the poem of prayer

Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It  contains 176 verses. It is written as an acrostic poem. It is beautiful. The messages contained in this chapter are also deep and amazing. It is written as a prayer of one who delights in God and in following His ways. The words and depth of this beautiful poem carry great meaning even for us today.
I was reading this chapter and I began to read it aloud.  I wanted to hear the beauty of the poem and hear the meaning behind it.

Verse 136 stood out to me:

Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.

The sorrow that overwhelmed the writer as he knew others did not follow God's law and seek after God. He realized that they were out of God's will and were sinful. He realized the consequences were dire for these folks.  I asked myself, "Do I cry over those who do not know God?"  Do I find that a great concern?  I need to. God is not willing that any should perish. When we seek the heart of God, we will find His concerns will be our concerns as well.
God seeks to save all who need it. He wants us to be used of Him to accomplish His will.

Other verses speak of the desire to understand and seek after God's law. Basically, the writer wants to do the will of his heavenly Father and be found righteous before Him. He is desiring to display his deep love for the One who created him and who loves him most. He wants to meditate on God's law or precepts. He wants to think on the things of God, obey the ways of God, live the ways of God, and please God. Do I desire these things as well?  Do I allow my soul to cry out to the Savior for deeper depths with Him?

Throughout this chapter I find a call to the Lord for deep personal changes and a relationship with a Savior who loves. I find a cry to God to move on those who do not know God and who go against the law of God. This writer has deep conviction and concern for those who are not with God. He desires a change.

Verse 126 says:

It is time for You to act, O Lord,
For they have regarded Your law as void.

Yes, this is a prayer for God to move and bring about salvation or changes for those who do not know Him. This chapter calls me to desire more and find greater delight in God and His Word.

I find in this chapter an example of many parts of our faith walk God wants us to desire to have and pray for:

-deep personal desire to follow after him
-prayer that is deeply personal and seeking God not just for self, but for others
-a grave concern for the lost souls
-a great desire to be righteous and holy before God
-a bond of love between Savior and saint
-a desire to share the gospel with others
-a cry for God to lead and guide throughout each day and in life
-a strong desire to learn all you can about God and His will for your life

There is so much in this chapter, I cannot seem to move on from reading it again.
This prayer poem may become my own. I may weave into my heart's desire and into my prayers the desires to delight myself in the Lord. I will ask Him to be the light unto my path. I will ask Him to act when those I see are falling from His path and need salvation.
I will call on Him to make me who He wants me to be.
I will cry out "You are my portion, O Lord!" 

Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.

my God is real

It is so good to know God is real, alive and moving!  I am saddened to think there are some who don't know this precious truth. God is there and He is my best friend. Just like it says in Proverbs 18:24, there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  He is always there when I speak too Him, I know He cares and listens. He answers and let's me know what I need.

I can tell you how God is real. I hear Him and see the results of His mighty power. He has performed miracles that we have prayed for. There are two babies living and thriving right now because He answered prayers. Doctors gave little hope, but God said Yes to the miracles.

When God told me that my husband would be at His current job another year, sure enough, Not a week later, my husband was told that the company will be laying off most of the employees over the next year.  I could not have known that would happen in advance, but for the voice of the Lord.

I see God moving and changing people. I hear many testimonies of God healing, leading, guiding, and protecting. He is bringing salvation to this world. He is calling His people to awaken and stand firm in faith. We may look around, just like Peter standing on the raging water with fear and doubt may try to overwhelm, but we can look to our Savior. We have Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He has already overcome the world.

John16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

We have a great hope and no need to be fearful. We do not need to doubt. God is real, moving and causing His will to move forward through His people. The knowledge of Jesus, my Savior is my most precious treasure. The relationship I have with him is what sustains me and gives me my very life.  I cannot ever deny Him nor walk away from the very giver of truth and life. He is my everything.

I can sing " my God is real, He's real in my soul. my God is real for He has washed and made me whole. His love for me, is like pure gold. my God is real for I can feel Him deep in my soul!"

