2012 - Christian Random Thoughts Thread
- Thread starter Nice & Wavy
- Start date
So so true! Especially when so many ppl are hurting and need God.....there's a part we all play & we have to guard against getting caught up in the me, me, me culture.
LifeafterLHCF
New Member
loolalooh your not alone I'm battling that very things you mentioned. Some days I feel so encouraged and uplifted like this is going to be ok. Then others I want to find a pistol and take it to the temple. Things like my coworkers son drowning and I'm wondering how do we make sense of this. How does God get glory from that. Then I look at myself I'm pouring out on others but no one seems to want to help me. Who pours into you when your empty in the flesh. I pray and I fall on my knees daily but I keep stumbling on certain things I won't go into here. Your not alone and I have been keeping my mouth shut on here bc I know people look down upon folks who are going through raw pain and stuff.
I wish I could hug you and I'm not a hugger for many reasons. I know you will be ok that is one thing I positively know. Sometimes we get burnt but we shall heal. We will be ok no we will be more than ok because God is our father. I have to keep this on my mind bc I think there is no way I can be a christian thinking the way I do and going through certain things.
I wish I could hug you and I'm not a hugger for many reasons. I know you will be ok that is one thing I positively know. Sometimes we get burnt but we shall heal. We will be ok no we will be more than ok because God is our father. I have to keep this on my mind bc I think there is no way I can be a christian thinking the way I do and going through certain things.
LifeafterLHCF
New Member
If anyone is really wanting to pray I wouldn't be opposed to getting on the prayer line for those who want to pray. We may be online but we are all apart of one body. When one part hurts all hurt. I believe in all of us. No judgement just want to help uplift our own before we go out for a new week.
loolalooh
Well-Known Member
LoveisYou, GoddessMaker, divya, BrandNew:
Thank you for understanding, the hugs, and encouragement, ladies. It's good to know that I'm not alone. One image that keeps coming to my mind is that of Jesus in the garden praying while His disciples slept and before eventually being taken away to be crucified. I don't know that it was specifically stated in Scripture, but I imagine Him feeling so alone and as if God wasn't there. But He prayed anyway and with faith that God was there though it probably felt like He wasn't. So I'm trying to hold dearly to that image because it brings me some comfort in a weird kind of way.
I guess I have to remember that no one said this walk would be easy. Moreover it is stated that this walk will be difficult. Narrow is the gate. Trials. Tribulations. Struggling not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Holding on. Thanks again, ladies.
Thank you for understanding, the hugs, and encouragement, ladies. It's good to know that I'm not alone. One image that keeps coming to my mind is that of Jesus in the garden praying while His disciples slept and before eventually being taken away to be crucified. I don't know that it was specifically stated in Scripture, but I imagine Him feeling so alone and as if God wasn't there. But He prayed anyway and with faith that God was there though it probably felt like He wasn't. So I'm trying to hold dearly to that image because it brings me some comfort in a weird kind of way.
I guess I have to remember that no one said this walk would be easy. Moreover it is stated that this walk will be difficult. Narrow is the gate. Trials. Tribulations. Struggling not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Holding on. Thanks again, ladies.
LifeafterLHCF
New Member
I wish things were simple. Why could I be one of those types who people want to please and make happy. But no God you made me some type of way in which I have to be a loner and I have to do it solo. Right now I'm going through a real not nice patch. So much change is going to have to happen and I know it's up to me to get it going. I wish my goals were easy and were simple but there not. I wish I had a great team of support of people who know me really and believe in me. I know I'm hard on myself even when I'm not trying it shows. But what I will be grateful for is those who do say you can do it,let me send you this link or that link. It's up to me to be the me I desire. I know that Romans 8:24-25 really makes me slightly hopeful. I have to stay focused and my Sunday to go to my church in MD is coming. I can't say when but it has to happen.
BrandNew
Loc'd up and loving it!
