Maybe you don't need this, but I do
May. 20th, 2013 12:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tinpraFront and Center in the Mind of God
by Charles R. Swindoll
Psalm 8:1-9
It's humbling to think that the Creator of the universe, whose power, knowledge, and goodness know no limits, actually cares about us and loves us individually and personally. Think about how difficult it would be to reach the CEO of a major corporation to discuss your problems with a product. Or imagine trying to get a few moments alone with the President of the United States to talk about your foreign policy concerns. We all know how poorly that would turn out. It's not their fault; with limited time and energy, they have to prioritize. Furthermore, we who have large families sometimes find it difficult to stay current with all our little ones. Keeping up with the daily lives of our ten grandchildren could turn into a full-time job; almost impossible for mere man. So, the fact that the Ruler of the universe takes personal care of me is more than I can fathom. He takes a personal interest in each one who trusts in Him. He adds oil to our grind of feeling overlooked by reminding us of His personal interest.
Perhaps as you read this you feel alone, deserted. What a distressing, barren valley is loneliness! But listen! If you have the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you have a constant Companion and Friend. He never leaves you in the lurch. This psalm is proof positive that He does not consider you unimportant or overlook you. He isn't irritated by your coming to Him with your needs. He never looks upon your prayers or requests as interruptions. Even as James reminds us: He gives "generously and without reproach" (James 1:5). He provides good gifts without "variation or shifting shadow" (1:17).
Do you know why? The answer is Grace---sheer, undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor. Therefore, right now, cast your feeling of insignificance and despair on Him. Tell Him that you are claiming this Eighth Psalm as a promise of His personal grace, concern, and love for you.
Remember, this is a psalm "on the Gittith." David composed it perhaps as a victory hymn after defeating the giant, Goliath. I challenge you to take that personal "giant" of feeling overlooked and ask God to give you victory over it today. Who knows? Another Goliath could fall by sundown.
David concludes his song with a benediction, the same words he used in the doxology: "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth" (Psalm 8:9). We add to David's benediction our own affirming response: Amen.
Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind (Brentwood, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 2012). Copyright © 2012 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved.
I'm in the midst of a major life change that has anxious and depressed at turns. I at time go from wanting to tell everyone who will stop and listen for two minutes (and doing so), to not being able to talk about it b/c I'm in such emotional anguish. Needless to say, it hasn't been pretty.
The one steadying constant has been my faith in Jesus. Not going to church and/or doing church-things, although that's helped just because doing something & being out of the house gets my mind off my situation, so much as knowing I have someone I can whine and complain to, and bawl my eyes out or be completely silent with, and He's cool with that. In the middle of my feeling abandoned, despite knowing that isn't so, the surety that Jesus is still my God and my Savior and my Friend and my Big Brother is probably the only thing that's keeping me together in those moments when I'm a real mess. Focusing on Him instead of me -- and right now focusing on anything when I have free time is really hard -- gives me more assurance and peace than pretty much everything.
I can't go back to how things were before. It's a life change, even if I could roll it back I still wouldn't be the same. However, while I'm out here floundering in the middle of this transition, and probably looking for a fool while doing so, I've still got an anchor that's holding me steady and keeping me from drifting away...even when I want to go drifting. I'm reminded of a song by Kirk Franklin, where talking to God about needing to pray & keep praying (but not really wanting to), he exclaims "You've got me...You've got me!"
He's got me.
by Charles R. Swindoll
Psalm 8:1-9
It's humbling to think that the Creator of the universe, whose power, knowledge, and goodness know no limits, actually cares about us and loves us individually and personally. Think about how difficult it would be to reach the CEO of a major corporation to discuss your problems with a product. Or imagine trying to get a few moments alone with the President of the United States to talk about your foreign policy concerns. We all know how poorly that would turn out. It's not their fault; with limited time and energy, they have to prioritize. Furthermore, we who have large families sometimes find it difficult to stay current with all our little ones. Keeping up with the daily lives of our ten grandchildren could turn into a full-time job; almost impossible for mere man. So, the fact that the Ruler of the universe takes personal care of me is more than I can fathom. He takes a personal interest in each one who trusts in Him. He adds oil to our grind of feeling overlooked by reminding us of His personal interest.
Perhaps as you read this you feel alone, deserted. What a distressing, barren valley is loneliness! But listen! If you have the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you have a constant Companion and Friend. He never leaves you in the lurch. This psalm is proof positive that He does not consider you unimportant or overlook you. He isn't irritated by your coming to Him with your needs. He never looks upon your prayers or requests as interruptions. Even as James reminds us: He gives "generously and without reproach" (James 1:5). He provides good gifts without "variation or shifting shadow" (1:17).
Do you know why? The answer is Grace---sheer, undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor. Therefore, right now, cast your feeling of insignificance and despair on Him. Tell Him that you are claiming this Eighth Psalm as a promise of His personal grace, concern, and love for you.
Remember, this is a psalm "on the Gittith." David composed it perhaps as a victory hymn after defeating the giant, Goliath. I challenge you to take that personal "giant" of feeling overlooked and ask God to give you victory over it today. Who knows? Another Goliath could fall by sundown.
David concludes his song with a benediction, the same words he used in the doxology: "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth" (Psalm 8:9). We add to David's benediction our own affirming response: Amen.
Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind (Brentwood, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 2012). Copyright © 2012 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved.
I'm in the midst of a major life change that has anxious and depressed at turns. I at time go from wanting to tell everyone who will stop and listen for two minutes (and doing so), to not being able to talk about it b/c I'm in such emotional anguish. Needless to say, it hasn't been pretty.
The one steadying constant has been my faith in Jesus. Not going to church and/or doing church-things, although that's helped just because doing something & being out of the house gets my mind off my situation, so much as knowing I have someone I can whine and complain to, and bawl my eyes out or be completely silent with, and He's cool with that. In the middle of my feeling abandoned, despite knowing that isn't so, the surety that Jesus is still my God and my Savior and my Friend and my Big Brother is probably the only thing that's keeping me together in those moments when I'm a real mess. Focusing on Him instead of me -- and right now focusing on anything when I have free time is really hard -- gives me more assurance and peace than pretty much everything.
I can't go back to how things were before. It's a life change, even if I could roll it back I still wouldn't be the same. However, while I'm out here floundering in the middle of this transition, and probably looking for a fool while doing so, I've still got an anchor that's holding me steady and keeping me from drifting away...even when I want to go drifting. I'm reminded of a song by Kirk Franklin, where talking to God about needing to pray & keep praying (but not really wanting to), he exclaims "You've got me...You've got me!"
He's got me.