Psalm 37: Trust the Lord in the Midst of Trials

For the first post in November,  here are a few verses and thoughts from Psalm 37:

V1-3 "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.  Trust in the Lord, and do good.....

These verses say to me that Christians ought  not to concern themselves and become anxious about all that goes on in this world of ours.  The Lord is in control and we may trust in him to take care of things according to his will.   Christians are to trust and to do good as we are led.

V4-5 "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass"

As we set our hearts on the Lord, he shall give Christians the desires of our hearts.  Now these are desires according to his will for us in an individual way.  I do not think however, that a desire for riches or worldly goods are things that are according to God's will.  

About Talebearing and Gossip

Last March my husband and I faced a challenge which was bad enough to cause me to go through something like the stages a person goes through when a loved one dies.  These stages are shock, denial, sadness, anger and then acceptance.  But this challenge came from people it should not have come from, that being not only fellow Christians, but also neighbours.

The challenge was that a private matter between us was taken by them to the leaders of the little church we attend.  Emails were shared and charges made against us, but of course, the whole story was not told.   My husband and I were told that we had to meet with the leaders of the church due to this "matter of concern".   My husband answered that this was a private matter between us and had nothing to do with the church and that we would not be meeting with anyone, and we made the decision to keep our mouths closed regarding this matter, that we would not be talking to anyone about it and that we would trust the Lord to carry us through.  As the months have passed since then, there have been no problems for us at the church, and in fact, the couple involved have left.

What does the bible say about talebearing and gossip?  How are Christians supposed to respond?  After this happened I read the book of Proverbs and it has much to say on the subject:

Proverbs 13:3 "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction."

Proverbs 18:8 "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."

Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Proverbs 10:19 ".....he that restraineth his lips is wise."

Proverbs 11:9 "An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered."

Proverbs 11:12-13 "He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.  A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful sprit concealeth the matter."

There are many more verses regarding this matter, the wisdom of keeping one's mouth closed.

I am sharing  about this because if you ever find yourself in a similar situation,  follow the words of Proverbs, trust the Lord, keep your mouth closed and wait until it passes.  It will be difficult, but the Lord will carry you through.

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vcg

The Temptation to go Ahead of God.

This past summer my husband and I decided that we no longer want to take part in what I now call “Commercialmas”  and what the local news called the “Christmas Creep”, the stores already carrying all Christmas things decorative.  This past summer we gave away our tree and all the decorations as well as an extensive village..  and we decided that in late September we would tell our family that we no longer want to celebrate the day.  We were invited to a family member’s house for dinner this past Sunday and it seemed a perfect time to tell them of our plans, and the next day my husband would have emailed another family member, also telling them of our plans.  But something happened to change these plans and so this is the reason for this post.

This past Sunday the sermon was on Genesis 24, when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac after the death of Isaac’s mother Sarah.  The speaker went through the chapter, and how Abraham told the servant (V3-4) “I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the god of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites…but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac”..

But the servant thought that perhaps the maiden would not want to follow him, he wanted to do things his way instead of waiting on the LORD, and so he said (V5) “if the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?”  This is speculation on the servant’s part that the woman would not want to follow.  But Abraham trusted that (V7) “the LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me…he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”  The servant must not consider what might happen, he must be obedient to his master, and trust that the LORD God is in control.

So the servant swore to do as Abraham said, and departed and he also prayed  (V12) “O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.”  and then he made specific request regarding the woman who would come to a well, and give water to the servant and to his camels, “let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shown kindness unto my master.”

Lament and Hope

 

Lament and hope, that is the title in my bible above Chapter 3 of the book of Lamentations.  Last Saturday my husband went for a second CT scan to see if the pulmonary nodule they noticed on the first scan is cancer.  Yesterday we drove to Victoria over the Malahat highway, with its gloriously beautiful views of the inlet far below and the Olympic mountains in the distance.  There were RVs pulled over at the viewpoints, admiring the beauty, but I was on the verge of tears the whole time thinking what it will mean if this little nodule is cancer.  Lamenting, that is the word.  Sorrowful and miserable.  Now what kind of an attitude is that for a Christian?  Selfish, that is what it is..  how can I on one hand, pray that the lump is benign and say “thy will be done” and then worry about it?  very hypocritical I would say.

My husband asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital, but I declined saying that I would rather go into the doctor’s office on Sept. 23 to find out the results of the scan.  The hospital is not far away, easy and free parking.  That is the bonus in living in a smaller town.  He had the first scan almost two weeks ago so he knew what to expect and as tests go, it is an easy test.

Now I am feeling much better than I was, and so this is my hope.  I hope that the nodule is benign, but if it is malignant, I pray the Lord will give both of us grace and strength to deal with it and I have no doubt that he will..  because Lamentations 3:21-26 are what I cling to:

“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.  It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.  The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.  It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

The photo above is of a beautiful, peaceful sunset a week or so ago looking to the west from our deck, with  the Garry Oak down the street and the distant hills in the background.  It wasn’t as colorful as some of our sunsets can be, but the colors were just so peaceful.. it reminds me that with a stressful day, there is beauty in the sunset, and hope for tomorrow.

Bible Women: Hannah - An Answered Prayer

1 Samuel 1:1 - 2:21

Hannah's story presents a beautiful example of love, submission, prayer, praise and worship.  She was a most godly woman.

We meet Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:2.  She is one of two wives of Elkanah. V2 tells us that Hannah had no children, but that Peninnah, the other wife, had children.  Hannah's husband went up each year to worship and sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh where Eli the priest was there with his two sons Hophni and Phinehas. (V3) and his family went with him.  V4-5 tell us that while Penninah  and her children were given portions, "unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb."  This is a testing time for Hannah, but the Lord knew her heart.  V6-7 tell us of the cruelty of Peninnah "her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb." Peninnah is called Hannah's adversary, and there is no mention of her ever doing a kind thing.  Perhaps she was jealous because she knew that Elkanah loved Hannah the most.

V7 tells us that these provocations went on year by year, and "therefore she (Hannah) wept, and did not eat."  Elkanah does not understand why Hannah is so upset, V8 "then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

In V9 they have gone to Shiloh again, and "... Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD." and now, V10-11 Hannah being in "bitterness of soul, she prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said "O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head." With this prayer we learn that Hannah believes in her heart that the LORD could open her womb and give her a child, and not only that but a boy. She shows great faith by being willing to submit to the LORD's will and promises to give the baby back to the LORD.