October 9
________________________________________
MY STRONGHOLD & THE ROCK OF MY REFUGE
For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?
17 If the LORD had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”
Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.
20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,
One which devises mischief by decree?
21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous
And condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has been my stronghold,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them
And will destroy them in their evil;
The LORD our God will destroy them.- Psalm 94:15-23
________________________________________
In this psalm, the writer focuses on the righteous God we have. He judges fairly. All those who live upright lives knows that God gives justice impartially. Verses 16-17 declares the faithfulness of God and how He is a promise keeper who will ensure that the wicked are punished when they do evil to God’s people. It is a declaration of confidence in God who is the only one who can deliver them against wickedness. Verse 17 is a grateful act of God’s help. Without it, anyone would feel overwhelmed and helpless, but the psalmist knows his God very well. He knows that God will never be silent, but will always be there on their rescue. Verses 18-19 enumerates what God does in times of anxiety. God always ensures that the faithful will never entertain anxiety and worry because they know that God will always console them.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How often do you run to your stronghold when trouble comes?
• Why is it important to dwell on God’s promises when anxiety sets in?
Monthly Archives: October 2020
THE LORD NEVER ABANDONS HIS PEOPLE ILMA’S VLOG
October 8
________________________________________
THE LORD NEVER ABANDONS HIS PEOPLE
Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.-
12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance. Psalm 94:8-14
________________________________________
This song of lament is a reminder to all those people who are undergoing oppression. It prompts them to remember all the things the Lord has created and done for His people. Verse 8 brings people to their foolishness and verses 9 mentions gifts that God has given those whom He made. He gave them ears to hear Him and eyes to see Him and yet people don’t use it for that purpose. Humans have a tendency to use such gifts for their own gains. Verse 10 talks about God’s faithfulness at keeping His promise to those who love Him. He will correct and discipline them. In verse 11, we are reminded of the omniscient nature of God, who sees everything. He knows our thoughts.
The psalmist reminds God’s people of the blessings they are going to experience when they are faithful to their creator. In verse 13, we hear the promise of comfort and deliverance from adversities. It also talks about the vengeance that God will bring forth to the enemies who oppress His beloved people. Another promise in this part of Psalm 94 is that the Lord never forsakes His people. He is faithful to ensure that salvation and deliverance are granted to all the faithful ones who runs to Him for help in times of oppression and troubles.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we constantly run to God when it is in our nature to self-protect and be self-sufficient? Why does God want us to depend on Him?
RUNNING TO GOD FOR COMFORT IN EVIL TIMES ILMA’S VLOG
October 7
________________________________________RUNNING TO GOD FOR COMFORT IN EVIL TIMES
O LORD, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
3 How long shall the wicked, O LORD,
How long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
5 They crush Your people, O LORD,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 They have said, “The LORD does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.” – Psalm 94:1-7
________________________________________
Psalm 94 is a community lament written for a time when the wicked not only revel (v3) but also oppress the people (v5-6). This psalm was written to plead God to act on the evil being done to the people. They ask God for protection from the wickedness they are experiencing.
It is so refreshing to hear the people humbly run to God like a little child, reporting to the parent about what is going on in her/his life. Even though the parent probably knows already the things happening, it is still good to hear the child express trust and dependence. It manifests a closeness, a bond between the child and parent. It is like this with us and God. We need to run to God for protection, for provision and for guidance just like a child would. Although human mind is limited like a child, God loves the act of running to Him for help. It shows closeness and intimacy. It reveals a relationship that is borne out of love.
Verses 3-7 enumerates what people are experiencing and reveals a hope for God to act on such evil deeds in verse 3. Of course, God knows everything. The act of running to Him in times of distress and oppression is a good sign that the people are very much connected to their God. It exhibits faithfulness as well.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it important to run to God for comfort in times of trouble and oppression?
ARISE O GOD & RESCUE YOUR PEOPLE ILMA’S VLOG
<a href=”http://www.ilmaarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/auries-2012-visit-121.jpg”>
October 6
________________________________________ARISE O GOD & RESCUE YOUR PEOPLE
Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled,
And a foolish people has spurned Your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast;
Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever. 20 Consider the covenant;
For the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21 Let not the oppressed return dishonored;
Let the afflicted and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, and plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man reproaches You all day long.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries,
The uproar of those who rise against You which ascends continually. -Psalm 74:18-23
________________________________________
Matthew Henry comments on verses 18-23 as such. The psalmist begs that God would appear for the church against their enemies. The folly of such as revile his gospel and his servants will be plain to all. Let us call upon our God to enlighten the dark nations of the earth; and to rescue his people, that the poor and needy may praise his name. Blessed Saviour, thou art the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Make thy people more than conquerors. Be thou, Lord, all in all to them in every situation and circumstances; for then thy poor and needy people will praise thy name.
