Psalm 89 - "Praise You In This Storm"

The Lord took me to Psalm 89 this morning. This Psalm is full of encouragement to me. The first four verses encourage me to have faith no matter what is happening in life. Verses five through fourteen shows His love is showered upon us as we worship Him. The next four verses are the 'icing on the cake for me' as they encourage me to walk in the empowerment of Jesus. Matthew Henry writes, "The joy of the Lord is the strength of his people, whereas unbelief dispirits ourselves and discourages others." He continues, "Christ is the Holy One of Israel; and in him was that peculiar people more blessed than in any other blessing." Woo hoo! I love being one of the peculiar people! Verses nineteen through thirty-seven shows how God protected David and will protect those of us who accept Him and live in His will. I like how Matthew Henry describes such people. "Happy are those who so know the joyful sound of the gospel as to obey it; who experience its power upon their hearts, and bring forth the fruit of it in their lives." The Psalm ends with praise. As we praise Him, we need to remember to not only to praise Him for what He has done and is doing but to praise Him for what He is yet to do in our lives. Even in the bleakest times of life, we need to praise God. When we receive a 'bad' diagnosis, lose a loved one, have financlal difficulty, etc., we still need to praise Him. His strength will empower us to get through such times. His wisdom will be ours as we take on more of Him. His love will flow through us as we love Him more. It is not the easiest thing to trust God through tough times but it is the most fulfilling thing to do. He desires to take us down a path that will enable us to do His will. He takes trust and great faith to walk that path. The results of walking that path are joy, love, and encouragement. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for these words today to encourage my heart. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of You. I pray for Your physical strength today as I am so tired. May Your supernatural empowerment take over in me today not only physically but especially spiritually so I do not miss anything You have for me. May every opportunity You give me to be You be realized in the greatest way. Lord, I pray for those going through tough days to feel Your empowerment. May You be their joy during dark times. Thank You Jesus for being My Joy. Amen.