by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 46-48
These three psalms are by sons of Korah also, but they are definitely positive, praise psalms.
The first has a couple of famous verses in it.
“God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.”(46:1)
Our God is always reliable for those who trust Him, and this psalm says it very well. At the end, we see the verse, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted above the nations, I will be exalted above the earth.” (46:10)
If you are going through difficult times, these verses have the ability within them to cause peace to pour down upon you like oil from heaven. There are times when you will find yourself worked up and trying to solve your problems through merely natural means. When you allow yourself to partake of God’s psychiatry in this way, you are better able to do the things which you are required to do. You will do them in peace and not in frustration.
The next two psalms extol God, His power, and the finality of His rule.
Psalm 48 expounds on a concept we encountered when we were watching David rule the kingdom. Zion is in the heart of Jerusalem, and it is the place where the Ark of the Covenant is set up with praisers before it night and day. This represents the presence of God.
Today we know that God’s presence resides within the hearts of believers. Yet when we see this psalm we get some insight into just how significant God’s presence is to us. When we honor the Zion which is in our hearts, we honor His presence. Having our God with us is the most precious part of our lives.
Zion is truly in our hearts! The greatest joy imaginable!
Acts 28
Remember Jesus saying, “These signs shall follow those who believe…they shall pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not harm them?” Well this is fulfilled in Paul on the Island of Malta.
As Paul is putting wood on the fire they are building, a viper comes out and fastens on his hand. It is a deadly viper, causing the natives think that he will surely die, and must be a murderer being judged by God. He shakes it off and lives, however, just as Jesus had predicted. (Now the natives think that he is a god).
Well, Paul finally makes it to Rome as God had intended. He first speaks to the Jewish leaders, trying to introduce the gospel. Just as in every place he has gone, there are those who believe and those who don’t. (It’s still that way today, isn’t it)?
Thankfully, however, for two full years Paul is able to stay in his own rented quarters. He is preaching the kingdom of God to all who will listen, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.
God’s will is being fulfilled in Paul as he is able to so freely share the gospel with these new people. Next we will start the book of Romans, the letter Paul writes to these friends he is meeting in Rome. We will see the clarity of what Paul is telling these new believers, and our own faith will be sharpened ins the process.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 43-45
You can tell that Psalm 43 is one of David’s. He starts out by bemoaning the fact that deceitful and unjust men are oppressing him. He is really whining as he pours out his heart to God. (Have you been there? I have).
Yet suddenly, he “comes to himself” and talks to himself again. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? Hope in God for I shall again praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God.”(43:5) He loves to talk to himself, doesn’t he? And it works.
We could certainly take a cue from David and talk to ourselves. There are times in every life when the negative circumstances seem insurmountable. When we walk with God, there will be those who falsely accuse us, deceive us, and try to overthrow our ministries. When these things happen, we have two choices. We can whine, as David did at first. Or we can praise Him and remind ourselves to trust Him, regardless of the circumstances.
This second choice is what will bring our deliverance. We must have faith in Him for our lives to be blessed abundantly. David is such a great example!
The next two psalms are not written by David himself, but by the sons of Korah. You can see a difference in their style, but they still speak the truth.
Psalm 44 remembers days of old, but goes with the “God, where are you?” theme. It even ends with the concept that “our souls are cleaving to the dust.”(44:25)
Yet the next psalm begins to recognize the faithfulness of God. “My heart overflows; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” As the psalm proceeds, it actually speaks of the coming of the Messiah. Verse 7 is quoted in Hebrews 1:9 as a scripture speaking of God’s Son. You can see that verse 6 goes right along in prophesying about the coming King.
As you read psalms, let the words speak to you. Sometimes, as with any poetry, they seem to be a hodge-podge of thoughts. However, if you think about the words and ask the Father to speak to you, there will be verses that leap off of the page and bring you faith, hope, – or sometimes correction.
Anytime you are going through a tough time, the psalms can make the difference for you. They have for me, many times.
Acts 27:27-44
Right in the middle of the storm, Paul has the answer for the sailors. The angel had appeared and spoken to Paul, so he knew exactly which actions to prescribe. As the sailors are attempting to slip away into the boats, Paul knows to warn them not to do so.
He goes on to advise them all to take some food, as they have gone 14 days without. They need the nourishment, because they are going to be saved and they will need the energy. “Not a hair from the head of any of you shall perish.”(V.34)
It happens just as Paul says it will. All 276 persons on board the ship live through the coming shipwreck, and they are all brought safely to land.
