We shall be satisfied!

MORNING

We shall be satisfied with the goodness

of thy house.

NE thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.--He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.--I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

PSA. 65. 4. Ps. 27. 4. Mat. 5. 6.--Lu. 1. 53.
Ps. 107. 9.--John 6. 35. Ps. 36. 7-9.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

The day after Thanksgiving, Samuel and I went over to the coast for a two day "retreat" - just the two of us. It was so wonderful. We talked and talked, covering many topics, and came home refreshed and renewed. We still had questions in some areas, however, and were almost overwhelmed when on Sunday, each of the services (Sunday School, morning worship, and evening service) addressed and clarified what we had talked about. Isa. 42:16 was accomplished right before our eyes in a way that we could never have come up with on our own. "I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight." I was reminded of the song, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" and encouraged to go forward KNOWING that I need never fret again (remind me of that tomorrow, ok?).

"God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.

"Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs, and works His sovereign will.

"Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head.

"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

"His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flow'r.

"Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain."

It is good to give thanks

Psalm 92:1-5 - "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD!"

Psalm 116:1

From Whispers of His Power, by Amy Carmichael.

"Psalm 116:1 - I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications.

"As we look back on past years, they are full of memories of great sorrows and great joys also. If I were asked to give the sum of the years in a sentence I would write this: I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplication. Never, never did He not hear. Never was He far away.

"It will be the same with you. Just now you are in the midst of the pressure of life. One thing follows another so closely that you have hardly time to think, hardly time to realize how much you are being helped. But looking back it will be different. If there have been sorrows, you will see how marvelous His lovingkindness was. If there have been joys, it will be the same. If the time held just one steady round of service it will still be the same. Every day, every hour will seem to you then as if these words were written across it: I love the Lord because He hath heard...

"So love Him now, rejoice in Him now, however things are, for it is true today - He hears your voice and your supplications."

Daily Light

Today's reading from Daily Light encouraged me greatly.

He led them on safely.

LEAD in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment.

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.--In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

They got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.--So didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.--O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.

PSA. 78. 53. Pr. 8. 20. Ex. 23. 20.--
Is. 63. 9. Ps. 44. 3.--Is. 63. 14. Ps. 5. 8.--
Ps. 43. 3, 4.

Listen

Following my reading schedule, I found myself in both Deuteronomy and Psalms today. The word that jumped out at me several times in both passages was "listen". Hmmmm...sounds like something I used to say a lot to my kids.

In Deut. 1, Moses is rehearsing Israel's history as they are on the brink of entering the Promised land. He reminds them that "you would not listen. Instead you rebelled against the command of the LORD, and acted presumptuously..." What was the result? "Then you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD did not listen to your voice, nor give ear to you." I was sobered by those words. Then I turned over to Psalm 81 and read the following: "Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!...But My people did not listen to My voice; And Israel did not obey Me...Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!" What does He want us to hear? Couched in the middle of these verses is this one: "I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it." (emphasis added) What a wonderful promise! Will I "listen" and open my mouth wide and be filled? I'm afraid too often I follow the Israelites example of presumptuosly going about my own way with closed mouth. "Father, cause me to 'listen' to your every word and 'open my mouth wide' to receive Your filling."

Let us see

"That we may not complain of what is, let us see God's hand in all events; and, that we may not be afraid of what shall be, let us see all events in God's hand." - Matthew Henry