November 26, 2024

Trust In God

August 22, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

O Israel, trust the Lord!
He is your Helper and your Shield.
O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord!
He is your Helper and your Shield.
All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!
He is your Helper and your Shield.
Psalms 115:9-11

trust

lean on…rely on…depend on; believe in…have confidence in; or commit to someone or something.

We trust in the Lord, Jehovah, because He is our Help and our Shield.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “God helps them that help themselves”?  We know this is so NOT true.  God helps them that trust in Him as their Help and their Shield and their Strength.  God helps those whose hearts rejoice in Him and who wait upon Him for their deliverance.  If a person decides to help themselves and “do it on their own”…they will find themselves truly on their own. Trust God and He will be your Help and Shield.

Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield.
For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted in His holy name.
Psalm 33:20 and 21

The Lord is my Strength and Shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 28:7

David rejoiced and sang this song proclaiming his trust in God Who protected and helped and shielded him from his enemies and the hand of Saul:

He said,
“The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer,
my God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge,
my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation,
my Stronghold and my Refuge,
my Savior; You save me from violence.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies….”
2 Samuel 22:3 and 4

“All you who fear the Lord (that’s us!), trust the Lord! He is your Helper and your Shield.”
May this be our constant confession…in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Life Can Be an Idol

August 21, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, But to Your name give glory
Because of Your loving kindness, because of Your truth.
Why should the nations say, “Where, now, is their God?”
But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands.
They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see;
They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell;
They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.
O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their Help and their Shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord; He is their Help and their Shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their Help and their Shield.
Psalms 115:1-11

“Their idols are silver and gold…” —and jobs and people, and money, and dreams, and aspirations, and things, simple things.  We place these things above our Heavenly Father; and we put a value on these things that we shouldn’t.  There are days when I ask myself where my cell phone is…but have I asked myself when the last time is that I prayed?  I wonder if my check is going to be on time…but was I on time when God nudged me to minister to that woman the other day?

This passage reminds me how easy it is to fall into the trap of letting life and all that it entails become our idol; and the trap of looking to other people and to other things to fill the void only the Lord our God can fill.  This Scripture also reminds me that through it all, He is still there—His loving-kindness, His truth. When we find ourselves focusing on other things around us, we need to step back and remember that He is our Help and our Shield; we trust in Him and not in the things of this world.

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Let’s Pray – Dear Heavenly Father, life has so many distractions that it is easy for us to place them higher in our life than we should.  Thank You for Your loving kindness, for Your grace, and mercy. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

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Strength and Shield

August 20, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

1 Lord, You should receive the honor, not us.
    The honor belongs to You
    because of Your faithful love and loyalty.
2 Why should the nations wonder
    where our God is?
3 Our God is in heaven,
    and He does whatever He wants.
4 The “gods” of those nations are only statues
    that some human made from gold and silver.
5 Those statues have mouths, but cannot talk.
    They have eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear.
    They have noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel.
    They have feet, but cannot walk.
    No sounds come from their throats.
8 The people who make and trust in those statues
    will become like them!

9 People of Israel, trust in the Lord!
    He is your strength and shield.
10 Aaron’s family, trust in the Lord!
    He is your strength and shield.
11 Followers of the Lord, trust in the Lord!
    He is your strength and shield.

Psalms 115:1-11

What does it look  like to love God with all of your strength?  Mark gives us great advice:

To love Him with all your heart,
with all your understanding
and with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mark 12:33

For me, this is easy to do. Obedience is where I would say I fail. Obedience is where I should choose to study His word and not give into distractions. Obedience says not to place my expectations on others. Obedience is forgiveness of others. Obedience is forgiving myself. When our heart becomes aligned with God’s truths then all else will fall into place.

