my tongue is the pen of a ready writer

"My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer." -Psalm 45:1

A Psalm of Individual Thanksgiving
“The Lord Saves Me from the Troubles of Life”
By Mary Beth Jones

I love Yahweh, for He hears my petition and my cry for help.

I lift my voice in the night time and whisper aloud to Him in the morning hours.

My Abba is near and answers my prayers when I call on His name.

Selah.

For the pressures of life sweep over me like an ocean wave.

I am bowled over and am in the grip of strong undertow.

I cannot free myself; only Yahweh can save me.

The sands of life drag me down into the depths, and I am drowned in anxiety.

I am overcome with fretfulness, and my responsibilities overwhelm me.

Sleep escapes me, and I lay awake in worry and apprehension.

Lord, you are sovereign. You are in control of the universe.

You rule over the principalities and powers of this world and reign supreme over the devil and his tormentors.

Remind me that You are also my Abba and that You care for me.

You know everything about me; I can hide nothing from You.

I am your child, and you know my comings and goings.

You, O Lord, have been kind to me. In my low state, you saw and rescued me.

Your lovingkindness has overcome my fears and brought me peace.

Selah.

I am compelled to praise Yahweh in my troubles, for He has trounced them.

I will overcome, in the strength of the Lord, and will arise in victory over the dark places.

O Lord, my refuge, I will never be ashamed that I put my trust in You.

I will praise His name forever and live a life of thanksgiving.

promises

I am reading the Psalms in the mornings again, the refreshing songs and poems that stir my heart and speak just as much today as they did when I was a child. My childhood and adolescent mornings were spent drowsily reading portions of the Psalms and Proverbs for twenty years. Under the watchful eye of our parents, neither of which had been parented well, we grew up with daily family worship: Scripture reading and prayer. 

Floods of memories of time spent investing in the eternal Kingdom of my heart engulf my mind as I read the Words again and again. Thank You, Abba Father, for them and for the parents who gave us all this priceless gift!

"Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble. I hope for Your salvation, O LORD, And do Your commandments. My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly. I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You." (Psalms 119:165-168 NASB)

Passover and the Resurrection

I attended the Passover Seder at Rhema tonight. My favorite part of the recitation of Psalm 136, the "For the lovingkindness of the Lord is everlasting" Psalm.

The matzo bread cover

Several things impressed me about the seder. So many thoughts whirl through my mind from today, everything from Sarah White's blog about thankfulness to watching/hearing both Joyce Meyer and Banning Liebscher preach moving sermons back-to-back on tv tonight. I am overcome with the urgency of our time.