The LORD Will Deliver

This morning and over the past few months, I am thinking of the deliverance that comes from the LORD. I am in Psalm 6 and the title in my ESV Bible is “O LORD, Deliver My Life”. As I read David’s plea for deliverance, I see that he is not taking any physical action. He is asking for deliverance with his words that come from his heart. David is asking the LORD to deliver him for he needs it.

“¹O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,

nor discipline me in your wrath.

²Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;

heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

³My soul also is greatly troubled.

But you, O Lord—how long?

⁴Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;

save me for the sake of your steadfast love.”

— Psalm 6:1-4 (ESV)

In my discipleship group for the past few months we also dive into the grace and mercy of God. Mercy being God not giving us what we deserve and grace is Him giving us what we don’t deserve. David above is asking for mercy and we should be as well. The payment for mercy has already been paid through the shed blood of Christ Jesus and yet, for us to receive, all we have to do is ask. I don’t have to take any additional action, I need only to ask for the mercy of the LORD.

This is the deliverance that we should be seeking. It is from His wrath that we need deliverance. I have to accept that my sinfulness is that which separates me from the LORD and that I am in need of mercy to fill the chasm between us. I cannot do anything, physical action wise, to close the gap between the LORD and me. I can only seek His deliverance and give myself to Him knowing that He will save me through His mercy and grace.

“⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

I am in need of saving and only the LORD can deliver. I need only ask with my words from my heart and He will deliver me.

What are you thoughts on deliverance? Are you looking to take action to be delivered? What if you understood that you need only ask from your heart to be delivered and accept the mercy through grace that only the LORD can provide to be saved?

Find Peace in the LORD, Not Man

Aren’t we all looking for peace. I know that I am and will look any and everywhere. I am in a constant search for the safety and comfort to just be. What I have found to this point is that I am not going to find it in man. I am not going to be able to dwell in a place where man is “leading” the way. I say “leading” in quotes, because I do know that man is really not leading the way in anything. It is either God or the evil one leading the way. When man is “leading” there is selfish actions and work being done and I how can I follow the actions of someone who is out for themselves and not for others.

“²O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?”

— Psalm 4:2 (ESV)

David could see the selfishness in man as noted above. The lies and honor were in themselves and not in the LORD. As we place our trust and actions in man, we will be betrayed and will find ourselves in a place that is seemingly worse than where we started.

On the other side of things, when we are trusting of the LORD to provide, we are able to find peace and safety and actions that are in our best interest as we do the work and take action that He leads us in.

“⁸In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

— Psalm 4:8 (ESV)

I see here in the words of David that peace comes when dwelling in the LORD. He was able to sleep well at night knowing that the work of the LORD was delivering Him. It was not the work of man, for as noted above, man would lie and would certainly not honor others.

Over the past few months I have had financial well being for Lori and me on my prayer list. I want to be clear in that I am not asking for riches, only that the LORD provide what we need. I have been at peace, knowing that the LORD will provide financially for us. Well, Lori had a medical procedure a bit ago and we have been awaiting final billing to make sure that we are not being overcharged. As usual with these things, there have been several rounds come through. It is only now that we feel the final bill has been presented to us. Here is where the peace of the dwelling in the LORD played out. Lori received a note from someone that we should proactively check on unclaimed property with the state. Wouldn’t you know it, there was some there that matched to the amount of the bill we had been presented. The LORD provided peace and resolution where man was reluctant as played out with the multiple rounds of billing.

It is in the LORD that we will find our peace and not in man. Yes, man may offer up some resolution, but will that resolution be in the best interest of you, maybe or maybe not. However, when we place our trust in the LORD, we can know that He will provide for our well being in the interest of peace and safety.

Where are you placing your trust? Are you relying on man to provide? What if you were to instead place your trust in the LORD knowing that He is looking out for you and your peace and safety?

The Wicked Will Not Be There

Will not be where? In heaven. I know there is a lot to unpack with regard to who will be in heaven and who are the wicked that will not be there. There are a lot of items to discuss and a lot of questions to answer. Where I do believe that the answers are found in God’s Word, I am going to only address the wicked, and will only scratch the surface for those with lots of questions.

“⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

⁶for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.”

— Psalm 1:5-6 (ESV)

First thing here is that we find the wicked, well they will not be in heaven. They will be somewhere, but their time has come and they reap what they sow, wickedness. They are not granted life everlasting in heaven with Christ. So, just who are the wicked. That is a great question.

“Wicked – 1: morally very bad: EVIL” – Merriam-Webster Online

So, they are the very bad, or evil individuals. But what does that mean. Well, again, there is a lot to it, but what I believe to be the thing is that there is a conscious effort of them to inflict harm, whether physical or emotional or social or cultural or in any other sense to others. In short, as the definition above notes, morally very bad people. These are those who are only “happy” when others are experiencing hardship and likely that hardship is the doing of the wicked person.

But what about the second part of verse 5 above you ask. “Sinners” will not be there either. Aren’t we all sinners all the time? Well, yes we are sinners and do not deserve the gift of eternal life in heaven. But, we have been saved by grace through our acceptance of the gift of salvation. We are sinners, Just that we are working to not be active. Think of alcoholics. They are always alcoholics, but when they have gotten “on the wagon” they are not active are are identified as a recovering alcoholic, but an alcoholic none the less. We are recovering sinners but sinners none the less. The sinners that are referenced in verse 5 above are not recovering and have not accepted the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus.

All wicked are sinners, but not all sinners are wicked. The thing is that sinners are still separated from God and will be dealt with in the same fashion as the wicked. Both will be eternally separated from God as they will not be in heaven with those who have accepted the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus.

What is your view of the wicked and sinners? Are your thoughts that they will just go through a different more harshly regulated gate to heaven? What if you were to reconcile that they had every opportunity to accept the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus and will not be there at all?

Yes, it is Okay to Question the LORD

I believe that too often, we are reluctant to ask questions for a number of reasons, it is not my place, it is not the right time, fear of what others might think of my not knowing, or maybe the authority is too great for me to ask. Either way, reluctance to ask results in confusion or not/misunderstanding. This is, I believe, even the case with the LORD.

When there are things that are unknown the best way to know them is to ask questions. We should be able to question those things that are of need to know. The LORD is not too big for our questions. His authority is not too mighty that He won’t hear us. Any time is the right time and any place is the right place. It is not important what others might think, only that we are communing with Him.

“⁴Hear, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.” – Job 42:4 (ESV)

Job understood that the way to get answers and the way to ensure things were done right, you have to ask. Specifically, you have to ask the LORD to provide the answers.

Yes, it is okay to question the LORD. It is okay to seek answers from Him. It is okay to rely on the LORD for the direction in our lives. He is the only one who knows the answers to where it is He would have us go, so it is okay and encouraged to ask Him.

What are your thoughts on questioning the LORD? Do you find you are not worthy, the time is not right, or worried about what others might think? What if you took the approach of seeking to understand and that the LORD is the one who can provide that understanding?

Venting is Okay

“¹¹Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” – Job 7:11 (ESV)

Job is complaining, or more, he is venting.

I know that there are things that are tough to take on. I have things in my life, as we all do, that seemingly work against me daily. I may not have control over those things, but they are impacting me none the less. I have to address them or they will consume me and I will lose my focus on doing the Work of the LORD. Venting will allow me to address those things.

Venting is allowing the challenge to get out there. It is addressing the thing as opposed to dwelling on it. By venting, I am able to let it known that I am bothered and at minimum be able to then move on from it. At maximum, by getting the thing in the open, someone may be willing and/or able to help in addressing the thing to turn it around. Either way, it is healthy to vent as Job is doing above.

Venting is not dwelling on the thing continuously. Once the things has been outed, we are to move on from it. Whether someone is willing and/or able to help in addressing the thing or not, we have said our peace and it is time to move on from it.

It is important to note that venting is allowed with God. He wants us to bring that which troubles us to Him. The LORD listens to our pain and guides us through it. No, He may not always relieve the pain in the moment, but He allows for my voice to be heard and then guides me through the thing by addressing it in His way and time. Venting is okay.

What is your view of “complaining”? Are you allowing the thing to overtake you and be a continued hindrance to you? What if you vented instead by getting it our and allowing the LORD to guide you through it in His way and time?

It is All God’s Will

Everything in this world is from God, and I mean everything.

“¹⁰But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’” – Job 2:10a (ESV)

See above from the book of Job. Job understood that everything comes from God. He did not expect that only good would come from God, but that all things would come from Him. And Job was not alone, take Abraham. He understood to follow God through it all, even if that meant sacrificing his son Isaac. And take Noah, he understood the destruction of the world through flood was of God just as the safety of his family on the ark. Everything is from God and is His Will.

It is hard to accept that bad things happen as a part of God’s Will. We attribute all things good to God and cannot understand when things are not good that they are indeed part of His will. When things are against us, we do not accept that it is all part of His plan for this world and our lives. Yet it is the ebb and flow of our life that we have to trust from the LORD. He allows things to happen for the benefit of His overall plan, which we are not aware of, no matter how much we want or believe we should.

Our conversations with the LORD daily, prayer, are the place where we find out what is in store for the short run. God let’s us in on the immediate actions that are needed and that these will lead to the accomplishments of His plans.

In the now, I have some knee pain which leads me to not get my morning/daily exercise. This led me to add my health to my prayer list. I have daily conversations with the LORD asking Him for relief. The interesting thing is that as I look at things, I am getting a little bit more sleep, as I am delaying getting out of bed for about 45 minutes in the mornings and that in and of itself results in a little better health. The LORD is working on my health in the now by taking away something, yes, but adding another area that I was not thinking.

I have to remember that the LORD has my interests in mind as He takes me through this world to work for His glory and the completion of tasks as needed for His will to manifest. I have to remember the last part of verse 10 from above that I did not add until here:

“¹⁰In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” – Job 2:10b (ESV)

What is your view of all that comes or happens in your life? Are you looking to the LORD for only the good? What if you realized it is all for the Will of God?

Our Obligation to the LORD

Yes, I have obligation to the LORD. He has given more than I deserve and I am obligated to Him for that gift.

I know what you might be thinking, “it was a gift, how do I owe for it”. Well, it is not that I owe anything, it is thanks that I am obligated to give in return. That thanks is partly conveyed in our receiving of the gift, and the balance is conveyed in word and action. I am obligated to say “Thank you” for the gift of salvation and reciprocate with my actions to demonstrate my acceptance of the gift and dedication of my life and self to Him.

But, our reciprocation is not just receipt, thanks, and dedication, it is to be the FIRST things we do. In verses 35 through 37 of Nehemiah 10, there is the outline of those things that are obligated to the LORD. Those things are noted as not just the things, but the first of those things.

“³⁵We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; ³⁶also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; ³⁷and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor.” – Nehemiah 10:35-37 (ESV)

So, the obligation I have to the LORD is to reciprocate with the FIRST of everything to Him. I arise in the mornings and pray thanks and petition to the LORD. I give the first of my day to Him. I study His Word first and then on with the rest of my day. I give first to Him and then live on the rest. I am dedicating my life and self to Him and His worship. I am prioritizing the LORD over all else.

What a thing to say it out loud for me and all to hear, as I have done in the above paragraph. It is one thing to internalize things, it is another to say it aloud. I will obligate, and not just obligate, but the first of me to the LORD. He GAVE me the GIFT of salvation and I am obligated to thanks and dedication to Him in return.

What is your thoughts on your obligation to the LORD? Did you just get the gift of salvation and it is time to move on? What if you realized the gift and reciprocated with receipt, thanks, and dedication to Him and did so through obligation and with the first of you?

Do the Work and Prepare for the Fight

A fight for and around our faith is coming, that we can be certain, yet we have work to do in the name of the LORD. I have to be prepared for that fight and ensure that I continue the work. The work is the important part as relates to my existence here in this world. I was added here to do the work of the LORD, and when we even look back at creation, the man was created to have dominion and do the work of the LORD.

The fight is coming and yet I have to focus on the work of the LORD. I have to know that the LORD will protect us and fight for us, yet I am to be prepared for the fight for when I am called into action. I have to know that I have help in this world through my fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ, yet they will not be right beside me all the time. I and they are to prepare for the fight and know that the LORD is there with us to fight on our behalf so that we are able to continue the work to bring glory to him.

“¹⁹And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ‘The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. ²⁰In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.’” – Nehemiah 4:19-20 (ESV)

I see here that the work of the LORD must continue, yet we are widespread in our work. We are not always working right next to others. We are not going to have in the immediate proximity, brothers and sisters in Christ who are at the ready to defend us. We are protected by the LORD. We are doing His work and He is right there with us as we work. Protecting us so that the work can and will be completed. And the alarm will sound to alert our brothers and sisters to come and defend us. They will come to our fight for our fight is their fight for the glory of the LORD.

