The Thundering Voice of GOD

“The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.” Psalm 29:3

Whether it is the sound of the torrential rain or the raging waters of the sea we feel the power of GOD in the sound of it. When we add to that the roaring thunder and strikes of lightning, we can’t help but feel we are in the presents of the ALMIGHTY.

I remember as a child in the northwest during the storm my mother, my brothers, sisters and me watching the glory of the storm through the window and sometimes on the porch. I remember the feeling of such awe. “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters”

Later in life while in Texas, the peace I used to have during the storm turned to fear. The sky would turn dark with great winds that turned in circles. Now instead of on the porch we hid ourselves in the bathtub with a mattress covering us. “The GOD of glory thundereth”

Whether it be in fear or peace, the sound of the thundering voice of GOD gives us just a glimpse of His power and might. Nothing man dreams up will ever compare to what GOD shows in just a storm. “The LORD is upon many waters”

I’ve heard the pitter patter

As the rain fell on the house.

A pleasant sound it was to me.

From my sleep I was aroused.

I listened and the sound it changed,

And fear replaced the peace.

Torrential waters pounding down

I fell upon my face.

I was on the sea when swells were there,

And the rains came pressing down.

I heard the voice of GOD, Himself.

There was thunder, and no one else around.

Oh, such power in His voice,

As it echoed through the sky.

From one end to the other.

GODs Glory, so nearby!

“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices:” Revelation 4:5a

A Special GOD

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:2

The achievements of the LORD are many.  All creation belongs to Him.  He is and was and is to come.  The LORD is perfectly mighty in all His works.  Nothing slips past Him and you can’t escape His Glory. No matter where you go, He will be there. “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name;”.

The question is, how much respect do we give GOD?  Do we give Him praise for His Word?  Do we absorb it into our hearts? Do we praise Him in our prayer life?  Our we in constant communication with Him?  Do we give Him honor and glory in our witness?  Are we telling others of the wonderful glory of the SAVIOR?

At the innermost part of our heart do we see GOD in all his beauty?  Do we see His Holiness as He is?  Many have tried to describe who and what GOD is and have failed.  But within the heart of the Believer we should have a spiritual sense of the wonder of His beauty.  After all, He is in us. “worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

We live in a day of constant disrespect of the ALMIGHTY   Many use His name in vain, others mimic and mock Him.  Society has tried to bring down to the level of man, which is a greatest dishonor.  

To often our churches have left Him outside the sanctuary.  The sanctuary is to be a holy place where we worship a Holy GOD, not a place where we act like we are sitting in our living room.  It is a special place where we worship a Special GOD!

I saw in my heart very bright and clear.

The wonders of my SAVIOR dear.

His glory was intense, and perfectly pure.

I fell on my face in amazement and fear.

His glory I saw, clothed in bright  white.

His brilliants overwhelming, to natural sight.

He was there before me, standing upright.

My heart was throbbing, I thought I would ignite. 

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:1-3

Where Strength Comes From

“Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.” Psalm 29:1

I wake every morning with the understanding of how much I need strength.  Strength is essential to complete what is put before us and yet I find myself always needing more than I have.   

Even as I write these words in the back of my mind I am pleading to the LORD for His help.  What good would it be for me to try and us my own strength when in myself, I am so weak?

It is a great tragedy when the Believer depends upon themselves when there is such a great power available in CHRIST.  Our words and our speech are meaningless without the presence of the HOLY SPIRT to guide them.  

I find myself wanting.

I lack in my strength.

Oh, my dear JESUS,

I lack at great length.

In You there is great power.

Please send some my way.

Without it I’m nothing.

For Your strength I pray.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

I Can't Wait To Tell You

“Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.” Psalm 28:9

The LORDs answer to our prayers will not only bring relief, peace and satisfaction, to us, but it will also bring the desire to share it with others.  How could we possibly hold within us GODs wonders? “Save thy people” 

This is GODs plan for us, that we share the grace He has given to all.  To everyone in our path, to all His people.  To the wise and the simple, to the down trodden and those of high estate.  Whether they are high or low all must hear of the wonders of GOD and His most excellent grace.  “Bless thine inheritance:”

What of the one that is out of fellowship, how can we bring them back?  Our hearts should break for them.  Share with them what GOD is doing in your life and it will remind them of what they are missing out on. GOD, help us to love all, but especially those of Your household. “Feed them also”

Our most earnest yearning should be for those that have not known or heard the the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST.  Oh, that we might have the privilege to share the joy of our salvation. “Lift them up forever”

We will all give an account of how we have used what GOD has so graciously given to us!

I bubbled up inside, 

My heart was full of glee. 

I wanted to tell others, 

What GOD had done for me.

O the peace He had given!

It was overwhelming joy!

Super-natural happiness!

On you He will deploy!

