In Psalm 63 we find David in the wilderness of Judah. This was most likely when Absalom was leading his rebellion against David. Having all of this happen to him, and having it be at the hands of his own son, it would have been "natural" for David to be worried, stressed, fearful and depressed. Was he? Look at verse 1:
1O GOD, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is.
"O God, You are my God" reminds me of the new song from Hillsong Live: "Like Incense"!
That is exactly what David was doing here! He turned his wilderness experience into a worship experience! That's how we should handle EVERY problem, test, trial, tribulation, persecution, temptation, situation and circumstance! Turn everything into an opportunity to praise Him for Who He IS and thank Him for what He's done! That takes faith and we KNOW where THAT comes from: Hearing (again & again & again) the Word of God!
Mark 13:1-2:
1AND AS [Jesus] was coming out of the temple [area], one of His disciples said to Him, Look, Teacher! Notice the sort and quality of these stones and buildings! 2And Jesus replied to him, You see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be loosened and torn down.
One of the most fascinating things we saw when we visited Israel was how new things were always built on top of old ruins! Sometimes the old stones would be used to make a new structure and our Guide would tell us how to identify which era the particular stones came from! The most fascinating of all were the giant cornerstone pieces that supported the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. They are massive stones in one large piece! How they managed to put them in place will be an interesting video to watch in heaven!
Everything that God has stated in His Word will happen, has either already been fulfilled, or is shortly going to be! These are the days that we are living in! When Jesus was addressing His followers here, He was speaking to Jewish people, therefore He was speaking of things that would shortly take place (in their lifetime) or things that will occur AFTER the Church is removed from the Earth and DURING the 7 remaining years of Jewish history, the Tribulation, or Jacob's Trouble. They are written here for our greater understanding of God's Word, but not for our use. We won't BE here! AMEN!
In Isaiah 39 we see that Hezekiah, after being healed of his illness, gets himself in trouble again through pride! An envoy from Babylon came pretending to be friends and Hezekiah PROUDLY showed them ALL THAT HE HAD! He didn't even consider WHY they might be asking him these things nor did he consult with Isaiah for advice! He was the "Man of the Hour" as far he was concerned and his pride would bring bad things to his nation. Remember Proverbs 16:18:
18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Don't get into pride and arrogance over ANYTHING in your life! Everything you have and everything good thing about you came from God! Maintain a humble spirit and God will be able to use you tremendously to reach others!
Isaiah 40:1-5 speaks of something very familiar to us!
1COMFORT, COMFORT My people, says your God. 2Speak tenderly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her time of service and her warfare are ended, that [her punishment is accepted and] her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received [punishment] from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God 4Every valley shall be lifted and filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked and uneven shall be made straight and level, and the rough places a plain. 5And the glory (majesty and splendor) of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
Thank You Lord Jesus, for coming to this Earth to fulfill Your calling as MY personal Saviour! Soon and very soon, we are GOING to see our King! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Shalom in Him!
