Wednesday in the Word.

Psalm 57

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,

for in you my soul takes refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

until the disaster has passed.

2 I cry out to God Most High,

to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.

3 He sends from heaven and saves me,

rebuking those who hotly pursue me;

Selah

God sends his love and his faithfulness.

4 I am in the midst of lions;

I lie among ravenous beasts—

men whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

6 They spread a net for my feet—

I was bowed down in distress.

They dug a pit in my path—

but they have fallen into it themselves.

Selah

7 My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music.

8 Awake, my soul!

Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

God sends His love and faithfulness. Beth Moore spoke Psalm 57 this morning on a show I was watching. And it got me. She focused on verses 1 and 2...I needed to focus on the whole thing. I've read it four times already...and each time I hear...God sends His love and faithfulness.

There are times when I think about God...and all He's done...and my thought is, "Well, yeah. He's GOD." It's a bit of a flippant attitude...maybe even with a bit of a "spoiled teenager with a deserving attitude" kind of attitude. You know what I mean? Almost like I take my relationship with God for granted...and maybe even take HIM for granted.

This conviction makes me wince I have to admit. To take God Almighty for granted? To walk each day in freedom...because of HIM...and not even give it a second thought? Yes...I take it for granted. I take HIM for granted. I'm not proud.

Yesterday was kind of a weird day...not sure what it was, really. It just felt weird...distant...surreal in some ways. Of course it was business as usual...get the kids off to school, prepare lunch for when Chris came home, laundry, chickens, garden, bills. Mopping floors, rearranging cabinets, tossing things in the donation box, going to the grocery store.

In the midst of it all...there was an underlying...darkness. Maybe darkness isn't the right word...or maybe it is. Things felt unsettled. Not necessarily in me. But...in the world, if that makes sense. As I was running errands and driving through town and going into stores...I felt this sense of...I don't even know how to explain it. Almost like it all wasn't even real.

Or maybe it was all too real.

Outside of one store there were 4 or 5 homeless people. They were just sitting there...holding signs...coughing...filthy...they all had the same look on their faces...empty. Tired.

Outside of another store there was a mother with three small children. They were wild...and she was impatient. It was not a good combination.

Inside of that same store was a couple...an angry man...and a broken woman walking about 10 paces behind him. Bruises on her arms. Sadness in her eyes.

As I drove home and looked around...people walking, people driving, people running this crazy race right along with me...people everywhere. And I felt very alone.

But as Joyce Meyer says..."BUT GOD..."

BUT GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Fighting a battle that you just can't fight anymore?

GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Feeling alone in this great big crazy world?

GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Bill collectors calling from 8am until 9pm?

GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Kids making you crazy with worry?

GOD sends His love and faithfulness. (And He sends it to our children, too....even if they don't know it.)

Anxiety or depression preventing you from leaving the house?

GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Chronic, physical pain about to push you over the edge?

GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Church people making you scratch your head? I have to say...I've had some interesting encounters with church people. Church people I trust, no less. I have to admit, I'm pretty disenchanted with church people. (And before you say it, I'm SO tired of the excuse, "Christians are human, too." Yes. They are. But when we  become Christians we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and are therefore called to be different. I am called to be different. And SO ARE YOU. Be nice.)

Even still...

GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Life. In general. Daily. Sometimes it's nothing in particular...but everything all piled up so we can't put our finger on just one thing. Life.

BUT GOD...

GOD sends His love and faithfulness.

Thank you God...for your love...and your faithfulness. I couldn't do this without you.