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Oh that You would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against You with malicious intent;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
Psalms 139:19-22 ESV
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Click this link to listen to a stirring rendition of this passage.
from The Verses Project
written by Aaron Strumpel
Chains are broken, ’cause You have spoken
It is finished on the Cross
Now I’m living in Your freedom
Jesus, You have set me free
By the power of Your Spirit
Every captive is released
For this purpose, I am living
‘Cause, Jesus, You have set me free
Nothingʼs gonna hold me back
No, nothingʼs gonna keep me down
Jesus has set me free, Iʻm free indeed
I will give You praise
With everything I am Iʼll praise
Whatever may come my way
You have won the victory, oh You set me free
Iʼm surrounded by Your goodness
I am covered by Your grace
My heart is grateful, forever thankful
‘Cause, Jesus, You have set me free
I will give You praise
With everything I am Iʼll praise
Whatever may come my way
You have won the victory
We are free, we are free
And we have the victory
I will give You praise
With everything I am Iʼll praise
Whatever may come my way
You have won the victory, You set me free
PlanetShakers
Joth Hunt
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Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of Your goodness to me.
Psalm 142:7 NIV
Here is David…once again…on the run for his life from Saul, hiding in a cave, acknowledging the need for his God’s deliverance and protection. And don’t you just love his motivation? Listen again to what he writes:
“…[so] that I may praise Your name,
then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me.”
Yes, he definitely needed to be rescued from the cave. Yes, he surely needed to be delivered from this situation. Yes, he absolutely was in dire straits fearing for his life. But, even more than being rescued, delivered, and saved, he wanted to praise his Deliverer, his Rescuer, his Savior and tell others about God’s goodness.
And this was always the recurring theme of David’s heart—to praise God! Even now, thousands of years later, you and I are so often brought to the place of praise through the beautiful, praise-filled words of David’s psalms, yes? Here are a few of my oh-so-very favorites:
But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalms 13:5-6
My mouth shall tell of Your righteous acts
and of Your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is more than I know.
Psalm 71:15
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
Psalm 40:5
In Psalm 142, we hear of David’s desire to not only praise God for rescuing him but that other’s, also, would praise God for this. How about me (and you)? When we cry out to our God for His deliverance in our situations and circumstances, is it only for relief for ourselves? Or is our prayer that out of our deliverance would come honor and glory and majesty and praise of our God…? Oh, for sure, we need God’s deliverance! Daily each of us need God’s provision and protection and blessing. But we should always be sure to tell others about the wonderful and mighty and awesome things that He does as He cares for us.
So, tell us, would you…how has God set you free lately? We would love to praise His name because of His goodness to you!
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple
More to be desired are they than gold
Yea, than much fine gold
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether
Moreover by them is Thy servant warned
And in keeping of them there is great reward
Who can understand his errors
Cleanse Thou me from secret faults
Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins
Let them not have dominion over me
Then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent of the great transgression
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer
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We hear in this sweet song (and read in Psalm 19:7-14 which inspired it) that God’s commands (His laws, His statutes, His precepts, His decrees) are:
How encouraging is that?!? What a merciful, gracious, kind, compassionate God we serve! Throughout time, He has communicated with His people and given them His commands—which, in this psalm, include His laws, statutes, precepts, and decrees.
In the beginning, God told His man, Adam, ONE simple command—not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden (Genesis 2). To the children of Israel as they journeyed for forty years to the Promised Land, He gave them His rules to follow (e.g, Deuteronomy 6). When Jesus was instructing His disciples, He pulled it all together, giving them TWO direct commandments—1) to love God with their whole heart, soul, mind, all their strength and 2) to love their fellow man as they loved themselves (Mark 12:29-31). Our hearts’ response to our loving God should be loving obedience…plain and simple. I pray that the following verses will be a reminder and encouragement for us all to trust and obey the Great I AM.
In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands.
And His commands are not burdensome.
1 John 5:3
I obey your precepts and Your statutes, for all my ways are known to You.
Psalm 119:168
Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart—
Psalm 119:2
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Thank You, dear Lord, for how gracious, kind, and merciful You are to us. You are not a harsh, exacting God Who demands perfection…rather You are a loving Father Who sets righteous, life-giving commands before us! You guide us and help us to seek You and obey You from our hearts. You are SO good!!! We love You, Father…and pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have you noticed ALL the squash at the grocery store (even more abundant, probably, at your local farmer’s market)? Oh, h-a-p-p-y me! This week there were quite a few small-ish spaghetti squash…so I snatched up 3 of ’em! They are the perfect size for a meal for two (and some leftovers). Spaghetti squash, as most of you know I am sure, is a really good substitute for traditional spaghetti…minus most of the carbs. Here is some nutrition info for spaghetti squash. This fits in so well with our ‘healthy but oh-so-yummy‘ POV.
