November 7 ~ Psalm 122:1-5
1-2 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
And now we're here, O Jerusalem,
inside Jerusalem's walls!
3-5 Jerusalem, well-built city,
built as a place for worship!
The city to which the tribes ascend,
all God's tribes go up to worship,
To give thanks to the name of God—
this is what it means to be Israel.
Thrones for righteous judgment
are set there, famous David-thrones.
(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.)
Do you know someone who makes a “pilgrimage” of sorts to a special place? Maybe you know someone who returns to their college campus each Homecoming. Maybe your family has a favorite vacation spot on the beach or in the mountains, and you return there each summer at the same time. Maybe you always go to Grandma’s on Christmas Day – or each year you go to the same summer camp. Deuteronomy 16:16 says, “Three times a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles…” (KJV)
The “place of His choosing” was Jerusalem. These festivals were eagerly anticipated. To be able to go to Jerusalem – the Holy City – and worship with fellow believers was a privilege and a cause for celebration. And if you make a “pilgrimage” on a regular basis, chances are good you look forward to going…you are eager and excited about making the trip and all of the events that surround it. You may not think of it as a “privilege” necessarily, but you are glad for the opportunity all the same.
What about the “Jerusalem” of our faith? What about spending time with God – either in church, in prayer, in fellowship with other believers in and out of church settings, and in worship and praise of Him? Do we treat it with the same eagerness, the same anticipation and sense of privilege as we do our “pilgrimages?” There is a version of the first verse of this passage that has been made into a children’s song… “I was glad when they said unto me… let us go into the house of the Lord.” What about us? Are we glad about spending time with God? If not, shouldn’t we be? Isn’t there a little something skewed about being so excited and eager to celebrate and attend things of this world and so weary of spending time with the God of all creation? As we learned in a recent Psalm, He is our “Forever Guardian.” Who could deserve our time and attention more?
I want my ultimate “pilgrimage” to be a daily one – to the “Jerusalem” of my Lord and Savior. I want to be invited into His House each and every day, to talk with Him, to worship Him – just to discuss my day and all it brings with Him. I want the anticipation of time spent in His presence to make my heart leap with joy! The choice is 100% mine – I can have “Jerusalem” every day if I desire… and so can you? So what will it be? Will your days include this “pilgrimage?”
©2008 Debbie Robus
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November 6 ~ Psalm 121:5-8
5-6 God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.
7-8 God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.
(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.)
When I was in elementary school, the campus was located in what is now our City Hall – and across Main Street in a yellow brick building that was torn down a few years ago. This building housed grades 5 and 6. While Main Street was nowhere near as busy as it is today, there was still a safety concern for children crossing this thoroughfare to get to the gym and cafeteria (which was where Harps sits now) or to the office (I think that is now home to our Chief of Police!).
For our own safety, we had school crossing “Safety Patrol” – a.k.a. sixth graders who were “awarded” this coveted honor. As “Safety Patrol” members, we took turns standing at the street each morning before school began and each afternoon when school ended (and maybe at the lunch hour, too). We would serve in this capacity for maybe a week or two at a time, stopping traffic so that children could cross the street safely. We wore “pith” helmets (like a man on safari!) and a webbing belt/shoulder strap of sorts with a little badge, and we had a flag on what I think was a bamboo pole. We even had yellow rubber rain gear for bad weather days! When children needed to cross, we held our flags out to signal the cars to stop, and when we wanted to hold the children away from the street, we blocked the sidewalk with our flag. This wasn’t a very sophisticated “stop-and-go” system, but it worked, and to my knowledge, no child was ever hit crossing the street while the “Safety Patrol” was on duty!
This Psalm tells us that God is always guarding us… even when we walk away from Him… and certainly when we return. Sometimes it may feel like God “fell asleep at the wheel” when trials and tribulations and heartache and poor health and financial ruin and temptation hit us… but I promise you, He did not. For every time we feel “unguarded,” we must remember that God was there to protect us from things we never even realized. God protects us from every evil, but sometimes we choose it anyway… and He may allow this. But always, He can use even the worst situation – to help us grow, to turn us in another direction, or to protect us from something even worse than the path we chose.
