Psalm 18 - "My Help Comes From The Lord"

The Lord took me to Psalm 18 for the second day in a row. I must have missed something yesterday or just didn't get enough out of it! As I was reading it for the second time the song "My Help Comes From The Lord" came into my mind. 

Out of the darkness, lifts up my eyes
Unto to the hills, I feel my faith rise

Maker of heaven, giver of life
You are my strength, my song in the night
My refuge, my shelter, now and forevermore
My help comes from the lord

Maker of heaven, giver of life
You are my strength
You're my refuge
Now and forevermore


I absolutely love the words of Psalm 18:7-15 on how David describes what happened when he called upon the Lord in distress...

6 7 The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

The earth moved! There was a Divine manifestation that happened! This is what happens when we are in relationship with Him in which we live the life He so desires of us. He answers our prayers. He gives us the desires of our heart. I recently made that statement to someone and their response back was, "If He gives you the desires of your heart, then why are you walking with that thing?" My response was, "The desire of my heart is to be living in His will and for Him to be glorified. I believe at this moment this is His will. I also believe He is and will be glorified through my circumstances." They just looked at me. I really don't think they knew what to say to that. That is how I feel. Do I enjoy being in this circumstance? The human part of me says, "absolutely not" but in my spirit I know the Lord is in control.

Verses sixteen through nineteen reads...

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Four months ago the Lord directed me to 'go deeper' and I did. I sought more of Him through His Word and in conversation with Him. It was not long after that my flair-up happen. Coincidence? I don't believe so. I would rather call it a 'God-incidence'! He was preparing me for this time. And now as I read these verses I get excited...he drew me out of deep waters...He rescued me from my powerful enemy...! I know the Lord is with me. I know He will heal me. I know He will rescue me. Why? Because He loves me and delights in me. But I also know it will happen in His time. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for taking me back to Psalm 18. Thank You for loving me so much that You want to seal Your promises in my heart. Thank You for the day that is ahead. I'm excited to have family and friends today to come see us. Bless our time together in some mighty big ways. Lord, I pray for more of You and less of me so that people will see You more through me today. I pray for Your direction, Lord on what went through my mind for something I am to do today. Lord, if it was just my thought, take it away. But if it is Your direction then bring it to the forefront of my mind several times today. Father, I pray for the one going through a procedure and the one getting an injection today. Be with these two ladies and bless them in abundance with Your love, mercy and grace. Lord, I also continue to pray for the situation with the one murdered. I pray for her family to seek You during this tragedy. Father, I pray for the ones who I have come in contact with recently that are lonely. Put someone before them that will be You to them. Thank You Jesus for being My Earth Mover. Amen.

Psalm 18 - "My Deliverer"

The definition of the word deliverer is...

deliverer - a person who rescues you from harm or danger

I woke up this morning singing a song Mandisa sings called "My Deliverer" and thought about how the Lord has delivered me from some pretty rough things. There have been so many times in life where I felt...

I was so helpless
Where did the light go
I had no hope left
Deep down in my soul


The times where I heeded to these words were the ones where I found victory...

I was watchin'
I was waitin'
I was prayin'
I was stayin' down on my knees
That's right where You found me

The key to victory is through surrender to the Lord. First we must believe in Him and accept him as our Savior. Then we must live a surrendered life for Him. When we live such a life, He will deliver us from turmoil with a peace that is not comprehended by those who don't live such a life. It will only be with this type of life that we can mean it when we say...

My Deliverer, You rescued me from all that held me captive
My Deliverer, You set me free
Now I can live
My Deliverer, I'm no longer captive
My Deliverer, You gave Your life that I might live
So every moment I will give you praise
Yeah my Deliverer
I'm gonna give You praise
I'm gonna give You praise
My Deliverer

Praise Him! Yes! Even during tough times we need to praise Him! Even when we feel as if we can't go on, we need to praise Him! Even when our heart is breaking with hurt others words or actions put upon us, we need to praise Him! Even when we are rejected, we need to praise Him! Yes! Praise Him! Why? Because He died for us to live! That is reason enough right there to praise Him no matter what! Woo hoo! Praise Him!

I love Psalm 18 that reminds us the Lord is the answer to getting through anything we endure. Matthew Henry writes about the last few verses of this Psalm...

