Psalm 3:3 “Thou O Lord” Part III: “The Lifter of My Head”

Posted on 2012/08/05 by Shawn Thomas

      The recent shootings in Aurora, Colorado are reminiscent of a similar tragedy over a year ago in Tuscon, Arizona.  Former Philadelphia Phillies baseball manager Dallas Green lost his granddaughter in that Tucson shooting rampage, and afterwards, in a media interview, Green was asked how he was going to cope.  He said: “We hope we can all get through it … and get through it with the help of baseball.” 

     I’ve got to tell you, I was stunned by his response, that “baseball” was going to get them through the tragedy.  You would have expected to hear the word, “God” there – “we’re going to get through this with the help of GOD” – not “baseball”!  But that is exactly the problem with so many people in America today: they are looking to other things to deliver them from their problems instead of God.  They think that sports is going to be the “salvation” for their kids.  They think that “education” is going to be the solution to our national problems.  They trust that science and medicine are going to cure all of our ills.  And let me emphasize: there is nothing wrong with medicine; there is nothing wrong with education; there is nothing wrong with sports.  But none of these things can take the place of God.  Our ultimate salvation and meaning and deliverance are only found in Him.  As Psalm 3:3 puts it, only HE can be “the lifter of our head.”

     This morning we will conclude our study of Psalm 3:3, where David says to God that He is “my shield”, “my glory”, and “the lifter of my head.”  We have seen over the past couple of weeks that when God is your shield, it means that He totally surrounds you, and that nothing can touch your life unless He lets it through.  That means that there is a God-ordained purpose for everything that happens to you.  Last week we saw that He is to be our “glory” – our highest priority; the one Person we find our ultimate pride and joy in.  And this morning we will finish our study as we see that He is “the lifter of our head”.  Let’s read Psalm 3 together one more time, and then look at what it means that God is “the lifter of my head.” Continue reading →

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The Heart of Worship

Posted on 2012/08/05 by Shawn Thomas

So many churches are looking for the “key” to a more vibrant worship service.  What will get people singing and participating more effectively?  They look for the solution in the choice of songs, or style of music, or the personality of the music leadership — but none of these things is really the answer to the problem, according to scripture.  Psalm 28 shows us what is at the heart of effective worship: Continue reading →

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POTS Update August 2012 Recovery and Heat Intolerance

Posted on 2012/08/04 by Shawn Thomas

     In the midst of regulating medications and working my way back to the office after my diagnosis of dysautonomia/POTS, I realized that it was probably time for an “official” update.  Some of my friends have gotten “bits and pieces” of  updates from Facebook or church, but nothing comprehensive.  So hopefully this will update or “fill in the blanks” for those who are interested.  I especially hope it might be useful to those who are newly diagnosed with POTS and are looking for means of help. Continue reading →

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A Basic Reminder

Posted on 2012/08/04 by Shawn Thomas

Proverbs 15:29 teaches a fundamental principle which, unfortunately, many people seem to have forgotten :  “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

So many appear to think that God looks favorably upon their prayers, no matter what kind of lifestyle they are living.  They see Him as some kind of “Santa Claus” or “grandfather” figure up in the sky, who doesn’t mind letting His children get away with whatever they want to do.  This is NOT the Biblical description of God. Continue reading →

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The “Problem” of Unanswered Prayer?

Posted on 2012/08/03 by Shawn Thomas

In Mark 10, James and John had made quite an ambitious request.  Jesus responded to them in :38 and said: “You do not know what you are asking for.”  James & John had asked to be seated on Christ’s left and right in His glory, but Jesus told them they were asking in ignorance; they had no clue as to what all was involved in their request.  Continue reading →

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The Joy of an Apt Answer

Posted on 2012/08/02 by Shawn Thomas

Proverbs 15:23 “A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word.”

There is delight in a “timely word” — both for the one receiving it, AND for the one who gives it.  There is a joy in being able to say something which answers a question or helps someone, just when they needed it.  But some things are necessary for that joy to be yours: Continue reading →

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The Duty of a Man

Posted on 2012/08/01 by Shawn Thomas

A few days ago, as I read about how Jacob had sent his wives and children and all he had across the Jabbok to meet Esau, I had a lingering question in my mind.  I knew that Jacob was being “left alone” with God to wrestle with Him that night – but I also wondered about the propriety of sending his family ahead of him into possible danger, with Esau and several hundred armed men coming towards them.  Is that what a man should do?  But my Bible reading this morning cleared that question up.

Verse 3 of Genesis 33 says that after dividing his wives and children up into different groups to meet Esau, “He himself passed on ahead of them.”  Ok, this is what I was looking for.  This is what a man should do: he should LEAD his family.  Jacob went ahead, in what was a potentially dangerous situation, and he put HIMSELF between his family and danger.

This is a good example of what fathers and husbands should do for their family.  There are many ways to put this principle into practice: Continue reading →

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“Seek My FACE”

Posted on 2012/07/31 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 27:8, God commands David: “Seek My face.” What does it mean to seek God’s face? We get a hint earlier in the Psalm, where in verse 4 David says that the one thing he desires more than anything else is to “behold the beauty of the Lord” — literally “the delightfulness of YHWH” – His very face.

You are I are to seek His face as well, but we need to beware of many unsatisfactory substitutes for it:

Continue reading →

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This Week in “Paradise” July 30

Posted on 2012/07/30 by Shawn Thomas

Pow … Bam … Zap!

I omitted a story from last week’s “Paradise” that Cheryl thought was too good to pass over. It comes from my last doctor’s appointment. I have had some random, but pretty sharp pains in my sides and back from time to time. I have read that some POTS patients have various pains, but as I had never specifically told Dr. Hebert about these, I thought that I should do so. So during my last appointment I launched into the description. It went something like this:

“From time to time I have these sharp pains; usually either on the right or left side of my ribs, and it feels just like someone is stabbing me with an ice pick. It is just real quick, “BAM” – just a quick jab, like someone just jabbed an ice pick into my right side. And then some days later, I will just be sitting there, and I’ll go “OWWW!” and it will feel like someone just stabbed me through my left ribs with an ice pick. But then, the other day as I was laying in bed, all the sudden, “YOUCH!” – I sat up with this really bad pain through the ribs in my back.”

Dr. Hebert sat there for a few seconds, with what I thought at the time was almost a bemused look on his face. Then he said, almost as if he were holding something back: “I don’t really know what to attribute that to.”

Then Cheryl quipped: “But wasn’t it a colorful description of his pains though?”

As if the dam had burst, both Cheryl & Dr. Hebert exploded in laughter at my “BAM … OWWW … YOUCH” descriptions. I guess I hadn’t realized just how animated I had been. Oh well, at least I managed to be very entertaining!

Continue reading →

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Psalm 3:3 “Thou, O Lord” Part II: “My Glory”

Posted on 2012/07/29 by Shawn Thomas

     One of my favorite stories from the Civil War happened in a battle when a New York regiment was coming under heavy fire from the Confederate line.  The colonel of an adjoining regiment came over to tell the leader of this New York unit that they were coming under such fire because their American flag, “Old Glory,” was posted in such a prominent way, and it made a great target.  He suggested that they lower the flag a bit to avoid such fire.  The Union commander – himself the most conspicuous target as he was riding on a horse back & forth across the line while his men hid behind a fence — looked up at the flag waving in the breeze, and then turned back to his companion and said, “Let it wave high; it is our Glory!”  The glory of his flag was worth to him any amount of fire, any hazard, and even death.  Continue reading →

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