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¹Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.

Your Bible probably says “A Psalm of Asaph” at the beginning of Psalm 73. My Bible has the words “Sandy’s Psalm” written next to it. I remember the first time I read Psalm 73. I had been a Christian for quite some time, so surely I had read it before; but that day I read my story in the Psalm. A few months later, I realized that I was worshipping to a song based on the Psalm and it came alive in an even great way. Let me share a little of the narrative with you.

¹Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.

It makes so much sense that God is good to Israel, but me? I came so close to missing Him. Because you see…

³For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.

⁵They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.

…

¹²This is what the wicked are like—
always carefree, they increase in wealth.

I wanted to be one of those people – rich, carefree, not burdened by religion (which is really nonsense, anyway, right?) I had a life planned that was centered around what I wanted out of it. I had “success” in my future. In college I bought china and crystal because that’s how I saw myself in the future.

Then I fell in love – first with a wonderful man who loved the Lord, and then with the Lord. My definition of “success” has drastically changed, but it was a process. My mind tried to process the differences between my old definition of success, the “carefree” lifestyle of those who seemed successful, and the lifestyle that God wants from me. I love how the Psalmist describes his change of perspective:

¹³Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

…

¹⁶When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me

¹⁷till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

The Psalmist actually regrets that he has led a pure life. He felt oppressed when he tried to make sense of living a pure life for God when those who ignore Him have success and seem so carefree. So he did the absolute right thing – he took his confusion to God. He writes that he felt oppressed until he went to God with his confusion. Then God revealed Truth to him.

There’s a lesson in this. How often do we continue in our confusion, trying our hardest to figure “life” out without taking our confusion to God? Let’s take our confusion to the One who knows all things and the One who has all wisdom and knowledge.

The Psalmist shares with us what God revealed to him:

¹⁸Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.

¹⁹How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!

God is so gracious. He reveals to the Psalmist how shaky their foundation really is. The things the “successful” people have built their life upon, the things they place value on, are things that could vanish in an instant.

Understanding God’s perspective often brings us to our knees in repentance and worship. Such is the case with the Psalmist:

²¹When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,

²²I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

²³Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.

²⁴You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

²⁶My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

²⁷Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

Praise God! This is Sandy’s Psalm, written thousands of years before Sandy was thought of by humans, but was being formed in God’s plan. What struck me as I was worshipping to a song based on the Psalm was that the Psalmist ends as a worshipper – “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire beside you. As for me, it is good to be near God.” When all is said and done, God has made me first and foremost a worshipper. Being near Him…it is good!

Thank You, Lord, for having Asaph write a Psalm for me.

Are there any Psalms that have been written for you? Share with me (here or on Facebook) which Psalms describe your life.

Watching the Church Grow & Develop and Reading some Poetry

As we Rest at the River’s Edge in May, we’ll spend most of our time doing two things:

• Watching the church grow and develop as we read through the book of Acts
• Enjoying poetry as we read some Psalms and the Song of Songs (often called Song of Solomon)

As spring develops, don’t lose focus on what’s important, but feel free to take your Bible and notebook outside and enjoy some spring weather!

Blessings, Sandy

The recommended reading schedule for May is below.

To download a PDF of May’s recommended reading plan, click here.

From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
Psalm 8:2 (NIV)

It’s been more than two weeks since my last blog. Sometimes life has a way of refocusing us. While writing my blog is incredibly important to me, over the past couple of weeks challenging priorities have sprung up in all other areas of my life. Blog writing had to take a back seat. Finally this morning, however, I was able to sit and write. What a joy for me. Before posting that blog, however, I thought it appropriate to step back into the ring, so to speak, with thanksgiving and praise. Thankfulness has helped keep the dark clouds away over the past few weeks. When I was tempted to slide into depression or be overtaken by the waves of overwhelming circumstances, thankfulness grounded me. Speaking out the things that I was thankful for (not just remembering them in my mind) returned order to my life in the midst of chaos.

Notice what it says in Psalm 8:2 – that praise silences the foe and the avenger. As I thanked God for His tremendous goodness, it was a form of praising Him for who He is and what He’s done, and it silenced my emotional foes and defeated my enemy. An interesting tidbit before I include my praises here: The word translated “praise” in the NIV also means boldness, power and strength. Praise gives us courage to be bold. It gives us power to do the right thing, and it gives us strength when our strength is depleted. I found thankfulness to be a reliable friend over the past couple of weeks.

