The Measure of God’s Mercy & Truth

“For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.” Psalm 57:10; 108:4

I had a bout with doubt again last night. Why is it so easy to get tangled up in Doubt’s web of lies and uncertainty? Could it be a case of overconfidence in our own faith, that we don’t see Doubt coming? While only in the dregs of Doubt do we realize that we are indeed in the depths of Doubt?

My husband pointed it out to me last night, “Honey, you’re doubting God. What happened to your faith? You are so rock solid on everything else, but this one issue you waver. Have faith, My Love.”

This “one issue” he was talking about is hoping we are pregnant. Every month I ride Doubt’s roller coaster, and always come away worse for it…I never should ride, but I always do.

Why is this such a struggle for me? I know what God can do, experiential knowledge, not just head knowledge. He has been faithful, even when I have not been. Why do I so easily doubt?

I’ve been praying about this, confessing my doubt to God, desiring His work in my heart. He has led me to these verses, which I have discovered are recorded twice in the Psalms:

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed;
I will sing and give praise.

Awake up, my glory;
awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake early.

I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people:
I will sing unto thee among the nations.

For thy mercy is great unto the heavens,
and thy truth unto the clouds.

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heaven:
let thy glory be above all the earth.”

Psalm 57:7-11
(also found in Psalm 108:1-5)

It’s hard to fathom the measure of God’s mercy and truth…“unto the heavens”…”unto the clouds”. I can tell you, though, the comfort God’s unmeasurable mercy and truth brings to the doubting heart is peace and joy. I think our moments of crisis, whatever they may be, when we cry out to God in unbelief, are precious to Him. He loves us and is ever so tenderhearted towards us. We can come boldly before Him with every heartache, disappointment, sorrow, doubt, and fear. Nothing is too big or small for Him. There is a closeness that comes from bearing our hearts before our loving God. He in turn draws us near, holds us, comforts us with His mercy and truth.

Dear Heavy Hearted Friend, I leave these words with you a sweet friend once said to me, “Snuggle up to Jesus. He is altogether lovely.”

Sorrow Upon Sorrow

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4

Count it all joy…? Did I read that correctly? It seems daily we are faced with some new kind of trial. Perhaps, it is the news that someone you love has just found out they have cancer. My husband was just given the news yesterday that one of his close friends and co-workers was told she has lung cancer; and that one of the pastors from our church has skin cancer and won’t make it to Christmas. The heaviness of this news brought him to tears.

My dear cousin, only two months older than me, lost her husband a few months ago. Upon her husband’s passing, she received news from the doctor’s that she has cancer throughout her entire body. The doctors haven’t agreed upon how long she has to live. So much to bear, grieving the loss of your husband, and grasping the gravity of your own health situation. Yet, she holds on to hope. She shines as a light. Her faith strong, rooted in her love for the Lord.

I marvel at Job’s response to his friends, “Thou he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15

Was it easy or difficult for Job to say? I have been through trials of my own. My immediate response was, “Help, Lord! Quickly! Can we get this over with?!” In His time, I learned how kind and tender the Lord is. He is well acquainted with suffering.

I anchor to Job 23:10, “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

“Though He slay me I will trust Him,”
Said the sainted Job of old;
“Though He try me in the furnace,
I shall come forth as gold.”

“Though the ‘worms of deep affliction’
Cause the body to decay,
In my flesh I shall behold Him -
My Redeemer some glad day.”

“Though He slay me” - can I say it
When I feel the searing fire,
When my fondest dreams lie shattered,
Gone my hope and fond desire?

“Though He slay me, I will trust Him,”
For He knows just how to mold,
How to melt and shape my spirit -
I shall then come forth as gold!

Author Unknown

God’s Promise

“And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” Genesis 9:15,16

The Voice of Truth

Psalm 40:11

“Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.”

The Voice of Truth, by Casting Crowns…who cannot relate to that song?

For the last two days, I have been trying to cast off the feeling of failure that enveloped me when I forgot to add two very important ingredients to the peanut butter cookies Aaron and I were making.

Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?

How silly that I can be convinced so easily that I am a huge failure as a wife because I forgot the baking powder and baking soda. It wasn’t until I had taken the last batch out of the oven and was perplexed by why they turned out so flat…and chewy…yet, crispy at the same time. As I savored a bite from a fresh cookie, it hit me! I had left out two of the most important ingredients: baking powder and baking soda . . . vital to making the cookies rise and soften.

Instantly, I heard the slithery tongued voice, “You’ve failed…agiain…” Oh, I recognized that voice. I knew it was the enemy. Still, I listened and chose to believe, “Yes, I have failed…again…” My heart sank. My husband had been asking me to make some peanut butter cookies. This was supposed to be a welcome treat for him. A way for me to express my love. I had tragically fallen short by forgetting baking soda and baking powder. How much love had been left out of these cookies because I forgot two important ingredients?

Sound familiar?