We should love the Lord, our Strength, and our Salvation; we should call on him in every trouble, and praise him for every deliverance; we should aim to walk with him in all righteousness and true holiness, keeping from sin. If we belong to him, he conquers and reigns for us, and we shall conquer and reign through him, and partake of the mercy of our anointed King, which is promised to all his seed for evermore. Amen.

Once again, I say 'woo hoo'!!!! "If we belong to him..." is where the answer is to how to get through the storms of life. When we belong to Him, we will have peace through the storms knowing He is with us and will deliver us through them.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for delivering me from junk of this world in the past, today and in the future. I am grateful for the peace You give me in knowing You are taking care of things. Lord, would You please fill me with more of You and less of me so people will see You in me? Would You put before me opportunities to be You to others today? Father, I am so grateful for the way You continue to use me as Your servant even with the physical circumstances I am dealing with in this season of life. Lord, strengthen me not only physically but most importantly spiritually. May I grow deeper in You as You deliver me. Thank You Jesus for being My Deliverer. Amen.

Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:12-21 - "All Who Are Thirsty"

Last night we completed our group study on the book of Revelation. This was either the second or third time I have gone through this study led by Doc. It amazes me how the Lord reveals new bits of information to me each time. It also saddens me to think of some I know who have an unteachable spirit. That is, they either think they know everything there is to know in the Bible or it is they can't learn from others teaching. The Bible is a living book. The Lord breathes life through it into me each and every time I open it. He also gives others knowledge to open my eyes up to new thinking. I pray I never have an unteachable spirit.

There is an invitation and a warning at the close of Revelation from the Lord...

12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Not only do I believe He is coming but I am holding onto the promise that He is. Anything that happens on this earth is temporal. Life of eternity with the Lord is my goal. I like what Matthew Henry writes about this section of scripture:

And while we are busy in the duties of our different stations of life; whatever labours may try us, whatever difficulties may surround us, whatever sorrows may press us down, let us with pleasure hear our Lord proclaiming, Behold, I come quickly; I come to put an end to the labour and suffering of my servants. I come, and my reward of grace is with me, to recompense, with royal bounty, every work of faith and labour of love. I come to receive my faithful, persevering people to myself, to dwell for ever in that blissful world. Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus. A blessing closes the whole. By the grace of Christ we must be kept in joyful expectation of his glory, fitted for it, and preserved to it; and his glorious appearance will be joyful to those who partake of his grace and favour here. Let all add, Amen. 

Woo hoo! Yes, Lord Jesus, come! I know I am selfish in asking that to be now. This time with my MS flair-up is very trying. It is so hard to believe that it has been almost three months of going through this. You would think I would be use to it by now but some days are more trying than others. I am determined to not allow the enemy any foothold into this situation. But I must admit that some days he works hard to pull me down. I need to dig in deeper to the Lord to combat against his dealings. I continued reading Matthew Henry's writing about this scripture and see what I need to do every day but even more so during trials....

Let us earnestly thirst after greater measures of the gracious influences of the blessed Jesus in our souls, and his gracious presence with us, till glory has made perfect his grace toward us. 

Yes! I do thirst for the Lord but I need to be more intentional in my thirst for Him. I need to... 

• read His Word with more of a thirst so that He can satisfy my thirstiness
• be filled with more of Him and less of me in order for others to see Him in me
• worship Him more on this earth so that I may worship Him for eternity
• proclaim the Good News more so others will also have eternal life

Last night as we were in group a couple different songs came to my mind. One of them is a song called "All Who Are Thirsty" that Kutless sings. I woke up singing it this morning and was so blessed knowing He satisfies my thirst. He is my strength in my weaknesses. I am so blessed in being in relationship with Him so that when I bow down before Him, He listens and gives me peace.

