Psalm 118 - "Not For A Moment (After All)"

Wow, God! Today is finally here! Today is the day we will worship together in the church building! Woo hoo! There were times I questioned whether today would ever come. There were days I wanted to give up in the process and run away. What a blessing to persevere through such times. This morning my friend Debbie sent me this message. "Today's the day! PTL! So excited for you and your congregation! Prayers and hugs!" Her words were so appropriate with what God woke me with. Thank You Jesus! Today is bittersweet. The day ahead is one of blessing and one of sorrow. I so wish Doc would have seen this project completed. I do not understand 'why' things happened as they did but I thank God for His presence and strength every step of the way. Loneliness has kicked in these last few days. It has been so hard to come home from the church to an empty house. God continually reminds me He is with me but I still have struggled. Going through the loss of a spouse is hard. There are so many changes in life that occur prior to and after the loss. Adjusting to being alone is one of the hardest things for me to get through. In my mind I know I am not alone but in my heart it is so, so hard. I must stand upon Scriptures such as Psalm 118 every day. This Scripture encourages me to continually thank God for His love (vs 1). The word 'constant' is repeated throughout Psalm 118 in The Passion Translation. He is my constant! Woo hoo! Verse five reads: Out of my deep anguish and pain I prayed, and God, you helped me as a father. You came to my rescue and broke open the way into a beautiful and broad place. Praise God for the knowledge He has been with me every step of the way and will continue to be with me. He is my strength. He empowers me to walk in His will. Woo hoo! Verse nine speaks volumes to me. Yes, it is so much better to trust in the Lord to save me than to put my confidence in celebrities. God is the Only One who can and will see me through today and the days ahead. I must put my confidence in Him not people. People will disappoint me. God will not. Verse fourteen through fifteen are ones I stand upon. Lord, you are my true strength and my glory-song, my champion, my Savior! Yes! Woo hoo! Praise His Holy Name!  Verses nineteen through twenty-one read:

1619 Swing wide, you gates of righteousness, and let me pass through,
    and I will enter into God’s presence to worship only him.
20 I have found the gateway to God,
    the pathway to his presence for all his devoted lovers.
21 I will offer all my loving praise to you,
    and I thank you so much for answering my prayer
    and bringing me salvation!
22 

Living in God's presence is exactly where He desires us to live. When we live in His presence, we will not only hear His voice but have the desire in our heart to walk in obedience to it. As we live such a life, we will carry Psalm 118:29 in our spirit. So let’s keep on giving our thanks to God, for he is so good! His constant, tender love lasts forever! Praise God He is my Constant! He is and will continue to be with me every step of every day! Woo hoo! I am reminded this morning of a song Meredith Andrews sings called "Not For A Moment (After All)"...

And every step every breath you are there
Every tear every cry every prayer
In my hurt at my worst
When my world falls down
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Even in the dark
Even when it's hard
You will never leave me
After all

After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
Not for a moment will You forsake me

Dear Jesus, Thank You for the day ahead! Thank You for being with us every step of the way in the process of getting into this building! Thank You for the privilege to pastor this congregation! Thank You for loving me so greatly! Thank You for being with me through some very emotional times especially this week! Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You ooze out of my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a mighty way. Father, I pray for those You desire to be in the service today to be there. I pray we all have open ears, hearts, and minds to what You desire of us. Father, bless all who worked so hard, gave of their time and money, and persevered to see this day come into being. May we all remember the words of Psalm 118:29, So let's keep on giving our thanks to God, for He is good! His constant, tender love last forever! Lord, forgive me for being selfish in my prayers last night. Saturday night is usually a time to pray for pastors. I did pray for them before going to sleep but then my prayers focused on me. The enemy has tried to tear me down by telling me I am not worthy to lead this congregation. Thank You Jesus for knocking him down when he came knocking at my door this week! Thank You for reminding me who I am and what I mean to You! Thank You Jesus for being My Constant! Amen.