My husband Robert’s favorite rendition of “spaghetti squash and…” is with Italian spaghetti sauce and meatballs. But me…I am not a huge fan of so much liquid being dolloped over top the prepared spaghetti squash. So this is what spaghetti squash #1 became…. The ‘warmth’ of the garam masala, the cumin, and turmeric spices added so much to fairly flavor-less ground chicken and spaghetti squash. Enjoy!
ingredients
small (2#) spaghetti squash
1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
10-12 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
handful (or two) of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
directions
saute for 5 minutes or so♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
God loves you! ♥ (Don’t ever forget that!)
♥ coleen
O that You would kill the wicked, O God;
Go away from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
For they speak against You wickedly,
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
I hate them with perfect and utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
Psalms 139:19-22
Change my heart, oh God
Make it ever true
Change my heart, oh God
May I be like You
You are the Potter
I am the clay
Mold me and make me
This is what I pray
{friends, this week the verses from Psalm 139 that our devotionals will focus on are not the prettiest…not the most praise-filled…not any thoughts to emulate. these thoughts of the psalmist are a response, a reaction to things happening in his life…and his outraged cries to his God. what a gracious God that He allowed him to speak from the depths of his heart…and that He allowed us to read and ‘hear’ these words. we, too, at times respond like this to evil and persecution. But we know that Jesus taught that LOVE is the response…and to NOT hate our enemies. as such, like the psalmist, we need to change our thinking, our responses. we need God to help us to change our heart. This song is a great tool to do so. I pray for you (please pray for me, too!) that we will seek God asking Him to change us, to mold us, to help us to be like Him.}
How precious to me are Your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17 and 18
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This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have continued along in our series on this wonderful chapter, Psalm 139. Our devotional writers have reminded us how vast, how precious, how awesome are God’s thoughts of us. Here are a few of their thoughts….
In Thoughts, Tina reminded us about being still and waiting on God….
David was a great example of waiting and sitting before the Lord. He would go to a quiet place and meditate on the great love God had shown him and his family…David was wonderful at being humble. He did not let the fact that he was a king stop him from baring his heart and soul to the One who formed him in his mother’s womb.
As we wait on God to answer our prayers, we may become discouraged thinking, “He does not care about my little issue…” or, “I have asked way too many times about the same thing….” Let’s change our thoughts. Let’s see how they align with Scriptures. God wants us to acknowledge that He is first in our lives (not second, or third, or even fourth). We need to train ourselves to put Him first in all that we do, all that we think, and all that we are.
In What He Thinks of Me, Ahmee reminded us of Who’s thoughts of us we should be concerned….
…However, not all opinions should be accepted. In fact, before we accept anything about ourselves we should prayerfully go to God. He can show us our flaws in a different light and show us what He thinks and show us how to change. God does that. Now, if God says that it is so, then it is so.
…We are loved and thought very highly of. God sees our potential and loves us right where we are.
How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17-18
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How awesome is this Truth, oh Lord, that Your thoughts of us are vast…and, really, uncountable! This Truth humbles us! And yet it also leads us to draw closer and closer to You, our Faithful God! May our hearts and our thoughts of You be as the psalmist communicates as we meditate on this passage. May we recognize the privilege of being in Your presence. May the thought of Your presence be oh-so-very precious to us. We love You and adore You, dear God! We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
When sorrows come and hope seems gone
You’re the Rock I rest upon
When waters rise and I can’t breathe
You’re the love that rescues me
Out of the darkness I lift up my eyes
Unto the hills I feel my faith rise
Maker of heaven, Giver of life
You are my strength, my song in the night
My refuge, my shelter now and forevermore
My help comes from the Lord
When I’m broken scarred by sin
Death gives way to life again
When I suffer when I doubt
In You I’m free, in You I’m found
The Museum
written by Barry Weeks, Bryan Brown, John Abel, Tony Wood
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{David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him
from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said…}
“The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer;
my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge,
my Shield and the Horn of my salvation.
He is my Stronghold, my Refuge and my Savior
—from violent people you save me.