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20

Don’t be a Loser ( Know where your strength comes from )

“The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.” Psalm 28:8

I say the following, not to boost but rather to make a point.  I have had people tell me, you are a good person.  I always tell them, in me there is no good.  If there is anything good about me it is the CHRIST that lives in me.  I would say if people saw the real me, I would have less friends and more enemies.  “The Lord is (my) their strength”

Some my say, GOD chose you because you are good.  If that were true we would have to dismiss what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:10-18.  “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Read the full text.  In Mark 10:18 JESUS says, “There is none good but one, that is, God.”  “He is the saving strength of his anointed.”

If we aren’t careful we can get caught up in ourselves and take the goodness of GOD and claim it as our own.  Understanding where our goodness comes from and who we really are keeps us humble.  When we lift ourselves to the place GOD only belongs we are of no earthy good to a lost and dying world. Isn’t this what Satan did? And he is a loser!

I’m assured of all my inadequacies. 

There is no good within myself.

I lack the virtue and the perfection.

I need the help from GOD Himself.

So I have trusted, and He has healed me.

Now my strength, comes from Him.

CHRIST has replaced the wretch within me.

All my goodness comes from Him.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

When We

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” Psalm 28:7

When we let go of ourselves and give it all to GOD, He will give us the victory. “The LORD is my strength”

When we realize it is GOD that fights our battles, He is the defender of our body and soul, pease rushes in. “my shield”

When we in our hearts say, I’m unable but GOD is able, we are finished, but He is ready, we will rejoice. “ my heart greatly rejoiceth”

When we apply the above, give it all to GOD, understand He is our strength, that He fights our battles, we are unable but, He is able, HE will then put a song in our heart that will cause us to dance with delight!  “with my song will I praise him”

I was weak, but He is strong.

GOD took away the pain.

Everlasting peace, flooded in.

When I called upon JESUS name.

Now I dance, instead of mourn.

He put a song, within my heart.

When we give it all to JESUS.

All our anxiety, will depart.

“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

In the Midst of Trouble

“Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.” Psalm 28:6

Prayer is one of the three essentials the believer must have in their lives in order to be at peace.  The other two being, the Word of GOD and fellowship with other believers.

We believe by faith GOD’s promises are real. We trust Him to answer as He has promised and He does.  Even before we speak, He hears!  He hears our heart and His desire for us is to move it from our heart to our lips, and pray.

Prayer with faith will take us from gloom to a state of joy.  It will remove anxiety and replace it with gentle peace. The kind of peace that can only come from the LORD.  Even in the midst of our trouble when we are in our deepest pit GOD is there. He is listening and He is answering!

I’ve felt the agony of fear and pain

Where hope seems so far away.

I know the hate when the enemy comes,

And the price I think I have to pay.

But when in my darkness, I find relief

When I ask my GOD in prayer.

Help me JESUS, I need Your help!

Oh, and my SAVIOR is always there!

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

A Loser of Great Degree

“Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.” Psalm 28:5

It is better to regard the works of GOD then to deny what is apparent and alienate yourself from the CREATOR.  Only the one with poor vision and understanding will deny the works of the LORD!

Denial is a tool of the fool.  While they see the facts before themselves they continue to refuse and believe.  They use the policy of the politician and deny, deny, deny.

When a person denies GOD they become a loser of great degree. “The fool has said in his heart, there is no GOD”  They will find themselves “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

The verse doesn’t eliminate those that have trusted CHRIST.  While we are saved through the shed blood CHRIST and our salvation is sure, we can not expect GOD to bless us here when we are out of His will.  When we don’t trust His promises we are in denial and He will not build us up!

I saw the stars in a clear sky bright.

What an amazing sight to see.

I saw the trees and the grassy field,

The winding creak and the blue sea.

I wondered from where they came to be.

This delightful sight to see.

It had to have been from the GOD of gods.

Only He could have made it be.

“And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.” Isaiah 5:12

A Just Recompense

“Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.” (Psalm 28:4)

 

There are two ways to look at this verse. First, we see the thought of using God for a tool in getting at our enemies. Second, we see, God is righteous and all His decisions are based on His Word.

 

There is a difference in asking God to defeat our enemies and knowing God will always be firm in what He has spoken. God keeps His promises.  

 

You can be sure God will always give a just recompense whether it is for the good or the wicked. He rewards all of us by how we live our lives. There is only light and dark, no in between. 

 

I understand it isn’t our works that makes us righteous, it is only by the grace of God. I also understand while I'm in this body of flesh my actions will always have reactions, good and bad, depending on how I live my life. 

 

It is a comforting thought to know God is righteous and we have His Word to guide us in our everyday life. Trust the LORD and you can be sure He will keep you from your enemies.

 

God is righteous, He’s always pure.

Never lacking and that’s sure.

A just reward, He’ll give to all.