I doubt seriously that God wears a pith helmet and a badge, but I am very comforted by the thought that He is always my Guardian… even when I make wrong choices or bad decisions. With God, ALL things are possible, and He can always get me “back on the sidewalk” and out of harm’s way. Praise be to God for His grace, mercy and guardianship!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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November 5 ~ Psalm 121:1-4
1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
3-4 He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.
(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.)
When we think of “the hills,” we probably think of those that surround our little town of Heber Springs. When we think of mountains, probably one of the first that comes to our mind is Sugar Loaf… and most likely you have climbed to the top at least once in your life and looked below to the river valley. You felt the strength of those last rocks as you scaled them to reach the summit. To think that they have stood, solid and firm, for generations is astounding. And honestly, much of the time, we don’t even give the strength of that mountain much thought, do we? We just assume that it will always be there… that the rocks at the top will always be strong and supportive.
In the same way, we may take God’s strength for granted… and God’s strength IS everlasting! He never stops watching over us and protecting us and providing for our care. But that doesn’t give US license to fall asleep. That doesn’t mean we should just assume that God will always be there for us. Our strength doesn’t come from mountains and hills – it comes from GOD! We need to keep this at the forefront of our thinking. We need to be always awake and alert where God is concerned… recognizing His hand in the daily workings of our lives… and praising Him for His goodness. Someone told me just recently, “the only One I talk to EVERY day is God!” Let that be said of us, too. Let’s be sure that no matter what else happens in our day, we stop to talk to God and to recognize his “watch” over our lives.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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November 4 ~ Psalm 118: 26-29
26-29 Blessed are you who enter in God's name—
from God's house we bless you!
God is God,
he has bathed us in light.
Festoon the shrine with garlands,
hang colored banners above the altar!
You're my God, and I thank you.
O my God, I lift high your praise.
Thank God—he's so good.
His love never quits!
(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 won’t be long now before many of us will start decorating for Christmas. (You know who you are!) Some of us will have the stockings hung and the tree decorated before the Thanksgiving turkey is eaten! We do love to celebrate, and for many of us, Christmas is a special time to really “go all out” with the decorations. Even many churches have begun decorating, and often that includes festive garlands and brightly colored banners. I really enjoy our church’s Christmas banners and “greens” and the beautiful Chrismon tree with all of the Christian symbols hanging from it in sparkling gold tones.
While Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Christ, I’m afraid many of us are not thinking about Him very much as we set out our holiday decorations. And yet, God’s goodness – His amazing love for us in the form of Salvation through Jesus Christ – is worthy of all of the festooning with garlands and brightly colored banners we can muster, isn’t it?! When you get right down to it, EVERY DAY should be a day of celebration – cause for a party and shouting and praising God! EVERY day should be like Christmas!
So as we go into this holiday season… let’s decorate if that is your “thing.” But this time, let’s be sure we have everything in focus. Let’s be sure that as we hang the garlands and the banners, decorate the tree, light the candles and celebrate, we are remembering Jesus. Let’s be sure we are celebrating His birth AND the love and generosity of God for His children – none of whom deserve it! God’s love never quits – so let’s never quit lifting high His praise!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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November 3 ~ Psalm 118:21-25
21-25 Thank you for responding to me;
you've truly become my salvation!
The stone the masons discarded as flawed
is now the capstone!
This is God's work.
We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
This is the very day God acted—
let's celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
Oh yes, God—a free and full life!
(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 watched a stonemason work? When my husband and I built our house, we used a manufactured stone product to accent the exterior and our fireplace and kitchen hearth, giving it a “stacked stone” look. The stonemasons were truly artisans. I had to laugh as SIX men stood and studied and measured each stone… who knew it could take that many people to place one rock! But for every rock they attached to the walls, they probably discarded three. This one was broken… that one had the wrong color… that one was not the right shape… another was too big or too small. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle, they made the “rocks” fit, and the end result was amazingly beautiful.
In the Spiritual sense, we are the rocks. There are many stonemasons… man, the devil, and God. Quite often, man or the devil will toss us aside as flawed… we are too big or too small, the wrong color or shape, or we are simply broken in one way or another. But thankfully, God doesn’t see us that way. He sees us as His creation… perfect – or with the potential to be perfect. Because you see, when we give our heart to Jesus, the blood He shed on the cross washes away every single imperfection (sin) in our lives, and we truly are perfect in the eyes of God.