Here are just some of the things I am thankful for (listed in no particular order). I hope the list reminds you of things you can praise God for today – in the midst of whatever you might be facing.

• Opportunities to serve God.
• Lots of customers with checkbooks to pay for their needs.
• The ability to work.
• Family who cares about me and my family.
• Friends who help hold me together.
• A wonderful dog who blessed our lives for many years.
• A husband who walks (runs and tumbles) through life with me.
• Blog readers who encourage me.
• Taxes – because they pay for the government that protects me from things I couldn’t protect myself from.
• Taxes – because they mean that I have had income this year.
• Beautiful blue skies and white puffy clouds.
• Rainy, overcast days in which to hibernate with a cup of tea and a fun puzzle.
• A father in heaven and a Father in heaven.
• A mother on earth who continues to teach me how to live.
• Growing in grace.
• God’s mercy.
• The ability to travel – to see and experience more of God’s creation.
• The ability to study God’s Word – alone and with others.
• Fun.

Here’s my challenge to you: Create your own list being careful to keep entry short. As I wrote the list, I was tempted to add caveats at the end of each line.

For example, my list says “opportunities to serve God.” What I was tempted to write was “opportunities to serve God even when it’s inconvenient or adds stress to my busy schedule.”

Resist this urge to caveat your praise. Lord, I am thankful – I praise You, Lord – for opportunities to serve you. Period. The caveat reminds me of my stress and expresses just a touch of dissatisfaction with the praise. Don’t do it! Let’s just praise Him. He knows the caveats. He knows the stress He’s allowing me to experience and enabling me to withstand.

So go on – make your own list. It will keep you from being pulled under by waves of overwhelming circumstances and will give you strength to pursue God in the midst. You can count on it!

Comment on this post (below or on Facebook) telling us the top three things you’re thankful for. Trust me…telling others what you’re thankful for increases the strength of your thanksgiving – “speaking” it to the world makes it more real in your mind, strengthens those around you, and gives greater glory to God.

Be blessed, friends.

A couple of weeks ago Phil and I started leading a Bible study at a local nursing home. What a blessing it has been! The residents are so engaged – even those who have cognitive and/or physical disabilities. And God is impressing a number of things on my heart.

Lesson #1: Those whose remaining lives may be short willingly linger to study God’s Word.
We are studying the book of Luke paragraph by paragraph. Yes, it will take us quite a while to go through all 24 chapters of Luke. And the residents are fine with that.

Phil and I have been leading small groups for a long time and know that covering material too slowly is death to a group. It doesn’t even matter so much how fascinating each week might be, people grow tired of studying the same topic or book for a long time – in fact, they grow tired of it even before they’ve experienced it. After spending their third week in chapter 1, members of the group will begin to think “Yikes, at this rate we’re going to be studying the book of Luke for a year and a half!” I confess, my thinking is the same. I’ll begin to think “Do I really want to spend a year in Luke?” How foolish we are to be willing to miss the treasures of Truth hidden in each paragraph simply to avoid spending a year studying the same document. It’s this mindset that causes people to avoid studying long books of the Bible and why the book of James is studied over and over again. If the study doesn’t fit into thirteen weeks or less, most groups won’t consider it.

Our nursing home study group doesn’t have that same perspective. They are thankful that we have come to lead a study and they are thankful for the lesson of the week. They aren’t dissatisfied if we’re not rushing from lesson to lesson. They are happy to linger over what God has for us in these few verses.

I have never felt more freedom to go through material slowly than when I am among these people who may not live through the entire study.

Lesson #2: Even those with cognitive disabilities – that is people who have difficulty processing information, have spirits that comprehend Truth. God is so good. He has created us with a mind, a soul and a spirit. Our mind processes information one way; our soul processes the same information another way; and our spirit process that same information yet another way. I am thankful that responding to God’s love isn’t dependent on any one of those three elements. I am also thankful that God enables us to respond to His love multi-dimensionally. That is, I respond to it in more ways than one. I can trust Him that should one of those abilities become injuried or deseased, He has already prepared me to know Him using the other abilities. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:13-16

Lesson #3: Living joyfully is so much better than living in discontent or anger. The choice is ours. In the natural, most nursing home residents have little to be joyful about. Yet I see joyfulness on the faces of those who love the Lord, and I hear joyfulness in the tones of their voices and the light-hearted fun they have in everyday life. I want to choose joyfulness now. It’s such a better way to live.

