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Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Psalm 55:22 (NLT)
There is nothing as painful as being betrayed by a close friend. When we were created in God’s image, one aspect of that was the need for intimacy and love. Jehovah God is love. That means that His very essence, His very make up is love and love means relationship. When relationship it broken it hurts us because it attacks our feelings about whom we really are. Broken relationships equal rejection and rejection cuts to the very soul.
King David knew about being rejected. In Psalm 55 he states that being rejected and attacked by an enemy hurts, but that is to be expected. Being attacked by a friend, especially a close intimate friend, hurts more than anything else because it destroys faith and trust. The burden he talks about in verse 22 is the burden of being rejected by a close, personal friend. When that happens, he says, he turns to the one friend that never lets him down.
Another person that knew what it was like to be rejected was Jesus. On the night before he was crucified one of his closest friend came to him and kissed him on the cheek. That was a very intimate act on the part of Judas. But it wasn’t real. It was self-serving and malicious. It eventually led to Jesus’ death and Judas felt so guilty and ashamed for what he’d done to his friend that he committed suicide the next day.
Jesus knows rejection. That’s why he’s such a good friend to have. True friends stand with us during the hard times, are patient with us when we fail, uplift us when we are discouraged, love us enough to tell us the truth and never keep us from being who we want to be. They give us room to grow and a shield from danger or discouragement.
Even the best of friends will fail us at some time simply because they can’t fully understand how we feel because they can’t look inside us and see our heart or read our minds. Jesus is the perfect best friend because He’s also God. Jesus knows exactly how you feel on the inside. As our Best Friend Forever (B. F. F.) Jesus will stand by you in during the times when no one else knows how you feel.
John W. Peterson wrote a song shortly after he experienced a huge let down from a friend. It goes like this:
No One Understands Like Jesus by John W. Peterson
No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond compare;
Meet Him at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for you there.
No one understands like Jesus; Ev’ry woe He sees and feels;
Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals.
No one understands like Jesus When the foes of life assail;
You should never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail!
No one understands like Jesus When you falter on the way;
Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today.
CHORUS:
No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim;
No one is so near, so dear as Jesus–Cast your ev’ry care on Him!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I thank you today that you fully and completely understand my every thought, my every feeling and my every fear. I confess to you that sometimes I’ve not been a good friend to others and let them down miserably. I have also felt the pain of being rejected and abandoned by people I thought loved me but really only wanted to use me. There have been times I even have felt like You abandoned me. Help me to feel your presence and love today; to learn to walk with you and lay every care, concern, fear and hurt at Your feet. Wrap your arms of love around me. Amen
At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Ruth 2:10
Stereotypically speaking, we guys are supposed to run frantically at the mere mention of a love story. But the story of Ruth and Naomi has always been one of my favorite Bible stories. Imagine for a moment what it must have been like for Naomi. Like any mom, she watched her boys grow with hopes of having grandchildren running around the hut someday, hearing the little pitter-patter of feet on the clay floor, etc. etc.
Naomi and her husband moved with their two sons to a far off land due to famine. Naomi’s husband died and left her alone, as a widow. Hard as that must have been for her, she still had hope since her sons had married two wonderful women that Naomi loved dearly. Someday she would be cared for by her sons and she, in turn, could be the grandma she always hoped to be. Then tragedy struck. Both sons died. Naomi was left alone in a foreign land with no family and no hope. Her only recourse was to return to her homeland and hope to find family, and perhaps a life.
One of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, insisted that she go with Naomi. She would rather die with Ruth than to stay in her homeland. That’s loyalty. That’s love! The story gets better when Ruth goes out into the fields and begins to pick up grain after the harvesters came through. She’s noticed by the owner of the field who happens to be related to Naomi. Ruth and found favor in the eyes of Boaz. They fell in love and got married. Naomi finally got her grandson and little could she know that her great-great grandson would be King of Israel. His name? David!
That’s how God works sometimes. He seems to wait until the last possible moment to ‘rescue’ us from bad situations. Naomi could have given up. Ruth could have stayed home and remarried someone from her homeland. Both of these women stepped into the unknown, gave up what little they had and trusted God for the rest. In the midst of their darkest hour God not only provided their immediate needs, He used this situation for good years down the road! We can never know how our decisions for God today will impact our tomorrows.
Don’t let the enemy discourage you. God can use you where ever you are and in whatever circumstance you are in for His glory. Boaz looked on Ruth with favor for no apparent reason and changed Naomi’s and her future. In the same way, God looks on each of His children with favor and wants to change your world. He is preparing you today for whatever you will need to face tomorrow.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, the story of Ruth is one more reminder to me that you are an Awesome God of love and provision. Forgive me for the times I fail to remember how much you love me. Help me to live with the realization that my decisions for today will have an eternal impact on those who go behind me. Help me to trust you completely as I make choices that will draw others into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
Worry. It’s one of the greatest crippling influences of lives. The dictionary defines worry as “Tormenting oneself with or to suffer from disturbing thoughts.” There is NOTHING positive about worry and it does nothing healthy for our lives!
In a recent survey researchers discovered that 92% of the things people worry about either never happen, have happened in the past or are out of our control. That means that only 8% of the things we worry about are things that we have any hope of changing, and worrying about them won’t change a thing.
One day Jesus was teaching on a mountain top. I imagine that as people listened to His teaching they were enjoying the fresh mountain air. There were flowers nearby and birds soaring above. Jesus, the master teacher, used the moment to teach us a valuable truth. “Look around,” He said. “Look at the flowers. Do they worry about what their clothes look like? Do the birds concern themselves with having storage barns and cupboards full of food for the future?” We might add, do animals worry about retirement funds and 401K’s and their children’s college fund? The answer to all the above is a resounding “NO, of course not!”
