a lot to think about

This week has been a very interesting one for me. This post of Paulina’s has really made me sit up and think, and make me commit to learn more about the Torah. To clarify, I was never an anti-Torah person, I just didn’t know or understand as much as others did, and some things about it confused me – but I knew that it was still God’s Word and that it is important. Now, I should also say that whilst I am committed to learn more about the Torah, I probably will disagree with some of you -but that’s OK! As I say in my ‘About Me’ page, I am perfectly happy to approve comments by people who disagree with me, as long as those comments are polite and respectful of the fact that this is my blog and a place for me to opine.

God has really blessed me this week in so many ways (financially, spiritually and just through wonderful God-fearing friends), and I hope He blesses you too ❤

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Decisions, decisions…

From over a week of inactivity to three posts in a day! Don’t worry, this is fairly brief. This morning, I found a little lump in my chest – now, I am sure it’s nothing to worry about as that area can often be lumpy but to be on the safe side I am going to my doctor as soon as possible. Thank goodness for the NHS! However, it got me thinking – what if it is serious? What if I am really ill? What impact would that have on my life? My wonderful old youth leader had a phrase which I always remember: ‘if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?’ Now I don’t need to point out that we should all, as Christians, be aiming for a resounding yes! However, do we ever get there?

Finding that lump made me resolve, more than ever, to get to the stage where the judge and jury could prove ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ that I was a daughter of the King – whether by the music I listen to, the clothes I wear, my relationships with others. What about you?

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Sunday Scripture

So that I can join in with the Saturday Psalm & Praise, I think on Sundays I will do a Scripture post rather than a Psalm post – I hope it will inspire you just as much! In my Quiet Times I am reading Jeremiah, and today I will post Jeremiah 1:1-10, which I find greatly inspiring.

1 These are the words of Yirmeyahu the son of Hilkiyahu, one of the cohanim living in ‘Anatot, in the territory of Binyamin. 2 The word of ADONAI came to him during the days of Yoshiyahu the son of Amon, king of Y’hudah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It also came during the days of Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah, continuing until the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah, right up until the time Yerushalayim was carried away captive, in the fifth month.

4 Here is the word of ADONAI that came to me: 5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I separated you for myself. I have appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” 6 I said, “Oh, Adonai ELOHIM, I don’t even know how to speak! I’m just a child!” 7 But ADONAI said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m just a child.’ “For you will go to whomever I send you, and you will speak whatever I order you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you, says ADONAI, to rescue you.” 9 Then ADONAI put out his hand and touched my mouth, and ADONAI said to me, “There! I have put my words in your mouth. 10 Today I have placed you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant.”

This really speaks to me of how we ‘can do all through Christ who strengthens us’ (Phil. 4:13) – and ONLY through Him! Too often we try to lean on our own understanding, as Scripture teaches us, and that ends in disaster, as the Israelites were about to find out through Jeremiah’s message from God. However, when we truly submit to God in our hearts, and seek His will for our lives, then He will be with us, guiding us. When we trust in Him we are not striving alone, but by His power and Spirit. And as Jeremiah was to find out, even young people like myself can do amazing things when we follow the Lord.

An interesting fact about this passage is the Word of Adonai who comes to Jeremiah. Now, who do we call the Word of God? Jesus, that’s who. Note that God PHYSICALLY comes to Jeremiah and touches him – it is markedly different from the Spirit coming to him, or God appearing in say, a pillar of cloud. No, it is a walking, talking, physical embodiment of God, which leads us to conclude that it is Jesus. Too often this surprises us, but Jesus is found in physical form throughout the Old Testament. Why, in the Garden of Eden, when God walked in the garden in the cool of the day, it is Jesus – when God the Father appears to Moses and others he is clearly in a distinct, non-humanoid form but that is not the case here. Again, when Mesach, Shadrach and Abednego are thrown into the furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar, someone who ‘looked like a Son of Man’ was with them. I wonder who that could be! The authority of the Torah is confirmed by Jesus’ presence – He acknowledged it as being from God, and that we are not to reject it. A very timely thought at Rosh Hoshana!

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Saturday Psalm & Praise

A bit of a departure for me, you may have noticed! Jocelyn has made an excellent post regarding Rosh Hashanah and the way God has marked the seasons for us. It is amazing how clear the Old Testament seems in the light of Jesus’ victory!

Here is my Psalm:

Psalm 50

1 A psalm of Asaf: The Mighty One, God, ADONAI, is speaking, summoning the world from east to west.
2 Out of Tziyon, the perfection of beauty, God is shining forth.
3 Our God is coming and not staying silent. With a fire devouring ahead of him and a great storm raging around him,
4 he calls to the heavens above and to earth, in order to judge his people.
5 “Gather to me my faithful, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. (Selah)
7 “Listen, my people, I am speaking: Isra’el, I am testifying against you, I, God, your God.
8 I am not rebuking you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are always before me.
9 I have no need for a bull from your farm or for male goats from your pens;
10 for all forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals on a thousand hills;
11 I know all the birds in the mountains; whatever moves in the fields is mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is mine, and everything in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer thanksgiving as your sacrifice to God, pay your vows to the Most High,
15 and call on me when you are in trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16 But to the wicked God says: “What right do you have to proclaim my laws or take my covenant on your lips,
17 when you so hate to receive instruction and fling my words behind you?
18 When you see a thief, you join up with him, you throw in your lot with adulterers,
19 you give your mouth free rein for evil and harness your tongue to deceit;
20 you sit and speak against your kinsman, you slander your own mother’s son.
21 When you do such things, should I stay silent? You may have thought I was just like you; but I will rebuke and indict you to your face.
22 Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to save you.
23 “Whoever offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me; and to him who goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

To me, this Psalm is testimony to the power of God. Not for nothing is He the Mighty One! There is a lot of change happening in the worldwide Church – in the decadent West, many churches (though not all) are crumbling under the weight of immorality, whilst in many poor and developing countries the Church is growing at an unprecedented rate – I am thinking particularly of Iran, China and India. It really is true that ‘our God is coming and not staying silent’ – He is active in the world and the Church as we speak. It is easy to feel as if evil is taking over the world – but fear not! I AM is here, ‘shining forth’.

