Verse of the Day 8/23

Verse of the Day 8/23

Psalm 63:2-4

New International Version

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary

    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Yesterday for me was a bad day, one of those where it seemed that nothing was going right and anything that could go wrong did go wrong.  One of the things that I've noticed since my wife Jean's passing is that my temper is shorter than ever (and that is pretty short).  Needless to say that turned a bad day into a really bad day emotionally.

Thankfully, one constant for me has been my early morning devotional time on the back porch.  I sent out a photo in a post on facebook this morning of my backporch with the sun shining through the trees and referred to it as my "sanctuary".  Then, as i opened up my Bible my reading in the Psalms this morning was from Psalm 63 and David's words jumped out at me.  David wrote this Psalm while in the desert of Judah. It seems I've been in a different kind of desert but his emotions and mine are simlar in this respect. I have seen His power and experienced His love.  I must continue to glorify and praise Him with my lips, with my written words and with my life (a greater challenge).

Through this time His "right hand upholds me" (v.8 below).

I am grateful for the sanctuary that He has provided me on my backporch physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Through it all I've learned to depend upon His Word.

I go back to a song that I listened to often in my high school years, the words mean more to me now.   (Through it All - Andrae Crouch)

I've had many tears and sorrows
I've had questions for tomorrow
There's been times I didn't know right from wrong
But in every situation
God gave me blessed consolation
That my trials came to only make me strong

[Verse 2]
I've been to lots of places
I've seen a lot of faces
But there were times that I felt so all alone
But in my lonely hours
Yes, those precious lonely hours
Jesus lets me know that I was His own
That's the reason I say

[Chorus]
Through it all
Mm, Through it all
I've learned to trust in Jesus
I've learned to trust in God
Let me tell you that

Through it all, oh
Through it all
I've learned to depend upon His Word

Blessings,

Mike

Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

Psalm 63

New International Version

Psalm 63[a]

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.