Feb. 28, 2008
Part of today's blog entry turned into an article. Please see: A Better Country in the the Bible Study section. :-)
Prevented by the Lord
David wrote in, Psalm 21:1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. 3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
According to Samuel Johnson's dictionary, "prevent" means, "...To go before as a guide; to go before, making the way easy...To go before to be before...To anticipate...To preoccupy...to attempt first...To hinder; to obviate; to obstruct..."
The last meaning is almost the only meaning used now, and was even in Johnson's day. However, some of the earlier meanings are interesting in light of some of the verses in the King James Bible that use the word "prevent". (Try looking them up. There aren't many.)
In the verse above it seems like the meaning used is that of going before. The Lord went before David with blessings of goodness.
This gives us several comforting thoughts. First of all, the Lord is already in the future before us. He is already occupying the place that we will be. He is ahead of us in every way, therefore, He anticipates our needs. He is a guide and so, in His wisdom, He will lead us to and through the future, making the way easy. We can also trust Him to obstruct anything that would not be for our good.
2Thessalonians 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
"Prevent" is a good word for the child of God to be comforted and stablished in. He is going before us with blessings of goodness and surely it is a good blessing that the Lord prevents us in the complete meaning of this word!
CA
Jan. 17, 2008
Not Going Alone
Psalm 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. ...5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Once again we have been packing to move. A majority of our possessions are already somewhere in central Texas, thanks to my brother and sister-in-law's kind help. We are making do with what's left here and hoping that the actual move will be in the not too distant future.
This poem by Annie Johnson Flint came to mind recently.
"For Thou Art With Me"
I know not when I go, nor where,
From
this familiar scene;
But Christ is here and He is there
And all the way
between;
And, when I pass from all I know
To that dim, vast unknown,
Though
late I stay, or soon I go,
I shall not go alone.
[altered]
It is a great comfort for the believer to know that our Lord is before us, with us and behind us. We are assured of His presence all the way, regardless of where the journey takes us. He is already there, and He will accompany us all the way.
In facing the new and the big changes in life we need to lay hold on this hope. It has great comfort and peace in it.
Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
CA
Jan. 10, 2008
A Clean Start
Lamentations 3:22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
How curious and yet appropriate that these comforting words should appear in the book or Lamentations - a book of sorrow with a word of hope and comfort. This is the way of our Lord.
The lines of an old poem came to mind recently. I looked it up and here is part of it:
Every day is
a fresh beginning,
Every morn is the world made new;
You who are weary of
sorrow and sinning,
Here is a beautiful hope for you --
A hope for me and
a hope for you...
Yesterday
now is part of forever,
Bound up in a sheaf which God holds tight;
With
glad days and sad days and bad days which never
Shall visit us more with their
bloom and their blight --
Their fullness of sunshine or sorrowful night.
Let
them go, since we cannot relive them;
Cannot undo, and cannot atone;
God
in His mercy receive and forgive them;
Only the new days are our own,
Today
is ours, and today alone...
("New
Every Morning", Susan Coolidge)
This comfort comes to the child of God in the above verse and in 1 John 1: 9; If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
As we head into this new year it's a great comfort to know that through Jesus Christ our sins from last year can be washed away and removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.) This is infinite distance and means that they are completely removed! Thank God that we can start out this new year with a clean slate if we but obey His word and confess our sins!
We who are "in Christ" are not responsible to pay for the sins of last year or of any time in our life. He paid the price in full for us on Calvary. We are saved to the uttermost. Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Last year, and already this year, we have failed, we have sinned. But through confession to God and forgiveness from God each year, each day, each hour can be a new beginning to start fresh - as white as snow!
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Psalm 51:7 ...wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness...10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Let us go joyfully and hopefully into the new year with our sins confessed and forgiven through Jesus Christ! Through Him, and Him alone, our year lies white and clean before us and miraculously, the past year can lie white and clean behind us! This is peace and comfort beyond human understanding!
Philppians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
[Also see, "New Every Morning", by Annie Johnson Flint.]
CA
