PSALM 59
David dealing with the workers of iniquity verse 1- 5
Deliver me from mine enemies – O my God
defend me from them that rise up against me
deliver me from the workers of iniquity
and save me from bloody men
For lo – they lie in wait for my soul
the mighty are gathered against me
NOT for my transgressions – NOR for my sin – O LORD
they run and prepare themselves without my fault
awake to help me – and behold
YOU thereof – O LORD God of hosts – the God of Israel
awake to visit all the heathen
and be not merciful to any wicked transgressors
SELAH
David waiting on the LORD verse 6- 10
They return at evening – they make a noise like a dog
and go round about the city
BEHOLD – they belch out with their mouth – swords are in their lips
for who – say they – does hear?
But YOU – O LORD – shall laugh at them
YOU shall have all the heathen in derision
BECAUSE of his strength will I wait upon YOU
for God is my defense
The God of my mercy shall prevent me
God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies
David gives reason for the LORD to act verse 11- 13
Slay them not – LEST my people forget – scatter them by YOUR power
and bring them down – O Lord our shield
FOR the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips
let them even be taken in their pride
and for cursing and lying which they speak
consume them in wrath – consume them
that they may not be let them KNOW that God
RULES in Jacob to the
ends of the earth SELAH
David describes enemy as dogs verse 14- 15
And at evening let them return – let them make a noise like a dog
and go round about the city
let them wander up and down for meat
and grudge if they be not satisfied
David sings to loving-kindness of the LORD verse 16- 17
But I will sing of YOUR power
yea I will sing aloud of YOUR mercy in the morning
FOR YOU have been my defense and refuge in the
day of my trouble
To YOU – O my strength – will I sing
FOR God is my defense – and the God of my mercy
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Deliver – 5337 נָצַל [natsal /naw·tsal/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1404; GK 5911; 213 occurrences; AV translates as “deliver” 179 times, “recover” five times, “rid” three times, “escape” twice, “rescue” twice, “spoil” twice, “at all” twice, “take out” twice, and translated miscellaneously 16 times. 1 to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder. 1A (Niphal). 1A1 to tear oneself away, deliver oneself. 1A2 to be torn out or away, be delivered. 1B (Piel). 1B1 to strip off, spoil. 1B2 to deliver. 1C (Hiphil). 1C1 to take away, snatch away. 1C2 to rescue, recover. 1C3 to deliver (from enemies or troubles or death). 1C4 to deliver from sin and guilt. 1D (Hophal) to be plucked out. 1E (Hithpael) to strip oneself. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: The psalmist looks to the Lord for protection and guidance when everyone and thing is in opposition to him. David sees the enemies as bloodthirsty and vicious in their attempts to destroy him. He prays for deliverance by the only one capable of thwarting the advance of this antagonist. There are times when regardless how strong your faith is that the opposition appears greater and fearsome. Like David, the victory lies in knowing who to call upon and when to call! Davis had no arrogance or false bravado in facing his enemies on his own! He recognized their power and then called upon the one with greater power. There is a time for pride and stubborn will to be exercised and then there is a time to cry out for reinforcements! The military man in David knew the difference and was not ashamed to depend on the Lord! Do we know our limitations and the strength of our enemies well enough to know when to cry out and when to fight on?
CHALLENGE: Take time to evaluate and know your enemy and their strengths so that you are better prepared for the battle when it is engaged. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD. (5794 “mighty” [‘az] means strong, a person having strength or power greater than average or expected, fortified, intense, or fierce.)
DEVOTION: It is no fun having people against you. Here we find that that there are people who want to see the Psalmist David, it seems, for no reason at all except the fact that he is trying to serve the LORD.
We find that there are people who are against those who want to serve the LORD, sometimes, for no reason at all. They just enjoy hurting believers for the fun of it as they are representatives of our enemy the devil.
Many of them don’t realize who they are serving but they just don’t realize that they are working for the enemy of their soul. He wants to make sure that they don’t go to heaven and wants them to help him to hurt believers, so that, their witness is compromised and their lives are not going well.
We know that the LORD is working for us and that HE will give us victory over any enemy, especially the devil and his fellow fallen angels. However, that doesn’t mean that we can relax.
We have to be aware as David was aware of the works of the enemy. Our prayer life is important during these time periods.
Here we find that David thought he was in tune with the LORD and knew that it wasn’t happening because of any sin or transgression but because it is normal for the enemy to give believes a hard time.
