Psalm 23: A Theology of Grace

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psa 23:1 

 

It is fittingly called a psalm for all seasons. It speaks for the heart. It may be sung as adoration, it may rend itself as a confession or a thanksgiving hymn, or it may minister as a supplication or petition. In joy the psalm will do, and in sorrow the psalm will still do. 

 

What can a believer lack with a God who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent?

 

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 

Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. Psa 139:1-12  

 

Yea, he speaks every day. We hear him because we know him. Jesus has revealed him, and the Holy Spirit has assured us. Even trees declare him.  They sing a song which only his children can comprehend.

 

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Psa 19:1-3

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Rom 8:16-17  

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jer 33:3  

 

Yea, my soul craves for God. He is my bread, and my living water.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Joh 6:35  

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. Joh 6:50  

This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. Joh 6:58  

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? Joh 11:25-26  

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Joh 4:14  

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Joh 10:9  

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Joh 10:11  

 

Feeling thirsty? Please drink with me! Friend, let’s drink!

 

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Isa 55:1-2  

God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. Psa 63:1

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Psa 42:1-2 

 

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psa 23:2 

 

Noise distracts. It vexes. Like stones falling in a stream, and disrupting its peace and calm, so the heart loathes clamour. Noise tears at the windows of the heart. At its height noise is a racket or madness. And the world is a noisy place. Sin has left its mark to this day.

 

Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! 

My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. 

I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war. Psa 120:5-7  

 

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

There are things you will never hear in the din. There are things you can only hear at midnight.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psa 23:3  

 

God is still calling. God is still leading. God is still restoring.

 

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psa 32:8  

And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Psa 50:15

The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. 

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psa 25:9-10 

 

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. Pro 4:1  

Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. Pro 8:10  

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. Pro 8:11  

They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. Isa 49:10  

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Mat 11:29-30  

 

There's a reason why we crave flowers. There’s a reason why we dream. Unknowingly it’s the soul climbing towards the divine. By his mercy, he lifts the veil, and the eyes see.

 

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isa 40:6-8  

 

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 

Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. Son 2:3-5  

 

So we dream, by God, we dream!

Think of sunny beaches, blue waters, the moon and the stars, and the kiss which happens at dusk, and the sight which greets us at dawn? Yea, that is only a foreshadow. God is present to the heart which sees.

Nevertheless we lose some, but yet we still gain others.

It's the reason for the grave and withered flowers. It's the reason for the old age, stiff backs, and creaky joints. It's the reason for tears. It’s the reason for laughter.

“But all things work together for good.” Where one door closes, another opens…

 

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1Co 2:9-10  

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Joh 14:1-3 

 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psa 23:4

 

Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? Jer 2:6  

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luk 1:79  

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!

 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psa 23:5

 

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psa 31:19-20  

The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. 

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. Psa 16:5-6  

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. Psa 116:13  

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Eph 3:20-21  

 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psa 23:6

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. Psa 30:11  

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Psa 30:12  

But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children. Psa 103:17  

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psa 16:11  

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Rev 21:3  

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Rev 21:4  

 

Psalm 27. One of my favourite psalms

Psalm 27. I love it. This psalm. What with my propensity to fall into anxiety and depression, it gives me a lot of strength. 

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" verse 1.

Fear. It comes unbidden. It may come softly, or it may come as a roar. But however it comes, the word of God is my light and my salvation. Indeed, it is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

"Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah" (Psa 46:2-3).

Yea, I will not fear. I will not be afraid. Has he not told me so? Has he not told you so? "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isa 41:10). 

"When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell." verse 2. Our chief enemy is the devil. But David here is speaking of a real physical enemy. His chief enemy was King Saul. We too have physical enemies. God knows them. Our other enemies are unseen, like fear. We fight, but the battle is the Lord's. "But I encouraged myself in the LORD" says David in the book of Samuel. We encourage ourselves every time we read his word or pray.

"Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident." Ps 27:3. That's my God. That's my confidence. Who is your confidence in times of trouble? In God is my victory. "Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies" (Psa 60:12).  

David's chief desire was for his God always. May God be my chief desire too! "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock" (Psa 27:4-5).  

Therefore will my life be filled with joy. I choose it. I command it. "And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD (Psa 27:6). Making joy is a sacrifice. It doesn't come easy. 

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom 12:1-2). 

    I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD! 

            Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psa 100:1-3 

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD (Psa 27:13-14).

Yea, it comes to that, it may come to that, wanting to faint, wanting to give up. But sing! Make praise! Nothing lifts the heart like praise. I forget me. I forget everything and life becomes only about God. Hasn't he said he will never leave me nor forsake me? His promises! His promises! Yea. God means every word. I believe that. Do you? 