We live the way we have learned to live, and we learn what we practice.

• I’m afraid that I have practiced stress too much – I have learned to be stressed instead of joyful and confident in God.
• I’m afraid that I have practiced discouragement too much – I have learned to be discouraged instead of joyful and confident in God.
• I’m afraid that I have practiced complaining too much – I have learned to be discontent instead of joyful and confident in God.

Many residents who have every reason to be stressed, discouraged and discontent are joyful and confident in God. My heart goes out to those residents who live every day afraid, angry and unhappy. I pray for them and with them. God can change their circumstances. I also know that if He chooses not to change their circumstances, He can change their heart from being bitter, angry and discontent to being joyful and confident in God.

I want to choose joyfulness and contentment now, so that it is a lesson I’ve learned long before my latter years become my experience. I want to learn the lesson now so that the years between now and my latter years are spent in God’s joy and confidence instead of my own stress and discouragement. Regular readers know that this is a theme I come back to again and again. It is very easy for me to have my eyes stuck in this world. I continue to be in the practice and learning stages of these lifelong lessons.

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9

Friends, many people avoid nursing homes and nursing home ministry. I understand that. During the first years of my mom’s tenure as a resident of a nursing home it was a struggle for me to visit every few days. God honored my stumbling first efforts. He has faithfully met me and turned the stressful, discouraging and exceedingly sad situation into a joyful blessing and an opportunity to bless others.

Learn with me these most recent lessons from nursing home ministry. They are being taught by our elders who have learned them well.

The last three blogs have looked at the Psalm devotionally. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. Today, however, we’re going to conclude by pulling out five treasures of practical advice from the Psalm. The writer of the Psalm encouraged and motivated me to have the same dwelling-with-God experience that he had, but find myself asking the practical questions like: How do I get to God’s presence? How do I live in His presence of God? How do I dwell with Him? Well, in the midst of this wonderful devotional Psalm there is some practical advice. Let’s look at five “best practices” the Psalmist identifies:

1) Verse 2 (“My soul yearns…”) – Desire the Lord. If you don’t have a desire for the Lord, ask for it. Remember, the end of the Psalm says that God doesn’t withhold any good thing from those who love Him. Is desiring the Lord a good thing? Absolutely. Consider these verses in 1 John:

¹⁴This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
1 John5:14-15

Is desiring a better relationship with God in His will. Absolutely. If you don’t have that soul yearning to be near the Lord, ask for it.

2) Verse 4 (“Blessed are those who dwell…they are ever praising you”) – There is a connection between dwelling with God and praise. God dwells in the praises of His people. Don’t be shy about praising Him. Even in those situations that you think might be awkward – at school or at work – when you know that God deserves the praise but you are reluctant to verbally acknowledge Him because what will your friends think or what will your coworkers or customers or bosses think. You know what? I don’t know what they’ll think. But I know that God will dwell in those praises and I know that God in the midst of any situation is better than God not in the midst of it.

3) Verse 5 (“set their hearts on pilgrimage”) – Set your hearts on pilgrimage. Make a decision. Don’t just want it. Make a decision to have it. There are lots of things in this life that I want. But until I actually decide to pursue them, I don’t make the life changes necessary to have them. I might want a smaller house payment and less housework, but unless I am willing to give up lots of my stuff, I can’t have that smaller house that will give me the smaller payment and workload. Because all my stuff won’t fit in a smaller house. The same is true of every area of our lives. Pursuing any thing means turning away from other things. Make a decision to pursue God more. And then get rid of some of the stuff that keeps you from pursing Him.

4) Verse 6 (“As they pass through”) – Pass through the Valley of Baca, don’t camp there. Keep your feet (and heart) moving until you have gone from strength to strength. Continue your pilgrimage toward the heart of God.

5) Verses 8 and 9 (“Hear my prayer, O Lord”) – Pray often, simple prayers thrown in the midst of everything else you’re doing. Then have confidence in God. Know that He hears you and that His desires and plans are for your good.

Five practical tips from a Psalm that is, at its heart, a devotional Psalm. I love that God is a practical God who wants our hearts and our hands. Be blessed, friends, as you read and meditate not only on Psalm 84, but all other passages in God’s wonderful and amazing and calming and practical Word.

Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.

Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
Psalm 84:8-9

I love the way the Psalmist throws a prayer into his Psalm. He has been writing (singing, actually) about how wonderful God’s dwelling place is and how He blesses those who walk His path. Then the Psalmist turns and directs a quick prayer to God. I want my life to reflect that. (What I really want is for my life to reflect this entire Psalm.) I want to be one who longs for His presence, who experiences His peace, who ever praises Him, and in the midst of it all, who turns my heart toward Him and whisper a prayer. “Hear my prayer, O Lord. Look upon our strength, O God. Look with favor upon your anointed one.”

The prayer seems to reflect a secret intimacy between the author and God. The Psalmist doesn’t dwell on his request or pray a long flowing prayer. He is in the midst of singing to the Lord about His wonderful fellowship, and He simply pauses to address God directly. It’s that pause and looking at God and asking for His blessing that carries the sense of intimacy for me. I’m reminded of conversations with my husband in which we are talking along about one subject, interrupt ourselves for a quick request, then move back to the original subject. No, my husband and I aren’t typically singing praises to one another (although we’ve been known to do that – try it some time, you’ll like it!), but the passage is reminiscent of a shared intimacy that allows for conversations to be interrupted and continued. Of course, the intimacy factor is ramped up in the Psalm because of the subject matter here.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Psalm 84:10

The Psalmist returns to the theme he started with in verse 1. How lovely is God’s dwelling place! It is so lovely, that the Psalmist would rather spend one day with God than a thousand elsewhere. Lord, if I only have one day, let me spend it with you. Is that your heart’s cry?

Then the Psalmist goes a step further. The word translated “doorkeeper” is only used once in the Old Testament, and that usage is here in this verse. That makes providing a true definition difficult. It comes from a root word that used more commonly, however, and the root word can be translated “threshold.” The Psalmist may be saying that he would rather live one day in the thresholds of God’s courts – notice that’s just outside the temple – just outside, but very near the presence of God – the Psalmist would rather live there than inside the tents of the wicked. Again, it begs the question: Is that your heart’s cry? I so want it to be mine.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.
Psalm 84:11-12

The Psalmist ends speaking adoration and truth. The Lord is a sun and shield. He will enlighten and protect. He will bestow favor and honor. He will withhold no good thing. Truly, the person who trusts in this Lord is blessed.

Wow! What a Psalm! I said at the beginning of our meditation and I’ll repeat it here – it is a perfect psalm for calming frayed nerves, soothing weary souls, and bolstering waning faith. We live in a rapid-paced world (is that the understatement of the century?) and we have an enemy who seeks to defeat our faith at every opportunity. Psalm 84 is a place we can go to combat both those enemies of our soul. Its twelve verses whisper volumes to my spirit.

Blessings for Those who Dwell with God and Pass Through Dry Valleys

In the previous blog, we looked how very sweet God’s presence is and how very much the writer of the Psalm longed for it. At the end of verse 3, however, the Psalmist begins to make a shift in his focus – turning from the dwelling place itself to created beings dwelling near God. In verse 3, he looks longingly at the swallow who is privileged to make her nest near God’s altar. Let’s see how verse 4 continues:

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Psalm 85:4

The shift is complete as the Psalmist turns to those who dwell in God’s house. He says “they are ever praising God.” Are you praising God, friend? If not, perhaps you are not dwelling in God’s house. Perhaps you are only visiting occasionally. The Psalmist says those who dwell in God’s house – who inhabit it, who live there – are ever (always) praising Him.

I am convicted because I recognize the truth and the reality of that statement. When I am dwelling with and in God, my focus isn’t on the problems of my life, but I become full of confidence in my God to deal with those problems for me.

A Journey of the Heart
Verse 5 describes two conditions which lead to us being blessed by God. “He blessed are those who…” That means we are and will be blessed if we meet the “those who” conditions. Let’s look at them.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
Psalm 85:5

We are blessed when our strength is in God. Just a few sentences ago I wrote that “When I am dwelling with and in God, my focus isn’t on the problems of my life, but I become full of confidence in my God to deal with those problems for me.” Such confidence gives me strength – He becomes my strength when I dwell in Him. And I am blessed.