I am blessed to have, at the ready, brothers and sisters in Christ to alert and call for when needed. Yet even with them at the ready, I still have the work of the LORD to do. I have faith that the LORD will protect me and give me that which is needed to complete His work. I must know that the fight is coming and prepare for it, yet focus on the work of the LORD with the comfort of knowing that He is fighting for me and that I have brothers and sisters in Christ ready to step in when called.

What is your thoughts on doing the work of Christ? Are you focused on the work or worried about the fight that is coming? What if you know it is coming realize that the LORD is fighting for you and that your brothers and sisters in Christ are at the ready to come when called so that you are able to complete the work of the LORD?

You will be Allowed to Do the Work of God

This morning I am in the book of Ezra. I am reminded here that the work of God will be allowed and encouraged.

“²⁵And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. ²⁶Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.” – Ezra 7:25-26 (ESV)

Here we have the words from Artaxerxes of Persia to Ezra that he is to do the work of the LORD and those who do not obey are to be held to account for their actions, or lack thereof.

You see, the House of the LORD was decreed to be rebuilt and even as it was, there was some work and convincing that the decree was still in effect. Once it was finished, it was dedicated and then Ezra went out to teach the people of the Law of the LORD and the law of man. Ezra was not just sent allowed to teach, but was encouraged to do so by the king and it was ordered that he should have provision from the cities and towns to do so.

Here we have the work of the LORD commissioned to take place. The commissioning came from the LORD and He made it possible to happen even encouraged by man.

We find ourselves daily in conflict with the law of man within the law of the LORD. But is there really a conflict or is that conflict just imagined. You see, the LORD makes possible for that which is in His Will. Our role is simply to do His Will with faith that He will do all that He says He will. When we are in the Will of God, we are allowed to do the work and as we can see in the passage above, are encouraged to do the work as well.

What actions are you doing in the Will of God? Are you finding conflict or are you avoiding the work due to imagined conflict? What if you approached the work in the Will of God from the place of faith and know that you are allowed and even encouraged to do so?

The LORD Will Take Away

As a follower of Christ I am comforted that I will have rewards in heaven. I know that the LORD will provide for my needs. My salvation has been granted thanks to my acceptance of it from the LORD as His gift. But, all that I have in this world is not guaranteed. That which I have been blessed with can and will be taken away if I am not faithful to the LORD and do all that He has commanded of me.

“¹¹Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.’” – 1 Kings 11:11 (ESV)

As Solomon had not kept up with his work for the LORD, the LORD removed the blessings from him.

This lesson is for me even today. I have been blessed with where Lori and I live. We are in a community that is friendly, generous, and desired by those outside looking in. The LORD made it possible for us to have raised our boys in this community where they were somewhat shielded from a lot of the world and the hardship that is found in other areas of it. But, as was with Solomon, the LORD could take it away at any moment if/when we fall away from Him.

There is however something that I am able to count on with regard to the LORD, His provision. Yes, I have been blessed with where we live and the LORD can take that blessing away at any moment based on my lack of continued dedication to Him. But, I can find solace in the fact that even if those blessings are removed from me, He will still provide for my needs and honor His promises to me.

“¹²Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” – 1 Kings 11:12-13 (ESV)

Solomon, who turned away from the LORD, was not cut off from God. His provision was not taken away. The LORD will do the same with me. God loves me, and my inheritance in His kingdom has been guaranteed, but blessings in this world are not, only provision. He will take away the excess that is not part of that guarantee. I am not entitled to the excess, and frankly, I am not entitled to anything, yet the LORD, through His grace, ensures that my needs will be met in this world.

It is up to me to remain faithful to the LORD. It is my choice to do so. That is the beauty of the LORD, He has given me way to free will. And with that free will there are consequences when the choices I make do not align with Him and His will. But even when I do not choose Him and His will, He remains faithful to provide for my needs and His promise of salvation.

What are your thoughts as to the things we receive from the LORD? Are you even aware that the LORD provides the blessings you have? What if you were to recognize that those blessings are just that and can be taken away by the LORD, but, He will still provide for your needs?