POINTS TO PONDER FROM PSALMS 73-92

I've finished my second cup of coffee and it has been spitting snow outside.  Even coming down hard for a while, but it's too warm to stick to the streets.  As I finished my twenty chapters of reading this morning, I thought of a few things to share with you.  Here are just a few:

1) Envious... Until! -  David said that he was envious of the wicked in Ps. 73:3, and because of this his feet had almost slipped (vs. 2).  Sometimes we get our eyes off of God and start looking at those around us and it doesn't make sense.  We see them prospering in wealth and living there lives for themselves and pleasure while things can go hard at times for those who follow the Lord.  If we focus on that, then we too will get like David and our feet will slip from underneath us.  But, in verse 17, it says : "Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end."  So.... going to church put things into perspective!!  We need church to push our reset buttons and get us thinking spiritually instead of carnally.  We cannot focus on the wicked and not get envious, but we can focus on Christ and be a conquerer!!

I like the lesson of this chapter.

2) How Long?  - This is the question David had for God.  How long will we be a reproach? How long will our enemies cause us trouble?  How long...  Seven different times, David asked this question.  Have you ever asked God this question?  Well, of course we have!!  We know God will act, but we want it right now!  So often, we too are tempted to ask God, how long?  I guess that is why we love the Psalms, because David felt so many emotions that we wrestle with ourselves.  Here is just one example we face many times.  Asking God:  How long?

3) Shine Forth-  Four times in chapter 80, we see the word "shine".  In 80:1 it says "shine forth"; in vs. 3 "cause they face to shine"; in vs. 7- "cause they face to shine"; and vs. 19- "cause they face to shine".  What is David talking about??  The answer is simple and beautiful.  When David is asking God to shine forth, or to have God's face to shine, David is saying:  "God, smile at me!"  When God smiles at us, it means we have his favor... his blessings.  It means He is happy with us.  He is not frowning, but He is smiling at us!!  We too need God to smile at us.  His favor is all we need.  Dear Lord, smile upon us today is our prayer too!!  

Hope you have a great day, I'm going to get one more cup of coffee and then get on with the day.  May God bless!!   Pastor Mike Mutchler

---

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.