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1 A song to our strong God! a shout to the God of Jacob! 10 I'm God, your God, the very God who rescued you from doom in Egypt, Then fed you all you could eat, filled your hungry stomachs. 11 "But my people didn't listen, Israel paid no attention; 12 So I let go of the reins and told them, 'Run! Do it your own way!' 13 "Oh, dear people, will you listen to me now? Israel, will you follow my map? 14 I'll make short work of your enemies, give your foes the back of my hand. 15 I'll send the God-haters cringing like dogs, never to be heard from again. 16 You'll feast on my fresh-baked bread spread with butter and rock-pure honey." (Psalm 81:1, 10-16 The Message)
Happy Thursday to you and yours, dear Friend! I thank you again for last evening's prayers and for your prompt and thoughtful emails in response to the Prayer Requests. In case you didn't receive that email or didn't get a chance to read them, I asked prayers for our grandson Liam on the loss of his first pet, a fish named Julio. And Nellie and I were saddened to learn of the death of a dear friend, Mrs. Carolyn Huntsman from Lovelady, TX. And prayers for my cousin, Mrs. Esther Zapata who undergoes surgery this morning in Austin. Prayers for her healing and recovery. Prayers for one another. Pray for yourselves.
Does your heart remember a love "song" from your Mom or Dad? Not so much the singing of a melody with matching words, but a refrain of love such as, "No matter how far you go if you ever need to come home, you're always welcome." Or, as simple as "you can always come home." I heard that from my father when I left for college and from my mother as well. I remember struggling spiritually in my first year of seminary and after eleven weeks I dropped out and returned home. My sister had dropped out of college three weeks earlier, so I imagine the hearts and minds of my parents were confused and saddened that number one son and number one daughter were dropouts. We were both welcomed home with love and with no judgment. I went to work right away and moved out again for almost a year when I was called back by God into His ministry. My sister enrolled at U of H and there completed all three degrees she holds, including her doctorate. It was so reassuring to hear that song before we needed it.
God's song is very much the same and He sang it first. God is a God of rescue who has too many times saved us from ourselves or from forces greater than ourselves. God sang this song to the people of Israel who forgot the song quite quickly. We talked about this last night. Instead of choosing life, they chose destructive things. Despite the knowledge of knowing that God fulfills our every need, especially our most basic ones, some wander off merrily and ignorantly. God has given us a map, and we have chosen to read the maps over the shoulders of those whom we consider wiser and more blessed. We must stop and ask ourselves, "What's the real temptation here?" Had Israel done so; had they listened to the prophets, they would not have suffered as they did. But the allure and the pull of what seemed attractive yanked them off the chosen path of God. And in so doing, God changed their names from God-lovers to God-haters, whom he compared them to dogs, who became lost forever. The reward for those who did or will return will enjoy "My fresh-baked bread spread with butter and rock-pure honey."
Dear friend, have you sung that love "song" to the ones whom you love? Do they know your door, especially the door to your heart, is always open? Have you shared with them that the same holds true with God? Our goal is for us and for our loved ones not to stray.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your never-ending song of love. May our hearts sing that song freely with others; and for those of our loved ones who are not yet in the fold, bless and bring them back soon. We pray Your will be done with those for whom we are praying. May Thy will be done! In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Start singing loudly the love song of God!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
