12/14/11 BLESSED ARE THE PEOPLE WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD
12/14/11 BLESSED ARE THE PEOPLE WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD
Psalm 144:1-15 Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Key Verse: 144:15 Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
“Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the LORD.”
Dear Lord, thank you for helping me to realize that dwelling on issues and letting them, “eat me up” inside is not faith. I have decided to take the way of faith and trust God and be repentant and humble and learning. I pray that you may help my family and my friends to worship Jesus and celebrate the birth of Jesus. I pray that this Christmas may be a life changing experience for all involved in our ministry. I pray that we may invite 12 people to worship Jesus. Please grant me one word to hold onto through this passage. I pray in the powerful and mighty name of Jesus. Amen!
1. What is man that you care for him? (1-8).
Verses 1-8 reads, “Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples[a] under me. 3 LORD, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? 4 They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow. 5 Part your heavens, LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. 6 Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy; shoot your arrows and rout them. 7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners 8 whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
David went through so many personal experiences to call God his rock, fortress, deliverer, and refuge. He did not boast of his hands or fingers that defeated Goliath and his enemies. He credited his victories to his loving God alone. We are mere breaths as fleeting as a shadow, but God cared for us so much and gave his one and only Son to deliver us from sin and death. Our loving God gives us victory over Satan who deceives us with lies.
When we love God through the hard times, then God becomes our rock and our fortress. I have been going hard times inwardly through interpersonal problem with colleagues. I have been dwelling on things and letting things eat me up. But @Jenn K@ told me, “Aren’t you sinning by dwelling on these things so much?” She was very right. She was voicing the truth of God to me. It was a call to repentance and to take further refuge in God. I am learning that only Jesus is my Rock and my salvation. It is through much suffering that I have come to this conclusion.
What is man that God cares for him/her anyway? Why should he bother to be refuge to us? We are usually just surviving, and passing through this world very quickly. For me I am about half way through my life. I am too old for some things. My teeth are in need of much repair. Things are breaking down, slowly. Why should the creator of the universe care about me? Why should he care about my struggles? It is because he cares about the lowly. He cares about the lost. He care about the disenfranchised. He cares about me. I don’t know why God loves me so. It is pure grace I guess. I pray that I can bear much fruit for the glory of God in my remaining 4 decades in this world.
2. I will sing a new song to God (9-15).
Verses 9-15, “9 I will sing a new song to you, my God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you, 10 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David. From the deadly sword 11 deliver me; rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful. 12 Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. 13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields; 14 our oxen will draw heavy loads.[b] There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets. 15 Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the LORD.”
David praised God with a new song for blessing his servant. God blesses our sons and daughters. He fills our bank accounts. We have cars, houses, and many resources, by thousands and ten thousands. There is no cry of distress, but only new songs of joy in our mouth. All blessings are possible because God became our God.
God does bless. I have five kids and a wonderful wife and God has provided all things for us. I have a my wealth and a career. Greatest of all God has provided the forgiveness of sins and eternal life and spiritual growth and many Christian friends. God is gracious and wonderful. He is also giving me new beginnings in life and ministry. I don’t know what these new things entail, but there are new things happening and “hatching.” I want to sing and make music to the Lord. I thank God for the spiritual songs we get to sing for barbershop. I thank God for the singing with DCC and @Dave Y@. God is putting a song in my heart and on my lips. It is because of his grace.
Prayer: O Lord, who I am that you care for me, my family, and your flock around me? Let me sing a new song to you.
One Word: Sing a new song to God
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