September 21 ~ Psalm 62
1-2 God, the one and only— I'll wait as long as he says.
Everything I need comes from him,
so why not?
He's solid rock under my feet,
breathing room for my soul,
An impregnable castle:
I'm set for life.
3-4 How long will you gang up on me?
How long will you run with the bullies?
There's nothing to you, any of you—
rotten floorboards, worm-eaten rafters,
Anthills plotting to bring down mountains,
far gone in make-believe.
You talk a good line,
but every "blessing" breathes a curse.
5-6 God, the one and only—
I'll wait as long as he says.
Everything I hope for comes from him,
so why not?
He's solid rock under my feet,
breathing room for my soul,
An impregnable castle:
I'm set for life.
7-8 My help and glory are in God
—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—
So trust him absolutely, people;
lay your lives on the line for him.
God is a safe place to be.
9 Man as such is smoke,
woman as such, a mirage.
Put them together, they're nothing;
two times nothing is nothing.
10 And a windfall, if it comes—
don't make too much of it.
11 God said this once and for all;
how many times
Have I heard it repeated?
"Strength comes
Straight from God."
12 Love to you, Lord God!
You pay a fair wage for a good day's work!
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
It seems like several times lately I have heard as many as a half-dozen stories on television news channels about people who demonstrated great courage. These folks overcame heavy odds to conquer an illness, a physical challenge, a natural disaster, or some other incredible phenomenon. Over and over, I heard a reference to their “amazing inner strength!” What amazed me was that not once did I hear anyone credit GOD for that strength. It was as if these people were so extraordinary in and of themselves that they just “willed” themselves to handle these incredible situations and circumstances.
Can I tell you something? Whether these people know it or not, that strength did come from God, because in and of ourselves, we are nothing, and we are certainly not strong. We are extremely weak on our own. In the past, there have been news stories like this where God received the credit. Little Job McCully’s family never misses an opportunity to credit God for all He has done for them… and yes, there are others who do the same. But I know how easy it is to get self-absorbed and to start thinking we are really pretty awesome on our own… and there is a danger that we will start to credit ourselves with things for which God should be receiving the glory.
So I want us all to remember that our help and glory are in GOD. He and He alone is our safe harbor and our strength… the “Giver of Good Gifts” extraordinaire! Without God, we are nothing. With God – with the strength He sends straight to us – we are set for life! Let’s remember to give Him the credit and the glory for such a blessing.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 20 ~ Psalm 61
1-2 God, listen to me shout, bend an ear to my prayer.
When I'm far from anywhere,
down to my last gasp,
I call out, "Guide me
up High Rock Mountain!"
3-5 You've always given me breathing room,
a place to get away from it all,
A lifetime pass to your safe-house,
an open invitation as your guest.
You've always taken me seriously, God,
made me welcome among those who know and love you.
6-8 Let the days of the king add up
to years and years of good rule.
Set his throne in the full light of God;
post Steady Love and Good Faith as lookouts,
And I'll be the poet who sings your glory—
and live what I sing every day.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever gotten a “season pass” to an amusement park, or maybe your school’s athletic events? With this “pass” you do not need to stand in line for a ticket. You don’t have to “pay as you go.” You are moved to the front of the line and ushered in ahead of those who are waiting to pay. You may even be given special “perks” and privileges because you have the “pass.” Some people have life-time “passes” to certain things – maybe a lifetime membership in an athletic club or other organization. They never have to pay dues or the regular fees again, and for the rest of their lives, they are given special treatment and offered perks for their faithfulness or commitment.
These “passes” are nice, but the “pass” that I value… the only one with eternal benefits… is my salvation in Jesus Christ! Because of my commitment to Him and because I do all I can to be faithful to His word, He gives me special treatment, in the form of “breathing room” in His “safe house.” He is also preparing a mansion for me in heaven, where the Bible tells me the streets are paved with gold and the gates are made of pearls, and everything is adorned with gems like onyx, amethyst, sapphires, emeralds, and topaz! WOW!!! Now THAT is a PASS with some power and punch!
I don’t know anyone else who would even consider lavishing such things on us… and all because He loves us! Nobody makes us feel welcome like God. Nobody protects us and cares for us like He does. Who among us can turn down a deal like this? We follow God, trust Him, honor and obey His holy Word, and He gives us an “eternal pass” for riches, glory and unending love. He’s got my attention – what about yours?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 19 ~ Psalm 57
1-3 Be good to me, God—and now! I've run to you for dear life.
I'm hiding out under your wings
until the hurricane blows over.
I call out to High God,
the God who holds me together.
He sends orders from heaven and saves me,
he humiliates those who kick me around.
God delivers generous love,
he makes good on his word.
4 I find myself in a pride of lions
who are wild for a taste of human flesh;
Their teeth are lances and arrows,
their tongues are sharp daggers.
5 Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
6 They booby-trapped my path;
I thought I was dead and done for.
They dug a mantrap to catch me,
and fell in headlong themselves.
7-8 I'm ready, God, so ready,
ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
"Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"
9-10 I'm thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.
