God took me to Psalm 83 this morning. This writing of David reminds me of people in my life who blatantly do not want anything to do with God. Some believe there is a God but just not for them. Others don't even believe God exists. Some people believe there is a heaven and a hell while others do not. Last night as we were falling asleep Doug asked me about purgatory. Some believe there is such a place and others do not. Sometimes the questions I'm asked are ones I use to say, 'That's a Pastor Doc question.' When I do not know the answer to such questions, I study the subject and ask God to give me revelation. Being in His Word is imperative if we desire to grow in our faith. I have a lot of thoughts as I read Psalm 83. First of all, it is about enemies. When I pray for my enemies I pray for their spiritual souls. Sometimes I do as David wrote and ask God to make them miserable. Doc use to pray for people, 'make their food taste terrible and their bed hard' so they would realize they need Jesus in their life. We all must get to the end of ourselves before we will fully realize how much we need the Lord in our life. I believe God puts enemies in our life to strengthen our faith. He can use something 'bad' for something 'good'! Matthew Henry wrote of Psalm 83:
God's triumphs over his enemies, clearly prove that he is, according to his name JEHOVAH, an almighty Being, who has all power and perfection in himself. May we fear his wrath, and yield ourselves to be his willing servants. And let us seek deliverance by the destruction of our fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.
We must not see our enemies as 'obstacles' in life but instead see them as 'opportunities' to grow in our faith. We must not give up praying for our enemies but instead pray for them more fervently than ever before. I am reminded of the song "Battle Belongs"...
So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I'll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
Yes! When we get pounded by our enemies, God is there to give us His strength to stand firm in our faith. He is there to give us His wisdom on saying the 'right' words or doing the 'right' thing. He even gives us peace in the midst of the turmoil as we deal with the antics of the ones against us. He knows what we are going through. David's request in verse eighteen needs to be our request too. Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday for Doug and I and the ones ahead today! Thank You for Your nature that speaks to both of us so much! Thank You for Psalm 83 which reminds us to not quit praying for enemies and the song "Battle Belongs" which remind us to stay near to You as we fight battles! Cleanse me so You can fill me so people will see/hear You through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. Thank You for the opportunity to pray over the little doggy with a seizure yesterday and for the impact it made on her owner! I pray Your peace over many going through difficult days. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Doug's sister Jackie; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Amber; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; Audrey; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friends; David; Damon; Dave and Carol with his treatments; and Dan. I pray for: the Long family; Becky; Baby Sabre and her family; Debbie and her family; and Russ. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam! Thank You for being My Enemy Slayer! Amen.
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