Reflections

Rightly used, reflections can strengthen our faith. Here are some Scripture passages which do that:

Psalm 42:4: "These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival."

Psalm 63:6: "When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches."

Psalm 77:6, 11: "I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, and my spirit ponders....I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old."

Psalm 111:4-5: "He has made His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever."

Psalm 119: 49, 52, 55: "Remember the word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope....I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O LORD, and comfort myself....O LORD, I remember Your name in the night, and keep Your law."

Psalm 143:5: "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands."

Lamentations 3:19-24: "Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness, The LORD is my portion, says my sould, therefore I have hope in Him."

When I Dwell

When I dwell upon how good God is to me,
When I think of His grace which He set in place
Before creation, I can only rejoice
With heart, mind, and voice.
When I survey that short life of 33 years,
When I consider how I caused His tears
On the cross and cries to the Father above,
I see such undeserved love.
And seeing that love, I can only submit to whatever His will is,
Dwelling in the comfort of the palm of His hand,
Or as the apple of His eye,
Known by Him so personally,
Dwelling in His gracious care,
With His watch care over me,
Day in and out,
Night in and out,
Breath after breath until
My last one, and I stand
In His presence where I will dwell forever.

Sovereign and Citizen

Christ the Sovereign Lord of all came,
Lived as a citizen of earth,
Lived under Judaic and Roman rule,
Lived and died under such cruel rule
That we believing citizens of earth,
Whichever section of the planet we reside on,
That we might live for eternity in heaven:
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power which He has even to subject all things to Himself" (Philippians 3:20-21).

Vision

I keep procrastinating when it comes to cataract removal surgery. More than 10 years bave passed since my ophthalmologist in California mentioned I was developing them. As his comments were so casually made, until we moved to Northern Kentucky, I passed them off. However, this year my 94-year-old Mom had such surgery, so I don't think I will put mine off much longer. But that's not the kind of vision I have in mind here.

No, I am thinking of other kinds of vision. It is all too easy to see unbelievers prosper and to be envious of them. The Psalmist Asaph had this problem in Psalm 73:

"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart! But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (verses 1-3). In verses 4-12, he expands on what he saw regarding the easy life of the wicked. He compares himself to them: "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; for I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning" (verses `13-14).

Beginning with verse 15, he pivots: "If I had said, 'I will speak thus,' behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end" (verses 15-17).

Confessing his new understanding in verses 18-24, Asaph concludes thus:

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works" (verses 26-28).

The writer of Hebrews admonishes us in 12:1-3: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us [referring back to chapter 11], let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

These passages both challenge and encourage me to see situations from God's point of view rather than from a merely human perspective. I hope they do the same for you.