CHALLENGE: We need to realize that even when we are serving the LORD well that our enemy is working overtime to cause us to fall away from the LORD.
______________________________________________________________
: 8 But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the heathen in derision. (3932 “derision” [la’ag] means to mock, deride, ridicule, laugh or scorn.)
DEVOTION: Do we appreciate all that the LORD does for us each day? Do we understand all that HE does for us each day? Do we expect more and so don’t thank HIM for all the blessings HE gives? We seem to be a people that are never satisfied. We always want more.
David seems to understand that the LORD is on his side. He knows that he can’t defeat his enemies. He is willing to wait on the LORD. He wants the LORD to be his defender. He wants the LORD to be his shield. He wants to be able to sing at the end of the day because of the LORD’S deliverance.
The heathen think that God is not watching what is happening on this earth. They think that they are getting away with everything they do against those who follow the LORD. They think that they have the good life. The use vulgar language in their daily conversation and think that God doesn’t care that they use HIM name in vain. They use swearing and lies to have fun with their friends. They don’t think they will ever be judged by the LORD.
David asks the LORD to deal with them. He wants the LORD to deal with them, so that, they know that there is a true God in Israel. David turns them over to the LORD to deal with.
We need to learn from the example of the Old Testament saints. We need to look at how they act and how they think about God. We need to turn our enemies over to the LORD.
Our responsibility is to give those outside of Christ an example of what it means to be a believer. We are to love them. We are to pray for them. We are to turn those who are cursing and swearing at us over to the LORD. HE will deal with them in HIS time.
God looks down from heaven and sees them as individuals who hate HIM and HIS people. HE is laughing at their thought process. HE wants them to realize that there is only one way to heaven and that is through HIM. HE wants them to realize that there is a life after death. HE wants them to realize that there are two places where people will be for all eternity.
One has joy and the other has fire. We are to realize that HE is our defense. HE is showing us mercy each day. HE is giving us strength each day. Should we be helping the ones who think they are getting away with sin realize that they are headed in the wrong direction? Some will listen!
CHALLENGE: Look over the words under the section dealing with the doctrine of salvation and see what is happening that we can sing about in our daily life. We should rise up each morning singing praises to the LORD. I can’t hear YOU!!! Can God HEAR YOU SINGING!!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 9 Because of his strength will I wait upon YOU: for God is my defense. (4869 “defense” means refuge, high point, a strongly fortified defensive or military structure, stronghold, security, high tower, retreat, or rock.)
DEVOTION: Our enemies are strong. Those who are servants of the devil have all his angels working against those who are genuine followers of the LORD. They are working day and night to cause us to not trust the LORD. They were waiting for us to fall into sin. They are waiting for us to deny the LORD to others.
Our enemy is real and David knows this to be true because of all the times in his life that he didn’t obey the LORD the first time he was warned about his actions. David was not perfect but he was faithful to the LORD most of the time.
We need to realize that we can be faithful for many years and then our enemy can cause us to doubt the LORD’S help in a given situation. We need to stop and think about what we are doing and then ask the LORD to keep guard over our life and our actions, so that, we can please HIM.
We are not allowed to count on our own strength to give us victory. We need to understand this fact and turn to the LORD each time we are tempted to do something that is not pleasing to HIM. W
We have to seek HIS guidance every moment of every day if we are going to have victory on are regular basis.
CHALLENGE: Does this describe our actions on a daily basis? Are we trusting the LORD to give us strength for our battles or do we try to fight them ourselves without prayer and fasting? The Bible tells us to trust in the LORD with all our hearts.
_____________________________________________________________
:16 “But I will sing of YOUR power; yea, I will sing aloud of YOUR mercy
in the morning: for YOU have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.” (“Power,” 5797 עֹז [ʿowz ] 1 might, strength. 1a material or physical. 1b personal or social or political. [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).
DEVOTION: This is another imprecatory psalm of David, which he composed when Saul sent messengers to kill David in Jerusalem. As a result, David prays in this psalm to punish those who would harm him despite his innocence. David then reflects on the power of God as the antidote to his spirit of revenge.
A mature believer realizes that God’s power surpasses anything that any other force can amass. His power is manifested both in His creation and in His provision. We can see His power at work both in creating the universe and in holding it all together. We can see His power at work through redeeming his creation by means of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.