The Holy Spirit has been sent to lead us and guide us. It’s easy in our busy day to run here and there, making our own decisions, without counting on His leading. Yet if we stop and pay attention to what we are being led to do, we will avoid many pitfalls.
The Holy Spirit is our best friend, if we let Him be. Each day, if we can spend some time just listening to Him, letting Him lead us to just the right Word to read, letting Him give us counsel, and letting Him correct us, we will be amazed at the difference in our lives.
As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will not only avoid many pitfalls, but we will also follow productive paths for our lives.
Remember, our Comforter, the Holy Spirit, “will lead us and guide us into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:13). I can’t think of a better friend to have. Can you?
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 40-42
Well, yesterday we left David in distress but turning his gaze on the Lord. Now today, we see the reward he gets for waiting on his God. Deliverance.
Psalm 40 is what I often declare as my testimony of salvation. The Lord inclined unto my prayer, brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, set my feet upon a rock,and put a new song in my heart. Whether or not we realized it at the time, we were in pits of destruction before we became born again.
But “How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.”(40:4)
There are several themes which continually come up in the psalms. Of course, we have hit upon many of these. The importance of praising and trusting in God. The importance of knowing that God will bless the righteous. Now we come to another.
Blessings come upon the ones who “consider the helpless.”(41:1) David is a man of rare compassion. A man in his position as king of Israel could easily slip into a routine which would not notice the afflictions of others. Not this king.
Repeatedly we see him reaching out to the poor and seeking justice for the lowly as well as the high. He also encourages others to do the same, since he never forgets where he came from.
We have mentioned the next before, but Psalm 42 is the perfect example of this one. He talks to himself and encourages himself. This is what David did at Ziklag when all seemed lost to him. He returned to his camp from war only to find all of the women and children captured and his city burned. As the other warriors wanted to turn on David, he “encouraged himself in the Lord,” and led a victorious pursuit of all that was lost. Quite a turnaround.
Now back to Psalm 42, he is talking to himself. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? Hope in God.”(42:5 and 11)
If we can just get this one idea – and really get it, we will be transformed. When the going is tough, we should talk to ourselves and remind ourselves that we are to trust in our faithful God. Our trust will be rewarded.
As we praise the Lord, our depression will flee and we will see more clearly. Then hopelessness will turn to faith in Him.
Acts 27: 1-27
We were just speaking of trust in the psalms. Now we see trust playing out in Paul’s life.
The apostle is being transported with some other prisoners to Rome so that he might appeal to Caesar. Almost from the start, the wind is contrary to their sailing. As the entourage is leaving Fair Haven, Paul warns the sailors not to set out just yet. The winds are very contrary, and it is apparent that their very lives are in danger. However, the centurion listens to the sailors and not to Paul. They proceed as planned.
This definitely is the wrong move. Sometimes they are at a standstill, and at other times they are being uncontrollably driven by the wind.
And it gets even worse. As the travelers are violently being tossed, they begin throwing items overboard to lighten the load.
It’s at this moment that Paul stands up and speaks to the sailors. An angel has appeared to him telling him that they will run aground before it is over, but that all lives will be spared. Paul must go to Rome, and God will see to it that they get there.
The events unfold exactly as Paul has said, of course. The ship hits the rocks, and is broken to pieces, but the occupants are able to escape and are brought safely to land.
Do you have assurance that God has your back, as He did Paul’s? His plans will be carried out in our lives also when we listen to Him and obey His voice. We too have angels around us, helping us with our mission. He is watching over all of us, too.
It’s a great feeling isn’t it? When we know that the Lord is on our side, we can rest in Him. He will see us through!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 37-39
As you read Psalm 37, you can almost feel God’s peace pour over you like liquid gold. There may be times when our souls are burdened and we start looking around to see if we are being treated justly. In those times, we are not to fret. If we “trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness,” (37: 3), He will show Himself strong on our behalf.
So who inherits the land? The faithful, those who “wait for the Lord,” and the humble. (9, 11). The arrogant and the self-reliant are out of God’s will. Sometimes people want to “make it happen,” at any cost. They may even run rough-shod over others to “make it happen.”
God’s way is different. When we are in His will, we wait patiently for Him, knowing that He will accomplish what concerns us. We must trust.
