{"id":3711,"date":"2020-08-12T16:24:21","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T23:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/?p=3711"},"modified":"2020-08-12T16:24:41","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T23:24:41","slug":"hobart-herd-devotionals-psalms-88-90","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/?p=3711","title":{"rendered":"Hobart Herd Devotionals – Psalms 88-90"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hobart Herd Devotional \u2013 Psalms 88<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   This is thought of by many as the saddest\nPsalms in the whole book.  Most of the\nPsalms have pleas, cries, and prayers for help that usually end with faith,\njoy, and peace at God\u2019s answer.  This\nPsalm from start to finish is a continual cry and complaint to the Lord.  This song is called, \u201cThe Suffering of\nAffliction\u201d by Heman the Ezrahite.  Don\u2019t\nlet this songs depress you as we have all been there.  It reminds me of the old Hee Haw song, \u201cDoom,\nDespair, and Agony on me\u201d.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   The one positive I see in this song is found\nin the fact that Heman did not let the afflictions or terrible struggles of his\nlife stop him from continually praying to the Lord.  This reveals that although there was no end\nin sight to his troubles, he never stopped taking them to the Lord.  The other positive that I see is that he was\nhonest and open to the Lord about how he felt in his struggles and stress.  Heman cried out day and night to the Lord\nwhich shows a faith that never fails to trust in God\u2019s care for him.  In verses 1, 9, and 13 it mentions that he\nprayed \u201cday and night\u201d, \u201cevery day\u201d, \u201cin the morning prayer\u201d, for the Lord to\nhear and bring relief.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   His description of his afflicted state was\nof one who was dead.  While not literally\ndead, his body and soul felt like there was nothing left to live for.  In verses 3-9 he mentions that not only was\nhe hurting without hope, he was also cut off from any friends and family that\nwould support, encourage or help him.  He\neven felt as if God had removed His support and care and in fact was piling on\nthe troubles in his life.(vs. 6-7)  Verse\n8 speaks to us today that have been shut in during our time of struggle and\nfeel like we can\u2019t go out.  While there\nseems to be no end in sight, and the Lord seems to have forsaken or forgotten,\nHeman continues to pray.  Many times the\nrelief comes not from God\u2019s immediate answer, but from the fact that we\ncontinue to have hope and faith in Him. \nWe have His promises of hearing our prayers and never leaving or\nforsaking us, and sometimes that is all we can hold onto as our struggles in\nthis world hold and hound us.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   The truth about our lives is that we may not\nget to see the eternal good that God accomplishes in our struggles and\npain.  But through faith and trust in His\nmercy, lovingkindness and care, we can know that He works mighty things through\nthe faithfulness of His children.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Father, it is hard to see how anything good\ncan come out of the pain and struggles of this life.  I know that You hear and answer my prayers\neven when I can not see the answer or purpose in my struggles.  Help me to be faithful, honest and consistent\nin my prayer to You, trusting that in the end You will be glorified.  In Jesus Name, Amen!  Pastor Rob<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hobart Herd Devotional \u2013 Psalms 89<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Rescued from the pit of despair, Psalms 89\nis the song of praise for God\u2019s faithful mercy and grace.  The Psalm starts out with a great worship\nchorus that we sing yet today; Psalms 89:1      I\nwill sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known\nthy faithfulness to all generations.(KJV) \nThe praise continues as He recounts the Lords promises in the covenant\nHe made with His children, Israel.(vs. 3-4) \nThe great question in describing the Lord is found in verse 6; Psalms\n89:6  For who in the heaven can be\ncompared unto the LORD?  Who among the\nsons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?(KJV)  We know that nothing compares with our great\nGod!  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   From verses 5-14 the writer extols the great\nattributes of God and the power shown in His creation and the faithfulness of\nHis character.(vs. 8)  The wonders of the\nOceans and the mountains make us catch our breath as we look at the glories of\nwhat God has created for us.  But the\ngreatest wonder of them all is the blessings that are ours as we trust and\nfollow Him.  Psalms 89:15-18,15   Blessed is the people that know the joyful\nsound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.  16     In\nthy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be\nexalted.  17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For thou art the glory\nof their strength: and in thy favor our horn shall be exalted.  18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the LORD is our Defence;\nand the Holy One of Israel is our king.(KJV) \nTruly, what a great God we have!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   In verses 19-37 we have the description of\nGod\u2019s covenant promises that He made to David and the Israelites.  We see God choosing and anointing David to be\nthe king whose throne is blessed with the promise of his lineage reigning and\nruling victoriously forever.  As you read\nthese verses, you find a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and see that the\ncompletion of these promises found only in Christ\u2019s future reign.  Yet David believed God\u2019s promises and became\na \u201cman after God\u2019s own heart\u201d.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

