February 15, 2011
Excerpts from the Life Lesson for Psalm 7:1 – 8:9:
"Depend on God to bring justice. God judges perfectly when you are falsely accused."
The Exploration Verses sent me to read:
Exodus 34:6–7 - "I am the LORD. The LORD is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people. The LORD forgives people for evil, for sin, and for turning against him, but he does not forget to punish guilty people. He will punish not only the guilty people, but also their children, their grandchildren, their great grandchildren, and their great, great grandchildren.
Deuteronomy 32:4 - "He is like a rock; what he does is perfect, and he is always fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong, who is right and fair."
Job 34:17–30 - "Can anyone govern who hates what is right? How can you blame God who is both fair and powerful? God is the one who says to kings, 'You are evil.' He is not nicer to princes than other people, not kinder to rich people than poor people, because he made them all with his own hands. They can die in a moment, in the middle of the night. They are struck down, and then they pass away; powerful people die without help. God watches where they go; he sees every step they take. There is no dark place or deep shadow where those who do evil can hide from him. He does not set a time for people to come before him for judging. Without asking questions, God breaks powerful people into pieces and put others in their place. Because God knows what people do, he defeats them in the night, and they are crushed. He punishes them for the evil they do so that everyone else can watch, because they stopped following God and did not care about any of his ways. The cry of the poor comes to God; he hears the cry of the needy. But if God keeps quiet, who can blame him? If he hides his face, who can see him? God still rules over both nations and persons alike. He keeps the wicked from ruling and trapping others.
Psalm 58:11 - "The people will say, 'There really are rewards for doing what is right. There really is a God who judges the world.' "
Psalm 140:12 - "I know the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy."
Luke 18:17–18 - "God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them. I tell you, God will help him quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find those on earth who believe in him?"
Wow. So much I want to say. January '09—a pivotal time. Sent to read Psalm 140:12. Not just any verse in Psalm 140, but Psalm 140:12. The only thing Jane (Her Name Was Jane) has marked in either of her Bibles for Psalm 140 is in verse 12 in her King James Version—I know.
Psalm 7: Prayer for Fairness—a chapter which completely described "the storm" we were facing and the emotions we felt. The Psalmist eloquently wrote exactly what we felt.
Psalm 8: The Lord's Greatness—a reminder of the Majesty of God and the importance of Praise.
We were stunned. It felt like someone finally understood and put our thoughts and feelings into writing. Direct words of encouragement and the assurance of protection as we were ready to face a very difficult day.
I then read the incredibly pertinent Life Lesson quotes and Exploration Verses that all speak of God's fairness, faithfulness, and justice. The Exploration Verses included Job 34:21, the verse in Job where Jane had circled the cross references with the same message, "I know... I'm watching... I'm aware." The Exploration Verses also included Psalm 140:12 - "I know the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." The very words Jane told us to read one and one half years earlier.
Undeniably God-given and absolutely incredible.
We just looked at each other in amazement. You can't make this stuff up and you can't possibly orchestrate it yourself. It had to be the Hand of God. The tears flowed and my husband's "aha" moment happened. He said, "I give up, LORD. I finally get it. I will trust you completely—no matter what." We knelt down beside the bed and praised the LORD, thanking HIM for this unexpected but precious gift of love.
We went downstairs to meet our lawyer for breakfast. My husband said, "We've been praying for you." And our lawyer replied, "I know you have ... I can feel it." We shared with him what we believe, why we no longer fear our accusers, and why we can be in the middle of "the storm" but live without fear. Here is what we shared.
This battle belongs to the LORD, and we trust Him. We are following His footpath no matter what, and no matter where it leads. We believe HIS promises. We will rest in HIM.
Excerpts from the Life Lesson for Psalm 7:1 – 8:9:
"Depend on God to bring justice. God judges perfectly when you are falsely accused."
"There is not a crisis that goes beyond the bounds of God's creative power... It is the prerogative of God to rearrange, reconstruct, reinterpet, and realign the situation to bring glory and praise to his name... Since God is just, all that he permits is consistent with His justice... God's justice guarantees that ultimately all that is unfair will be dealt with. We are naive to assume that all of life in its fallen condition is fair and just. It is only safe to realize that God is just and that in his time and in His own way He will deal with both the injustice and those who have been unjust."~ From The Upside of Down by Joseph Stowell"God perfectly judges all difficult matters. Turn the injustices over to him."
