ODJ: choice
November 9, 2009
READ: Psalm 84:1-12
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings (v.6).
Situated between old neighborhoods and new businesses, a 30-year-old community pool seems oddly out of place. The old pool and its adjacent building sag from forlorn neglect. Left uncovered, the pool fills with rain and debris; its algae-coated, muddied contents belying the cool, crisp water of youthful summers long past. More than an eyesore, it withholds hope. Not far down the road, though, the irony of nature withstands the passing of time. Hidden from view, a natural spring is hardly noticeable as overgrown bushes and vines guard its never-ending flow of fresh water.
Difficult places determine who we become. The psalmists knew times of great intimacy with the Lord, but they also knew hard places of struggle (Psalm 42:3). Their hope rested in the presence of God. Convinced of God’s sovereignty, the author wrote, “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else!” (84:10).
Contrary to what we may believe, we are not victims of our circumstances. We can, however, allow bitterness and offense to drain every bit of hope we have (Hebrews 12:15). Even worse, we can enter into a stale, stagnant acceptance that God has simply called us to travail in our existence (Numbers 21:5).
“Those whose strength comes from the Lord” (Psalm 84:5), however, keep His worship at the forefront, and “they walk through the Valley of Weeping” (v.6). A place of surrender, the valley teaches us that there is no one like our God. This act of submission releases His presence in our lives. Unlike the bitter rainwater in the old pool, the dry places in our hearts fill with life-giving water when we choose to praise Him. Moreover, when we understand that God’s love for us is bigger than our trials, what seems to be nothing more than overgrown chaos reveals hidden springs of life. —Regina Franklin
What Valley of Weeping are you walking through (or have you walked through)? Why does the enemy want to keep us from worshiping the Lord? How does worship change us and our view of God?
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Loading ...ODB: the heat of our desire
November 9, 2009
READ: Psalm 42
As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. —Psalm 42:1
Pastor A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) read the great Christian theologians until he could write about them with ease. He challenges us: “Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.”
The writer of Psalm 42 had the kind of longing for the Lord that Tozer spoke about. Feeling separated from God, the psalmist used the simile of a deer panting with thirst to express his deep yearning for a taste of the presence of God. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (vv.1-2). The heat of his desire for the Lord was so great and his sorrow so intense, he did more weeping than eating (v.3). But the psalmist’s longing was satisfied when he placed his hope in God and praised Him for His presence and help (vv.5-8).
O that we would have a longing and thirsting for Him that is so intense that others would feel the heat of our desire for Him! — Marvin Williams
Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy the thirsty soul.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Guidance in time of decision
By Robin Zachariahs, 17, India
I stood like a young child who is standing at the entrance of a maze. The child knows that his prize is at the centre of the maze, but reaching there and grabbing the prize isn’t as easy as visualizing it. Before him are the unknown paths, the unexpected blocks, the dead ends, and he only has his instinct to guide him.
I have a dream and I want to fulfill it. The dream is like the prize that is at the centre of the maze. I know where I want to reach but how to reach there—the paths and courses to take are like dead ends to me. Moreover, reaching my dream is more complicated than being in a maze because it involves time and money—two things that once gone will always be gone.
One morning, at around 3, I was prompted to get up to read God’s Word, which is God’s gift to us. He directed me to two verses:
Proverbs 3: 5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path.
James 1: 5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubt, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
I then knew that all I had to do was to kneel before Him, to submit to His hand, and then watch as He unfolds His wonderful plan to me.
These verses can encourage and strengthen anyone lost in a maze, where one has to make important decisions and is looking for guidance. And when we see gloom ahead, let us not despair but put our hope and trust in God who will “direct [our] path” (Proverbs 3:6).
For guidance in times of decision-making, let us open our Bible and listen to His voice.
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