O Lord, satisfy us with your steadfast love!

"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!" Psalm 90:14-17

I love how the Lord wakes us up each day with something new. Today our grounds are covered in snow. They look white and fresh. You can't even see the hole my boys have been digging in the mud for the last two years. To be honest, the cleanliness and appearance of snow is breathtaking. It has always been a reminder to me of how God, our Father sees us because of God the Son, Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for us!

This word is amazing and so rich, I know that my finite mind can not do it justice! My heart is captivated particularly by verses 14 and 17. "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." and "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!"

Most of us know what the morning is, but I love the Hebrew definition, "break of day, END of night" This scripture is such a wonderful picture of our lives. We ought to be praying and asking God that He would wake us up with a hunger for His word, trusting that He will satisfy us in the morning with His steadfast love! Which we will find in the pages of His word. His word is healing to our souls, it is given to us to revive or quicken our hearts (as in Psalm 119). As we start each day with His word, we are submitting ourselves to Him and His authority. I know so many days I've cried out to the Lord asking Him to just to lead and guide our household daily for His glory. By the grace of God, I've spent many a morning begging Him for His grace and love to fill our home.

We want to hunger and thirst for Him. We want to be satisfied with it. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6 As best I can tell from researching the Greek (in Matthew) and Hebrew (in Psalms) these words satisfy mean the same thing. First in Psalms, satisfied means to be filled, have one's fill of and/or have desire satisfied. Secondly in Matthew, satisfied means to fulfill or satisfy the desire of any one.

I love the completeness of God's word. From start to finish it is so intricately woven together. It is perfect. As I was reading and just could not get over His mercy to move us to be satisfied with His steadfast love at the break of day, I also was so taken by verse 17. "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!"

The progression of this psalm is perfect of course! First seeking God in the morning and being before Him in His word and prayer, we must ask Him to establish the works of our hands...each day!! I am appreciating more and more how the Lord leads us as His children in absolute dependency upon Him. I can do NOTHING in and of myself that is worth any value. In fact, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." Psalm 127:2 So if I am not waking each day and starting each day, the day that He has made (Psalm 118:24) before Him in His word and prayer...laying down myself and asking Him for the strength to live each day for Him, how can I think that, as sinner, confined by sinful flesh I will have the right perspective. I must seek Him in His word and ask God to lead my steps, to establish daily the works of my hands. This is of the utmost importance. I am raising three young boys to be warriors for Christ. If I am not diligently seeking God and His strength to do so, I am in fact building my house in vain. I need God to build my house! I need to be satisfied daily (hourly) by His steadfast love! I am the wife a sinner, if I am not seeking God and asking Him to guide my motives, our marriage quickly becomes a pit of selfishness and list of wrongs versus rights! Should it be? No! Never, I must be fulfilled with God's word. I must TRUST God! I must take my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, and rest in His grace to guide me, fill me, strengthen me, and lead me hour by hour.

Oh, how I long to wake each morning with a craving to be satisfied with His word and His steadfast love...His lovingkindness that leads me to repentance. Dear sisters, let us make the words of the Psalmist the cries of our hearts, that He would satisfy us with His steadfast love and establish the works of our hands for His glory!!!

Rescuing Truth

"But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD, at an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me in your saving faithfulness."
Psalm 69:13

The other morning my study time encountered an interruption. I had gotten through just about half of it and one of my little ones came into the closet. He was up, so I had to get prepared for the day before the others joined him. I had to leave for an appointment that morning so I had somewhat of a schedule for that day. So I gathered up my children and set about my day. I knew I would be gone from our house the majority of the morning and afternoon, so I knew I wouldn't get time to read the rest of the word for awhile, and I was upset. Partly because I am a type A and I like to finish what I start and then mostly because I am just really into the Psalms lately, I am finding them so rich!

So I got home that evening and finished up things around my house, to sit down before the Lord in His word..and was utterly amazed. His word was absolutely perfect, I just felt His love envelope my heart. The words I read were absolutely appropriate for the day I had had. However had I read them first, maybe I would not have been coming to God with such a hunger, and a desire for answers to a specific situation. The Lord had used the days' events to prepare my heart for His word. It was an "acceptable time." I read through Psalm 69 this morning and was overwhelmed with awe of the LORD.

David's prayer was first and most obviously to the LORD. God is our one and only hope. There is absolutely nothing man can do to us. (The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me. Psalm 118:6). As David goes on, he prays asking God in His abundant steadfast love to answer him and at an acceptable time. I think what David is seeking is God's answer in His time! Knowing that God alone will provide that answer he seeks, his heart is filled with the peace of God. How I want the patience that is modeled here. David prays trusting that God will, in His abundant steadfast love provide an answer to his prayer. There is complete trust in his prayer. I need this. I need the complete trust that God alone will answer my prayer with His saving faithfulness. His rescuing truth (in the original Hebrew). His answer to us is often a rescue, isn't it? When I think I know what's best, who the "best" friend is for me, who my spouse should be...God sweeps in at the perfect time with His rescuing truth. Saving me from myself and my stubborn self reliance and draws me near to Him and reveals His will to me. How amazing is our Lord!

Let us call upon Him, trusting in His rescuing truth to captivate our very hearts and lives for His glory!