The temptation is to lose sight of God’s power and think that we are somehow responsible for overcoming those who oppose us. This is akin to Peter, who while he kept his eyes on Jesus was able to walk on water. But as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink (Matthew 14:30). God wants to be our sufficiency especially in those times when we are weakest (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
So this psalm teaches us that it is okay to have feelings of pain, rejection, and anger when we are wronged. Yet we need to realize that it is God who is in control of our lives, and we need to reflect back on His power to change (or not to change) our circumstances.
CHALLENGE: In what area are you struggling with anger toward another person? The only way to overcome this is to turn this over to your Heavenly Father, who will judge all men justly, and then to forgive that person. Take the first step—call or talk to that person today and start singing! (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
_____________________________________________________________
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
David prays for deliverance from enemies verse 1- 17
Wants God to awake to help him
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
David sings to the LORD verse 16, 17
_______________________________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 5, 9, 10, 13,
17
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 3, 5, 8
O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel verse 5
God of Israel verse 5
God is my defense verse 8, 17
Laugh at heathen and have them in derision verse 8
Strength of the LORD verse 9
Defense of David verse 9
Power of the LORD verse 11
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 11
Lord our shield verse 11
God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth verse 13
God of mercy verse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Enemies verse 1, 10
Heathen verse 5, 8
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Workers of Iniquity verse 2
Bloody men verse 2
Lying in wait verse 3
Mighty who lie in wait for David verse 3
Transgression verse 3
Sin verse 3, 12
Fault verse 4
Heathen verse 5, 8
Wicked transgressors verse 5
Noise like a dog verse 6, 14
Belch out verse 7
Words of the lips of heathen verse 12
Pride verse 12
Cursing verse 12
Lying verse 12
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Deliverance verse 1, 2
Defense verse 1, 9, 16, 17
Save verse 2
Help verse 4
Mercy verse 5, 10, 16, 17
Wait on the LORD verse 9
Shield verse 11
Sing verse 16, 17
Refuge verse 16
Trouble verse 16
Strength verse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David verse 1- 17
Deliver me from my enemies
Wants God to defend him
Not his fault
Doesn’t want God to be merciful to
wicked transgressors
Defense of David
Wants mercy from God
Wants desire on his enemies done
Wants God to bring down enemies
Wants God to consume them in wrath
I will sing of YOUR power
I will sing of YOUR mercy
God is his defense and refuge
in day of trouble
God is David’s strength
David will sing to God of his mercy
Mighty verse 3
God rules in Jacob verse 13
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
________________________________________________________________
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method.
_____________________________________________________________
QUOTES regarding passage
The psalm began on a note of lament (vv.1-2), asking the Lord to “protect” by putting him on a high place (see v. 1), and concludes on a note of celebration of song to the Lord who is the “fortress” (etymologically related to the verb “protect,”) and “strength” of his own …. Through him he will experience deliverance and vindication (vv. 10-13). Truly Yahweh is the Divine Warrior of Israel! (p. 414, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Volume 5 by Willem A. VanGemeren)
_____________________________________________________________
17. Just as the dark refrain came back changed (6f., 14f.), so too the song of trust. In verse 9 the theme was patient waiting: ‘I will watch for thee’ (see the comment there). Now David looks back in gratitude for prayer already answered (16b), and changes ‘I will watch’ to ‘l will sing praises’, or (neb) ‘I will raise a psalm to thee’. And he no longer needs to complete the sentence whose counterpart in verse 10 began with the phrase, ‘the God who loves me’ (jb). The line can break off there,46 bringing the psalm to a perfect conclusion with the refrain (in jb’s version):
My Strength, I play for you,
my citadel is God himself,
the God who loves me. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 232). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
_____________________________________________________________
59:14–17. David was confident that despite the presence of his enemies (whom he again compared to snarling … dogs; cf. v. 6) he would praise God for strength (cf. v. 9), love, and security (as his Fortress; cf. v. 9 and comments on 46:7, and his Refuge, mānôs, also used in 142:5). ( Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 837–838). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
____________________________________________________________
God would not only take care of David, but He would also confront David’s enemies and deal with them. If David’s requests seem brutal and not in the spirit of Christ, keep in mind that Israel’s future and the future of David’s chosen dynasty were both at stake. This was not a personal crusade on David’s part, for he asked God to fight the enemy for him (Rom. 12:17–21).