The Exploration Verses sent me to read:
Exodus 34:6–7 - "I am the LORD. The LORD is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people. The LORD forgives people for evil, for sin, and for turning against him, but he does not forget to punish guilty people. He will punish not only the guilty people, but also their children, their grandchildren, their great grandchildren, and their great, great grandchildren.
Deuteronomy 32:4 - "He is like a rock; what he does is perfect, and he is always fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong, who is right and fair."
Job 34:17–30 - "Can anyone govern who hates what is right? How can you blame God who is both fair and powerful? God is the one who says to kings, 'You are evil.' He is not nicer to princes than other people, not kinder to rich people than poor people, because he made them all with his own hands. They can die in a moment, in the middle of the night. They are struck down, and then they pass away; powerful people die without help. God watches where they go; he sees every step they take. There is no dark place or deep shadow where those who do evil can hide from him. He does not set a time for people to come before him for judging. Without asking questions, God breaks powerful people into pieces and put others in their place. Because God knows what people do, he defeats them in the night, and they are crushed. He punishes them for the evil they do so that everyone else can watch, because they stopped following God and did not care about any of his ways. The cry of the poor comes to God; he hears the cry of the needy. But if God keeps quiet, who can blame him? If he hides his face, who can see him? God still rules over both nations and persons alike. He keeps the wicked from ruling and trapping others.
Psalm 58:11 - "The people will say, 'There really are rewards for doing what is right. There really is a God who judges the world.' "
Psalm 140:12 - "I know the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy."
Luke 18:17–18 - "God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them. I tell you, God will help him quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find those on earth who believe in him?"
Wow. So much I want to say. January '09—a pivotal time. Sent to read Psalm 140:12. Not just any verse in Psalm 140, but Psalm 140:12. The only thing Jane (Her Name Was Jane) has marked in either of her Bibles for Psalm 140 is in verse 12 in her King James Version—I know.
I KNOW!
Addendum: 1/5/15 ~ And now (as Paul Harvey would say)... the rest of the story.
I wish I could adequately and effectively communicate to you what reading Psalm 7 and 8, along with the accompanying Life Lesson and Exploration verses meant to us on the very morning we were going to have to sit and listen to the lies and maneuverings of our accusers at my sister and brother-in-law's video depositions.
By January of '09, we had been buried in the mire of the "the storm" and their vicious accusations for one and one half years. We were still absolutely stunned that a sister and brother-in-law had intentionally set out to "put traps along our paths" and were now intentionally trying to seek our financial ruin. We were still stunned by the intensity, severity, and personal nature of my sister and brother-in-law's attacks. The difficult circumstances in front of us (and what it was going to take to survive it) seemed absolutely insurmountable. They hired big-city lawyers, we hired a small town local attorney. They were college educated big-city "experts" in business, we are just small town, hard working, high school graduates. They lived a wealthy lifestyle, we are just simple, ordinary and average people. How would we ever be able to stand up to their cunning ways and the magnitude of what we were facing? From a human perspective there was no way. Just NO WAY!!
We can't, BUT GOD can.
We were staying at a hotel in Indy. It was early morning. I can still picture it vividly in my mind. My husband and I sat on the edge of the bed. We were dressed and ready for the day. I pulled out my Bible for our morning devotions, and I started reading the next chronological chapter in my journey of reading through the Bible.
I wish I could adequately and effectively communicate to you what reading Psalm 7 and 8, along with the accompanying Life Lesson and Exploration verses meant to us on the very morning we were going to have to sit and listen to the lies and maneuverings of our accusers at my sister and brother-in-law's video depositions.
By January of '09, we had been buried in the mire of the "the storm" and their vicious accusations for one and one half years. We were still absolutely stunned that a sister and brother-in-law had intentionally set out to "put traps along our paths" and were now intentionally trying to seek our financial ruin. We were still stunned by the intensity, severity, and personal nature of my sister and brother-in-law's attacks. The difficult circumstances in front of us (and what it was going to take to survive it) seemed absolutely insurmountable. They hired big-city lawyers, we hired a small town local attorney. They were college educated big-city "experts" in business, we are just small town, hard working, high school graduates. They lived a wealthy lifestyle, we are just simple, ordinary and average people. How would we ever be able to stand up to their cunning ways and the magnitude of what we were facing? From a human perspective there was no way. Just NO WAY!!
BUT GOD!
We can't, BUT GOD can.
