"For My Mother and Father Have Forsaken Me, but the Lord Will Take Me In.

We have a young girl living in our home because her mother has thrown her out of the house. When I was acting up as a teenager, my father wanted to throw me out (I would have loved it), but my mother wouldn't let him. My grandsons have friends who have been told to leave. This is how the world is sometimes.

Apparently, David's parents turned their back on him. King Saul was looking for David to kill him. He was a fugitive, always on the run and hiding in caves. He took his parents with him, but they must have left David and been angry at him for all the trouble he brought upon him, for in Psalm 27:10 David tells us they had forsaken him.

Then he says, "But the Lord will take me in."

One thing we can count on; the Lord will never forsake us. Jesus says, "Behold, I am with you until the end of time." Matthew 28:20 If you feel all alone in the world, you are not. God is with you, he is only a breath away. Just ask him to come into your life and help you and he will.

Joseph - A Slave, A Convict, A Prime Minister.

I have always admired Joseph. The story of his life is found in the book of Genesis Chapters 37-50. For me, he is the ideal believer in God. He never lost faith and trusted God in every circumstance.

Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers. Imagine yourself, a 17 year old, being sold as a slave. What would be your feelings? I would guess:terror, sadness, despair.

Did Joseph turn from God because God had let this terrible thing happen to him? No. He was such a good slave that his master Potifar, Captain of the bodyguards of Pharoah, promoted him. "...he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge."

In Chapter 39 verse 2, the Bible says, "The Lord was with Joseph..." Yet a new trial awaited him. Potifar's wife wanted to sleep with Joseph and asked him over and over. Joseph said to her, "How could I do this great evil and sin against God?" But this made her angry and she accused Joseph of trying to rape her. Potifar had him thrown into prison.

In verse 21 it says, "But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer." He gave Joseph the job of looking after all the prisoners.

These are the years of Joseph's life that I especially admire. It seems that nothing on earth could shake his faith in God. In this age, when many preachers tell us God will make us rich - God will prosper us in every way - God will not let anything bad happen to us if we have faith; I look at Joseph and I know this is not true.

We do not know the plans God has for our lives. He could have kept Joseph safe from all these troubles, but he didn't. It would have been so easy for Joseph to question God's love but he didn't. God's wisdom is so far above ours we can trust that whatever is happening in our lives, he is with us as he was with Joseph.

Strength.

"I love you, O Lord my strength." Psalm 18:1

Many times, when I have felt tired, I have asked God to give me strength to do something and he has given me that strength. My mother, who is 83, has a weekly Bible study with a friend who lives in her apartment building. Sometimes, at the end of the day she is very tired. But she has asked God for strength to do the study and God has always given her that strength.

Of course, God is not just our physical strength when we need him. He is our Spiritual Strength. "The Lord is the strength of my life." Psalm 27:1, is one of my favorite verses. Without him, I know I would be lost. Not only lost spiritually, but in every way.

Before I gave my life to God, that is how I felt: lost. Lost and groping like a blind person in this dark world. I had tried to find my way through drinking, drugs and men, but it didn't work. I felt despair and hopelessness.

Thank God he was there for me, pushing and pulling me towards himself. Thank you God. I love you God, you are the strength of my life.

Understanding.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

There have been times when I have been upset or worried about something and this verse has come into my mind. My own understanding of things is sometimes distorted or skewed. I don't see the way God sees. He is wisdom and knowledge itself.

I love the fact I can just say to God, "Well, I don't understand why this is happening, but I will trust in you. I know you can bring good out of this, and you will make things clear some day."

Where Are You God?

Psalm 13:1-6

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?"

Many people have felt as David felt; forsaken by God, ignored by him. But I like how David ends this Psalm:

"But I have trusted in your loving kindness;
My heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
For he has dealt bountifully with me."

After what David said at the beginning of this Psalm, how does he then end with trust? He didn't feel God's presence, he felt abandoned and alone.

This is what faith is; believing in spite of our feelings. Because David knew that God was good, he knew he should trust him. He remembered how in the past God had led him. He remembered that he was saved. David could rejoice in that - he could rejoice in who God was and that God had saved him spiritually.

We should never rely on our feelings. Feelings mean nothing, it is the truth that means everything. I pray that we will lean on the truth that God loves us.

Being Negative.

"There are many who say, 'Who will show us some good?'
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord! You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Psalm 4:6-7

I have a real problem with being negative. I have always leaned towards looking on the dark side of life. I have asked myself, "Where is some good?" David's answer is the truth. God can put great joy in our hearts. When I feel negative I try to look up to God. I thank him for all the wonderful things he has done for me. I thank him that my name is written in Heaven and that he is with me every moment of the day.

Phil.4:8 says,

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

Is Anger a Sin?

Psalm 4:4 says "Be angry, and do not sin..." This seems to be saying it is not a sin to be angry. But what do we then do when we feel this way?

The verse goes on to say, "...ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord."

When we are angry, we are not to lash out in revenge or tell people what we think. We are to go by ourselves and think about why we are angry. We are to be silent and talk with God about what happened and about our anger.

I have found this to be wonderful advice. I have done this when hurt or angry at people and God has given me peace. One thing also He has taught me. Don't tell anyone else about what happened. Be silent. Only tell God and ask for his Spirit of love and forgiveness.

Sometimes anger still gets the better of me. Sometimes if hubby gets mad at me I get mad right back. Sometimes I get mad at something someone has done and tell people. But I am working towards God's ideal for me. I am trusting him to create in me a good heart.