The rock of safety in the Lord

In Psalm 71, the Lord our God is referred to many times as being a Rescuer, a Rock of Safety, a Protector.

We trust in the Lord, as far back as our birth, and He has cared for us.  We never stop praising Him, giving Him glory all day long.

Then, as old age comes upon us, He does not abandon us when our strength is failing.  Even if our enemies are plotting against us, telling lies that God has left us and cannot help us, we know it is all lies.

Some of us may not be skilled in words, but we praise His glory anyway.

In some Bible versions of this same psalm, Psalm 71 is known as the "prayer of an old man for rescue."  But one's age may not be considered old in terms of physical age.  My wife passed away at the young age of forty-seven.  And even though it was young in both her's and my eyes, the strength in her body was failing, along with her mind, but one thing was as strong as ever: her faith.

The Lord is our Rock.  Protector.  He guides us through life, through troubled waters, and will always lead us to the glory that is Heaven.

Doing better by acknowledging past sins

In the book of Nehemiah, chapter 9, all of the Israelites gathered again and confessed their sins.  They acknowledged the sins of their past, not only from themselves but of their ancestors too.  They praised the Lord in all of His Glory, stating that He alone made the heavens and the earth.  They confessed their history alongside that of the Lord, from Abraham to Moses to even recent events.  God provided for those in need.  Always.

Looking back on their history, I am struck by a sense of wonder.  Pillars of clouds and fire.  The parting of the seas.  Manna coming from Heaven.  Water being struck from rocks.  Clothes and footwear that never wore out.  One would think that is the stuff of science fiction.

But it really happened.  All by the incredible, awesome power of God.

After their confessions (continuing on in chapter 9), the Israelites agreed to obey God's Law, promising and putting it all in writing.

Moving on into chapter 10, the people made an oath to the Lord.  Many involved giving of their best and first fruits to the Lord, and to always obey His commandments.

As I read these two chapters, I am again struck by recent events and how applicable they are to today.  Many want to deny events of the past, even though they are glaring and truthful.  Would it not be best to admit they were wrong, or their ancestors were wrong, and move on by doing better?

Be like God and His Holy Son Jesus.  Because of all the problems we're facing, all can be answered by faithfully worshipping and glorifying God.  Read your Bible.  Pray.

It really is that simple.

The Lord will always provide for you, to lead you into a better life.

The actions of worshiping God

Continuing our journey through the book of Nehemiah, chapter 8, all of the Israelites have assembled and Ezra, priest and scribe, took out the Law of Moses.  He read it out loud for everyone to understand.  All listened closely to what was read to them.

When Ezra opened the Book, everyone rose to their feet.  When Ezra praised the Lord, they all chanted, "Amen!"

Then, they bowed, put their faces to the ground, and worshiped the Lord.

Nehemiah told everyone not to weep on such a grand day as this.  That day was sacred, and after the reading they celebrated with much food and drink.  They even shared with those who did not have anything.

From this, you can tell that there are clear actions to worshiping God.  True, only He knows what is in our hearts, but the actions displayed can be seen by everyone else.  Rising to one's feet, chanting, bowing, celebrating, and sharing.  All of these actions of deep worship and love of God were displayed by the Israelites.

What actions are you displaying to others?  How are you celebrating God's Love in your life?  Let others see it, for only through our actions will we see what true worshipers of God and His Son Jesus are like, and will want to join us.

God to the rescue!

There have been a few short psalms, and Psalms 70 is indeed short.  5 verses.

Although the psalm may be short, it is not short in substance.

The first verse is a plea for help: "Please, God, rescue me!  Come quickly, Lord, and help me!"

It goes on from there that our enemies will try to humiliate us, put us to shame.  But the Lord will cause them to be turned away in disgrace.  They will be horrified of their shame.

Let all who come to the Lord be filled with gladness and joy.  We will shout, "God is great!"

The Lord is our Helper, our Savior.  He does not delay, for He is quick with aid.