I find the wording of the second half of the verse to be a bit curious. The word pilgrimage would better be amplified to mean “pathway, thoroughfare or course toward God.” So another way to translate this part of the verse would be “Those who have set their hearts on God’s path are blessed.” Notice it doesn’t say those who have set their feet on God’s path are blessed, but those who have set their hearts on God’s path. It is a heart journey to God, not a foot journey. God is and always has been after our hearts – your heart and my heart. Our feet will follow our heart.

He blesses those who have set their heart to follow Him.

The Valley of Dry Places and Tears
Having just written that those who have set their hearts on a journey toward God (or God’s dwelling place), the Psalmist again makes a big of a shift. He begins to discuss difficulties we’ll face along the journey.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
Psalm 85:6

Some translations render verse six as the “Valley of Weeping.” Baca means both “weeping” and “balsam tree.” The balsam tree is a tree which flourishes only in very dry, arid ground. So this “Valley of Baca” might also be called the “Valley of Dry Places and Tears.” The Psalmist says that as those who have set their hearts on God’s path pass through the Valley of Dry Places and Tears, tears will no lo longer fall from our eyes, they will spring forth like new life from the ground and they will fall from the heavens!

I love that imagery! The Valley of Dry Places and Tears will become a place of life-giving springs and refreshing rain-water pools. Oh, Lord, may we know your refreshment and life when our journey takes us through the Valley of Weeping. May our hearts be set on You, Lord, when we walk through the Valley of Dry Places.

There’s another key phrase in the verse: “pass through.” We are passing through the valley, because we are on the pilgrimage, the pathway, the journey toward God. May we ever remember that we are passing through the valley, we are not dwelling there. We are dwelling in the House of the Lord. Don’t dwell in the Valley of Weeping – don’t live in your despair. Dwell in the House of the Lord. Live in the love and knowledge of the Lord God Almighty. That is the place of blessings. God doesn’t bless dwelling in the Valley of Dry Places and Tears. He does bless passing through it, though.

I hope you see the difference between dwelling in Baca and passing through it. I preached this series of blogs once, and the title of my message was “Where are you living?” We choose where we live – let’s choose God’s dwelling place, not the Valley of Dry Places and Tears. We can only live in one place at a time. We may own multiple homes, but we’re only living in one at a time. Live in God’s dwelling place while you pass through the difficult times in your life.

There is an interesting phenomenon, that happens as we pass through the Valley of Dry Places and Tears. Baca means both “weeping” and “balsam tree.” I wondered what a balsam tree looked like, thinking perhaps it might be something like our weeping willow trees. Not even close. In the En Gedi region of Israel, they are spiny plants that grow in dry, arid places. However, they “produced valuable and highly sought-after cosmetics, perfumes and medicinal substances. Their value was of such great economic importance that wars were fought for their possession, as when Mark Anthony conquered the Dead Sea area for Cleopatra.” [From http://www.holidayinisrael.com/ViewPage.asp?lid=1&pid=362]

Hmmm. Do you see where I’m going? The time we spend passing through the Valley of Dry Places and Tears can be a place in which God develops in us beautiful things – qualities that makes us more like Christ (can there be anything more beautiful?) and that He will use to bring healing in our lives and the lives of others. Hallelujah! If the plant is a physical illustration of what God does, it means that He uses our sorrows. They are not wasted.

Strength to Strength
Verse 7 assures us that the balsam tree is, in fact, an illustration of the way God works.

They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 85:7

Those who are dwelling in God’s house and who are journeying through the Valley of Dry Places and Tears go from strength to strength. Notice that our starting point isn’t the Valley of Weeping or the House of Blues. It’s the dwelling place of God – and we’ve already established that His dwelling place is filled with His sweet peace presence.

What a faithful God we serve, who turns our dry places and our tears into greater strength! There is also that promise in the second half of the verse – going from strength to strength until each of us appears before God. Hallelujah!

Friend, let me encourage you not to dwell in your dry places and not to dwell in your place of tears. Journey through them with your focus on the Lord and your confidence in Him. He will bring you into a new place of strength. He is that faithful and He is that good!

In our next blog, we’ll finish this meditation on Psalm 85, but for now and the next few days, let me encourage you to meditate on this portion of the Psalm and be blessed.

God’s Sweet, Sweet Presence

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
Psalm 84:1

If ever there was a great Psalm for meditation and for calming one’s nerves, heart and soul, it would be Psalm 84. And wanting to write a blog about it, it seems often I can do nothing other than quote or rephrase the Psalm. Yet I feel compelled to write. Let’s see where this leads.

