I love the Psalms, & I believe I've mentioned before that my favorite of the Psalms is the 73rd. Asaph, the human writer, had obviously walked with the Lord for many years & was on intimate terms with Him. Because of this, when he hurt, he poured out his hurting heart to his God, & this Psalm is a beautifully poignant example of this. Just this alone is a great lesson to us who know the Lord. It doesn't do us any good to hold our feelings & hurts in, thinking that they might offend our Savior! He knows them already anyway, why hide them from Him?
Oh well, I've gone off in a direction I hadn't planned when I began this particular blog, so let's get back on track. BUT before I do, since I've already headed off on this rabbit trail, let's say that there is a time when we should hold our tongues when in front of others. The 15th verse of this Psalm records Asaph as saying, "If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of Thy children" He seems to be saying that if he just poured out his heart indiscriminately in front of possibly some young believers, he may have caused them to stumble in their own walk with God & he didn't want to do that. This is wise. But he certainly could & should do so with God, which he did. I can certainly recall many times I've gone walking out in the woods or somewhere alone with just me & the Lord, & poured out my heart to Him.
And with this, we begin to ease our way back into what I meant to say from the beginning! The most wondrous portion of this whole powerful Psalm to me is verses 23-26. In this portion Asaph has now worked through all his bitterness & inner turmoil, & his faith is now secure again. He says to God, "Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand.Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." This is so precious! But let's look especially at that 25th verse: "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee." Now, no doubt this man had some loved ones with the Lord, as we all do. But I love what he says, even though he undoubtedly is looking forward to seeing them again, he realizes that the only One who really matters is his God. If it were not for Christ, we'd have no hope of Heaven & neither would any of our loved ones, or anyone at all, for that matter. We are right to look forward to the mansions He is preparing for us in Heaven, but Jesus Himself, the Man in the Glory, as Dr. Vernon McGee used to say, is the One who really makes Heaven HEAVEN!
I know there were many other things we could have said, like the difference between Old Testament & New Testament views of Heaven, & the literal meaning of "mansions" & so forth, but I trust this little bit of rambling, actually this whole bunch of rambling means a little something to you! May the Lord bless you all for stopping in!
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8 comments:
He seems to be saying that if he just poured out his heart indiscriminately in front of possibly some young believers, he may have caused them to stumble in their own walk with God & he didn't want to do that. This is wise. But he certainly could & should do so with God, which he did.
I never noticed that before, but I can sure see the wisdom and truth in it. Just the other day, someone sent to me one of Spurgeon's sermons where he mentioned that sometimes a believer will experience a trial and/or temptation that makes him want to seek out counsel from another, whether in person or a biography of a great saint in a desperate attempt to find a solution. He noted that there very well may come a time when such a one might not find another who can identify with that particular stumbling block. In fact, sharing it may very well cause one to likewise stumble or react in dismay and misjudge the struggling soul.
There seems to be a support group mentality with many of us. There is a time for fellow believers to ask for help and guidance and, likewise, be met with wise counsel and exhortation; but the danger can be to lean on others rather than Christ Himself, Who knows our hearts, and yet, still loves us.
"For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. 4:15
Thank you, Dave. I've been blessed many times since I discovered your blog a few months ago.
Pearl,
Beautifully said! I am so thankful you found this humble blog & have graced it! Nothing needs to be added to what you said. Thank you for your kind & encouraging words! God bless you.
Pearl's comment was just what I needed to hear; I, too, am tempted to talk things over with friends (Christian friends, of course) and am learning it's way better to go directly into prayer. I have friends I love and we do discuss things but I need the sinless one for answers, inspiration, advice, encouragement....
David, I love those lines in that Psalm, it's just PRECIOUS.
So many of the verses in the Bible talk about the RIGHT HAND OF GOD that it intrigues me.
"Have no fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND" is one of my VERY favorites! SO many RIGHT HAND references......very sweet, very special. I'd give him my hand ANY day, particularly since Mr. Z is with Him! xxx
Thank you Z for another beautiful comment! Yes, the "Right hand" of God, representing the place of honor & power is wonderful to consider. Our precious Lord Jesus is at the Father's Right hand of course! Thank you for bringing that up, it would make a great study! As always, you've blessed me by your presence at this blog!
it's a blessing to BE here, David..xxx
Frankly, I'm almost wearying of the hard-hitting politics I'm doing six days a week and thinking of shutting down more seriously than I have before....I'd like to concentrate more on faith on my site, too. We'll see! I'll know when! :-)
And, I think that time's getting very close so maybe I should give this more thought.
Z, you're a great blessing to me, & I pray the Lord will lead you in this decision. I do know that sane & stable voices are few & far between in political circles today, & your blog has been an oasis for me. God Bless you, Z.
thanks, dear David, and thanks for "you're a blessing"..THAT will be the day! But, if you even feel that 1%, it's a great honor.xx
Z,
I don't feel it 1%, but 100%. I really appreciate you & your blog. God Bless you.
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