Be praised

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; 
    may the name of the Lord be praised.”

- Job 1:21

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.
Let him sit alone in silence,
    for the Lord has laid it on him.
Let him bury his face in the dust —
    there may yet be hope.
Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
    and let him be filled with disgrace.
For no one is cast off
    by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love. 
For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to anyone.

- Jeremiah, on Lamentations 3:25-33

Psalm 111

Praise the LORD.

   I will extol the LORD with all my heart 

   in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the LORD; 

   they are pondered by all who delight in them. 

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, 

   and his righteousness endures forever. 

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; 

   the LORD is gracious and compassionate. 

He provides food for those who fear him; 

   he remembers his covenant forever. 

He has shown his people the power of his works, 

   giving them the lands of other nations. 

The works of his hands are faithful and just; 

   all his precepts are trustworthy. 

They are steadfast for ever and ever, 

   done in faithfulness and uprightness. 

He provided redemption for his people; 

   he ordained his covenant forever— 

   holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; 

   all who follow his precepts have good understanding. 

   To him belongs eternal praise.

I believe that this psalm wants to draw our attention back to God’s work on behalf of his people in Exodus through Joshua. The reference to God’s grace and mercy (verse 4) reminds us of the revelation of God’s name in Exodus 34. His redemption (verse 9) takes us to the exodus, his precepts (verse 7) to Sinai, the provision of food (verse 5) to the wilderness wandering, his inheritance (verse 6) to the Promised Land.

So the question is: Do you study those wondrous works? He has caused them to be remembered (verse 4). He has written them in a book so that we can study them from delight. Do you remember the story?

Excerpt from Psalm 111: Delighting in the Works of God

Up

Lord,
I might screw things up,
situations might get messed up,
but I've given up,
'cos from now on it's up to You.

"The Lord your God, who is going before you,
will fight for you, 

as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. 

There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, 

as a father carries his son,
all the way you went until you reached this place."

- Moses, on Deuteronomy 1:30-31

Defeat

It is good to admit defeat sometimes.

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

   My grace is enough; it's all you need.
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

[ 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (MSG) ]

And I actually dreamt in the morning that I was teleported back to 2008 with the knowledge of what I have now, hahaha.. Joke!

Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.

- Psalm 31:3

Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

- Psalm 31:24

Go Ask God

"And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?"

- Solomon in 1 Kings 3:8-9

Hope

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

To my leaders

Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.

- Shecaniah son of Jehiel [ Ezra 10:4 ]

CBF

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; 
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

[ Proverbs 11:24 ]

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

[ Luke 12:34 ]

"... I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

[ 2Samuel 24:24b ]

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

[ 1Timothy 6:17 ]

I delight greatly in the LORD;
       my soul rejoices in my God.
       For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
       and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
       as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
       and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
       and a garden causes seeds to grow,
       so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
       spring up before all nations.

[ Isaiah 61: 10-11 ]

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
       and his ears are attentive to their cry; 

[ Psalm 34:15 ]

Delight yourself in the LORD
       and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

[ Psalm 37:4 ]

If the LORD delights in a man's way,
       he makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
       for the LORD upholds him with his hand. 

[ Psalm 37:23-24 ]

 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
       and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 Do not cast me from your presence
       or take your Holy Spirit from me.
 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
       and sinners will turn back to you. 

[ Psalm 51: 10-14 ]

My being before my doing

In the same way, let your light shine before men, 
         that they may see your good deeds 
         and praise your Father in heaven.

[ Matthew 5:16 ]

8,401 Days Old

My 8,401st day is coming!

Calculate yours here.

Be very careful, then, how you live
     —not as unwise but as wise, 

making the most of every opportunity, 
     because the days are evil. 

Therefore do not be foolish, 
     but understand what the Lord's will is.

[ Ephesians 5: 15-17 ]

I will sing of your love and justice;
       to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
       when will you come to me?
       I will walk in my house
       with blameless heart.
I will set before my eyes
       no vile thing.
       The deeds of faithless men I hate;
       they will not cling to me. 

[ Psalm 101: 1-3 ]

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, 

we have not stopped praying for you and asking God 
to fill you with the knowledge of His will 

through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 

And we pray this in order that you may 

live a life worthy of the Lord 
and may please Him in every way: 

bearing fruit in every good work, 

growing in the knowledge of God, 

being strengthened with all power 
according to His glorious might 

so that you may have great endurance and patience, 

and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, 

who has qualified you to share in 
the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 

[ Colossians 1: 9-12  ]

Seriously

In his heart a man plans his course,
       but the LORD determines his steps.  
- Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

We plan the way we want to live,
   but only God makes us able to live it. 
- Proverbs 16:9 (MSG)

Take life seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. Seriously.

NEVER be lacking in zeal, 

but keep your spiritual fervor, 

serving the Lord. 

- Romans 12:11 - 

zeal: great energy / enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause / an objective

fervor: intense and passionate feeling

Confidence

I am still confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD.

[ Psalm 27:13-14 ]