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.

Open Ear Warnings

then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings,”

Psalms 40:6  In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.

Psalms 51:16   For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

1 Samuel 15:22    And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

Isaiah 1:11   “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

Jeremiah 7:21  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.  For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.  But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’

Hosea 6:6    For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 9:13   Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 12:7   And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

Hebrews 10:5  Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;  in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.  Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”  When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law),  then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second.  And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

John 7:15  The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”  So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.  If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

Isaiah 50:4  The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.  The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.

Proverbs 15:23    To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

God opens the ear of man and terrifies them with warnings!  He does this so that we freely choose to listen, follow, and obey Him.  How many times are we trying to make ourself right before God but in the end it is only right in our own eyes.  God wants willful obedience from us, not our attempts to cover up or atone for the things we are doing in disregard of Him.  Why is it so hard to deny self and live for Him?  We choose to open His word and read it.  We choose to stay close to Him.  We choose to listen to His leading.  We choose to follow His path and purpose for our life.  We choose to serve Him.  We choose to obey Him.  We choose to honor and glorify Him.  What choice are you making today?

Attentive

“And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law”

Joshua 8:34
And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them

Deuteronomy 28:58
“If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting

Deuteronomy 31:12
Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess

Nehemiah 8:3
And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law

Being attentive is a choice.  Sometimes we make this choice more because we are going through a trial or hardship in our life or the life of family or friend.  Just take a moment and look back at when you were very attentive to God and wanting/needing to hear His voice, know His presence, feel His peace and forgiveness.  Did He ever let you down – no He did not – His promise that He would never leave us or forsake us stands true and firm.  This leads me to the question I often ask myself – Am I being attentive? Am I seeking God with my whole heart, mind, and soul?  Am I being a good servant of what He has blessed me with?  Am I seeking to be used by Him?  Am I allowing His Holy Spirit to fill and lead me?  If I am to be truthful there are days I would say absolutely and other days not at all.  I do know that those days when I am seeking more of myself than God, God uses other bother and sisters to encourage me through some word or action.  Be an encourager to those around you – stay close to God – serve Him – honor and glorify Him – always be ready to be used by Him – Listen for His leading – and OBEY.

 

Spend Time in His Word

that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God

Nehemiah 9:1
Now on the twenty- fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God.

Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you

Deuteronomy 31:12
Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God

In Chapter 8 the people asked Ezra to read from the book of the Law.  At the reading of the book of the Law the people were convicted and confessed not only their sins but the sins of their fathers.  Being a christian does not mean we are without sin.  Reading God’s word will accomplish this and so much more:

  • Growth in our understanding of God
  • Learning more of His promises
  • Growing in faith, love, joy, hope, purity…..
  • Guiding us in resisting temptation
  • Convicting our heart when we sin
  • Our understanding of His strength and power
  • Our heart, mind, and soul being opened to understand His purpose for our daily living

He is our Rock, Strength, Peace, and Hope.  I wonder if we stay away from daily reading His word because we are content with what we know and have no want/desire to know more or grow more in the purpose He has for us.   If you want to have strength, peace, hope, steadfastness, and purpose in your life – spend time in His word.