Psalm 33

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; 2 Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.  3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.  4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. 5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. 6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. 13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on the earth-15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength, it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.  20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

Where is your hope? What have you been doing to keep your mind grounded in truth and your heart full of joy?

As I read this Psalm, I was reminded that I am to sing joyfully to the Lord, not because things are perfect and going the way I want, but because He is worthy to be praised. If you are a child of God, then you should be able to lift a song into the air and praise him. He does not say it has to be perfect or even in tune but offering praises to the Lord in song pleases him.  Shouting joyfully pleases God. The upright should shout to the Lord. Have you ever reared back and just shouted an undignified exuberant (in the eyes of man) shout of praise to God? If not, I highly recommend it! Just the act alone will bring a smile to your face!

During these unprecedented times, what have you been doing to keep your mind focused on truth? I can guarantee the news is not filled with truth it is full of half-truths at best.  The only source of complete truth is God’s word. Are you reading it daily, getting your daily dose of God’s medicine for the soul? It will remind you that He is faithful, He is able, He hears your cries for help, He knows you and He can do more than you can ask.  (Ephesians 3:20)

I am reminded that God created everything we see. He knit you together in your mother’s womb, He ordained your days. He formed the heavens and the earth, and by His power, it is all held together, and by His power, you are held together. God decides what touches us God decides the duration. God decides if a nation rises or falls, it is all in God’s hands.  Men tend to put their faith in armies, in man-made things to get us by. We need to put our trust in the One who is all-seeing, and all-p0werful. God’s word will stand, when all else is falling, God’s word is faithful, and it is true. His purposes no one can stop! I do not care what nations rise against another unless God wants that nation to win, it will not!  His plans stand forever!

We as a nation need to return to God. God will bless the nations whose God is the Lord. Do we want the blessings of God in our nation and more importantly in our own lives? Now is not the time to turn away, to put our hope in anything a man can do. God sees us, He knows what we need before we even ask. (Matthew 6:8) God is the ruler of all the nations, God filters everything through is loving hands. He does not promise us as Christians that we will not experience pain, hardship, illness, loss, death, and much more, but He does tell us that He will never leave us or forsake us! (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Whatever we are experiencing or walking through right now, God is with us. His word can strengthen us, encourage us, and remind us of His faithfulness. It reminds us that God is Sovereign in all things and over all things. Satan cannot do anything to you unless God says so, and if He does say so, then He filters what can be done and for how long. Satan is not Omniscient or Omnipresent, Satan’s powers are limited by God. You need to remind yourself of that! When it seems the enemy of your soul is winning, I can assure you, he is not! His time is short!

God sees us and He considers everything we say and do. He is looking for people who will stand firm! He wants a people whose hope is in him, whose joy does not come from being comfortable, or from having everything just the way we like it. He wants a sold-out church, one that clings to His word, His promises, whose hope is in Him and Him alone. A church that spreads joy and gladness and does not get caught up in the cares of this world! A church that remembers that God is faithful, we are never left to fight the battles of life alone, and no matter the path we are on; if it is loneliness, isolation, loss of income, loss of a friend, death of a loved one, our job, our kids, whatever it may be, He is right there waiting for you to sing a song of praise, shout joyfully to Him, remember that He was, He is and He will ever be. To lean in close, read and pray and seek Him with your whole heart; and when you do the things of this world will no longer hold you captive, they will no longer keep you afraid and bound by wild imaginings. When you focus on the Lord and allow Him to fill all those places inside of you, peace reigns in your heart, mind, and soul.

We do not know what tomorrow holds, but God does, He is already there, preparing our way, guiding us and hearing our cries for help.

The news and world leaders give different accounts almost daily because they do not know what is coming. Theirs is a limited view and often a skewed view, a worldly view. What they say is meant to bring the worst-case scenario to keep you spellbound and afraid.

I refuse to listen to the news. I do not want to hear the partial truths, the scare tactics. I am told to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, to look to him for help. He tells me that my help comes from the Lord the one who made the heavens and the earth. (Psalm 121:1-8)

We are to be waiting for deliverance from the One who can give it. The One who can make a nation rise or fall, the One who can give healing to the sick and sight to the blind. The One who holds all things and knows all things. If we keep our hearts, our minds, our ears attuned to Jesus the cares of this world will lose their hold on us. Our hearts can rest in knowing that “God’s got this!” He is allowing it for His purpose, and it will not last one day longer than He says so!

If you trust in Jesus, then you should have a joy that cannot be quenched by this oh world. If you call yourself a child of God, then you need to be in His word, you need to seek Him and Him alone instead of what man says or can do. Ask for wisdom, ask him for help, and know that is will see you through. Even if you lose your life on this earth, you will wake up in glory, staring at the face of Jesus, the One in whom we believe.  Often when we pray for a loved one to pull through and they do not, especially if they are a child of God, we see it as God not answering our prayers, when in reality He has just given them a perfect healing, perfect sight, perfect understanding and an eternity in heaven.

We as believers should be able to bring a calming presence to a world in need. We need to be the salt and light, the city on a hill that God has called us to be. We should not sound like the world and be a part of the problem! (Matthew 5:13) How about this, let’s all start listening more to the Holy Spirit, keeping our faces in His word, our hearts and mind fixed on Jesus and just see what a difference we can make to someone in need, someone who does not have His peace. Be the difference to a lost and dying world, hold high the banner of Christ, walk confidently in the Lord knowing He is with you, He sees you, He hears you and He loves you!

We need to have a Holy fear and reverence for our God. Marching forth into battle remembering He is Holy, He is mighty, He is Sovereign, He is God! We can do nothing without Him. You, His children are the army of the Lord, let your war cries of praise be heard throughout the land and your joy be evident in even the ordinary and mundane. Walk worthy of the calling my brother’s and sister’s, walk worthy! (Ephesians 4:1)

Read, pray…pray, read, and repeat! When you do peace will flood your soul and mind and your anxious heart will rest secure. God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind! (2 Timothy 1:7)