I pray That others may know and come to the great knowledge of truth that God loves them, and He is real for them too.

setback or redirected

Sometimes we have setbacks when we are working toward a goal. You know, you set a goal, make a plan, and get busy working toward that goal, when all of a sudden, something happens to mess up the plan. Oh so frustrating!  I have had setbacks happen many times and I feel like I have one now. But, as I began to pray about it, I felt like God was asking me, is it really a setback or is it a redirection?

God may be redirecting us, because He knows something we may not know.
We all have heard and read Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I think we get off track sometimes and He redirects us to get us back on the path.  Sometimes, the "setback" or redirection is part of His plan.  Our perspective is that it is a negative event meant to derail us and throw us off, when in God's plan, it is meant to protect us, guard us, and keep us in His plan.

I heard a dear missionary, Sis. Elizabeth Tolman, testify many years ago about a time that her son was driving down a road in Mexico, when she felt God tell her they needed to stop and get off the road. She told her son to stop and get off the road.  When they got back on the road, up ahead they came across a serious accident where a truck had veered into their lane and would have hit them.  What may have seemed like a delay, or setback, protected them.

I think back to 2008 when I had a car accident that put me out of work for 3 months, in a wheelchair.  I saw it as a setback.  I was frustrated. My husband would take me over to my parents house every day after I was out of the hospital since I could not care for our small children alone and he had to go to work.  I was frustrated. But I got to spent every day with my mother for the last two and a half months she was here on this earth.  I look back now and realize, that was a true blessing in disguise.  I got to be with mom everyday, talk with her and have some great times that I would not have had had I been working and busy.  It was really God giving me a blessing.

About a month ago, my husband and I had attempted to hire someone to make some repairs on our gutters. It was quite a bit of money. When the time came for the work to be done, the person called and tried to reschedule, then said they would call later that day.  They did not call back for two weeks.  We were a bit frustrated with this development. In the meantime, my husband was told that  the company he works for may be laying off 200 plus workers, including him over the next few months meaning his income will be changing. We realized that maybe God kept us from spending some money that we may need later. When the repair person finally did call, we told we would not be requiring his services. We trust that God is protecting us and our financial situation and the work will be completed in a different way.

So, now that I am facing what feels like a little setback, may be God redirecting me for His purposes. He knows and sees a whole lot more than I do.  I may make plans and may think I know what will be done or what I need to do, but He knows better. I just need to choose to trust Him, even when life appears to throw a setback at me.  Proverbs 27:1 says Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.  We can't really now the future anyhow, so trusting God with it makes a lot more sense than trusting my plans. He can keep us on the right path and going the right direction.  We just need to know that what might appear to be a setback, may actually be a blessing for us. God has it all prepared and He will guide us, when we listen and trust He is truly looking out for us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

whose report will you believe

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Obadiah 1:1 [ The Coming Judgment on Edom ] The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the Lord, And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, “Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):

I have to ask whose report do you believe?  I was thinking about all the different reports I have been hearing lately.  There are so many bad things going on and so many receiving bad reports about health, jobs, family, etc.  On Facebook, so many people are focusing and re-posting so many stories about crime, rumors, hate, and horrible events.  
While it is good to be aware of the things happening around us, it is also detrimental to focus on those bad things. If all we are thinking about and seeing is the bad, then where is the goodness of God in your heart?  God has the answer for all these situations. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is Alpha and Omega, beginning and the End. He is our Rock, our Shield and our Salvation. He is the Healer and the Way-Maker.  He is and should be our Everything.  

So when the doctor may have a bad report, God has the good report. When the boss may have a bad report, God has the good report. When the news has a bad report, God has the good report.
Whose report will your believe?  I choose to believe the report of the Lord!

His report is the one that counts.  His report may even seem impossible to man, but His report is the one I want. His report is the one that will keep us, protect us, heal us and love us.
His report is what I will believe! Rather than become overrun by the bad things and bad reports, we can find hope in the good report of the Lord. I will think on the goodness of Jesus and what He has done for me.  I will shout "Hallelujah" and I will praise Him in spite of the circumstances. He deserves every praise and He is worthy.
His report is good!
 