11 Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
This has been a year for torrential rains, high winds, and the remnants of hurricanes to plague our landscape. Thankfully, technology is so sophisticated these days that we know well in advance what is possible for our area, and we have a chance to “hunker down” and collect things that might blow around before the storms come. I watched one afternoon as a thundershower blew in rather quickly and caught two squirrels unaware. They did not know which way to run or where to hide, and for a few seconds, they ran back and forth and pretty much in circles, as if to say, “Omigosh, omigosh! What do we do now?!”
God knows what storms of life will come our way, and He stands ready to shelter us and help us “ride them out.” He protects us from the “slings and arrows” – the hurts and insults that others may hurl. He steers us through the maze of trials and temptations that the devil throws our way in a lifetime. He points out pitfalls and “booby-traps” and helps us keep on the right course. We may run around like those little squirrels, losing our minds temporarily and freaking out in the process, but we don’t have to do this. God is always ready to help us – to guide us calmly through these storms.
I am totally on board with the psalmist David… I am thanking God out loud in the streets for such a love. God’s love for me runs higher and deeper than I can ever comprehend, and I am so glad He holds me together. Aren’t you?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 18 ~ Psalm 51
1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I've been;
my sins are staring me down.
4-6 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I've been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you're after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise.
16-17 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice.
18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,
repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls.
Then you'll get real worship from us,
acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
they can heave onto your altar!
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.
I have an arsenal of cleaning agents/tricks to keep laundry stain-free, dishes sparkling, and my home looking spic and span. I haven’t tried Coca-Cola as a toilet cleaner, although I hear it works (how scary is that?!), but I “erase” a lot of stains and marks with my Mr. Clean erasers. I have also soaked a filthy piece of silver, black with years of tarnish, in a pan filled with a mixture of near-boiling water, aluminum foil and baking soda, and watched the mixture literally eat away the tarnish and reveal the sparkling, shiny silver underneath. I used to try scrubbing silver with a polish, then buffing the metal to make it shine. That took forever and never completely worked. With this method, the results are amazingly good – and incredibly fast!
Wouldn’t it be great if all of our mistakes and sins could be “erased” and “eroded” that quickly? The good news is that they can! All we have to do is turn to God, confess we are in trouble, seriously promise to do better, and He will forgive us and restore our “shine!”
I really get a sense of satisfaction and pride when my laundry is all clean, neat, folded and pressed and ready to put back into the closets and drawers. In the same way, God gets a huge thrill out of restoring us, forgiving our sins and missteps, and setting us back upright and ready for another day. So what are you waiting for? Tell God whatever you need to tell Him today, and ask Him to create a clean heart in you, to renew your spirit and give you a new “sparkle and shine.” I promise, you will feel better, and you will make His day!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 17 ~ Psalm 46
1-3 God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.
7 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
8 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
breaks all the weapons across his knee.
"Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything."
11 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
As I wrote these words, Galveston, Texas, was bracing for Hurricane Ike. Long before the brunt of the storm arrived, the “rush and roar” of the ocean barreled over the sea wall on the Texas Gulf Coast. Rescue efforts were enacted to save some who “stood fearless at the cliff-edge of doom” in the seastorm. The authorities warned them to take shelter. The citizens knew where to seek refuge inland… they were told where to go and what to do for their safety and protection. Many listened… sadly, others did not.
I am so glad that we know Who is our refuge and how and where to find Him! I am so glad that in the “seastorms of life” I have a God-of-Angel-Armies fighting to keep the “seawall” high and to buffer my storms. With God as my protector, I know that I am completely safe. I am fearless against any and all enemies. God is “at our service,” fighting for us night and day.The Bible is my authority. In it I find instructions for finding shelter in God and seeking refuge with Him. I do not want to be caught in a storm because I chose to ignore the message. I am doing all I can to listen and follow God’s Word closely… what about you?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 16 ~ Psalm 42
1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek;
I want to drink God,
deep draughts of God.
I'm thirsty for God-alive.
I wonder, "Will I ever make it—
arrive and drink in God's presence?"
I'm on a diet of tears—
tears for breakfast, tears for supper.
All day long
people knock at my door,
Pestering,
"Where is this God of yours?"
4 These are the things I go over and over,
emptying out the pockets of my life.
I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd,
right out in front,
Leading them all,
eager to arrive and worship,
Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving—
celebrating, all of us, God's feast!
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
soon I'll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He's my God.
6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse
everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,
including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos,
to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
crash and crush me.
Then God promises to love me all day,
sing songs all through the night!
My life is God's prayer.
9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God,
"Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears,
harassed by enemies?"
They're out for the kill, these
tormentors with their obscenities,
Taunting day after day,
"Where is this God of yours?"
