Let Your Heart Rejoice In the Lord

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2: 1-10

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

Scripture Commentary: Rejoice and praise the Lord for His love

We should be confident of God’s ultimate control over the events in our lives, and we should be thankful for the ways God has blessed us. We acknowledge God’s ultimate control when we praise Him and rejoice in all of the good gifts He gave us.

Hannah praised God for being rock-firm, strong, and unchanging. In 1 Samuel 2:2, she prayed, “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.”

In this fast-paced world, friends come and go, and circumstances change. It’s difficult to find a solid foundation that does not change.

Those who devote their lives to achievement, causes or possessions place their security in what is finite and changeable. The possessions we work so hard for will eventually pass away.

Remembering God’s sovereign control helps us put both the world and personal events in perspective. God is always present. He will never fail – hope in Him. God will always love you.

Love God.

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Samuel Chapter 2

God Is My Rock, Fortress and Deliverer

Scripture: 2 Samuel 22:1-4

And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Scripture Commentary: God is the rock in whom I take refuge

David called on God many times to save him, and God did. And in 2 Samuel 22, David is thanking God again. I say, thanking Him again, because God had saved David many times. David called God his rock and his shield.

How many times has God saved you? How many times have you been confronted with a problem so challenging that you couldn’t find a way out? And God gave you that way.

We go through life knowing God is taking care of us, but do we acknowledge Him and tell others what He is doing for us? Do we even thank Him?

God is our Rock, our Fortress, Saviour, Redeemer and Deliverer. God forgives and forgets; He loves and cares for us. We can’t pay God for what He does for us, but we can love God, and live as best we can as children of Our Lord and Savior.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Samuel Chapter 22

God Is the Shield of My Salvation

Scripture: 2 Samuel 22: 3-7

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

Scripture Commentary: God is the shield that surrounds me

David called God, “The horn of my Salvation,” referring to the strength and defensive protection animals have in their horns. God rescued David from his enemies, and helped him overcome them.

David sinned but God had made him clean. David wrote (in Psalms 51), “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow … Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

We also are made clean and perfect through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God replaces our sin with His purity, and He no longer sees our sin.

Call on the Lord and He will answer you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Samuel Chapter 22

Additional Reading:
Psalms Chapter 51

Have You Rejected God After All He Has Done For You?

Scripture: 1 Samuel 8: 5-7

And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

Scripture Commentary: What would your life be if God rejected you?

How would you feel if you had been taking care of someone all of their life, and they suddenly said that they wanted someone else to take care of them? You had protected them from harm, cared for them when they were sick, and loved them unconditionally. What must it feel like to be so rejected?

The Lord did all of these things for His chosen people again and again – and yet they asked for a new leader.

How many times has God taken care of you? How many times has He protected you, and worked things out in your favor? And how often have you turned away, walking in your own way, not following Him?

The Bible tells time and time again how the Israelites rejected God – and He forgave them every time. How many times have you forgotten what God has done for you? Why do you constantly look to others when God has been taking care of and protecting you?

Our obedience is weak if we ask God to lead us but continue to live by the world’s standards. Reach higher – grow in your faith. Turn to God for all things; He is waiting for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Samuel Chapter 8

God Said to Ask What He Should Give You

Scripture: 1 King 3: 5, 9-10

In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.(5) Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.(9-10)

Scripture Commentary: Don’t ask for help and not do your part

When you pray to God, what do you talk about? What do you ask for? Are you asking for things you think you need, or are you asking for things on behalf of others in your life?

God has given all of us gifts to use. Solomon had wisdom, but he had to use it. The gifts God has given you are meaningless if you do not use them.

Don’t ask God to help you or others, and not do your part. Use the gifts you were given to help others in His name. This gives God the glory.

The Bible tells that Solomon was wise in governing his people, but foolish in running his household. Wisdom is both the ability to discern what is best and also the strength of character to act upon that knowledge. The Bible tells many stories of people who made mistakes and squandered their gifts. This is so you can learn vicariously through others.

God shows all of us the way to behave! Amen!

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Kings Chapter 3

Why Do We Disobey and Neglect God?

Scripture: Judges 6: 12-13

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Mid’-i-an-ites.

