“I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalms 145:1-9 NKJV
Slow to anger
As I have grown in the faith, I am all the more reminded of how little I am like God. The Lord is slow to anger, demonstrating overwhelming patience for those He desires to save. In my own case, I traveled in the wilderness of sin for twenty seven years, giving myself over to all manner of vulgarity. But, still the Lord waited.
He sprinkled so many bread crumbs into my life’s path, little guides to Him. Some of these were people, His people, who shared the love and Gospel of Jesus. Though opportunity was plentiful, I often rebelled, expressing disgust for the annoying Christians who had the. misfortune to cross my path. But still He waited.
In regard to waiting, I have been less than patient, having more than a few times expressed frustration with weaker brothers and sisters, who have not yet shaken off the binds of this world. But the Lord is working in me.
As I await the day of Thanksgiving, the day where we should focus on the goodness of God, I find great joy in the patience of the God of the Universe, who holds all in His hands, and who has already ordained the day of my death.
Reading Psalm one hundred forty five was a much needed reminder, as the trials and struggles of living in this world can overwhelm the believer. I have found, at times, I have become lost in the chaos of this world, and my eyes have, but briefly, strayed from my Lord.
Then the morning comes, and I am again reminded of who God is and whose I am. With renewed vigor, I glory in my Redeemer. I am reminded of His faithfulness, of His persistent care for me, regardless of what comes.
“This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:21-26 NKJV
The Lord is my portion.
That thought is the constant, sustaining force for me, as I have been one who has faced much. Circumstances have stripped me of most everything, and even the opportunity to fellowship has all but been taken away. But I still have the Lord, who loves me, guides me and demonstrates the kind of patience we all should have.
Brothers and sisters, as we celebrate this holiday, let us rejoice in the patience of our Lord. Over the coming years, we are going to see the clarifying hand of God defining once and for all who is of the Lord and who is not. Many great pressures are about to come into the world, and many individuals and churches are going to see themselves going through the refiner’s fire.
Even now, He is revealing the true nature of the souls of those who profess to be followers of Jesus. With each passing day, circumstances happening in our world serve to reveal what people really think, and where their true allegiances lie.
May we be like the psalmist, proclaiming the glory of our God through the generations. Let us be loud, going into the public square to proclaim the Good News. Let us tell of the God/Man who came to earth, who died and rose again to save sinners, and give them new life. His very works bring praise for they are glorious!
“All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, And Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”
Psalms 145:10-13 NKJV
Our world is in dire need of the Good News, for so much bad news is filling our world. There are many who live and die, day by day, but there is only One whose death has the power to bring eternal life, and indeed, the promise of a time when all things will be made new.
Let us bring that Good News:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”
I Corinthians 15:1-8 NKJV
You might be one who has not yet known of the patience of God. I tell you the truth, if you are alive to see this and you are a sinner, you are living by His grace and you don’t even know it. God’s slowness to anger has given you time. By His grace, you too can be saved.
My friend, Jesus died for your sins, that you may have a clean slate with God. Believe on the Lord Jesus, that He did this great thing for you!
THE PRAYER CHAIR IS OPEN! Send me your requests!
#prayfortheharvest
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#prayforthepeaceofIsrael
#prayforthegospeltospreadeverywhere
Musings from an idle mind 
I know you do not do this for the kudos Bernie. But let me please encourage you that I see you growing and advancing in your faith, and I deeply appreciate your challenge to help me grow.
Here is a book I just finished, which challenged me to grow more. It is a real page turner. And yes, I am prejudiced because this is my pastor. I think you will enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving to you, my dear friend.
Thank you for reminding me of psalm 145. I will share that with my son to encourage him. Thanks so much for your prayers!
https://a.co/7mY0mnB
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