Tag: wait on the Lord

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07
May '20

Fearless Faith in a Weird World

Posted on May 7, 2020 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

07
May '20
Text: Psalm 37:1-8
 
“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.”
 
Introduction: Do you need your FAITH to be strengthened? Someone has stated, “A FAITH that cannot be TESTED is a FAITH that cannot be TRUSTED.” Like David, our faith in the God of the Bible is going to be tested. Take this TEST – (5) ways to see what kind of FAITH you have:
 
1. Are we going to BELIEVE when we can’t see? (Psa 37:3)
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shall be fed.”
  • Faith – the eye that sees the INVISIBLE
  • Faith – the heart that believes the INCREDIBLE
  • Faith – the hand that receives the IMPOSSIBLE
 
2. Are we going to EMBRACE when we don’t understand? (Psa 37:4)
“Delight thy self also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
  • Delight (aw nag – means live and enjoy)
  • Lord (Yahweh – self existing, eternal)
  • Desires (request and petition)
 
3. Will we ROLL OVER when things get heavy? (Psa 37:5)
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
  • Commit (gaw lal – means roll the whole burder)
  • Things we can’t control
  • Things that weigh us down
 
4. Will we WAIT upon the Lord when we get impatient? (Psa 37:7)
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patient for him.”
  • Rest (daw man – be still)
  • Wait (means abide, rest)
 
5 Will we CALM down when we get upset? (Psa 37:8)
“Cease from anger, and forshake wrath.”
  • Cease (refrain)
  • Forshake (leave)
 
Conclusion: Are we too BLESSED to be STRESSED? The more our FAITH is TESTED… the more we (I) realize one thing… we need HIM more and more each day to pull us thru the TESTS of FAITH!
 
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese

06
May '20

Reasons to Rejoice

Posted on May 6, 2020 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

06
May '20
Text: Psalm 33:1-21

“Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise. For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.”

Introduction: Are you a creature of habit? Do you like interruptions? We’ve had some lately…. What should our response be? During a national crisis, like ours today, the author David (or Asa, Jehoshaphat, or Josiah), inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:19-21), gives us (4) REASONS to REJOICE in the LORD:
 
1. Because of WHO HE is! (Psa 33:1-5)
” Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright…Sing unto him a new song; ….For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth….the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”
• REJOICE in the word of the Lord (v 4)
• REJOICE in the work of the Lord (v 4)
 
2. Because of WHAT HE has done! (Psa 33:6-9)
” By the word of the Lord the heavens were made… let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.”
• Creator God (v 6, 7)
• Sustainer God (v 8, 9)
 
3. Because of HOW HE is in CONTROL! (Psa 33:10-19)
” The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought… The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
• “Counsel”- Heb, etsah-means advice (v 10)
• “Counsel of heathen nought”- God frustrates
• His “Counsel stands forever”- Heb-olam (v 11)
• His Heart to all “generations” (v 11)
• God BLESS AMERICA! – make her BLESSABLE! (v 12)
 
4. Because of WHY HE is our HELP! (Psa 33:20-22)
“Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and shield…our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.”
• Help us to wait (v 20)
• Help comes from the Lord (v 20)
 
Conclusion: Have you made a CHOICE to REJOICE? Or will you CHOOSE to LOSE? During this interruption, we are reminded that our GOD is still IN CONTROL even though it appears things are spinning OUT of CONTROL.
Yet, for the TRUE believer like David, in a time of trouble, we can find REASONS to REJOICE!
 
Will you?
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese

21
Apr '20

Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Posted on Apr 21, 2020 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

21
Apr '20
Text: Psalm 40:1-11
 
“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.”
 
Introduction: Have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? What do you do? Where do you go? Where do you turn? There are (3) steps that are guaranteed to bring relief:
 
1. You go to the ROCK of our SALVATION (v. 1-2)!
“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry… and brought me up out… horrible pit”
  • The POWER of PRAYER
  • The CURE for CARE
 
2. You sing the SONG of CELEBRATION (v. 3-5)!
“He… put a New Song in my mouth”
  • The POWER of PRAISE
  •  PRAISE on the mountain top, or in the valley
 
3. You go and tell the LORD’S FAITHFULNESS to all GENERATIONS (v. 6-11)!
“I have declared thy FAITHFULNESS”
  • God has been FAITHFUL
  • David said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).
 
Conclusion: God has proven Himself to us in the PAST, in the PRESENT, and therefore, we can TRUST HIM in the FUTURE… whatever it holds!
 
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese