Hear Me – Page 2 – Praying Pint

Crying and burdened heart

Psalms 77:1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

An aching and burdened heart lost in trials and troubles, seeking God. You can hear their cry throughout this Psalm. Searching for comfort that seems not to come. You can sense the battle between what they know about God’s steadfast love and what they are feeling in the moment. Focusing on God and not the issue is the answer but if you have ever been so low and felt so unworthy everything is out of focus. It is a reminder also for each of us to be there for our brothers and sisters and help regain this presence / focus of God. The old hymn as a verse “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace”

The Great Shepherd

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

“For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Micah 5:4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

1 Peter 2:25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Psalms 23 is such a heart confident warming for our soul. He makes me l lie down – He knows the rest our souls need. He restores me – He knows that we have a tendency to deplete our souls over the cares and worries of the day. He comfort us – He knows we need His rod and staff to both protect and direct us. He prepares – He has a plan and purpose for our life. He anoints – He blesses us. He leads us and is the overseer of our soul – He knows we need guidance to keep on the path that brings honor and glory to God. Other scripture tells us He is the good shepherd and that He knows us – We know Him. We follow Him. He hears us. He holds us in His hand and no one can remove us from them. He wipes away our tears. He helps us. He guides us. He never leaves us. He restores us. In Him is eternal life for all who trust in, cling to, and rely on Him alone. Whatever we are facing, God is our strength and comforter in times of trouble. Run to Him. He is the great Shepherd.

Discern, Know, Understand

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them;”

Hos 14:9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Psalms 107:43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Proverbs 1:5-6 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

John 18:37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

John 8:47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
Job 34:10-12 “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

Hosea has been a very good book to study. I am amazed at how many times knowing and understanding God was mentioned. The moral condition of the people was corrupt and God was ignored. Even with all of these warnings many did not return to God. What does it take to get us to return to God? Do we not take them serious? Do we expect our lives to be any different than those before us who chose to ignore God? Do we expect understanding and knowledge of Him and His purpose in our lives if we neglect His word? We are encouraged to draw onto Him so that our eyes, hears, and mind are opened to His holiness, love, mercy, grace, atonement, righteousness, gentleness, wrath and judgement. Ignorance and neglect have a price on our soul. Do not neglect Him in your life. Choose to commit each day to Him and study His word to become a workman who is not ashamed of the life led this side of eternity.

Blessings and Repentance

Jesus denounced cities for their lack of repentance. In these cities, the blind were made to see, others cured, He walked on water, and 5,000 were fed from the lunch of a small boy. I wonder how much more accountable we are than these. Why do you suppose God gives us blessings in our lives? He loves us. For sure it is easy to be thankful for being given something. Does He expect, through these acts of love, a change in us? Does He expect our desire and purpose to remain on self? Indeed not. We are to grow in a singular purpose – Honor and glorify Him, Repenting from serving self and choosing to serve Him.

Matthew 11:20
Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent

Mark 8:22
And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him

Luke 9:10
On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing

John 1:44
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these

Luke 10:16
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me

Matthew 11:23 Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day