Word For The Week
Originally posted on The Underground Railroad
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How long, O LORD?
Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
And my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13
I was in Bible Study Wednesday when this Psalm was read and it resonated with me - "How long, O Lord?" I stand on the verge of catastrophe and my pleas for help seem to go unanswered, so I have been myself asking, "How long, O Lord?" I feel David when he asks, "Will You forget me forever?" Remember, David was minding his own business, tending his father's sheep, when Samuel was directed to Jesse's house to anoint the next king of Israel. God elected David out of Jesse's sons for Samuel to anoint as the next king, and that created tension between David and the king that was already sitting in the sacred seat of Israel - Saul. David spent a lot of time hiding from the soldiers of Saul who sought to end his life, and oftentimes things seemed rather bleak for David, so David cried out from the depth of his soul, "How long will you hide Your face from me?" Have you ever felt forsaken by God?
One thing that I have learned is that the believer must live in what I call the Divine Conjunction. You know the Divine Conjunction: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king, but even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" "And Saul sought [David] every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand." We have to live in the Divine Conjunction. It's like Conjunction Junction, you know the function - hooking up saints and kids and believers. We have to live in the Divine Conjunction. We have to be able to find our "But" with two hands and a flashlight:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
What's going on with your But? Too many believers are so concerned about the Already that they can't see the Not Yet - there is tension in the Kingdom of God between that which is and that which is to come - yet we are commanded to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let our requests be made known to God, and the peace of God - which surpasses all comprehension - will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Too often we let out spiritual guard down because we still haven't found our But. We have to get our But in gear and live in the Divine Conjunction, understanding that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. We don't worship God because of the hook-up, but we must have confidence that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Get right Church and lets go home.
One thing that I have learned is that the believer must live in what I call the Divine Conjunction. You know the Divine Conjunction: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king, but even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" "And Saul sought [David] every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand." We have to live in the Divine Conjunction. It's like Conjunction Junction, you know the function - hooking up saints and kids and believers. We have to live in the Divine Conjunction. We have to be able to find our "But" with two hands and a flashlight:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
What's going on with your But? Too many believers are so concerned about the Already that they can't see the Not Yet - there is tension in the Kingdom of God between that which is and that which is to come - yet we are commanded to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let our requests be made known to God, and the peace of God - which surpasses all comprehension - will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Too often we let out spiritual guard down because we still haven't found our But. We have to get our But in gear and live in the Divine Conjunction, understanding that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. We don't worship God because of the hook-up, but we must have confidence that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Get right Church and lets go home.
May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who is the believer's But in the Divine Conjunction,
My He turn His face toward you and give you peace.
May the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who is the believer's But in the Divine Conjunction,
My He turn His face toward you and give you peace.
