Talk of the town

"Everyone sees it. God’s work is the talk of the town.

Be glad, good people! Fly to God! Good-hearted people, make praise your habit." - Psalm 64:9-10 (The Message)

When you are the talk of the town, people will be speaking about your life everywhere you go. This can be in the case of good things, as well as negative circumstances. Nowadays, we would probably say that you have 'gone viral' or that your name is 'trending' on social media. Either way, it is when a lot of attention is placed on what is going on in your life. Your actions are the talk of the community.

Eugene Peterson's reflection on Psalm 64 teaches us that when God responds to the evil-doers there will be much excitement and people will be glad that justice is done. We are then encouraged to 'fly to God' knowing that he has heard our prayers and that he does respond to our cries for help.

"The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him!" (v.10)

Living in Grace

D3LM3

You get what you deserve

There is a saying that we all have used at some point in our conversations that goes like this: "You get what you deserve!" We may have even said it like this: "You reap what you sow!" 

Well, in today's readings from Psalm 64 we note how David reminds the Israelites that God will dish out his own punishment upon those who seek to do evil to others. 

"But God will shoot them with his arrows;
    they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
    and bring them to ruin;
    all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9 All people will fear;
    they will proclaim the works of God
    and ponder what he has done." - Psalm 64:7-9

This verse teaches us to be patient when evil seems to prosper. We are reminded that God is the ultimate judge and no one will escape from the works of God. This can be a little frustrating for us at times, as many of us would like to dish out our own revenge, but we are called to trust in God's ways.

What does this verse for you today?

Romans 12:19 - "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Beautiful Paradox

Bear Grylls writes "there is a beautiful paradox at the heart of this life of faith and love. We are not His equal, yet God involves us in His plans, as precious sons and daughters. He could do it all on His own, but He chooses to involve us, to invite us closer to Him. He gives us total freedom, yet He remains in control."

As much as I recognise this divine paradox I can't help but wonder if God didn't make a mistake. When I look at how we consistently mess up and sadly sully the name of Jesus, why would he choose to be partners with us? God's decision is confusing, but He has made it! 

We now need to take this great privilege and LIVE as his sons and daughters. In this lies the challenge for each one of us.

2 Corinthians 6:18 - And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

What will you do with this beautiful paradox?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

O God, our help in ages past

"O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home."

These striking words of the first verse of 'O God, Our Help in ages past' (Isaac Watts) remind us that we serve a God who has helped us in the past and he will shelter us from the stormy experiences of the present. What is more is that God continues to guide us until we are safely home in His presence. That is a promise found in many places in the Scriptures.

The final verse of this hymn is almost the same as the first, except for a slight alteration in verse 3. This line states: Be thou our guide while life shall last. I find that this prayer is one that I can relate to at the moment. I need God's guidance in many areas of my life and I trust that while I am alive, God will show me the way.

Psalm 18:6 - In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Heads up

Hi there good friends. Thank you once again for faithfully reading these ramblings and for your encouragement over the years. If for some reason you no longer start to receive the blogpost via email please remember to access the blog via the actual Blogger site (www.delmelinscott.blogspot.com) or on the other social media platforms. 

I am slowly figuring out how to transition the email subscriptions, but just wanted to give you a heads up in case. Apparently the change may be sometime soon. At least the one thing that Covid has taught us is to be willing to roll with the punches and make necessary shifts when needed.

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." - Winston Churchill

Take care and God bless

Delme

Cruel words

Words have the frightening ability to change people's lives - for better and for worse. The power of the tongue is great and we should all heed how we use our own words. As these words from Proverbs remind us:

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." - Proverbs 16:24

It seems that David's opponents were using the cruelty of their tongues to fearlessly attack him and his good name. It was as if he was coming under some form of physical attack. 

"They sharpen their tongues like swords,
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. 

They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
they shoot suddenly, without fear." - Psalm 64:3-4

How can we use our words to bring life and not death?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Hiding from evil

"Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers." - Psalm 64:2

It is very easy for us as South Africans to draw a parallel from today's reading, to the recent events of looting and violence in our country. It seems clear that those behind the actions plotted and conspired to bring maximum destruction to our communities. 

So, in light of these events, how do read David's words and what do we make of them? Would this mean that we hope God can hide us from the physical evildoers, or is he asking for protection from the fallout of their actions? Or is it a little of both? It is clear that as Christ-followers we will not be exempt from suffering, but what can we expect from God during these times? 

I realise these are tough questions, but they are on everyone's minds at the moment. Perhaps my response is too simplistic for some, but I want to believe that I can turn to God for help in my time of need and that God will protect me from the 'evil one.' This doesn't mean that I will never face trials or sorrow, but I see it as God's promise to keep my 'soul/spirit/life' safe from the clutches of the enemy. Even in ultimate death I can know that I am in the strong hands of my loving Saviour.

"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings." - Psalm 17:8

Living in Grace

D3LM3