I need to vent and I don't know where else to post this. I feel betrayed and used by my friends. When they need me most I'm there front and center but I always feel so alone when I'm in my situations. I feel like at this point I'm the one trying to keep the friendship alive and the bond what it use to be. This is hard for me to accept because I don't have a lot of friends and the ones I do have I really consider them to be my sisters.
an associate sent me this sermon on faith today, I was really blessed by it, just thought 'd share: http://www.tonyevans.org/site/c.feIKLOOpGlF/b.2029377/k.B7E4/Radio.htm
LifeafterLHCF
New Member
God you amaze me. When I don't think your listening to me you send someone to encourage me or to help me. For me this is confirmation to keep going and to not stop no matter what is going on. I'm doing positive things I just have this ability to see all the negative things. But what it really is isn't so negative but it's in process. The word I truly don't like to hear. But its all in process at once. Yea I feel you God.
fifi134
Well-Known Member
BrandNew I completely understand where you're coming from right now. I love my friends, and they've been there for me as well as I've been there for them. But there are times where I've felt they've used me, and this past week I felt betrayed by one of their actions.
Trust me, I'm still working on just getting over the fact that they were so nonchalant about my feelings.
It's difficult, but God calls us to be compassionate and forgiving unto others. For how can we consider the fact that He forgave us for something so much more grievous yet we cannot forgive others for lesser offenses? Pray to Him to soften your heart.
Trust me, I'm still working on just getting over the fact that they were so nonchalant about my feelings.
It's difficult, but God calls us to be compassionate and forgiving unto others. For how can we consider the fact that He forgave us for something so much more grievous yet we cannot forgive others for lesser offenses? Pray to Him to soften your heart.
Dee_33
Live, Laugh, Love
This verse is speaking to me today:
Habakkuk 3:17-19
A Hymn of Faith
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God[a] is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
A Hymn of Faith
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God[a] is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
LifeafterLHCF
New Member
God I thank you for your grace. My car was acting funny Friday and Saturday. I tried to just go to work this morning but it really acted out. So finally got it in the shop today and found out what was wrong. Thanks be to God that the part didn't break until I got there as they were doing their diagnosis of the car. See if that part would have broke while I was driving I could have really messed myself up but God. I'm sitting here trying to not start jumping around bc that really hit me.
I'm thankful for my life God. It's not perfect,it's not exactly where I had envisioned it to be at this time but you are guiding me. Help me Lord not to push others away when I get scared that are actually for me. Guide me Lord. Help me to pour into others as you pour into me. God works in such mysterious ways. My father called today after a year. I felt nothing but it was good to know he is alive. I had to check myself because I needed to understand why I felt nothing. He was my part of the equation to make me but nothing more. I'm grateful for his part but I know I will never have a earthly daddy but thank God for my father in heaven who protects me and keeps me even when I have no man around to help me. Lord thank you.
I'm thankful for my life God. It's not perfect,it's not exactly where I had envisioned it to be at this time but you are guiding me. Help me Lord not to push others away when I get scared that are actually for me. Guide me Lord. Help me to pour into others as you pour into me. God works in such mysterious ways. My father called today after a year. I felt nothing but it was good to know he is alive. I had to check myself because I needed to understand why I felt nothing. He was my part of the equation to make me but nothing more. I'm grateful for his part but I know I will never have a earthly daddy but thank God for my father in heaven who protects me and keeps me even when I have no man around to help me. Lord thank you.
loolalooh
Well-Known Member
Feeling a bit better today. This Scripture came into my mind this morning:
MATTHEW 12
It finds the house unoccupied ... And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.
I stopped my journey of the book of Jeremiah weeks ago. Will try to pick up where I left today. "Occupying" my "house" with the Word.
MATTHEW 12
It finds the house unoccupied ... And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.
I stopped my journey of the book of Jeremiah weeks ago. Will try to pick up where I left today. "Occupying" my "house" with the Word.
Nice & Wavy
Well-Known Member
If you don't have anyone to encourage you....encourage yourself in the Lord.
There will be times in this journey when you feel that all hope is gone....put on the whole armor of God and stand and after you have done all to stand......STAND!
"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 43:5 ESV
______________________________________
http://www.hurtingchristian.org/PastorsSite/psalms/psalm146.htm
Introduction
We place our hope in a lot of things. How many of you hope that you will some day win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes? Or maybe you’ve been sneaking over to the California Lottery display and hoping to pick the right numbers. Maybe you have been very biblical in trying to select numbers. Twelve for the twelve disciples, three for the trinity, forty for the forty days it rained on Noah, fifty for the fifty days to Pentecost, and twenty-three because that’s your favorite psalm.
