God HuntFinding God Every Day

Psalm 10:1

O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?

For some reason I feel empty this morning.  Maybe because after all the rush and chaos of the last few weeks getting ready for our inaugural gala there’s nothing left to do (it’s over) and I’m not constantly trying to get something finished or talking on the phone to people.  But I feel like God is far away, too.  I feel like I read and read and it all just goes in one ear and out the other.  I don’t like feeling this way.  And then God gives me this:

Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand^[a]—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

⁹ I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
¹⁰ I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

¹¹ Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.

¹³ Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
¹⁴ May those who try to destroy me
be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ Let them be horrified by their shame,
for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

¹⁶ But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
¹⁷ As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay.

I love it.  David speaks my heart once again!  From the awe of His blessings to me, to my acknowledgment of my need for Him, to my plea for more of His presence, this Psalm tells the song of my heart today.  I love the first part of how He rescues me and lifts me above the mud.  And I love how His plans for me are more numerous than I can count (that’s a relief).  I love how I, like David, can tell God when I feel like my sins are overwhelming and I feel like they haunt me no matter how many times I confess them.  I love that God keeps me in His thoughts.  This is a great Psalm.  It’s what I needed to water my thirsty soul.

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Psalm 39:3

My thoughts grew hot within me and began to burn, igniting a fire of words…

How long does something burn within me before I finally speak?  Usually, too long.  It smolders until I am so frustrated that it comes out as an explosion and I say things that may hurt, even if they’re true.  I struggle with this a lot.  It’s hard for me to say things that are uncomfortable, even though they probably do need to be said.  But when I wait, stewing and going over and over the situation, sometimes my thoughts are clarified and sometimes they are  amplified and I get angry.  God, help me to know the words to say and when to say them and to have the courage to speak out when I know it’s time.

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Psalm 6:9

The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer.

Psalm 36:8

You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your rivers of delight.

Psalm 96:2

Sing to the LORD; bless his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

Psalm 126:3

Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy!

By faith we proclaim that He is the Giver of Dreams and the Director of Paths.   By Faith we proclaim that He pours out His blessing on His people and makes the works of their hands prosper.  By faith we proclaim the God is faithful and provides for His people. By faith we proclaim that God can do anything He wants.  By faith we proclaim that He works through the weak and powerless to glorify His name.  By faith we proclaim that He will make a way where there seems to be no way.

The Lord God Almighty, the Creator, the Maker of the Universe, the Lover of Humanity, the Miracle Worker, Faithful Friend, Perfect and Patient Father, Defender and Protector, Shelter and Sustainer, the Prince of Peace.

Amen

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Psalm 5:3

Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

I have found that the days when I spend time with my Abba in the morning, my day seems a little less tense (usually).  I’ve also found that the hardest part about requesting something is the waiting.  I love how David is waiting “expectantly” for God’s answer.  I wonder if he was waiting for a verbal answer or if he was waiting for a more physical answer.

My husband and I recently took a class to help us communicate better with our son who has autism.  One of the key things they teach parents is to wait.  It’s really hard to wait.  And there are times when I think I’m waiting, but I’m not.  This is also a skill they try to teach teachers – ask a question and then wait.  Count to 10.  It always seems longer than it is.  Maybe it’s the same with waiting for an answer.  In the grand scheme of things, it’s definitely shorter than we think it is.  But it’s really hard to wait without trying to say the answer or reiterate the question.

Waiting is definitely hard to do.

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From Skip Moen’s post “The Anguish of God”:

Even in our religious moments, we still want control.

Wow, isn’t that the truth.  I think most of humanity’s problems stem from this one issue.  We want control.  But our control is not a good thing.  God’s control is.  Most of my stupid decisions come from wanting control and feeling I need control.  But God asks me to relinquish this control and allow Him to work and move in a way that may seem out-of-control because it’s not my way of doing things.  That’s hard for us control freaks here on  earth to do.  That’s something I need to work on.

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