1 Hear me, LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
in this psalm, we see David bear his soul to God.. trusting that God knows his earnest heart. if God really knows us, then God would see our earnest desires and our faithfulness even though we might make weak attempts to be obedient, he sees our heart. even a mustard seed of faith is acknowledged by God. so David asks God to show him favor not because of all the good things he's done or all the ways he's been perfectly obedient or religious, but because God sees our heart of trust in Him. He can be simply pleased by our heart that trusts and depends on him, even if our life is in "shambles."
11 Teach me your way, LORD,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
as we were praying for Focus lifegroups, i was really convicted by this part of the passage. for myself and for the whole single-adult lifestage. mirae led us into prayer for everyone in this lifestage bc it's so easy for us to be selfish.. totally self-consumed, focused on our own dreams and goals and comforts, etc. do we really have an undivided heart for the Lord? do we really desire HIS glory above all our own goals and comforts? if we experienced His love to the full, like David says, would we not praise Him more? the way we can become less selfish is by experiencing the fullness of His love which compels us to worship. i notice that ive been becoming self-consumed very easily these days now that i have more "freedom" and time to myself.. everything is about me me me and what i wanna do. yikes! need God to give me a pure undivided heart.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
psm 85. song of songs 5.
"will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?" God loves to revive His people- He does that for His own glory. He WANTS to restore us bc then we can praise and worship Him again, like we were meant to. my study bible says that this psalm may have been written during a drought. a time of distress.
"You showed favor to your land, O Lord; you restored the fortunes of Jacob...the Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest"
the psalmist remembers God as One who he has journeyed with. they share memories of the past together. he remembers what God has done for him in the past and what they experienced together throughout the years. he acknowledges God as the One who "restored" the land during the israelites' exile. that was time when the israelites were suffering from hopelessness while Jerusalem was in ruins. but God promised to restore the land and HE DID! it was hard to believe at the time of its ruin that Jerusalem would EVER be rebuilt. but they saw with their own eyes how God did rebuild the city again. God is testing that SAME faith again... asking the Israelites to trust again that God will restore the land and keep His promise in providing what is good for them.. even in the midst of hopelessness, do i believe that God will provide what is good for me? can i remember His faithfulness in the past, like this psalmist, and let that faith be strengthened to help me approach this new struggle? my struggle now is... having faith that God will provide what i need to make the next step of my future: grad school/teaching. God will you really provide what i need to get me into grad school? bc right now i doubt that a lot - especially after my gre. can i trust that God will provide? this is the same "area" that i always struggle with and i feel like God LOVES to test me in this area over and over.
"You showed favor to your land, O Lord; you restored the fortunes of Jacob...the Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest"
the psalmist remembers God as One who he has journeyed with. they share memories of the past together. he remembers what God has done for him in the past and what they experienced together throughout the years. he acknowledges God as the One who "restored" the land during the israelites' exile. that was time when the israelites were suffering from hopelessness while Jerusalem was in ruins. but God promised to restore the land and HE DID! it was hard to believe at the time of its ruin that Jerusalem would EVER be rebuilt. but they saw with their own eyes how God did rebuild the city again. God is testing that SAME faith again... asking the Israelites to trust again that God will restore the land and keep His promise in providing what is good for them.. even in the midst of hopelessness, do i believe that God will provide what is good for me? can i remember His faithfulness in the past, like this psalmist, and let that faith be strengthened to help me approach this new struggle? my struggle now is... having faith that God will provide what i need to make the next step of my future: grad school/teaching. God will you really provide what i need to get me into grad school? bc right now i doubt that a lot - especially after my gre. can i trust that God will provide? this is the same "area" that i always struggle with and i feel like God LOVES to test me in this area over and over.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
psm 84. song of songs 4.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
so intense! the psalmist truly LOVES being in God's presence. the word choice is so extreme: yearns, faints, flesh cry out. not only does this display his affection but ALSO his sincere desperation for God.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
do i find myself in desperate times? where i am seeking the Lord wholeheartedly? to the point where i have no choice but to depend on God's strength to get by? it seems like the psalmist has experienced these types of circumstances.. came to a point of utter dependence on God where he had no choice but to seek God's strength. have i ever come to that point? i think it's easy to pray and ask God to teach me dependence, but i think i forget what that means for me... im pretty much asking God to put me in a situation where i HAVE to trust in Him alone. yikes. but can i trust that i will be "blessed" because of it?