I remember once my mother-in-law phoned me and told me to come right over. She thought she had won one million dollars. I’m sure all of you have received those kinds of letters. When I looked at the letter, I have to admit it was worded very cleverly. But I had to break the news to Mom that there was a stipulation. It said you have won if the numbers on the form matched the winning numbers. This disclaimer of course was written in much smaller print. We find it easy to place our hope in a lot of other things, don’t we? So why do we find it so difficult to place our hope in God? Psalm 146 gives us good instruction about how to hope in the Lord.
Verse 1
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
This is one of the 14 Hallelujah psalms, named because of the first two Hebrew words in verse one: <halelu> praise, and<yah> the Lord. It’s a call for us to praise the Lord. Praising God in spite of difficulties is an important start in the growth of our trust in him. When things appear hopeless, that’s when we should praise God. Worshiping the Lord takes our focus off of our problems and places them onto the One who can give us hope.
Augustine wrote in 400 A.D., "For sometimes in the tribulations and temptations of this present life, whether we will or no, our soul is troubled.... But to remove this troubling, he suggesteth joy; not as yet in reality, but in hope; and saith to it when troubled and anxious, sad and sorrowing, ‘Hope in God, for I will yet confess to Him.’ ..."
Verse 2
I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
Spurgeon commented on this verse, "I shall not live here for ever. This mortal life will find a finis in death; but while it lasts I will laud the Lord my God. I cannot tell how long or short my life may be; but every hour of it shall be given to the praises of my God." This verse doesn’t say I will praise the Lord only when things are going well with me. We need to learn to praise God in the bad times as well as the good times. The more time we spend worshipping him when things are going great, the easier it will be for us to worship him even when troubles and tribulation come. This is why Paul could sing and praise God when he was thrown in the Philippian jail in Acts 16:25 and why he could write in Philippians 4:4 while in a Roman prison, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" If we rejoice in the Lord during the good times, then we will find it easier to rejoice in him during the bad times. Addison wrote, Through every period of my life Thy goodness I’ll pursue; And after death, in distant worlds,The glorious theme renew.Through all eternity to Thee A joyful song I’ll raise; But, oh! eternity’s too short To utter all thy praise.
Verse 3-4
Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help. When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish. In whom have you put your trust? Is it in doctors and financial planners? Is it in medicines and pension plans? Is it in your family and your friends? Is it even in the people in your church and your Pastor? Even though all these can be a blessing and help to us, they are all human — all prone to weakness and error. There is only one who is steadfast and unchangeable. That one is the Lord. It is in him that we need to place our hope and our trust.
Man will fail us, man will disappoint us, but God will never let us down. As MacDonald wrote, "It isn’t long before most of us learn not to trust in man—not even in princes who are supposed to be superior. The best of men are men at best."
Verse 5
Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.
When we learn to rest in the Lord and place our hope in him, we find a peace and comfort sweeping over us. Jesus promised us in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
This verse gives us the key to happiness. It’s a matter of our attitude. We need to change our thinking. Are we looking for others for help, and do we place our hope in institutions of this world? Is our trust in doctors, or the government, our employer, or our medical insurance? Are we counting on them to help us?
We need to change our way of looking at things. Our help is the God of Jacob. Our hope is in the Lord. God’s help is greater help than any doctor or government, any employer or insurance plan, any friend or family member can give us. God’s help is sufficient. We need to learn to place our hope in him. He will not fail us. Spurgeon comments, "Happy is he when others are despairing! Happiest shall he be in that very hour when others are discovering the depths of agony. We have here a statement which we have personally tried and proved: resting in the Lord, we know a happiness which is beyond description, beyond comparison, beyond conception. O how blessed a thing it is to know that God is our present help, and our eternal hope."
Verse 6
Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever.