Please join me in this Saturday Psalm & Praise – post the links to yours in the comments as I would love to see them!

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Sunday Psalm

Psalm 38 (New International Version – UK)

A psalm of David. A petition.

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

2 For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me.

3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.

5My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.

6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.

7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.

8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

9All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.

10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.

11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbours stay far away.

12 Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception.

13I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;

14 I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply.

15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.

16 For I said, Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.

17For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.

18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.

19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous.

20 Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good.

21O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.

22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Saviour

I prayed about what Psalm I should use today and the choice God led me to surprised me, I must admit. Lately my life has been so blessed – I mean, God heaps blessings on us all the time, even when we don’t notice, but recently life has been great for me. However, I remembered that many of you, those I know and those I don’t, are not having such a good time. I know that for many of you, God may seem distant and life is very hard. Although at first glance, this Psalm may seem gloomy and without much hope in sight, in reality it shows us that God is the only one in which we should hope because He is the only one in which we NEED to hope. The mightiest world leader seems like a schoolboy compared to Him (and no I am not making a political judgement*! :p). ‘All my longings lie open before you, O Lord’ shows us that by rendering ourselves completely vulnerable before God, we truly learn to be dependant on Him and His great mercies.

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Thanks be to God who gives us the victory!

I was just watching the 6pm news and the main story was that of the terrorists standing trial for plotting an attack on several planes via liquids in their hand luggage – the reason you can no longer take a lot of liquid on a plane. Thinking about what could have happened and all the people who could have died made me feel really scared. I then realised that God has already won over sin and death! I cannot tell you how reassuring it is that one day EVERY knee will bow before the name of Jesus! It made me think of this verse:

1 Corinthians 15:56-58 (New International Version – UK)

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed by the evil in this world, just remember that verse – ‘But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ It has really helped me, and I hope it helps you too.

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Sunday Psalm

Psalm 42

A maskil of the sons of Korah.

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.

² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

³ My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

⁴ These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

⁶ My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

⁷ Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

⁸ By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”

¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

TNIV

I’m sure most of you will be familiar with this wonderful hymn of praise to the Lord. In the book ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, the meaning of life is the number 42. In Psalm 42, however, we discover the real source of life – our Lord and Saviour. I have been going through a hard time spiritually in these past couple of days and have felt haunted and hounded by the Enemy. This Psalm really puts into perspective the joy that comes with perseverence and still praising God even when ‘I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy’. Pray that we will fight the good fight, with the prize in sight!

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Sunday Psalm

Psalm 52

A maskil of David

¹ Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

² You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.

³ You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

⁴ You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!

⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.

⁶ The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,

⁷ “Here now is the one
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸ But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.

⁹ For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.

TNIV

I am not feeling well today so I will be brief. Lately I have been under spiritual attack and whilst I have since repented of the things and behaviours that gave Satan a foot-hold in my life, it is still an issue that haunts me. However, this Psalm reminds me that evil has been conquered by our Risen Lord, and that when He returns, justice will reign forever. As the last verse says, ‘and [we] will hope in Your name, for Your name is good’.

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Taking a Break!

From tonight I will be house-sitting for a family from church. I am very excited as their house is literally across the road from the beach, and I plan on having my Quiet Times there on the beach. I’m not sure if they have internet or not, so there probably will not be a Sunday Psalm this week.

If like me you spent quite a lot of time online, you’ll understand that sometimes you need a break from computers, and I feel like this week will be a much-needed rest. I plan on relaxing and reading the Word and Christian books a lot more, and I pray that I will spend lots of time just at the feet of Jesus. I’m really looking forward to it!

Please continue to remember my friend B, who is planning on having an abortion, in your prayers – thank you so much for this.

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Anger

Lately, I’ve really been struggling with anger. I’m sure you are all familiar with this verse:

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Colossians 3:8

No matter how hard I try, I get angry and frustrated so easily these days! I have not exactly had an easy life, and I am facing a future that’s more uncertain than I’d like. I’ve come to realise that unrighteous anger (that is to say, not the kind of anger that is justified, for example anger at injustice) is, in a lot of cases, a symptom of not trusting in God and His promises. For example, at the moment I’m uncertain as to what exactly I will be studying at university come next September, and at what university. This has been making me really frustrated, but God has promised me that He will teach me something amazing through my time at university – therefore I can trust that I will get into university and I will really benefit from it. Even if I don’t know anything else until I go, I can trust in God, and that His promise is enough to sustain me.

It doesn’t mean that I will never be angry ever again, but it means that I can deal with that anger and reject unrighteous anger more easily. Prayer is of course incredibly helpful in enriching one’s relationship with the Lord, and dealing with anger is certainly going to be a part of my prayers for the forseeable future. Will it be a part of yours?

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