Angry?? Pray, Pray, Pray!!

"Be angry and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices , and put your trust in the LORD." Psalm 4:4-5

Okay, so now David turns his attention to the godly (and probably to himself too). All of these people have been telling lies about him and turning people against him, but he has God on his side and is confident in that. So, now, what is the proper response when we have something like this going on in our lives? Well, we can be angry. In anger, you must be careful not to sin and as the Lord teaches us elsewhere, we must "not let the sun go down on your anger." So, be angry, but do not sin. Do not become vengeful. Do not say or do hateful things. Instead, ponder on these things and ponder on Christ. Be silent and prayerful. And put your trust in the Lord. "...for it is written 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'" (Romans 12:19b)

Its so easy to lash out when we get mad. I tend to do that. If I'm upset at Peter I usually will say something right away and in my anger and I ALWAYS regret it later. And, I always have to apologize for what I said. Instead, I should react in love. I may be angry, but I should also be silent and think about it before I say anything.

And excerpt from the hymn "O God, Whom I Delight to Praise"
author unknown

My good with evil they repay,
My love turns not their hate away;
The part of vengeance, Lord, is Thine;
To pray, and only pray, is mine.

Finding Peace

"O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him." Psalm 4:2-3

Here David turns to speak to his tormentors. Doesn't this almost sound like a threat?? "How long will you spread rumors about me and tell lies? Know this! God has set me apart and hears me when I call to him!!" And his tormentors ought to take warning. David has God on his side and so do we, as Christians.

I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who likes for everyone to be happy. I am unnerved or depressed when I think that someone is upset with me or there is any kind of unrest with any of my relationships. If a friend of mine who normally smiles and hugs me when I see him or her instead looks the other way when I walk by them, I'm suddenly on edge and must know what is wrong. Even if my friend is not upset with me, I must know what is bothering him or her. So, having several people, whether they be friends, enemies, or complete strangers, telling lies about me and making others turn against me is a complete nightmare!! I'm sure that it would make me feel alone and desperate to repair these relationships. When this sort of trial arises I always try look inward. Is there something that I did to bring this on? Is there something that I need to apologize for and repent of? Many times, there is!! However, if I had done nothing wrong, my only comfort would be in knowing that God is on my side and that he has a plan for me. What a blessed thought!!


If God Himself be for Me by Paul Gerhardt

If God Himself be for me, I may a host defy,
For when I pray, before me my foes confounded fly.
If Christ, the Head, befriend me, if God be my support,
The mischief they intend me shall quickly come to naught.

I build on this foundation, that Jesus and His blood
Alone are my salvation, the true eternal good;
Without Him, all that pleases is valueless on earth:
The gifts I owe to Jesus alone my love are worth.

His Holy Spirit dwelleth within my willing heart,
Tames it when it rebelleth, and soothes the keenest smart.
He crowns His work with blessing, and helpeth me to cry
“My Father!” without ceasing to Him Who reigns on high.

To mine His Spirit speaketh sweet words of soothing power,
How God to Him that seeketh for rest, hath rest in store;
How God Himself prepareth my heritage and lot,
And though my body weareth, my Heav’n shall fail me not.

Confidence Leads to Boldness (with reverence)

"Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!" Psalm 4:1

Psalm 4 has been my favorite chapter of the bible for a very long time. It was a comfort to me at a very low time in my life and ever since then I have returned to it time and time again. My favorite part is at the end, but the whole chapter is so uplifting at difficult times and has been my prayer many times. David seems very bold in this first verse where he sounds almost demanding, but note that his boldness is fed by his confidence due to past experience. "Answer me" and "Hear me" are couched with "You have given me relief when I was in distress." David knows he can be bold...he is confident that the Lord will answer. And he is also reverent about it... "O God of my righteousness."

God has answered my prayers on many occasions. Sometimes quickly and sometimes not so quickly. And many times, not necessarily in the way that I had in mind. God's plan is so much better than mine. Due to these answers to prayer and God's general blessings in my life, I have become confident in my prayer life. I am confident that His plan is best. I have to be careful about not resisting God's plan for my life because whatever I am resisting may be an answer to prayer. When I pray for rest, I may have a beach vacation in mind. :-) But God may have a church conference in mind that will bring me spiritual rest...which usually leads to physical rest.

Which reminds me...I need some rest today! When I sat down to do my bible study today I felt unusually sleepy. Alex is napping, the house is quiet, the bed is comfy and warm (probably not the best place to sit for my bible study), and I was sleepy. But now I'm feeling a surge of energy. I just might make it through the 100 things I need to do before bedtime.

Uh oh...I skipped a day!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth." Psalm 127:3-4

What will become of my blog!? I skipped a whole day of blogging. I know that my faithful readers must have been quite disappointed to the point of despair. :-) All one of you!

Things around the Lovassy household have been great lately! Although we all wish that somehow Peter could quit his job and stay home with us, we have been very blessed. Today my mom was here for a little while visiting with us. That was great! Alex loves being around his "Mamaw" (his version of Grandmama). Last night and this evening, Alex had the giggles. I love it when this happens because you can just look at him funny and he'll giggle. He went to the grocery with me today and when we left, he told the nice man who carried out our bags, "Bye-bye...thank you!" (By the way, I LOVE Publix because they provide people to carry out your bags for you. When you have youngsters to take to the grocery with you, this becomes even more of a blessing!! Wasn't there a day when all grocery stores had this service??)

Here's a little special thing about Alex. Ever since he was a tiny little thing, he has had the habit of playing with the hem of your T-shirt, if you're holding him (especially if he's scared, tired, hurt, or otherwise needing comfort). I think its kind of like a security blanket or something. It comforts him. Recently he has also started playing with our hair. He especially likes to play with my hair because its long enough for him to easily get to. *sigh* I love that boy!!

Salvation is of the Lord

"O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God." Psalm 3:1-2

"Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessings be on your people!" Psalm 3:8

This Psalm was written by David during a difficult time. This Psalm includes a title that tells us that it was written about the time that David fled from his son, Absalom. Absalom had conspired against David and secretly gathered much support and was attempting to overthrow king David. David, and many of his people, fled Jerusalem during this time. See 2 Samuel 15-16 for the details.

In this Psalm, my study notes point out three divisions. In the first two verses, David tells what he sees. In verses 3-6, David tells what he believes. And in verses 7-8, David tells what he prays for. Many people were rising up against David and they were taunting David by saying that his sins were so bad that his soul was unsavable (apparently this is not a word, but it still gets my point across). But, David knows the truth. God has constantly been at his side and protected him from his enemies. He believes that God will do that now. And, therefore, he is not afraid. He finally prays for salvation. Do you want to know if he gets what he prayed for?? Go read 2 Samuel 17-19. :-)

Sometimes it can seem that the world is out to get us. If you are a faithful servant of God, you don't have to be afraid. As faithful Christians, we do have enemies all around us. It may not be so evident in America where we don't bear daily persecutions for the simple act of practicing our faith (praying, studying, and worshiping). But all of God's enemies are our enemies. How do we stand up to these enemies? We pray, not only for ourselves, but for them. We pray that their persecutions and faithless activities will be in vain and we pray that they will come to know a saving faith in God. And then, we witness! We should constantly be witnessing for Christ and praying that God will use it for his glory.

"Say please." "NOOOOO!!!" grrrrr....

"Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." Psalm 2:10-12

So, the Gentile kings are revolting against God and His righteous plan. God has laughed at them because He knows that they revolt in vain. He has told his Son that they will be given over to him...a portion to be his people and a portion to be judged. Now he tells these kings and rulers to be wise and to be warned. It is in their best interest to serve the Lord and "take refuge in him."

Does any of this remind you of anything? It sure does me! I have revolted against God. I have known the blessings of serving Him and I have known the trials of revolting against Him. Can you imagine for a moment what God must think or feel when he looks on his people? If you are a parent, you must know the disappointment of watching your child repeatedly do something that you have told them not to do over and over. Or you probably know the sadness of watching your child make a mistake and pay the consequences when you hoped they'd never have to go through that. Or what about when they fight and fight with you to get something they want when you know that it is in vain and it would be easier on them (and everyone else) if they would just give up. How do you get this message through to your child?? You have to tell them over and over. You have to be patient with them and let them make their own mistakes and learn from them. You have to discipline them at times. Now, think about this... How does God get this message through to his people? Be warned...It is in your best interest to take refuge in Jesus Christ, my savior!!

We're dealing with the "NO's" in our family here lately. Alex has discovered the power of this word and is starting to discover that Mommy is not too fond of the way he has been using it. We're trying to teach him "please" also and all of this has led to some difficult moments that require a LOT of patience and usually end with someone in tears. But something that amazes me and blesses my soul is when Alex comes to me with hugs and sadness after being disciplined. Is this repentance?? Oh, I hope so. He can be such a sweet little boy...I love him more than you can imagine (unless you also have kids). Now if I could just get him to say "please" and "yes, ma'am," I'd be set! :-)

Pointing His People to Jesus

"I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son: today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'" Psalm 2:7-9

I'm having a bit of trouble with today's passage, so maybe someone can help me out. I've consulted my study bible notes and Matthew Henry's commentary on this one. There are the obvious points but I am still left with a few questions about the last verse. I think I have an idea of what it means, so here it goes...

First, the obvious points. In this grouping of verses, David is most likely recalling what the Lord said to him at his coronation as king. Although these words were originally directed to David, they were eventually intended for Jesus Christ, since Jesus would eventually come to earth in the line of David. Jesus is the Son of God, begotten by God the Father. He came to save the Gentiles ("the nations") and He will be given His people. Through the working of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, their hearts will be broken and they will submit to Him as their Savior. The last part of the passage, verse 9, is where I have a few lingering questions. I believe that the first part, "You shall break them with a rod of iron..." is referring to the Gentile nations submitting to David's rule. And, in a parallel sense, it is referring to Christians being saved and submitting to Christ's rule.

There is one study that I read that pointed to the portion of this passage that says "...and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." It relates this to the practice of many kings and people of that time of writing the names of their enemies on clay pots and then smashing them, symbolizing their victory over them. If this is so, then this last part probably refers to the judgment of non-believers.

So, what application can I get from this passage? This passage leads me to praise and worship God. He is almighty, omnipotent, and all knowing. His plan was conceived before time. as we know it, began and was put into motion when the earth and all that we know was created. In the decree contained in these verses, David and the others of his time saw the promise made to David. God, on the other hand, knew what, and who, was to come. How awesome is our God!! How glorious is our God!!