11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
soon I'll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He's my God.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Author and pastor Charles Swindoll calls this Psalm and Psalm 43 psalms of “inner turmoil.” Everybody has times when they are down. Some people have a day or two of feeling bad about something or someone… others sink into a deep depression that can last a long time. My great-grandmother Ramsey would fit this latter category. Long before I was born, Granny “took to her bed” following the loss of a baby. She stayed there SEVENTEEN YEARS! Some said she suffered a “nervous breakdown,” while others called it a “spell.” My great-aunt, now in her 90’s, says she believes her mother suffered from post-partum depression that grew into a much larger problem. While Granny was bedfast, she “ruled the roost” and ran the household from her bed, made quilts for the family, and even gave birth to another child! Yet she was unable to get up and get going… and my great-grandfather did everything humanly possible to appease her… from purchasing bottles and bottles of “Miles Nervine” (a tonic thought to “calm the nerves) to loading Granny in the wagon each weekend and taking her to visit families in the community to keep her “in the loop.”
My great-grandmother was a good Christian woman who reared five faithful Christian children. I wonder how often she called out to God and asked, “Do you remember me?” I wonder if God’s “deep” called to her “deep” and allowed her to finally break her depression and get out of bed... years before I was even born, so that I could know her in a totally different light for 11 years?
While neither Rev. Swindoll nor I would belittle depression in any way or dispute that it is a very real condition, Rev. Swindoll offers some suggestions for breaking through despair and depression and letting God’s “deep” call to yours. First, he says we should pray. No matter how dark and desperate things look, keep calling out to God. “As the deer pants for water, so my soul longs for Thee” is a familiar phrase to us… and as we long for God to come to us, we must desire His presence and call on Him in prayer. Secondly, Swindoll suggests that we call on things that have lifted us or encouraged us in the past… for him it is singing hymns, and I know for me, when I get up on the wrong side of the bed, singing “This is the day that the Lord Has Made” always cheers me! It may be looking at cards of encouragement. I have a beautiful birthday card from a dear cousin that sits on my desk. The message of the card and her added comments bless me every time I read them. I also keep a photo of our “adopted son” from Ghana, Timothy Kodjo Frim, tacked to my desk just above my computer screen. Looking at Kodjo reminds me how blessed I am and how much I have to offer to others because of God. For you it may be talking to a good friend (choose one who is an upbeat Christian and not someone who will commiserate and abet your mood!), reading scriptures that speak encouragement to you, or turning on some good music and “dancing the blues away!” Whatever lifts you or calls to your “deep” and raises you, let God use it to speak from His “deep” to yours.
Finally, Swindoll suggests that we get out of our rut by doing something out of our normal routine to “reboot” the wiring. That may be taking a walk or doing some sort of physical exercise. It may be weeding a flower bed – imagining that each weed is one of your “aggravations” and joyfully ripping it out by the roots! You may go to see a funny movie or meet your most upbeat friend for a soft drink or coffee. Anything you would not normally do that could serve to lift your spirits and brighten your day will work. While you may not feel like doing this, try it anyway, and see how much better you can feel!
The last verses of this Psalm ask “Why are you down in the dumps… crying the blues?” Everyone gets the blues for awhile, but don’t let them last seventeen years… or even 17 HOURS! Focus on God and His blessings, do some things that praise and glorify Him and cheer you, and watch Him put a smile on your face again. He’s OUR GOD… be filled with His joy and let it show!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 15 ~ Psalm 40:13-1713-15 Soften up, God, and intervene;
hurry and get me some help,
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul
will be embarrassed and lose face,
So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable
will be heckled and disgraced,
So those who pray for my ruin
will be booed and jeered without mercy.
16-17 But all who are hunting for you—
oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you're all about
tell the world you're great and not quitting.
And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing:
make something of me.
You can do it; you've got what it takes—
but God, don't put it off.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I can’t say what was in David’s heart, so I don’t know for sure if he was praying for bad things to happen to his enemies, or if he was merely asking God to use whatever measures necessary to protect him from Satan and his agents. I would hope it is the latter. But we all know that we have, at one time or another, at least WISHED revenge on our “enemies.” We say things like, “I’d like to give him/her what’s coming to him/her!” We have all heard the saying that someone will “rot in hell” for what they have done.
What we have to remember is that judgment is GOD’s business, not ours. We – and I certainly include myself in this – have to be very careful that we are not asking God to intervene on our behalf in a judgmental way… in other words, by telling God how to handle the situation. Certainly, we must ask God to protect us from the evil acts of the devil and the temptations he brings our way. But HOW and WHEN God does this is up to GOD, not us!
So let’s adjust our thinking a little. Let’s ask God to help us… to give us His wisdom and strength and courage. Let’s ask God to protect us from our enemies… and from evil and temptation. Let’s ask God to forgive us – AND those who would seek to hurt us or corrupt us in any way. Let’s ask God to show these people the “error of their ways” (in HIS way, not ours) and to help them to heal, too. Let’s ask God to bless those who are a blessing to Him and glorify Him by their behavior and how they speak.
And most of all, let’s ask God to be merciful to US… to “temper” OUR tempers with His grace and mercy… and to save us from not only the devil, but ourselves – to take the mess that we are and “make something of it.”
©2008 Debbie Robus
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