It is Good

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre. Psalm 92: 1-3 NLT

I always encourage you to praise God but I find myself doing less than I ought.

The psalmist says that it is good to give thanks and praise God twice a day: morning and evening. I suppose we can do it at other times, but this is what the psalmist exhorts us to do. The psalmist also says we need to do this to music.

Don't say you can't sing! Of course, you can sing. You may not sound good but singing to God is praising God, no matter what our voices sound like. And who says we can't do this in our heads as well? Perhaps all we need to do is to turn on some praise music and lip sync the words! Dance around even! Just as long as our focus is on God and our gratitude is turned to God, we are praising.

What song or songs will you be praising God to today?

God, it is good to give thanks to you and praise your Holy Name. Help me to do this at least twice a day because I love you, Lord. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Trust God

The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation." Psalm 91: 14-16 NLT

How much do you love God?

Do you love God more than your family? Your source of income? Chocolate?

Do you trust God?

Do you trust God more than your doctor, the police or your best friend?

God wants to rescue you, protect you, be with you when you are in trouble, reward you and honor you.

But first, you need to really love God. And you need to really trust God.

Many times we say we love God and trust God. Yet, we are so busy doing it all ourselves.

Today, take some time to think about how much you are acting like you love and trust God.

God, help me to truly love you and to fully trust you. I say I do but my actions don't always show it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Terrors of the Night

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! Psalm 91: 5-13 NLT

My ten-year old is terrified of going down into our basement at night. It reminds me of when he was about 4 or 5 and he was scared of the dark at bedtime. I can't make too much fun of him, however, because I have my own moments of terror. I am sure you do as well. Ours may not have to do with a dark basement but certainly a darkly lit parking lot or even a negative report from our doctor can have us quaking in our boots.

The psalmist is trying to alleviate our fears. No matter what happens: night terrors, weapons aimed at us, dreadful diseases, natural disasters, people falling down around you -- God is your shelter, your home, your place of protection. Although, like Jesus, we cannot depend on God to remove every danger from our lives, we can depend on God to be with us, keep us going and give us strength. And even when death comes near, we are not to fear but to trust in God's promises of salvation.

God, you are my refuge, my shelter, my weapon against terror. I give you my trust and open my eyes to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

You alone are my refuge

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91: 1-4 NLT

There is a sign outside one of our local fire stations that says: Safe Place. Apparently, it is somewhere that abused spouses and children can go in times of need.

This psalm reminds us that God is a safe place for us. God alone is our refuge. God alone is our place of safety. We can trust God. God will rescue us from every trap and protect us from deadly disease. God will cover us with feathers and shelter us in his wings. God's promises are like our armor and protection.

I suppose in a way that sounds like we become invincible when we believe in God. But I think it has more to do with how we feel and how we react when things happen to us. If God is our protection and our refuge, we are not afraid. We depend on God rather than on ourselves or science. We can accept what happens to us because God is with us.

God, you alone are my refuge, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you. For you will rescue me from every trap and protect me from deadly disease. You will cover me with your feathers. You will shelter me with your wings. Your faithful promises are my armor and protection. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

God's Approval

O Lord, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing of joy at the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful! Psalm 90: 13-17 NLT

I wonder in what efforts the psalmist wanted to be successful. Perhaps he was asking for a good harvest to keep from being placed into slavery. Maybe he wanted success on the battlefield so that his country and home would be safe from enemies. Or it is possible that the psalmist simply wanted the king to do well, to make the country prosper. Any of those scenarios would fit.

In what areas of your life do you want to be successful? Success can mean receiving lots of recognition but it can also mean simply doing well on a day to day basis in your life and in your work. In fact, the psalmist says that the best approval is God's approval. I think that is the kind of success the psalmist really wants.

God, make my efforts successful so that I receive your approval. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Your secret sins

You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals!” For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours. You sweep people away like dreams that disappear. They are like grass that springs up in the morning. In the morning it blooms and flourishes, but by evening it is dry and withered. We wither beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your fury. You spread out our sins before you – our secret sins – and you see them all. We live our lives beneath your wrath, ending our years with a groan. Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Who can comprehend your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve. Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. Psalm 90: 3-12 NLT

God sees your sins – even your secret sins.

