Scripture:

Psalm 110:1

The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

"Above it All."

This is David's prophetic word about Jesus. I love it when we connect the Old Testament to the New.   David is referring to Christ, the Messiah. Here are some of the New Testament references (Matt 22:44,  Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42-43, Hebrews 12:2, Hebrews 1:3, Ephesians 1:20, Acts 2:35, 1 Cor 15:25, Hebrews 10:13...)   This verse is declaring Christ's supreme authority and His victory over death, this is such an important prophecy because without it we would have not had hope, it is the resurrection that assures us of eternity in heaven, it is His life, death and resurrection that is our hope.   1 Corinthians 15:14 Paul says that without the resurrection, our faith is foolishness, and there is no hope of salvation.   This is why the connection to this verse is spoken across the New Testament.

• He is the Author & Perfector of our Faith....
• He Gave His Life For Us WIllfully
• He Rose
• He Lives

And because of it we can too.  

He is above it all, and in Him are found all things.

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The application here is not to lose sight of the power that Christ has brought to us through HIs defeat of sin and death, that it is because He lives that we can live, it is because of His sacrifice that we have a future. 

Lord, thank you for your sacrifice, for dying for us, for paying the price on the cross, thank you for you life, your death, and your resurrection, for it is the power we needed to overcome sin and death, to enter into eternity, we praise you, we thank you that we don't have to wait for the messiah you came, you rose and you defeated the enemy, we praise you in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Psalm 42:1-2

As the deer pants for the water brooks,

So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?

With All That is Within Me

What you think vs Reality:

You probably picture these peaceful waters with a deer drinking from them.  But in reality, deer don't pant; well, they don't pant for no reason.   If you see a deer panting it is because it has been running for its life, it has exhausted all its physical energy, exhausted its water, and is desperate to replenish itself.   This is the picture the psalmist is painting:   I run to the LORD with ALL that is within me, I put all of me in the pursuit, I am running from the things of the world toward God, to the place I know I will be replenished, the place that real life exists, in Him, with Him, I know I will find peace, and rest for my soul, he is saying I thirst for His presence, and I don't waste a second, I run, with all that is within me to get there.

Why?

• Because He has everything I need.
• Because He sustains my life.
• Because He is the source of everything good.
• Because He has the peace I need.
• Because He saves me.

To pursue the LORD with all that is within you, to find your reset in Him, your purpose in Him, your life in Him.

Lord, I pray that we would seek you with all that is within us, that our lives and our hearts would be fully given over to you, all the days of our lives, all that is within us, that like the deer, we would run to you, to your place of refreshing, replenishing, that we would find rest, most importantly we would find you, in Jesus' name, Amen! 

Scripture:16 Then a wise woman cried out from the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come nearby, that I may speak with you.’ ” 17 When he had come near to her, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”

He answered, “I am.”

Then she said to him, “Hear the words of your maidservant.”

And he answered, “I am listening.”

18 So she spoke, saying, “They used to talk in former times, saying, ‘They shall surely seek guidance at Abel,’ and so they would end disputes. 19 I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?”

2 Samuel 20:16-19

"Wisdom is a Shelter"

Joab, one of David's commanders, is looking for a man named Sheba who has rebelled against the King, and Sheba has fled to Abel Beth-maacah, and Joab is about to destroy the whole city for the sake of this man, and that is where we find ourselves in today's scripture.  

One of the most important things when we read scripture is to ask questions.  Like in this story, why is this woman so significant that she should be told in this story?   What we discover is that it is her wisdom and faithfulness toward the Lord that saved that City.   She reminds Joab that this city is a "mother in Israel" and a place of peace and faithfulness.   

Wise people serve the Lord in faithfulness, and for Abel Beth-maacah, it was that faithfulness, obedience, and loyalty to the Lord that the Lord provided wisdom, and that saved them 

To seek the Lord, to be faithful to Him, and to seek His wisdom, so that in the day of our trouble, the Lord delivers us through it.   What you do today, how you serve the Lord now, what you sow now, that will be the harvest you reap later. The blessings you are seeing today are because of the things you sowed in the former days.  Be faithful, serve God, trust that He will deliver you.

Lord, let us all be wise, let us always be faithful to you, be a shield about us, let our trust and our salvation always be found in you, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Psalm 61:2-3

2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed; 

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.

"A Place of Security"

You can find rest in Him. Notice that David says from the ends of the earth, this is David reminding us that there is no place "too deep" that God cannot hear your cry.  Today, when you cry out in desperation for peace, He will hear you, no matter how deep that place is.  Something greater about this portion he says: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."    This is David acknowledging his need for the Lord's strength.   I am not sufficient, but the Lord is; His strength is, His power is, He can put me on "solid ground" when everything is shaking around me, stealing my peace.

Make the Lord your place of security, tell Him your struggles, trust that He hears you and is able to deliver you, and stay near Him.

Listen to it again:

The Rock that is Higher than I (Unshakable Ground, Stable, at Peace)

Maybe today you need the Lord to bring you to a place of peace, stability, to a rock that is higher than you.  Tell Him!

A Shelter For Me (Protection from the enemy)

You want to be protected from the enemy, stay close to the Lord, make Him your rock, your strong tower, a shelter. This speaks of being near to Him, and in your proximity, nothing can touch you.

Lord, we cried and you answered, you hear our prayers, like David reminded us that there is no place too far that you cannot hear our prayers, our supplications, our cries, you are the solid ground we need in our lives, you are the shelter we need, the strong tower, a place of refuge and strength, let us always be near, let us always keep pace with you, in your presence, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

2 Samuel 16:10-12

10 But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”
11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.

Shimei was a Benjamite, and they did not fully support David as King, so in our portion today we see this random Benjamite cursing David. It really is a bad day for David; his son has betrayed him and seeks not only his throne, but his life, and here we see that David recognizes that this is a fulfillment of what God spoke about the cause of his sin with Uriah and Bathsheeba. 

Something to gain from this portion is that God is always just, and that is what David saw, and David, even being a man of war, a mighty man, was still a humble man, who loved God and trusted God.  This is why the Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart, you see this in moments like this.

So, what to learn from this?   

• Embrace Humility Over Vengeance
• Trust God’s Sovereignty in Hardships  
• Allow God to be your Deliverer 

:

Lord, I thank you that above all you love us, that you are righteous, and just, and merciful, that even when things are not good, you still are good and working it out for our good.   Lord help us be humble, and expectant seeking you and your hand, your mercy in the difficult bits, in Jesus' name, Amen