As followers of Jesus Christ we need to constantly remind ourselves that we don’t need to worry about tomorrow. It’s not easy to admit, but often the things we worry about are a result of a lack of true belief in who we serve. If we serve a God that is like an angry, abusive or apathetic father, then we have reason for concern. We are on our own.
If however, we serve a God that is a loving, responsible, caring father we have nothing to fear. As a Loving Father He sees to our needs, encourages us in our weakness and forgives us when we fail. Someone once said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.”
Don’t allow yourself to be tormented by the thoughts of what could have been or what might be. Focus instead on the fact that you have a Loving Heavenly Father who wants to give you the best life can offer. Grow closer to Him in your walk through daily prayer, bible reading and fellowship with Christ honoring believers. The things of your past can be forgiven simply by asking. The future is in the hands of a Loving Heavenly Father. Ask for wisdom on your part in following Him today.
Title: Overheard in an Orchard
Said the Robin to the Sparrow, “I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings; Rush about and hurry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin, “Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father; Such as cares for you and me.”
— Elizabeth Cheney
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you today that you know my past and my future. I acknowledge that I believe you are willing to walk with me every day and that you know my tomorrows. Help me to have the strength to forget my past and the wisdom to face the future. Give me the power to deal with today and leave the rest in your hands. Amen.
You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. Psalm 119:57-58
No doubt as a young man alone in the fields, David had seen prey divided among the victors and heard their joy as they claimed their part of the spoil. Perhaps he’d watched his own men celebrate joyously as they divided the plunder from fallen enemies. The joy is in the ‘portion’, that part of the treasure which is all yours.
As he reflected on the blessings he’d received from Jehovah God, he rejoiced in the one true treasure that would last him far beyond gold, silver or any earthly object. David’s ‘portion’ was the salivation and shield that Jehovah God provided. Elsewhere he praised Jehovah for being his salvation and shield, his power to overcome and his protection from attack.
It is because of the love and protection David received that he gladly treasured the Words of his God deep within his heart. They were the well spring of guidance and wisdom. They were the source of all that made him who he was. Obedience to God’s commands wasn’t a hardship for David for he saw obedience as the least he could do in return for the blessings Jehovah God provided.
David’s joy seems to spill over into prayer. He seeks the ‘face of the Lord’ with every ounce of his strength, for through heartfelt, honest, persistent conversation with his God he was able to rest in the promises of God’s unending love, grace and mercy.
Don’t miss the significance of David’s words. These words came from a man guilty of adultery, murder, poor parenting and a whole list of other failings in life. David had a criminal record that rivals the most heinous of criminals. Yet he was considered a ‘man after God’s own heart’, not because of his own righteousness. David knew full well that his salvation came as a result of Gods working in him and not because of anything that David could do.
Our motivation to go on, to pursue our dreams, to live lives that are full of the joy of Christ have nothing to do with the circumstances and struggles of our lives. We can base everything we have the unending grace of God, who wants to bless us beyond all measure because of Jesus. Like David, we can rejoice in a living, loving all-powerful God, our eternal portion.
PRAYER: Jehovah God, I thank you for the many blessings you desire to lavish upon me. I confess to you that too often I seek worldly pleasures and riches over the eternal riches of a relationship with you. Help me to seek after you, to pursue you through your word and prayer. Empower me to want to obey and to have victory over the things I’m struggling with today. Empower me to today to believe that you want your very best in my life. Help me to believe in myself as I earnestly seek your direction. Amen.
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:5
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
We are unsure of when King David wrote the words of Psalm 8. It could have been written while he was on the throne in Jerusalem, or it could have been while he was on the run from one of King Saul’s murderous rampages. His present location isn’t clear, but his mindset is.
I imagine David writing this Psalm as he thought back to simpler, safer and easier times in his life. Times when his biggest enemy was loneliness as he sat in the hills of Judea watching over his father’s sheep, and his biggest fear was an occasional bear or lion or other enemy attacking the sheep when he least expected it. The words of this Psalm could very easily have come to David during his time as a shepherd, only to be written down later.
Imagine laying in the soft, cool mountain grass during the stillness of the night and looking up into the vast array of stars that make up our universe. While staring into space David is reminded of God’s great love for him. A love that is so great and enduring that God not only loves us, He honors us. He lifts us up and esteems us! To think a frail, weak, rebellious human such as I would be honored and esteemed by the ruler of the universe!
Years later, the Apostle Paul is writing his letter to the Romans and he too is reminded of God’s great love. He candidly shares with the Roman disciples his own shortcomings and struggle with sin and with failure. In the midst of this he reminds all of us that God’s love is directed to us on the basis of who Jesus is and what we do with Jesus, not on whom we are or what we can do for Him.
If the God of the Universe loves us so much that He honors and esteems us above all other things then how could He be any less anxious to bring his very best into our lives? We may not always understand the struggles we are going through or why God allows things to come into our lives. But we can know that in the end He will work everything for good in our lives.
Your Heavenly Father wants to do great things in your life. You may not understand all that is going on in your life right now, but you can know that your Heavenly Father can take even the toughest times of our lives and use them for our good and His glory.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I have to admit I don’t understand why you do what you do, particularly at this point in my life. I thank you for the promise that you love and honor me even though I’m so unworthy. Help me grow more in my love for you as you lead me through the tough times of life. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 