Praise the Lord...who daily bears our burdens - Ps. 68:19

Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour.

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me. He whose name is Counselor and Power.

The protection of His child and treasure, is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As your days, your strength shall be in measure," This the pledge to me He made.

Hymn "Day by Day" by Karolina W. Sandell-Berg

 

The hymn writer of this song knew well the mercy of God.  She and her pastor-father were boating in Sweden when her father was tossed overboard and drowned.  She held on tight to the Lord and His word and she wrote many poems during that time about the strength the Lord provides. This poem was made into a hymn.

 

The strength she wrote about is the same strength our psalmist, David, wrote about.  He knew his God was merciful and powerful and even in trials He carries our burdens day by day.  Are we "day by day" grateful for those mercies...as Charles Spurgeon says about "common mercies":

 

Let us daily praise God for common mercies - common

as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless that when deprived of

them we are ready to perish.

 

Ephesians 6:20 says we should "...always give thanks to God for everything...".  Can you right now give thanks for a hundred "common" things that have been provided for you today?  Like a roof over your head, like a warm shower, like cereal, like holding a Bible in your lap, like green grass, like the promise of a meal tonight?

 

He has made provision for so many things in our day.  We wake up burdened by a child who has gone astray - He bears that burden for you.  We wake up wondering about our husband's health - He bears that burden for you.  We wake up wondering if we can pay the rent this month - He bears that burden for you.  We wake up depressed and sad - He bears that burden for you.  It is my opinion that when we can praise Him for His presence in our burdens, His blessings will pour down on us.  Were your last words to Him a praise or complaint?  I want to be like our hymnwriter and our psalmist that we praise Him and believe in His promises to us.

 

For further study:  Exodus 15:2, Deu. 33:25, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 46:1, Lam. 3:23-24, John 1:16,  Romans 9:14-15, 2 Cor. 12:9, Phil. 4:13.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

God's plans are...to give you hope; seek Him with all your heart - Jer. 29:11-13

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord,

'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and

a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me

and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me

when you seek me with all your heart.'"

Jer. 29:11-13

 

Our friend, Jeremiah, had a difficult task...in fact it never really got any easier.  He had to speak truth about judgment to a people who continued to oppose him.  In fact, the book of Lamentations, following the book of Jeremiah, is purported to be his "lament" over the people and their refusal to listen.  Jeremiah, in our verse today, is trying to tell them the good news if they would only listen and respond.  His plans for them and for us today are that we would trust in Him and His word.  He has given us the standard for His blessings in His word.  Jeremiah was determined to live the life God had planned for him to live.

 

I recently read a story in DECISION magazine about a Christian couple who owned a bakery in Oregon.  They had been very successful and were steadily growing.  One day they didn't accept business from a family that would cause them to violate their Christian beliefs.  There are times that I have declined business from someone who wanted me to embroider something other than Scriptures...there are others who can do those...I choose to do only Scriptures.  That was just my covenant with the Lord.  The couple began to get protestors, very bad, dishonest reviews and threats against their small bakery and family.  They have been threatened with fines and business has declined.  He says: "What is happening is hostility toward righteousness.  I'm not saying I have a righteousness of my own, but I am trying to live according to God's word...The Lord can and will deliver us through this.  Even if the state throws the book at us, and we lose everything, we will be OK."

 

I have chosen to make God's word my standard.  Jesus died to set us free and not to be forced to live bound up by a changing society.  God's plans for us are good...He loves us with an everlasting love...He will never leave us or forsake us.  He calls us into a relationship with Himself...the only way we can have the power to do anything right...and says He will walk with us through every day of our lives.  I want to be as courageous as this couple in Oregon.  Listen to a stanza from "I'd Rather Have Jesus" by Reah Miller:

 

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause; I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame.  I'd rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway.

I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.

 

For further study:  Judges 21:25, Psalm 33:11, Isaiah 46:10-11, Daniel 4:34-37,  Matthew 16:24-27, Romans 1:21-32, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:17,  James 1:17.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

"Clean hands and pure hearts bring blessings from God" - Ps. 24:4-5

This psalm of David is a beautiful celebration of God, who He is, all that He has done, why He is  the only one worthy of worship and the blessings that come from those who keep Him as the center of their worship.  I'm afraid we have become misguided about the true nature of blessings.  Even those of us who honor God with our lives seem to indicate that "blessings" may be more about health, financial security or success.   I believe this psalm says those who exalt Him (those with clean hands and pure hearts; those who do not trust idols or false gods) are the blessed ones.

Look at Matthew 5:1-11- who are the "blessed" ones in this passage? ...those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers...was that what you were thinking?  Is that what the world thinks?  These words are from Jesus as He was teaching His disciples to "repent, for the kingdom of God is near" (Matt. 4:27).  When we exalt Him - because He is the only one worthy - we are blessed.  When our focus is on us and what we want, the blessings are long in coming and fleeting when they do.

Listen to A.W. Tozer in THE PURSUIT OF GOD:

While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves -

good riddance!  The man who has struggled to purify himself

and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief

when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the Perfect One.

While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do

will be getting done within him.  It will be God working in him

to will and to do.

 

In Bible study this morning we sang "God Moves in Mysterious Ways".  "You fearful saints, fresh courage take.  The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head".  We don't look for our blessings in the clouds (or the trials)...but maybe we should!

 

For further study: 1 Samuel 2:30,  Psalm 1:1, Psalm 33:12, Psalm 51:10,  Psalm 112:1, Ezekiel 34:26,

Romans 12:1-2, 2 Cor. 6:16-17,  2 Cor. 7:1, Phil. 4:8, Hebrews 12:14.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly