You Have Turned My Mourning into Dancing! – Psalm 30

 

Dennis Edwards

Psalm 30:1 “I will extol Thee, O Lord; for You have lifted me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.”

David is giving God thanks that his enemies, including his father-in-law, the former King who sought to slay him, have not been victorious over him.

Psalm 30:2-3 “O Lord my God, I cried unto You, and You have healed me. O Lord, You have brought up my soul from the grave: You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.”

David is thanking the Lord that he is alive. The Lord answered him when he cried and healed him from his depression or from his sickness, in so much, that he did not die. He is thankful.

Psalm 30:4 “Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.”

A common thread throughout the psalms is thanksgiving and praise to God for His goodness unto the children of men. It is good for us to give thanks and praise unto the Lord. The last verse in the last psalm gives the main messages of the Psalms.

Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD:”

Or like we know it in the New Testament,

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Psalm 30:5 “For His anger endures but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

The Old Testament tells us that God is slow to anger and merciful. When God appeared before Moses the Lord proclaimed to him,

Exodus 34:6b-7a “(I) The Lord, The Lord God (am) merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”

The same idea is paraphrased in the psalms.

Psalm 134:8-9 “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are great over all His works.”

Some 44 times in the Psalms is repeated the phrase, “His mercy endures for ever.”

Psalm 118: 1-4 & 29 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: because His mercy endures for ever. Let Israel now say, that His mercy endures for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that His mercy endures for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that His mercy endures for ever…O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever.”

Psalm 136:1 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever.”

Psalm 136 has 26 lines and each line ends with “for His mercy endures for ever.”

Contrary to the idea that the God of the Old Testament is a monster, God proclaims that He is good and merciful and slow to anger. When He does get angry at us for our rebellion or sin, it lasts but for a moment. We may end up with a serious problem because of our sin, our health may be damaged, or a relationship may be broken, but as we cry out to God with our tears, His compassion fails not. We are once more brought back into harmony with Him and our problem is resolved whatever it may have been. Joy comes flooding back into our lives.

The prophet Jeremiah confirms what we have been saying.

Lamentations 3:22-23 "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, Because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness."

Psalm 30:6 “In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.”

God warned the children of Israel, and He warns us to beware of prosperity.

Deuteronomy 9:11,12,14,17,18,19 “Beware that you forget not the Lord your God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes,…Lest when you have eaten and are full,…Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God,… And you say in your heart, My power and the might of mine (own) hand has gotten me this wealth. But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is He that gives you power to get wealth…And it shall be, if you do at all forget the Lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.”

Psalm 62:10b “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.”

Apostle Paul, admonished us, also.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

In our prosperity we have the tendency to forget God. David is confessing that he, too, forgot God in His prosperity He sinned grievously in the incident with Bathsheba. God’s anger was upon him for a moment. David confessed and truly repented and found forgiveness in God’s mercy.

Psalm 30:7 “Lord, by Your favour You have made my mountain to stand strong: You did hide Your face, and I was troubled.”  

It is only God’s mercy that we are able to stand. If we were rightly judged for our sins, no one would stand. When our relationship with God becomes cloudy through neglect or sin, we sense his lack and anxiety comes in and we are troubled.

Psalm 30:8 “I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication.”

When we are troubled, when that cloud over shadows us, we cry unto the Lord once again. Apostle Paul gives the same solution to our moments of anxiety.  He tells us, if we cry unto the Lord in prayer and in supplication with thanksgiving, God will hear our prayer and send peace of heart and mind unto our souls.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 30:9 “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare Your truth?”

David questions whether in death we will be able to praise the Lord and speak of his truth.

Psalm 30:10 “Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be my helper.”

Again, he calls upon the Lord for mercy. He calls upon God to help him.

Psalm 30:11-12 You have turned my mourning into dancing: You have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. To the end that my glory may sing praise to You, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto You for ever.”

When God’s joy is taken from us, we are weak, downcast, and discouraged. After we spend time pleading with God, pouring out our heart and soul in prayer, seeking His face; God answers and renews or restores our joy. It is the joy of the Lord that is our strength. Once again, we are able to sing and to praise and to give thanks. We enter into His presence with praise, and with thanksgiving, and we cannot be silent for His mercy endures for ever.

If you’re downcast, don’t stay there, fight for joy. The joy of the Lord, His happiness, your praise to Him, your thankfulness to Him, will give you the strength to carry on. Don’t mettle in discouragement, for the devil is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He devours and smothers our joy in sadness, despondency, and depression. Don’t go there. Fight for joy, it’s your lifeline. It’s God’s strength in you and a gift of the Holy Spirit. Fight for happiness. In everything give thanks. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, who is the author and finisher of our faith.

Praise ye the Lord, ye children of men, for God is worthy of our praise. He will bless us and help chase the clouds away, as we praise and give thanks to Him for whatever He allows in our lives. We know all things will work together for good, if we continue to love God and are thankful. A merry heart is as good as a medicine, so be happy! It’s part of our spiritual armour. Use it. Amen!

Originally published 06-08-2024.

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Psalm 100 - Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord!

 

Dennis Edwards

If there is any psalm in the Book of Psalms that tells us how to enter into God’s presence, it is Psalm 100. It is truly one of the most concise yet enlightening or informative psalms of PRAISE or of THANKSGIVING in the Bible. Let’s go through it line by line.

Psalm 100:1 “Make a JOYFUL noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.”

God wants us to be HAPPY in Him. He says “the JOY of the Lord is your strength,” Nehemiah 8:10b. Elsewhere in the psalms we read, “That there be no complaining in our streets. HAPPY is that people, that is in such a case: (in other words, HAPPY are the people who aren’t complaining), HAPPY is that people whose God is the Lord,” Psalm 144:14b-15.

When I was discouraged through the death of my forty-five-year-old son, a friend of mine called me on the phone. She told me that she noticed that I wasn’t HAPPY. She said that though I was talking victory, and how everything would work together for good, it seemed as if I was under a cloud of discouragement. She told me that I needed to fight to regain the JOY of the Lord. I needed to fight for JOY, because the enemy was trying to defeat me. When she said that, it seemed like the light went on in my head and the Holy Spirit was speaking through her. From that point on, I made fighting for JOY my goal. Suddenly, I couldn’t read the Bible without coming across the many verses that talk about JOY, HAPPINESS, GLADNESS, PRAISE and THANKSGIVING.

After David had committed adultery and murder in the case of Uriah the Hittite, and was exposed for he deeds by the Prophet Nathan, David prayed, “Make me to hear JOY and GLADNESS; that the bones which You have broken may REJOICE….Restore unto me the JOY of Your salvation,” Psalm 51:8 & 12a.

David’s spirit had fallen into darkness through his sin. Unconfessed sin separates us from God. On being found out, though he was physically, and mentally broken and emotionally discouraged with his failings, he asked God to “renew a right spirit” within him. He asked God to bring HAPPINESS and JOY back into his life. He had first experienced that JOY in his relationship with God through the Holy Spirit on being anointed by Samuel to be the new king of Israel. Samuel’s anointing of the young David with oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit coming upon him. In 1^st Samuel we read, “and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward,” 1 Samuel 16:13b.

One of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, and the second mentioned by Apostle Paul in his list of nine characteristics, is “JOY.” “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law,” Galatians 5:22-23.

Rather than murmuring and complaining, God wants us to be JOYFUL, HAPPY, and THANKFUL.

Apostle Paul warns us against murmuring when he says, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come,” 1 Corinthians 10:10-11.

Apostle Paul was talking about the children of Israel who had come out of Egypt and had complained at every stage of their journey, and who were finally destroyed because of their complaining. In Romans, he gives a classic example of what happens to a believer who does not maintain a THANKFUL and JOYFUL heart.

Romans 1:20 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were they THANKFUL: but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

In Ephesians, we see something similar. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, (no murmuring and complaining), but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you were sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you,” Ephesians 4:29-32.

If we turn away from THANKFULNESS and JOY, we can easily fall into murmuring and complaining. Like Nick Vujicic said, “You’re either going to be a THANKFUL person or a bitter person, one or the other. I’ve never met a THANKFUL person who was bitter, or a bitter person who was THANKFUL.” Let us strive therefore to be THANKFUL.

Apostle Paul wrote elsewhere, “In everything give THANKS, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Apostle James warns us. “But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace,” James 3:14-18.

Then in Hebrews we see, “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed,” Hebrews 12:12-13.

The author of Hebrews is reminding us that when we go through a period of chastisement or what seems like correction from the Lord, we should not let discouragement defeat us. We need to fight discouragement, straighten up our posture, lift up our hands in PRAISE to God, and get back into following Jesus once again. PRAISE and THANKSGIVING bring victory and defeat discouragement. That is why we need to make a JOYFUL noise unto the Lord.

Psalm 100:2 “Serve the Lord with GLADNESS: enter into His presence with SINGING.”

In Psalm 22:3, it says that God, “inhabits the PRAISES of Israel.” In Hebrews 13:15, we read, “therefore let us offer the sacrifice of PRAISE to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving THANKS to His name.” In Psalm 32:11, the psalm finishes, “Be GLAD in the Lord, and REJOICE ye righteous: and shout for JOY, all you that are upright in heart.”

There is something powerful about giving PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to God. The Holy Spirit dwells in our songs and words of THANKSGIVING and PRAISE. Apostle Paul admonishes to, “REJOICE in the Lord, and again I say, REJOICE,” Philippians 4:4. He goes further and teaches us how to offer our prayers to the Lord.

Philippians 4:6-8 “Be careful (or anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your request be known unto God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall fill your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any PRAISE, think on these things.”

Apostle Paul is reminding us to bring our supplications to God in the spirit of THANKSGIVING, similar to what we see a bit further down in Psalm 100.

Psalm 100:3-4 “Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING, and into His courts with PRAISE; be THANKFUL unto Him and bless (or PRAISE) His name.”

The proverbs tell us that the beginning of knowledge or of the understanding of life is, “the fear of the Lord,” Proverbs 1:7. By starting with God as our initial assumption in all our thinking and being, we are starting with a “fear of the Lord.” God is the prerequisite necessary to understand life. It is not, “I think, therefore, I am,” but rather, “God thinks. He is the great I am. Therefore, I am able to think, having been created in His image.” That is why Saint Augustine said, “Seek not to understand that you might believe, but rather, seek to believe that you might understand.” It’s belief in the invisible God known through Creation, and the revelation of Himself in Scripture, and through life experiences, that gives us understanding.

It is through our THANKSGIVING and PRAISE and humility of heart that we enter into His presence.

James 4:6b & 10 “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.”

God’s truth is not beyond our grasp. It endures to all generations. It is up to each of us to seek it out. Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” Matthew 7:7.

In the Old Testament, we read, “And you shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13. In Deuteronomy 30:11-14 we find, “For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ But the word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.”

God has put a moral guide, our conscience, within each human being, the “Light, which lightens every man that comes into the world,” John 1:9b. He has revealed Himself in His creation, if we look for Him with an open heart. Apostle Paul has warned, “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” Romans 1:20.

King David, likewise wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day (they) utter speech, and night unto night (they) show knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard….and their words to the end of the world,” Psalm 19:1-4b.

God’s truth is out there. We just have to be open and look for it and we will find it. His truth endures to all generations. We all are without excuse. Like Pascal has written, “God has willed to make Himself quite recognisable to those who sincerely seek Him, and thus, willing to appear quite openly to those who seek Him with all their heart, and to be hidden from those who flee from Him with all their heart, He so regulates the knowledge of Himself that He has given signs of Himself, visible to those that seek Him, and not to those who seek Him not. There is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition.” Pensées by Blaise Pascal under “Morality and Doctrine.”

Originally published September 18, 2025

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Praise and Thankfulness are Attributes of a Christian’s Life

Dennis Edwards

One of the most important attributes of a Christian character is that of thankfulness. God’s word admonishes us to have a thankful and grateful heart. God expects and wants us to be thankful. The Psalms are full of commands of thankfulness. In Psalm 100:4 we read,

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: Be thankful and bless His name.”

Why should we be thankful? The next verse Psalm 100:5 gives the answer.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.”

We see that familiar theme in the Scriptures. We should be thankful because God is merciful and loving. We should be thankful because God’s truth is available to all generations.

In Proverbs 3:3-4 we read, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about your neck; write them upon the table of your heart: So shall thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” As Christians we should be merciful and truthful. If we are, God will bless us because those are His attributes. Proverb 16:6a says, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged.” It seems mercy or love and truth are what help us overcome sin.”

Where else do we find the imagery of mercy and truth? None other than the figure of the Nazarene. In the Gospel of John 1:17 we read, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

What is grace but God’s mercy and love. The law condemns us because none of us are able to fulfill its commandments. But we can overcome our sinful nature by accepting God’s grace, His mercy, His love and His truth found in Jesus Christ. When we find salvation in Jesus we should overflow with thankfulness.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.” His mercy and truth is none other than Jesus Christ. God is love and God is truth. Truth and love are the pillars of our Christian faith. Because we have found God’s truth and mercy and love in Jesus, we should be thankful. We should be overflowing with praise and thanksgiving.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting,” in other words, we can always find forgiveness in His arms if we confess our faults or sins; and turn from them and towards God. “His truth endures to all generations.” God’s truth is available to all that seek for it with all their heart. If we seek for Him with all our heart, we will find Him.

God wants us and expects us to be thankful. He offers us His mercy and truth in Jesus. By accepting Jesus into our hearts we have overcome the wicked one, we have overcome death, and overcome sin’s control over our lives. We have eternal life, therefore, we should offer unto God thanksgiving. In Psalm 95:2 we read, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.” In Psalm 50:14a we are advised to, “Offer unto God thanksgiving.”

In the New Testament we find the same admonitions. In his letter to the Ephesians 5:18-21, Apostle Paul writes, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess,” in other words, we should not end up drinking too much and relying on drink to make us happy, instead of relying on God’s Holy Spirit. In a sense we are worshipping the wine rather than God if we do. Paul continues, “but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We should be giving thanks always unto God and be filled with song and praise. If we are full of thanksgiving and praise it is a lot easier to fulfill the last section of Paul’s thought where he writes, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” He then reminds the wives to submit to their husbands and the husbands to love their wives, as if they needed to be reminded.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians 3:14-19 we see the same message. “And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Paul tells us to be thankful. He continues, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” We should be continually thankful.

In 1st Thessalonians 5:18 we see the same theme again. Paul says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Are we as thankful as we should be? Are we daily entering into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise?

Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that we should be content. In Philippians 4:11 we read, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have leaned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” In Paul's 1st letter to Timothy 6:6-8 he writes, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

The Old Testament is not void of the same instruction. Proverbs 15:16-17 tell us, “Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” In the book of Job 1:21-22, after Job has lost everything, he refuses to curse God, but instead says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.” In other words, Job was trusting God and trying to walk in thankfulness in spite of his troubles.

God doesn’t want us to take our blessings for granted. In Psalm 68:19 we read, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” In Psalm 103:2-5 we see, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Even Jesus expected those that were healed to show thankfulness to God. In Luke 17:12-18 we read, “And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory (or thanksgiving) to God, save this stranger.”

We should always remember to thank God for our blessings. When David was delivered from the hand of Saul and the hand of all his enemies he gave thanks unto the Lord. 2 Samuel 22:50 we read, “Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto Your name.” In 1 Chronicles 16:8-10 David prays, “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him, talk of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.” In Psalm 136:1 we read again, “O give thanks unto to the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever.” In Psalm 107:21-22 we see, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.”

In Psalm 22:3 we learn that God inhabits the praises of His people. In other words, God dwells with us when we are walking in praise and thanksgiving. In Psalm 67:1-7 we are encouraged to praise the Lord for the Lord will bless us for our praise. “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; that Your way may be known upon the earth, Your saving health among all nations. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon the earth. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”

In Psalm 150:6, the last verse in all the psalms, Lord says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” In Hebrews 13:15 we read, “Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” Apostle Peter likewise reminds us in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Let us finish up with Psalm 34:1-4: “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name forever. I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Do you want the Lord to hear you and deliver you from your fears? Then bless Him at all times and continually have praise on your lips. Having a thankful and praiseful attitude will let God’s presence dwell with you and assure His blessing upon your life. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

When thanksgiving and praise dominate our lives we are more likely to be able to commit our lives completely to the Lord. The Bible tells us that everything that happens to us in our lives can work together for good if we continue to trust and love God in spite of what has happened. If our lives are full of thanksgiving and praise, Romans 8:28 can become a reality. Thanksgiving and praise show our love and trust in the Lord and are keys to a strong relationship with the Lord and a happy life. Let us rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Originally published December 13, 2022

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Life is a Battle!

 

Dennis Edwards

Life is a continual battle, friend. It's not easy. We are tempted to give up when we see all our failures and mistakes. But giving up is not the solution. It is not an option. The solution is looking up. Jesus Himself when talking about the future time of His coming said that upon the earth there would be “distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring: men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth…And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh.” (Luke 21:25b, 26ª, 28) We need lift up our heads and look up to Jesus and He will save us, for our redemption draws nigh.

In the psalms we find a similar thought. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted (worried or uneasy) in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”(Psalm 42:5) We need to rebuke that discouragement, that worry, and find hope in God.

The author of the book of Hebrews also says the answer is, "Looking unto to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."(Hebrews 12:2) Remembering how Jesus suffered unjustly out of His love for the Father and us, should give us the courage to keep fighting and not quit. Hebrews chapter twelve shows us the road to victory is in endurance and in praise. Let us read some of it together.

Hebrews 12 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.

7 If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

We see in verses 12 and 13 that the Lord wants us to lift up our hands and straighten up our backs or feeble knees and stand up in praise, lifting up are arms in praise to Him, and He promises to heal us. Like Apostle Paul says elsewhere, "Lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting."[1 Timothy 2:8] We need to fight the good fight of faith by entering into His court with praise and into His gates with thanksgiving. We need to make a joyful noise with praise lest we forsake His mercy like Jonah in the belly of the whale said.

Jonah 2 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, 2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heard my voice. 3 For thou had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. 10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

In verse seven Jonah said, "When my soul fainted within me....(then)....I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into Thine holy temple." When he got to his lowest point, then he cried with all his might unto the Lord and the Lord heard him. In the next verse he says, "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." If we listen to the lies of the Devil and believe his lies that all hope is lost and that God cannot forgive us, and that their is no sense in trying any more, and life is not worth living, and we will never have the victory, then, by believing those lies, we forsake the mercy that God in His love is constantly offering us. We need to say "no" to the devil’s lies and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all our heart, mind, soul, and body.

Jesus tells us, "Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full."(John 15:11) Jesus wants us to have fulness of joy and it is ours to receive, because the joy of the Lord is our strength! We just need to go through the breakings so that He can get the idols out of our hearts. Then He can live and reign in us. But the Devil doesn't want to lose any of his captives and will tempt us to give up just when the victory is just around the corner. The greatest darkness is just before the dawn. The greatest desperation attacks us, just before rescue. If we could have held on just one more day, one more hour, one more minute, one more second, there could have been marvellous victory, but by giving up prematurely we suffer all those things in vain and forsake the mercy God is offering us. Like Jonah, we need to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise unto God by faith and let the Lord cause us to be vomited out of the mouth of the enemy.

At the end of Isaiah 40 we find some other beautiful promises. Let us read together.

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high (to the stars), and behold who has created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them (the stars) all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one fails. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

In other words, God is saying, “Why do you say I am not watching and caring over you?”

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Do you understand those last four verses? If we spend time with the Lord. If we spend time in prayer and reading His word, He will strengthen us so that we faint not! We need to "wait on the Lord." We need to wait in His presence by reading His word, by listening and singing songs of praise to Him, by lifting up our heads and hands and praising Him with all our might even when we don't feel like it. In Psalm 27:14, David proclaims, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

In Psalm 100 we read, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.” In Psalm 42 we see, “for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” We need to praise Him even when we do not feel like it.

Isaiah 41 starts, "Keep silence before me, oh islands, and let the people renew their strength: let them come near." God wants to renew our strength, but we need to come near to Him and keep silent before Him and listen to His sweet, soft voice of love that is encouraging us not to give up, not to be faint, but to believe and be strengthened. In verse six we read, "They helped everyone his neighbour; and everyone said to his brother, Be of good courage!"

Friend, we all need to be of good courage. We all need to fight actively to put down, or resist with everything that is within us, the lies of the enemy. Just like Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Casting down imaginations (or thoughts and ideas) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (everything that contradicts God's good Word and nature), and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Apostle Paul wrote, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) Later in his letter to the Ephesians, he explains about our spiritual armour.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

We need to put on the whole armour and take the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. Jesus was the Word made flesh. Through the power of Jesus within us, through the power of His Word, we can cut the Devil to the heart. "It is written," Jesus replied to the Devil, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."(Matthew 4:4)

Our spiritual feeding on God's Word is more important than our necessary food. Like Job, also confessed, "Neither have I gone back from the commandments of His lips, but have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."(Job 23:12) There is victory in the Word of God. Read it, eat it, drink it, live in it, believe it, obey it, and victory will be yours. It's a done deal, because Jesus has paid the price and He cannot be defeated. He has already defeated Satan on Calvary and it only remains for us to believe. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved."(Acts 16:31a)

Do you believe, friend? Then put down your own righteousness and take on the righteousness which is by faith in Jesus Christ. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy has He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost."(Titus 3:5) Let the Holy Spirit wash our hearts and minds of the lies of the enemy and be renewed in the Spirit. Memorize Scripture and rebuke the enemy.

Psalm 23 may be a good chapter to put to memory. We need to fill our minds with positive, faith-building thoughts from God's Word and He will not fail us. His Word is sure, the more sure Word of prophecy as Apostle Peter wrote, "We have a more sure word of prophecy (God's written recorded Word); whereunto you do well to take heed (to read, meditate upon, and keep), as unto a light in a dark place." (2 Peter 1:19a)

In other words, if we were in a dark place and we are as great darkness covers the nations, we should take heed to the light, or we should go toward the light for guidance, in order to find our way out of the darkness. God's Word is that light. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,” (Psalm 119:105) if we take heed to it. Peter continues and says, "until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts."(2 Peter 1:19b)

Apostle Peter is saying that we should read, study, meditate on, and follow God's Word, just as we would follow or concentrate on a light in the darkness, until the dawn comes and the Day Star arises in our hearts. In other words, we should walk by faith holding on to God's good Word as a light, until we have the personal experience with Christ Himself, the Day Star. Then our hearts will be illuminated with His love and light, and the dawn will rise in our life of faith and we will see more clearly, because we have His presence abiding in us, and have heard His voice clearly.

Read Psalm 119 and put some of those verses to memory or those ones from Isaiah, or Jonah, or Ephesians or Corinthians. A wealth of knowledge and spiritual strength is found in God's Word. Read it, study it, memorize it and put it into practice. God Himself promises to help us and manifest Himself to us. But we need to do our part and take our prescription daily, which is a good feeding and feasting on God's good Word.

Then we need to abide in Him, or wait on His presence, to hear His personal words of comfort to us. “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”(Isaiah 30:21) “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.”(Isaiah 30:15b) “Their strength is to sit still,”(Isaiah 30:7b) and to listen for His “still small voice.”(1 Kings 19:12b) God bless us as we put our hope in Him, and praise Him who is the health of our countenance, and our God!

Originally published June 22, 2021

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