Coffee With The Lord

Psalm 13 is labeled as a “LAMENT” in the Bible…

Ever feel this way…

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! light up my eyes!” …

But the Psalm does NOT end like it started!

“But I have trusted in Your steadfast love! My heart shall rejoice in your salvation! I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me!”

My prayer… May your cry, like that of psalmist in the first part of this psalm, reach the ears of a compassionate and loving God! And may your testimony end like the end of this psalm because of His steadfast love and salvation!

1 Corinthians 3:10-17… Part of my Bible reading today (You really should read it yourself)…

The Lord is building His Church! (NOT a building though!)

The Lord is building His church – the “temple” where He manifests His powerful presence! He does it with redeemed people – they are the “living stones” He builds it with! (cp. Ephesians 2:19-22)

The firm, strong foundation for the Church, however, is Jesus Christ!

We participate in the building process – He uses us! We need to give Him our best and build with things that endure!

Our part – what we have done in “building” – will be tested! Is it enduring – can it stand the test?

Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit gives a final warning: “Do you not know that you (it’s plural – “You all!”) are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells among you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy them! For God’s temple is holy, and YOU are that temple!”

Are you ever bothered by the fact that arrogant, self-reliant, God-ignoring and rejecting wicked people seem to “get-by-with-it” – “thumb their nose” at God, persist in their wickedness and abuse others?

It bothers you too, eh?

Well there’s a Psalm for that – Psalm 10! I read it during my time of “coffee with the Lord” this morning… helped a lot! In fact, I found myself turning the words of much of it into a prayer!

Here is what I underlined from it in my Bible today…

“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

“In the pride of their face the wicked do not seek God – all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God!’ … He says in his heart, ‘God has forgotten, He has hidden His face, He will never see it!’

“Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted!

“Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, ‘You will not call me to account?’

“But you do see! To You the helpless commits himself!

“Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account! O Lord you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed! (From Psalm 10)

Don’t know about you, but I agree with the Psalmist! I made His prayer mine today!