God of Distress and Revival

Posted on 2013/08/27 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 71:20, David prayed: “You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again, and will bring me up from the depths of the earth.” Here near the end of Psalm 71, which was written during a time of great difficulty in David’s life, he expresses confidence both that God has a purpose for his trials, and that He will eventually deliver him from them.

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David’s 3 Commitments In Trials

Posted on 2013/08/26 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 71, David rehearsed in :10-13 all of the troubles he was facing: those who were watching for his life (:10) etc. Then he said in :14, “BUT AS FOR ME …” and he listed 3 actions he was committed to even in the midst of his trials: Continue reading →

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You Are My Hope

Posted on 2013/08/23 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 71:5, David said to God: “For You are my hope; O Lord God; You are my confidence from my youth.”
Notice he said: “For YOU are my hope.” David’s hope in the difficult situation he describes in Psalm 71 was not in his army, or in his money, or in his friends or political connections; his hope was not in his own skill or ability — or even in his own prayers! His hope was in YHWH, in the Person of God Himself.

We need to make sure that is true for ourselves as well.

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Provision Through A Person

Posted on 2013/08/22 by Shawn Thomas

In I Samuel 9:16, God told Samuel, “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
This verse tells us that God had heard the plea of His people for help: “For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.” So what did He do in answer to their cry? He says: “About this time tomorrow I will send a man to you …”. When God wanted to help His people, He send His deliverance through a person — in this case, the man Saul whom He had anointed as king, who would give them victories over the Philistines. We see this often in scripture: when God helps His people, He does it through a person:

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“Oh My God”: Vain Expression or Personal Relationship?

Posted on 2013/08/21 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 71:4 David prays: “Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked.” The phrase David uses here, “O my God”, has become for many a light, meaningless expression, made so by multiplied and thoughtless use. This is nothing less than taking God’s name in vain. However, when employed in a heartfelt manner, as David does here, it is actually the most important thing a person can say.

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The Little Condo on the Prairie (Aug. 20 2013)

Posted on 2013/08/20 by Shawn Thomas

Last week at the “Little Condo” we all decided to go to the gym to get in shape, and then we got ready for “back to school” …

WORKOUT FALLOUT
Paul took me to his gym a week ago Monday and Tuesday, and really put me through some workouts. A day afterwards, I was SO sore I could barely move without great difficulty. When it was time for my evening walk with Cheryl, I was making all kinds of moaning and groaning sounds while I attempted to get up out of my recliner. Cheryl said: “Are you going to make those sounds the whole time we are walking?”
I said, “I’m not yet sure I am going to be ABLE to walk!” Continue reading →

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Our “Safe Home Base”

Posted on 2013/08/20 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 71:3 David importunes God: “Be to me a rock of habitation, to which I may continually come.” What is this “rock of habitation” David refers to?

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The Greatest Blessing

Posted on 2013/08/19 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 67:1 says: “God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us.” Having God’s face to shine upon us is the ultimate goal; that is the blessing for which we seek: the beatific vision; the very face and glory of God! There are many ways that He may “shine His face upon us” at various times on earth – but they all foreshadow the eternal blessing of the face of His glory in heaven, which is our ultimate hope.

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Magnify the Lord

Posted on 2013/08/18 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 70:4b says: “Let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified.’”

– What does it mean to “magnify” God? The basic Hebrew word here, “gadol,” means “great”. Continue reading →

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Learning Obedience In Sufferings

Posted on 2013/08/17 by Shawn Thomas

Hebrews 5:8 says of Jesus: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” “In the days of His flesh” (:7) Jesus suffered many things, “learned obedience” (:8) and became “perfect” (:9). Jesus was, of course, in His nature perfect already, but He had never faced and overcome sufferings and temptations in a physical body before. So there is a sense, the Bible indicates here, in which He “learned obedience” by perfectly facing everything He endured.
There is an application for those of us who are following Christ also.

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