A Friday Prayer of Praise???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #262

“I will praise thee;

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works;

and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee,

when I was made in secret,

and curiously wrought

in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance,

yet being unperfect;

and in thy book all my members were written,

which in continuance were fashioned,

when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me,

O God!

how great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them,

they are more in number than the sand:

when I awake,

I am still with thee.

19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:

depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

20 For they speak against thee wickedly,

and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O LORD,

that hate thee?

and am not I grieved with those

that rise up against thee?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred:

I count them mine enemies.”  Psalm 139:14-22

This Psalm of David is an amazing account of David’s recognition of the creator of all things, including us!  How often we forget that we are God’s creation, even as David reminds us in the 100^th Psalm:

“Know ye that the LORD he is God:

it is he that hath made us,

and not we ourselves…”. Psalm 100:3a

As David rehearses the wonder of man’s creation and the worth of our God, not just because of what He does, but because of Who He Is!  Even as Paul told the Corinthian believers—because we are so apt to forget in our pride and arrogance as human beings—even as born-again human beings we can be distracted by our own flesh (and of course Satan is right there handing us the fuel!)

“Not that we are sufficient

of ourselves

to think any thing

as of ourselves;

but our sufficiency is of God;” 2 Corinthians 3:5

Jesus said it Himself as He spent the last hours of His life teaching His followers truth; even knowing that they wouldn’t get it until much later!  After His death, burial and resurrection they not only got it, but shared it unto their death.  And many of them died martyr’s deaths!

“I am the true vine,

and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me

that beareth not fruit he taketh away:

and every branch that beareth fruit,

he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean

through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me,

and I in you.

As the branch

cannot bear fruit of itself,

except it abide in the vine;

 no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me

ye can do nothing.”  John 15:1-5

The bottom line is relatively simple—we must abide in Jesus, praising Him through thick or thin, happy or sad, simple or difficult—for we are the sheep of His pasture.  I am His and He is mine—and He has never failed me!  Ever!!!  This brings us back to the ending of Psalm 139, a prayer that I pray often, and encourage you to pray it, memorize it (if you haven’t already) and ask God to bring it to your heart as often as necessary!  May our hearts be drawn to The Master!

“Search me, O God,

and know my heart:

try me,

and know my thoughts:

24 And see

if there be any wicked way in me,

and lead me

in the way everlasting.”  Psalm 139:23-24

Amen and Amen!!!