stay where I am.’ So he stayed in London. He helped the plague victims, and he did not catch the disease himself.” (Boice)

 Under His wings you will find refuge - What God offers and so few find, they would have none of it, for men trust in chariots and horses, money and politics. The thought of a God, who doesn't do as He is told, who doesn't recognize their works or titles, well crucify Him, of course.

…33 Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem. 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”… Luke 13: 33-35

You will not fear the terror of the night - The dark, unknown and uncertain outcomes will not cripple you with fear. It is a blessing to have faith, hope and love, for faith is certain of God, hope gives strength to the weak and perfect love casts out all fear.

ii. “In life the Lord may permit many terrible things to happen to his children (cf. Job), as he did to his own Son, our Lord. But his children know that no power is out of God’s control.” (VanGemeren)

I am reminded of Joni Eareckson Tada, who after a tragic diving accident, became paralyzed from the neck down. She was a very athletic and active girl, who went into a very dark and suicidal place. God, in His mercy, became her hope and trust, lifting her from suicidal depression to joyous praise and a love that has overflowed to so many others who suffer in this life.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness, so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know.… Philippians 1: 20-22

For He will command His angels concerning you - One angel killed 185,000 men, and these are the servants, creatures of God. Satan drew from this passage to tempt our Lord, and men still to this day draw upon a twisting of Scripture to forward their agendas. The worst and most evil liars profess Christ, and handle the Word of God deceitfully. Their day will come, when they will hear "depart from me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you."

Angel of the Lord

v. “Let us remember that it is GOD, whose these angels are; HE gives them charge-from HIM they receive their commission, — to HIM they are responsible for their charge. From God thou art to expect them; and for their help he alone is to receive the praise. It is expressly said, He shall give his angels charge; to show that they are not to be prayed to nor praised; but GOD alone, whose servants they are.” (Clarke)

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample under foot - The fear of God makes the roaring of the lion more like the purring of a kitten. Your time is in God's hands, and this is no encouragement to foolish endeavors, but as Paul was bitten by the venomous snake, he shook it off and fulfilled the prophecy of Christ.

ii. There is another interesting connection with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. “The Lord’s trust in his Father also resulted in Satan’s defeat, another part of the psalm the devil omitted.” (Boice)

Because he holds fast to me in love - Do you love God or what you think God can do for you? Do you love Him for Who He is or Who you would like for Him to be? He said, "if you love Me keep my commandments". He told us to feed His sheep. Love is a very active thing, and the love of God should be so easily seen in the things of God. Read His Word so you may know Him and what may be done to His glory. Love one another. Love your enemy, your neighbor, and those that can do nothing for you in return. If you love someone you talk to them, you contemplate them, you want to be near them.

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#821 Home

Lord, you have been our dwelling place

in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You return man to dust

and say, “Return, O children of man!”

4 For a thousand years in your sight

are but as yesterday when it is past,

or as a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,

like grass that is renewed in the morning:

6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;

in the evening it fades and withers.

7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;

by your wrath we are dismayed.

8 You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;

we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

10 The years of our life are seventy,

or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span is but toil and trouble;

they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11 Who considers the power of your anger,

and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to number our days

that we may get a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O Lord! How long?

Have pity on your servants!

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

and for as many years as we have seen evil.

16 Let your work be shown to your servants,

and your glorious power to their children.

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,

and establish the work of our hands upon us;

yes, establish the work of our hands! Psalm 90 ESV

A Psalm "a prayer of Moses the man of God". This is considered by some to be the oldest of the Psalms.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations - Moses never entered the promised land, but was called a man of God. Abraham received the promise by faith, that his posterity would be a nation, and in Isaac his seed would be called. Isaac and Jacob were strangers in the land until the captivity in Egypt. Jacob became Israel, and a great multitude of people were led out of Egypt, wandering through the desert, sustained by the power of God, living in tents in the wilderness. No geographical place is as much home for the believer as being in the will and presence of God. God was their home, their sustenance, their hope. 

…11 By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.…

…14 Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.… Hebrews 11: 11-16

Or ever You had formed the earth and the world - Before anything was made there was God, eternal being, holy, infinite love and community.

…16 But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1: 16-17

…5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay! Revelation 10: 5-6

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.… John 1: 1-2

…57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.… John 8: 57-59

…23 I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.… John 17: 23-25

…16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.… Colossians 1: 16-18

You return man to dust - We are frail beings, and our days seem long to us at first, but from eternity a night is as a thousand years in our minds, but even that fails to describe the immeasurable.

- In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up. Blooming with abounding beauty till the meadows are all besprent with gems, the grass has a golden hour, even as man in his youth has a heyday of flowery glory. In the evening it is cut down, and withereth. The scythe ends the blossoming of the field flowers, and the dews at flight weep their fall. Here is the history of the grass--sown, grown, blown, mown, gone; and the history of man is not much more. Natural decay would put an end both to us and the grass in due time; few, however, are left to experience the full result of age, for death comes with his scythe, and removes our life in the midst of its verdure. How great a change in how short a time! The morning saw the blooming, and the evening sees the withering. - C. H. Spurgeon

You have set our iniquities before You - This is a Holy light, for there is no darkness in God and therefore none that will stand before Him. Eternal good must be opposed eternally opposed to evil. 

…5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.… Ephesians 5: 5-7

- The children of Israel had been brought out of Egypt with a high hand, fed in the wilderness with a liberal hand, and guided with a tender hand, and their sins were peculiarly atrocious. We, too, having been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and saved by abounding grace, will be verily guilty if we forsake the Lord. What manner of persons ought we to be? How ought we to pray for cleansing from secret faults? It is to us a wellspring of delights to remember that our sins, as believers are now cast behind the Lord's back, and shall never be brought to light again: therefore we live, because, the guilt being removed, the death penalty is removed also. - C. H. Spurgeon

Who considers the power of Your anger - Does it not say:

…30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 Remember the early days that you were in the light, when you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering.… Hebrews 10: 30-32

- Holy Scripture when it depicts God's wrath against sin never uses an hyperbole; it would be impossible to exaggerate it. Whatever feelings of pious awe and holy trembling may move the tender heart, it is never too much moved; apart from other considerations the great truth of the divine anger, when most powerfully felt, never impresses the mind with a solemnity in excess of the legitimate result of such a contemplation. What the power of God's anger is in hell, and what it would be on earth, were it not in mercy restrained, no man living can rightly conceive. Modern thinkers rail at Milton and Dante, Bunyan and Baxter, for their terrible imagery; but the truth is that no vision of poet, or denunciation of holy seer, can ever reach to the dread height of this great argument, much less go beyond it. The wrath to come has its horrors rather diminished than enhanced in description by the dark lines of human fancy; it baffles words, it leaves imagination far behind. - C. H. Spurgeon

Yes, establish the work of our hands - Let us not work in vain, for selfishness or to glory in things that You will not recognize, those dead works.

…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.… Ephesians 2: 8-10

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