Sunday Evening Church

We had 16 (or 17, if you go by our pastor's count) people baptized tonight! Siblings, married couples, and an entire family. Amazing!
Holding Faith,

From the Psalms

On Friday night, I was reading Psalm 33 and 34. Some things jumped out at me:

34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Do you give God honor and praise all the time?

2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

I know I boast about a lot of things other than the Lord. The early 1800's Bible scholar, Albert Barnes, had this to say: "[The psalmist's] joy would spring from the fact that there was a God; that he was such a God, and that he could regard him as His God." Nothing else we have or do is worthy of boasting.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

Shall we join together and do this?

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around
those who fear him, and delivers them.

I find a great deal of comfort in these verses. God always answers when we seek Him - the answer might not be what we want to hear, but He will answer. And when we do look to Him, he will make our minds calm, and that will be reflected in our countenance.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

The word "taste" here simply means to give God a try. Have you done that? You will find that He is good.

13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.

This is something I desperately need to work on. How often I say things that I shouldn't, and those words can be deceitful.

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Another precious promise. God is always watching over His children, and listening for our groanings. He will deliver us. I know from experience that deliverance while we are here on the earth doesn't necessarily mean that all troubles will simply disappear, but God will always guide us through the problems and give us peace as we seek His face.

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

This is another promise that I have personally experienced. Since the diagnosis of my husband's incurable cancer three years ago, I have known the nearness of the Lord. I know that sometimes it is only His arms that hold me up, that get me through the days. God always understands the miseries we face. Isn't that great to know?

I will post my comments on Psalm 33 later this week.

Holding Faith,

May 2008 be a year filled with blessings from the Lord for you and yours.

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.

~ Numbers 6: 24 - 26, ESV

Holding Faith,