Tag: King David

Look at that Happiness!

Sometimes, it pays to stop and take stock of how far God has brought you, and where God has placed you.

In the opening words of Psalm 21, King David says, “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! ²Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.”

The word “Selah” indicates a pause, and a reflection. King David is pausing to reflect on the words he just lifted up to God.

The first thing he said is, “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord.”

“The king…”

King David does not usually refer to himself in the third person like this, and he usually doesn’t refer to himself as king, at least, not in the psalms. Yes, he was the rightful king of Israel, so ordained by God, but David didn’t go around boasting his title. Instead, he was just king. He just did what God wanted him to do.

But here… David calls himself king. He is taking stock of where God has placed him.

No longer is he the shepherd boy living outside Bethlehem, he is king of Israel.

And his rise to power and prominence wasn’t the result of his own political abilities, nor was it the result of his own conquest, rather it was God who elevated him to that role.

The king shall joy in the strength of the Lord.

Here, David’s reflection moves beyond where God has placed him to the power and magnificence that defines the Lord’s character.

God’s strength is more powerful than anything we can imagine. As the creator of the universe, He has the ability to speak things into existence and to alter the course of time, and the composition of matter simply by desiring it.

This power is seen on full display in John 2, where Jesus turns the water into wine simply by willing it to change.

This God, with all His power and authority, had enveloped David in His good will. That same God, with the same power and strength, envelopes us in His good will as well.

Not only did God create us and give us life, but He used His power and authority to redeem us from sin and death. He then uses His power and strength for our good, as Romans 8:28 says that “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:31 goes on to reinforce the truth that God wants, and will do, good for us. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

So, in Psalm 21, David is taking stock of where God has placed him, and Who God is, and is celebrating the Lord’s salvation. He goes on to reflect all the prayers God has answered, and all the requests God has granted. This all culminates with David, once again, expressing faith and joy in the Lord.

In life, there always seems to be another mountain before us. We always seem to be facing another obstacle, another crisis, another problem, and another challenge to our faith.

And, even though we have our meltdowns and our breakdowns, we always seem to find a way to pray it out before God and move forward in faith.

But… one of the great tragedies in life is to miss the blessings you’ve already been granted because you are too focused on your problems.

So, we must intentionally stop, take a moment, reflect on Who God is, remembering His goodness, then take the time to count the blessings. Yes, there may be a mountain before us, but how about that mountain He already carried us over, and how about this beautiful valley in which we stand?

Even though I still have remnants from my past life stressing me out, it helps to start my day in the Lord’s presence with prayer and devotional time (which produces many of these blog posts). And centering my day on the Lord helps me to appreciate not only the past blessings, but the beauty and amazement of the place where I am now, and the new life He’s given me.

Take time to remember your blessings and praise the Lord for them today. You’ll be glad you did. It will lift your spirits.

My Prayer for You

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My daily Bible reading took me through Psalm 20 today, which says:

The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; ²Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; ³Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

⁴Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. ⁵We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions. ⁶Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. ⁷Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. ⁸They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. ⁹Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

Reading these words made me think of my church, and my friends, and my ultimate desire for them.

As I take stock of everything, I am reminded of the numerous battles each individual member of my church, and each of my friends face. I am reminded of the challenges that lay before my children, and the challenges that each of the students in FCA face.

Some face health crises, some financial, some family problems, but in each situation, the anxiety is high and the consequences are potentially devastating.

So, we pray.

So, my prayer for you, for each of you, is that the Lord hear your prayers. I pray that He not only hears your prayers, but your cries, the silent cries that well up in our hearts but never escape our lips.

I pray the Lord steps up and defends you, sends you help, and I pray that He remembers your faithfulness and everything that He has done for you.

And, when the Lord hears and answers your prayers, I pray that I am there so that I can rejoice together with you.

This is a prayer that Psalm 20 says we can pray in faith, because the Lord saves His anointed. He rescues His people. While others trust in their own resources and abilities (chariots and horses,) our God makes us to stand.

So, I don’t know what you’re praying for today. I don’t know what’s on your heart. But my prayer for you is that God brings His divine resolution to it and brings you peace.

Refining Our Faith

In the book of Psalms, how many times does King David ask the Lord to search him, to examine him and to evaluate his heart?

That can be a frightening request to make of the Lord.

It’s frightening because the Lord is going to find flaws, and once He does, those flaws will need to be corrected, and that will probably be an unpleasant experience, even though the sinner is better off for it.

However, King David is able to make that request in faith, because he understands that the Lord will use that for his transformation.

So, in Psalm 17:3, David is able to confidently tell God, “Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”

The proving of David’s heart carries with it the notion of testing and refining metal. The reason David could speak so confidently with the Lord about his own character is that he knew God would examine him, refine him, examine him, and refine him some more.

As one would take multiple steps to purify gold, or to refine steel, God took multiple steps to examine and refine David, putting David through the refining process multiple times until he became the man God intended on him being.