A Wall's Protection

In the book of Nehemiah, chapter 7, the wall and gates surrounding Jerusalem were completed.  Nehemiah appointed gatekeepers, singers, and Levites to their duties, and handed over responsibility of governing the city to his brother Hanani.

Everyone had a responsibility to watch the wall for their enemies, guarding either at sentry posts or in front of their own homes.

The wall was important.  It kept enemies out.  But even a physical wall can only do so much.  That was why the Lord instructed Nehemiah to appoint others to keep watch.

This is just like today.  There is some controversy concerning a certain wall being built along our nation's border.  But even then, we still need others to keep watch, to patrol, to enforce the laws of our lands which are inherently close to the Laws Our Father set upon us.

The rest of the chapter is a genealogical record of the families residing within Jerusalem.  There were even some who tried to come in but did not have any record of being one of the exiled, so therefore they were turned away until they could consult with the Lord.

Let God guide you through troubled waters

Time and again, I'm amazed at how much the events written about in the Old Testament have ties to today's events.

In the book of Nehemiah, chapter 6, many of his enemies plotted harm to Nehemiah for rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem.  They sent four messages to him, asking for him to meet with them in a remote plain.  But he knew they were to harm him and he refused to meet.  On the fifth try, a messenger came to Nehemiah.  In the letter were lies his enemies were spreading about him, meant to possibly show his true colors by abandoning his work.

But fear not, Nehemiah was steadfast and remained vigilant to the work God gave for him to do.

Then, later on in the chapter, one of his own people urged him to meet with him in the Lord's Temple, because he heard rumor that his enemies were going to kill him.  Nehemiah discovered that his enemies had hired this man to do this, to intimidate him and discredit him before his people, and Nehemiah again refused to bow down.

The wall was completed in fifty-two days.  And in those days, many letters went back and forth among his enemies, threatening and intimidating in nature.

In today's world, there is so much turmoil.  But then again, there has always been turmoil.

For this time, social media (and the mainstream media in general) seems to be plotting against those who mean to do good in this world.  Don't let your enemies turn you away from the work God sent for you to do.  Remember Nehemiah.

Praise the Lord!

The Lord saves the overwhelmed

Psalm 69 is a longer psalm, full of praises to the Lord.  The message given throughout is how much the Lord saves those who are overwhelmed.  Images of those in deep water, up to their neck, and one is treading to near exhaustion, God helps those who praise and call out to Him.

In verse 4, it says that the number of our enemies outnumber the hairs on our head.  For most, that number is astronomical--Mr. Clean must not have any enemies (insert smiley face emoticon).  Imagine that for a moment, the sheer number of enemies.  And our enemies try to destroy us with lies.

But if we put our complete trust in the Lord, He will make fools out of our enemies, humiliating them, and their sins will consume them.

In verse 14, it says, "Rescue me from the mud; don't let me sink deeper."  Like raging floodwaters, mud can slow us down.  Again, it is a feeling of being overwhelmed and the Lord will answer our prayers.

Praise the Lord in Heaven and earth, for all those who love Him will live in safety.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by anything, pray to God.  He always listens.  He will help you through it all, like a raging flood or a thick mud.

Handling the oppressed

Continuing on in the book of Nehemiah, chapter 5, Nehemiah heard many complaints from his people.  Some had large families and needed more food than others, and in turn had mortgaged their properties.  The massive amount of debt, with great amounts of interest, was causing a strain on the people.

Nehemiah was angry by this.  He felt his people were taking advantage of others in a rather unfair way.  He got after them for charging interest to their own relatives, by keeping them down in an oppressive way.

He ordered them to repay all of the interest that had been charged, along with all the grain, wine, and olive oil paid out.

They agreed with Nehemiah and praised the Lord.

For Nehemiah's twelve year reign as the governor of Judah, neither he nor his officials drew upon the official food allowance.  Previous administrations had done so, to the detriment of the oppressive people.  But because he feared and devoted himself entirely to the Lord, God blessed and provided for him.