Tag Archives: spirituality

Psalms 45-51

“As for the one who follows a set course,
I will cause him to see salvation by God.”
~Psalm 50:23

Jehovah God values those who have made a covenant or vow to serve Him and strive to fulfill it (Ps. 50:5,14b).
But He knows it will not always be easy; that is why he asks us to rely on Him.

“Call on me in the time of distress. I will rescue you, and you will glorify me” (Ps. 50:15).

Jehovah says He cannot remain silent before our suffering and will act as Judge before us (Ps. 50:3,6).
Therefore we can reach out to Him with the confidence that He cares about us.
When we praise Him with a thankful attitude, we demonstrate that we rely on His strength and not our own (Ps. 50:14a,23a).
Only then can we ‘see His salvation,’ recognizing His works through the eyes of faith.

Psalms 38-44

“O Jehovah, do not withhold your mercy from me.
May your loyal love and your truth constantly safeguard me.”
~Psalm 40:11

David, our Biblical poet, felt his ‘errors loom over his head; like a heavy burden, they were too much for him to bear,’ (Ps. 38:4).
For this reason, he ‘walked around sad all day long,’ (Ps. 38:6).
He could say nothing in his own defense (Ps. 38:14).
Still, he relied on Jehovah’s forgiveness, and prayed:

“Turn your harsh gaze away from me so that I may cheer up
Before I pass away and I am gone,” (Ps. 39:13).

Although David felt abandoned by his family and friends, burdened by his own mistakes and the weight of Jehovah’s discipline, he waited on Jehovah.
He knew that with Jehovah’s forgiveness, he could overcome his depression and once again experience the joy of serving Him.
Did his patience pay off?

“You answered me, O Jehovah my God,” (Ps. 38:15).

Jehovah answers our pleas for peace of mind when we seek refuge in the truth of His word and by giving us the strength to carry on (Ps. 138:3; John 17:17).

Psalm 34-37

“But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together; […]
They tore me to pieces and did not keep silent.”
~Psalm 35:15

Gossip can have tragic consequences and in the best of cases, it ruins people’s reputations.
Anyone who has ever been a victim of gossip can perhaps relate to feeling like they are being ‘torn to pieces.’
It is important to be brave and steer conversations away from speaking negatively about others, especially when intimate details do not directly involve both listeners.
Worse than gossip is the feeling that others are rejoicing at one’s pain.
This can be disheartening and is far from Christian love as outlined in the Scriptures.
What a comfort it is to know that one can pray to Jehovah: “Do not stay far from me, Awake and rise to my defense, […] Judge me according to your righteousness […]; Do not let them gloat over me,” (Ps. 35:22-24).
Jehovah is ready to impart peace to those who serve Him and praise His name (Ps. 35:27, 28).

Psalms 19-25

“Though I walk in the valley of deep shadow,
I fear no harm,
For you are with me […]”

~Psalm 23:4

There are periods in life which may be likened to dark valleys.
Perhaps we are depressed or experiencing high levels of anxiety.
In another Psalm, David wrote:

“Turn your face to me and show me favor,
For I am alone and helpless.
The distresses of my heart have multiplied;
Free me from my anguish,” (Ps. 25:16, 17).

How, then, does Jehovah God present himself at my side when I feel alone and anxious?
In the next verse, the writer prays: “Pardon all my sins,” making a connection between the sins and his affliction (Ps. 25:18).

One of the ways Jehovah draws close is by forgiving.
But in order to appreciate His pardon I must have the right motives.

“For the sake of your name,
O Jehovah,
Forgive my error,
though it is great,” (Ps. 25:11).

True repentance involves recognizing that the most important thing at stake is not how I feel, but Jehovah’s name with everything it represents, including mercy.
To have that point of view, I must first cultivate a healthy fear of God and humility to let myself accept His guidance (Ps. 25:12).

At that point, I will no longer fear alone or anxious because God’s “rod and staff” will have reassured me, making the darkness bearable (Ps. 23:4).

Psalms 11-18

“You wrongdoers try to frustrate the plans of the lowly one,
But Jehovah is his refuge.”
~Psalm 14:6

Should we find that we will not be able to reach the goals we have set for ourselves in God’s service, we should not become discouraged.
Circumstances change and no one has full control over their own situation.
Not only are we susceptible to our own sinful inclinations, but we may find ourselves to be victims of the wrongdoings of others (Rom. 3:23).
While these factors may have a negative impact in our service to God, they do not impede our being loyal to Him.
Therefore we should continue serving God zealously alongside His congregation to our fullest capacity, because He will continue being our Protector, giving us all we need to be happy (Ps. 37:28; Ps. 145:16; Heb. 6:10-12).

