Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters. – Psalm 69:14
Mentioned in “Wrongs Made Right” is that life can be disappointing with things that you have no control over and things in your past that weigh you down but God has a way to lighten the load. So during adversity, keep hoping and believing that God will pull you up out of the deep waters.
A burglar broke into a house and while he was sneaking around he heard a voice say, “Jesus is watching you.” He looked around and saw nothing. He kept on creeping and again heard, “Jesus is watching you.” In a dark corner, he saw a cage with a parrot inside. The burglar asked the parrot, “Was it you who said Jesus is watching me”. The parrot replied, “Yes.” Relieved, the burglar asked, “What is your name?” The parrot said, “Clarence.” The burglar said, “That’s a stupid name for a parrot. What idiot named you Clarence?” The parrot answered, “The same idiot that named the rottweiler Jesus.”*
There are those that may try to break in and steal what is valuable to us and take away what our nation was built upon which is “One Nation Under God” but we can do what David does in Psalm 69 in the situations we face. We may not do anything wrong but there are some that want to bring us down because of what we believe. We can go to God and ask that justice be served … that wrongs be made right.
In today’s Psalm, David pictures himself as up to his neck in deep waters. In a state of despair where his enemies hated him for no reason. His life was in grave danger so he prays for help. Once David reaches out for God’s help, he is assured that all wrongs would be made right.
Life can be disappointing with things that we have no control over and things in our past that put up obstacles for our future but God has a way to remove those obstacles. So during adversity, let us keep hoping and believing that God will pull us up out of the deep waters.
Jesus has made the path clear so our past is a clean slate and our confidence for the future is increased because we have access to more power than we could even imagine. Summon the King of heaven for help to pull through and press on so the obstacles are pushed over to become our stepping stones to where we want to go.
This day with You Lord, the enemy wants to sink us but our faith brings us across the water to a place of recovery and hope. We push the obstacles over and make them stepping stones across the deep waters. We go from strength to strength fueled by the power of grace. We trust in You Lord to get us through in Jesus name. Amen.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 15:57
This day with God, believe you have home field advantage as brought out in “Sharpen Our Weapons” and know there is victory through our Lord. Be dedicated to the Good News teachings from God found in the gospel, accept the Lamb of God, and receive assistance from the Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God
Blessed be God who parts the seas
And moves the mountains
Giving us grace
That flows from fountains.
Blessed be God for with Him
We are never the same
For He gives new life,
Knows each of our name,
And will forever reign.
We need a warrior and God is in our presence to help us as we face so many challenges. Along with His presence, we have weapons like faith, hope, and love to fight this war. It’s up to us to sharpen these weapons within us to be used when needed so that victory is delivered. – Thoughts from sermon of Ryan Barnett, 07-11-2021
To sharpen our weapons, today we are reading Psalm 68:19-35. The occasion for writing this Psalm is the arc of God being brought into Jerusalem and the sanctuary. There is something like a victory parade as the people worship God’s power. He saves, He crushes enemies, is awesome, and powerful. The people know that God is on their side and this gives confidence for their future.
The people ask God to scatter their enemies and bring victory. We have a bigger picture today because of how history has played out over the years. Today, we have the advantage and are assured of the victory by being dedicated to the Good News teachings found in the gospel. By accepting the Lamb of God, there is grace and we receive assistance from the Holy Spirit with the power to finish victoriously.
Lord … for winning our battles in life, we need the proper spiritual weapons to face the enemy like the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. Your goal is to build us up and lift us up out of the hole we dug for ourselves, so the enemy no longer has control. We are thankful that Jesus confronts our sin and brings victory. We see brighter days ahead and know that the ultimate victory is when Your kingdom on earth is established so that Christ reigns as Prince of Peace. For it is in His name we pray … Amen.
This picture was taken while going up Mt. Haleakala located on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. It’s now a dormant volcano but was responsible for forming most of Maui. Deep inside the earth, there is all this built up negative energy that is spewed up and released through volcanos.
It’s the same in life, there are all these negative emotions like jealousy, fear, frustration, and anxiety that spew up and come out in actions. They become your enemy but a lesson from Psalm 59 is that the more you have hope for brighter days ahead, the more your frame of mind contributes to favorable conclusions.
That’s one benefit of reading the Bible. You read about how God’s power and mercy releases negative emotions so a load is lifted as you step ahead along the journey.
This Day With God - A Spiritual Journey 