Right by your side...

these are the words of David, but they really spoke to me this evening.

"keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, "You are My Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

I say of the godly who are in the land, "They are the noble people in whom is all my delight."

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out their libations of blood or take their names on my lips.

Lord, you have assigned me a portion and my cup,

You have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places,

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices,

my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

nor will you let your faithful/holy one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life,

You will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand. "[Psalm 16]

Our Father will never abandon us. He is always with us and we are secure in Him. He will never let us go. Where there are so many fragmented relationships in this world and so many ways to escape them, the arms of the Father are open to us. He wants to embrace us. He wants to hold us and carry us. In our Father's embrace comes life and joy (promised here and in Romans 8:6). The other day, I was thinking about how in this life, we can often get confused. life can get muddled and we sometimes lose our direction. we feel like we are wandering aimlessly and we don't know where we're going. But the Lord spoke to me said, "Trade your confusion for Enthusiasm; don't be confused but be enthused!" Don't we want to be people who are walking in the Spirit of God, shining where he's placed us and excited about what he has called to? As soon as we hear God's voice, don't we want to be people who immediately follow? And as we just follow where he has directed us, life will be full! We won't be able to help but be enthused about what we're doing! And joy will be bursting at our seems!

This is sort of combination of two thoughts in one blog entry. The heart of the matter is that The Father loves you so much! You are not alone and he takes pleasure in you. Nothing else satisfies. Secondly, our strength will be renewed as we know our Father and walk with him. I want to be someone who listens to his instructions and acts upon them because that is the path of true and vibrant LIFE!

God really spoke to me through Ben's blog post about how God knows each individual. He counts each one valuable. He considers each one throughout the day. He will not abandon the children who feel abandoned and let down by others. He will hold fast to his word. You will keep them safe. You can be their refuge. Even at night You will watch them and you will reveal your love to them.

PRAISE YE THE LORD ~ HALLELUJAH!

PRAISE YE THE LORD ~ HALLELUJAH!