I shall triumph in his joy always!

Meditations on Contentment

Reaching contentment is a journey. It's a work of grace. Ultimately it's a journey of believing God.

Is God good at all times? Is there anything that can separate me from his love? Ah, nothing. And if there's then I am still in unbelief.

Every day I strive to be better. Every day I fight unbelief. Every day I grow in faith. That God is good.

That he means better. This is a lifetime battle until the end. Nothing is impossible before God. Including contentment.

Nearer my God to thee. Every day let me draw near my God. Every day let me keep my eyes on you God, and not at the waves. Not at present pleasure. Not at the conversations hurling in the world.

Let me see only you father. I've wandered far. Let me now return home. There's an end. Keep eyes on that end. I am not alone. He's with me up to the end. I know the enemy. I know whom I have believed.

Can't love God and love the world at same time. You will be discontent. Choose one. Can't be content? Trouble is what you love. Trouble is in the heart.

           The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer 17:9 

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. Mar 4:18-19 

Sloth or Complacency?

Contentment is not complacency or sloth. If it's not girded in godliness, then the devil can step in. He couches his lies perfectly, but a good knowledge of his word will shield one from his arrows.  

Rejoice evermore. 1Th 5:16  

Pray without ceasing. 1Th 5:17  

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1Th 5:18  

Quench not the Spirit. 1Th 5:19  

Despise not prophesyings. 1Th 5:20  

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 1Th 5:21  

Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1Th 5:22  

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Th 5:23 

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1Th 5:24

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Php 1:6  

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Php 4:7   

To Fight or to Resign?  

In the world you will be ripped off, lied, conned. Misunderstood. How to cope. How do you finish your day after work? With gladness or cursing? At the end is God still good?  I remember Spafford. It's well with my soul. Paul. Would you still trust God?

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 2Co 1:5  

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. 2Co 1:8-9 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle 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. 

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Eph 6:10-13   

Not My Will but Your Will be Done

When I say the will of God be done, I am content with his leading. Give me this day my daily bread. Will I still be content when it doesn't come? At the heart of contentment is a surrendered will. It means I will praise God whether it's day or night. Whether he answers my prayers or not. The life I live is no longer mine. Only then can the joy of the Lord be my strength. Only can contentment flood the heart. To live is Christ and to die is gain. Nothing can separate me from his love. This I believe, therefore have I spoken.  

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 1Co 16:13  

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:35  

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psa 16:11  

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Rom 15:13  

Contentment: The Joy of Small Things

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1Ti 6:6

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. 1Co 7:20  

Days of Small Things

There is a scented mystery enwrapped in small things. Big things are the dreams of mankind. But big things rarely exude the whole aroma.

It’s different with small things, small people, small houses, and small gardens. The book of Genesis opens in a garden. It closes in a grave. These are the sort of small things which leave a mark in the heart.  

Christ was born in a manger. He felt the wood with his fingers. He watched closely the way of sparrows, and the lilies of the field halted him in his steps.

And haven’t you read the words of king Lemuel, in the prophecy that his mother taught him, and didn’t you feel the whole skin tighten around you like a drum? “What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?” (Pro 31:2). 

Which brings, immediately in the mind, the words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal. And aren’t you struck with the sheer smallness of this life?

Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Pro 30:2-4  

These, and small things like this, go up to make my day, every day, in the house of my pilgrimage. What kept the psalmist alive in the nights? Songs!

I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.

Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. 

Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. 

I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law. Psa 119:52-55  

Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. Psa 42:8  

What is it that keeps you awake the whole night?

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. Pro 30:5-9  

Fifty Years of Anxiety and the Rest

I was long in that prison. I saw no day or night. Except a long dark tunnel which led to nowhere. I forgot the small exhortation: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” God makes the whole difference. He lifts the curtain and we are able to see clearly again. Where the head saw a very big thing, God sees a very small thing indeed, like a mustard seed!

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Mat 6:25-30 

Here is Christ in perfect stillness of the day and night. “Be still, and know that I am God.” We drown slowly in the raucous din. We miss the breath at the rate the world is turning. It wheels fast, as at the throw of a dice. And when the eyes adjust, the light has usually left. In my house I can feel the four corners of my room with my hands.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Mat 5:3-9  

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Mat 7:13-14  

And then they hang him on a cross. And there was no one to bury him but only one small man. Yet in that smallness was the cauldron of the world’s greatest love being knit. “(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luk 2:35).  

