God Walks Beside Us!
Years ago, an old friend told me of the comfort and
joy he found in reading the Psalms. As heartaches increased in my
lifetime, I began to see how precious reading the Psalms has become for me.
joy he found in reading the Psalms. As heartaches increased in my
lifetime, I began to see how precious reading the Psalms has become for me.
The joy of the Psalms began as my Dad
lay in the hospital, and in the evening, mother told me she would go home and
get some sleep. I could not understand her leaving.
lay in the hospital, and in the evening, mother told me she would go home and
get some sleep. I could not understand her leaving.
Then Mother
quoted this Psalm to me. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for
You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8.
quoted this Psalm to me. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for
You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8.
Years
later, Mother wrote her family history, Lines are Fallen, by Anna Daisy
Siemens. In the opening pages, she quoted from Psalm 16:6. The lines
have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful
inheritance. Now I understood the cover and the lines she drew. Another of
her favorite verses she quoted often also became mine. Psalm 37:4. Delight
yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
later, Mother wrote her family history, Lines are Fallen, by Anna Daisy
Siemens. In the opening pages, she quoted from Psalm 16:6. The lines
have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful
inheritance. Now I understood the cover and the lines she drew. Another of
her favorite verses she quoted often also became mine. Psalm 37:4. Delight
yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
These
verses belong to the First Book of Psalms, Psalm 1-41, of the Five Books of
Psalms.
God walks beside us, Unseen, and yet always with us. When I feel
confusion or panic, When I turn to God, beside me, He will comfort me and
protect me. I never have to wonder if He knows what I am thinking,
saying, or doing. He is our Father God, our Shepherd. He is the spirit,
infinite, eternal, and faithful. His one purpose is to redeem us for His
own. He created man and woman and placed them in a sin-free garden. Then Eve
wanted to be like God and eat of the fruit God had forbidden. Next, He gave the
ten commandments to Moses for the Children of Israel to live by.
Next God sent his only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins, and we will live
with God when this life is over. Jesus gave us only two commandments. And
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and
first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39.
I remember the lyrics of a popular song, of the ’70s, “I Did it My Way.”
The composer felt the song was ‘self-indulgent.’ These lyrics made me
uncomfortable. This is how rebellion begins, by doing life ‘our’
way. It’s when we understand the beauty of our beginnings, before birth,
God thought of us. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also,
He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out
what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11.
We have a longing for living for an eternity with our Father God deep in our
hearts.
How many ways we can love? How does God love us? This is how we love
others. But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let
them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who
love Your name may exult in You. For
you bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover him with favor
as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12.
Our daily prayer is Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord,
my rock and my redeemer. I often heard my Mother quote this
verse.
A
hummingbird sipped at a tomato blossom, just now. And I remember… Psalm
19:1-4. This quote describes this verse. His Glory is
hidden in creation. The heavens declare the glory of
God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out
speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are
there words whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out
through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
Psalm
23:1-3 teaches us contentment in the Lord. He is enough. The Lord is
my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down
in. green pastures. He leads me beside still
waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of
righteousness for His name’s sake.
Our constant willingness to be His we find in Psalm 25:4-5. Make me to know
your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me
in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for
You, I wait all day long.
When fears mount up, there is no reason
to be afraid. Psalm 27:1,4-5,14. The Lord is my light
and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? One thing
have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in
the house of the Lord all the days of
my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in
his temple. For He
will hide me in His shelter in the day of
trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of his tent; He will lift me
high upon a rock. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your
heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
to be afraid. Psalm 27:1,4-5,14. The Lord is my light
and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? One thing
have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in
the house of the Lord all the days of
my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in
his temple. For He
will hide me in His shelter in the day of
trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of his tent; He will lift me
high upon a rock. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your
heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
The markets tease our appetite daily, and yet,
there is one way we can be filled and never hunger. Psalm 34:8-9. Oh, taste
and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who
takes refuge in him. Oh, fear the Lord, you, His
saints, for those who fear Him have no lack!
These are the verses speaking to me in the first 41 Chapters of Psalm.
Psalm 34 comes from David and is quoted in I Peter 2:3. Like
newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow
up into salvation if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Perhaps
you have other Psalms from Book One (1-41) that are your favorites. You
may find a verse or a Psalm that brings you through a difficult time and echoes
the moment of living in a sea of God’s blessings tasting His Goodness!
Look for His blessings that cannot be purchased or sold in this world!
Comments? eacombs@att.net