BIBLE PICK 'EMS - God...He Rules!

If you recall, these were my original thoughts about "Pick 'ems":

I know it probably isn't "spiritually PC" to randomly open the Bible and expect to find a meaningful verse – it opens the door to the whole "out of context" dilemma. (And...you might just find yourself in Leviticus!!) But, I decided that I wanted to do this, along with my regular reading through the Bible. The way I figured it, I wasn't *testing* God – in other words, "prove something to me, Lord" – I was *trusting* God – "show something to me, Lord." After all, don't we know that His Word is living, breathing, and powerful?!

So, I'm pickin' every day – letting you know what was going on with me that day – and then I'm going to sum up the *theme of the week* that I think God was impressing on my heart.

Hope you're as blessed as I've been!!

MONDAY - (renting the first U-haul truck for our big *move* up the hill - it's really gonna happen - scary!)  "I trust in the LORD for protection...the LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven."  (Psalm 11:1, 4)

TUESDAY - (trying to make tons of decisions)  "If my misery could be weighed and my troubles be put on the scales, they would outweigh all the sands of the sea...At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One."  (Job 6:2,10)

WEDNESDAY - (traveling a 4-hour round-trip up and back to the new house)  "But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, "You are my God !"  My future is in your hands...Let your favor shine on your servant."  (Psalm 31:14-16)

THURSDAY - (struggling to find internet for the new house - will it work out?) "How long, O LORD, must I call for help?...The LORD replied, 'Look around...look and be amazed!  For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it." 

(Habakkuk 1:2, 5)

FRIDAY - (under a lot of pressure - money issues)  "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today's trouble is enough for today."  (Matthew 34:6)

SATURDAY - (the old house is emptying out, feeling sad)  "...God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land...He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give..."  (Genesis 50:24)

Well, the moving *saga* continues.  I have been plagued by time and money pressures, and the increasing reality that I am actually leaving this old, familiar home and place.  I've been frustrated with setbacks, and scared about the upcoming future.

But, God spoke plainly this week.  His message?  HE is still in control - HE is still on His throne.  And He continues to accompany me every step of this new journey.

He is there - He is the same God that has reigned forever!

What has God said to YOU this week?

"When in doubt, search God out!"

HABAKKUK - The King Still Reigns

Have you ever just been terrified out of your mind?

Then I'm sure you have something in common with Habakkuk.

Habakkuk lived under the threat of the Babylonians. Babylon was becoming the dominant world power, and Judah would soon feel Babylon's destructive force. The LORD had promised to use the Babylonians to punish Judah for their rebellion.

I'm sure Habakkuk was afraid.

He asked questions – difficult questions – and he diligently sought answers.

He asked God why He would use the wicked Babylonians to punish His people.

He asked why the wicked in Judah were not being punished for their sins.

He asked why a just God could allow such evil to exist.

He asked the questions we ask.

He asked why...

God responded to Habakkuk.

And Habakkuk praised God.

He knew that God was going to discipline the people of Judah and that it wasn't going to be pretty!

But Habakkuk acknowledged God's Sovereign Control, yielded to His Divine Providence, accepted His Perfect Will, and asked for His Help and Mercy.

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" comes from the very end of Habakkuk's prayer to God.

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,

and there are no grapes on the vines;

even though the olive crop fails,

and the fields lie empty and barren;

even though the flocks die in the fields,

and the cattle barns are empty,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD!

I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

The Sovereign LORD is my strength!

He makes me as surefooted as a deer,

able to tread upon the heights."

(Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Habakkuk affirmed that even in times of fear, he would still rejoice in the Lord. He didn't let his feelings be controlled by the events around him. He trusted God's ability to give him strength.

He let his "even though" turn into "yet I will..."

When nothing makes sense, and you're AFRAID, remember God.

Look to Him, only Him –

He is alive and in control of the world. He is working, and He WILL accomplish His purposes.

So, run like surefooted deer, my friends – across rough and dangerous terrain.

WE ARE NOT ALONE!

"I have heard all about you, LORD. I am filled with awe by your amazing works." (Habakkuk 3:2)

What is the "even though" that you want to turn into a "yet I will" in your life today?

"When in doubt, search God out!"

JEREMIAH - I Remember

I remember.

There are some events in life that are so shocking, so incomprehensible, that they are forever imprinted on our minds and our lives.

September 11, 2001 was just such a moment.

I woke up that morning to what seemed like a normal day. I put on a semblance of a "face" as my youngest prepared for school. We piled into the car, and headed over to pick up the two brothers we car-pooled with. We arrived, I honked the car, and we waited…

…and waited.

Finally, one of the brothers came to the car. Just as he was climbing in, his brother rushed out.

"Where have you guys been?" I asked. "I was worried that we were going to be late."

All of a sudden they both started telling me how a plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers, and it was burning, and it looked like our country was under attack…

"Yeah, right," I said. I thought they were joking, or that they'd been playing some video game.

Somberly they replied, "No, it's really happening."

We flipped on the radio. And the tragic story began to unfold. As soon as I got home, Iturned on the television.