When it comes to facing and fighting the enemy, the Lord goes before us (v. 10). The mercy (lovingkindness) of the Lord would go before David and prepare the way for victory, just as when David killed the giant Goliath. The Lord also fights for us (vv. 11–13a) by scattering the enemy, causing them to wander and bringing their attack to a halt. The Lord is our Shield who can protect us in any battle (3:3; 18:2; Gen. 15:1; Deut. 33:29), but we must make a distinction here. David was willing that God destroy the Gentile nations and thus reveal His great power (v. 13), for God’s victories bear witness to those who don’t know Him. However, he asked God not to kill Saul and his men with some sudden judgment, but to allow their own sins to catch up with them and consume them gradually. This would be a strong witness and a warning to the people of Israel and teach them lessons they could learn no other way. God’s victories glorify His great name (v. 13b) and magnify the name of the Lord to the ends of the earth (Ex. 9:16; Deut. 28:9–10; Josh. 4:23–24; 1 Sam. 17:46; 1 Kings 8:42–43). Finally, the Lord gives us a song (vv. 16–17) and even before the victory, we praise Him for who He is and what He does! The night of danger is never enjoyable, but we have His “mercy in the morning” (v. 16, kjv) because His love and compassion are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:22–23). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 205–206). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
_____________________________________________________________
Ver. 17. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing, &c.] That is, to God, whom he made his strength, and put his trust in for strength, and from whom he received it; and he therefore determined to sing praise to him for it, and give him the glory of it. For God is my defence: as before in ver. 9, 16. And the God of my mercy; see the note on ver. 10. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 769). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
______________________________________________________________
17. “Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing.” What transport is here! What a monopolising of all his emotions for the one object of praising God! Strength has been overcome by strength; not by the hero’s own prowess, but by the might of God alone. See how the singer girds himself with the almightiness of God, and calls it all his own by faith. Sweet is the music of experience, but it is all for God; there is not even a stray note for man, for self, or for human helpers. “For God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.” With full assurance he claims possession of the Infinite as his protection and security. He sees God in all, and all his own. Mercy rises before him, conspicuous and manifold, for he feels he is undeserving, and security is with him, undisturbed and impregnable, for he knows that he is safe in divine keeping. Oh, choice song! My soul would sing it now in defiance of all the dogs of hell. Away, away, ye adversaries of my soul, the God of my mercy will keep ye all at bay—
“Nor shall th’ infernal lion rend
Whom ho designs to keep.”
Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings
This Psalm has in its stern contents something no doubt strange to our ears. But never let us omit to distinguish from each other the times and diverse economies, and to place ourselves, as far as possible, in sympathy with the experience of a heart which burned for nothing more than for the glorifying of God in this world. Everything that tended to obscure the theocratic relation of God to his people, called up in the soul of David the most vehement passion. The scornful oppression with which Saul and his venal satellites visited him, the man of God, could not but have, upon the eyes of all, the appearance as if Jehovah were no longer Lord in his own land, who inexorably adhered to his laws and rights. Treason, falsehood, and every kind of evil then prevailed unchecked. What wonder, that as formerly Moses in the wilderness was provoked against the stiff-necked people, so also David, whom the awful holiness of God had already made to tremble, should feel his spirit stirred against the ungodly who surrounded him, and should say, with Job, “My bowels boiled within me.”—Frederick William Krummacher, D.D., in “David, the King of Israel,” 1867. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 56-87 (Vol. 3, pp. 18–19). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
___________________________________________________________
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
____________________________________________________________
Nehemiah weeps as he learns of Jerusalem’s deterioration.
INSIGHT One of the essential characteristics of leadership is that the leader feels the full weight of the plight of certain people and assumes responsibility for their condition. Many people knew of Jerusalem’s condition, but few felt the impact and had the vision for response. Nehemiah did and God used him in a mighty way. What in life “hits” you? What situations cause you to feel the impact of the plight of others, and for what situations do you have a vision for response? It might be as large as a nation or as small as a church nursery. But if you feel it and have a vision for it, chances are God would like to use you there. (Quiet Walk)
_______________________________________________________________
CLOTHES AND DURATION OF LIFE
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature
Matthew 6:27
There is this matter of clothing. “What shall we put on? How shall we appear before people?” The way to be happy is to impress people with your beauty or your greatness or this or that; your elegance! And immediately everybody looks at you with admiration; so you are perfectly happy, and you put your head on your pillow at night with great contentment; you have achieved your objective.
