God is our Refuge and Strength

1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”
11The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
(Psalm 46, NRSV)

God is always with us.

God makes wars cease and brings peace to our lives.

No matter what may come we can rest easy in God and not fear what is or will happen.

Just Be Still and know that God is God and that is enough for us to rest peacefully!

The LORD is my Shepherd

1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
(Psalm 23, NRSV)

I have the book pictured in my office. It is 144 pages on the 6 verses above. That is 24 pages a verse!

It is hard to imagine that one could expand that much on these verses that seem to be straight forward. But Mr. Keller opens up the meaning behind the oil and rod and staff in a way that makes the psalm come alive and means much more than it does on the surface.

The is the wonder of the psalms and all of the Bible. It has many meanings and impacts our lives in many different ways.

I recommend reading psalms daily and reading Mr. Keller’s book to see just how much God as our shepherd loves us.

The Lord is my Rock and Fortress

1In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
2Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
3You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
5Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
(Psalm 31:1-5, NRSV)

When I get trapped o God help me out. For you alone are my sure foundation and protection.

I will always seek you to be my refuge, my shelter from the storms of my life.

God you alone are my protector and my shade. You alone hear me when I cry and come to my aid.

Live in the refuge of our God and trust in God’s promise to be there.

The LORD is my Strength

6Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(Psalm 28:6-9, NRSV)

God had heard me every time I cried out. God is my strength and my shield and a refuge from the storms of my life.

God always hears me and watches over me.

God will never let me down.

Open and welcoming

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
This past month I was involved in Footloose the musical at Abrams Spotlight Productions. “It was a terrifying experience and it was exhilarating,” to quote my character Reverend Shaw Moore. I have been thinking about doing a production for a while now as several of St. John’s members had been involved and I know a few people who have been in productions and are involved with the theater. Plus I also know several colleagues who do theater. I have played for musicals in the past and will in the future, but this was my first venture onto the stage to have a role in a production. I was worried about how I would do and how I would be accepted.
What I learned at Abrams Spotlight Productions is the theater is what the world show be like. You see the world is made up of all kinds of people. Some are funny and some are serious. Some are short and some are tall. Some can sing and some can sing in their cars. Some can dance, and then there is me. Some of them believe in God and some of them don’t. But the world is full of people who are different. And we should, as followers of Christ, be accepting of others where they are and not try to make them fit into any mold or act a certain way. We should look on them with love and as more significant than ourselves. And to be honest, the theater is one of the first places I have found this.
Everyone at the theater didn’t judge me because I was a pastor, or an outsider. They welcomed me as a co creator in the world we were becoming so that everyone could forget about their troubles for a couple hours. They didn’t worry about if I was good enough, they gave me my part and helped me along the way. They didn’t think I would pull the down because it was my first time, they empowered me to be the best I could be. They didn’t judge me, they accepted me and made me a better version of myself. And that my friends is what we should be doing as the church.
So let us accept everyone as they are, because that is what God did for you, and let us take a look at how we act towards others, and be a bit more like the theater, open and welcoming of every one, because we all are made in the image of God and we all have a gift to give.
I offer you the opportunity I had at the theater, to welcome as God welcomed you, without judgement and openly as people are.

Do Not Worry:God Will Provide

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:25-34, NRSV)

Do not worry about tomorrow…

Do not worry about anything!

These 2 statements are easier said than done. It is hard for some of us not to worry about what is going to happen. I can start to think about things and come up with some of the most terrifying things you could imagine. I worry a lot. About everything. It is surprising I have not had an ulcer yet. And yet here Jesus tells the disciples to not worry about anything.

Don’t worry about life, what you will eat or drink, just focus on the here and now. Because God takes care of the grass and the birds, God will take care of you.

Tomorrow doesn’t need to be worried about because today has enough to worry about. Just be present and know that God will take care of you!

The Lord is my Light and Salvation

1The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
(Psalm 27:1-6, NRSV)

No matter what happens in my life I will not fear. Because I know my God will always hide me in the shelter God has prepared for me.

God will conceal me in His tent and keep me from my enemies.

I will not fear for God is always with me and nothing can change that!

No matter what may come, I will rest in my God and I will not fear!

A Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

1Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent,
2who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually.
3They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah
4Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall.
5The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net, along the road they have set snares for me. Selah
6I say to the Lord, “You are my God; give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.”
7O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot. Selah
(Psalm 140:1-8, NRSV)

Under their lips is the venom of vipers! They spit out evils from their very beings to continue wars. You alone o, God can protect me from their evil.

Only God can keep us safe from the evils of the world around us.

God alone hears us when we cry and answers our prayers.

Cry out to God and know that God will deliver you from all the evils that surround you!

A Cry to God from the Depths

1Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
4But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
5I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
7O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
8It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
(Psalm 130, NRSV)

My hope is in God’s Word!

Because I know when I cry out from the depths of the holes I find myself in, God will listen to my cries and come to my aid.

I know that Jesus is always near me and will always be there for me.

My hope is in God and I know that God’s promises are sure.

A Promise to Praise God

19You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?
20You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
21You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again.
22I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued.
24All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help, for those who tried to do me harm have been put to shame, and disgraced.
(Psalm 71:19b-24, NRSV)

God has rescued us from all that is about to harm us and from what is surrounding us.

We need to consistently and constantly praise God for what God has done for us.

Who is like God and who has pulled us up out of the mire? Only God has been there through thick and thin to see us through.

So praise God for everything God has done for you!