Tag: defend

188. I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears.

2 Kings 20:1  In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.” And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.”

And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.

Joshua 10:12-14     At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”  And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.  There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel

God creator, author of all there is, all powerful, and all mighty spoke all there is into being.  All of nature and science obeys the voice of God from creation to forever.  Why do we find it hard to understand that the author and creator can control and manipulate what He has created?  Stopping the sun and moon for a full day, retreating the sun for however far it takes to go back ten steps is nothing compared to what God can do.  He is unlimited.  Scripture says He can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.  And we still have doubts.  We still have anxious thoughts. We worry and fret. We become afraid.  When we come to the place where we have surrendered our trial/trouble in the hands of Jesus, and we say not my will but yours be done, it is then we find the blessed assurance, peace that passes all understanding, faith that moves mountains, hope that conquers fears, and trust that gives us strength and courage in the midst of our trials/troubles.  Stay close to Him, seek Him, desire Him, and above all lay your burdens at His feet and rest in His unfailing love.

To your name give glory

“the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,  “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Psalms 115:1  Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Psalms 74:22    Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!

Isaiah 48:11    For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

Ezekiel 20:14     But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Ezekiel 36:32    It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

Daniel 9:19   O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Today I am reminded of how self-centered I am at times.  I ask God for help and seek His intervention but it is for my own sake I seek.  Notice how, in scripture, writers record calling out God’s help, not so much for the seeker but for others to see and give honor and glory and power to God.  God’s word gives us wisdom, instruction, and knowledge in how to live in such a way that in all we do, all we think, and all we say brings honor and glory to God.  Stay in His word, learn of His holiness, power, might, grace, mercy, truth, justice and love.  Live each minute of each day bringing glory and honor to Him alone.

Defend Your Cause

“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!  Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes!”

Psalms 74:18  Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name.

Psalms 74:22  Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!

Psalms 89:50  Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,  with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

Psalms 41:1    Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;

Psalms 94:2     Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!  O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?  They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.  They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.  They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;  and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”  Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?

Isaiah 37:23  “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel!  By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest.

It takes courage to acknowledge our own weaknesses.  We may not mock God but do we lead a life that He may be witnessed through our actions and words? Isn’t this, in  simplest terms, a form of mocking?  We claim His salvation but do not claim His power, sovereignty over all, might, and presence.  Do you want to see the power, might, love, grace and mercy of God?  Learn to be in His presence all the time.  Train yourself to be always occupied by thoughts of Him.  Ask God to open your heart, eyes and ears to His presence, love, grace, mercy, power and sovereignty.  He will surely be seen by the heart of those who desire to know and humbly serve Him.

Proclaim good news

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Psalms 72:1   Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!   May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!   Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!  May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!   May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!   May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!   In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!   May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!  May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

Luke 4:18   “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Isaiah 41:17   When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Ezekiel 34:16    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Job 5:15  But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the mighty.  So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.

Judge right & true

“May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!”

““Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’”

Psalms 58:1  Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

Deuteronomy 16:18  “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.  You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.

2 Samuel 23:3   The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,

Exodus 18:21   Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

2 Chronicles 19:6  and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment.  Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”  Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

19:9  And he charged them: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart:

Isaiah 11:3  And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.  Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Psalms 82:1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:  “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?

Matthew 27:1   When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

Luke 23:50  Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,  who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.

Zechariah 9:9   Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

When I read Psalms 58:1 I was immediately thinking about people in the various positions of office who govern others.  How many times do we look for justice and it appears at times there is none to be found.  Of course we look at this from our perspective and what we determine to be right and true.  Sometimes the cultural mass will abide by decision of those in governance.  This does not make it right and true.  I remember hearing “right is right even if only one is doing it and wrong is wrong even if all are doing it.”  You can see this in the decision by the chief priests when they condemned Jesus to death and Joseph from Arimathea who did not consent to their decision.  Where do we find truth?  How do we know what is right? We can find this in God and His word.  If we neglect spending time in His word.  If we do not desire to know Him more and more each day. If we don’t desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.  If we don’t seek Him.  God wants our whole heart, mind, and soul committed to Him.  This is a choice we make every single day.  A choice to humbly serve Him, to seek Him, to hear His quiet small voice leading us, to obey Him, to find our strength in Him, to praise Him.  To often the cares of this world and the busyness of the day take over and we soon find ourselves day after day drifting further and further away from Him and His plan in our life.  Choose to make this the day to start humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying and praising Him.  For He alone is worthy.

Prayer to Praise

“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.”

“For he has delivered me from every trouble”

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Psalms 54:1   O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.  O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

Psalms 26:1  Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Psalms 43:1  Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!  For you are the God in whom I take refuge;

Psalms 55:1-2   Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!  Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

Psalms 28:7    The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalms 140:7    O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.

Exodus 15:2    The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Isaiah 40:31   but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Zechariah 10:12    I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD.

Ephesians 6:10   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

We all come up against trials and troubles throughout this life.  We can take note of David and how he brought these trials before God, almost like a complaint, but he always ends in praise proclaiming God’s love, mercy, might, strength and his faith in it.  Acknowledging our trials and troubles to God, our heavenly Father, should be natural.  Likewise we should have continual praise for Him and proclaiming our faith in His power, might, sovereignty, strength, love, mercy, and grace.  Try this for a week.  Read His word for 5 minutes each day and highlight His promises.  These promises are your building blocks for praise because not only do we see what He has done but what He is doing and will do.  Take your problems to Him and lay them in His hands.  Trust in His promises to never leave you or forsake you, to have steadfast love for you, to be your strength, your rock, your power, your refuge, your joy, your peace, and your hope.  In Him you will find rest and reason for hope.

Complacency has come to My ears

“Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.”

Psalms 35:1  Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!

Psalms 43:1   Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!

Psalms 119:154   Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!

Proverbs 22:23  for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.

Proverbs 23:11   for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.

Jeremiah 51:36   Therefore thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will plead your cause and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her fountain dry,

Lamentations 3:58   “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.

Acts 5:39  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,

Psalms 32:9   Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

Scripture is full of examples of where God interceded  on behalf of His people.  He took vengeance on those who disregarded Him.  He gave refuge to those in need of protection.  He conquered  those who seemed mighty.  He confounded those who had plans and means.  It is terrible to fall into the hands of God in His wrath, fury, and anger.  Yet, people do it all the time and continue to do so.  I am not sure what our purpose is in all of this but I do know we have opportunity to speak God and Christ into those who are separated and lost from God.  Our lives can be a reflection of His grace, mercy and love.  Fill yourself with His word and be a vessel over filled with kindness, gentleness, peace, and joy.