Here’s my message to the kids. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk with them for the longest time. There were old faces, and new faces.
Since today was February 28, I went ahead and decided to talk on Psalm 28.
I opened up with how things have been pretty grim ever since the last time I had the opportunity to speak with them. People have been dying, things have been breaking down, opportunities have gone; There’s been finality in certain connections and the uncertainty in others continue to dig deeper into my mind.
I’ve shared how the rest of the world is trapped with these situations, and what’s worse is that the anxiety and fear and stress associated to said circumstances remains with them, and it manifests to sickness and pain – or, I failed to mention, they turn to other forms of ‘release’ to let out all the steam that’s building up.
Psalm 28
The LORD Is My Strength and My Shield
OF DAVID.
1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts.
4 Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
Fortunately, I shared, we have the option to pray. We have the opportunity to let off steam to the best One who can receive it – no less than the Creator of the Universe, and of all things seen and unseen. We can release all pressure, we can pray and let it all out to Him… We can drain all of it down, for Him to listen and to respond.
I didn’t stop there – I mentioned that the only reason we have this opportunity is because of Jesus Christ – who was born as one of us; He lay His life down, rose again after 3 days, and ascended into heaven after 40 days… All, so we could be fully reconciled to God, so much so that we are able to call Him our Father. I reminded them that Christ became sin, that we would become His righteousness.
So I showed them this example. According to verses 1-2, David was crying out to the Lord, pleading with Him to listen, to hear him… and, according to verse 3-4, he was crying out because, being the King that he is, he had a lot of enemies, who held nothing back and cursed him every opportunity they could. I told the folks that we can be the same way – open, and specific about the details of what we feel.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
So at this point I told the kids that (1) we can call out to God, we can cry out to the Father for everything that’s happening, and/or everything that isn’t happening in our lives… and, also, as read in verse 5-6, that (2) our God not only hears our prayers, but He listens to us – He is willing and able to hear all that we have to tell Him.
My final point to them was in verse 7. I set expectations that the Lord doesn’t necessarily rescue us and save us according to our expectations, but He responds to all of our prayers according to His great love, infinite knowledge and eternal wisdom for us. To that end, just as He responded to David, so He responds to us, in all our prayer – By being our strength, and by being our shield. He causes us to stand no matter what, because He protects us, no matter what.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Considering that there’s someone who was at my speaking arrangement earlier, who would be present in another fellowship I’m heading or sharing in, I decided to look at Psalm 128.
Psalms 128
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the LORD
A SONG OF ASCENTS.
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!
The only thing I have to share about this is that we’re blessed, and blessed beyond measure – that’s consistent for each and every member of the body of Christ. Some of us would be blessed with healing, some with provision, while some wouldn’t be blessed with other things… but these things only follow the blessing we all have, the blessing of all blessings – Jesus Christ.
Be honest though, I shared more about what I mentioned in the previous post, regarding how I was frustrated about my Mom getting all those felonious, fear-mongering videos in her feed. But I didn’t stop there. We shouldn’t stop there. We should always, always point to Christ.
Sorry, I’m letting all this out sporadically. I’m actually typing this with a whole bunch of other things happening around me.
All the same, thanks for letting me release some steam. I’ll do better next post, I promise.
Until then, God bless us all.
93755/365000
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
Leave a comment