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). Also, Crossroads continues to have that call of eternal importance…winning men, women, boys and girls to Jesus.
Yours for the most valuable cause in the universe,
David
OCTOBER
O Lord My God, How Great Art Thou
by John Quincy Adams (1767–1848)
“O Lord my God! how great art Thou!
With honor and with glory crowned;
Light’s dazzling splendors veil Thy brow,
And gird the universe around.
Spirits and angels Thou hast made;
Thy ministers a flaming fire;
By Thee were earth’s foundations laid;
At Thy rebuke the floods retire.
Thine are the fountains of the deep;
By Thee their waters swell or fail;
Up to the mountain’s summit creep,
Or shrink beneath the lowly vale.
Thy fingers mark their utmost found;
That bound the waters may not pass;
Their moisture swells the teeming ground,
And paints the valleys o’er with grass.
The waving harvest, Lord, is Thine;
The vineyard, and the olive’s juice;
Corn, wine, and oil, by Thee combine,
Life, gladness, beauty, produce.
The moon for seasons Thou hast made,
The sun for change of day and night;
Of darkness Thine the deepest shade,
And Thine the day’s meridian light.
O Lord, Thy works are all divine;
In wisdom hast Thou made them all;
Earth’s teeming multitudes are Thine;
Thine—peopled oceans great and small.
All these on Thee for life depend;
Thy Spirit speaks, and they are born;
They gather what Thy bounties send;
Thy hand of plenty fills the horn.
Thy face is hidden—they turn pale,
With terror quake, with anguish burn;
Their breath Thou givest to the gale;
They die, and to their dust return.
And Thou, my soul, with pure delight,
Thy voice to bless thy Maker raise;
His praise let morning sing to night,
And night to morn repeat His praise.”
John Quincy Adams
1767–1848
Born: July 11, 1767, Braintree, Massachusetts.
Died: February 23, 1848, Washington, DC.
Buried: United First Parish Church, Quincy, Massachusetts.
Biography
John was the son of John Adams, second president of the United States, and Abigail Smith.
John the younger went on to become was the sixth president of the United States. He wrote a metrical version of the psalms, as well as several hymns. His diary entry for June 29, 1845, reads:
Mr. Lunt preached this morning from Ecclesiastes iii. I, To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.
He had given out as the first hymn to be sung the 138th of the Christian Psalter—his compilation, and the hymn-book now used in our church. It was my version of the 65th Psalm; and no words can express the sensations with which I heard it sung.
Were it possible to compress into one pulsation of the heart the pleasure which, in the whole period of my life, I have enjoyed in praise from the lips of mortal man, it would not weigh a straw to balance the ecstasy of delight which streamed from my eyes as the organ pealed and the choir of voices sung the praise of Almighty God from the soul of David, adapted to my native tongue by me.
After Adams’ death, some of his verse was published in Poems of Religion and Society by John Quincy Adams, by John Davis and T. H. Benton (New York: William H. Graham, 1848).
Thank You, Father, from my heart
to You, my Lord, its bestest art.
Lord God, You are worthy of all our praise! Help us to raise our eyes from things of earth to You on Your eternal throne. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming for us, calling to us, guiding us, and never leaving us. As David prayed, Lord, we lift up the unsaved to You and ask, Father, for freedom and boldness in all Your people, to bring Your life-giving Word to others. Today and every day until You return! In Jesus’s great name, amen
Wow! Thank you for posting this interesting poem and history of John Adams.
Today is going to be a good day, know how I know? Jesus walks beside me all the day long. He’s only a breath away. I love Him very much.
Praying for all bloggers. God bless
What a remarkable man (John Quinsy Adams! David was very remarkable. He really knew where to hide (in the shelter of his Lord), when surrounded by danger. I drove passed the Crossroads building yesterday and seeing the large For Sale sign, caused me to remember, we should all be praying for God’s plan, purpose, and, staff/owners to be drawn into a continued Christian appointment. I believe this should be a top priority for us. Amen? Just like David, we need to urgently call on Him.
Amen for prayer as the building is owned by Shawn Saulnier, NUVO Network, a business entrepreneur. Lord God please keep the functioning of Crossroads running as their building location is up for sale. Heavenly Father, keep your hand upon Crossroads that it continues to function safely and that Your Word will be spread and lives will be saved. All for Your glory Lord. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen. 🙏🙏🙏
Amen!
Amen
Thank you Beverlee for the poem and comments. I enjoyed them very much ñ. I am continuing to pray for your healing. Eleanor M
Amen to all the prayers above. Very interesting about John Quincy Adams. I continue to pray for fellow bloggers and their concerns.
Please pray for a friend of mine, he is a farmer, but also a winner of souls. Several years ago he was driving through our area and was lead to stop into a farm and during discussions he asked if the farm was for sale. The farmer said it could be, so they made a deal and he farmed and through his quiet demeanor won souls to the Jesus. This spring someone stopped by and wanted to purchase his farm, with much prayer, he decided the Lord wanted him to move, he didn’t know why/where, but he sold his farm and was lead to Alberta. He is currently very sick with Covid in the hospital. His wife said they have had struggles since moving there, seems the devil doesn’t want him there. Please pray for a speedy recovery for him and that the devil realizes the Lord is winning.
Beverlee I so enjoyed the poems and history of John Quincy Adams. I love it when you post their background and especially the Love of the Lord in their lives.
I will also pray for Crossroads Ministry not to slow down on the good work they have been doing for so long . Praying Fort your healing 🤗
I will pray for that dear man and his wife. God Bless Him for his ministry to bring people to the Lord. Thinking of Joseph and you and praying for both of you.❤️
HJR I will pray for those friends of yours, sometimes things don’t work out the way we thought they would. Knowing that they are Christians I feel the Lord already has a another plan for them. Continuing to pray for you and Joseph. Eleanor M.
Agreeing with Eleanor in prayer for HJR’s friends and Luisa and Joseph and family. Lord God heal this man of covid that he may continue to win souls for the Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Beverlee I so enjoyed the poems and history of John Quincy Adams. I love it when you post their background and especially the Love of the Lord in their lives.
I will also pray for Crossroads Ministry not to slow down on the good work they have been doing for so long . Praying for your healing 🤗
Praying for the farmer with Covid. Satan is not happy with those who are faithful but in Jesus Name, I command that defeated enemy, Satan, to take his hands off that man & depart from him. In Jesus Name, I release God’s healing touch. May He guide the workers, strengthening them, giving them wisdom, and allowing them to see a miracle of God. Amen
Amen, amen and amen!