God Delights in You

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from his temple. And my cry came before him, even to his ears.

Psalms 18: 6

I saw the surgeon  yesterday for my shoulder.  He examined my shoulder, looked at the MRI, looked at the x-ray, and asked me lots of questions.  He concluded that, yes my shoulder is frozen, yes the tendons have inflammation, the rotator cuff has large deposits of calcium, and yes, I am in pain. I agreed with him on all accounts. 

He suggested that I agree to a cortisone injection to try to unfreeze my shoulder and ease the pain, and go back to physical therapy 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Then, at that point, depending on my progress, have surgery to remove all the calcium from the rotator cuff which is responsible for the pain. 

It all made perfect sense, but when he mentioned the cortisone injection I began to feel afraid. I did not want a shot! It didn't feel like an option to me, and I wanted to skip that part. At first, it was hard for me to voice my fear, but then I remembered the promise of Jesus promising to be strong and mighty in battle when I praise him!

So, I started to praise him.

As I began to repeat the name of Jesus in my mind and call upon him, the fear dissipated. I was calm.

The doctor gave me the injection, and it did not hurt.

Jesus destroyed my enemy, which was fear.

But then, later, as I was driving, my shoulder and my arm began to throb, and throb, and throb. It was horrible.

And I began to feel angry.

....and my cry came before Him, even to His ears

and the earth shook and trembled...

Smoke went up from His nostrils...

He bowed the heavens also and came down with darkness under His feet....

He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe...

He delivered me from my strong enemy.

He also brought me out into a broad place: He delivered me because He delighted in me.

Psalms 18: 6-19

God loves me, and you, so much that he will come down here and shoot His arrows at the enemy when you call to Him! And the enemy will scatter. 

He shot my anger; it was not helping me, it was my enemy. He delivered me and brought me into a broad place. 

He did this for me because He delights in me. 

Do you know that God delights in you?

Say That Again, God delights in you and in me!

The King of Glory

Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Psalms 24:7-9


Each day brings a new challenge, I'm sure you all know exactly what I'm talking about. Life is full of busy schedules, kids, household stuff, etc. Then, sometimes bigger things come along. A friend calls and says she has cancer, abuse becomes a reality in the life of someone you love, or chronic pain begins to wear on the edges of your heart. It can all take a toll on everyday life, and it can feel like life is just too much.
This verse in Psalms was a soothing reminder to me all week long. What do I need to do?
Lift up my head to the God I serve and praise him!
When I praise him, He will come in.  And, when he comes he is mighty in battle, and he is strong!
I don't have to be mighty.
I don't have to be strong.
I just have to praise!

To you O Lord, I lift up my soul,
O my God, I trust in you;
let me not be ashamed:
Let not my enemies triumph over me.
Indeed, let no one who waits on you be ashamed;
let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.
Psalms 25:1-3

When I praise  him, I learn to trust him. In that intimacy with him, he takes my shame. 
Shame is my enemy. 
Fear is my enemy.
Rejection is my enemy.
What are the enemies that try to triumph over you? 
The King of Glory will come in and you will see truth. His truth. The King of Glory will come in and with praise your life, my life, will forever be moving closer to him.
Say That Again!

The Crevice

For several nights I've had a difficult time sleeping because of some damaged tendons in my shoulder. So, it has given me ample opportunity to think and pray. One of the words that has come to mind numerous times has been crevice.

I looked up the word crevice in the Bible, and I read this in the NLT version in Exodus 33:22:

As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

This verse is God speaking to Moses.

I've been asking God, what the word crevice means for my life. What is He saying to me?

And He answers me with the crevice of my mind. There was a time, that I would hide there. Yet, even when I was hiding in the deep, dark crevice of my mind, the glorious presence of God was there. His hand was there to cover me and protect me as He continued to pass by. The bright light from His presence would shine into the deepness of the crevice, and there was life, hope, and love.

Where are the crevice's in your life?

His hand is upon you. His glorious presence is there.

Say That Again! 

In The Tabernacle

Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

Psalms 15: 1

Big questions, and an important one too. The next few verses in this psalm answers the questions and they are rather sobering. I've been thinking about this chapter for several days, praying, confessing, praying some more.

Dwelling with Jesus is a big deal, here on earth, and later when He takes us to our heavenly home. And, yes grace does cover us, still as His children we will yearn to walk as he walks, and reflect his character.

The following versus make it very clear what that is:

He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.

And does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, not does he take a bribe against the innocent. 

He who does these things shall never be moved.

verses 2-5

I've stumbled so many times, and God has graciously picked me back up and pointed me in His direction. He opens my eyes to His Words. Throughout my life I have done all of these things, and I praise him for his forgiveness. 

Dont gossip, love your friends, keep your promises even when it's not to your advantage, help others without charging interest, and by all means tell the truth! 
We are the TEMPLE of God, He paid the ultimate price for  the ultimate temple, our bodies! 
I am so grateful for his forgiveness, because there have been so many times in my life that I have gossiped, been unloving, not kept my promises, or spoken or believed lies.
His amazing and incredible grace. 
Because Jesus raised his hand and volunteered his life for me, because he volunteered to pay the ultimate price to live in the ultimate temple, I get to be FREE!
Therefore, through him I will not gossip, I will love my friends, I will keep my promises even when it costs me,  and I will tell the truth! 
Say That Again!