How lovely, how pleasant, how loving, is the place that the Lord dwells — the place He lives, the place He inhabits. Lovely seems like an awfully weak word, yet it also seems perfect. If I were writing the Psalm, I would probably have written how awesome, how WOW, how incredibly WOW is the Lord’s dwelling place. (Not much of a writer, am I?) But in his word “lovely,” the writer of the Psalm has caught the very essence of being in God’s presence – sweet, peace that overrides and carries through everything else. Yes, God’s presence is awesome and full of the WOW factor, but when all is said and done it is the sweet peace of the Lord that remains. How lovely is the place that the Lord inhabits.

My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
Psalm 84:2

Having tasted that sweetness of the Lord, nothing else satisfies and we long for His presence again. Lord may I experience the sweetness of Your touch, the loveliness of Your presence so regularly that when I stray, I remember it and long to return. Lord, may my heart and flesh cry out for the Living God in the darkest of times and in the brightest of times.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
Psalm 84:3

Can you hear the psalmist’s heart? I hear jealousy that even the sparrow and the swallow can dwell near God’s altar, living there when the Psalmist must leave to attend to life. I also hear reverence – a place near God’s altar where she may give birth to and raise her young. What a privilege to do so near the heart of God.

Notice, also, that the Psalmist has begun to make a shift here, from God’s dwelling place to created beings dwelling near God. We’ll see that shift fully materialize in next verse. First, I want to look at the concept of the altar a bit more.

What’s the purpose of an altar? Altars were where the sacrifices were made. We think of an altar as a nice clean kneeling bench or something similar, but it was a place where blood was shed for the temporary forgiveness of sin of the Israelites. It was a bloody, gory place…yet it was lovely to David because He had experienced the forgiveness of sins. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s a lovely, sweet, place because it represents the presence of God as the One who forgives sins.

Do you know that mighty presence of God? Do you know that sweet Spirit that follows the “WOW” of God’s awesome presence? Do you know that your sins have been forgiven? Scripture teaches that God is faithful to forgive sins when we ask (1 John 1:9). If you’re unsure, ask today. He will faithfully forgive your sins and you can begin to experience the sweetness of peace with God.

Then spend some time in God’s dwelling place – His presence. Don’t wait for church on Sunday or prayer meeting on Wednesday night or your next small group meeting. Enjoy your own private audience with the Lord today.

The next blog will look at the blessings that come from dwelling with God according to verses 4 through 7.

I was leaving for a meeting this morning – a meeting whose outcome was anything but certain.

We had done a really good job on many projects for a client, but for reasons apart from our performance my client’s boss’s boss was considering giving future projects to another vendor. This client represents a significant portion of our business, so to lose future effort would not be a good thing for our company. So for the last few days I’ve been pulling together information, preparing charts and printing e-mails that documented how much the client liked working with us and what a great job we’ve been doing for them. The effort was encouraging. As I prepared to leave for the meeting, I knew our company had served the client well, but I was insecure about the outcome. I so wanted to go into the meeting positively, but sometimes it was a bit difficult not to be defensive.

So as I walked out the door, Phil knew I needed to re-focus. He stopped me and reminded me that my confidence wasn’t in the information and charts and testimonials I had in my briefcase. My response was to immediately quote one of my favorite verses:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 20:7

He looked at me again – “Sandy, those charts are your chariots, and those testimonials are your horses.” Hearing him interpret the verse so bluntly made it more real. The charts I had prepared were just charts. They might impress or they might frustrate or hold a totally different message for my client’s boss’s boss. The testimonials were what my clients think of my work, but what do I know about what their bosses think of their opinions? Every level of management has a different responsibility, different goals and therefore, a different perspective. The same information can be viewed as good by one level of management and not-so-good by the next.

With that uncertainty, I’m glad that I can trust God – because there is certainty with Him. Not certainty that I’ll get the future effort with this client, but certainty that God will provide and that He uses all situations to grow me into the person He wants me to be.

Where is your trust today? My challenge today was business related. Perhaps yours relates to your health or the safety (or salvation) of your children or parents. Perhaps it is something I can’t even imagine. The specifics aren’t what’s important – what’s important is where you place your confidence. Our circumstances can cause us to scramble a bit to convince others (and ourselves) that we’re up to the challenges they present. Preparing well is important, and the preparation for my meeting helped it to go more-or-less smoothly. But God is the One who gives us favor with others, brings healing, protects, saves and holds all things in His hands – He is the One (and only One) in whom our confidence is secure.

