Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Psalm 32
Psalm 32:8-9… The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” We have a choice…stubborn independence equals a bit and bridle, aka discipline … OR … a tender, teachable heart toward God, allows Him to guide us step by step.
It says God will guide us on the best pathway for our life. That means there is more than one pathway but “Father Knows Best!” (For you youngsters :-) … “Father Knows Best” was a 50’s weekly show where the father “knew best” for the family.) I picture God the Father hovering over us (like we do our babies when they are learning to walk) … hands on either side of us to guide us and stabilize us when we get wobbly on our feet…wanting to protect us! “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” (vs.7) That sounds better than a bit and bridle!
The choice is ours… do our own thing (rebellion) … or submit to and trust a loving Father who has good plans for us, not plans of disaster, but plans for a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
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2 comments:
That is really good Pastor Arlene. It is so true. I love verse 10 in regard to what you are talking about that says "But He who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him." That word "mercy" means to spare from trouble or judgement, unmerited favor, unchanging love, etc. That is awesome b/c when we trust Him, His mercy surrounds us...so by trusting Him He can spare us from trouble in the economy, spare us from making a wrong decision, He gives us unmerited favor (favor when we don't even deserve it just b/c He loves us) and all that stuff. Isaac and I love that show "the Unit" (based on a black ops sort of unit in the army that does all these covert operations...we;re intrigued) and they use all this high tech stuff where they can literally guide a soldier through a war zone in another country in a basement of a building with enemy fire all around or something from a cubical in Washington DC and let them know where to turn and when, and what danger is ahead through infrared sort of technology, when to shoot, where to hide, how to get out of there, where the next checkpoint is, etc. Who knows if that is even possible in real life in the army or marines, but God is definitely capable of that in our life in the figurative sense. When we trust Him, He guides us by His mercy and can lead us through a war zone (spiritually, financially, relationally or whatever) unharmed and victorious and show us literally every step to take. He knows what's ahead.
I also love verse 7 "You are my hiding place." We all need a hiding place, a special place we go to meet with the Lord both figuratively and in the natural. When we have found a hiding place in Him, it doesn't matter what kind of circumstance comes at us. My "hiding place' is in my basement at my desk. I come here to pray, read the word, whatever. Figuratively, our hiding place is whatever way we best connect with God. It can be worship, intense Bible study, intercession, etc. (we should all do some level of these, but finding how we really feel connected with God is really important for our own walk with him.). I'll tell you what I do: I love waking up early and reading my Bible first, then kind of studying it and looking up definitions and history and really finding out what it all means, and usually in that I get some sort of Rhema. Then, I pray. Later in the day, I try get on the piano and worship with my kids (worship is really how I feel I most connected with God but this doesn't happen every day...but most) and I listen to messages any chance I get on my ipod and like to have some sort of preaching message on cd in my car so I listen to snippets on the way to the store or YMCA or whatever and that really keeps me encouraged. We all need a hiding place and we all need to find our special hiding place b/c this Psalm is true....it preserves us from trouble and in that place He sings songs of deliverance over us. Maybe my circumstance doesn't change there, but we do!
I wish "Father knows best" and "Donna Reed" and such things were still on my TV in the evenings! Those were so fun. I look for them on DVD so my kids will know what TV CAN be. =) Judah would sure appreciate "Leave it to Beaver".
I liked the uplifting and joyful spirit of this Psalm. Yes, we all will deal with sin, guilt, confusion, and sorrow in our lives... but the Lord is there and when we go to Him, we are met with forgiveness, direction, and complete joy! For me, that was the theme of this Psalm. A good one to commit to memory. One thing that stood out to me was the human tendancy to hide sin, but the immediate forgiveness the Lord offers. "Finally I confessed all my sins... and all my guilt was gone!"
I are SO blessed to serve a faithful God who is always wanting me and more gracious than I could ever deserve.
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