..Psalm 34 tonight, yeah, in between some potential distractions tryin' to pull me away. But I'm not lettin' em right now. Love this passage! "Halleluiah" with no weird inflection from my mouth like.. a thousand times out loud! Been too long since I said that.
Huge HUGE profit in simply reading through the Scriptures, believer. Here's a few highlights.. "His praise shall continually be in my mouth" (v. 1).
We always ..or at least often.. think about those "less than ideal circumstances" that we can find ourselves in—"Man, I hate em, Lord. Send real mercy soon. How did I even get here? When will You please hear my simple prayer and change these uber-horrid circumstances?"
Have you been there before? Ever said something like that?
But you know deep down in your know-er how God is often more concerned with changing us in those circumstances—yep, interested in changing our hearts. He loves a right heart, a right thought life, and right motives. He is interested in how we feel and He can handle all our brutal honesty.
Just thinking about these verses a minute.. "Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Ps. 34:3-5). This is in the context of the prayer being rewarded for seeking Him. And that makes a person feel like worshipping!
Yup, He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and who actually put Him first .......before all other priorities no matter how cool those priorities are. Hey, you knew that!
But..but..but..what if He doesn't listen to me or provide good? ..what if they reject me? ..what if I'm not successful.. what if He doesn't protect? Etc.
No worries, you might not get everything you want, but He always keeps His promises and doesn't disappoint. He is never late.
Question: Ever walk away from your time in prayer alone with God and realize that what changed is that all those lame inner fears regarding the crummy circumstances around you ..have just vanished? (Read More...)
