Saturday, March 6, 2021

Psalm 18 - "I Am Not Alone"

The Lord took me to Psalm 18 this morning. As I read it, He stopped me at verses sixteen through nineteen. This. Wow, God! I have felt Him reaching down and drawing me up out of the deep waters of grief. I have felt Him pulling me closer to Him. I have felt His loving, strong arms around me. Plain and simple. I have felt Him. I continue to live in His presence and seek His will for my life. Matthew Henry wrote: God will not only deliver His people out of their troubles in due time, but He will bear them up under their troubles in the mean time. Woo hoo! Praise His Holy Name! This reminds me of what Joyce said the other night that we need to praise Him for our circumstances not just in them. I think about how when Jesus' time on this earth was drawing closer to ending He dealt with so much physically, mentally, and emotionally. People were against Him, Judas betrayed Him, death on this earth was in front of Him, etc. Yet He never stopped communicating with His Heavenly Father. Hebrews 5:7 tells us He prayed in His distress. No matter what is happening in our little world we must never stop communicating with our Heavenly Father. When we live in His presence, we will experience what David experienced in verse nineteen. Our Heavenly Father will delight in us. Woo hoo! I saw this picture on Facebook yesterday. It made me stop and think about how our circumstances/life may not be what we anticipated but they are no surprise to our Heavenly Father. What happens in our life will be exactly what He desires for us as we live in His will. 

God has been reminding me of two things over these last few days. One, I Am Not Alone. Two, He is restoring me. Praise His Holy Name!

When I walk through deep waters
I know that You will be with me
When I'm standing in the fire
I will not be overcome
Through the valley of the shadow
I will not fear

I am not alone
I am not alone
You will go before me
You will never leave me
I am not alone
I am not alone
You will go before me
You will never leave me

In the midst of deep sorrow
I see Your light is breaking through
The dark of night will not overtake me
I am pressing into You
Lord, You fight my every battle
And I will not fear

David wrote of the Lord bringing him out of the deep waters in verse sixteen of Psalm 18. The deep waters I have experienced over these last few months have been trying but God is lifting me out of them. There have been times where I felt like I drowning in grief but He has been there keeping me afloat. When the enemy has tried to make me believe lies, He has been there to give me clarity of mind. Woo hoo! I am so thankful to be in the restoration process with my Heavenly Father. I am enjoying things He is doing in my life. Praise His Holy Name!

Dear Jesus, Thank You for the opportunities You gave me yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for time with my friend Carol Young! Thank You for rest and relaxation! Thank You for my time with Sissy yesterday! Thank You for the delivery of my book for my class that starts Monday! Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me! May You shine brightly through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today. I praise You for my friend Patricia's news. I know Gary would be so happy for this path You have put before her. I praise You for the safe birth of Joyce's first great grandson and for how she has impacted my life. I pray for: Heather's daughter who has hurt her foot; Shelly with the death of her mother; Mark and Lisa; my sister Linda; Elizabeth; Laurie and Lee; Delores and Pete; and many others going through 'tough' times. I pray especially for those going through times of turmoil in relationships. May You be greater than the hurts of the heart. Thank You for ending my day laughing over the phone with Rickey! Thank You Jesus for being My Restorer! Amen.

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