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Just come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life

Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As deep cries out to deep

We sing, come Lord Jesus come
Come Lord Jesus, come
Come Lord Jesus, come
Come Lord Jesus, come

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for our study over these last few months. Thank You for Doc leading us through it. Thank You for all You revealed through the study to me. Lord, I want more of You and less of me so I can be more effective for You. I pray for opportunities to be You today. I pray for Your Spirit to be my spirit...Your words to be my words...Your attitude to be my attitude. Would You please give me an added strength against the enemy when he tries to pull me down? Would You enable others to be encouragers to me today and not make me feel bad? Would You not only put a smile on my face but also put one in my heart? Lord, I am so grateful for all You do for me. I am so grateful for all the ways You show Your love to me each and every day. You are so awesome! Lord, I pray others will come into relationship with You so they will will be able to experience Your love, grace and mercy. Thank You Jesus for being My Water! Amen.

Romans 8:28 - "Something Beautiful"

The Lord woke me up singing Steven Curtis Chapman's "Something Beautiful" this morning. My first thought was, "Goodness, Lord, You must be getting tired of constantly having to remind me the importance of trusting You through these difficult days." I do trust Him. Sometimes I wonder how much longer life is going to be this way but I trust that He is in control. Maybe I need to get to the point of not wondering that before He will quit reminding me!

I listened to an interview by Steven Curtis Chapman about this song. He said the second verse is the key to going through tough times. 

We know the world got broke when it took the fall
And here we are living in the middle of it all
Longing, waiting for the day when everything’s restored
But the best of the beauty that we get to SEE
While we’re living down here in this “yet to be”
Is to watch God take the most broken things
And to hear Him say,
“When I get through, you’re gonna be amazed”

As I pray for His will "...on earth as it is in heaven.." I know there is no MS in heaven. I know there is no need for insurance in heaven. I know there is no need for medicine in heaven. Our broken bodies will be whole in heaven. Woo hoo! But as long as He has us here on this earth we need to make sure all we do glorifies Him. Some days are tougher than others to praise Him yet I know I must continue to trust Him...continue to praise Him...continue to rely upon His strength. I need to remember Romans 8:28...

As I sit outside to write this morning, I was thinking about how the Lord blessed us with our trip to Israel. He blessed us financially in ways beyond our understanding. He blessed us with bodies that enabled us to not only survive but to enjoy our time there. As I see people walking down the street right now my heart longs to be walking on my own again. This would be the perfect morning to take a walk with Mordecei yet here I sit. For a split second I thought about going for a walk anyway but then when I thought about having to go back inside to get some shoes on and knowing how much my legs hurt from walking yesterday I let that thought pass right on by. I will be grateful for cooler weather this morning to sit outside. I will be grateful for the strength yesterday to be out. I will be grateful in knowing the Lord will someday bless me with walking on my own. I don't know if that will happen here on this earth or in heaven but it WILL happen! Woo hoo!

‘Cause I’m gonna turn it into something different
I’m gonna turn it into something good
I’m gonna take all the broken pieces
And make something beautiful like only I could
So put it all in the hands of the Father
Give it up, give it all over to
The only one who can turn it into

Something beautiful
Something beautiful
Something beautiful
Put all the pieces in His hands
And watch Him turn it into something beautiful

Dear Jesus,

Thank You so much for all You do for me. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for reminding me that You are going to make these tough days "Something Beautiful" in a way You will be glorified! Lord, as I go to therapy this morning I pray for more of You and less of me to show through. I pray for not only physical strength in this day but emotional, mental and most importantly spiritual strength. Open my eyes to opportunities to be You to others. Be glorified in all I do. Thank You for being the One I Trust In. Amen.

Matthew 13:31-35 - "His Strength Is Perfect"

Yesterday the Lord woke me up with an urgency to pray for one for protection. I got the sense it wasn't for a physical protection but rather was for protection from evilness. I prayed for her and then the Lord prompted me to tell her. I argued with Him because I was afraid she would think I was out of my mind or maybe even think I am some religious fanatic. I was concerned she might even quit talking to me. But He reassured me she needed to know someone was praying for her. 

Her response: "Your message was so perfect this morning! Sometimes I feel depressed and sad and don't even know why. It came at a perfect moment!" Wow, God! First of all, I am so glad I prayed but most importantly I am blessed through my obedience in sharing with her. In a world of so many negatives, I was a positive to this one yesterday. I planted a seed of encouragement. 

Yesterday I also had seeds of encouragement planted in me by Sharon driving me so I could be a part of the downtown Building Bridges projects. It encouraged my heart to see our church family being Jesus to others. Some of them didn't look like us. We couldn't communicate very well with some due to a language barrier. But we did not let these things stop us from being Jesus to many.

