II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 89 - "Your Love, Oh Lord"

I can't believe I slept eleven hours last night. I wonder if I will ever get caught back up on my rest after our trip. It's a good thing Doc was coughing or I still might be snoozing away. I'm thankful God knows what I need and provides it. I'm so thankful there is nothing on the calendar that I have to leave the house for today. I can take my time cleaning and cooking for tomorrow's board luncheon. I'm also thankful for the way God had me preparing things throughout the week for it. He loves me so much and is so good at directing my actions. He also is good at protecting me from things that will cause me issues in life. He gives me dreams that forewarn me before actual problems come into my life. Last night was one that I'm grateful for. I'm not sure if it was a forewarning about myself or about someone else but I am thankful He made me aware of it. I also am thankful He took me to Psalm 89 this morning. After reading it in different versions I was reminded of the song Your Love, Oh Lord that Third Day sings.

Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings

We are protected in the shadow of His wings when we live in His presence. I love verse eighteen in The Passion Translation. It reads: You are our King, the holiest one of all;
your wrap-around presence is our protection. Woo hoo! The term wrap-around means there is no gap in coverage. Every single bit of our being is covered by Him. His love is greater than anything that comes our way. His faithfulness is beyond measure; His righteousness is beyond human comprehension at times; and His justice is never ending. Verses nineteen through thirty-seven tell us God keeps His promises as we live with His Holy Spirit in us. He will empower us to do what He so desires as we allow Him. His strength will be our strength through everything that happens to us on this earth. Psalm 89 encourages us to be the spiritual seed of Christ which never fades away but instead grows into what He desires of us. Verses nineteen through twenty-nine read of the promises God gave to David.

You spoke to your prophets in visions, saying,
“I have found a mighty hero for my people.
I have chosen David as my loving servant and exalted him.
I have anointed him as king with the oil of my holiness.
21 I will be strength to him and I will give him
my grace to sustain him no matter what comes.
22 None of his enemies will get the best of him,
nor will the wicked one overpower him.
23 For I will crush his every adversary
and do away with all who hate him.
24 Because I love him and treasure him,
my faithfulness will always protect him.
I will place my great favor upon him,
and I will cause his power and fame to increase.
25 I will set his hand over the sea
and his right hand over the rivers.
26 And he will come before me, saying,
‘You truly are my Father, my only God, and my strong deliverer!’
27 I am setting him apart, favoring him as my firstborn son.
I will make him the most high king in all the earth!
28 I will love him forever and always show him kindness.
My covenant with him will never be broken.
29 For I have decreed that he will always have an heir—
a dynasty that will release the days of heaven on earth. (TPT)

Woo hoo! I claim these promises given to David for myself. God chose me to be His servant. He anointed me to live a life of surrender for Him. He empowers me with His strength to get through the 'tough' days of life on this earth. Because I love him and treasure him, my faithfulness will always protect him. Woo hoo! He loves me enough to protect me from anything that will try to tear down my spiritual life. He loves me enough to deliver me from the 'junk' of this world that will try to put doubts in my mind of His love. He loves me enough to encourage me to live eternal life with Him. Plain and simple. He loves me. I love the words of Matthew Henry about the closing of this Psalm.

The psalm ends with praise, even after this sad complaint. Those who give God thanks for what he has done, may give him thanks for what he will do. God will follow those with his mercies, who follow him with praises.

We, as followers of Christ, have much to praise Him for. I was thinking last night about the two ladies whose husbands died this week. Both of them loved the Lord. There is comfort in knowing they are no longer dealing with the 'junk' of this world but now have received new bodies with no more pain. It is hard to have a loved one leave us but when we are in relationship with Christ we know where they are and that we will see them again. We have hope in Christ that not everyone has. All of His followers need to get better at sharing His love with others so they can experience that hope too. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the eleven hours of rest last night! Thank You for Doc feeling up to taking me out for a date with going out to eat last night! I pray he will have another 'good' day in his physical body today. I also pray for a cleansing in my spirit so I can mirror You today in my words, actions, and attitude. I pray for more of You and less of me to show through. Father, my heart breaks for Corrie and Nancy with the loss of their spouses; Bob for the loss of his brother; and so many others who have lost loved ones over this last year. May You be their comfort and strength. I also pray for the Maglott family with their emotional and physical issues. I pray they will all be healthy for the big day tomorrow in their church. I continue to pray for the Spartanburg hispanic congregation with the loss of their church building. Thank You for providing a temporary place for them to worship. Lord, I pray for continued wisdom with our church building. It is exciting to see the work being completed but it also is a little worrisome with the financial aspect of the project. Lord, may we continue to stand upon II Timothy 1:7 and not allow the enemy an open door in our church. May Your wisdom continue to be given and there not be any doubt that You are in control. Thank You Jesus for being My Wrap-Around Presence! Amen.