TEARS IN GOD’S BOTTLE

Today’s Reading: Psalms 54-56

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

Above is a British military building abandoned in 1948 when the British left the area. Palestine was a part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire which was dismantled following the First World War (1914 – 18). Britain was given the mandate to rule much of the Middle East by the Treaty of Versaille and did so for 30 years. The Israelis have since used it for military practice, as you can see by the shelling. If you click on the Google Map link below, you will notice that this building is on the Israeli-Jordanian border. The Scriptures tell us that “wars and rumours of war” will be a constant in the area until Messiah comes!

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Psalm 56:8b

“Put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?”

All three Psalms in today’s reading begin with prayer, fervent prayer! God hears even an unspoken prayer, one which is a thought, but it is important to speak out loud when possible. God will respond to the fervency level of our prayers. Fervency puts exclamation points behind our words!!! Imagine the scene when David moans “noisily” (Psalm 55:2), or David is crying aloud “evening, morning, and at noon” (55:17). Then you are urged to “cast your burden on the Lord” (55:22a). Our key verse tells us that David’s tears were part of his heartfelt prayers. These Psalms also draw the conclusions that “He has delivered me out of all trouble,” “I will trust in You,” and “You have delivered my soul from death!” Amen!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

“Hear my prayer, O God!” I cry out to You for mercy, grace, and Your intervention in my life and in the lives of all those whose names I speak before You (Here I name every name that comes to my mind and speak those areas of need in each life of which I am aware). Most of all, I cry out to You, Lord God, for the salvation of precious souls who need Jesus as Saviour and Lord. I pray in the Name of the One Who wept over the needs of people, Jesus Christ! Amen!!! (John 11:31-36).

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I identify with David’s prayers and also with the actions that followed his prayers. David wrote in Psalm 54:6, “I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.” I ask myself, “What am I sacrificing to the Lord?” Someone has said, “There is no sacrifice in the light of Calvary.” In other words, the greatest sacrifice I can make of time, energy, money, and other resources, are all as nothing when compared to what Jesus gave in the ultimate sacrifice of Himself on the Cross! Yet I must not minimize my responsibility to give my very best to God.

I’ve been thinking often lately about my giving to God. I do this by supporting with time and money the works of the Lord as they are being done in ministering to others around the world. For example, Crossroads has a world-wide mandate from God to use television to respond to the urgent plights of those in need (click here for information and see photos below). Also, Crossroads continues to have that call of eternal importance…winning men, women, boys and girls to Jesus. Our new ministry leader, Dr. John Hull, is committed 100% to these goals (click here for more information on Crossroads).

Yours for the most valuable cause in the universe,

David

Representing Crossroads in 2008, my son Reynold, our blog photographer, and his wife Kathy found “Treasures in the Trash” at the Phnom Penh, Cambodia, city garbage dump. That title became the theme of a successful fundraising campaign to help these special people.

Here Reynold is surrounded by Turkana children and adults from a village in Kenya. Crossroads is now partnering with the Turkana Eden Agricultural Ministry based in Lodwar Turkana, Kenya. Together, with the support of Crossroads’ members we are winning precious souls to Christ and caring for those in great need of food, clean water and shelter.