Sometimes it is stepping out in faith when we feel that we are called to fulfill a calling on our lives. God will honor our choice to be obedient and reward us. We will be laying up our treasure in heaven by submitting to His will. I hope to see my ‘mansion’ in heaven. I do not think I would mind a small one, but then, I am not sure I would stay in that building because I would want to be in His presence all day.

In John 14 Jesus says,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (Verses 1-4).

What a comforting passage to us. We know the story and how Jesus died on the Cross and was raised in three days.  To the robber who was crucified alongside of Him, Jesus told the man he would be with Him in paradise. Jesus, always thinking of others, not of Himself.

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Father, thank You for Your Scriptures.  Thank You for teaching us and showing us Your heart. Help us become more like Jesus—obedient, loving, kind, and always thinking of others.  Not to be blind, but to have compassion, to have discernment, and wisdom. Wisdom in knowing how to help someone or when to refer them to someone else.  Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Modern Idols

August 19, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Psalms 115:4-7

When I was growing up, I always thought that idols were statues.  That was how they had always been portrayed as being in the movies and my own imagination. However, when I reached my teens and young adult years, I learned that idols are more than just statues that are worshipped as gods.

One dictionary definition of idol is any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.

The Bible definition of idol is an image of a deity other than God.

In my opinion, an idol is anything that turns your attention away from God.  With so many things to grab our attention, it is easy to allow something or someone to grab all our attention. Cell phones, TV, work, family activities, etc., can keep us from doing what we really should be doing. When it comes to God, these can also affect our relationship with Him.

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” He said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.” The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting in the temple courts, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant.

Matthew 21:12-15

The merchants of Jesus’ time had made His temple a place of idolatry.  The merchants and the priests were more worried about money and the power they had then of having a true relationship with God.  When Jesus took their idols away, they became indignant.  If you were to try to do that to someone or a group of people today, it would become total chaos.  Rights are taken away, and the rights of the people who are seeking to do the right thing are taken away.
However, one day Jesus will return, and He will turn the tables on the idols of the world again.  Until then we should strive to keep the idols out of our view.  We should focus our lives upon God.  We should work and live for the glory of God.

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Dear Heavenly Father, I strive to put my focus on You.  You have saved me from the clutches of sin.  Idols have no place in my life.  I love You and work to glorify You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Glory! Glory be to…Wait, Who is glory for?

August 18, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.

Psalm 115:1

A few days ago, I finally re-enrolled in college. I came up with quite a few reasons why I couldn’t go back; but overall, every one of my excuses were fear based. Even now, some of the logistics of this new endeavor have yet to be worked out. But (as I had to remind myself going in)—trust God and He will guide you.

Now, that I’m re-enrolled, I’m kind of excited! I’ve told the news to many of the closest people in my life, and heard plenty of “I’m proud of you!” Which, of course, is easy for me to soak up. Yes, I do feel good about accomplishing something that I’ve said I was going to do and, oh, how easy it would be for me to feel self-accomplished. But without the Lord’s favor I wouldn’t be going back to school at all…so glory be to Him!

For years I’ve been denied free financial aid. This year out, of the blue and at the very last minute, I received a grant…finally. I practically talked myself out of taking the grant, until a random comment to the most unlikely person turned into a handshake and a promise that I’d at least go to the school and talk with an advisor. So first I had to wait for a letter that came 3 days before I had to have everything done. Then I was told I had to take a 3 hour-long test (3 hours before I had to be to work), and then I was sent on a scavenger hunt all around campus trying to finish things up.

Every bit of the way, I had a voice in my head trying to give me excuse after excuse for why I should not be doing this. But, with every excuse, that little voice gave, I heard a louder voice give me reason after reason to trust in God. And thank God for that! All I did was take the steps the Lord placed before me and for that He deserves all the glory.

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Thank You, Lord, for being glorious beyond all measure.  Amen.

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Who Is Your God?