I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
2 Samuel 22:1-4
OK, please raise your hands, everyone who has cried out to God like this…. OK, now hands up—this time raised in praise—everyone who has cried out to God like this KNOWING that He IS your Help…He IS your Deliverer…and that He will not tarry. Oh, how we love to praise Him for His goodness, His grace, His help; yes?
But, just like David, there are days when we are feeling so very poor and needy… days when it takes effort, sometimes great effort, to continue to praise. Days when our praises are not as abundant as our crying out to God for His help.
I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord;
I make supplication with my voice to the Lord.
I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, “You are my Refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
Give attention to my cry, for I am brought very low…
Psalms 142:1, 5-6
And our God—our gracious, compassionate, loving God—He is patient and forbearing with us. And draws us to Himself…truly our help does come from the Lord!
Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You;
let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified!
[As for me] I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me.
You are my Help and my Deliverer. O my God, do not tarry!
Psalms 40:16 and 17
What a comfort to know the truth that the Lord DOES take thought and DOES have plans for us. And yet, we doubt sometimes. God knows this; He knows we struggle. He encourages and revives us with His promises.
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord,
thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil,
to give you hope in your final outcome.
Then you will call upon Me,
and you will come and pray to Me,
and I will hear and heed you.
Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity]
and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the Lord…
Jeremiah 29:11-14
These are such sustaining promises made to you and me by our Faithful, Trustworthy God. Have you ever considered memorizing God’s promises? What an incredible weapon to have at your disposal—the Word(s) of God that He is faithful to bring to pass! Any (or all!) of these passages that we have considered today would be wonderful to have at the ready in your memory…for those times when you are feeling poor and needy.
I love the words of this passionate song…they remind me of this Scripture:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalms 121:1 and 2
And so, friend, I ask you,
Do you seek Him and require Him?
If so…then rejoice and be glad in Him!
Do you love His salvation and are waiting expectantly for Jesus’ return?
…Then say, ‘The Lord be magnified!’
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Oh, Lord, we totally and completely recognize our great need for You! And we know, we absolutely know, that You are our Help and our Deliverer! Thank You, Lord, for the comfort of these promises! Our help, truly, comes from the Lord! Amen.
How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17-18
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click here to listen to a beautiful chorus to help us memorize this passage.
The Verses Project
written by Ryan Delmore
In this quiet place with You
I bow before Your throne
I bare the deepest part of me
To You and You alone
I keep no secrets
For there is no thought
You have not known
I bring my best and all the rest
To You and lay them down
With all my heart
I want to love You, Lord
And live my life
Each day to know You more
All that is in me
Is Yours completely
I’ll serve You only
With all my heart
You faithfully supply my needs
According to Your plans
So help me, Lord, to seek Your face
Before I seek Your hand
And trust You know what ‘s best for me
When I don’t understand
Then follow in obedience
In every circumstance
Singer / Songwriter ~~ Babbie Mason
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Our Heavenly Father, the Great I AM, deserves our all—all our love, all our obedience, all our worship, all our devotion, all our service, all our focus, all our praise, all our whole heart—our everything. Actually, He requires our all. Listen to these three examples from the Scriptures where God’s people (you and me, too!) are given the command to love God with all their heart…
When Moses gave the Law to the Israelites, he said:
These are the commands, decrees and laws
the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe…
so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God
as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you,
and so that you may enjoy long life.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:1-4 (excerpts)
The prophet Jeremiah was given this compelling message to send to the exiled Israelites who had been carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzer and his army. Think about how comforted they must have been hearing God’s words!
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord,
thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil,
to give you hope in your final outcome.
Then you will call upon Me,
and you will come and pray to Me,
and I will hear and heed you.
Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity]
and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the Lord….
Jeremiah 29:11-14
Our Lord spoke this convicting message to His followers.
And one of the scribes…asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Jesus answered, “The most important is,
‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-32
We know from the Scriptures that God desires us to
Here are a few questions that I have asked myself…perhaps you have asked yourself the same things, too:
What would it take for you, {your name here}, to…
♥ Give God your all?
♥ Be sold out for God?
♥ Be His completely?
♥ Serve Him only?
♥ Love Him with all your heart?
Have you answered them yet?
If so, would you share your answer with us (in the comments below)?
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Friends, whether the words of this anointed song—this prayer—cause you to throw your hands in the air raised in praise, or fall on your knees in humble submission, may you voice your commitment to your Father with all your heart! <3
