Excerpts from Psalm 68

Psalm 68

          For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.          

 4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
       extol him who rides on the clouds —
       his name is the LORD—
       and rejoice before him.

 5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
       is God in his holy dwelling.

      19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
       who daily bears our burdens.
       Selah

 20 Our God is a God who saves;
       from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

       32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
       sing praise to the Lord,
       Selah

 33 to him who rides the ancient skies above,
       who thunders with mighty voice.

 34 Proclaim the power of God,
       whose majesty is over Israel,
       whose power is in the skies.

 35 You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
       the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
       Praise be to God!

 

I love verse 19…”who daily bears our burdens”.  Why do I try to keep carrying the things that weigh me down? Why do I keep worrying about the things I have no control over? My Father in Heaven is carrying those burdens for me.  I no longer have to worry with or about them.  Praise God!  I need to tatoo this on my forehead backwards so I can be reminded of it every day! 

I Peter 5:6-7

  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

 

Pain Killers

“I tried to kill the pain, but made so much more.”

I heard that line in a song, and it rang with familiarity.  That’s exactly what I did.  I was searching for something…whatever it might be…that would make me stop feeling so sad over losses and changes in my life.  I didn’t realize it at the time though.  I thought that I was just living my life.  Doing what I wanted to do.  Moving on. But looking back now at the poor choices I made, the skewed judgement I was using, the insanity that passed as my logic…I was obviously grasping for something!! I was braindead and numb (or wishing that I was numb anyway).

Instead of turning to Jesus for that comfort, I pushed away from Him.  I ran away from everything that reminded me of Him.  More insanity!  I am not smart enough to understand all the psychology behind it, but I do know that I kept searching for something to fill a void in my life.  The relationship that led to my marriage was an attempt to feel safe, to feel loved, needed and wanted.  What I found was emptiness, depression, more fear and lots more pain.  

What I learned was this:  Life without Jesus is hopeless.  There is no life without Him. There is no comfort.  There is no safe place unless He is there.  The thing is, He didn’t leave me.  He was there.  I just refused to see Him or accept His comfort. Once I turned to find Him again, He was right there.   

I hope that my relationship with Jesus has moved to the point that I won’t run from Him when I am in pain next time.  Because there most likely will be more pain in my life.  You see, a life with Jesus is not a promise of no trouble or pain. But I have found my safe place. I have found my comfort. I have found the source of my hope.  It is with Him.

A Little More

I stole this from Paige…who borrowed it from another blog.  Some of the answers that pop up are eerily close to a real answer!  Others are just way off base..but good for a laugh sometimes.  Here are the instructions:

1. Put your iTunes/Ruckus/Napster/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?

Great Divide … Scott Stapp

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

With Arms Wide Open … Creed

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Every Breath You Take… Police

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

100 Years….Five for Fighting

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?

I Still Believe… Jeremy Camp

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Since You’ve Been Gone … Kelly Clarkson

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

I Can’t Tell You Why … Eagles

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?

Goodbye…Elton John

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

Landing in London … 3 Doors Down

WHAT IS 2+2?

Leave … Matchbox Twenty

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Your Love is Extravagant….Casting Crowns

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

May it Be … Enya

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Numb….Linkin Park

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

Sea of Faces…Kutlass 

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Someday … Nickelback

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Songbirds and Roosters … Robi Rosa

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

This Fragile Breath….Todd Agnew

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

Through Glass…Stone Sour

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

The Power of the Cross….Chris Tomlin

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Fields of Gold…Sting

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Bother…Corey Taylor

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

It’s Not Over…Daughtry

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Welcome to the Black Parade….My Chemical Romance

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

Undercover…Pete Yorn

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

A Little More….Skillet

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great weekend…may God bless your heart with happiness today.