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.  

ignite the vision

I have been reading in Chronicles and I was truly blessed and intrigued by the accounts of David and Solomon.
In I Chronicles chapter 17, we see David desiring to build a temple for the Lord. He has a great burden on his heart that God needs to be honored. He wants a permanent building in which to place the ark and a place to make sacrifices.  If he was going to build a great house for himself, God also needed a great house in which to reside.
But Nathan the prophet hears from God and relays the message to David. David cannot build the house because of the blood he has shed. The building of the house will fall upon the next generation and God will greatly bless his son to do this wonderful thing for God.
David did not become disheartened or angry. Instead we can read that he poured into the preparations for his son to be able to accomplish his dream of building the temple. In I Chronicles chapter 22 we read about all the preparations and supplies he gathered. He made arrangements for more supplies and workers. The greatest preparation, however, was sitting down with Solomon, his son, and passing on to him the vision and dream of building the great temple of God.
He explained to Solomon what he had been preparing and why it was important. He explained what all the supplies were for and what needed to be done. He explained that while he desired to do this thing, God had told him he could not and that his son would receive the great blessing of building the house of God. God would bless Solomon for this endeavor. David ignited the passion and vision in Solomon and Solomon went even further than David even dreamed.

Now, Solomon could have just nodded and smiled. He could have decided not to follow through. He could have done the job half-heartedly, but David passed on his vision and dream to Solomon.
Solomon not only used the supplies his father, David, had accumulated, he added more. He hired skilled artisans and laborers to build the best. He caught the fire of the vision his father had.
David was able to teach and explain his dream and vision is such a way that Solomon not only understood it, he also had that same vision and dream.  Solomon's temple was amazing.

Sometimes, we, as parents, have great vision and dreams for our children. Sometimes, we want to see great things from our lives and eventually for our children.
For me, I realize that my parents instilled in me values and dreams. Some they may have wanted, but only realized in me and my siblings. My parents both came from hard working families. Families that did not have a lot but they loved God and and loved each other. Their parents did not go to college, but wanted more for their kids. Both of my parents eventually went to college well after becoming adults and having kids. But they made a way for me and my siblings to further our education. They taught us from a young age that education was important. We went a little further than our parents. We may still struggle and we may still have financial concerns.  But, we are hopefully going a little further than they did.
They set up for something better. My parents ignited a passion and a desire for more than they had even dreamed. They always told me I could go to college. I went not only for my bachelor's but for my master's as well. My siblings also went to college. My parents were proud of us and are proud that we have become successful in our chosen fields.

David did not get mad at God. He prepared for his son to be successful.  He set up what he could to make things better for his son and for the next generation.
Shouldn't we do the same?  My husband and I try to instill in my children that they can grow up, go to college and follow the dreams God has placed in their hearts and minds. We talk to them often about preparing for the future. We try to save up some so we can help them achieve those dreams. I want them to be even more successful than me. I hope they listen and learn from my mistakes and achieve the dreams they have. I don't want them to be afraid of the dreams they have from God.

More importantly, we try to instill in them a love for God and the need and importance of a relationship with Him. Most importantly, we tell them that we want them to know God for themselves. We want them to follow after Him and know Him. We try to show them that prayer works, that the Word of God is precious and important, and that the Body of Christ is alive and active. We want them to seek Him first  and be a part of His Body.
 I recently read some studies that talk about how a parents priority of church attendance or lack thereof will affect the children's priority of church attendance. If a parent is not faithful or skips church because something else came up, then the kids will not see church attendance, or God, as a priority. It is a matter of actions speaking louder than words.

What we speak through our actions will speak louder than anything else.
David showed Solomon his vision, not just by telling him, but by the preparations and dedication he had to the vision. What we show our children and the preparations we make for their spiritual well-being will speak louder than anything else we say. Are we showing them that spiritual matters are most important by participating in and maintaining a spiritual walk that displays God is number one in our lives? Do we set them up for a future full of answered prayers and testimonies they can recall that tell of the goodness of God when they need to remember?  Have we shared our dreams and visions of the path God has set us on so they will continue to walk on that same path into eternity with Christ?  Lord, I pray we have.