The Word of God is for the great and small.

 

If we walk in the path that He has paved.

Always trusting and never swayed.

We’ll receive His promises and that’s for sure.

By believing His Word He’ll keep us pure.

 

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:7-9)

Temptations Lure

“Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.” Psalm 28:3

When we allow temptation to take hold of our heart and follower after its alluring way, we fall into sin.  Temptation is not sin!  Resistance to the urges it presents to us will defeat its overwhelming power.

Many times we are tempted by old habits, old friends and family.  Our desires can be very deceiving.  When old habits are presented to us we  forget the devastation they once had. When we yield to them we have returned to the pit CHRIST so graciously brought us out of.

Family and friends can be used to lure you.  Not because they are evil and want to hurt you. They don’t  understand and they haven’t tasted the grace of GOD!  We yield to their way many times because we don’t want them to think we place ourselves above them.  We defeat our purpose and sin when we join in with them.  We become hypocrites and it’s hard for them to see CHRIST in us.  This is double sin!

JESUS defeated temptations overwhelming power in the wilderness when He refused to be brought under its power.  If you think you can resist on your own, you are already deceived.  I believe David understood this when he wrote the above words.  

It seems so right and it looks so good.

What would it hurt to try it?

I have the desire, and I see my need.

Now all I have to do is commit. 

I’ll not trust myself,  I’ll look to GOD

He’ll direct my choice for sure.

Help me LORD, I need your help.

Keep me from temptations lure.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13

Portal of Prayer

“Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.” Psalm 28:2

It is true GOD hears our prayers whether they are from the mind or spoken aloud.  There are casual prayers in our minds as we go through our day, walking with the LORD.  There are prayers of thanksgiving and prayers of praise.  We pray aloud when we pray in a group in church and with our families. GOD hears the prayers of His Children.

We direct our prayers to the only source that has the ability to answer.  We don’t pray to dormant objects or people who do not have the ability.  We don’t pray to a capital building of a country or a shrine or a church.  We don’t pray to our leaders whether they lead our country or our church.  We pray to the living GOD of Glory!

There are times when our need is so overwhelming we fall on our faces, stretched out before the LORD.  There are times when we stand before GOD with our hands stretched out toward Heaven crying aloud for the help of our SAVIOR.  

In the Old Testament GOD’s children looked toward the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle of GOD where He made His abode between the angels, The Mercy Seat which represented CHRIST.  Today we look toward Heaven where JESUS sits to the right hand of The FATHER.

OT

I look toward the holy oracle 

Where GOD makes His abode.

Between the angels, He sits and hears

Where prayers answered are overflowed.

NT

I look up toward  Heaven,

With hands stretched far out.

The answers come from my SAVIOR,

Where I’m free from any doubt.

“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:” Hebrews 9:24

The Pit of Desperate Need

“Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.” Psalm 28:1

When we fall into the pit of desperate need there is really only one place to go!  For that matter any need we have there is only one reliable source.  All other sources including our self sources will crumble under us. “Unto thee will I cry, O LORD, my rock”

We don’t stop with a little bow of the head, and a, give me GOD prayer.  GOD knows the pain and hardship you are under and He also knows a prayer of faith from one on the sly.  If we expect answers we must give it all to GOD.  “be not silent to me”

The LORD is never silent to those that call upon His name with the expectation, He will fulfill His promises.  We fall into the pits of life on our own, GOD never puts us there.  You are different than others that have not CHRIST! You are His, He lives within you!  “if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.”

When I’m hit hard, I’ll call on You,

And pray, my prayer of faith.

Only You, O my GOD,

The ROCK that keeps me safe!

I’ll trust Your power, O my GOD,

I’ll put all mine to the side.

You will answer, my desperate prayer,

For in You, I will abide.

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” 1 John 5:14

Patiently Waiting

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

While patience seems so difficult, its outcome is a wonderful reminder of the fulfillment of our faith in the promises of GOD.  GOD always answers those that keep their confidence in Him.  “Wait on the LORD”

Here is the testimony of David who saw the LORD answer his need over and over again.  He tells us, GOD took care of me and He’ll take care of you, “BE OF GOOD COURAGE” 

During the process of patience, if we continue to put our confidence in the LORD, He will do invisible heart surgery on us.  It’s amazing when this happens.  Our fear leaves, we see His power take over, and there comes a peace like none before it. “He shall strengthen your heart”

Don’t give up!  The LORD always comes through, He is faithful to His promises. Expand your faith, trust GOD!  “Wait, I say, on the LORD”

When reproach came I said oh my,

What shall I every do?

Shall I fight with all of my might,

Or turn over my problem to You?

I knew from the past, my effort would fail,

I would just mess things all up. 

In patience I’ll stay, and to You I’ll pray

From me, You’ll take this bitter cup.

“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:10-11