I Sought the Lord... Psalm 34

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

When David was distraught, downcast and fearing for his life, he sought the Lord. He sought the Lord while at the same time leaving a trail of examples to follow. No matter what he experienced, he seemed to always find refuge in the shadow of the wings of his Almighty. As he likely will have mused over his writings, poems and songs I wonder if David ever comtemplated the potential impact from his outpoured heart. The legacy he let flow during his times of great sadness and exhuberant joy.

I, for one, am so thankful for the trail he left. When my soul is downcast I am learning once again to put my trust in God, for I will yet praise Him. When fear or depression creep in, or despair comes knocking at my door, I do hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit calling me gently to also find refuge beneath the shadow of His great and mighty wings, or to allow myself to be lifted high in the palm of His righteous right hand. Often, these words I hear echoing in my mind and heart are the very words David, once a simple shepherd boy who grew up and died a great and mighty king, penned during his very own times of distress.

Today, when tides of emotion coming from who knows where tried to drown me I chose to be very deliberate in seeking the Lord, just as David did and just as countless saints before me have and currently do. And as I sought the Lord, He did hear me and He did answer me and Hedid deliver me from all my fears.

And now, I can intentionally teach my children to seek the Lord when they, too, are afraid or sad or even mad. As we sit around the kitchen table for breakfast to start off our school day with Bible reading and learning, they, too, can already learn from the holy pages filled by Kings and Shepherd Boys, Prophets and Sinners, Saints and... oh, so much more! How thankful I am that we can learn together how to live life in a way that pleases our Saviour and to understand that our Saviour God so greatly cares for us.

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.... The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned." Psalm 34:1, 22

“When it prospers, you will…prosper.” Jer 29:7

This is completely unoriginal. The following was one of the posts on a fellow pastor's facebook status yesterday. I am so thankful for the various avenues that the Lord uses to encourage His children and to spur us on toward good works for His glory. So thankful for how He does not leave us to deal with our circumstances and surroundings on our own, but is there to help, to encourage us and to feed us through His Word every step of the way.

May you be encouraged by this post...

“When it prospers, you will…prosper.” Jer 29:7 GWT

Are you at a place in your life and you’d rather not be there? Well, God has a word for you, but it may not be one you want to hear. It’s the same word Jeremiah brought to his people when they were slaves in Babylon, far from everything near and dear: “You’re not going home anytime soon, so change your attitude, dig in and make the best of it. Buy homes, plant gardens, let your children get married… and in addition, pray for the peace and prosperity of the city where you’re living because when it prospers, you will prosper” (See Jer 29: 5-7). The Israelites were in exile because God had allowed them to be taken captive. So, could it be that you are where you are today because God placed you there to bless those around you? Instead of putting your life on hold waiting for circumstances to change, start sowing into other people’s lives what you want to come back as a harvest in your own. Why? Because when they are blessed, you’ll be blessed too! How do we know? Because Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you…the measure you use…will be measured to you” (Lk 6:38 NIV). Martha Washington said, “I’m determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be. I’ve learned that the greater part of happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” That sounds just like Paul: “I have learned [to be] content in…every situation” (Php 4:12 NIV). If you want to go from surviving to thriving, make the most of where God has placed you.