In this and the verses that follow, the psalmist begins to enumerate the reasons why we can place our hope in the Lord. When we place our hope in the Lord, we are putting our trust in the Creator of the universe — the one who made all the stars and planets, all the plants and animals, all the rivers and the mountains. If he can do all that, certainly he can take care of our small problems. The last phrase in this verse, "who keeps faith for ever," is instructive. The word for faith in the Hebrew is <emeth> which literally means "truth." But it is also used to indicate stability, firmness, and reliability. This is why we can hope in God. He is our stability and he is our firm foundation. We can rely on him. Spurgeon comments, "Wisely may we trust our Creator: justly may we expect to be happy in so doing. He who made heaven can make a heaven for us, and make us fit for heaven. He who made the earth can preserve us while we are on earth, and help us to make good use of it while we sojourn upon it. He who made the sea and all its mysteries can steer us across the pathless deeps of a troubled life, and make it a way for his redeemed to pass over. This God who still makes the world by keeping it in existence is assuredly able to keep us to his eternal kingdom and glory."
There will be times in this journey when you feel that all hope is gone....put on the whole armor of God and stand and after you have done all to stand......STAND!
"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 43:5 ESV
______________________________________
http://www.hurtingchristian.org/PastorsSite/psalms/psalm146.htm
Introduction
We place our hope in a lot of things. How many of you hope that you will some day win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes? Or maybe you’ve been sneaking over to the California Lottery display and hoping to pick the right numbers. Maybe you have been very biblical in trying to select numbers. Twelve for the twelve disciples, three for the trinity, forty for the forty days it rained on Noah, fifty for the fifty days to Pentecost, and twenty-three because that’s your favorite psalm.
I remember once my mother-in-law phoned me and told me to come right over. She thought she had won one million dollars. I’m sure all of you have received those kinds of letters. When I looked at the letter, I have to admit it was worded very cleverly. But I had to break the news to Mom that there was a stipulation. It said you have won if the numbers on the form matched the winning numbers. This disclaimer of course was written in much smaller print. We find it easy to place our hope in a lot of other things, don’t we? So why do we find it so difficult to place our hope in God? Psalm 146 gives us good instruction about how to hope in the Lord.
Verse 1
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
This is one of the 14 Hallelujah psalms, named because of the first two Hebrew words in verse one: <halelu> praise, and<yah> the Lord. It’s a call for us to praise the Lord. Praising God in spite of difficulties is an important start in the growth of our trust in him. When things appear hopeless, that’s when we should praise God. Worshiping the Lord takes our focus off of our problems and places them onto the One who can give us hope.
Augustine wrote in 400 A.D., "For sometimes in the tribulations and temptations of this present life, whether we will or no, our soul is troubled.... But to remove this troubling, he suggesteth joy; not as yet in reality, but in hope; and saith to it when troubled and anxious, sad and sorrowing, ‘Hope in God, for I will yet confess to Him.’ ..."
Verse 2
I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
Spurgeon commented on this verse, "I shall not live here for ever. This mortal life will find a finis in death; but while it lasts I will laud the Lord my God. I cannot tell how long or short my life may be; but every hour of it shall be given to the praises of my God." This verse doesn’t say I will praise the Lord only when things are going well with me. We need to learn to praise God in the bad times as well as the good times. The more time we spend worshipping him when things are going great, the easier it will be for us to worship him even when troubles and tribulation come. This is why Paul could sing and praise God when he was thrown in the Philippian jail in Acts 16:25 and why he could write in Philippians 4:4 while in a Roman prison, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" If we rejoice in the Lord during the good times, then we will find it easier to rejoice in him during the bad times. Addison wrote, Through every period of my life Thy goodness I’ll pursue; And after death, in distant worlds,The glorious theme renew.Through all eternity to Thee A joyful song I’ll raise; But, oh! eternity’s too short To utter all thy praise.
Verse 3-4
Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help. When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish. In whom have you put your trust? Is it in doctors and financial planners? Is it in medicines and pension plans? Is it in your family and your friends? Is it even in the people in your church and your Pastor? Even though all these can be a blessing and help to us, they are all human — all prone to weakness and error. There is only one who is steadfast and unchangeable. That one is the Lord. It is in him that we need to place our hope and our trust.
Man will fail us, man will disappoint us, but God will never let us down. As MacDonald wrote, "It isn’t long before most of us learn not to trust in man—not even in princes who are supposed to be superior. The best of men are men at best."
