THE LORD IS OUR KEEPER

TEXT:

PSALM 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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A VERSE AND A THOUGHT: PSALM 24:7 - "OPEN UP THE GATES...OF YOUR HEART"

Photo Credit: Gray-Grant Communications

Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in....(Psalm 24:7)

THOUGHT:

In ancient times, up to the Middle Ages, these huge things called “portcullis” hung over the entrances to towns, castles and other such fortifications. This word is hardly used now and neither are the "gates" they were, except in some medieval type movie. It is derived from a combination of French words "porte" (gate) and “coleice” (sliding, flowing etc…source: Dictionary.com).  The portcullis is basically a vertical sliding gate, made of metal and/or wood, latticed and run on metal tracks which allow for lowering and raising, as the case may be. These portcullises provided a second layer of protection for cities or towns or castles, many hundreds of years ago. You may have seen them in some movie about King Arthur, or the Knights Templar or something like this.

While some castles and fortifications had double portcullis, for double protection as well, some also had massive wooden gates. In ancient bible times of 3000 years ago, this would be the case in the old cities of Israel around 1000 BC, when King David ruled during the best days of the Holy Land.

David, God’s instrument used to pass on the inspired words of the Psalms, was responsible for the Ark of the Covenant of God. The Ark represented the very Presence of God. The Ark is a copy of the one that is in Heaven as we know from Revelation 11:19. But this copy is still filled with the Spirit of God and He was literally present wherever the Ark was, just like Jesus was present in the Pillar of Fire by night and the Cloud by Day, that led Moses and the Israelites during the Exodus.

Psalm 24:7 tells the gatekeepers in Israel to be on the alert as the Ark is coming through!  David shouts ahead “throw open the gates of the city…..raise the other one….the portcullis…because THE LORD, THE KING, THE ALMIGHTY (via His Ark) is coming into the city!”

ACTION:

Many people, especially including those calling themselves Christians, wall themselves off from the comforting and transforming Holy Spirit of God. Some may actually be saved, but keep telling the Spirit of Jesus that He can’t go here, or “I will handle this one myself” or “I was too hurt by XYZ situation and don’t want to hear ‘what the Bible says’”. There are church-going people who actually talk this way. If you or someone you know – a “friend of a friend” – is in this situation, where the comfort of Scriptures is ignored, it is time for some soul-searching. Do this three-step heart check:

• Does Jesus have access to every corner of my life?
• If not, where have I closed off to Him and why?
• Then, I must look in the mirror of my soul, pray Psalm 51, repent and open the gates to let the King in!

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY EIGHTEEN:
VERSES:
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge...(Psalm 18:2)
PRAYER:

Most Heavenly and Holy Father, on Christ the Solid Rock I stand, ALL other ground is sinking sand. You are the Almighty, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the Creator of All Things, the Upholder of the Universe, the Sustainer of All, the Provider, Protector and Standard of Your people! Through You, all was created by and for You and You rule over all. You uphold the righteous, You hug the loveless, You reach out to the hopeless, You guide the careless, You discipline the reckless and You grant favor to the penniless.

You reward those who bless You and pray for Your people. But You turn Your Holy Face against the hard of heart and those who reject You. You sent down fire and brimstone to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. You destroyed Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea.  You wiped out the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom and gave them to the Assyrians. Today, perversion and corruption reigns as the followers of evolution have denied the Creator and worship the creation (Romans 1:22-25). You have given then the ultimate pre-Judgment - You gave them over to themselves. The righteous see them rampaging through and destroying our family structure, the unborn and the great institutions You ordained with no brakes and no check in sight. But this is just for a time. They have a future eternity to think of and regret all of this.

But You oh God, are my deliverer. You sent Your Son the Savior to set the captives free, to deliver us from all evil. While we are set upon, beat up, pressed down, oppressed and spat upon by the lost, from the outhouse to the fanciest house, You stand there for us. You stand in the Gap as our Shield and Buckler. Your guardian angels protect us daily, even in our temporary folly.  Because You are unshakeable...because You always existed and there is none like You...because You are God before the foundation of the earth....because You are sinless, pure, holy, and good and because You see the beginning from the end, You are more than a fortress. You are a bulwark. You are to Whom we run when we seek refuge and comfort. You are to Whom we raise up our hopes and hands because You are the Fountain of Righteousness and Source of All Power! Words cannot describe You. You scoff at the scoffing pagans and heathens of this world as they shake their puny fists like Nimrod did and You can remove them by a single word. Yet You stay Your hand not wanting that any should perish. You are a merciful as well as powerful God and we love You. We worship and adore You. We magnify Your Powerful Name, Oh Lord of Heaven's Armies Who shall one day return to rule the earth, and it is in Jesus' Strong Name I pray, amen.

"NOT THIS TIME....!"

 A wolf does not usually go after an entire flock of sheep...nor will any other beast of prey. They will try and key in on one particular potential victim, try to draw it away from the herd and then pounce.


It is this way with so many. In a world where we have so much noise, distraction, social networking and mobility, folks are more isolated than ever. We have so much more to do with our busy lives, yet hardly not a moment of peace! It is uncanny. It is almost as if there is a trap laid for us, at any moment, and many get caught up. 


You and I have been through this kind of thing, at one time or another. We would be in a crowd of people and still feel rejection; less than the others there and like that sheep who suddenly got lost in the thicket, while our heads were down on the ground, grazing on or living life.

Christians feel this way, as well as anyone else. I know people who go to larger churches, so they could get lost in the crowd and maybe no one will speak to them. The majority of American churches have 60 or less in attendance, and still there are folks isolated there, as well. 


So, we know this happens. The question is, what do we do about it - both for ourselves and others. We need to know how to combat this when the enemy lies to us and tells us that no one cares for or loves us.  Once we have mastered that, we then help someone else.  To start that process, I sought out Psalm 91:2 after much meditation last night. Here are two verses in context, below. They contain a 50 cal. gun against despair which we can fire right now, as I, briefly break it out in part:



2. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence. (Psalm 91:2-3 ESV)


Declare this right now, in Jesus Name, from verse 2:


"I will say to the LORD" -  Pray "Lord, I declare, call on you, say, claim, believe and boldly ask
"My refuge" - that You promised to be my Safe Place, my Secret Place, my Hiding Place
"My fortress" - You promised to protect me. You promised to be a shield around me. You promised to be strong tower. You promised to be the Place I go when I am weak. 
"In Whom I trust" - Therefore, Heavenly Father, I seek You, right now...not then, but I cry out now for that Promise to be made real in my life. I can't live another moment without knowing for sure that Your Mighty Arms are around me, holding me, caring for me, loving me and reassuring me that I am never alone.

Because I can approach and you and do this, God, in Jesus' Name, I know you will deliver me from being prey out there to all the wolves and lions that roam, with evil in their eyes, and honey on their lips, when their eyes are evil with intent to devour me! Thank you, Father, thank You, dear Lord, thank You, in Your Name I pray, dear Jesus, amen.


Friends, if you stay in this zone and pray and claim and declare His Righteousness and Promises, you will begin to come out of this and grow in love and fellowship with the Savior! Won't you? What have you to lose? We will talk more about this in the future. But let's start here!


Trust in Him NOW, He is always there for you NOW! Amen.

(image by google)