Have you ever heard something...a song...saw something...a picture...met someone at just the right time...heard a "little voice" that said to go another direction...only to find out later that you'd avoided an accident...anything like these things? I do believe that God speaks to us in various ways...it might not be through a burning bush, nor in a dream...like in Biblical times; but he does show us things that we need to see/hear/experience/ at just the right time. I LOVE it when these types of things happen to me; to experience, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is near and knows what you are going through, is just an awesome reminder of his promise..."Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you".
This morning during worship...before it ever began, I was somewhat distracted...Don was speaking and something about when he speaks, I can't understand him..he talks really fast and kinda' runs his words together; anyway, he was leading worship today and I was sorta' tuning him out...at least the speaking part. I heard clear as day "Read Psalm 103 while you're sitting there". Now, Psalms just happens to be one of my favorite books of the Bible, next to James and Hebrews. Lots of verses in Psalms are underlined and highlighted in my Bible, especially the ones about creation and how much care God put into making it especially for us. Anyway, wasting no time, and eager to see what was there and what God wanted me to read..., I turned to Psalm 103...I might add somewhat doubting that it was HIM speaking to me to begin with...
1Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,slow to anger, abounding in love.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass,they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting ,the Lord's love is with those who fear him,
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass,they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting ,the Lord's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children—
18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding,who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works, everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul.
18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding,who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works, everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul.
Now, after reading that, I realized that this was exactly what I needed to hear, regarding recent personal struggles that I have been experiencing. I was just talking to a dear friend yesterday via email (you'll know who you are when you read this), about why I beat myself up and why do I intentionally sabotage myself, only to feel failure and then feel as if I certainly couldn't deserve to feel good about myself because of my weaknesses. Though they are minor compared to what I'm certain some struggle with; to me, they are mountains. So anyway, I was pondering on this passage...when the service continued. The choir sang, then Mr Beasley sang a solo...and lo and behold...what song was it? "As far as the East is from the West" by Casting crowns. (click the link below to hear it and see a fabulous video on You Tube to go along with the lyrics).
By now, there's not a doubt in my mind that I just received a divine message...the second time this has happened to me that I can remember...Well, if you are familiar with Psalms 103, and you read it above, you know that verse 12 of Psalms 103 is what this song is based from. The chorus is verbatim. OK, so at this point the hair stood up on the back of my neck and it was like a great big hug from God. Just what I needed; a double dose to begin my week and end the previous one. I encourage you to cry out with your struggles to God....he knows them anyway, he just wants you to acknowledge Him and admit your weakness and ask for strength. I got mine today. :-)
4 comments:
I love this! This is something I've thought about a lot lately....hearing God in different ways. I'm really trying to be aware of Him speaking to me. Sometimes I think it gets overlooked.
Good stuff...I have several personal testimonies where I can look back and see that God was certainly speaking to me in specific instances.
I LOVE hearing stories like this!!! Thanks for sharing. :)
Wow Kelly! I had this same thing today! Today Kalie's teacher called w/ great news about Kalie and I was thinking (and thanking) about how things have changed so much since kindergarten (the bully thing). Our bible study is the "Stepping Up, Ascent of the Psalms 120-134" by Beth Moore (which I highly recommend by the way). Today's study was about disrespect (bullies) and wow..God was talking directly to me! What a peace I felt. Beth recommends planting your face in the ground (literally, which I highly recommend also)and talking to God each day before your lessons. It sure gets the flood gates going and opens your ears. It lets you really know he is there and he does listen to you and he does speak to you..you just have to be still and listen.
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