That's right. Even those things you have never told a soul, never acted on or even considered confessing to God. God knows them. God knows your inmost secret heart, your pains and your brokenness.

Do you think God has a right to be angry over these secret sins? I'm not addressing the other readers of this devotional. Even you have secret sins. Again, do you think God is mad at you because of them?

What steps can you take to confess and to be forgiven? What steps can you take or help can you ask for to over come these sins, to not repeat these secret sins?

I'm going to take some time right now to think about what these secret sins are, to really admit that I have them, to ask God's forgiveness and to accept that forgiveness with a promise not to backslide.

Will you join me?

Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

God is our home

Lord, throughout all generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. Psalm 90: 1-2 NLT

They say home is where the heart is. The psalmist says our home is God.

Think for a moment about your home. What to you visualize with the word home? Do you see a house or a piece of property? Do you see people? Family, perhaps?

Interesting that in the Old Testament, home was the land. The land was from God, given by God, the land become holy. God was tied to the land so that home was the land.

Therefore, the psalmist seems to be saying that the land has been their home for many, many years. This is God's special place. God was there at the beginning, God gave birth to the land, the mountains, the earth. God set this place, this home, apart as far back as creation.

God has also set God's people apart, as holy, for many years. God continues to set you and me apart, to make us holy.

God is our home.

God, thank you for being our home. And that is truly where our heart is. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

So be it!

Lord, where is your unfailing love? You promised it to David as a faithful pledge. Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced! I carry in my heart the insults of so many people. Your enemies have mocked me, O Lord; they mock your anointed king wherever he goes. Praise the Lord forever! Amen and amen! Psalm 89:49-52 NLT

In reading these verses, I can almost hear God throwing these words back to the psalmist and back to us. Listen to what God would say:

(Your name), where is your unfailing love? You promised it to me as a faithful pledge. Consider, (Your name), how your God is disgraced! I carry in my heart the insults of so many people. My enemies have mocked me, (Your name); they mock your God wherever you go.

So, where is your unfailing love? Who or what do you truly care for? What promises to God have you broken? How have you disgraced God? Insulted God? Mocked God or not spoken up when others have mocked God?

God wants us to praise and give God the glory. God wants us to be able to say, “So be it, so be it!” Yet, we fall short of what God wants for us.

God, help me to show you my unfailing love. May I keep my promises to you and not disgrace your holy name. So be it!

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

How long will this go on?

O Lord, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire? Remember how short my life is, how empty and futile this human existence! No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave. Psalm 89: 46-48 NLT

I can't tell you how often in my life I have asked myself, others and God: how long will this go on?

So, I can really feel for the Psalmist for asking God that very same question. The psalmist points out that people only live so long. If these problems and God's anger continue, then the psalmist will die as unhappy as he lived. The grave simply becomes another issue in a long line of punishments. The psalmist wants God to forgive and relent, to help the psalmist out of his predicaments.

I don't like to think about how short my own life is. However, at my last birthday, I realized how much I was hovering around the half-way mark in my own life. Doubling my age would put me at the end of a very long life. To see my life in those terms was very sobering.

I realized that I needed to do things in my life so that I was not constantly asking, how long will this go on. I need to live each day, no matter what it brings, in a way that gives glory and honor to God.

God, please don't hide yourself from me forever. Help me to live each day to your glory. Help me not be focused on how short life is but in how forgiving and loving you are. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

The Blame Game

But now you have rejected him and cast him off. You are angry with your anointed king. You have renounced your covenant with him; you have thrown his crown in the dust. You have broken down the walls protecting him and ruined every fort defending him. Everyone who comes along has robbed him, and he has become a joke to his neighbors. You have strengthened his enemies and made them all rejoice. You have made his sword useless and refused to help him in battle. You have ended his splendor and overturned his throne. You have made him old before his time and publicly disgraced him. Psalm 89: 38-45 NLT

Having a child in elementary school can really change your outlook on what being mature means. Just when you think your child is older than his birthdate, you realize how much your child still needs to grow. For instance, how about the blaming game? It is always someone else's fault or due to someone else's behavior that your own child was punished. If you push and ask questions, you often find that perhaps your child was not so innocent that he made himself out to be.

Kind of like the psalmist.

The psalmist complains that God has forgotten all the many promises God made to David and his descendants. Yet, even within those words of promise, there were things David and his heirs were to do. Just because the psalmist is blaming God does not mean that the current king is not responsible as well.

Who do you blame for your current difficulties? Where do you see your own responsibility in these same problems?

God, forgive us when we blame you and act like immature children. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

God's Promises

Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people. You said, “ I have raised up a warrior. I have selected him from the common people to be king. I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil. I will steady him with my hand; with my powerful arm I will make him strong. His enemies will not defeat him, nor will the wicked overpower him. I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him. My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power. I will extend his rule over the sea, his dominion over the rivers. And he will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my Salvation.' I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth. I will love him and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end. I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be endless as the days of heaven. But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commandments, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun. It will be as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!” Psalm 89: 19- 37 NLT

What promises has God made for you ? Where have you seen God's love and faithfulness in your life? What words do you think God has spoken over you that God will never take back?

God, thank you for your love, your promises and your faithfulness. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

God's Unfailing Love

I will sing of the Lord' unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him: “I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.” Psalm 89:1-4 NLT

I will sing of God's unfailing love forever just as God made an unfailing covenant with King David.

I will sing of God's love so that present and future generations may hear my testimony.

I will sing of God's unfailing mercy so that all who know me will see God's love in me.

I will sing of God's enduring faithfulness to me when I am by myself or in a group.

My praises will come from the heart, just as God's love comes to my heart.

I will sing of the Lord' unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Joyful Call to Worship

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness. You are their glorious strength. It pleases you to make us strong. Yes, our protection comes from the Lord, and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king. Psalm 89: 15-18 NLT

On Sunday mornings at my church, folks are reluctant to enter the sanctuary. Pretty much each week folks are still out in the narthex/lobby of the sanctuary building still drinking coffee and talking. Everyone from the worship committee to the church council has an idea about how to change this habit. But none of us have thought about how this can actually work to our advantage.

You see, in Psalm 89, the happy ones are those who hear the joyful call to worship. They are the ones who will walk into the light of God's presence, rejoicing and exulting God. They will be full of strength and protection.

Perhaps we should be more focused on how to bring a joyful call to worship in the hearing of folks in the narthex as worship begins.

Do you hear a joyful call to worship each week?

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. May I hear a joyful call to worship this week. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

God's Attributes

Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. Psalm 89: 13-14 NLT

I love these attributes for God!

God has a powerful hand and a strong arm. In fact, God's right hand is lifted high in strength.

God's throne is made up of righteousness and justice. Righteousness and justice are what God stands upon – literally sits down on.

God's attendants – those who wait on God and wait with God – are unfailing love and truth. These walk before God at all times and places.

Power, strength, righteousness, justice, unfailing love and truth – this is our God!

God, you are powerful, strong, righteous, just, loving and full of truth. We give you praise and gratefulness for who you are. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

God is Greater

You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves. You crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours – you created it all. You created north and south. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon praise your name. Psalm 89: 9-12 NLT

What is greater than the mightiest storm?

What is more powerful than the most powerful animal?

What is bigger than any natural disaster?

God.

This is because the whole earth is God's creation – and that is something you can believe whether you read Genesis literally or not. There is simply no way this world which is so complex and so awe inspiring could simply be an accident or an element of survival. This earth is God's and this is God's creation. Therefore nothing can subdue the creator.

Thank you, God, for your creation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Who can compare to God?

All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. For who in all heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord? The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne. O Lord God of Heaven's Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. Psalm 89: 5-8 NLT

How awesome is God for you?

In Psalm 89, we hear that God is greater than anything in heaven. Thousands upon thousands of holy angels are nothing compared to God. Even the greatest archangel, even the ones who gave the greatest messages or helped the holiest people (like Jesus) are nothing compared to God. Even those who surround God's throne have nothing on the Mighty One.

Yet, we sometimes put things on this earth higher than we do God. God comes in third or fourth in our priorities, if God comes in at all.

I try to begin each day with a devotional and time in prayer. Years ago, I spent at least thirty minutes in prayer. Now I am lucky to squeeze in ten minutes. So, what are my priorities? If God is greater than the mightiest angel, why am I not giving God more time and attention?

