Coffee With The Lord

The negative, pessimistic person – griping and complaining all the time – no one wants to be around them!  You know it’s true!  Even in little doses they can become a burden that is almost too difficult to bear!

On the other hand, what a blessing to encounter an authentically and persistently positive person!  They see the sun peeking out from behind the cloud!  They rejoice in the sprig of green poking through a crack in a dry, barren, hard slab of cement.  Even a dandelion to them is beautiful.  The find God hand in an act of kindness or generosity.  People like that are so refreshing!  We seek them out.

Thought about that as I

The negative, pessimistic person – griping and complaining all the time – no one wants to be around them!  You know it’s true!  Even in little doses they can become a burden that is almost too difficult to bear!

On the other hand, what a blessing to encounter an authentically and persistently positive person!  They see the sun peeking out from behind the cloud!  They rejoice in the sprig of green poking through a crack in a dry, barren, hard slab of cement.  Even a dandelion to them is beautiful.  The find God hand in an act of kindness or generosity.  People like that are so refreshing!  We seek them out.

Thought about that as I read Psalm 34 this morning and decided I was going to spend this Monday morning “bragging on God” … It’s contagious you know!

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.  Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles…  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!… Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing!”  (from Psalm 34:1–10 ESV)

Apostle Paul (who was imprisoned at the time he wrote this) had it right.  He said, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world!” (Philippians 2:14–15 ESV) 

 … It’s contagious you know!

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.  Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles…  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!… Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing!”  (from Psalm 34:1–10 ESV)

Apostle Paul (who was imprisoned at the time he wrote this) had it right.  He said, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world!” (Philippians 2:14–15 ESV) 

As I Christian who believes the promises of God’s Word I believe that God is in control!  But I also watch the news and see the events transpiring in the world around me.  Frankly, it’s unsettling – even frightening!  So I’m caught in a tension… Faith in the ultimate control and belief in the promises of God on the one hand… and on the other, concern over developments in the world and fear where all that is happening may take us…

So I really needed the message of Psalm 33 today… You should read it for yourself!!

First of all it contains a challenge to those who know and serve the Lord to worship (vss. 1-5)! Then there is an affirmation that our Creator God is ultimately in control of everything (vss. 6-9)!  God frustrates the plans of wicked nations and establishes His people and His purposes in the earth (vss. 10-12)!  He knows what is going on and it will take more than military might to ultimately prevail (vss.13-17)!  The Lord keeps his eye on those who reverence Him… So, wait patiently for Him to act!  Rejoice in Him!  Trust Him, and hope in Him! (vss. 18-22)

Thanks Lord!  I read my Bible today… I also read the Dallas Morning News…

Think I’m going to make the following words from Psalm 33 my focus!

“Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright!  Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!  Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts!  For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

^“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

“The Lord looks down from heaven; He sees all the children of man; from where He sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.  A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.  The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.  Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield!  For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy Name.  Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you!”  (taken from Psalm 33 ESV)

Hey, a great word for troubled times from the Bible… sure beats what’s in the Dallas Morning News! 

One of the most helpful things that can happen to you (or any of us for that matter) that are going through a great time of trial is to have had the privilege of watching a faithful fellow Christian navigate the stormy waters of trail.  You learn so much by just watching their lives!  Fortunately, even if we’ve never seen that with our own eyes, we have the record of people who have done it successfully in Scripture.  If you’ve ever read the stories of David in the Bible you know he was not only a person who experienced great victories – he also faced great trials.  We can learn from the stories of his life – we can also learn from the gut wrenching prayers he prayed in those times recorded in the Bible…

Here’s some snippets from one of them I read this morning during “coffee with the Lord”…

“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!  Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!  For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me… you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God… I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul… But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.  My times are in your hand’… Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! … Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you! … I had said in my alarm, ‘I am cut off from your sight.’ But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.  Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.  Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”  (from Psalm 31 ESV)

So here’s my advice, if you’re going through a difficult trial, recall the life of a faithful Christian you know who has navigated a trail successfully and learn from their example.  And even if you don’t, learn from someone in the Bible like David, who penned the prayer recorded in Psalm 31 in the middle of one of his trials and make his words your own.