I love how Asaph reminds God to act upon rescuing His people. It shows that he knows his God who promised to free the oppressed as Isaiah 58:6 says “Undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke.” Asaph is looking forward to the promise of God for deliverance for His own people.
It sounds like Asaph is telling God to fight for Himself when the enemy has rejected Him and desecrated His temple in verse 18. It seems humorous to hear a mortal tell an immortal God what to do, but I think the act of conversing with God about things we don’t understand is a manifestation of humility and intimacy with the Lord. It exhibits his knowledge of a God he knows so well. Do we do the same? Do we actually converse with God and discuss the concerns of our hearts with Him? We need to care enough to lay down all our burdens and concerns to God.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How often to do you intimately confide and converse with God all your concerns?
PETITION FOR GOD’S DELIVERANCE ILMA’S VLOG
October 5
________________________________________PETITION FOR GOD’S DELIVERANCE
Yet God is my king from of old,
Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You broke open springs and torrents;
You dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
You have prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have established all the boundaries of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.- Psalm 74:12-17
________________________________________
Earlier in this psalm, Asaph was lamenting and grieving over the temple destruction. He kept on asking why God allowed such evil to happen to His own place of worship. In these following verses in 12-17, we hear a shift of Asaph’s emotions. From whining he moves to worshiping the Lord.
Verse 12 recalls God as King from ancient times who has done so many acts of deliverance for mankind. God created many things for us to have the life that He wanted us to have. In verse 13, Asaph mentions sea monsters and Leviathan. This creature is a multiheaded sea serpent that is killed by God and given as food to the Hebrews in the wilderness. In Isaiah 27:1, Leviathan is a serpent and a symbol of Israel’s enemies, who will be slain by God. Crushing the heads of Leviathan is representative of God’s crushing the enemy’s head. He delivers us from the evil one.
Asaph enumerates further in verses 15-17 what God has done for His people in the wilderness and how God has created boundaries between day and night and different seasons. Asaph reminds God of all the things that He has done for His people and praises Him for such deeds of deliverance.
We can learn from Asaph humility and a dependence on God. Another thing that was remarkable with him was how much he knows his good God.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it important for believers to run to God for defense and provision?
WHY ALLOW EVIL, LORD? ILMA’S VLOG
October 4
________________________________________WHY ALLOW EVIL, LORD?
They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
8 They said in their heart, “Let us completely subdue them.”
They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet,
Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, will the adversary revile,
And the enemy spurn Your name forever?
11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
From within Your bosom, destroy them!- Psalm 74:7-11
________________________________________
In this psalm of lament, Asaph questions God why He has allowed His sanctuary be burned to the ground. Why was the enemy allowed to do such wicked thing? We hear the pain in Asaph’s heart as he tells the Lord all the remains of a place where they worship the Lord.
One of the questions asked by many unbelievers is this: Why does God allow evil and suffering? It is sad to hear this same question coming from God’s own people, but this is the reality that we need to face. Being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from the pains and trials in this cruel world. We all need to see the way the Lord looks at what is really going on. Our limited minds cannot fathom why God would allow such painful events to happen. Many of us believers become consumed by what we are going through that we fail to see what lesson God is teaching us from certain painful events in our lives. We get stuck in the question “why?” and fail to ask “What do I need to learn from this event or defeat?” There is always a reason why God allows suffering and evil to momentarily prevail. Maybe God wants us to use such painful events to humble us or to strengthen us for a future purpose He wants us to fulfill.
When Asaph asked God the question why he withdrew His right hands on them, he probably was overcome by grief and defeat. But the act of running to God and asking Him is a very honest humble act of dependence. He wants for God to make him see why such things happened. He knows the Lord well enough to ask why it seems like God has abandoned them. Even Jesus himself asked God “Father, why have you forsaken me?”
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is honesty about our pain important to God?
LAMENT OVER THE TEMPLE RUINS
October 3
________________________________________
LAMENT OVER THE TEMPLE RUINS
O God, why have You rejected us forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,
Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance;
And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.
