HALLELUJAH!

This journal entry compares rain to suffering in a believer's life. For some the showers are brief and for others, they are a monsoon. I certainly identify with the latter. It's been 19 plus months since my wife left. Some may say, "get over it... she's not coming home!" Perhaps I should take that attitude. However, when you have been married to that person for 39 years you just don't "get over it" that easy. The pain persists for quite a while. How you respond to the pain personally in the midst of the monsoon will result either in finding refuge in the God who controls the monsoon or drowning in the ensuing flood that comes from the monsoon.

 There are also greater things to consider, like God's glory and my wife's eternal destiny. If we only have this life to live for, then I would agree. However, if we live with eternity in mind and the chief end of our life, as the Westminster Catechism says, is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever then such a response is not only irresponsible, it is also unloving and sinful.

This journal is my response to the monsoon!

November 28, 2015

Worship:

Hallelujah Chorus: Text

|: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :| |: For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :| For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. |: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :| The kingdom of this world Is become the kingdom of our Lord, And of His Christ, and of His Christ; And He shall reign for ever and ever, For ever and ever, forever and ever, King of kings, and Lord of lords, |: King of kings, and Lord of lords, :| And Lord of lords, And He shall reign, And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings, forever and ever, And Lord of lords, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And He shall reign forever and ever, |: King of kings! and Lord of lords! :| And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings! and Lord of lords! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Lyrics:  http://www.hallelujah-chorus.com/text/english.html

Video:  https://youtu.be/FoqxYqTNKmU

Witness:

What great a God we serve. How mighty and glorious are His ways towards His people. He is sovereign over the universe. Look in the telescope or in the microscope and His glory and might are seen. He is active in all the affairs of mankind. What He wills, no one can thwart. Today I felt the weight of all the problems that face me now. All the stress that is affecting my life and the life of my daughter and son-in-law. Sleep has been a luxury. In my tired, stressed state it is easy to just feel like giving up. Yet I woke up this evening with one thought on my mind and one song to sing (or really just listen to tonight). God is sovereign, and to me, there are  no greater words that witness to this sovereignty than those words from scripture put to the music written by Handel. This is my confidence and my strength. This is the God, the only true God, whom I serve. I see His sovereign hand in my life even when all seems chaotic. He encourages me and strengthens me daily in the storm and in the flood. It has been raining for two days now - cold dreary rain. Yet tears of joy came to my eyes as I read my entry from October 30,2015. This is my practice, I did not search this day out, but God sought me out by providentially lining that day up with today to read. I will share it again and you will see what I mean:

Witness: It’s a rainy cool day. It is a welcomed break from the hot days that we have been experiencing and a time of refreshing for the earth. Sometimes dreary days are necessary to bring needed nourishment and renewal. We can mope and complain about the rain, or wait patiently for the sunshine and the refreshment brought by those rainy dreary days. We also can mope and complain because the rain the Lord has brought into our lives, or wait patiently for the clouds to part and rejoice in blessings and refreshing that come from the dreary storm filled times in our lives. In fact, if we believe in the God of the flood and the rainbow, we can rejoice in the rain as well, expectantly waiting for what is to follow. I understand for some the rains are brief and for others, they are a monsoon. I will not be flippant or dismissive concerning long periods of rain in our life, but this I know. Our Great Shepherd goes through them with us and leads us out of them. If we remain faithful and focused on Him, we will get through it. If we balk and stray, we may end up devoured by the enemy or fall off the edge of a cliff into the abyss. Yet, I am confident of better things for the true sheep of God. The Good Shepherd rescues them by rod and staff and calls them to His table of abundant blessing. It may still be raining outside, and the enemy may be close by looking on, but in the house of the Lord, there is protection, blessing, and peace in the midst of it all. In fact, the true saint declares with the Psalmist:

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Ps 84:10

NIV

They know the enemy’s tents may promise pleasure but it is only for a season (Hebrews 11:25), but in the end, there is no treasure to be had only “moth and rust” (Matthew 6:19), death and dust. But the sheep of the Lord declare:

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! Ps 84:11-12 ESV

WORD:

Ps 23:5-6 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. NIV

Ps 23:5-6 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. KJV

I look forward to tomorrow. The beginning of a new week. The day of the Lord to worship. A prolonged time to sort my thoughts out on this last portion of Psalm 23. I need to get ready for work, but I want to share one thing I read tonight concerning this phrase. It comes from that portion of Spurgeon's Treasury of David called “EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS”. The language is of another age, yet the meaning is clear. I had to say, “WOW!” when I read it.

Ver. 6. I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. A wicked man, it may be, will turn into God's house, and say a prayer, etc., but the prophet would (and so all godly men must) dwell there for ever; his soul lieth always at the throne of grace, begging for grace. A wicked man prays as the cock crows; the cock crows and ceases, and crows again, and ceases again, and thinks not of crowing till he crows again: so a wicked man prays and ceases, prays and ceases again; his mind is never busied to think whether his prayers speed or no; he thinks it is good religion for him to pray, and therefore he takes for granted that his prayers speed, though in very deed God never hears his prayers, nor no more respects them than he respects the lowing of oxen, or the grunting of hogs. — William Fenner, B.D. (1600-1640), in "The Sacrifice of the Faithful."(from The Treasury of David, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)