From the teaching Psalm 34
It's a beautiful afternoon here in windy old Oklahoma, but with mostly sunny days.....who's complaining? Since we've moved back, I knew some of the challenges we would face in regards to settling in and finding resources. It takes me a moment to get settled in a new area, but now we are in full swing with homeschooling and all the responsibilities related to maintaining and running a house. In the short time that we've been here, several personal hardships have arisen in our path, but like everyone else, we have to put into practice what YeHoVaH reveals to us. Like Juliet mentioned, Psalm 34 is the perfect reminder to renew our trust in the Father and also to remember that we are NOT alone.
Recently, Father spoke to me about having strong roots and maintaining my bearing and composure through frustration, exhaustion, monotony, and times of joy. I've recognize patterns of behavior that my flesh wants to default to in different situations and I really have to dig in and tap into heaven for strength -especially when I'm tired and frustrated. The only time we forget who we are is when we choose the direction of our flesh or when we become complacent. A pattern of behavior I've noticed is the Monday through Friday monotony. It's easy to get bogged down throughout the week and as Shabbat nears, there is this feeling of freedom that grows because I am free from the responsibilities of working and can just spend time with Father and minister. One way Father revealed as a way to combat this is to acknowledge my level of willingness to be open to His leading EVERYDAY and to be mindful of His presence. When I do this, He becomes as much a part of my day as I allow Him to be on Shabbat. I don't get bogged down, because I'm consulting Him on how to even structure my day. Now this is a work in progress, but it's all about practice and being open to whatever changes He wants to make in your schedule, thinking, or actions.
We all will deal with difficulties that will arise from time to time and Psalm 34:19 tells us that our Father in Heaven will deliver us from them all. So what if someone is dealing with an issue that seems as though it has no end? One may wonder when their deliverance will manifest and that's a valid question, but one thing about our Creator is that He will never leave His set apart ones. Sometimes we have sin in our lives that we are not ready to give up; sometimes we lack faith or maybe we are suffering for a future testimony that will glorify Him exponentially. Whatever it is though, we have to remember to have the praise of our Father continuously on our lips Psalms 34:1. It's not easy, especially when there is mental and physical anguish involved, but when we are faced with tribulation we must remember that He is with us, even when we may not recognize it - press in and bring His Word to His "remembrance". It's not that He forgot, but He wants us to really dig in and seek Him with a level of determination that's contagious. Your prayers may even be answered in ways that you didn't ask for, but we must remember who we serve and that His arm is never shortened. Remember this in times of joy and build yourself up in His word so that you can be prepared when the enemy tries to talk you out of everything YeHoVaH instilled in you. Remember who you are and what you are here for.
Juliet did an excellent job expounding on making our boast in YeHoVaH. In being reminded to remember who we are as fellow hiers and what we are here for, we are to understand that a humble heart knows that it is undeserving of the mercy that is shown by our Heavenly Father. Knowing this should spur us to judge righteously when dealing with others. The most important thing in this life is not the wealth or accolades one can accumulate, it is knowing and doing the will of the One that made us. He desires for us to practice righteousness and strive to maintain our oneness with Him in every situation. When fear tries to usurp His authority in our lives, we must oppose it with everything we have. Like Juliet stated of 2 Timothy 1:7, Father has not given us a spirit of fear so we need to be sensitive when we are moved by spirits of fear. Is Father urging you to be cautious or are you being led by fear? Discernment that comes from the practice of walking with the Father and developing a relationship through obedience with Him should help us determine the difference.
All in all, this Psalm by David, offers praise to the Most High for deliverance from what he perceived as a dangerous situation. We all can remember times in our lives when we know that if Father did not deliver us, we'd be doomed. In our times of trouble and times of joy, we need to remember to praise Him and to practice righteousness. Like I've heard many times, "put the Word in you when you're not pressed so that when you are, it's there to call upon". No matter how long we've been walking with the Father, there is always room for development and deterioration. Remember to renew and refresh your trust and faith in Him and when things work against the knowledge of His goodness and mercy, remember Psalm 34:8 - Oh, taste/perceive that YeHoVaH is good and blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Hallelujah!
Cassandra
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