So often, the Enemy comes at us in such simple, subtle ways. And, we so easily fall into his trap. For you see, it starts in these subtle innocent ways…leading to a downhill spiral. He wants us to be discouraged, dismayed, depressed, distressed…and many other “d” words…I’m sure you can add a few of your own.

After indulging in a few moments of despair…”What shall I do? What will he say? Oh, I’ve done it now!”, tears threatened yet the Voice of Truth broke through. Yes, His still, small voice, “Enjoy and eat the cookies. Tell Aaron the mistake. Laugh about it together. I delight in you!“

I told Aaron. He laughed. We laughed. He hugged me. He kissed me. He ate the cookies. Interestingly, the flavor was not in anyway altered by leaving out the baking powder and baking soda. He still loves my peanut butter cookies.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” I Peter 5:8,9

So, next time the Enemy comes at you with accusations of failure, remember what is Truth. Don’t give him a foothold because of forgetting baking powder and baking soda. You are not alone. We are in this together…enjoy and eat the cookies!

 

Joyful Reflection

“Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.”

Isaiah 43:4

You are precious. It’s true! In God’s sight, we are precious. He loves us and has indeed given a man’s life for ours. The Bible holds the Truth…God’s word to Man. John 3:16 is familiar to many, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Perish = separation from God.

God’s loves us. He wants to know us.

You are precious to Him.

As Shane & Shane said in the above video,

“He doesn’t need you, but He wants you.”

 

 

Amazing Grace

A*maz*ing - adjective: causing great wonder or surprise.

Grace - noun: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification.

(Definitions from www.merriam-webster.com)

“I’m a great sinner and Christ’s a great Savior,” Albert Finney’s character in the recently released motion picture Amazing Grace.

Chris Tomlin’s My Chains Are Gone is beautifully stirring, rousing these truths:

Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Psalm 108:4, “For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.”

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”

Colossians 2:14, “Blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”

Revelation 21: 1-7, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven; prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

I’ll be mulling these truths over for some time now, especially the passage from Revelations. How my cup overflows!

Consider the Ant

 

Consider the Ant

Proverbs 6:6, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”

Proverbs 30:25, “The ants are people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.”

Ants. Tiny black motion. Crawling everywhere - ceilings, walls, mirrors, floors, bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, laundry room, and yes…the kitchen.

We’ve done everything to get rid of them. Bug spray. Multi-purpose spray. Bleach. Yes…even the tried and true method of smashing them with bare hands. Ugh! Ants!!!

This morning, as I was following the path of one across the ceiling with my eye, the Lord brought this thought to my mind, “consider the ant“.

Consider the ant? What?! All Aaron and I have been consumed with is “kill the ant”. Consider the ant?

Well, I obediently picked up my Bible, remembering that Proverbs had something to say about the ant. I only found two verses on the subject, with which I opened this writing. Proverbs 6:6, tells us that you are wise to consider the ways of ants. And, Proverbs 30:25 tells us though they are not strong they continue on.

Hmmm….reflecting upon these truths…considering the ant…what application can I make to my life? The lesson that is here presents itself to me daily. As I said, the ants are everywhere! I have yet to understand it. Like the ant, I will not give up in learning this lesson. I will look to the Lord to teach me what it is He has for me to learn here. And in so doing, I will consider the ant.

Psalm 23

God’s Word truly is, “the joy and rejoicing of mine heart”. This darling little girl’s delightful rendition of Psalm 23 serves a brimming cup of joy to everyone who hears. It put a smile on my face, and a thirst in my heart for a look myself at Psalm 23.

Join me with your favorite cup of goodness, whether steaming hot or chilled, let’s partake some Psalm 23 together.

Psalm 23 (KJV - please read from your favorite version)

1 The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.

 

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou are with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Look with me at the “I” actions & “He” actions:

vs. 1 - “I shall not want”

vs. 2 - “He maketh me to lie down”, “He leadeth me”

vs. 3 - “He restoreth“, “He leadeth me”

vs. 4 - “I walk“, “I will fear no” (I will not fear), “Thou art with me…comfort me“

vs. 5 - “Thou preparest a table”, “Thou annointest“, “my cup runneth over“

vs. 6 - “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me“, “I will dwell“

Four “I ” actions in all. How many did you see? Two “I” actions are what we are not to do: want and fear. The other two are what we are to do: walk and dwell. Consider the contrast. Walking becomes difficult to do when you are in want. And, forget dwelling while in fear.

The number of “He” actions are nearly doubled. Count with me: 1) makes, 2) leads, 3) restores, 4) leads, 5) prepares, 6) anoints, 7) follows. As a result of all His work, “my cup runneth over”.

Tailing verse one in my Bible, hand written in small letters is, “That’s all I want.” The LORD, my shepherd, He is all I want. In verse six, blue ink circles the word “all” several times. Such a little word with such a mighty impact. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” When? How many? What part of the day? All.

How full is your cup? Does it run over? Empty? Lift it up to Jesus. He will fill it up with joy unspeakable, running over, for His Name’s sake.