Psalms 62:5-7
5For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Sometimes the storms rise up against us and the waves seem to hit us from all directions
Sometimes we are tested and tried, tested and tried by every wind that seems to blow our way
These are the times we are called upon to find hope and peace in God who is our Rock
They are the times that we are challenged to discover that God remains our only fortress
They are the times we are called upon to refuse to be shaken, to refuse to give up
They the times we are called upon to stand strong though the reason to stand seems to fade away
At such times we must focus on the power and the love of God the Almighty
With God as our fortress, our source of protection, we have reason to continue believing
We have every reason to expect and enjoy the quiet rest and the peace from our Lord, our solid Rock
Even when sorrow seems to penetrate our inner being and our hearts seems to sink into despondency
We can still believe that we will yet rise up to the top of the mountain, rise up to joy and victory
We must still believe that we will rise up because the Rock that is higher than us is with us
This Rock is our God, our fortress, our refuge, our salvation!
This Rock is the reason we are able to touch lives and speak the message of love and hope to the broken hearted
Let us keep doing it for in so doing we help them find refuge and healing in the same God
@Solomon Kendagor
Romans 12:14-19
14 “Bless those who
persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” Really? Is this not rewarding
the wrong doer? The person wronged needs to be proactive, and do something for
the persecutor. How can it be? Where is justice? The one in the wrong receives
the blessing. What about the person persecuted? But this is the word of God. We
are to bless the people who try to make life impossible for us, who try to
undermine anything we do, who delights in seeing us hurt. Now we have to turn
around and bless them. Is there no justice? Yes there is justice but it is not
our business.
17” Repay no one evil for
evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” So,
now the question is not about justice but about honor. When we are wronged we
ask how can we react in such a way that all will feel honored. In essence when
wrong is done, we do what is right. But should the wrong doer go scotch free or
go blessed?
19”Beloved, never avenge
yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written,
"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20To the
contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his
head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good.”
Yes, there will be justice but God is saying it is not our job to bring it
about. Avenging ourselves can land us in real trouble and cause much pain. God
wants to free us from unnecessary pain That is his job and he knows exactly how
to do it. However, we cannot bless hoping that their heads will be burning with
coal. That is not a blessing. Blessing means praying for the same people who
hurt us and doing them good. It means seeking to communicate to your enemy that
because of Christ in you there is a capacity in your heart to forgive, to love
beyond human reasoning, to accept the hurt by setting the persecutor free. Such
a response will result in healing that will bring great freedom to us.
Nevertheless it is a response that requires reliance on God’s grace to bring
about. We do that freely and graciously and leave the rest in God’s sovereign
wisdom.
_
Psalm 147
He Heals the Brokenhearted
1 Praise the LORD!For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
It is good to praise the Lord, to sing praises to our God
From the mountain tops of joy it is good and fitting to praise the Lord
From the valley of the brokenhearted and the wounded the Lord must be praised
For it is from the Lord that the mountain top experience comes
It is from the Lord that the brokenhearted and the wounded find healing and comfort
It is from the Lord that all come and find help in times of need
Therefore all who know the Lord come to him with hearts full of praise and thanksgiving
They come to him with their hand opened to receive his blessings
With their wounded souls to receive healing and restoration of joy
It is good and fitting to praise the Lord!
Lord help us be your instruments of peace and healing, instruments you can use
Help us bring about healing to broken hearted and bind the wounds of the wounded
Make us your agents of change as we extend our hands to all who have needs
May all you bring to our lives discover that healing truly comes from you!
@Solomon Kendagor
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.
Out of great pain and sense of hopelessness the prophet of God spoke these words of hope,
words of determination that nothing will deter him from trusting the Lord, from waiting on Him
The servant of God declared victory in the midst of calamity, trials and a sense of helplessness
Sometimes, as believers it may appear that we are losing ground on every step and in every way we turn
It may seem as though everything is falling apart before our eyes
The servant of God has just reminded us that our response must always reflect our trust in God
It must reflect our faith in God's faithfulness, in God's grace and in God's commitment
We are never alone in our battles, no matter how tough they may be
We must exercise faith, trusting God to intervene our behalf so that we declare victory in the midst of trials
victory "for in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
Hebrews 11:6 (English Standard Version)
6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God
must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Faith is our spiritual eyes. Without it we cannot see the goodness and the blessings of the Lord
Faith is our spiritual ears! Without it we cannot hear of the blessings of God
Faith is our spiritual senses! Without it we cannot know God’s love and presence with us
Faith gives us the reason to keep going, to keep trusting and to keep hope alive
For through faith we know that God is on our side, always present, and always faithful
Therefore, we can face every challenge on our way, every trial and every temptation
Through faith we can move forward with hope and confidence trusting in his promises
By faith we are reminded that God is our ever present help in times of trouble
It is because of faith that we can continue to serve others faithfully and lovingly
We do so because we know we serve a God who is also so loving and so caring
We do so by faith knowing that we serve a faithful God who never fails
@Solomon Kendagor
He Heals the Brokenhearted
1 Praise the LORD!For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
It is good to praise the Lord, to sing praises to our God
From the mountain tops of joy it is good and fitting to praise the Lord
From the valley of the brokenhearted and the wounded the Lord must be praised
For it is from the Lord that the mountain top experience comes
It is from the Lord that the brokenhearted and the wounded find healing and comfort
It is from the Lord that all come and find help in times of need
Therefore all who know the Lord come to him with hearts full of praise and thanksgiving
They come to him with their hand opened to receive his blessings
With their wounded souls to receive healing and restoration of joy
It is good and fitting to praise the Lord!
Lord help us be your instruments of peace and healing, instruments you can use
Help us bring about healing to broken hearted and bind the wounds of the wounded
Make us your agents of change as we extend our hands to all who have needs
May all you bring to our lives discover that healing truly comes from you!
@Solomon Kendagor
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.
Out of great pain and sense of hopelessness the prophet of God spoke these words of hope,
words of determination that nothing will deter him from trusting the Lord, from waiting on Him
The servant of God declared victory in the midst of calamity, trials and a sense of helplessness
Sometimes, as believers it may appear that we are losing ground on every step and in every way we turn
It may seem as though everything is falling apart before our eyes
The servant of God has just reminded us that our response must always reflect our trust in God
It must reflect our faith in God's faithfulness, in God's grace and in God's commitment
We are never alone in our battles, no matter how tough they may be
We must exercise faith, trusting God to intervene our behalf so that we declare victory in the midst of trials
victory "for in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
Hebrews 11:6 (English Standard Version)
6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God
must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Faith is our spiritual eyes. Without it we cannot see the goodness and the blessings of the Lord
Faith is our spiritual ears! Without it we cannot hear of the blessings of God
Faith is our spiritual senses! Without it we cannot know God’s love and presence with us
Faith gives us the reason to keep going, to keep trusting and to keep hope alive
For through faith we know that God is on our side, always present, and always faithful
Therefore, we can face every challenge on our way, every trial and every temptation
Through faith we can move forward with hope and confidence trusting in his promises
By faith we are reminded that God is our ever present help in times of trouble
It is because of faith that we can continue to serve others faithfully and lovingly
We do so because we know we serve a God who is also so loving and so caring
We do so by faith knowing that we serve a faithful God who never fails
@Solomon Kendagor
