Psalms 61-71

Do you lie awake at night restless and lost in thought? Find it hard to release the worries, questions and stress that stir in your mind as loud fire trucks when sleep awaits your quiet stillness to restore you for the next day? “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”(Psalm 63:6) A cure for sleepless nights is to turn our thoughts to God. Sleepless nights can be turned from restless to quiet times of refection and worship when you review how God has guided and helped you. Turn your focus away from yourself and all that you can’t control over to God who is worthy of all your attention; He can show you what you need if you let Him.

In the Old Testament, vows were taken seriously and fulfilled completely. Has it become old fashioned to keep our vows? Timeless truth is spoken in the Bible; because God is infinite; and somehow our vows have fallen short of fulfillment across the spectrum of our lives. From our personal lives to entities throughout the world; vows are constantly being broken. In the Old Testament times, no one was forced to make a vow; but once it was made, it was binding. Is there any promise that is binding in our culture? People seem to run from anything that is “binding” for fear of being trapped in something that no longer suits their interest. Does that make breaking a vow right? Because one gets bored or no longer “feels” like carrying a commitment through; it gets tossed out? God expects us to fulfill our vows to him and to each other. Don’t make a vow if your thought that immediately follows is; how do I get out of it? Broken promises are hurtful to God, the person you failed, and yourself.

God’s care of nature is a sign of his love and provision for us. Nature expresses God’s generosity; giving us more than we need or deserve. “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothes with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.” (Psalm 65:9-13) Our creator is reflected in the beauty of nature. It is we that destroy it. When you look around you and enjoy the magnificence of creation, take moments of gratitude to thank your creator, and reflect his character of generosity to those around you. Life is a gift to be cherished; not a right to be taken for granted.

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”(Psalm 68: 19-21) God sets you free and crushes enemies. Those who refuse to turn to God will be crushed by sin and death. They will be trapped by the sin they loved and destroyed by the death they feared. To say you love God, and keep in your back pocket a few sins you have a hard time giving up is not loving God. To love God is to obey God. Any sin that you think you love is worthless anyway compared to the endless joy that comes from really trusting that God knows best. When David says “May your hearts live! He means, “You will feel glad and joyful.” Most people want lasting joy and try everything under the sun to get it. There is only one genuine source of happiness; that is God. Haven’t you noticed the more you try to fill your life with people or things you think will make you happy; to your dismay, this type of happiness is transient in nature? It doesn’t last because it’s not supposed to. How would God direct you to loving Him; trusting Him; obeying Him if you gained true happiness without Him? It’s impossible. Even if you think you are happy without Him; you’re mistaken, for God is there to catch you and continues to invite you to walk with Him.

“But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long…Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again.”(Psalm 71:14-20) As you travel through life and look back to remember journey; can you see how God has been your constant help in the past. Keep on expecting God’s help no matter how severed our limitations.