Im currently in Israel and yesterday I saw something really special. I hiked way up into a hillside, the dry desert I was in turned into a lush tropical setting with waterfall after waterfall until we came to one large waterfall. Beautiful. A tiny little bit of heaven on earth. I found out that David the great Psalmist and warrior wrote the following in this very area: 1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by. 2 I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. 4 My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows And their tongue a sharp sword. 5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth. 6 They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They dug a pit before me; They themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Selah. 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 9 I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. 10 For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens And Your truth to the clouds. 11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth My heart is steadfast, through it all, though Im attacked from every angle my heart is steadfast. As I sat there in this majesty of lush green life, I can see just beyond that the life ceases and the harshness of life yet remains. I was a little overwhelmed with the thought that David was seeing something similar but his very life was sought. He ran and was searching refuge when he found this place, the place where Im standing. He penned those words where I am. In so many ways those very same words apply to all of us. We all see attacks and we all have heartache. And we all have the very same opportunity to sing praise. As David would first outline his struggle, to deal with it, he would then move to the place that no man can take from him...his faith. I find it very revealing though that he did discuss his heartache in order to move to a place of praise and then victory. Its also interesting that he never stayed in the heartache, he went straight through it, but go through it you must. Ignoring it doesnt lead you out of it. Faith isnt a tool to avoid heartache, its whats been given us to make it through. The battles we face, the grounds we take turn into countless wins for so many others. You and I represent more than you and I. The shadow of death you face, that very thing turns into your influence if you can follow that Psalm above. Though Im in darkness I will yet awaken the dawn.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 22:24:12 +0000
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