Humbled by David

I've been reading a Psalm a day, and I must say I am absolutely humbled by David's heart and his pursuit of God. Here's one that spoke to me today--

1 Save me, O God,
for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
2 Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
I can't find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
and the floods overwhelm me.
3 I am exhausted from crying for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
waiting for my God to help me.
4 Those who hate me without cause
outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
demanding that I give back what I didn't steal.

5 O God, you know how foolish I am;
my sins cannot be hidden from you.
6 Don't let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
O Sovereign Lord of Heaven's Armies.
Don't let me cause them to be humiliated,
O God of Israel.
7 For I endure insults for your sake;
humiliation is written all over my face.
8 Even my own brothers pretend they don't know me;
they treat me like a stranger.

9 Passion for your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
they scoff at me.
11 When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
they make fun of me.
12 I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
and all the drunks sing about me.

13 But I keep praying to you, Lord ,
hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mud;
don't let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
and pull me from these deep waters.
15 Don't let the floods overwhelm me,
or the deep waters swallow me,
or the pit of death devour me.

16 Answer my prayers, O Lord ,
for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
for your mercy is so plentiful.
17 Don't hide from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
18 Come and redeem me;
free me from my enemies.

19 You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
You see all that my enemies are doing.
20 Their insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
if only one would turn and comfort me.
21 But instead, they give me poison for food;
they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

22 Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
and their prosperity become a trap.
23 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
and make their bodies shake continually.
24 Pour out your fury on them;
consume them with your burning anger.
25 Let their homes become desolate
and their tents be deserted.
26 To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
27 Pile their sins up high,
and don't let them go free.
28 Erase their names from the Book of Life;
don't let them be counted among the righteous.

29 I am suffering and in pain.
Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

30 Then I will praise God's name with singing,
and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
31 For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God's help be encouraged.
33 For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
he does not despise his imprisoned people.

34 Praise him, O heaven and earth,
the seas and all that move in them.
35 For God will save Jerusalem
and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
and settle in their own land.
36 The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
and those who love him will live there in safety.

I'm learning so much from this man who chased after God in everything. He was by no means perfect, but he was passionate about God and loved him with everything in him.

Mary's "yes!"

Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true."

Have you ever thought about how willing Mary must have been? She was willing to risk everything, her reputation, her engagement, her family, her name...simply because an angel told her she would give birth. The entire city would look down on her and the threat of being stoned for not staying faithful to Joseph was a possibility too.

I wonder what would happen if we were that willing. Would you be willing to risk everything you had to do something you knew God had planned for you, but it would cost you everything. I'm not sure I would have been willing.

"Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. "

And I'm pretty confident that this would not have been my immediate praise to God after he told me I was going to bring His Son into this world.

Man, she had some faith.

My Last Amen

From the corner of my eye
There's a tear I'm trying to cry
But the feeling can't be found
Like a note thrills in a song
When I play it again, it's gone
Cuz it was never in the sound

And it keeps me wanting
That mysterious thing
Like a night is waiting for a dawn

Every prayer I say (a little closer)
To my resting place (a little closer)
Where my final breath is the beginning
To never needing
And I will find my last Amen

I could swear I have two hearts
One to stay, one to depart
This sad, tragic kingdom
And it burns me down to the core
Because I know there's so much more
It's just a pale reflection
And it keeps me wanting
That mysterious thing
Like an outcast waiting to belong

And while the thrills are fading
The joy is in the waiting
Somewhere in the grand design
It's good be unsatisfied
It keeps the faith and hope a little more alive

This is a new song on Air1 and it has a strange sound, but listen to it if you get a chance!

Forgiveness=Forgetting

Here's a topic brought up in my philosophy class. Just a thought to think about! :)

"It's cliche to say 'Forgive and forget.' However, forgiving is not forgetting. Christians say God forgets your sins, but that is incorrect. God is in fact all knowing, so how could He forget. Would that not take away His omniscient power? You say He "throws it as far as the east is from the west" but He knows where that is too. So how can forgiveness be the same as forgetting? God doesn't ever really "forget" your sins, so what power does that give Him, if He doesn't truly forget."


Yes, I was a little fired up and fought with all the logic I could. :) Thankfully, my God is a lot bigger than a feeling, and He's truth, or I think I would have walked out of that class with a big seed of doubt in my mind. The most frustrating thing about arguing with a philosophy teacher, He's smart!! :) and has thought of just about everything. And I think He's moved beyond rational. But that doesn't scare me. Thank you Jesus for wisdom!

Just some thoughts. Did they get you fired up??



It is in fact here, yet again...my birthday is this weekend!! So in honor of that, what is your most favorite memory of me?? Respond, and I'll give you my most favorite memory with you (that is if they are not the same).