Hi there. The world is in freefall and our lives are upended by a domino effect that isn’t stopping.
Here’s the thing. God always takes care of His people and helps them through the most awful times. Christians are sort of known as being lemons into lemonade kind of people, but it runs so much deeper than that mindset. To get it, stick with us 🙂
At the Bridge, we’re opening our notebooks and sharing some of the things getting us through these days.
Share this with a friend who’s thinking about a whole different kind of corona (crown).
Remember that night Brother Nobles read the entire Psalm 136 out loud?
As He Read, the Words Exploded in Our Minds
It reminded us of all the great things God’s done for us. It spoke to us saying He’s still the God who will move for YOU. The God in Psalm 136 is the God who called you and said, “I’m your strong tower and your rock in the storm.”
And even if you’ve created your own conditions, His mercy endureth forever. Judgement is still being made through the eyes of mercy. His mercy covers us as we’re wandering through this wilderness—He will keep us no matter what we have to face. He’s the one who remembered us in our lowest state. It reminded us to give thanks for the deliverance He will do. Previously, David’s condition was too strong for him to overcome, but not for God. As He shows David, and us, “I’ve got you.”
It reminded us He still has a people who know how to call out to the living God.
If you were there, you probably agree that the experience of hearing Psalm 136 read out loud, and how Brother Nobles felt it as he read, was really powerful.
More Than Just an Exodus Recap
Shortly after he started reading Psalm 136, if you were noticing, people sort of fell silent, and there was a stillness in the sanctuary. People didn’t move a lot and they didn’t speak—there was just an overwhelming presence of the Lord that kept everyone silent as we could feel that psalm penetrating our hearts, reminding us no condition or situation was impossible for God.
How many times through a ministry has God spoken to us about a season of hardship and that we need to be prepared? So we’ve always prayed for strength and for the ability to serve God in the midst of whatever was going to come upon us.
That night, many sensed the Lord was wanting to do something and that there was an urgency about it. Something was happening, but no one really knew yet what it was, except that we needed to believe He’s got us, and His mercy does endure forever—not just for David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—but for you, me . . . for us.
Brother Nobles has been telling us, when you read the scriptures, make it personal.
What Does Ancient Poetry Have to Do With Me?
Maybe you’ve never been itching to read the tax code or Leviticus at 3 am, but we’ve all needed a psalm when we couldn’t sleep and needed consolation. It’s one of the longest books of the Bible, and most of the psalms are attributed to David, the Israelite’s greatest king. Turns out King David was also a poet (yeah, he did know it.) Every known politician and celebrity writes a book these days, but David’s is way more poetic and—sorry, everyone else—way more long-lasting.
It covers idol worship, God’s wrath, His mercy, the weather, having a clean heart, and even some trash talk among enemies. It gets to the heart of current events and is a goldmine of historical gems—and it was a precursor to almost every good piece of poetry ever written since then.
For hundreds of years, psalms have popped up in operas, music, and our brain: “The Lord is my shepherd”, “By the rivers of Babylon”, and “out of the mouth of babes” to name a few. Yeah, they are all from Psalms (23, 137, and 8 to be exact).
My God, Let There Come a Spirit of Repentance Upon Your People
Stay with us—we’re still talking Psalms. God has people who have left the fold, or are not in the fold yet. They are still His people. The power behind Psalms, the rest of the Bible, and the name, Jesus—no matter what time and place in history or anywhere the world—can never be overthrown. He will always be on the throne, and if you ever stop for just one minute, stop running, and reach out and surrender to Him, you’ll feel your Father, the one who has power over everything, put His arms around you, and then, and only then, can you finally breathe that sigh of relief. You don’t have to run anymore.
Psalms addresses all the subjects we face every single day, and it hits home. Uncertainty, doubt that we can succeed, emotion over a loss, not knowing where to turn, or a desire to destroy the Amalekites with fire and water . . . wait, that last one isn’t us, but you get the gist.
Everything we relate to is in there, and each psalm has a way of reaching inside your brain and sticking in your memory. They spill out from a fiery, passionate heart. They express our deepest and strongest feelings. Each one, like a poem or song, stirs you.
And, Here We Are.
Maybe we can get a clip sometime and play it here for you. As Brother Nobles read this psalm aloud and we followed along that night, it went somehow from a psalm into a personal prayer. Be warned, these words have the power to move mountains:
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Sooo Thankful for His Enduring Mercy! 🙌🙏
How powerful – HIS mercy. That is what I need and I feel confident we all need HIS mercy. Remember that definition we all have heard thousands of times:
MERCY – MORE “KINDNESS” THAN THE LAW REQUIRES!
Thank you Lord for your MERCY that endures FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this pandemic would cause an explosion of faith and HIS people would cry out to HIM……
II CHRONICLES 7:14
IF MY PEOPLE, WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, SHALL HUMBLE THEMSELVES, AND PRAY, AND SEEK MY FACE, AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS; THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN, AND FORGIVE THEIR SIN, AND WILL HEAL THEIR LAND.
Something that stands out to me in that scripture is “MY PEOPLE.” It doesn’t say all people. So if we – “HIS PEOPLE” – follow HIS instruction – and PRAY – HIS ENDURING MERCY – WILL HEAL OUR LAND!