Don't Budge

Psalm 119:51 (MSG)
The insolent ridicule me without mercy, but I don't budge from Your revelation.



Covered foot bridge in Pennsylvania.

I'm on a "bridge" obsession right now.  I love them!  They fascinate me.  Pretty much everything about them.  This one to the right is in Pennsylvania.  It's actually a foot bridge we crossed over while hiking there last summer.  I can almost feel the cool water as it ripples down stream.  If I concentrate hard enough, I can hear the gentle water as it rushes over the rocks and slides through the overhanging brush.  Listen.  Did you hear it?

Listening is hard isn't?  Especially when all you can hear is silence.  For instance, when you have prayed and prayed for something that you are sure is in God's will to deliver and yet He remains quiet.  What do you do with that?

Give up asking?  Turn to something else for answers?  Become bitter and angry?  Nope!  As a child of the King, that is not an option!  It is at this very point of silence that we do exactly what this verse says tonight.  We stand firm in Him and  we "...don't budge from His revelation!"  If you need encouragement tonight, hold tight to the Words that He has given You in His Word.  They are true morsels of the goodness of His love for you. 

My favorite woman of faith, Corrie Ten Boom, was quoted as saying,
 "In darkness God's truth shines most clear.” 

Most High God,

Thank You for revealing Yourself to us through the revelations You provide in Your Word. Help us to cling to those truths and allow them to light our path while we walk in dark places. 

In Christ's Name,
Amen  

 

Guardians Of The Night

Psalm 136:9(MSG)
Moon and stars as guardians of the night, His love never quits.

Pretty incredible to think about the moon and the stars.  I always thought it would be cool to study astronomy in depth, but I never have.  When I begin to ponder the way everything in the universe is aligned and the way the stars all just sort of "hang out" up there without falling down, I get more than a little awe struck!

But tonight, for some reason, (maybe because the last two verses were on light), I am drawn to the spiritual side of this statement.....not just the physical presence of light in the darkness.  This verse has me thinking about His phenomenal love for us in that He provided protection in the darkness....."guardians of the night"....as it states.  I can stand on this in the darkest hours of my life, knowing that I have armor bearers watching out for me....spiritual warriors shielding me from the darts of the enemy.

Psalm 91:4,11(NIV)~He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  

I am gaining so much strength as I focus on His love for me.  I am praying that as you read this, you are sensing His enormous love for you as well!   

The Lighthouse

Psalm 139:19(MSG)

And please, God, do away with wickedness for good! And you murderers-out of here!

 

At the end of the island on Sanibel stands this beautiful lighthouse!  It is a historic island fixture constructed in 1884 to serve as a beacon for travelers moving through the coastal waters of Florida.  I absolutely loved walking around it and imagining what it has seen through the span of time. 

 

Towering tall over the trees and looming powerful over the sand this structure commands attention.  However, even more intriguing to me, were the two birds perched on it's railings.  These birds (which I have sense learned are Osprey) were firm in their commitment to watch over their territory.  As we walked closer to get a more detailed look at the tower, they barely took their eyes off of us.  Even as we stood at the bottom, they leaned over and locked in on our every move. 

Really, I can't even think of a more fitting picture of the light and guidance that God gives me every day than a lighthouse.  The Lord is an ever watchful eye protecting and guiding me away from the wickedness that attempts to come my way. 

The Psalmist plea is my prayer today~

"Please God, do away with wickedness for good." 

Road Of Wrongdoing

Proverbs 4:19 (MSG)
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker--
travelers can't see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

I used go to sleep~overs at my friend's house when we were in high school.  I loved staying at her house because she was one of my closest friends.  We would stay up late talking about the things young girls talk about, but one of the other reasons that I thought staying at her house was so amazing was because of her dark room.  Her room was in the basement.  It was one of those rooms that didn't have any windows.  It was so dark in her room that you wouldn't have any idea what time it was when you got up in the morning, until you walked out and the day light hit you right in the face.

Tonight's verse made me think about my friend's room because of the "darker and darker" statement.  You would think that darkness is darkness.  But it isn't necessarily the case.  I mean, my room at home was dark, but there was certainly a source of light gently feeding into it, so that when you got used to it, you could see pretty good.  Not so my friend's room.  It was pitch black and your eyes never adjusted to it. 

The darkness that starts out as gray with a dim light seeping into the room, quickly turns to deep darkness.  So much like sin isn't it?  As a person starts out in wrongdoing, it may be small offenses.  However, before the person notices it, they have fallen into deeper and deeper sin and pretty soon their room has become pitch black.  

Praying tonight to remain guarded against wrongdoing.  Asking the Lord to help me remain alert to His voice so that I might avoid any pitfalls that will throw me into darkness.
Slow Fade by Casting Crowns is one of my favorite songs and seems to describe what can happen to us if we do not remain in the vine...connected to the power of the cross! (Click to hear song.)

Violence

Proverbs 3:31 (ESV)
Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways,

The darkness looms heavily outside my window tonight, after reading this verse.  I can hear an owl hooting in the distance, as I reach under my computer and pull out the article that has haunted me since I first read it.  "Officials Find 2,000 Fetuses Hidden at a Bangkok Temple",