Scripture Commentary: Why look on God as a last resort?

How much suffering could the Israelites have avoided if they had trusted God? How much suffering can you avoid if you trust God? Why does so much strife befall us?

Turning to God shouldn’t be a last resort; we should look to Him everyday. This isn’t to say life will always be easy, but God will give you strength to take you through anything.

Gideon questioned God about the problems he and his nation faced, and about God’s apparent lack of help. What he didn’t acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought calamity upon themselves when they decided to disobey and neglect God.

Are you disobeying and neglecting Our Lord?

It’s so easy to overlook personal accountability and blame our problems on others, even God. Unfortunately this does not solve our problems. It brings us no closer to God, and it escorts us to the very edge of rebellion and backsliding.

When problems come, the first place to look is within. Our first action should be one of personal accountability – confessing to God our sins that created the problem. God will lift you up, if you believe in Him.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Judges Chapter 6

Gideon Continued to Question God; Trust That What God Tells You Is True

Scripture: Judges 6: 36-39

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

Scripture Commentary: Why are we like Gideon, always testing God?

Are you like Gideon? When God tells you to do something, do you question Him? Furthermore, are you always asking Him for signs? Because Gideon asked God three times to give him a sign so that he might believe God. And He believed only after seeing the miracles.

Was Gideon testing God, or was he simply asking God for more encouragement? Are you trusting God, or do you need more signs?

Was Gideon’s motives and methods correct? What about you – do you ask for a sign when you go to God and pray for help?

God will always guide you the right way. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what you already know is true. The greatest means to God’s guidance is his Word, The Bible. If you want to have more of God’s guidance, put your life in His hands and study the Bible.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Judges Chapter 6

God Will Not Fail or Forsake You

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4: 29-31

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Scripture Commentary: God will neither forsake, destroy, nor forget you

Before Moses led the people into the promised land, God had him deliver a message, and that message is still viable today. God will not forsake us; He loves and protects us.

God promised the Israelites – and He promises us- that we will find Him when we search for him with all our heart and soul. God teaches us who He is. He wants us to know Him, but we have to want to know Him.

We learn in Hebrews 11:6 that, “he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

In 1 John 4: 8, we learn that “God is love.” In Hebrews 13: 8, we learn that God is constant. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

And there’s the ultimate evidence of God’s love laid out for us in John 3:16, which says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We are not to be tempted to look everywhere for guidance. Our God is a jealous God, the kind of jealousy that is appropriate and good. His love requires our love. We must treat the Lord our God with respect and have no other before Him at anytime in our life.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Deuteronomy Chapter 4

God Shows Us Great Mercy

Scripture: Psalms 6: 1-5

(To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.) O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long? Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Scripture Commentary:

David accepted God’s punishment but he begged God not to discipline him in anger. He implored God to have mercy on him. He poured out his heart to God, being completely honest with Him.

Be honest with God (He knows when we are not) even when filled with anger or despair. God knows us thoroughly and wants the very best for us.

God would wipe us out with His wrath if He treated us with justice alone and no mercy. Instead, God is kind to us and forgives us instead of giving us what we deserve.

God searches our minds and hearts. He knows our motives. There is no place to hide and no way to pretend that we can get away with sin.

We don’t have to impress God. Communicate with Him in prayer. Talk to Him and talk about Him to others while able because the day will come when we will not talk or praise His name.

Even after others have forgotten us, He will call us His good and faithful servant.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 6

God Says To “Ask of Me, and I Shall Give”

Scripture: Psalms 2: 7-12

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Scripture Commentary: When God says, “Ask of me, and I shall give,” He means for us to be fully His first.

God is all powerful. God said to David, “Ask of me, and I shall give thee …” Because David had totally surrendered himself to God, he could ask. If we truly place ourselves in God’s hands, He will provide.

To “kiss the Son,” means to surrender fully and submit to Him. Christ is not only God’s chosen king, but also He is the rightful king of our hearts and lives.

Our world has many leaders who boast of their power, who rant and rave against God and His people, and who promise to take over and form their own empires.

God has the only power. He is our creator; we are in His hands. To be ready for His coming, we must submit to His leadership every day.

Jesus Christ is the light; He is the way.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 2