How to view your circumstances

December 6, 2015

There is a new wonder in heaven: God is on earth and man is in heaven - Thalassios the Lybian

Worship:  Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy) as sung by Chris Tomlin

"Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy)"

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her king
Let every heart prepare Him room

And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns
That all their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

Joy, unspeakable joy
And overflowing where no tongue can tell
Joy, unspeakable joy
Rises in my soul, never lets me go

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love

Joy, unspeakable joy
And overflowing where no tongue can tell
Joy, unspeakable joy
Rises in my soul, never lets me go

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A-Z Lyrics CHRIS TOMLIN Lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/tC3SwhJsLqU?list=RDtC3SwhJsLqU

Witness:

My pastor has begun a new 3-week series called, “When God doesn’t make sense”. He said one thing I remember clearly. I don’t think it is original with him I found it online attributed to someone named Hope T. Nevertheless, it’s the saying, not the source that is important. The saying goes like this:

We often try to understand God’s goodness through our circumstances when we ought to be understanding our circumstances through God’s goodness.

— Hope T.

This simple, profound statement really helps me during this Christmas season. Of course, when you read this it will no longer be Christmas time, however, this truth is timeless. I believe this was what kept Joseph on track, so that when he finally faced his brothers, who had sold him into slavery years earlier, he was able to say:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Gen 50:20-21 NIV

This is my hope during this season when my wife has chosen not to be with me. What are you facing today? In light of the quote above and Joseph’s declaration, in which way are you responding to it?

WORD:

Ps 24:1-2 24 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. NIV

Ps 24:1-2 24 The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. KJV

In reading about this psalm one commentator mentioned that some think that this psalm may be a compilation of several psalms because of the seeming diversity of thought.

Because of several abrupt changes in subject matter, many have judged that this psalm is made up of selections from three poems originally independent (vv. 1,2; 3-6; 7-10)

(from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1962 by Moody Press. All rights reserved.)

This may be so, but my question then is, if that is so, why did the compiler put these verses together? If there is a logical link to each section, then why assume that this was a compilation of verses in the first place?

At first sight this psalm seems to be composed of two quite separate fragments (vers. 1-4 and vers. 7-10); whence Ewald has laid it down that, in their origin, the two parts were wholly separate, and that the union took place subsequently. But a careful consideration reveals points of unity which favour the view that the connection was intended from the first, and is essential and congenital.

(from The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

I will give more background to this psalm tomorrow. The day grows late and I have a meeting in the morning I have to get up for.