From:
Date: November 13, 2019
Subject: It's November 13; Good Morning Union


“But I trust Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me.”   Psalm 13: 5,6

My journey through the 5 psalms for today:

Psalm 13- This is one of those “disoriented/reorienting” songs. It ends with “but.…” So what’s the but?! ALL the verses before this conclusion start out with “How long O Lord…?” as David wrestles with his perceived presence of evil and absence of God. Or so it seemed. Yet through all the darkness he still was able to say, “BUT I trust in Your unfailing love.” In fact, I’m going to sing a praise song rather than a dark depressing funeral dirge.

In the margin of my Bible I wrote under this verse, “Conscious acts result in positive emotions which result in a response of praise.”

Psalm 43 ends the same way, After a struggle with the “How long O Lords,” he concludes, “Why are you downcast and disturbed… Put your hope in the Lord and praise Him.”

 Psalm 73 (I see a pattern here!)- paraphrased it said to me this morning, “It may be good to praise the Lord but when I look around me sometimes I wonder why… UNTIL I entered your sanctuary and understood Your bigger picture… You will always be with me, and hold me, and guide me, and finally take me to glory…. It’s good to stay near you O God.” (I love paraphrasing and personalizing the psalms!)

Psalm 103 I memorized years ago and still love reciting it on my morning walks! It starts out “Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits,” followed by 19 specific things God does for me when I stay focus on praising Him rather than pondering the problems!

 

Have a great day discovering the joy and the stability that comes from focusing on Him,

Pastor Rich

 

Quote for the day:      "The great controversy between good and evil is a war between two diametrically opposed ways of living life and governing the world: the love of power versus the power of love."           Ty Gibson

 

PS        "Hello Ladies! This week we are having our first Women’s Ministry event! Come spend some time singing and worshipping as sisters in Christ. There will be good snacks and even better fellowship. Come to Rees Chapel this Wednesday (the 13th) at 8:00 pm! I would love to see you there. "         Abigail Logan Women’s Ministry coordinator