This morning I was also encouraged by my friend Julie who sent me a devotional on Matthew 13:31-35. It reminded me that the seeds we plant are watered by the Holy Spirit each and every day. The seeds we plant will mature and fruit will show through them. It mentions that we may not see all seeds we plant come to maturity. It also talks about how the imperfections of this world may sidetrack us but the Kingdom of God is still working in and through us. The most encouraging sentence in the devotional for me was this: "Still, no matter what happens, this one thing is true: God is in control and His plans will be fulfilled." Wow, did I need that reminder! The prayer at the end of the devotional reads: "Jesus, advance Your kingdom in me and in the world! I place my trust in you!" The desire of my heart is to plant good seeds that will be to glorify the Lord! I was thankful I was able to do that yesterday. I was not able to do what I use to do in some ways but I was able to love on people with His love and that is what matters. 

I saw this picture the other day that encouraged me greatly. It reminds me of what I need to keep in the forefront of my mind as I go through these tough days. When I think about what the word 'best' means, I realize what I do may change from time to time due to physical limitations but no matter what I do if it is done in the Lord's will then it will be my 'best'! That is comforting to think about.

Dear Jesus,

I am so grateful for the way You continue to use me to plant seeds. Not only do You use me to plant them but I also am enjoying fertilizing some of the seeds You have had me plant. I am one blessed lady. Thank You for Sharon who drove me yesterday; for all of those involved in Building Bridges projects; for the reminder from Julie this morning on planting seeds; for my dear sista Kim who encourages me even if she does have to smack me over the head. Thank You Jesus for all of the ways You remind me that I am living in Your Will and You will continue to use me no matter what physical limitations come my way. Father, today is a new day. I am excited that we are having an early birthday celebration today. I praise You for my hubby spending time with me today. I have not seen much of him these last few days. I praise You for another day of life that is before me. I praise You for the way You will fill me with more of You and less of me in order for me to be You to others. Lord, I know the only way to life is by relying on Your strength. How perfect for Kim to remind me of a song that I sing so often...Your strength is definitely perfect! Thank You Jesus for being My Strength! Amen.

Philippians 4:10-13 - "Broken Hallelujah"/"Cast My Cares"

The Lord woke me up with two song today going through my mind. One being "Broken Hallelujah" and the other being "Cast My Cares." As they were going through my mind, He brought my Daddy to my mind. He went through so much on this earth in his physical and emotional body yet he remained grounded in his faith. He always amazed me how he would go into a surgery with the attitude of "let's get this fixed, I have stuff to do." Going through over sixty surgeries, having a broken neck from being hit by a train, gunshot wound, seeing one of his daughter's murdered, having to work at a young age to provide for his family...it is so hard to believe one man could go through so much. If I could talk to him right now, I would ask him how he did it. I imagine he might tell me to hold onto Paul's words in the fourth chapter of Philippians...

10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

That was my Daddy...content no matter what. He didn't let any circumstances get him down for very long. When the enemy came knocking at his door, he may have faltered for a short time but always came out stronger. He relied on the Lord's strength. He is my role model I strive to be like. The desire of my heart is to be 'content whatever the circumstances'...no matter what. The desire of my heart is to "Cast My Cares" on the Lord....to allow Him to be the "anchor of my hope...the only one who's in control..." I know when I am in that relationship with the Lord, I will have His peace. I will have His peace even when there is unknown. I also will stand upon the promise that He will make beauty from ashes.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for who You were in my Daddy's life and for who You are in my life. Thank You for loving me so much that You gave me a wonderful Daddy on this earth. Lord, I miss him so much but yet I rejoice in knowing He will live with You for eternity. Father, more of You and less of me is the key to me being content through anything that comes my way. No matter what happens on this earth if I have the goal of eternal life with You, You will enable me through each and every circumstance. I must say I am pretty excited that I will be leaving the house today, even for just a little bit. Lord, use me to be an encourager with anyone I come in contact with whether it be when I go out or through my words on the internet/phone. Thank You for the ones who called, visited or through the internet/phone encouraged me yesterday. Thank You Jesus for being My Anchor. Amen.