Money, food, drink, clothing–these are the things, says our Lord, for which people live. In other words, you see, He says that the tragedy of life is due to the fact that men and women are living and are thinking as if they were only bodies. The thought, the attention, the planning, the scheming, the thinking are all in the realm of the body. People conceive of themselves as if they were but animals. That is what animals do–they eat and drink and so on, and so do men and women.
These are the things they talk about; as you see a peacock preening himself, so does a man and so does a woman. What they put on, the impression they make–“they live for these things,” says our Lord, and hence all the troubles.
And, of course, there is this other priority that He mentions, and that is the extension of your life in this world. He puts it in these words: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Matthew 6:27). What that really means is, “Which of you by taking thought can add one inch, as it were, to the duration of your life?” But that is what people are interested in–to prolong life, and all the care and the thought and the attention that they put into that! I am not saying this is wrong. Certainly thank God for medicine, for the extension of life; but, says our Lord, do you make that your priority?
A Thought to Ponder : The tragedy of life is that men and women are living and are thinking as if they were only bodies. (From The Kingdom of God, pp. 34-35, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
________________________________________________________________
Eternal Life
“. . .that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13)
Although this powerful, five-chapter letter from the apostle John is full of vital insights into the Christian life, it is written to “little children” (1 John 5:21) so that they might “know” the majesty and wonder of eternal life.
John begins his epistle with a reminder that he “knew” this Jesus from whom the promise of eternal life came (1 John 1:1-3). John was an eyewitness to Christ’s resurrection (John 20), which is the most powerful proof of the claims and promises of the Lord (Acts 17:31).
Much of that which is applied in John’s epistle is based on the precise teachings of the Lord Jesus Himself, heard by John and recorded in John’s gospel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (John 20:31).Those who believe will “not perish” (John 3:15-16).
The “water” of Christ springs up to “everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Whoever has everlasting life “is passed” from death to life (John 5:24).
Those who come to Christ will “never hunger” (John 6:35).
No one is able to “pluck” the believer out of the Father’s hand (John 10:28-30).
“Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:26).
Based on the Word of God, John gives us several experiential tests by which we can know that we “live”:
We love and keep His commandments (1 John 2:3).
We know and love the truth (1 John 2:20).
We love the brethren (1 John 3:14).
We have God’s Holy Spirit (1 John 4:13). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)__
_______________________________________________________
Daily Hope Today’s Scripture
Philippians 2:5-11
“In the beginning…”, the beginning of what? For us, there must be a starting point for all things because we are accustomed to time and the reality that there is a point of entry. The beginning of my mornings are all similar as I get up, shower, go downstairs, make coffee, read, and then go about the day of work or leisure. It has a beginning, usually a routine and an ending.
When God began to plan and create the events that would lead to the birth of a baby in a manager there was nothing but God Himself. There were no stars, or galaxies to twinkle down upon the infant born so long ago. There was no camel or donkey upon which to ride from Nazareth to Bethlehem. As a matter of fact, there was no nation or people to even begin the process.
In the beginning there was God Who had a plan. He might have considered many options before He spoke to the emptiness. Finally, when it was the appropriate time, He spoke to what was nothing before Him which immediately became something and took shape!
The plan included time, which until that moment did not exist, but it was necessary for order and execution. A signpost or marker for the created to understand eternity’s development. All this, the Creator carefully scripted and set in motion upon the stage of mankind.
One further development of that strategy was that He would enter His own creation. God would become flesh. He, too, would enter time and be born. He would become “Immanuel, God with us” (Matt. 1:23).
Max Lucado writes, “The Author knows well the weight of that decision. He pauses as He writes the page of His own pain. He could stop. Even the Author has a choice. But how can a Creator not create? How can a Writer not write? And how can Love not love? So, he chooses life, though it means death, with hope that his children will do the same.”
Obediently, the Son came to earth. Submissively, the shepherds journeyed that first Christmas morning and bowed before the Lord Jesus cradled in the hay. May we too, bow our hearts and heads in worship to Him today. Philippians 2:10-11 states, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
He is Creator, sustainer, redeemer, and Lord! His plan that started in eternity is being completed and He wants each of us to choose to receive the gift of life He brought when He came in the form of a baby. As you listen to a Christmas carol today, bow your heart before Him in worship and praise for His accomplished plan!
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
_________________________________________________________
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.