I guess I can also apply this to the church body.  Sometimes, a pastor or a church leader may see a great vision for a local assembly. That leader or leadership needs to understand that they need to nurture and share that vision and dream with those that will follow them. God may intend for them to ignite the fire of passion and vision in the next generation. They may not get to see that vision come to full fruit under their watch, but the next generation will be the ones to move forward into the great plans that God has set forth. The leader may ignite the fire, but the next generation may be the ones to set it ablaze into something even bigger. God can use the next generation to start the revival, but they need to be ignited. What we do now, as church leaders, prepares the next generation of church leaders. Those that will follow today's leaders, need to be ignited by the dream and vision that God has placed on us. They need to take that dream and vision and make it their own. Then, move that dream and vision beyond what we see into what God placed in their hearts as well. The church leaders of today need to teach the next generation, not just by word but by deed, that God has a great plan and a great vision for His Body. Let's ignite the next generation to move forward from the past into the great plans of God and prepare them to work in the realms of we see can come, we may be laying the ground work by praying and instilling the dream in the next generation.  We may dream the dreams, but the young will see the vision.

Joel 2:28

“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.

Acts 2:17

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

you are not a useless appendix

I was thinking about who God places each of us in the body of Christ and we are all important. I then got to thinking about the appendix. About 10 years ago, my husband became very sick, the sickest I had ever seen him. I had to get the neighbors to help me get him in the car. I was 6 months pregnant, had a scared three year old, and he was so weak and sick he couldn't hardly stand. I got him to the emergency room and they quickly diagnoses appendicitis. Finally about 3 o'clock the next morning, he was in surgery.  When I asked about any effects of not having an appendix, the doctor said it was a useless organ.  We didn't need to worry about it. So recently, I began to wonder why it is useless. Is it really useless? God placed it in the human body and there has to be a reason. So I googled it.

Many have assumed it was useless. Many have even claimed that the appendix is a left over from an organ that has evolved away through evolution.  It has been explained away by man’s understanding or lack of understanding.
However, Researchers and immunologists are now finding out the appendix does have a purpose.
1.It is a “safe house” for beneficial bacteria when recovering from diarrhea, dysentery, cholera.
2. It is placed in the perfect place for this function, right at the connection of the small and large intestine.
3.It has been identified as an important component of mucosal immune function /part of the lymphatic system as it may help in regulating pathogens and may even produce early defenses that prevent deadly disease that infect the colon and get the lymphatic system’s B and T cells to fight the viruses and bacteria. It helps immune responses occur.

SO, what does this have to do with us spiritually?
Many times people have fallen into the trap and lie that they are useless as Christians.  They may question their purpose and what God has for them to do as part of the body.  Knowing that you have gifts is important, but understanding and realizing that you have been been placed in exactly the right place for the purpose God has for you is very important. God has purposely and carefully placed us and makes sure we are useful in the body of Christ.

I Corinthians 12:12-27

We are all members of one body and we are all necessary and needed for the body to function effectively and properly.
In verse 18 we can see and understand that God sets the members as it pleases him. We are placed by God for his purpose.
Verse 22 shows that members that are seen as feeble are necessary. The appendix may have been seen as feeble, but it is actually necessary. It is useful and if you ever contract cholera or dysentery, the appendix plays a vital role in recover.  Sometimes, the Body of Christ needs those members that are faithful and waiting to burst forth with their talents in the face of troubles and sickness to bring about the healing and help in the Body of Christ.

Spiritual Application
You are not useless to the body of Christ
Store up the good in your own life to be ready
God has set you where it pleases Him and for a purpose
you are there as a defense to help the body of Christ

The appendix is always preparing and storing up for the time of need. It is a "safe house" of good bacteria. We can be a "safe house" of the goodness of God. We can prepare for the "sick" times by filling up on the goodness of God.
We can be preparing and storing up through our daily prayer and reading so we can be ready and able to take our stand. When the enemy attacks, we are ready for him and can defend and attack back using the scriptures and the prayer that we have been faithfully storing up.
There is an awareness that something is happening in the body and early defenses are taking place. That is awareness and getting ready to fight early.

The appendix pours the good bacteria it has stored up into the body.  We should help bring about healing for the body of Christ by pouring love, peace and joy into other members.

