Friday 24 May 2024

SOAP

Scriptures
Psalms 143
English Standard Version
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;    give ear to my pleas for mercy!    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant,    for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;    he has crushed my life to the ground;    he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;    my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old;    I meditate on all that you have done;    I ponder the work of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go,    for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!    I have fled to you for refuge.[a]
10 Teach me to do your will,    for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
11 For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life!    In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,    for I am your servant.

Isaiah 66 
2 All these things my hand has made,    and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,    and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip,    and bounced upon her knees.13 As one whom his mother comforts,    so I will comfort you;    you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;    your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

2 Thessalonians 3
13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

Observation

Everyone of GOD's people be it a King (David) or a Nation (Israel) or a certain group of people (Thessalonicans) are going through the same thing - distressed, war torn, suffering loss, and being in grief and all the bad things no one would ever want to go through. You can read it in the way David prays: Hear Me! he cries out to GOD, do not judge me! 3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;    he has crushed my life to the ground;    he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

You can read the way GOD promises comfort to those whom HE allowed to suffer: 13 As one whom his mother comforts,    so I will comfort you;    you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. GOD even assures them of joy because for a time they have been ravaged with great sorrow.

And in the NEW Testament, the command of GOD for us HIS people, jew or gentile, is to keep ourselves steadfast in faith, by continually doing good, in spite of all the pain, sorrows and hardships, betrayals and sufferings we go through.

Application:

I cannot allow bitterness to get to me, I can always put someone to blame for all the sufferings I am going through in this life. Suffering because I am carrying the heaviest load in the family business of being in the accounting department where we are being audited year after year, susceptible to the harassment of higher authorities such as the government. I have been the one facing lawsuits that my family has been served with either by our own people or by the government. Each time I face these things, I am scared, but each time I face such troubles, I cling to GOD who looks after me, cares for me, loves me, died for me. HE died for me so not only so I can have eternal life after my human life, but also so that I can overcome all my troubles because through HIS death and resurrection, I have the power to overcome anything. GOD has done HIS part to give me an afterlife and an abundant earthly life, my part is to keep trusting HIM, keep believing HIS promises, keep following HIS path of will for me, to keep doing what HE has called me to do even though I feel I cannot take all the stress anymore. HE gives me moments where I can be refreshed whether be it in singing songs to relieve my stress, being with relatives or spending time with friends, having a good sleep, taking care of my dogs whom I thought is also stressing me out, GOD has provided me what I need not only to survive but to excel and overcome all the suffering in my life. As my brother David had taught me TO ENDURE, this is GOD's will for me, and what HE is achieving in me as HE allows the pressures and stress to shape me and mold me, be it painful I look to the ONE who has carefully created me in my mother's womb. I look to HIM and cling to HIS WORD because HE looks to those who are humble, contrite and trembles at HIS WORD. I want HIM and need HIM to look to me, be merciful to me, be gracious to me. I need HIM and HIS love to fill me each and everyday because without HIM I will surely die.

Prayers:

Dear AVI,

YOU are GOD Alone! O HOLY ONE of Israel! There is NONE like YOU! How I miss and long to sing praises to YOU! Please provide for me, all that I need, be for me MY EVERYTHING. At this point, I have nothing, not even hope in my heart that a man could love me for who I am, because only YOU could ever truly love the person YOU have created. Every day it still hurts that I still do not have anyone who loves me in the form of a husband man, but YOU are the HUSBAND KING who loves me unconditionally, let me be satisfied and content with that. Let me be content as I wait for YOU to accomplish all YOUR plans and purpose for me. At this point I believe it is a miracle for any man to love me for who I am, it will take a miracle for anyone to love me like YOU, but I believe YOU can provide that man for me, but HE has to love YOU for him to love me like YOU. And now look to the earth, the man who loves YOU are my brother and father, my pastors, where is the man who loves YOU??? Only YOU know and I chose to stand in faith and believe that YOUR Promises for me since long ago is yes and amen! I will still believe even if I do not see any cloud, like Elijah I will believe foolishly that the rain will soon come as YOU have already spoken it since long ago, MY SPIRIT clings to YOUR WORD. Inspite of this lack that I feel, I thank YOU for all the precious and many blessings YOU have given me, dogs, family, cousins and Aunts, co-workers and workers, consultants and all the people who are helping me with all my troubles. I thank YOU for each of them and I pray that YOU will continue to teach me what I need to learn. For YOU deserve all my best and utmost devotion and worship unto YOU. 

In the Name of YESHUA Amen!