Tag: Affliction

As a Deer Pants

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.”

Psalms 119:62   At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.

Matthew 6:33   But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Psalms 42:1  AS a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

Psalms 119:147  I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.  My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.

Psalms 63:1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

Psalms 63:6  when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;  for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

Psalms 84:2    My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Psalms 143:6  I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.   Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.

Isaiah 26:8  In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.  My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Psalms 130:6    my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Momentary affliction

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

Psalms 38:1   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.  My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.  I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.  O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.

Hebrews 12:5  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Proverbs 15:10   There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.

We do not have to walk long on this path with God to experience His hand in our life.  Blessings, one after another.  I wonder if we count His discipline as a blessing.  We should but sometimes we have wondered away and He loves us so much that He disciplines us to get us back on path.  Staying close to God is always a blessing.  What is it that is pulling you away from this closeness?

While He may be found

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Psalms 32:6  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

Proverbs 1:28   Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Isaiah 49:8   Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages,

Isaiah 55:6   “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Luke 19:42-44   saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side  and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

John 7:34  You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

2 Corinthians 6:2  For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Psalms 34:2-5   My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.  Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!  I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Psalms 4:3   But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

2 Corinthians 1:4   who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Titus 2:12  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”. “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you;”. “Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;” The day of salvation is now and yet for some it will never again come or be open to their eyes and hearts.  They have rejected and set their heart against God, rejecting Him, and salvation through Jesus Christ.  It is very hard to watch and see people who are like this but many of us too were at such a place in our lives at some time.  We heard but we rejected, we saw but we discounted, and we chose to follow thoughts of those who cling to what is present in this world.  To those who choose to listen, follow and obey God there is peace, joy, hope, love and promise of eternity with God in heaven.  To those who continually reject His salvation there is promise of eternity in hell separated from God, forever tormented.  Now is the day of salvation.  Now is the time to believe, repent, follow and obey. God wants you to come to Him just as you are.  You are not required to get right before you come to Him.  He is standing at your heart’s door knocking seeking to come in and transform you into a life with Him.  Come as your are He is knocking.  Come now in this day of salvation.  All changes in your life and how you see life this side of eternity will come at His leading and your willingness to let Him be Lord of your life – your everything.

Joy comes in the morning

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

Psalms 30:5  For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

2 Corinthians 4:17   For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Isaiah 57:15-16   For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.  For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.

Isaiah 54:7-8   For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you.  In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Psalms 63:3   Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

Psalms 16:11  You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Matthew 5:4   “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10   As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Psalms 59:16   But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.

But joy comes in the morning.  It is not fun spending time grieving, in distress, weeping, and having heart deep hurt.  Yet in this life it seems as though it does find us when we do not expect it.  Where do we turn in these times for comfort?  Who is able to ease the burden in our heart?  It is God.  We have seen those who do not trust God and their grief and anger over the distress they are in never goes away.  We see others and possibly ourselves that have passed through this time of trouble and recognize it was God who carried us.  The night time of trials, grieving, distress, and heart deep hurt is followed by “joy in the morning”.  I am not sure how or what God is able to do that turns these heart hurts into joy but I know it happens.  We have all seen loved ones who are in times of hurting and our soul would do anything to remove it.  It is God who leads us through the valley of the shadow of death onto green pastures.  It is He alone who lifts us up out of the darkness into light.  No one likes going through these times alone and it surely seems like that at the time.  God is there.  We should be ever ready to be used by God to be an encouragement and help to those hurting.

 

Bring the Book

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
He will render to each one according to his works

Nehemiah 8:1
And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard.

Ezra 7:6
this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him

Deuteronomy 28:61
Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God. And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you

Chronicles 34:19
And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.

After the walls were build and the gates repaired the people asked Ezra to read the Law of Moses.  All men and women who were able to understand were present and WANTED to hear these words.  There are many scriptures that speak of what happened to God’s chosen when they did not obey Him.  This should not be lost on anyone of us.  God established a new covenant through Christ – and as Paul put it “a new and better way”.  We live in a time of grace and mercy but scripture is clear that there is a time of judgement and reward coming.  I wonder if we spend much time on thinking about this.  What will be be held accountable for – when we are asked to love God with our whole heart, mind and soul, or love your neighbor as yourself, or take care of widows and orphans, or train up your self to be a workman not ashamed, or go make disciples, or fear not for I am with  you, or praise God continuously, or pray without stoping, or trusting in, relying on, clinging to God…..  The list can go on and on where by we fall short.  We must start by desiring God and then through His word grow in our understanding of what His purpose is for our life that brings honor and glory to Him.  There is so much more to being a child of His than going to church every Sunday.  It is living every day with thought of His purpose.

Why Wait

Why do we read such verses of healing and not think God is able to heal a broken heart, or relationship, or financial hardship, or friendship, or a life purpose of serving Him?  Do we limit God working in our life because of our lack of faith in what God can do?  Besides these verses there are multiple references to the omnipotent power of God.  One I like and remind myself of is in Ephesians it says that “He is able to do more than we think and much more than we can imagine”.  Why wait – turn it over to Him and trust in him alone!  People implored Him and were made whole.

Matthew 14:34
And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Matthew 4:23
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people

Mark 6:55
And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well