2022-03-18
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The restoration of joy in our lives can be done, even though we live in a world with Covid 19’s variants, socio-economic challenges to face, and danger from the threat of Russia’s possible incursion into the Ukraine. If that sounds contraindicated, then reading PS 71: 1-24 is essential today. When we are faithful to God and obey Him, we can, in the eternal sense, be assured of His love and protection. The Psalmist shows us his relationship to God, as close and trusting, in this remarkable work. We can choose to follow suit and have a close and trusting relationship with our God ourselves. This relationship is what God wants for us. To begin let’s look at how the Psalmist openly shows his concerns to God: Verses 1, 4, and 9-12. “In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame…Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men …Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, ‘God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for no one will rescue him.’ Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God to help me.”
I will celebrate my 78th birthday in just a few days of writing this devotion. This is mentioned because of my own experience with God’s love and protection. My sweet husband passed away in April of 2021, and I was in terrible physical and emotional condition at the time; my strength was almost gone. I came to live with my children and grandson, who connected me with a doctor who knows what he is doing. I took their advice, losing weight and learning my need to exercise every day. I’m still grieving for my husband but am feeling much better. Why mention this? It is a way that my God Who loves and protects me put these remedies to my physical problems in my son’s and doctor’s minds. It is He Who led me to such a competent and attentive doctor! Of course, I will (like every human being) have to go through physical death, but I know I will never have to suffer spiritual death, as long as I am obediently faithful to Him.
God gives most all of us the capacity to read His word every day, but do we make this a priority? I’m reminded of the joy I feel every time I read PS 145: 18-19, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; H hears their cry and saves them.” When we are afraid of a challenge that isn’t in our ordinary wheelhouse or feel threatened, we can rely on our God to be there for us. Of course, there are times when He allows us to experience some challenge, because He loves us enough to know that we will become more spiritually dependent on Him and/or mature working through it. But He never gives us a challenge that is too much for us. 1 COR 10: 12b-13, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Often that way out is faith in Jesus Christ.
It is my wish that I could say I relied on God all my life, but I was raised to reject Jesus Christ as anything but another rabbi-certainly not part Man and part God. I had to reach adulthood before I could genuinely pray, PS 71: 3, “Be my Rock and Refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress.” The Psalmist could say it from his youth, having been born with God’s eyes on him. God deserves for us to pray (vs. 8), “My mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long.” Our enemies try to kill our faith and convince us that God is abandoning us or even that He doesn’t exist except as a fairy tale of our imagination, a crutch to lean on. We must pray that our serial accusers will perish in shame, covered with scorn and disgrace. (v. 15) “My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of Your salvation all day long though I know not its measure.” How great to know the restoration, the Lord gives, mentioned in vs. 21, “You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.” Vss. 23-24, “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You—I, whom you have redeemed. My tongue will tell of Your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.” The joy that this blessing engenders should give us is boundless!
PRAYER: O Lord, what doesn’t always fall into place in human logic comes as Your message of salvation and restoration of inner joy. We can imagine how frightened the people of the Ukraine are now and realize that faith in You, willingness to lean on You, is their greatest hope. You will never abandon those who act righteously, are just and have integrity (PS 9: 9-10; Micah 6: 8). We must sing Your praises and offer thanks that You hear every genuine prayer we send up and never stop watching over us. Guide us to wise decisions and righteous actions. Help us, O Father, to live with the wisdom You give us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit on those who authored the sixty-six books of the Bible. We dedicate this prayer and offer You well-deserved praise for the love You show and the joy You give us. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to write more about how restoration is a frequent topic raised in God’s love letter to us (Bible). We can learn a lot from the priorities Paul had once he had undergone his conversion on the road to Damascus (AC 9: 1-6). Let me remind you that I frequently use my own experience with God in my writing, so that I don’t infringe on the privacy of others. I mention this because my experience has now been from ages 25 to almost 78. The joy of my life has been serving God in ministry. The people whom I met and befriended have stayed friends with me for a very long time. Yes, I have lost the company of many of them, as the Lord has called them home. Yet others still on earth with me take the adult, in -depth Bible classes that I teach and are reading these weekly devotions that the Holy Spirit gives me to write. Anything I am doing came from God’s will that I should do them and His will that I should set a good example for the others around me. The Lord lets me know when corrections must be made by me. I’m long from being perfect and am old enough to hear the Holy Spirit’s admonitions when my thoughts and/or behavior needs to be adjusted or changed wholesale. I pray that each of you has His presence and intervention in your lives, as I do. He loves us and wants us to experience inner joy, even when we are amidst trouble. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2022. All Rights Reserved.
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