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
again, the psalmist must have been through an experience that positions him to compare both the worldly, secular lifestyle and a life in God's Presence. now he's able to choose that being in God's presence is better than a thousand elsewhere - extreme wording again. i admit that sometimes i still wonder how life as a Christ follower really compares to enjoying temporary and worldly comforts and pleasures... is following Christ really that much better? is it really worth it? is it so much more fulfilling than what the world has to offer me? can God give me the same faith as this psalmist to believe and trust that TRUE blessings come when we live in His presence and there's no better place to be. even when i think of my future.. as God leads me to places and people that i had never imagined myself investing in.. can i believe that being in God's will is really so much better than being out in the world on my own and making my own choices. i'll have control of my own life, but is that really better than the life that God has for me?
LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
so intense! the psalmist truly LOVES being in God's presence. the word choice is so extreme: yearns, faints, flesh cry out. not only does this display his affection but ALSO his sincere desperation for God.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
do i find myself in desperate times? where i am seeking the Lord wholeheartedly? to the point where i have no choice but to depend on God's strength to get by? it seems like the psalmist has experienced these types of circumstances.. came to a point of utter dependence on God where he had no choice but to seek God's strength. have i ever come to that point? i think it's easy to pray and ask God to teach me dependence, but i think i forget what that means for me... im pretty much asking God to put me in a situation where i HAVE to trust in Him alone. yikes. but can i trust that i will be "blessed" because of it?
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
again, the psalmist must have been through an experience that positions him to compare both the worldly, secular lifestyle and a life in God's Presence. now he's able to choose that being in God's presence is better than a thousand elsewhere - extreme wording again. i admit that sometimes i still wonder how life as a Christ follower really compares to enjoying temporary and worldly comforts and pleasures... is following Christ really that much better? is it really worth it? is it so much more fulfilling than what the world has to offer me? can God give me the same faith as this psalmist to believe and trust that TRUE blessings come when we live in His presence and there's no better place to be. even when i think of my future.. as God leads me to places and people that i had never imagined myself investing in.. can i believe that being in God's will is really so much better than being out in the world on my own and making my own choices. i'll have control of my own life, but is that really better than the life that God has for me?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
psm 83. proverbs 16.
psm 83. God loves His glory. He would do anything to preserve and advance His glory. in bringing judgment and severe destruction to the wicked AND in receiving glory through the lives of His chosen sons and daughters. this is encouraging because we know that as long as we are HIS, God would never let our lives be a humiliation, a failure, a disappointment.. because we are on His team- He is God and He WILL be exalted. He will never let His name be defamed.
proverbs 16. verses 1-4 provide a lot of encouragement now as i prepare to take my exam today. this gre prep for the past few weeks has incited anxiety and fear of failing to reach my goals and future plans.
(v.1) God works out and accomplishes the plans of my heart - God knows my heart's desires and dreams even without an explanation - He already knows and He'll be the one to work them out according to what He knows is best for me. (v.2) God sees through our actions and cares about the motives behind what we do. (v.3) if we commit everything we do, surrender all of our plans to Him, surrender it all for His glory and His purposes, THEN our plans will succeed. success is in His hands, not ours. He will accomplish His "good, pleasing, and perfect" will in me if i trust entrust all that i do into His hands. (v.4) The Lord is completely sovereign over ALL things, every life, and every detail. He works out EVERYTHING for "his own ends", His glory. He will even gain glory from the wicked. so how much more will he receive glory from His righteous chosen people? :)
Committing my gre, grad school, all my future plans, and every unspoken desire and ambition of my heart, into God's hands today.
proverbs 16. verses 1-4 provide a lot of encouragement now as i prepare to take my exam today. this gre prep for the past few weeks has incited anxiety and fear of failing to reach my goals and future plans.
(v.1) God works out and accomplishes the plans of my heart - God knows my heart's desires and dreams even without an explanation - He already knows and He'll be the one to work them out according to what He knows is best for me. (v.2) God sees through our actions and cares about the motives behind what we do. (v.3) if we commit everything we do, surrender all of our plans to Him, surrender it all for His glory and His purposes, THEN our plans will succeed. success is in His hands, not ours. He will accomplish His "good, pleasing, and perfect" will in me if i trust entrust all that i do into His hands. (v.4) The Lord is completely sovereign over ALL things, every life, and every detail. He works out EVERYTHING for "his own ends", His glory. He will even gain glory from the wicked. so how much more will he receive glory from His righteous chosen people? :)
Committing my gre, grad school, all my future plans, and every unspoken desire and ambition of my heart, into God's hands today.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
psm 82. song of songs 2.
