Continually With You

Ps 73:25 And besides You I desire nothing on earth.

This Psalm has the most beautiful expression of David’s knowledge that when his eyes and heart are on You, Your presence fulfills him.

In this Psalm His eyes are on the wicked and how they prosper and have the “good life”.

73:12 ..And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.

:21 My heart was embittered and I was pierced within.

His heart was “soured”, swollen with what his eyes were seeing. He was pierced, meaning like a sword that was “sharp” that had given him much pain.

But then his heart and mind are turned toward You our Mighty God.

These verses stood out:

:23 Nevertheles I am continually with you

:25 And besides You I desire nothing on this earth.

:28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good

You are speaking to me about the presence of God fulfilling every hunger, every need that Your children have. Experiencing Your presence in our daily lives will bring great joy and contentment no matter how routine or troublesome the day is.  When we have our mind and heart set on You, Your love is actively working in us Your will and Your thoughts as we go through the day. 

Proverb 16:3 (amp) says that when we commit our works to You .. He will  cause your thoughts to be agreeable to His will. 

You are able to make us to live above the human emotions that hide Your face from us.

Thank You for Your presence and teaching me to walk in the awareness of Your life within.

No Other

Isaiah 45 is such a wonderful declaration of who You are, My Mighty Eternal God! No human can fully express Your greatness. Only Your own words can give to our human soul a glimpse of Your awesomeness and majesty.
Is. 45 was written 150-200 years before Cyrus was used by You, O wondrous Lord, to set Your people free from the exile they were in. You even "gave the exact name of an unborn deliverer" . (note from Hebrew Key Bible) Who can match Your knowledge and wisdom?
:5 I am the Lord, and there is no other.
:6I am the Lord, and there is no other.
:8 I am the Lord, and there is no other
:22 For I am God, and there is no other
again, :5 besides Me there is no God
           :6 There is no one besides me
          :12 It is I who made the earth and created man upon it.
          :18 For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens
          :21 There is no other God beside Me
                A righteous God and a Savior.
You are a God who has chosen to be our loving Father, our merciful Savior, and the Holy Spirit within to comfort and guide us 
Truly, You are the one true living God!

A Long Distance

In reading again Matt 14:22-33,

: 22, 23... (Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray and the disciples went out to sea…..)

: 24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.

The thought came to me about feeling like being a long distance from the help needed, or feeling battered and tossed about. 

Sometimes the awareness of Your presence is dulled by life’s changing circumstances.

Father, You are always close for we are united (Romans 7:4), You are in me and I am in You. I abide in You and You abide in me (John 15:4).

When emotions dominate, the distance can indeed appear far from our center, Christ Risen. But Truth, Your Word, stands into eternity. It never changes and will hold us steadfast with eyes fixed upon the Risen One, just as Peter fixed his eyes upon Jesus and did the impossible.

Like a stake in the ground, Your truth will pierce to our inner man to renew and restore our wandering mind to who You are, a Mighty God, the God of the impossible!

A Great King

Ps 95:8-11

Do not harden your hearts, ….:10 for 40 years I loathed that generation,

And said they are a people who err in their heart

And they do not know My ways.

:!! Therefore I swore in My anger,

Truly they shall not enter into My rest.

How revolutionary is the New Covenant!

This makes me so grateful for Jesus. What a tremendous gift to not be under the judgment of God! To know that You are not angry with me. Certainly my heart wanders and lives life for self. Certainly many times I have not listened to His promptings for fear or other selfish reasons.

But You, My God, are Holy. You keep Your promises perfectly. And Your love endures toward me forever without judgment. You love me as I am. What a wonder that is!

:6 Come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For He is our God

And we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.

Ps 95:3 For the LORD is a great God

            And a great King above all gods,

        :4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth,

The peaks of the mountains are His also.

Yes, LORD, You are truly a great King, who is able to rule as King in the lives of Your beloved.

               A great King over my own will,

               A great King over my time,

               A great King over my own desires,

               A great King over my emotions,

               A great King over my selfish self,

               A great King over all my thoughts

A great King over all my being!

Yes, LORD, with You all things are possible!

In You, and You alone is my hope!

           

My Source

Another aspect of fear is --fleeing because of feeling inadequate; without sufficient resources (Abbot-Smith lexicon) Helps Study Bible ..(Discovery Bible)

Wow. How many times have I “fled”, turned around, did not obey because I did not trust that my “Source” was enough? I am glad that I cannot know the number and to You, my Mighty God, You do not even look or consider them.

 Hebrews 8:12 I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.

 Ps 68:17 The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands;

The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

 68:35  O God You are awesome from Your sanctuary.

              The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people,

            Blessed be God

As believers in Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, You Father, have forgiven us and we are never alone.  Your presence is always with us. You will never forsake us. . (Matt 28:20;Hebrews 13:5) You hold all power in Your hands. And You generously bestow that power to Your people when it accomplishes Your will; when they call upon Your grace and help

Matt 14:27 …when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.

:28 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

:30 (Peter walking on the water)

But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

:31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

He was with them immediately when they cried out for help. And He will do the same for His beloved children today.

Hebrews 13:5

 ..for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESSERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU.”

:6 so that we confidently say,

            “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID,

            WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

Teach me, Father, to walk in the confidence of Your faithful love and mercy.

Fear

The definition of fear according to Strong's and NAS concordances is  panic flight, terror, alarm.

Helps Word Studies

5401 phóbos (from phebomai, "to flee, withdraw") – fear (from Homer about 900 bc on) 5401 (phóbos) meant withdrawal, fleeing because feeling inadequate (without sufficient resources, Abbott-Smith).

 So fear means according to the concordances, that we are withdrawing ourselves from the LORD. I have not thought of it like that before.  To flee, to separate myself from the One who has created me and enveloped me in His love.  Who has His angels constantly watching over me, guarding me and keeping me safe.

How is it Father, that I would submit to this spirit of fear? It has been defeated, trod down by the triumphant resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How is it that I would allow myself to panic, to be intimidated, to avoid and flee from something because of fear and dread? To flee from the shelter of the Provider of all things!

You desire the heart of every believer to yield to Your will and guidance.
Simply to trust You.
And though I have missed much because of fear, You are the Redeemer, the Restorer of lost opportunities.  

Your Grace is enough that when You remind us to call upon its infinite supply, it is there to empower the weakest of souls; to conquer this self that submits us to the enslavement of fear and causes us to turn away from an opportunity to bless You and others.

Your marvelous love, proven and validated by the death and resurrection of Jesus, is the antidote for this fear that wants to cripple believers. Your love is deep, alive, always moving in our lives, forever stabilizing our lives and filling us with faith, hope, and love itself.

So grateful is my heart to You, the Living God, who hears the cries of His people.

Thank you Father for once again teaching me and reminding me about Your perfect love!