O Lord God of Heaven's Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. May I live as I have prayed. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Have you lost your hope?

O Lord, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day. O Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you turn your face from me? I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors. Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me. Your terrors have paralyzed me. They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long. They have engulfed me completely. You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend. Psalm 88: 13-18 NLT

Have you ever prayed so hard to God for something and never received an answer? Have you ever been stuck in a no-win situation and felt like God wasn't listening to your pleas for help? Have you ever felt that God was so upset with you that you were drowning in God's disapproval?

That is what is happening with the psalmist. He has tried to bring his case before the throne but at this point he has lost his hope. God has not just left him alone, God has become angry and sent God's punishments to overwhelm him. No one stands by him. He has been left in the dark, alone.

I suppose none of us want to admit that we have ever lost our hope. That sounds unchristian to do so. We like to think we have held on to our hope even in the darkest of days. But I am sure that each one of us have had a moment or two like the one the psalmist described. In fact, in those days it is actually comforting to have our feelings expressed for us in scripture.

God, thank you for the psalms, especially psalm 88. Thank you that your holy word can help us to give vent to our feelings, even when we feel disloyal in having those feelings. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

A Rhetorical Question

Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead? Do the dead rise up and praise you? Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love? Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness? Psalm 88: 10-12 NLT

These verses contain the same rhetorical question re-worded six times. It is like the psalmist wants to play on God's vanity. If God doesn't save him, then how will God be praised? If God doesn't do something to help, then how will God be worshipped? The dead don't do those things!

There is the argument: don't let me die, Lord, for then I can't be your follower!

Certainly, there are some things we cannot wait until life after death to do. One of them is praising God. The vision that John received in the book of Revelation suggests we will spend eternity worshipping God. Should we wait until then to do this? Of course not! But many self-avowed Christians don't attend church. How can we truly worship if we don't do so in the community of faith?

What other things have you put off, knowing you may do them in eternity? How about forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply (not forgetting, forgiving)? Re-kindling a dying relationship? Being at peace with your neighbors? Take some time this day to think about these things.

God, you are worth praising and worshipping while we are living. Help us to remember to do so often as you are an awesome God! In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

You have driven my friends away

You have driven my friends away by making me repulsive to them. I am in a trap with no way of escape. My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day I beg for your help, O Lord: I lift my hands to you for mercy. Psalm 88: 8-9 NLT

Okay, I admit that I don't have any friends. Yes, lots of good acquaintances and certainly my social network is pretty full. But that doesn't mean I have friends.

I suppose I could blame God. Perhaps I am repulsive to others. Maybe my demeanor, my calling or my physical appearance puts others off. Is my personality such that I scare others away? Well, of course God created me just as I am. So, I can blame God, right?

Or can I? Sometimes you have to admit that you have as much responsibility at the next person -- this includes God.

But that doesn't mean I have stopped praying for a friend. And perhaps that is where we can admire and learn from the psalmist. Even though he feels trapped, he continues to lift up his hands to God for mercy.

God, I beg for you for help. I lift up my hands to you for mercy. Please hear my prayer. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

I cry out to you

O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near. I am as good as dead, like a strong man with no strength left. They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care. You have thrown me into the lowest pit, into the darkest depths. Your anger weighs me down; with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Psalm 88: 1-7 NLT

Although I have never been extremely ill so that I feared for my life, I can imagine this is what is happening to the psalmist here.

The psalmist cries out to God all day. The psalmist prays to God in the night. Troubles surround him. Death is near. In fact, the psalmist is as though one who is dead: he has no strength left, he lies like a corpse in a grave, he has been left among the dead.

Then the please turn from needing help and complaining to blaming. God is the one who has done this. God has forgotten him and cut him off. God has thrown him into the deepest, darkest hole. God is angry at him and God's anger overwhelms him.

When we are in trouble or suffering, it is easy to blame others, including God. Then we don't have to worry about the things we did wrong. We don't have to take responsibility for our own actions. We don't have to blame the disease or the doctor. We don't have to take it out on our broken relationships or job stress that have brought us to this point. It is easiest to blame God.

Some folks like to say stuff like, “It was God's will,” which is also blaming God while trying to get around becoming angry at God. But even then, the anger must be there.