Some of the most famous verses are in this psalm. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (37:4) Some interpret this as saying that He will do whatever you want Him to. I have a different take on it.
When our lives are totally committed to the Lord, He drops His desires into our hearts – and then He completes them. One way that His will is made known to us is through our desires – if we are walking closely with Him. Praying and meditating on the Word.
Another famous verse is related. “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in His way.”(37:23).
Or what about this one, “I have been young and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.”(37:25).
Or “Wait for the Lord, and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land.”(37:34).
Immediately after this beautiful psalm, David has a down-turn. It’s almost shocking to see his attitude change so quickly, but we are getting used to David by now. He doesn’t try to hide his emotions from the Lord. He very quickly and easily pours out his heart – whether it is a good day or a bad one.
He’s having a few bad days, just as we do sometimes. But David is still counting on the Lord to hear his prayers and to deliver him out of the burden of sin.
And he won’t be disappointed. Neither will we.
Acts 26
Paul has his chance to preach the gospel to King Agrippa. He eloquently shares once again his testimony. Paul had been a Pharisee, putting to death the Christians, when a bright light from Heaven arrested him and Jesus called him into the ministry.
Paul’s words are so anointed that King Agrippa says, “In a short time, you will persuade me to be a Christian.”(V. 28)
Then later Agrippa says, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”(V. 32)
If you recall, the Lord had already spoken to Paul, saying that He was sending him to Rome. The gospel was to be preached in the very epicenter of the Roman empire – Rome itself. God chose to have Paul arrested and to appeal to Rome so that he could be transported there and have an audience with Caesar himself.
So to Rome he will go. God’s will is being accomplished.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 33-36
The Lord looks from heaven and sees all of the sons of men. That’s the theme of the 33rd psalm. We are reminded that our God is the One who fashioned all of the earth and all that is in it. He sees all that is happening. And His eye is upon the righteous to deliver our souls from the evil which tries to come upon us.
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them.”(34:7) It’s always been amazing to me that David has such a mature understanding of God’s ways. In a time when angels and demons were not discussed that much, David seems to be very aware of their involvement in our lives. In fact, his psalms teach the rest of us about the angels.
Obviously, much of what David wrote was prophetic. Through this king, God was showing us things to come, and allowing us to peep into His kingdom. So it is with David’s mentioning of angels.As we continue in the psalms we are made aware of the working of angels. They encamp around us – and rescue us.
Are you aware of angels around you? We usually don’t see them, but they are there – just as David says. I have been aware of their presence in my life on several occasions. I’m quite sure that angels have aided me in avoiding wrecks which seemed imminent. They have also brought supernatural provision from time to time.
When we realize that God is watching over us and that angels are around us, we have to be more confident in the state of our well-being. His lovingkindness extends to the heavens and His faithfulness reaches to the skies.
How could we be afraid of anything which could come our way?
Acts 24-25
Paul goes before the Roman governor, Felix, and his Jewish wife, Drusilla. The Jewish leaders, with their spokesperson Tertullus, start accusing Paul of being a “real pest” and “stirring up dissension among the Jews.” They just don’t realize the source of their anguish.
As Paul speaks for himself, Felix can find nothing wrong. However, he becomes afraid when Paul is talking about righteousness and judgment. This is just too much to bear, so the governor sends God’s man to the prison, where he is kept for two years. (At least he’s still alive).
Festus succeeds Felix as governor and the Jews try to run their death plan by him also. Once again these men ask for Paul to be brought before the court and they plan an ambush. But once again, their plan is foiled.
After all of his testimony, Paul is asked by festus if he would go to Jerusalem to be tried. Of course, Paul appeals to Caesar, and Festus has to agree. Appealing to Caesar was a right of any Roman citizen who felt that his rights were not being properly applied. So to Caesar he will go.
Interestingly, when King Agrippa visits, Festus shares the problem. The Jews are accusing this man Paul, but Festus doesn’t really understand what the charges are. He discusses it with Agrippa. This is indeed a strange case for them.
Of course, in the meantime, Felix, Festus, and soon Agrippa have the gospel preached to them. In the near future, the people of Rome will hear also. God has a plan and it is working. The gospel will be preached in Rome.
If you want God’s plans to work in your own life, trust Him. There will be times when it will look like the plans are not working, but they are. When you are trusting God and being obedient to Him, His plans will always be working in your life, just like we see in Paul’s.
