MAKING DECISIONS ON THE RUN

Image result for GOOGLE CLIPART OF A MAN ON THE RUN    Do you ever have to make a decision on the run?  You have tried every tool in your Problem Solving Kit, and you are down to your last one, and it too fails.  David is the man "running scared" in Psalm 34. Recall with me that the Psalms are songs to be felt. The songs are from the narratives that the characters of the Old Testament have experienced: good, bad, and ugly!  He has been on the run for years from King Saul.  This time, he even tries to hide by enlisting in the army of the Philistines who are the enemies of Israel. He has been recognized as the Warrior David, and when he realizes this tool is not going to fix the problem, he decides to feign insanity so that he can get away safely from the Philistine king.  He knows that an insane person is looked on with pity. "Poor David, look what has happened to him!" 

Personally, I have not tried the insanity tool, yet I can identify with David's weariness and being exhausted from the presses of life.  In this psalm, he moves, from his disappointment of what tool does NOT work, to the tool of "I will extol the Lord at all times, His praise will always be on my lips."  As you read this psalm, one can feel the heaviness of the years of running being lifted from his fear expressions to his trust expressions. In verse 2, he has decided that his mind, will, and emotions will boast/brighten up in the Lord and this his new stance in the Lord will cause the humble man those looking on, to rejoice/brighten up. Verse 3 is an invite from David to glorify/promote the Lord and join him exalting/raising on high HIS NAME.  As I recall the word, bright, and connecting the dots to light, I remind us "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves." Colossians 1:13.  

As I worked through reading this psalm, I listed the facts of what the Scripture is saying.  As I made the list, I could see from the evidence presented that God is attentive to our prayers and will either deliver/rescue us from our fears or HE will deliver us when we run to Him in our fears...providing the way of escape in Christ Jesus. Because HE has perfect knowledge of you and me, HE knows what experiences He will use to either humble me and cause me to run to Him as the escape and those fleshly attempts I will make from the tools in my Problem Solving Kit which will deter me from Praise. So today, I Thessalonians 5:16-19, "Be joyful always (command); pray continually;(command);give thanks in all circumstances, (command) for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  I don't have these commands as consistent tools yet!  Thank the Lord for His inexhaustible patience, grace, and mercy.  Ever learning!  In process, still!  #IHAVETHREESONS.      

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REHEARSALS

Image
  I wonder how much time do I give to rehearsing God's goodness and how He has intervened in my life to "save" me from myself?  How alike the Israelites I can be, complaining about what goes wrong, how it affects me, and what I lack.  As a Christ follower, I have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to give me remembrance NOT of my complaining and grumbling, but of a recall of God's faithfulness to me.  It is recorded in Psalms 78 and 106 that " They forgot what He had done, the wonder He had shown them", "They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the oppressor...", "They did not remember Your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.", "But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel.", and "They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt...". Contrast with me, God's remembrance: Ps. 106:44-46, "But He took note of their distress
Read more

LAST THOUGHT ON LEVITICUS

Image
  For the first time in many years, I have enjoyed reading through Leviticus.  I have skipped it several times and read on.  This go round, I have sought to focus on some thoughts, words, phrases, or practices that God had instituted for the Israelites and their physical and spiritual well-being.  The Ten Commandments and many of the laws have real practical value for society and the Christ follower today.  The Lord God gave them a standard, a commandment, which is applicable for today, "You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees.  I am the Lord (Jehovah) your God (Elohim).  Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them.  I am the LORD."  Leviticus 18:4-5   My concluding thought from Leviticus is this admonition or commandment:  " You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."  Leviticus 20:26.  Even though spoken to Israel, the truth of being holy is directe
Read more

ORDER AND DESIGN

Image
    I do not have OCD, but I do confess that I like order in my home.  Now that I am retired, I am not so much into spotless, but "picked up" and "kinda" clean. (Do not open drawers and closets!) I might go to more trouble when I know I am having company, but otherwise, I remove the clutter that seems to reproduce on its own.   When I began the reading in Genesis in January, I was again taken with the with the orderliness and design of God in creation, and have seen Him use Moses and Aaron to ORDERLY marshal the Israelites to move out of Egypt. How do you move some 600+ males and that is not even wives and children? Animals also?  They have been one year+ out of Egypt, and have been camped at Mt. Sinai where God has given them laws for their spiritual and physical welfare.  God gives Moses the design of the Tabernacle and Moses is able to bring together the workers to complete the Tabernacle.   The clip art at the top is the positioning of the 12 Tribes and the
Read more