What do you do when you feel abandoned by God or going through immense suffering? Do you blame God?

O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord. He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel. O city of God, what glorious things are said of you! I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me – also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, “Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.” And the Most High will personally bless this city. When the Lord registers the nations, he will say, “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.” The people will play flutes and sing, “The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!” Psalm 87 NLT

From where does the source of your life spring?

For the psalmist, the source of life sprung from Jerusalem. In fact, Jerusalem was so enticing that even natives of their traditional enemies wanted to become citizens. But this wasn't because the city was well-placed or well-planned. The city was not important because of its ancient history or where it was on the map.

Jerusalem was important because that was where God was. The Temple was in Jerusalem. God was in the temple. For the psalmist, God was only in that one place.

Folks wanted to become citizens of Jerusalem because they wanted to be followers of God. Jerusalem was the source of life because God was the psalmist's source of life.

You and I know that God is not just in one city or place. God is everywhere. If God is truly our source of life, can we say we are being good citizens?

God, you are my source of life. Please forgive me when I don't act like it and place money, career, family, home and friends in higher priority than you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Look down and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant; save me, the son of your servant. Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me. Psalm 86: 15-17 NLT

God is full of compassion and mercy.God is slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

This is hard to remember when we compare God with our own parents. Were your parents slow to get angry? Even the parent who didn't yell at me would get that look on their face so that I knew they were mad. Do you think your parents were full of unfailing love? I know I tested both their anger and their love. I am not saying they were ever hateful to me, I just don't think they had unfailing love toward me. Yes, they love me...but...

God isn't like our parents. God loves us constantly. God's love and compassion and mercy are evident in what God did for us through Jesus. God didn't have to let Jesus die. God could have saved him or even allowed him to be that military messiah everyone expected. And God could have stopped with Jesus' death. That might have done something for our sins but it would not have meant that we were given the gift of eternal life. God went above and beyond by resurrecting Jesus from the dead.

God shows us mercy and unfailing love by the gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus. In his name we give thanks and praise. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death. O God, insolent people rise up against me; a violent gang is trying to kill me. You mean nothing to them. Psalm 86: 11-14 NLT

Here is what I really need to ask God for:

I need to be taught God's ways so that I can live according to God's truth.

I need to have purity of heart so that I will always honor God.

I need to love God with all my heart so that I can praise God.

I need to give glory to God's name forever because God loves me so much.

I need God's ways, purity of heart, love and glory because of God's saving grace. God has rescued me from death even while the enemy is trying to kill me. I mean everything to God.

And so do you.

God, teach me your ways, give me purity of heart, may I have true love and constant praise for you. You love me so much. Thank you, Jesus! Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

No pagan god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do! All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God. Psalm 86: 8-10 NLT

No one is like God.

No judge on American Idol is like God.

No cover model on Sport Illustrated is like God.

No politician is like God.

No fabulously wealthy person on earth is like God.

The Internet is not like God.

You are not like God – or should we say you are not God.

God alone is God. God alone is worth our worship, our time, our praises and our complete trust.

Perhaps if we pray this often enough, we will really come to believe it.

No pagan god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do! All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I'm in trouble, and you will answer me. Psalm 86: 1-7 NLT

Why should God listen to your prayer requests?

Are you devoted to God?

Have you give yourself fully to the Lord?

Do you serve God?

Do you truly trust God?

Is God really your God?

Or do have you just assumed that God will answer your prayers no matter how you treat God? Did Jesus' death and resurrection give you carte blanche? Or are you still responsible for your actions?

May we be truthful when we pray: Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I'm in trouble, and you will answer me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield it bountiful harvest. Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps. Psalm 85: 10-13 NLT

In the Old Testament, there is a connection between the health of the land and the relationship between God and the people. Psalm 85 speaks of righteousness and peace coming together. Both love and truth have intersected. The result is that God sheds blessings on the land. Having Righteousness and truth means a bountiful harvest.

For us in the 21^st Century, I suppose connecting our behavior to the health of the environment seems silly and unscientific. Sounds like something coming from either a revived hippy movement or a bunch of tree-hugging vegans. Yet, I don't think either of those groups would put God in the equation. For them, your treatment of the land will result in a bountiful harvest. Acting peaceful will simply mean that people treat one another decently and all will have plenty to eat.

