Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
The prophet Nathan confronted David about an affair David had with Bathsheba and in this Psalm David cries out to God for forgiveness and cleansing.
Have you ever seen a diseased heart? It could be larger than normal or different in color or pitted or spongy. Those of us who took biology likely saw both healthy and diseased hearts and saw the difference between them side by side on the table. Not a pretty picture to see.
Then I got to thinking about my own heart. Is it diseased with sin or is it strong and healthy? Do I need to ask God for forgiveness? Do I need to ask God for a pure heart? For him to give me a new one?
And I don't mean new in the sense of brand new, but new as in the renewing (to begin again) of my old heart. Take away any sin I have and give me new energy and strength. Make my heart pure.
I don't think any of us want a diseased heart and yet we probably each have one whether we realize it or not. And when I think of a diseased heart in a dish on a table next to a healthy one, I want the healthy one. And so if we think of it in that context, we need to be on our knees begging for forgiveness. Maybe what we've done or what we do isn't what David did or (in our eyes) as bad, but to God it doesn't matter. A sin is a sin is a sin is a sin. No one worse than the other in his eyes.
So ask God to create in you a new heart and renew his spirit in you today and everyday. Ask for that healthy heart.
Nancy
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Psalm 43:3
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me, let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. (NIV)
This makes me think of lighthouses at the ocean. There are more than 60 lighthouses along the Maine coast and they start in Kittery and end in Machias. Many (28) were transferred from the Coast Guard to local preservation groups and some (8) are owned privately and all but a handful have local support.
Picture a lighthouse on an ocean island or peninsula. You can see the rocky boulders on the shore and can watch the powerful surf (when the tide or a storm comes in) break over the top of the rocks with a tremendous force. But through all that, picture a light from the lighthouse shining out over the sea and listen to the horn that warns the ships of those rocks and shallow
waters. Lighthouses are essential for their safety. One light can save lives.
Then I think - light does save lives. God's light can save our lives. Like a lighthouse, God's light is there in our darkness and steers us away from the rocks and shallow waters and his words (like the horn) are there for us if we can't see the light.
God's light won't go out or be transferred like some of the lighthouses are and I'm thankful His light will continue to shine forever. It's so very important that it will.
Nancy
This makes me think of lighthouses at the ocean. There are more than 60 lighthouses along the Maine coast and they start in Kittery and end in Machias. Many (28) were transferred from the Coast Guard to local preservation groups and some (8) are owned privately and all but a handful have local support.
Picture a lighthouse on an ocean island or peninsula. You can see the rocky boulders on the shore and can watch the powerful surf (when the tide or a storm comes in) break over the top of the rocks with a tremendous force. But through all that, picture a light from the lighthouse shining out over the sea and listen to the horn that warns the ships of those rocks and shallow
waters. Lighthouses are essential for their safety. One light can save lives.
Then I think - light does save lives. God's light can save our lives. Like a lighthouse, God's light is there in our darkness and steers us away from the rocks and shallow waters and his words (like the horn) are there for us if we can't see the light.
God's light won't go out or be transferred like some of the lighthouses are and I'm thankful His light will continue to shine forever. It's so very important that it will.
Nancy
Friday, April 11, 2008
Psalm 35
Reassure me; let me hear you say, "I'll save you." The Message
Psalm 35 is an appeal by David to God. David had enemies who attacked him for no reason and he wants God to rescue him.
My dog, Samantha, was a Doberman/Shepard mix. Kind of a funny looking 70 lb dog with a tail that curled up over her back, a barrel chest and a boney little head. She had a loud ferocious bark which could be a little intimidating to people who didn't know her. I firmly believe no one would have ever come into my house when I wasn't home as she would run to the door barking, jump up to see who it was and then continue to carry on until they left. She was, she thought, a brave dog, protecting our house from whatever she (in her dog mind) thought wasn't right. Her house, her land, her road. She told everyone those things were hers.
However, there was a side of her that wasn't so brave. Places away from 'her house/land/road' could make her nervous, like a trip to the vet. She was a different dog and would lean on me and practically became a part of me, be it my lap or my leg. She needed a hug or a pat and for me to tell her she would be ok. I can remember her big brown eyes looking up at me for the support she needed, someone to save her. By herself, she was afraid and with me, she could get through those times better.
Isn't that something we all need? Someone who will stand by us and support us. I can be strong at times, but I have more times I'm not and I need someone to say it's ok or I'm doing the right thing or they understand my fears or reassure me they will stand with me no matter. It usually only takes that one person to give me the inner strength I need to, 'get through' a situation.
I know God wants me to put him first and I'm trying to do that, but I also believe he knows how important it is for us to have a someone who we can share our thoughts with or a someone we can lean on for support emotionally, a someone who gives the hug or the pat on the back and a someone to remind us that God understands and loves us at all times and we are never, alone, even when we feel alone.
Nancy
Psalm 35 is an appeal by David to God. David had enemies who attacked him for no reason and he wants God to rescue him.
My dog, Samantha, was a Doberman/Shepard mix. Kind of a funny looking 70 lb dog with a tail that curled up over her back, a barrel chest and a boney little head. She had a loud ferocious bark which could be a little intimidating to people who didn't know her. I firmly believe no one would have ever come into my house when I wasn't home as she would run to the door barking, jump up to see who it was and then continue to carry on until they left. She was, she thought, a brave dog, protecting our house from whatever she (in her dog mind) thought wasn't right. Her house, her land, her road. She told everyone those things were hers.
However, there was a side of her that wasn't so brave. Places away from 'her house/land/road' could make her nervous, like a trip to the vet. She was a different dog and would lean on me and practically became a part of me, be it my lap or my leg. She needed a hug or a pat and for me to tell her she would be ok. I can remember her big brown eyes looking up at me for the support she needed, someone to save her. By herself, she was afraid and with me, she could get through those times better.
Isn't that something we all need? Someone who will stand by us and support us. I can be strong at times, but I have more times I'm not and I need someone to say it's ok or I'm doing the right thing or they understand my fears or reassure me they will stand with me no matter. It usually only takes that one person to give me the inner strength I need to, 'get through' a situation.
I know God wants me to put him first and I'm trying to do that, but I also believe he knows how important it is for us to have a someone who we can share our thoughts with or a someone we can lean on for support emotionally, a someone who gives the hug or the pat on the back and a someone to remind us that God understands and loves us at all times and we are never, alone, even when we feel alone.
Nancy
Monday, April 7, 2008
Psalm 36:7
How exquisite your love, O God; How eager we are to run under your wings.
(The Message)
Earlier in the Scripture it says that God's love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, his purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness, nothing gets lost. Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.
My online dictionary gives these definitions:
Meteoric - characterized by brilliance
Astronomic - immeasurably great
titanic - extraordinary physical size
Oceanic - immense, vast or overwhelming
The California Condor has a huge wingspan of up to 9 1/2ft. The chicks are safe under mom's large wings as she protects them from predators and from the elements. When they are afraid, they hide under her wings because they know it means safety and security.
Now picture God with a wingspan covering the entire earth. The first thing I think of is -wow!!- that's one big wing span and he has a lot of chicks to protect. Yet, God does it and doesn't lose any of us.
I'm thankful for God in my life. For the security he continues to give me during rough times, for him knowing when I need to be pulled under his wing and for the love he gives me unconditionally. When I'm afraid, I need to remember my picture of God with his wingspan and remember I'm always safe under it. It's where he wants me and it's where I want to be.
Nancy
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