Verse 5
Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.
When we learn to rest in the Lord and place our hope in him, we find a peace and comfort sweeping over us. Jesus promised us in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
This verse gives us the key to happiness. It’s a matter of our attitude. We need to change our thinking. Are we looking for others for help, and do we place our hope in institutions of this world? Is our trust in doctors, or the government, our employer, or our medical insurance? Are we counting on them to help us?
We need to change our way of looking at things. Our help is the God of Jacob. Our hope is in the Lord. God’s help is greater help than any doctor or government, any employer or insurance plan, any friend or family member can give us. God’s help is sufficient. We need to learn to place our hope in him. He will not fail us. Spurgeon comments, "Happy is he when others are despairing! Happiest shall he be in that very hour when others are discovering the depths of agony. We have here a statement which we have personally tried and proved: resting in the Lord, we know a happiness which is beyond description, beyond comparison, beyond conception. O how blessed a thing it is to know that God is our present help, and our eternal hope."
Verse 6
Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever.
In this and the verses that follow, the psalmist begins to enumerate the reasons why we can place our hope in the Lord. When we place our hope in the Lord, we are putting our trust in the Creator of the universe — the one who made all the stars and planets, all the plants and animals, all the rivers and the mountains. If he can do all that, certainly he can take care of our small problems. The last phrase in this verse, "who keeps faith for ever," is instructive. The word for faith in the Hebrew is <emeth> which literally means "truth." But it is also used to indicate stability, firmness, and reliability. This is why we can hope in God. He is our stability and he is our firm foundation. We can rely on him. Spurgeon comments, "Wisely may we trust our Creator: justly may we expect to be happy in so doing. He who made heaven can make a heaven for us, and make us fit for heaven. He who made the earth can preserve us while we are on earth, and help us to make good use of it while we sojourn upon it. He who made the sea and all its mysteries can steer us across the pathless deeps of a troubled life, and make it a way for his redeemed to pass over. This God who still makes the world by keeping it in existence is assuredly able to keep us to his eternal kingdom and glory."
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Nice & Wavy
Well-Known Member
Verse 7
Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.
God delivers the oppressed, feeds the hungry and sets the prisoners free. We may not be politically oppressed or without food or in prison, but we can take comfort that God takes care of those who are. And we know he helps us when we are oppressed by trouble surrounding us. He provides us with blessings when we are financially strapped, and he delivers us from the bondage of depression, fears, drugs, and alcohol, or whatever other chains may be ensnaring us.
Verse 8
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
In this verse we have a three-fold promise of God’s care for us. First, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. God ministers to our physical needs. He still answers the prayers of his people, and he still is in the miracle-working business. When we are sick and afflicted, we can come to him with confidence. He cares about our physical needs. Second, he lifts us up when we are bowed down with discouragement and ministers to our mind. He gives us peace and comfort in the midst of our turmoil. When we are in deep mental anguish and despair, we can come to him and know that his healing hand is stretched out to soothe our spirit and calm our soul.
Third, he ministers to our spirit. We are not righteous in our body, nor are we righteous in our mind, but we are righteous in our spirit because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. God ministers to us spiritual strength. He helps us overcome the lusts of the body and the temptations of the mind by building up our spiritual side. He does this because he loves us.
So what difficulty are you facing? Trust God. He will heal your body, he will heal your mind, he will heal your spirit. Put your hope in the Lord. Spurgeon gives a wonderful testimony of how God kept him from physical illness. He wrote, "In the year 1854, when I had scarcely been in London twelve months, the neighborhood in which I labored was visited by Asiatic cholera, and my congregation suffered from its inroads. Family after family summoned me to the bedside of the smitten, and almost every day I was called to visit the grave. I gave myself up with youthful ardour to the visitation of the sick, and was sent for from all corners of the district by persons of all ranks and religions. I became weary in body and sick at heart.
My friends seemed falling one by one, and I felt or fancied that I was sickening like those around me. ... As God would have it, I was returning mournfully home from a funeral, when my curiosity led me to read a paper which was wafered up in a shoemaker’s window in the Dover Road. ...it bore in a good bold handwriting these words:—"Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall not evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." [Psalm 91:9-10] The effect upon my heart was immediate. Faith appropriated the passage as her own. I felt secure, refreshed, girt with immortality. I went on with my visitation of the dying in a calm and peaceful spirit; I felt no fear of evil, and I suffered no harm."
What a wonderful story of faith and God’s healing hand upon this man. But one paragraph later, Spurgeon makes this remarkable statement, "It is impossible that any ill should happen to the man who is beloved of the Lord; the most crushing calamities can only shorten his journey and hasten him to his reward. Ill to him is no ill, but only good in a mysterious form. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honour, death is his gain. No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him, for everything is overruled for good. Happy is he who is in such a case. He is secure where others are in peril, he lives where others die." This is the same attitude Paul had when he was imprisoned in Rome facing execution and he wrote in Philippians 1:20-21, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." And Job could say in Job 13:15 , "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."
What are you facing? Are you ready to put your complete trust in God just as Spurgeon did, just as Paul did, and just as Job did?
Verse 9
The LORD watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
God watches over the powerless. The sojourner is a foreign transient. He has no home, is in a foreign land, and may feel lost and alone. But God is with him to help him along the way.
In ancient times the widow and the fatherless were in deep economic trouble. And yet God has promised that he watches over them. As Spurgeon wrote, "When the secondary fatherhood is gone the child falls back upon the primary fatherhood of the Creator; when the husband of earth is removed the godly widow casts herself upon the care of her Maker."
If God will watch over even the most helpless of humanity, we can be confident that he also watches over us. He cares about our plight, and he speedily comes to our aid.
Verse 10
The LORD will reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
We can put our hope in the Lord, because we know the Lord reigns forever. His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, even to all generations.
Dr. Curt Richter of John Hopkins University conducted experiments with rats. He took one rat and held it tightly. Eventually, the rat stopped squirming as it realized its situation was hopeless. Dr. Richter then dropped the rat in a tank of water. The rat sank to the bottom of the tank because he had lost all hope. Dr. Richter then took another rat which hadn’t been brought to hopelessness and dropped it in the tank. The second rat, of course, swam to safety. Are you like the first rat — hopeless, or are you like the second rat — hopeful?
What difficulties are you facing? Are you suffering from health problems? Hope in the Lord. Are you experiencing mental despair? Hope in the Lord. Are you facing spiritual anguish? Hope in the Lord. No matter how great the battle you may face, or how devastating the troubles may appear, don’t despair. Hope in the Lord. God has promised he will take care of you.
Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.
God delivers the oppressed, feeds the hungry and sets the prisoners free. We may not be politically oppressed or without food or in prison, but we can take comfort that God takes care of those who are. And we know he helps us when we are oppressed by trouble surrounding us. He provides us with blessings when we are financially strapped, and he delivers us from the bondage of depression, fears, drugs, and alcohol, or whatever other chains may be ensnaring us.
Verse 8
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
In this verse we have a three-fold promise of God’s care for us. First, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. God ministers to our physical needs. He still answers the prayers of his people, and he still is in the miracle-working business. When we are sick and afflicted, we can come to him with confidence. He cares about our physical needs. Second, he lifts us up when we are bowed down with discouragement and ministers to our mind. He gives us peace and comfort in the midst of our turmoil. When we are in deep mental anguish and despair, we can come to him and know that his healing hand is stretched out to soothe our spirit and calm our soul.
Third, he ministers to our spirit. We are not righteous in our body, nor are we righteous in our mind, but we are righteous in our spirit because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. God ministers to us spiritual strength. He helps us overcome the lusts of the body and the temptations of the mind by building up our spiritual side. He does this because he loves us.
So what difficulty are you facing? Trust God. He will heal your body, he will heal your mind, he will heal your spirit. Put your hope in the Lord. Spurgeon gives a wonderful testimony of how God kept him from physical illness. He wrote, "In the year 1854, when I had scarcely been in London twelve months, the neighborhood in which I labored was visited by Asiatic cholera, and my congregation suffered from its inroads. Family after family summoned me to the bedside of the smitten, and almost every day I was called to visit the grave. I gave myself up with youthful ardour to the visitation of the sick, and was sent for from all corners of the district by persons of all ranks and religions. I became weary in body and sick at heart.