"defend the weak and the fatherless
uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed
rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked"
-asaph compares our God with the "gods" that (im assuming) refers to idolatry.
-our God is the only one who has the power to defend, uphold, and deliver whereas the other gods "know nothing, understand nothing" and will "fall like every other ruler."
-if i serve a God like this - "if he is for us, who can be against us?" (rom 8) - then i should have confidence in whatever purpose i'm fulfilling to serve the Lord... i.e. i want to pray bolder prayers for God's power to be manifested in the city of Detroit - do i believe that our God can save and rescue broken people? even in a place that can seem so neglected and hopeless? i want to experience the truth of this: "ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you" from john 15.
uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed
rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked"
-asaph compares our God with the "gods" that (im assuming) refers to idolatry.
-our God is the only one who has the power to defend, uphold, and deliver whereas the other gods "know nothing, understand nothing" and will "fall like every other ruler."
-if i serve a God like this - "if he is for us, who can be against us?" (rom 8) - then i should have confidence in whatever purpose i'm fulfilling to serve the Lord... i.e. i want to pray bolder prayers for God's power to be manifested in the city of Detroit - do i believe that our God can save and rescue broken people? even in a place that can seem so neglected and hopeless? i want to experience the truth of this: "ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you" from john 15.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
psm 81. song of songs 1.
i considered skipping over song of songs.. since it's not really elevant to me right now hahaha.. but i decided to read through it anyway bc i dont like skipping around. hahaha so not sure how much insight i'll have from song of songs but i can share about psalms!
psm 81.
Because the israelites were disobedient and resistant to God's will, that He finally "gave them over to their stubborn hearts" ... basically letting them follow their own devices and do whatever the heck they wanted. so they did. which is what led them into captivity and suffering under their enemies... BUT God said that if his ppl would just listen to God and turn their ear to him again, God would QUICKLY come to their rescue at the sound of their call (v.13). This shows us that God has a Father's heart.. he cant force us to do anything. he will counsel us and offer his guidance and his help when we ASK for it and when we WANT it ourselves. he lets us make our own mistakes at times so that we will finally turn to him and realize that he is the only one who satisfies and saves.
psm 81.
Because the israelites were disobedient and resistant to God's will, that He finally "gave them over to their stubborn hearts" ... basically letting them follow their own devices and do whatever the heck they wanted. so they did. which is what led them into captivity and suffering under their enemies... BUT God said that if his ppl would just listen to God and turn their ear to him again, God would QUICKLY come to their rescue at the sound of their call (v.13). This shows us that God has a Father's heart.. he cant force us to do anything. he will counsel us and offer his guidance and his help when we ASK for it and when we WANT it ourselves. he lets us make our own mistakes at times so that we will finally turn to him and realize that he is the only one who satisfies and saves.
Friday, July 15, 2011
psm 80 & ecc 12
eeks sorry for not updating! gre crunch time is no excuse for not blogging. here we go again... last chapter of ecc 12.
starts with:
"remember your Creator in the days of your youth before the days of trouble come.." because life is meaningless without Him.
ends with:
"now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."
i think what sticks out to me about this whole passage is the idea that toiling and trying to create purpose/meaning for my life is meaningless... bc God is my creator who designed me with a purpose, so why should i waste all my time trying to create my own? just live day to day seeking enjoyment in everything God has put before me - because enjoying each day and finding satisfaction is a GIFT from God. not something that we can gain on our own. even if we were to gain the whole word and achieve every goal we sought after... at the end of it, we will not find true satisfaction because it is a GIFT that only God chooses to give.
starts with:
"remember your Creator in the days of your youth before the days of trouble come.." because life is meaningless without Him.
ends with:
"now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."
i think what sticks out to me about this whole passage is the idea that toiling and trying to create purpose/meaning for my life is meaningless... bc God is my creator who designed me with a purpose, so why should i waste all my time trying to create my own? just live day to day seeking enjoyment in everything God has put before me - because enjoying each day and finding satisfaction is a GIFT from God. not something that we can gain on our own. even if we were to gain the whole word and achieve every goal we sought after... at the end of it, we will not find true satisfaction because it is a GIFT that only God chooses to give.
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