And there I sat, glued to the screen, for the next two months.

You remember, it was stunning, mesmerizing, surreal, and so very, very tragic.

I think, in some way, every American citizen felt those planes crash into their own lives – and security and blind innocence burned to the ground. Our country would never be the same…

But we recovered – scarred and more wary, yes – but we still stood strong as a nation.

What happened?

I'm sorry, but I don't think this country learned the most important lesson of 9/11. It didn't turn back to God. Maybe temporarily, yes – but a life-changing repentance, a confession of sin and a resolve to live by moral, Christian values? Not so much.

We cannot afford to miss the message of 9/11. Evil can reach our shores and decimate us on our own "turf." We are perhaps more vulnerable than we think. But most of all, we have forgotten our God, in whom we should trust.

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" – though originally a message given to the nation of Israel through the prophet, Jeremiah – should serve as a warning to us, too:

"'I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me. I will double their punishment for all their sins, because they have…filled my territory with their evil deeds…Now I will show them my power; now I will show them my might. At last they will know that I am the LORD.'"

(Jeremiah 16:17-18, 21)

I feel like America, and the world itself, is half-asleep – dozing comfortably in a sin-soaked dream. We're calmly hitting the *snooze button* on the alarm that's trying to alert us to danger.

I shudder to think what a "wake-up call" might look like.

Yes, let's take today and remember all those people – civilians and rescuers – who lost their lives on that terrible day. Let's remember the people they left behind. Let's stop and honor all the people who have fought since that day for the cause of freedom.

Let's erect a proud ***star-spangled banner*** in our hearts, and stand tall as a nation.

But, I pray that we do one more thing – the most important thing.

I pray that we remember our LORD, the Almighty God of Heaven's Armies, the one true God that rules over all the world in His Sovereignty.

May we as a nation, and as individuals, remember and turn back – back to Him.

Back to true worship, back to His Holy Word, back to faith in His Son, back to right living and godly values.

Let us say along with Jeremiah, the words of a people wholly devoted to God:

"LORD, you are [our] strength and fortress, [our] refuge in the day of trouble!

Nations from around the world will come to you and say, 'Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols…'

But we worship at your throne – eternal, high, and glorious!

O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who turn away from you will be disgraced…for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.

…[but] blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water." (From Jeremiah 17)

Yes, I remember.

Where were you on 9/11?

And on this anniversary, what is your resolve about worshiping the Lord?

(I am remembering this day with others on Spiritual Sundays, and Soaking on SONday. Please feel free to join me during the week on my other blog, Sharon Sharing God)

"When in doubt, search God out."

PSALMS - God Is Still On His Throne

God is still on His throne.

Do you ever forget that?

I know I do sometimes. It's a crazy world out there, and it seems like it's getting crazier –evil is more evil, fear is more fearful, persecution is more persecuting…

Everything feels a little out of control.

I feel out of control.

Evidently, even if you're a man after God's own heart, you can feel this way.

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" was written by David (I will be sharing it in two parts):

"I trust in the LORD for protection.

So why do you say to me, 'Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!

The wicked are stringing their bows

and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.

They shoot from the shadows

at those whose hearts are right.

The foundations of law and order have collapsed.

What can the righteous do?'" (Psalms 11:1-3)

David was forced to flee for his life several times. Yes, he was God's anointed king – but that didn't spare him from injustice and hatred from others. This psalm may have been written when he was being hunted by Saul (1 Samuel

18-31), or during the days of Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15-18).

In both instances, David did run away – but he didn't run as if all was lost.

In the first part of this psalm, David seems to be speaking to those who are advising him to run from his enemies. His advisors were focused on the frightening circumstances and crumbling foundations.

David was focused on God.

Hear his response:

"But the LORD is in his holy Temple;

the LORD still rules from heaven.

He watches everyone closely,

examining every person on earth…

The virtuous will see his face." (Psalms 11:4, 7)

David had faith – faith in a God whom he knew was greater than anything his enemies could bring against him.

David knew God was in control.

Still in His Temple – still ruling from Heaven.

Faith in God keeps us from losing hope – and it helps us resist fear.

God is not diminished by ANY turn of events.

NOTHING catches Him by surprise. NOTHING happens without His knowledge and His permission.

That, my friends, consoles me greatly.

It's true that this crazy old world is getting crazier. And believers will not be shielded from difficult circumstances. God's Word tells us that this will be so. But God's Word also tells us how to deal with it.

When the foundations are shaking and you want to run away and hide – run to God.

OK, the wicked might be stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They might be taking potshots at us from the shadows. Even the foundations of law and order might be collapsing (watched the news lately??)…

Fear not.

I have a feeling that God is still sitting on His throne – a throne that He told us we can approach BOLDLY!

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

(Hebrews 4:16)

God's rule provides stability in the midst of panic. And, because we trust Him, we can face our problems.

David knew it – and so can we.

God is still on His throne…

And we will see His face!

(Linked today with Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays, and Peggy at Soaking On SONday. Please feel free to hop on over to my other blog during the week - Sharon Sharing God)

“When in doubt, search God out!”