August 17, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory,
for the sake of Your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens;
He does all that He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
Psalms 115:1-11

As I was reading this passage and the related commentaries, my mind kept circling back to one thought: we all worship something.  Every one has a “god”—a guiding principle, a passion that is master of their life.   As I continued reading, I realized that verses 1-3 and 9-11 reveal a lot about the One True God.   Verses 4-8 illuminate the contrast of idols.  So I created a chart for comparison.

One True God                              idols

Loving & merciful                                           hard & unfeeling
Reigns in Heaven                                            resides on earth
Sovereign, has dominion                            controls nothing
Always has been, is & will be                      man-made
Holy                                                                     dirty from ore dug from earth
Alive & powerful                                             dead
All-seeing                                                           blind
Always hears our prayers                           deaf
All-knowing                                                       dumb
Transforms man into His Image               made in the image of man
Has done everything for us                        can do nothing for us

This passage begins and ends with God.  Ironic, isn’t it?  Verses 1-3 remind us everything is for His glory and not our own.  His mercy is freely given and cannot be earned.  Therefore we boast in Him alone.

Look at these two verses:

You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham,
as You swore to our fathers from days long ago
Micah 7:20 HCSB

He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for His mercies to them.
Romans 15:9a NLT

God made plans long ago to be faithful and merciful to us. Verses 10–11 sum the passage up by reminding us wherein our strength and protection lie. The Lord is our “help and our shield” if we only will trust Him.

Acts 10:35 (NASB) tells us: “…but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”  And not only are we welcomed but Psalm 147:11 (AMP) says our reverent fear delights Him:  “The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.”

“God is seeking to make us like Himself” – Chuck Smith

Either we are making a “god” like ourselves and indulging in self-idolatry OR God is transforming us daily into His image.  Our actions reveal our “god.”

What are your actions saying?

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Lord, we just want to thank You for all You have done for us.  We treasure Your faithfulness and mercy towards us.  Show us if we are allowing another “god” to become our passion.  Stop us before it happens.  We boast in You alone.  May our actions and our lives bring You glory.  In Your Holy name we pray, Amen – so be it!

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Praise Him

August 16, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the Lord!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord, O my soul!

While I live will I praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

When his breath leaves him, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts, plans, and purposes perish.

Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is he who has the God of  Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,

Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets free the prisoners,

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the [uncompromisingly] righteous.

The Lord protects and preserves the strangers and temporary residents, He upholds the fatherless and the widow and sets them upright, but the way of the wicked He makes crooked.

 The Lord shall reign forever, even Your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Praise the Lord!  Hallelujah!

Psalm 146

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As Long As I Live

August 15, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Praise the Lord, O my soul!
While I live will I praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.
Psalm 146:1 and 2

Haven’t we each uttered words similar to these!  I know for myself that there are times when my heart is just so full of praise and I profess that I will always be found praising Him…my whole life-long!  And, by God’s grace, we each will continue to praise our God for as long as we are alive!   ‘Cause, truly, is there anything better?

Throughout the psalms, we read of David’s (and the other psalmists’) dedication and commitment to praise the Most High God.  Verse after verse, chapter after chapter, contain beautiful words of praise and worship!  And it is such a joyful thing to do when days are easy, and trials are few, and our minds and hearts are not stressed and overwhelmed.

But we each know that, at times, days like those are a distant memory…. We each have experienced seasons of our lives where the pressures and stresses are so burdensome. And our relationships with friends and loved ones seem filled with contention. Times when the cares of this world—finances, and health issues, and rumors of wars, and threaten to overshadow the praises we have committed to bring to our God.

These are the very times…the situations and circumstances…when our praises should be more constant.  It takes a concerted effort and a willful choice sometimes to sing out our HalleluJAHs! And yet we must! We are not yet in the grave. Our lives are not over. We do still have voices and strength to lift our hands in praise to the One Who deserves every praise!

Here are a few expressions of one who is praising God ‘as long as I live!’ Perhaps you might write them down…and tuck them away for encouragement when the times come that the praises of your own heart are not spilling over. Our God does not change. He is faithful. He always brings to pass what He has promised to do. So let’s purpose to do as we so want to do—praise Him as long as we live!