Makes you want to rub your eyes in disbelief, doesn’t it?! Free and clear, God has bought and paid for us with the blood and sacrifice of His only Son! WOW! If that doesn’t make you feel special, nothing will. If that isn’t worth praising God for, nothing ever will be. Let’s celebrate and be festive. Salvation now! Salvation NOW! Stop what you are doing and thank God for giving us this free and full life!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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November 2 ~ Psalm 118:17-20
17-20 I didn't die. I lived!
And now I'm telling the world what God did.
God tested me, he pushed me hard,
but he didn't hand me over to Death.
Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates!
I'll walk right through and thank God!
This Temple Gate belongs to God,
so the victors can enter and praise.
(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 been in a situation where you had what you would consider a “close call?” Maybe a car pulled out in front of you and you swerved just in time to avoid a collision. Maybe you were balancing on a ladder and your foot slipped and you almost fell. Maybe you were out on the lake and a storm came up suddenly, and you barely made it to shore before the lightning, wind and thunder started in earnest. You may have even said afterward that you “saw your life flash before your eyes!” I hope this was not truly the case! But there are so many instances in our lives where we come close to disaster, and miraculously – or so it seems – we are saved.
Spiritually, we often teeter on the brink of disaster… we flirt with sin, make poor choices, or end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. We decide to practice the “Burger King Religion” of having things our way, and the results are horrific. We can really get ourselves into some messes, can’t we?! But the GOOD NEWS is that, while God may allow us to wallow in the mess we’ve made for awhile and become pretty miserable, He doesn’t allow us to perish. When we recognize how foolish we have been and cry out to God, He rescues us.
Because of God’s grace and mercy, we live. He holds the gates of Heaven wide open for us. He sends angels to surround us and protect us from ourselves in more situations than we can count! He LOVES us… do you get that? He wants us to be with Him – to be well and happy and ALIVE – physically AND spiritually. Thank Him today for loving us so well. You are alive in God. Because of Him, you live – both now and for all eternity! Now that’s something worth praising!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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November 1 ~ Psalm 118:5-16
5-16 Pushed to the wall, I called to God;
from the wide open spaces, he answered.
God's now at my side and I'm not afraid;
who would dare lay a hand on me?
God's my strong champion;
I flick off my enemies like flies.
Far better to take refuge in God
than trust in people;
Far better to take refuge in God
than trust in celebrities.
Hemmed in by barbarians,
in God's name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;
Hemmed in and with no way out,
in God's name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;
Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, they hemmed me in;
in God's name I rubbed their faces in the dirt.
I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall,
when God grabbed and held me.
God's my strength, he's also my song,
and now he's my salvation.
Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs
in the camp of the saved?
"The hand of God has turned the tide!
The hand of God is raised in victory!
The hand of God has turned the tide!"
(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 hope you will pick up a King James (KJV) Bible or a New International Version (NIV) and read this passage. It “sings” so well in those translations. In particular, verse 6 in the KJV says, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” Honestly, when we get a grip on this verse… when we truly settle this in our hearts and rest upon it, our whole world will change!
Think about it. It’s not who you know in the context of people… celebrities or otherwise. Oh sure, that may help you temporarily. But truly, day in and day out, through thick and thin, it is WHO you know… and I’m talking BIG PICTURE here! When GOD is on our side, nothing and no one can hurt us. It may sting for a little while, but He will restore us.
As I read the last verses of this passage, I thought of a football team that is behind on the scoreboard but determined not to give up the fight. They may have their faces rubbed in the dirt, and they may be pushed back to within a few yards of their own goal, but still they keep fighting and working and believing. Slowly but surely, the tide begins to turn, and all of a sudden – with a few yards here and a few more there and maybe a good pass or two, the opposing team’s goal line is within reach. You can hear the roar of the cheering crowd. You can smell an upset. The individual team members reached within themselves and found a strength they didn’t know they had… and it didn’t come from their coach, the cheerleaders, or even their fellow team members.
I won’t say that God literally affects the outcome of a football game in favor of one team or another. But I do believe that when we call on Him, even in a football game, He will give us the courage and encouragement – the strength and resolve – to dig deep and give our very best. And that may make the difference in the outcome of ANY situation! So the next time you find yourself with your “back to the wall,” remember… “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear…” Then raise your hands in victory and thank God for turning the tide!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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