3 Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins;
The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place;
They have set up their own standards for signs.
5 It seems as if one had lifted up his axe in a forest of trees.
6 And now all its carved work
They smash with hatchet and hammers.- Psalm 74:1-6
________________________________________
According to enduringword.com website, this psalm is a plea and a prayer in great sorrow from the destruction of the sanctuary. The majority of commentators believe this psalm followed the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians. Some argue that it is even later, following the desecration of the temple in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes. If these later dates are true, this Asaph who wrote it is not the great singer and musician of David and Solomon’s era, unless Asaph composed this psalm prophetically, which was possible according to 1 Chronicles 25:1 and 2 Chronicles 29:30.
This psalm is a community lament, a cry of anguish over the destruction of the temple. It recounts God’s mighty deeds in the past, especially the exodus. Asaph grieves over the temple ruins from the enemy’s attack. He declares to God the pain of watching what was left of the holy place of worship. He asks the Lord why He has turned His back on His people and allowed the enemy to desecrate this place.
Doesn’t this psalm remind us of how grieved we can be after losing our spirits in the battle waged by the enemy to destroy us? When we are overcome by sin, there is a cry inside of us to ask God for help. Sometimes, we cannot stop asking God why he allowed such events or loses to happen to us. Even the most faithful servants of God can be grieving over the loss of purity and faithfulness they have lived for that was destroyed by the evil one.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is important to run to God when we are grieving over a loss?
TRUSTING IN GOD IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE ILMA’S VLOG
October 2
________________________________________
TRUSTING IN GOD IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE
As for me, I shall call upon God, and the LORD will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,
For they are many who strive with me.19 God will hear and answer them—
Even the one who sits enthroned from of old.
With whom there is no change, and who do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has violated his covenant.21 His speech was smoother than butter,
But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days.
But I will trust in You. – Psalm 55:16-23
________________________________________
In this psalm, David continues to pray to God’s protection. His enemy mentioned here in verse 21 refers to someone who was very close to him and has betrayed him. The beginning of this part of psalm 55 depicts David’s closeness with God in verse 16. He calls upon God because he knows for sure that God will save him. In verse 22, he declares God’s provision and protection to all who bring their cares and burden to the Lord.
Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who you have deep intimacy with? They know you deeply inside and out. This is how David’s relationship with God is. He knew his Lord since he was a young shepherd tending to his sheep. He played flute and sang for the Lord. He is called the man who seeks God’s own heart. He was obsessed with serving and loving God. He knows his Lord very well and runs to Him often.
Despite the many enemies surrounding David, God was faithful to protect him and David never stopped to depend on Him. In verse 23, we hear David’s confidence in God because he knows God won’t tolerate evil. He is so sure that God will bring them down to the pit of destruction. We see how much David trusts his Lord.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it so easy to blame God or others when we are in trouble? How can we develop a dependence and trust in the Lord as David exhibits in this psalm?
PRAYER FOR PROTECTION FROM BETRAYALS AND EVIL ILMA’S VLOG
October 1
________________________________________
PRAYER FOR PROTECTION FROM BETRAYALS AND EVIL
Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst. 11 Destruction is in her midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets.
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.13 But it is you, a man my equal,
My companion and my familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet fellowship together
Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let death come deceitfully upon them;
Let them go down alive to Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst. – Psalm 55:9-15
________________________________________
David’s lament continues in this part of the psalm. He opens up his heart to God about the pain of the betrayal from someone very close to him as indicated in verse 13-14. It is unknown who David’s friend is, but it must have been someone whom he was very close with, probably someone who was part of his army and fought battles together and fellowshipped with him in the past.
This psalm is a prayer to God to do something to protect him and God’s people as well. Since David is king, we can understand how he wants to protect his people. In verse 9, David has seen violence and conflict amongst his domain and people. They are relentlessly bringing immorality and harm to his people. The most painful part for David was the fact that this person who betrayed him fellowshipped with him and even walked in the house of God together.
You would think that David could easily take revenge on his own hands. He has had many victories before. He could easily win over them, but once again we witness David’s faithfulness to God in this lament. He pours his heart out to God in pain without blaming God. Instead, he depended on God to protect him and his people and asked God to bring down his friend turned foe. Since God is his protector, he is sure God will protect him.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it important to run to God instead of taking revenge in your own hands?