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Psalms 63:3 and 4

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I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.
Psalms 116:1-2

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Let my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your word!
My lips shall pour forth praise [with thanksgiving and renewed trust] when You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue shall sing [praise for the fulfillment] of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous.
Let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.
I have longed for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight.
Let me live that I may praise You, and let Your decrees help me.
Psalms 119:170-175

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I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. *
May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
I will rejoice in the Lord.
Psalms104:33 and 34

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(* some other versions translate this phrase: while I have my being, to my last breath, while I exist)

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Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Psalm 150:6

My prayer today is that we will praise God—from morning when we get up ‘til night when we lay our heads down—we will sing our praises to the One Who deserves all the praise and glory!  May we recognize the privilege of praising our great God!  As long as we have breath, may our lives and hearts and everything within us PRAISE THE LORD!

 

So, check right now…are you breathing?  Is blood flowing through your veins?  Is your heart pumping?  Can you wiggle your toes?  Well, GOOD!  Now get busy praising Him!

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Who Do We Put Our Trust In?

August 14, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the LORD!
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their Helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.
The LORD loves the godly.
The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but He frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The LORD will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 146

I can say that I don’t recall reading these words before but, as I read them I thought to myself, who do you put your trust in? So many times our society places individuals on pedestals (I do it myself). These individuals can include celebrities, politicians, preachers and pastors, our significant others, family members, friends, anyone. We raise them up and then raise our expectations of them. We ask things of them that they cannot deliver. We think they can do no wrong and, when they do so, we find ourselves hurt. Why do I do this? Why do we do this? I’m honestly not sure, but we are reminded of something…

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.
Verses 3 and 4

They breathe a last breath…they are only human. I learned that thinking like this does a few things—it places unnecessary (and often unwanted) pressure on the person, and it takes away God’s glory. We place others in His position. This Scripture reminded me that we need to only place our confidence, our hearts, and our lives in One.  God.  He is our Helper, He is our hope, He is our peace, and He is the only One Who will never fail us.  As this scripture says

He keeps every promise forever.
Verse 6

This isn’t said to ruin relationships or break trusting connections; it is said to remind us that those around us are as human as we are, and when they will fail…they deserve grace and mercy. There is One who will never fail us, and that is our Heavenly Father.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let’s Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, so often we take our eyes off of You and place others higher than we should.  Remind us and guide us to remember that out of everyone, You will never fail us, and You will never break the promises You’ve made.  Thank You for those who You have placed in our lives as role models, but it is You, Lord, who we need to put our trust in.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

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Not In Men

August 13, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
He remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.
Psalm 146

God desires for us to seek Him first for wisdom. We need to check His word for answers. We are not to trust in man only for answers for life’s problems. If we do seek human response, we should only seek those who pursue God even more than we do.

Paul was a great example of someone who did not rely on men. God had given him a mission to carry out and Paul knew what was required of him. When plans changed he sent encouragement to those who would need it. 

Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies
that we have conducted ourselves in the world,
and especially in our relations with you,
with integrity and godly sincerity.
We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom
but on God’s grace.
2 Corinthians 1:12

Even when Jesus was facing His last days on earth and knew His cruel fate, Peter could not stop Jesus from following what God required.

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!
You are a stumbling block to Me;
you do not have in mind the concerns of God,
but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:23

Peter reacted as we would have. We would not have wanted our best friend to be taken away from us either. Jesus knew He needed to follow God’s plan and show us how to love unconditionally. Who else would suffered the beating, the embarrassment, and humiliation He suffered at the hands of men? Praise the Lord for His continued love. Even now!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, we praise You! We praise Your unfailingly love, even when we have proved to be unlovable. Please forgive us for when we have doubted You and not sought You first. Help us develop our trust  in You so that we can take it to a new level of commitment. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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