I am always amazed when I reach the 31st of December and look back. Where did it all go? My word for this year was Commit and I choose the following two scriptures.
Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Commit is almost a dirty word in today’s society. Trying to get people to commit to being on a committee, working with a group, deciding to read or study a certain book, being in a relationship… etc. People don’t seem to want to tie themselves down incase 1- something better comes along or 2-things don’t go so well, they worry about how to get out of it. Knowing this, God wanted me to focus on things in my life and be faithful to continue them.
God enable me to read the New Testament this year with a reading plan so that a read a portion of scripture daily.
God enabled me to continue working and serving children in the school district that are unable to go to school and to work with children at Bible Study Fellowship.
God gave me health issues to persevere through, though no always cheerfully I might add.
God allowed me to continue writing my blog and one for the church I attend.
What did I learn? God is faithfully with me each day and gives me joy and inspiration when I write or teach. Even when things are not the best, God is with me and helps me to persevere. God provides me with multiple opportunities to thank and praise Him!
I am looking forward to 2025 and what God will teach me in the New Year.
Psalm 42 paints a beautiful picture of how we long for God. We may move away from Him but He is always there and can be depended upon. Whether I am joyful or weeping, God is the answer and you can put your trust in Him.
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? 3 Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” Do you thirst for God? Do you know where to find Him?
5 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and 6 my God! Sadness can be turned to JOY, when you turn to God.
Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. 7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. 8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. Each day, in my discouragement, God is there uplifting me.
11 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God! Turing to God is the answer to all discouragement.
I am reminded of the New Testament verses about Christ. Just like David we can cling to God’s promises in Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:20-21“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,“
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,all God’s promises are Yes in Him! Enjoy this song of these verses as you reread and meditate on what you have in Christ.
This week we will spend all week in Psalm 37. It is filled with rich promises from God that give us hope and direction for our lives. I devoted 3 days in my book, Promise for Dynamic Living, to this psalm. The psalmist, David, is addressing the fact that evil seems to be triumphant around us. He points us to the Lord and reminds us of who is in charge and why we should not fill our lives with worry.
Psalm 37:1-2 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Worry and envy are not to be in our hearts or on our minds when we consider the happenings in the world. The psalmist knows that evil doers will die and fade away like the spring grasses. They come up green but are short lived. They are soon brown and dried up. So the evil doers we encounter, will not be victorious and will not last.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. The psalmist says if we trust in God, do good, keep on living rightly, and delight ourselves in the Lord, we will be rewarded. That is a promise we can claim as we know God rewards those who follow Him in faith. Hebrews 11:1 and 6 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” God wants us to make faithfulness our friend and live daily for Him.
The promise in verse 4 is one we can surely claim in our daily lives and when we pray. I have often prayed this verse for friends who struggle with lifelong desires that do not seem to be in God’s will for their lives. Young men or women waiting for a godly mate (as they so want to be married), those who desire to have a child and cannot seem to conceive, others waiting on a much needed job, while still others struggle with the job they have, wanting to change directions, etc. These are just some of the things people wrestle with that may be considered the desires of their hearts. What I pray for those waiting on God’s timing and plan is that they will grow in trust and faithfulness. Also, that God would be their delight as they wait upon Him and that they would be able to call upon Him for strength and perseverance. I pray that they will be open to what God has for them.
Difficult times require me to delight myself in Him and cling to His faithfulness, trusting He has a perfect plan for my life. Sometimes that which we pray for as the ‘desires of our hearts’ God shows us, in His infinite wisdom, that He has something better for me. Again, I have to trust in Him and His wisdom. God knows me and my desires and He wants good things for me. I have to claim Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Whatever God has for me will be for my good and His glory. It is a walk of faith, day by day Fearless Livingfor Jesus.
Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can walk in complete faith trusting in the completeness of His salvation and His plans for our life. Romans 10:13 “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” Hebrews 10:10 “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ onceforall.” Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Depend upon Him and the truth of His Word.
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107: 4-9
This portion of Psalm 107 is recalling the wandering times in the wilderness as a group or perhaps during personal times of distress where the believer called upon the Lord for His help. The psalmist recounts their woes- tired, hungry, distressed and in need of guidance. He then tells how God met these needs by filling the hunger with good things, leading them to where they could settle safely, and by hearing their cries. Their love and thankfulness to God was based on personal experiences. Do you have times you can remember when you were desperate and God met your needs? Or maybe you were confused and in need of guidance and He heard your cry for help and sent someone to meet your needs. Or maybe God came himself and sent His Holy Spirit to give you peace for your inner soul.
Could you write your own psalm of praise and thanks to God? Fill in the blanks with your own experiences.
Lord, I was _________________ and __________________________.
You heard my prayers for help and sent ______________________ to meet my needs.
You brought me peace and hope and filled me with good things. Thank you for your unfailing love and for what you have done and are doing in my life.
Amen.
A truth to claim with thanksgiving: I am helped by God. This truth is found repeatedly in scripture. Here are a few verse for you to claim as you seek to truly believe that God has your back and is always with you. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Are you in need of God’s help? This verse is a promise you can claim- God hears and desires to help us when we are in need! Deuteronomy 31:6 is one of my life verses- claim it! “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” The psalmist encourages us to look to God for our help- He is creator God and sovereign over all things.
Be assured today that God hears your cries and God will help. Turn to Him. Trust His timing and His ways. He is always faithful even when we are not.
Fearless Living 