Sunday, January 27, 2008 @ 8:07 PM
Psalm 27: Eye of the Storm.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

I used to learn in Geography about this interesting aspect of hurricanes (or cyclones/tornadoes). While the winds can be swirling around at destructive speeds of 100-200 km/h, the centre of the storm, called the "eye", is "relatively calm with no thunderstorms and little or no cloud cover."
(Read more here)

As I read today's psalm, it's an appropriate picture to represent what King David felt :
outwardly the turmoil, inwardly the supernatural peace from God.

Where did David find this peace that surpasses all understanding?
It's in his time of intimacy with God, "dwelling in the house of the Lord."

Recently I had this meditation upon my heart about spending time with God.
A lot of times for us, Quiet Time is either a bore, a chore or a leftover of our time.
We feel that it's not worth giving our time.

But what does King David says? To "dwell" mean to "linger", "stay longer", "to make home" etc.
Basically, the idea of "wasting time on it".

I am sure if we like a hobby or a person, we will make effort to "waste time" on it.
Like I remember that time when I just discovered DOTA, and I want to be good at it, so I "wasted time" on it.
But what about the things that matter for eternity, our relationship with God?
Ever thought of "wasting time" on God?

Then will we be able to build up intimacy with God, that in times of trouble, we can
"Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD."

Labels: Journey Through Psalms

Sunday, January 27, 2008 @ 8:07 PM
Psalm 27: Eye of the Storm.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

I used to learn in Geography about this interesting aspect of hurricanes (or cyclones/tornadoes). While the winds can be swirling around at destructive speeds of 100-200 km/h, the centre of the storm, called the "eye", is "relatively calm with no thunderstorms and little or no cloud cover."
(Read more here)

As I read today's psalm, it's an appropriate picture to represent what King David felt :
outwardly the turmoil, inwardly the supernatural peace from God.

Where did David find this peace that surpasses all understanding?
It's in his time of intimacy with God, "dwelling in the house of the Lord."

Recently I had this meditation upon my heart about spending time with God.
A lot of times for us, Quiet Time is either a bore, a chore or a leftover of our time.
We feel that it's not worth giving our time.

But what does King David says? To "dwell" mean to "linger", "stay longer", "to make home" etc.
Basically, the idea of "wasting time on it".

I am sure if we like a hobby or a person, we will make effort to "waste time" on it.
Like I remember that time when I just discovered DOTA, and I want to be good at it, so I "wasted time" on it.
But what about the things that matter for eternity, our relationship with God?
Ever thought of "wasting time" on God?

Then will we be able to build up intimacy with God, that in times of trouble, we can
"Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD."

Labels: Journey Through Psalms