David had a relationship\nwith God like a Father and Son and therefore was used by God to give us hope\nand faith in the future Son that would reign and rule forever.  Psalms 89:27-29, 27    Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the\nearth. 28    My mercy will I keep for him\nfor evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever,\nand his throne as the days of heaven.(KJV) \nGod gave warnings of discipline if His people refused to keep His\ncommandments, but this Davidic Covenant would last forever and God would show\nHis lovingkindness in saving a remnant of His people that would be blessed in\nChrist!( vs. 31-33)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   In verses 38-45, we find that God did punish\nHis people and many times they felt that He had forsaken His covenant promises\nto them.  The spankings of God on His\nchildren are hard, but He still keeps His promises.  From verses 46-52 we find the plea for God to\nshorten the time of His discipline and return His favor on His people.  We must continue to hope and pray in faith\nbelieving that God has not and will not forsake the promises of His word.  This Psalm ends with a statement of hope and\ntrust in the Lord, Psalms 89:52      Blessed\nbe the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.(KJV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Father, I can not begin to thank You enough\nfor Your mercy, grace, forgiveness, and lovingkindness, shown to me because of\nthe sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ. \nYour word is full of Your promises that lead my heart to trust in Your\neternal purposes for me.  May I always\nknow that even in the middle of hard times and spankings that I deserve, You\nare still the same, yesterday, today, and forever.  In Jesus name, Amen!  Pastor Rob<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hobart Herd Devotional \u2013 Psalms 90<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   This is the start of Book 4 of the\nPsalms.  The unique thing about this book\nis that 17 of the 20 Psalms in this Book are written unanimously, with Psalms\n90 written by Moses, and 101 and 103 by David. \nThis Psalm is probably the oldest of the Psalms and contrasts the\nEternal God with the finite man.  One of\nthe attributes of our God that man can never copy or compare to is the Eternity\nof God.  God has always been and always\nwill be with no start or end while we have a start at birth and an eternity to\nfollow.  We may think that this is\ninsignificant, but we all face this reality when we birth and death.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   God has been our dwelling place to all\ngenerations.(vs. 1)  This is contrasted\nwith the fact that man is made of dust and returns to dust.(vs. 3)  Everything in our lives is limited and\ndetermined by time while God is not bothered in the least.  A day is like a thousand years and that is\njust an example for us to begin to understand our Everlasting God.  There is another great attribute of God\nmentions in verse 2, \u201cfrom everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God\u201d!  Understanding that God is not only Eternal\nbut changeless gives us something to count on and live for all our lives.  The only problem we have is that we may not\nlive long enough to see all that God is doing with our lives for eternal\npurposes.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   In verses 7-12 we find that the problem in\nour lives is that sin has caused God\u2019s anger and wrath to be upon us instead of\nHis lovingkindness.  Life outside God\u2019s\ngrace and mercy is miserable and ends shortly with no purpose in sight.  As God\u2019s children we have the opportunity to\nlive for God\u2019s purpose in His strength rather than live in His anger or wrath.  Psalms 90:12 So\nteach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.(NAS)  My prayer needs to be that I will take stock\nin the time, energy and purpose that God has gifted me with and allow Him to\nuse them for His eternal purpose with a heart of wisdom.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   I realize how short my life is on this earth\nas I grow older and I want to know that the Lord is able to use me in such a\nway that others are blessed and brought to love and know God\u2019s lovingkindness\nin their lives.  I often ask if it is\nworth the struggles and pain of this life, but by faith in my Eternal,\nImmutable God I can know that it will be worth it all when I see Jesus.  Psalms 90:17 \nAnd let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and do confirm for us\nthe work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.(NAS)  I often get to see little glimpses of God\u2019s\nwork in my life as He assures me that my labor is not in vain in the Lord.(1\nCorinthians 15:58)  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Father, thank You for being my Eternal,\nUnchanging Father that I can rely on and take refuge in.  Forgive me when I lose sight of Who You are\nand begin to doubt that You are in control working out Your eternal purposes\nthrough me.  Thank You for confirming\nthat You love me and are using me for Your glory.  In Jesus Name, Amen!  Pastor Rob<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hobart Herd Devotional \u2013 Psalms 88    This is thought of by many as the saddest Psalms in the whole book.  Most of the Psalms have pleas, cries, and prayers for help that usually end with faith, joy, and peace …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3711"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3712,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3711\/revisions\/3712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hobart-community-church.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}