John 6:63 Jesus words were spirit and life, so should our words be spirit and life

Proverbs 18:21 Power of life and death are in the tongue. We should pour forth life and praise.
Psalm 98:4  Breath forth in song, rejoicing and praise

In 1 Peter 2:9 we are described as a special possession, chose to declare the praises of Him. Our calling as a child of God is to declare His praises.
One of the most .important purposes of a child of God is worship. We can worship and change our attitudes and even change the situations. God inhabits the praises of His people. He moves and operates when we praise. He will hear our praise and come to answer. When we praise in any circumstance we face, we are bringing forth His presence and talking about His goodness.

Bring forth Good for the body meas to support and edify one another. We are told in many places to care one for another and work together in unity.

Galatians 6:1-2 Bear one another’s burdens
James 5:13-16 if any sick pray for one another
Ephesians 4 Paul wrote about being part of the body
v.1-3 unity and part of the body in one hope of your calling
11-16 we are equipped, a part of the whole body
16-effective working by which every part does it’s share
God needs an effective body working together in unity. He does not want his body to be sick. Sickness for the body of Christ comes from sin and lack of unity.
There is a warning at the end of Romans chapter six to guard against those things that destroy
Don’t become an inflamed appendix. Verses 30-32 tells us guard against those things that destroy the body, backbiting, hurting one another and all that other stuff that comes from sin.
Galatians 5:25-26 tells us bear fruit of the Spirit and not live by the flesh, (conceited, provoking and envying each other).
We cannot give sin the opportunity to bear it's fruit of death (Romans 7:5,8)and have it's passions loosed on the Body of Christ. We need to guard against sin, keep it out of the body and pour into the body the good things or the good fruit.   Sin will take opportunity if it is given a chance. We are to be ready and aware so we can put a stop to sin before it has a chance to cause illness our individual lives and thereby making us ineffective or even cause us to bring destruction in the body of Christ. That would grieve the Holy Spirit. We can recognize we are actually very important to the body of Christ. Each member is there to edify the Body, help the Body, and work in unity with the Body for the purposes of God. We are all called to be a part and do our share in helping the Body of Christ grow in love.

Conclusion:
Every member is placed by God to please Him and for an important purpose
Every member of the Body is called  to worship and to protect the body
Every member should be ready and prepared Be a “safe house” full of the ability to pour out praise and good report. A safe house that will help protect and edify the body
Every member should be aware and ready to spiritually defend the body in spiritual warfare (prayer, fasting, interceding, etc) when the enemy attacks

called to praise

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 
1 Peter 2:9

This is one of those times, that I am sure God is trying to tell me something.  A portion of this verse has been resonating in my soul, heart and mind.  While I have read this many, many times before, this time God is showing me something important. As I was reading one day about three weeks ago, this scripture stood out like never before. It was like a light illuminating the words,

God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him

I read it over and over.  The realization that God chose me and sees me as a special possession was nearly shocking to me. My heart was understanding what my mind has already known for a long time. Then the realization that we are called for the purpose of declaring his praises began to sink in.  My purpose is to declare his praises. My purpose is to declare his praises. YES!

I went to revival service and the whole message was about who you are in God's eyes and what He purposes for you, to get the vision of what He has for your life.  I just could not get over how amazing God is.  That service turned into an amazing service full of healing for some serious needs and God's power falling on those present. 

This particular verse has popped us several times, each time as I have began to forget, just in time to remind me that God's chose me for the purpose of declaring His praises. I believe that is why he spoke to me a couple of years ago to even write this blog. I can declare His praises to anyone willing to read this. I can tell them that God is calling them to also declare His praises. Our purpose is to declare the mighty work of God who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. He has shown His mighty hand and we can declare how good and wonderful He is to us. That is our testimony.
We are made overcomers by the word of our testimony. Testimony is declaring our personal encounters with our Savior.  It is sharing the good news about what He is doing for us.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11

Declaring His praises is also what we will be doing for eternity in heaven.  We will be there forever, together getting to praise Him, worship Him eternally in His very presence.  We may as well begin now to praise Him.  Make the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts acceptable to Him. (Psalm 19:14).  May we speak about him, think about him and bring forth the praises of our God.
May I truly understand this calling in my life. May I ever declare the wonderful works of God my Savior.