PSALM 146:1-2 - PRAISE SONG

PSALM 136:26 - POEM by Susie Hale

PSALM 136 - POEM by Susie Hale

Psalm 19:14 PRAYER

PSALM 19:1 POEM

Psalm 95:1-2 - ROCK CONCERT

Day 22 -  ROCK CONCERT

Psalm 95:1–2

O come, let us sing unto the Lord:

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,

and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

            God, who is the Rock, provided water from the Rock.  Numbers 20:8 (NIV) states, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together.  Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”  According to 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NIV), Jesus was the Rock that poured out the water, “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”  Jesus, being the Rock, is the provision and is the River of Life.  John 7:38 (NIV) says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”   The living water is the Holy Spirit flowing through the life of the believer and bearing witness to the world.  The Rock, in scripture, is also a symbol of safety and security.  The high rocks of the holy land served as natural fortresses. Jesus is our stronghold, and we rest safely in His care.

            Since I was unconscious or semi-conscious during the following episode, allow my roommate, Susie, to tell about leaning on the Rock:

Susan had come through her amputation surgery well and was getting settled in a regular hospital room for the night.  I had not really eaten since noon, and it was now nearing midnight.  So, while the respiratory therapist was trying to get her oxygen adjusted, I ran down to the cafeteria.  I came back to the room, ate two bites of my pizza, and realized Susan’s oxygen saturation was too low according to the monitor.  The respiratory therapist and the nurse came in to try to replace the nasal cannula with a face mask.  I kept telling Susan to breathe.  Suddenly the nurse hit a button on the wall and called “Code Blue.”  Susan had ceased breathing at all.  I exclaimed, “Susan, I am not leaving you! I will be in the hallway.”  She says she was aware of that even as they were sitting astraddle her and “bagging” her.  I sank against the wall in the hallway for fear I would fall, but as I began saying the Lord’s prayer (couldn’t formulate a prayer of my own), I realized it was not the wall I was leaning on but the Rock, our Lord Jesus Christ.

           

Let us sing and shout joyfully to the Rock.  Let’s hold a “Rock” concert. 

PSALM 84 MEDITATION by Susie Hale

Psalm 138:3 & Philippians 4:6-7 - PEACE PREVAILS by Susan R. Slade

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

PEACE PREVAILS

Be careful for nothing; 

but in everything by prayer 

and supplication with thanksgiving 

let your requests be made known unto God.

 And the peace of God, 

which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds 

through Christ Jesus.

PSALM 138:3

In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,

and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

When sores began cropping up on my feet, I did not understand the depth of the problem. They began creeping up my legs despite the doctors’ best efforts to cure them and my family’s efforts with home remedies. I had only short periods of relief before they returned with a vengeance. I realized the seriousness of the problem when the doctors scraped the wounds to do a culture and nothing definitive came back. They did not have a name for what was causing these necrotic ulcers, so they were unable to come up with an effective treatment plan. I cried out to the Lord for healing, but physical healing did not happen. My feet looked like they were rotting, melting. One doctor said the danger of sepsis and even dying were possibilities that could occur at any time. The Lord gave me the strength and peace I needed to make the decision to have both legs amputated. On one hand, it was a heart-wrenching decision; but on the other hand, it was a “no-brainer.” It was only in Jesus Christ that I could make this choice, and His peace prevailed even during the difficult time of recovery.

Not every time we cry out to the Lord is this drastic, but we can be assured that the Lord hears our cry. We can be certain that the Lord is with us, and as long as He is with us, we can have the peace to face any challenge, large or small. He has the power to bring us out of our situation or through our situation when we rest in Him as our Prince of Peace. What are you crying out to the Lord about today? Thank Him in advance for the answer and the peace He will provide. 

PSALM 23:4-6 - MY PROTECTOR AND PROVIDER

PSALM 23:1-3 - MY GOOD SHEPHERD