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Mat 7:24-27  

The Will of God and Man’s Desire

No sooner had Adam and Eve lost paradise, than their generation was soon up and making new big dreams. We dream of this world all the time, but it’s really heaven that we want.

It’s that itch for big. But big has no end. What happens when a man has reached the top of a mountain? Does the itch stop?

These are the small things that keep me awake the whole night. What is the lake of fire? What is life, and what is death? And what is eternity?

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 

That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Deu 30:19-20

So we struggle about the will of God. We struggle, many times, unnecessarily. Let every man abide in the thing wherein he was called. I am a dreamer. I have always dreamt. What are you? Have you been called, being single, or have you been called being married? My dreams are small. They fit in a single room. But having big dreams is also ok. Hope is not ashamed. Baruch was asked not to dream big, whereas Solomon was given a blank cheque. Which one would you choose?

Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. 1Co 7:18-24  

So Paul exhorts: Abide there. Stay there. Be anxious for nothing. Our diversity is what adds to our beauty.

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Php 4:4-7  

Have a blessed small or big day!

Soaring like an Eagle

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isa 40:30-31  

From the Dust of Ennui

Satan has been pummeling me with one lie after another.

You can guess where he has been driving me at, as Charles Lloyd has intimated.  

 Of every state by thee assailed,

None are there, o'er which thou'st prevailed,

Like thine, Satiety!

Thence, Ennui , are the bloated slaves,

Thence, as the Vampires spring from graves,

All that vast train of minions waits on thee!

But God has been faithful. He has countered every lie with his word, and his word is truth. It's true. Satan comes for nothing but to steal and to kill. God offers rest. Satan, in his true counterfeit fashion offers ennui. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Joh 10:10). 

Ennui is that perfect rest, the rest which takes you under the earth, and not above it; the rest where you pull the blanket and cover yourself, and never want to wake up again.

But God giveth power to the faint. God increases their strength. God gives hope. Satan vanquishes hope. God points to the mountain top. Satan points to the bottom of the sea.

Satan the Accuser of the Brethren

Christ says he is the way, the truth and the life. Satan pokes holes in all of that. “Hast God really said?”  

Satan says yes you will feel strong now but in the morning it will go. In the morning you’ll wake up all wrapped in sorrow again.

But (he sidesteps this one) that is you if trust in your own strength. In your own strength even the youth shall faint. But take the LORD’s strength. Embrace it and own it.  

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Isa 40:28-29  

In the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness Christ fought every Satan’s wile with the word of God. We are called to do exactly as our Lord did.  “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Rom 10:11). 

So Christ says come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Learn of me. For I am meek. The meekness of God trusts fully in his word (Mat 11:28-30). 

Will you trust him? Will you answer his call? Will you come? Do you want to be free indeed?

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Joh 8:32  

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Joh 8:36 

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jer 33:3  

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jer 29:11  

Lay before him your burden. Lay upon him all your trouble. Show it to him. Be anxious for nothing. Be courageous. Fear not. He will help you.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Php 4:6  

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isa 41:10  

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; 

And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor? Isa 51:12-13  

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:31  

God is still coming down. He's that meek. As his promise says, he will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be with us forever. God is still going to the uttermost to save.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Joh 14:16-18  

 Satan drives down. God lifts up. He is the living water. He is the bread of life. Glory to God in the highest! And on earth, peace.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isa 26:3  

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Php 4:7  

Hope is not ashamed. Believe it. Embrace it. Wrap yourself in it. Feel the weight of his glory. What shall separate us from that love?

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 2Co 4:8   

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2Co 12:7-9 

Christ comes to seek and to save. Satan comes to kill. Satan dotes on self. Me? Why? Myself?

Satan casts doubt. God casts hope. Ask David.

 

But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. 

I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. Psa 22:9-10  

 Satan condemns. God encourages. Satan accuses. God reasons.

 

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isa 1:18  

Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Isa 41:21  

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Joh 6:37  

 God forgives and forgets. He starts a new thing. He gives a new song.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isa 61:1-3  

 We May Sing Again!

 Gird up thy loins. Lift up your hands. Proclaim his name who reigns above.

 

Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Isa 42:10  

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. 

For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. Isa 62:4-5  

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. Son 5:1  

 A mother may forget her son. God never.

 

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 

Psa 139:7-11 

 

We May Dream Again!

 

The days went. The days have come. And shall we not say so?

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Isa 49:15-16  

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isa 43:19 

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Joe 2:28-29 

 

And may God grant our dreams wings to fly again!

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. 

Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. 

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. Psa 90:15-17