But the psalmist has a different approach. It isn't about treating the environment with care. It is all about treating God with care. This includes being right with God and treating others with righteousness as well. Then God pours down God's blessings and the land yields its bounty.

God, help us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. May righteousness and peace kiss in our lifetime! In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory. Psalm 85: 8-9 NLT

Are you listening carefully to what God is saying? I don't think I listen enough to take God's words to heart. And neither do others.

I remember one time I preached a sermon about loving others. One church member said that my words really spoke to what was going on in their lives. I was so excited for them! Then they cornered another member of the church right after this and fussed at them in anger. Loving others? They may have listened but they didn't hear.

Have you ever heard what God was saying to you then turned around and did just the opposite? How many times have you heard God but never listened?

God, help me to listen carefully to what you are saying. May I not return to my foolish ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? Won't you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. Psalm 85: 4-7 NLT

Do we need revival in order to rejoice?

I know that if I am depressed or tired, I find it hard to celebrate. I am so busy being consumed by my own physical and mental state that I can't seem to get beyond it.

Yet, there have been some times when God has shaken me out of my almost “pity-me party” so that I am snapped out of my sadness or weariness and can then give God praise and glory. I suppose it is not revival as much as learning to look outwards rather than inwards.

I admire those people who are under so much suffering from poverty to physical ailments to loss of loved ones and yet can still praise God. And they do it in such a way that is not an act. They genuinely love and praise the Lord. They are happy in God's salvation rather than in their own earthly state.

Maybe I have too much on me – both busy work and stuff – that I am too focused on me.

God, help us to rejoice in you even when we have not be revived. May we see beyond ourselves and recognize your saving grace that triumphs all other happenings in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. You forgave the guilt of your people – yes, you covered all their sins. You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger. Psalm 85: 1-3 NLT

Today is National Day of Prayer day. Please take some time today to prayer for our leaders and for a renewed blessing on our land. Remember all the good things that God has done for this country and how God has covered our sins and forgiven our guilt.

Here is a list of our national leaders to be lifted up in prayer:

President Barak Obama

Vice-President Joe Biden

House Speaker John Boehner and the House of Representatives

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

And all Senators

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court

Remember your state's governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Supreme Justice and Associates, local mayors, city councils and county representatives.

Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of our country. You forgave the guilt of your people – yes, you covered all their sins. You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger. Continue to bless us, Lord and continue to forgive our sins. Be with our leaders – national, state and local. Help us to be your people at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Gatekeeper or the Good Life?

A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven's Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. Psalm 84: 10-12 NLT

Would you rather be a gatekeeper in God's house than live the good life in the homes of the wicked?

Sadly, even though we say we would be a servant we secretly want to live the good life.

We forget that God is our light and our protection. We need to be reminded that God gives us grace and glory. We know intellectually that God gives good things to those who do what is right. It is our hearts and desires that don't necessarily follow.

And if we secretly desire the good life, how do we teach our children to do what is right and to follow God -- even when that means living the life of a servant rather than a party goer? The Black-eyed Peas have a song about partying all night and sleeping all day -- what teenager or young person doesn't see this as their ultimate goal? I can't see any top forty hits about keeping the gates manned or the doors open.

Yet, true joy is found in trusting God rather than good times.

God, hep us to remember that a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere! Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims

Prayers for Leaders

O Lord God of Heaven's Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. O God, look with favor upon the king, our sheild! Show favor to the one you have anointed. Psalm 84: 8-9 NLT

This week is the week of our National Day of Prayer. Although it has been a controversial day – and has become way too political – there is something about being reminded to pray for our nation that is incredibly powerful.

The psalmist not only prays for individual needs but for the nation, in particular the king of the nation.

We tend to immediately think of King David when we think of God's anointed but there were other kings who were anointed and led the people of Israel and Judah. Some of them were actually good leaders and good people. Even if they weren't, would it be bad to pray for them?

We need to remember to always pray for our leaders. Whether good or bad, whether they line up with our own ideologies or not, we need to always pray for them.

Spend some time this week in lifting up our national, state and local leaders by name in your prayers.

God, look with favor upon our leaders. Bless them with your best. Give them your guidance and your strength. May they hear you and carry our your will. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims