Memory – Psalm 37.4-6 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday
Meditation – We have noted in Psalm 119 that delighting in the Word of God and meditating on it helps us to know something about God and what pleases him. However, the goal is not the sterile or mechanical exercise of memorization and recitation, it is entering into an active relationship with the God who loves you and has set you apart for his own purpose. The apostle John wrote: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (1 John 3.1-3). The apostle Peter wrote: Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1.8-9).
I have found that as I'm seeking to know what pleases God and I'm praying for his direction in my life, it is not uncommon that God orders the events in my life that are extraordinary answers to prayer.
When I was in seminary (graduate school) Linda was diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid, and it became clear we needed additional income. I was committed to work in the ministry and began to pray specifically for a position as a student pastor of a church – I did not want to be a “youth pastor in training” as many of my fellow classmates were doing. Frankly, I didn’t think my strong suit was in that arena. So, prayed for a church where I would be the solo pastor with a salary of $5,000 and a home to live in. I approached the office of students affairs to let them know of my desire they politely told me that they did not recommend any students for such positions. I mentioned that I had prayed about the matter and felt strongly that what I was seeking was in line with the way God was leading me. Within a very short time I was told there were two churches looking for what I had described. The first church was a twenty-minute drive from the seminary offered a beautiful home and a salary of $7,200. The second church was a ninety-minute drive from the church offered a nice home and a salary of $5,000. As Linda and I were prayerfully considering to which church we ought to respond, her morning devotions were in Isaiah 42.10 Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. The church that was an exact answer to prayer was on an island off the coast of New Jersey. We went there and six months later because the Lord was so blessing the church they gave me an unasked for $2,200 raise equal to the salary of the church we had turned down. God’s surprises us with joy as well as our daily bread.
Sometimes as we delight in God we find what seems to be exceptional providential care; sometimes, as we seek to honor and glorify him in our lives there are hardships to endure. Yet, in all circumstances God is faithful and will set our hearts at rest with his peace. He is the Shepherd of our souls. He will never leave us or forsake us. As he promised: I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28.20b).
I have found that as I'm seeking to know what pleases God and I'm praying for his direction in my life, it is not uncommon that God orders the events in my life that are extraordinary answers to prayer.
When I was in seminary (graduate school) Linda was diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid, and it became clear we needed additional income. I was committed to work in the ministry and began to pray specifically for a position as a student pastor of a church – I did not want to be a “youth pastor in training” as many of my fellow classmates were doing. Frankly, I didn’t think my strong suit was in that arena. So, prayed for a church where I would be the solo pastor with a salary of $5,000 and a home to live in. I approached the office of students affairs to let them know of my desire they politely told me that they did not recommend any students for such positions. I mentioned that I had prayed about the matter and felt strongly that what I was seeking was in line with the way God was leading me. Within a very short time I was told there were two churches looking for what I had described. The first church was a twenty-minute drive from the seminary offered a beautiful home and a salary of $7,200. The second church was a ninety-minute drive from the church offered a nice home and a salary of $5,000. As Linda and I were prayerfully considering to which church we ought to respond, her morning devotions were in Isaiah 42.10 Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. The church that was an exact answer to prayer was on an island off the coast of New Jersey. We went there and six months later because the Lord was so blessing the church they gave me an unasked for $2,200 raise equal to the salary of the church we had turned down. God’s surprises us with joy as well as our daily bread.
Sometimes as we delight in God we find what seems to be exceptional providential care; sometimes, as we seek to honor and glorify him in our lives there are hardships to endure. Yet, in all circumstances God is faithful and will set our hearts at rest with his peace. He is the Shepherd of our souls. He will never leave us or forsake us. As he promised: I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28.20b).
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