Psalms 109:32 (KJV) Finding Strength in Despair

Psalms 109:22 (KJV)

For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

It’s difficult to attribute this to King David. We see him as,

• A great king
• A godly leader and
• A powerful soldier

It’s all true.

But David also experienced dark times in his soul. He said his heart was wounded in him.

The verses following this one describes some of that pain.

• Tossed up and down
• Weak in the knees
• A reproach to others

David asked God to help him and let those who saw his distress know that God had done it. And David prayed that regardless of the darkness, the despair, and the cursing of his enemies, he would rejoice.

God puts us through hard times for our growth, for His glory, and for lessons for those who witness it.

• Praise the Lord with your mouth in the middle of it
• Praise the Lord and give Him glory among the multitudes through it

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Psalms 109:32 (KJV) Finding Strength in Despair

Colossians 1:23 (KJV) Unveiling the ‘If’

Colossians 1:23 (KJV)

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

The question of the condition.

Albert Barnes says, “The meaning is, that it will be impossible to be saved unless we continue to lead lives becoming the gospel.”

There is no question that he is correct. The question comes as to upon whom the “if” rests.

The “if” does not rest upon the Christian
If it did, if our salvation were conditioned upon our ability to continue leading a life becoming of the gospel, then salvation would be all of works and none of faith. It would make the work of Christ on the cross and the renewing of the Holy Ghost temporary at best. The New Testament message falls apart if our faith begins in Christ but finishes in us.

The “if” rests upon Christ
Those who are saved will continue in the faith, grounded, and settled. It’s not a question. There is no doubt.

Here’s the key: such a thing as a false profession exists. Such a profession is proven because it never continues in the faith. It may begin well. It may blossom temporarily. In the end, because it is not grounded in Christ, it moves away from the hope of the gospel.

We must preach not a religion but a relationship with Jesus. Religion will produce a soul deceived into a false profession that can never last.

It is better a soul never makes a profession than to make a bad profession and then move away from it.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Colossians 1:23 (KJV) Unveiling the ‘If’

Psalms 107:9 (KJV) Satisfying the Longing Soul

Psalms 107:9 (KJV)

For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

What beautiful promises are these:

• God satisfies the longing soul
• God fills the hungry soul with goodness

To be satisfied means to have enough, but more means “enough to be weary of it.” 

I don’t know that a soul can be weary with the things of God, but I do know we can become so satisfied that we are used to being satisfied.

The word “filleth” means something like furnished, fitted, or equipped.

I think of a home that’s been “staged” to perfection. God gives us not just things but good things – the best things.[1]

Here’s the catch.

• Those who are satisfied are first longing
• Those who are filled are first hungry

It may be that we struggle as we do with God’s blessings because we’ve been blessed so long we’ve forgotten what it’s like too “long.” We’ve been full so long we’ve forgotten what it’s like to be hungry.

I like being satisfied and full. But I am happy to endure a season of longing and hunger if it allows me to praise the Lord for His goodness once again and for His wonderful works to the children of men.

---

[1] Remember that the next time you want to replace what God gave you. You may be trading in the best God has for you for a cheap earthly substitute.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Psalms 107:9 (KJV) Satisfying the Longing Soul

Psalms 106:8 (KJV) Why God Saves

Psalms 106:8 (KJV)

Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

The context addresses the spiritual condition of Israel in the wilderness. They witnessed what must have been astounding miracles, the plagues in Egypt, and had been delivered from the slavery of Egypt through them. But they did not grasp the significance of them. Their first trial was the Red Sea and Egypt chasing after them. But they questioned whether God could or would save them there.

They did not understand God’s grace, wonder, or mercy, but God saved them anyway.

God saved them for His name’s sake.

This is the pattern and type of every soul that is saved. We are saved for His name, Jesus’ sake.

• We are never saved because we deserve it
• We are never saved because we are obedient
• We are never saved because of our religion

We are saved despite our misunderstanding of the Bible, our doubts, and our distresses. God saves us, though we are so often an embarrassment to His great name.

Nevertheless, He saves us for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Psalms 106:8 (KJV) Why God Saves

Psalms 105:5 (KJV) How To Seek the Lord’s Strength and Face

Psalms 105:5 (KJV)

Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

The previous verse admonishes us to seek the Lord, His strength, and His face evermore. This verse helps us know how to do that. 

By remembering,
His Works
I think the best understanding of this would be God’s redemptive calling of Abraham as the father of faith.

His Wonders
This Psalm will call to remembrance the plaques in Egypt. These wonders were meant to bring deliverance from slavery and bondage.

His Word
The precious Word of God points us to the living Word, which is Christ.

• God has called us to salvation
• God has delivered us from sin and
• God has sent us His Son

To remember these, to meditate upon them, is to seek the Lord, His strength, and His Face.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Psalms 105:5 (KJV) How To Seek the Lord’s Strength and Face

Psalms 103:11 Exploring The Limits of God's Mercy

Psalms 103:11 (KJV)

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

This is a Psalm of David. As a man, he would have had no idea how high the heaven is. He could only see what would have looked like a ceiling of stars. It was higher than the clouds. He may have observed that the ceiling was higher than the sun and the moon.  From the human perspective, “the heaven” has a limit. To the naked eye, all the stars look to be just about the same distance away. It was high, for sure; it was very high. But it had a limit.

Modern technology has discovered that, even with modern technology, we cannot see the end of heaven. It is so much higher than David could have imagined. It is perhaps much higher than even modern students of the stars can imagine. Perhaps, some suggest, it is infinite, limitless.

Of course, we know David was operating under a power much greater than his own and much greater than the technology of modern science. He was the penman of the Holy Ghost. God is the only One who knows the true height of heaven. 

Whether there is an end to heaven or not, I cannot say. I imagine that space eventually dissolves into the infinite presence of God. But I can see a limit to heaven in the Psalm. This verse says, “toward them that fear Him.” We must not make the mistake of believing God’s mercy is infinite.

• God’s mercy is new every morning
• God’s mercy endures forever
• God’s mercy is as high as the heaven

But only toward them that fear Him.

I fear that the mercy of God toward them that do not fear Him is about to expire.

• It expired in the days of Noah
• It expired in Canaan before Israel returned
• It will expire in the last days

The cure is to trust Him. That will create in you a fear of Him.

• Lean upon Him, 
• Believe Him 
• Come to know Him intimately and fully

You will discover there is no need to fear fearing Him.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Psalms 103:11 Exploring The Limits of God's Mercy

Psalms 102:6-7 (KJV) Navigating Faith in a Strange World

Psalms 102:6-7 (KJV)

I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.

Using symbolism and typology is permitted with this text, as it is symbolic,

• I am like
• I am like
• I… am as

The symbols used are three types of fowl:

The pelican is a fisher
But he can’t fish in the wilderness.

The owl is a symbol of wisdom
But wisdom is wasted in isolation.

The sparrow is a common bird
But this one is alone.

The Christian is to be a fisher of men
But he lives in a wasteland of lost souls, unwilling to be saved.

The Christian possesses the greatest of all wisdom [1]
But few are willing to partake in it.

The Christian is just an ordinary man
But his faith separates him so that, should he be found in a crowd, he is still alone in his faith.

None of this is meant to be negative, though it sometimes feels negative. It is the lot of the believer in this strange world, and it is in this strange world GOD has called us. 

Even in this strange world, we have reason to take pleasure,

• In the remembrance of the Lord
• In His mercy upon the saints
• In the fellowship of the church and
• In those who respond to the gospel and come out of the world

---

[1] The fear of the Lord and the Word of God.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Psalms 102:6-7 (KJV) Navigating Faith in a Strange World