January 6th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Psalm 31:1 In thee, O LORD…
Have you ever really contemplated what ‘O LORD’ might mean to you? I think we often skip over the ‘O’ expression, not understanding its importance in prefacing LORD. The dictionary describes ‘O’ very nicely as an earnest appeal or exclamation for the target, LORD in this case. I suggest you scream AAAHHHHHHH! Then say O as loud as you can. You might get the picture.
Now add LORD on the end of the newly acquired ‘O’. But when you do this make sure you are referencing LORD and not Lord or lord. LORD is in reference to Jehovah and is something much different than Lord or lord. Maybe it’s time you say ‘O Jehovah!’ for a bit to recognize we are referencing and speaking the name of God. Jehovah is personal and should be used that way.
For instance, when you call to your wife or husband, you don’t say Hey hubby/wife, thinking he/she is dominant, can’t be interrupted from their important day, or doesn’t have time to give. Instead you say Hey Jack or Hey Jill—expecting a personal response and thoughtful conversation.
Do you not see how David, here in the Psalm, wants to expose himself, call upon LORD, and have a personal conversation? The introduction to this psalm makes me want to weep as I realize that we can, through Jesus, call upon the name of my Lord.
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Psalm 31:1 In thee, …
Psalm 31 begins with two little words, ‘In thee’, that can sum up the many reasons we face problems in everyday life. These two words denote a state of being surrounded or included with our Lord. I get great comfort in this, as should you. I am not walking beside Jesus, He doesn’t just appear now and then to perform magic, and I surely don’t summon Him when needed. Instead He is constantly working around me, He directs me to move, and I gladly obey.
There are probably three distinct positions we can maintain:
1. We can be completely in the center of God’s will—equally protected on from all sides
2. We can be close to outer edge of God’s protection—sampling and teasing ourselves with the world around us
3. We can be completely outside God’s will
I think that ‘In thee’ is also very much a command to keep us safe. Being close to the outer edge, or completely outside, of God’s will leads to the confusion, stress, and turmoil in our lives. We may not see it immediately but it will surface itself. If we don’t reestablish God’s protection, if we don’t become surrounded in Him, we run the risk of going down a long and lonely path.
During these economic times, many people are facing family, money, and relationship issues. Now is the time to understand that, while the difficulties are real, venturing outside of God will only cause increased levels of confusion. We must continue to be ‘in Him’ and let Him make the calls regarding direction. Be strong, bold, and hold nothing back. Take that step of faith regardless of your past walk and be in the Lord. It is only when we are in the Lord that we can experience and recognize His perspective on what lies ahead.
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How many New Year resolutions did you make? I personally made a few big ones:
- Write a book – Zero Tolerance
- Write another book – Something on technology
- Reduce the fluff and get more focused – this I started towards the end of last year when I gave up a very lucrative writing position, put this blog into motion, and began to focus on where my career was headed.
While all of these seem to be under my CONTROL, what I’ve learned is that I have control of NOTHING. Sure I may say that I want to write a book, I may say that I want to become more focused, but what does that really mean? It is God who has taken me down a path to get me where I’m at today.
It’s funny, as I woke up late today, went about my morning chores, it quickly became late morning (9am for me). As I stood outside and wondered why I started keeping this blog, why I wanted to write two books, why I gave up monies, etc. I soon felt choked by this brand New Year 2009. After all there are only 363 ½ days left and I have a lot to do. It soon occurred to me that when we evaluate what we are doing from day to day, we have to remember to evaluate it in respect to God’s direction.
How do we know when we are following God’s direction? That can be a tough question to answer but I believe God gave me an answer last year. He said, when you feel like the direction is just too difficult to decipher ask yourself two questions:
- Is the road difficult because Satan is pushing you in the wrong direction?
- Is the road difficult because you are trying to push against God?
While these questions may seem a bit confusing, think about what happens when Satan starts to push you in the wrong direction. If you are truly following God you will probably feel things like anxiety, stress, insecurity, and fear. If we are trying to push against God we will feel things that tend to promote self and put God on the back burner.
But when we are in tune with God, things become much easier, less burdensome, and flow in one direction. They may be tough at times but when we look closely the toughness are only corrections God has given us out of His love to get us to look to Him. So when you feel choked as I did today, which was assuredly Satan’s attempt to get me to stop a few items that God has already directed me to do, just step forward and do something for God. He will quickly reward you and you insecurities will fade.
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