We were staying at a hotel in Indy. It was early morning. I can still picture it vividly in my mind. My husband and I sat on the edge of the bed. We were dressed and ready for the day. I pulled out my Bible for our morning devotions, and I started reading the next chronological chapter in my journey of reading through the Bible.
Psalm 7: Prayer for Fairness—a chapter which completely described "the storm" we were facing and the emotions we felt. The Psalmist eloquently wrote exactly what we felt.
Psalm 8: The Lord's Greatness—a reminder of the Majesty of God and the importance of Praise.
We were stunned. It felt like someone finally understood and put our thoughts and feelings into writing. Direct words of encouragement and the assurance of protection as we were ready to face a very difficult day.
I then read the incredibly pertinent Life Lesson quotes and Exploration Verses that all speak of God's fairness, faithfulness, and justice. The Exploration Verses included Job 34:21, the verse in Job where Jane had circled the cross references with the same message, "I know... I'm watching... I'm aware." The Exploration Verses also included Psalm 140:12 - "I know the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." The very words Jane told us to read one and one half years earlier.
Undeniably God-given and absolutely incredible.
We just looked at each other in amazement. You can't make this stuff up and you can't possibly orchestrate it yourself. It had to be the Hand of God. The tears flowed and my husband's "aha" moment happened. He said, "I give up, LORD. I finally get it. I will trust you completely—no matter what." We knelt down beside the bed and praised the LORD, thanking HIM for this unexpected but precious gift of love.
We went downstairs to meet our lawyer for breakfast. My husband said, "We've been praying for you." And our lawyer replied, "I know you have ... I can feel it." We shared with him what we believe, why we no longer fear our accusers, and why we can be in the middle of "the storm" but live without fear. Here is what we shared.
- We believe that evil CANNOT trump God's will or purpose.
- Evil intentions CANNOT take from us what God has given to us.
Our lawyer's eyes welled up in tears. He told us from our very first meeting that he would know our case inside and out, but he would never show emotion, and here he was with tears in his eyes. We finished breakfast and then got up and went with peace into the depositions. We watched my sister and brother-in-law falter exactly like described in Psalm 7:14–16. It was actually heart-breaking to watch. It was as if there was no longer any truth in them. On our drive home, we cried out to the Lord on their behalf, asking God to have mercy on them and praying they would change their hearts and lives so they would be able to see truth again.
When we look back over this seven year journey, we are just amazed at how God has provided for us all along the way. Who would have ever thought that what looked absolutely disastrous for Jane (when she lost her ability to speak), would become the very thing God used to bring her to Indiana so all the pieces would be in place for the divine appointment He had planned for January 5, 2007. Who would have ever thought that way back in 2002, when we first began going to a nursing home on Christmas mornings, that God was putting another piece of the puzzle in place for that fateful day in 2007 and for what was to come.
When we look back over this seven year journey, we are just amazed at how God has provided for us all along the way. Who would have ever thought that what looked absolutely disastrous for Jane (when she lost her ability to speak), would become the very thing God used to bring her to Indiana so all the pieces would be in place for the divine appointment He had planned for January 5, 2007. Who would have ever thought that way back in 2002, when we first began going to a nursing home on Christmas mornings, that God was putting another piece of the puzzle in place for that fateful day in 2007 and for what was to come.
- I met Jane for the first time on January 5th, 2007—just hours after our world was shaken and we were knocked off balance by what developed into "the storm." During this first meeting, Jane prayed the most incredible Prayer of Blessing over my life.
- Jane asked me to read Psalm 8 in early 2007—just weeks after our first meeting, but at the time I had no idea Psalm 8 was part of God's plan.
- Jane told me to read Psalm 150 and Psalm 140 in July of 2007—just days after a lawsuit seeking our financial ruin was filed. Jane had been lying unresponsive in her bed for weeks, but then remarkably, Jane clearly spoke life changing words of encouragement and blessing.
- Jane told us to read Isaiah 30 in September of 2007—just days before my first deposition, and then she said, "read the part about wait on the Lord again."
- Jane asked me if I had Psalm 1 memorized in January of 2008—after being unresponsive for months. When I told her "no," Jane replied that she and I would work on it and memorize it together.
- Jane said, "Jeremiah 33" in April of 2008—just days before she died. Restoration and freedom. One year to the day later, in a remarkable way, God released us from an financial obligation caused by "the storm."
This battle belongs to the LORD, and we trust Him. We are following His footpath no matter what, and no matter where it leads. We believe HIS promises. We will rest in HIM.
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