Longing for God

Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd I lack nothing he makes me lie down in Green Pastures he leads me beside Quiet Waters he refreshes my soul he guides me along the right paths for his name's sake even though I walk through the darkest Valley I will fear no evil for you you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup [Music] overflows surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of

my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord [Music] forever Psalm [Music] 42 as the dear pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you my God my soul thirsts for God for the Living God where can I go and meet with God my tears have been my food day and night while people say to me all day long where is your God these things I remember as I pour out my soul how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the mighty one with shouts

of joy and praise among the festive Throne why my soul are you downcast why so Disturbed within me put your hope in God for I will yet Praise Him My Savior and my God my soul is downcast within me therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan the heights of Herman from Mount mizar deep calls to deep in the Roar of your waterfalls all your waves and Breakers have swept Over Me by day the Lord directs his love at night his song is with me a prayer to the god of my life

I say to God my rock why have you forgotten me why must I go about mourning oppressed by the enemy my bones suffer mortal Agony as my foes taunt me saying to me all day long where is your god why my soul are you downcast why so Disturbed within me put your hope in in God for I will yet Praise Him My Savior and my God Psalm 139 you have searched me Lord and you know me you know when I sit and when I Rise you perceive my thoughts from afar you discern my going out

and my lying down you are familiar with all my ways before a word is on my tongue you Lord know it completely you hem me in behind and before and you lay your hand upon me such knowledge is too wonderful for me too lofty for me to attain where can I go from your spirit where can I flee from your presence if I go up to the heavens you are there if I make my bed in the depths you are there if I rise on the wings of the Dawn if I settle on the far

side of the sea even there your hand will guide me your right hand will hold me fast if I say surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me even the darkness will not be dark to you the night will shine like the day for for darkness is as light to you for you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother's womb I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made your works are wonderful I know that full well my frame was not hidden from you when I

was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth your eyes saw my un formed body all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be how precious to me are your thoughts God how vast is the sum of them were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand when I awake I am still with you if only you God would slay the wicked away from you who are bloodthirsty they speak of you with evil intent your adversaries

misuse your name do I not hate those who hate you Lord and uphor those who are in Rebellion against you I have nothing but hatred for them I count them my enemies search me God and know my heart test me and know my anxious thoughts see if there is any offensive way in me and Lead Me in the way Everlasting Isaiah 41 be silent before me you Islands let the Nations renew their strength let them come forward and speak let us meet together at the place of judgment who has stirred up one from the East

calling him in righteousness to his service he hands Nations over to him and subdues Kings before for him he turns them to dust with his sword to wind blown chaff with his bow he pursues them and moves on unscathed by a path his feet have not traveled before who has done this and carried it through calling forth the generations from the beginning I the Lord with the first of them and with the last I am he the islands have seen it and fear the ends of the Earth tremble they approach and come forward they help

each other and say to their companions be strong the metal worker encourages the Goldsmith and the one who Smooths with the hammer Spurs on the one who strikes the Anvil one says of the welding it is good the other nails down the idol so that it will not topple but you Israel my servant Jacob whom I have chosen you descendants of Abraham my friend I took you from the ends of the Earth from its farthest Corners I called you I said you are my servant I have chosen you and have not rejected you so do

not fear for I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you and help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand all who rage against you will show be ashamed and disgraced those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish though you search for your enemies you will not find them those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all for I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you do not fear I will help

you do not be afraid you worm Jacob little Israel do not fear for I myself will help you declares the Lord your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel see I will make you into a threshing Sledge new and sharp with many teeth you will Thresh the mountains and crush them and reduce the hills to chaff you will winnow them the wind will pick them up and a gale will blow them away but you will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel the poor and needy search for water but there is

none their tongues are parched with thirst but I the Lord will answer them I the god of Israel will not forsake them I will make rivers flow on Barren Heights and springs within the valleys I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into Springs I will put in the desert the Cedar and The Acacia the Myrtle and the olive I will set junipers in the Wasteland the fur and the Cyprus together so that people may see and know may consider and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this

that the Holy One of Israel has created it present your case says the Lord set forth your arguments says Jacob's King tell us you Idols what is going to happen tell us what the former things were so that we may consider them and know their final outcome or declare to us the things to come tell us what the future holds so that we may know you are gods do something whether good or bad so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear but you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless whoever

chooses you is detestable I have stirred up one from the north and he comes one from the Rising Sun who calls on my name name he treads on rulers as if they were mortar as if he were a Potter treading the clay who told of this from the beginning so that we could know or beforehand so that we could say he was right no one told of this no one foretold it no one heard any words from you I was the first to tell Zion look here they are I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of

good news I look but there is no one no one among the gods to give counsel no one to give answer when I ask them see they are all false their deeds amount to nothing their images are about wind and confusion Isaiah chter [Music] 43 but now this is what the the Lord says he who created you Jacob he who formed you Israel do not fear for I have redeemed you I have summoned You by name you are mine when you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you pass through the

rivers they will not sweep over you when you walk through the fire you will not be burned the Flames will not set you Ablaze for I am the Lord your God the Holy One of Israel your savior I give Egypt for your Ransom Kush and siba in your stead since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you I will give people in exchange for you nations in exchange for your life do not be afraid for I am with you I will bring your children from the East and gather you from

the West I will say to the north give them up and to the South do not hold them back bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the Earth everyone who is called by my name who I created for my glory whom I formed and made lead out those who have eyes but are blind who have ears but are deaf all the nations gather together all the peoples assemble which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right

so that others may hear and say it is true you are my Witnesses declares the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he before me no God was formed nor will there be one after me I even I am the Lord and apart from me there is no savior I have revealed and saved and proclaimed I and not some foreign God among you you are my Witnesses declares the Lord that I am God yes and from ancient days I am he no

one can deliver out of my hand when I act who can reverse it this is what the Lord says your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel for your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians in the ships in which they took pride I am the Lord your Holy One Israel's Creator your king this is what the Lord says he he who made a way through the sea a path through the mighty Waters who drew out the Chariots and horses the Army and reinforcements together and they lay there never

to rise again extinguished snuffed out like a wick forget the former things do not dwell on the past see I am doing a new thing it now Springs up do you not perceive it I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the w Wast land the wild animals onor me the jackals and the owls because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the Wasteland to give drink to my people My Chosen the people I formed for myself that they may Proclaim my praise yet you have not called on me Jacob

you have not wearied yourselves for me Israel you have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings nor honored me with your sacrifices I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense you have not bought any fragrant calamas for me or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices but you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses I even I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remember remers your sins no more review the past for me let us argue the

matter together State the case for your innocence your first father sinned those I sent to teach you rebelled against me so I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple I consigned Jacob to destruction and Israel to scorn Hebrews chapter 13 keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters do not forget to show Hospitality to strangers for by so doing some people have shown Hospitality to Angels without knowing it continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison and those who are ill treated as if you yourselves were suffering marriage

should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept pure for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said never will I leave you never will I forsake you so we say with confidence the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what can mere mortals do to me remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you consider the outcome of their way of life and in imitate their faith Jesus Christ

is the same yesterday and today and forever do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings it is good for our hearts to be strengthened by Grace not by eating ceremonial foods which is of no benefit to those who do so we have an altar from which those who minister at the Tabernacle have no right to eat the high priest carries the blood of animals into the most holy place is a sin offering but the bodies are burned outside the camp and so Jesus also suffered Outside The City Gate to make the people

holy through his own blood let us then go to him outside the camp bearing the disgrace he bore for here we do not have an enduring City but we are looking for the city that is to come through Jesus therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that openly profess his name and do not forget to do good and to share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased have confidence in your leaders and submit to their Authority because they keep watch over you as those who must

give an account do this so that their work will be a joy not a burden for that would be of no benefit to you pray for us we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon now may the God of Peace who through the blood of the Eternal Covenant brought back from the dead our lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep equip you with everything good for doing his will and may he

work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen [Music] brothers and sisters I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation for in fact I have written to you quite briefly I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released if he arrives soon I will come with him to see you greet all your leaders and all the Lord's people those from Italy send you their greetings Grace be with you all probably one of the most popularly read and loved Psalms is the

23rd psalm written by King David God is revealed as a Shepherd who feeds guides and protects his flock in the images this Psalm carries peace tranquility and security hence with God as our Shepherd there is nothing one shall want he makes us lie down in Green Pastures and leads Us beside Still Waters restoring our souls to health even at the deepest level of Darkness there is no possibility for fear fear to come near because he is our God so comforting and leading with his rod and staff the psalm concludes with assurances of goodness mercy and

dwelling forever in the house of the Lord Psalm 42 speaks of intense longing for God and Likens the longing of his presence to a deer panting for water this could mean that the psalmist has contracted a kind of spiritual drought meaning he has distanced from God God but in the midst of it all there is an almost ruthless hope and Assurance in God with unyielding trust he remembers those Past Times of rejoicing and worship but now though downcast and Disturbed his soul is exalted to Hope in God because he will again Praise Him the psalm

is both a heartfelt Cry of God's presence and an encouragement to the soul regarding trust in God's faithfulness s 139 is a deep reflective thought on God's perfect knowledge and care for humankind it proclaims that God does know everything about everybody his thoughts actions words before they even cross our lips the Psalms go further to indicate that there is no place human beings can run to get away from the presence of God since he is always with them holding fast onto and leading them it is The Wonder of our creation confessing man as being fearfully

and wonderfully made by God the psalmist also prays that God should search his heart and lead him in the way Everlasting this ensures that he has great trust in God's guidance and presence Isaiah 41 Comforts God's people and lets them know not to be afraid because he is with them he wants them to know that he dares to create help and uphold everything with his righteous right hand this chapter contrasts the falsehood of Idols in regard to God's power and faithfulness thus affirming only him as able to predict and control the future he Comforts him

that their enemies shall be conquered for he is to give them renewal and restoration just the same the chapter emphasizes God's sovereignty and his commitment to supporting and delivering his people encouraging them to trust in him Isaiah 43 is a word of Hope and Redemption for God's people this chapter starts off by God reassuring Israel regarding the creation and choosing that he has laid upon them fear not for I have redeemed you I have summoned You by name you are mine as the chapter further goes it reassures them that when they pass through Waters and

fire he he will be with them watching over their lives to keep them from harm it stresses the love and faithfulness of God in seeing that he will gather all his people from every part across the Earth the passage simultaneously reminds Israel of The Works done by God across the past while urging it to forget the former things since he does a new it underscores God's power sovereignty and everlasting commitment to his people Hebrews 13 gives first of all practical and spiritual advice on Christian Living it begins with exhortations to love one another to show

hospitality and to remember those in prison then there follows recognition of the honor of marriage this chapter has focused on contentment reassuring Believers that God will never forsake or Leave Behind anyone and exorts them to confidently say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what man shall do to me me it further instructs courtesy due towards spiritual leaders among these is following their examples of Faith this closes with a benediction asking God to equip Believers with everything good for doing his will it brings out themes like love faith and trust in an unchanging

God who offers it protection