Pushing the mind. I have a lot to do, a lot to write – not necessarily to share, but a lot to write. But the mind must be as exhausted as the body… then the flow accompanies and/or follows the fatigue.
Pushing the spirit. Pushing the Spirit.
Thank You, Lord, for the reading of Your Word today.
Apparently we didn’t quite figure out as we thought we did regarding Mom’s issue with her credit card. For now the first thing I thought was (1) it was good we had resources to meet the deficit, and (2) it could have been far worse.
But I believe the words we speak stand and remain. As was revealed when we cried when the incident was fresh, and as we proclaimed when we thought we had some favor, so now we continue to proclaim – All is well. God is our Father who vindicates our family.
I have this in mind as I continue down this pleasant road of revelations by way of the Psalms.
Psalm 79
A Dirge and a Prayer for Israel, Destroyed by Enemies
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
2 The dead bodies of Your servants They have given as food for the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem, And there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
5 How long, LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his dwelling place.
8 Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake!
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known among the nations in our sight The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power Preserve those who are appointed to die;
12 And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13 So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
As I was editing the formatting of this Psalm, my eyes were absolutely fixated on verse 12, and I’m now wanting to say – return to those who stole from us, SEVENFOLD into their bosom, their reproach with which they reproached… us? Yes, but also with which they have reproached the Lord of Hosts.
Our blood cries for vengeance and vindication, but before this we recognize the blood of our Savior, which has proclaimed that our righteousness and forgiveness have been finished – as in completed, sealed and guaranteed.
These folks, as nations, mock us and our God and Father; And though we could agree with Asaph for them to see our blood, we, as new creations with new minds and hearts, plead instead for them to see the blood of Christ shed for their forgiveness and deliverance… Yes, let their salvation be our revenge, and let our revenge be their salvation, through the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let those who have come to steal from us, kill us and destroy us be utterly engulfed with the everlasting Life which Christ came to give us – for their betterment, or for their detriment.
And do it for Your sake, Father – I know You want us to be in Your good graces, and in favorable conditions, even according to our limited expectations… but I wish to state on the record that I want vengeance to be Yours, and I want You to repay – not merely for our vindication, but for the unity of the body of Christ, for the expansion of Your Kingdom, and for the utmost glory of Your name.
I claim the promise of Your Word, particularly where You mention that You will not share or yield Your glory with idols (Isaiah 42:8) – because I believe You will also not allow Your glory to be so easily mocked, by way of these evil people, these bad actors who assault Your children. Do it all for the glory of Your name, Father. Our trust is in You.
Sorry, I just had to let that out – and if it so happens that you have something going on in your life similar to this, well, I’m joining you in lifting these burdens and these cases up to the Lord – because He will not allow us to be trod upon; He will redeem us, He will rescue us in brilliant manner, for His’ Name’s sake.
Indeed, as I was typing that last line, He shall also lead us into paths of righteousness as all this goes us. He shall restore our souls; He shall lead us into still waters, He shall bring us to lie down in green pastures, even as the world and all its darkness comes against us.
Yes, He shall prepare a table before us in the presence of these evil men, these unrighteous powers and principalities; He shall anoint us as they look on with weeping and gnashing of teeth – ALL for His’ Name’s sake.
Yes, I can’t help it, and I want to be honest – this is what I WANT to happen… but more than any of this, oh, let us be more fixated on Him. Let us trust in Him. No matter how we want things to happen, let us put our hope in Him.
Let us, as Asaph, tell Him what we see, tell Him what we feel; Let us pour it all out, down to the doubts we have of Him even responding or hearing us. Let us cry out to Him, trusting Him with the deepest and the darkest moods, thoughts and ideas we have in the deepest recesses of our hearts… Because, whether we know it or not, He DOES think about us.
I claim the promise of His Word, that He is ALWAYS thinking of us, as a good Father.
Let us thank Him.
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JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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