This is not a pleasant experience. God works through the trials of our faith to refine us into the people He intended on us being. (1 Peter 1:7)

Peter tells us that, while these trials of our faith cause us heaviness, the refining process of our souls is of greater value and importance than the refining of gold.

Not only does the suffering brought on by our trials refine our faith, but it also strengthens us, giving us endurance and hope. (Romans 5:3-5)

Through this process, we become who God wants us to be, faithful people who are grateful for the blessings He has given, who are anxiously awaiting His return.

So, if you are going through the refining process right now, take heart. I know the process has lasted longer than you thought you could endure, and I know that at times it’s excruciating and heartbreaking.

What I can tell you is that none of this is wasted, and every bit of it is creating you to be the person God designed you to be, and the person God designed you to be is far more magnificent than anything you could imagine.

I don’t know what is next for you, but I can promise you, that as you go through this refining process, the day is coming when you can stand before the Lord, confidently as King David, saying “Here I am, you searched me, tried me, and refined me, and I am here to enter your Kingdom!”

The victory is coming. Peace is coming. Rest is coming. Hang in there.

What I Want to Tell These Kids…

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… is that they’re being lied to.

In 1994, the picture painted for me by many of the adults in my life was bleak. At the age of 16, I had already achieved obsolescence. And this message came from adults in all areas of my life.

My generation was told that the economy we were preparing to enter wouldn’t exist. And while this was technically true, the insinuation was that we would be left out of the future economy, that the opportunities that were afforded our parents would not be afforded to us.

We were told that Japan’s economic power was rising, and if we were to survive in the 21st century, we best be learning Japanese, because that’s who we would be working for.

We were told that American manufacturing is dead, and that the future belonged to those with college degrees. Don’t go into the trades. Don’t learn mechanics or welding, or the building trades.

We were told we were going to be crushed by the economic load we would inherit. With a skyrocketing national debt, and with there being five Baby Boomers on Social Security for every Gen-X’er in the work force, we should expect most of our income to go to taxes.

I could go on, but the point is, all the negativity, pessimism and hopelessness being peddled to my generation turned out to be completely false.

True, the economy I grew up in no longer exists, and neither does that world or society. But, there’s opportunity here. The world has changed, but life is still good.

We no longer fear the Japanese. It’s the Chinese we fear now. Chances are, we’ll see the same result.

Manufacturing is alive and well, with new facilities being built in Texas and across the American South, with technology and energy production driving much of that growth.

Those who ignored the bad advice and went into the trades are doing quite well now.

Social Security has not imploded, and the Millennials along with a robust economy have helped Gen-X make sure the Social Security checks clear.

Life is different, but still good. Sometimes I grieve the changes, and I feel nostalgic for the way we did things back in the 90s, but overall, life is good.

As I visit with my 22-year-old son, I hear the same hopelessness that was sold to me being sold to him. He is being told he’ll never be able to own a house. In fact, he may never own anything according to what he’s being told.

He’s being told the corporations are stealing everything, the Chinese will replace us as the world’s superpower, and that he’ll never achieve the same standard of living that I did. (And I am far from being in the upper class.)

I can’t for the life of me imagine that he’s the only one being told this. And, unlike me, who heard these lies in small doses, he’s inundated with this via social media and the internet.

So, in addition to the Gospel, what I want to tell these kids is… “It’s all going to be okay.”

Do not be discouraged by the despair that is being pushed on you by miserable people who seek relief by placing their misery upon your shoulders. The things you fear will never happen. The things they fear will never happen.

And faith is key to finding peace in a world that pushes fear.

In Psalm 16, David says, “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.”

David has placed his faith (trust) in God, is praying that the Lord preserves him, and is trusting the Lord to preserve him.

David’s faith was likely based on his experiences. On numerous occasions God stepped in for David, delivered him and preserved him. It was God’s intervention that made him king to begin with.

David’s identity was interwoven with God’s hand on his life, and therefore he could find peace and joy in the Lord, and in life, even when everything around him failed.

Therefore, David was able to “set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Verse 8).

David goes on to make a profound statement in verse 10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

That verse does two things. One, it expresses faith in God that He will not abandon David in his time of suffering. He will not leave his soul in hell. Pain is short, troubled times pass, but God remains, always.

More importantly, however, is that this is a foreshadowing of the resurrection of Christ. One reason for us to be optimistic and trust the Lord is that Christ rose again.

And the resurrection of Christ conquered death, so that we can inherit eternal life and enter into God’s Kingdom when our lives here on earth are over. Furthermore, the resurrection of Christ provides us a divine advocate, as the resurrected Jesus sits at the right hand of God pleading for us on a daily basis.

And even further, the resurrection proves God’s power and His desire and ability to do good to us.

So, on that note, David reaffirms his faith in the Lord, and takes on an optimistic outlook on life as he dwells in His presence.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11).

The world is going to change. It’s been constantly changing and evolving at an increasing pace since World War II. But if you trust in the Lord and follow His leadership, you will find joy and pleasure in life, no matter what the world looks like in the future.