In yesterday’s blog, “But” Out, I encouraged all of us to leave the “but” out when giving thanks. Often we know that we have much to be thankful for, but… And that “but” robs us of the joy of the blessing. I am blessed to have a nice home, but it needs a new roof and I can’t afford one right now. I am blessed to be able to write this blog, but there’s so much more I want to do with Apprehending Grace Ministries and I simply don’t have the time. In each case, I rejoice over the blessing, but before that rejoicing is fully enjoyed, the “but” steals all or part of my joy. So let’s choose to leave the “but” out so that we can fully enjoy the blessing!

There is, however, a time for putting the “but” in, and that’s when we are focusing on the “buts” of God. Two of my favorite phrases in the Bible are “but God…” and “but the Lord…” They are the phrases that indicate a tremendous change in circumstance that would not have happened had it not been for a sovereign move of our Lord on behalf of an individual or group of people. There are many verses in the Bible where you’ll find these phrases. I’ve organized a few of them according to the action God took when He sovereignly interrupted others’ lives throughout history. We can count on God to do the same thing in our lives.

God’s Supernatural Protection

Day after day Saul searched for [David], but God did not give David into his hands.
1 Samuel 23:14b

You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.
Psalm 14:6

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.
Psalm 118:13

A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
Psalm 34:19

We can trust God to protect us when we are in danger and when others attack us or seek our destruction.

God’s Supernatural Care and Provision

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
Genesis 8:1

I love this verse – “But God remembered Noah…” It gives me confidence that when I have stepped out for Him, as Noah did, He will remember me and send whatever is needed to care and provide for me.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73: 26

Sometimes we can’t see what God is doing – in the natural it seems that our flesh and heart are failing. Even in those times, God can be our strength and we have the promise that He is our portion (or inheritance) forever.

God’s Supernatural Move to Accomplish His Will
I love this category of verses. God moves in and through the lives of people, despite their circumstances and abilities, to accomplish His will. I love it because of the promise that His plan will be accomplished and I love it because it promises that He can use me despite my circumstances and abilities.

[Joseph is speaking to his brothers and says] “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Genesis 50:20

²¹“We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²²Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. ²³But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers.
Deuteronomy 6:21-23

⁹Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him ¹⁰and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.
Acts 7:9-10

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

¹⁴Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. ¹⁵But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
Amos: 7:14-15

But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17

God can intervene in the midst of our rebellion. Sometimes that intervention is unpleasant because God knows what is required to get our attention and turn us around. Jonah repented in the belly of the great fish and cried out to the Lord for help. God did just that and Jonah went on to preach to the Ninevites who all repented and turned to the Lord.

God’s Supernatural Insight

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7b

God’s Supernatural Healing

Indeed he [Epaphroditus] was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
Philippians 2:30

God’s Supernatural Salvation

Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.
2 Samuel 14:14

This is another of my favorite verses. Death seems so final and irreversible…“But God…devises ways…” I love serving a God of infinite possibilities.

But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
Psalm 49:15

²³This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Acts 2:23-24

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

This is the verse that God used most when I was struggling to understand Him and trust Him with my life. I was resisting Him, but He loved me through it.

⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7

We were dead in our transgressions and sins, “but God” chose to give us life. Not just any life, but life in Christ. And He chose to raise us up with Him and seat us with Him in heavenly realms. Why? So that in the coming ages He might show us the incomparable riches of His grace.

“But God…”
No matter what our circumstances are, we can trust that God will move to change them. In an instant, our story will change from “I am in great need” to “but God provided for me;” or “but God delivered me.” I didn’t include all the instances of God interrupting the flow of history and changing life circumstances. If you’ve been reading the references, you noticed that the verses come from both the Old and New Testament and cover from the beginning of time through all of eternity. God has always been at work in the lives of His people (and often in the lives of those who deny Him) and He always will be.

Yesterday we were encouraged to leave the “but” out of our thanksgiving. Today, I am encouraging to put the “but God” into our circumstances. Trust the God you know to meet your needs, whether they are for healing, provision, comfort or salvation. He has proven Himself faithful over the millennia – why should we choose to believe the lies of satan that He will abandon us now?