My friends seemed falling one by one, and I felt or fancied that I was sickening like those around me. ... As God would have it, I was returning mournfully home from a funeral, when my curiosity led me to read a paper which was wafered up in a shoemaker’s window in the Dover Road. ...it bore in a good bold handwriting these words:—"Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall not evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." [Psalm 91:9-10] The effect upon my heart was immediate. Faith appropriated the passage as her own. I felt secure, refreshed, girt with immortality. I went on with my visitation of the dying in a calm and peaceful spirit; I felt no fear of evil, and I suffered no harm."
What a wonderful story of faith and God’s healing hand upon this man. But one paragraph later, Spurgeon makes this remarkable statement, "It is impossible that any ill should happen to the man who is beloved of the Lord; the most crushing calamities can only shorten his journey and hasten him to his reward. Ill to him is no ill, but only good in a mysterious form. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honour, death is his gain. No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him, for everything is overruled for good. Happy is he who is in such a case. He is secure where others are in peril, he lives where others die." This is the same attitude Paul had when he was imprisoned in Rome facing execution and he wrote in Philippians 1:20-21, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." And Job could say in Job 13:15 , "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."
What are you facing? Are you ready to put your complete trust in God just as Spurgeon did, just as Paul did, and just as Job did?
Verse 9
The LORD watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
God watches over the powerless. The sojourner is a foreign transient. He has no home, is in a foreign land, and may feel lost and alone. But God is with him to help him along the way.
In ancient times the widow and the fatherless were in deep economic trouble. And yet God has promised that he watches over them. As Spurgeon wrote, "When the secondary fatherhood is gone the child falls back upon the primary fatherhood of the Creator; when the husband of earth is removed the godly widow casts herself upon the care of her Maker."
If God will watch over even the most helpless of humanity, we can be confident that he also watches over us. He cares about our plight, and he speedily comes to our aid.
Verse 10
The LORD will reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
We can put our hope in the Lord, because we know the Lord reigns forever. His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, even to all generations.
Dr. Curt Richter of John Hopkins University conducted experiments with rats. He took one rat and held it tightly. Eventually, the rat stopped squirming as it realized its situation was hopeless. Dr. Richter then dropped the rat in a tank of water. The rat sank to the bottom of the tank because he had lost all hope. Dr. Richter then took another rat which hadn’t been brought to hopelessness and dropped it in the tank. The second rat, of course, swam to safety. Are you like the first rat — hopeless, or are you like the second rat — hopeful?
What difficulties are you facing? Are you suffering from health problems? Hope in the Lord. Are you experiencing mental despair? Hope in the Lord. Are you facing spiritual anguish? Hope in the Lord. No matter how great the battle you may face, or how devastating the troubles may appear, don’t despair. Hope in the Lord. God has promised he will take care of you.
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LucieLoo12
Well-Known Member
LifeafterLHCF
New Member
Sometimes we think we will have another chance to get it right and that isn't always so. I'm really hit hard by my friends lost of her child. He was 4 and shot himself playing with her job gun. I feel the pain of her loss and try to keep focused God is getting glory out of this some how. His mission was complete and he went home to be with the father. I want to get things right and be on point but I see beating myself won't help.If anything it is hindering my walk because instead of moving on and abstaining certain things I fall back into them. Another day has been given I will do what I can in order to be what I am called to be.
Laela
Sidestepping the "lynch mob"
GoddessMaker, so sorry to hear about your friend and the loss of her child! I pray she is comforted in Spirit..God is control.
auparavant
New Member
L. and her family lost everything in their home to a fire. They were due to move into their blended stepdad's new home when it happened. I'm glad no one was killed but it is still a shock to lose everything you own.
LifeafterLHCF
New Member
God says he loves and is patient. I need that type of love and patience from man. I am thinking what will really make me happy or can I ever be happy. I see myself right now not as bad as I was in the past but still with much work to do. I' m trying to change myself to be not so hard up and so brutal on myself. I extend patience with others except on the road but I can accept a person for who they are now and either deal or not. I hope I gain some comfort and so focus today.
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