Psalms 1-10

“Those knowing your name will trust in you;
You will never abandon those seeking you, O Jehovah.”
~Psalm 9:10

God’s name is not an amulet that one can use to fend off evil.
Those who use God’s name with faith understand what it represents.
When one prophet asked God the meaning of His name, Jehovah, God replied, “I Will Become What I Choose to Become,” (Exo. 3:14).
Regarding this definition, the 2013 Appendix of the New World Translation says, “In Hebrew, the name Jehovah comes from a verb that means ‘to become,’ and a number of scholars feel that it reflects the causative form of that Hebrew verb.”

image

The pre-Babylonian and post-Babylonian Hebrew spellings of God's name. (Hebrew is read right to left).


In effect, Jehovah God can cause anything to become.
He can realize His promises to bless his servants.
Thus, ‘Jehovah becomes a secure refuge for the oppressed, a secure refuge in times of distress,’ (Psalm 9:9).

Job 38-42

“After Job had prayed for his companions, Jehovah removed Job’s tribulation and restored his prosperity.”
~Job 42:10

Job had to forgive those who had misjudged him before he could receive God’s blessing.
God Himself had been quick to forgive Job for some of the things he had said in error (Job 42:6).
God’s willingness to forgive Job promptly gives testament to how He constantly searches out the good in people instead of concentrating on our negative traits.
“For the eyes of Jehovah are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him,” (2 Chron. 16:9).
When we make a genuine effort to forgive, forget and have a positive attitude, we can then trust God will treat us with that same compassion (Matt. 6:12; Col. 3:13).

Job, chapters 16-20

“My adversary pierces me with his eyes.”
~Job 16:9

In his struggle to keep faithful, Job erroneously reasoned that Jehovah was the one testing his faith, and that God had made him a living target (Job 16:12).
The Bible clearly states, however, that “the eyes of Jehovah are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him,” (2 Chron. 16:9).
So if we ever feel like God is ‘piercing us with His eyes’ because of a bitter situation we are living through, let us remember that God actually looks at us through the eyes of love (Rom. 5:8).
Amidst all his anguish, Job continued to put all his faith in his heavenly Father:

Even now, my witness is in the heavens; The one who can testify for me is in the heights, (Job 16:19).

Whatever trial we may be undergoing, let us face it with the confidence that ‘God is not unrighteous so as to forget our work and the love we show for his name,’ (Heb. 6:10; Gal. 6:9).

Job, chapters 6-10

“I reject this life of mine. It is all the same.”
~Job 9:21,22

Discouragement is one one of Satan’s chief, most effective tactics.
If we do not believe our service to God makes any difference, we are in danger of making self-centered choices instead of responsible ones.
While the loss of Job’s material possessions, his health and his family did not shake him to the point that he incurred sin, it did make him question his relevance.
“If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression and be cheerful,’ I would still be afraid because of all my pains, and I know you would not find me innocent. I would be found guilty. So why should I struggle in vain?” (Job 9:27-29).
Job’s faith was starting to struggle, and if he kept on that course, his endurance would have suffered the consequences.
Heightening his challenge was his insomnia, which was so bad in itself that he preferred the peace of death over his unrelenting misery (Job 7:3,4,14).
In his defense, Job ignored the origin of his trials and erroneously attributed them to God (Job 7:17,18).
But because Jehovah knows just how much pain one individual can really bear, He eventually stepped in to adjust Job’s point of view (Jas. 5:11).
How wonderful it is to understand God’s word and know that ‘He is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear’ (1 Cor. 10:13).
Through a clear understanding of Job’s experience, we can find comfort and hope and even endure the seemingly worst of trials, including deep depression (Rom. 15:4).
We can appreciate how relevant we really are to God and resist Satan’s tactic to make us think otherwise (Prov. 27:11).

Nehemiah, chapters 9-11

“[…] They sinned against your regulations, by which a man will live if he observes them.”
~Nehemiah 9:29

It is important to participate with zeal in the ministry work, sharing God’s “regulations” with others, for they mean life to those who listen.
Not all will appreciate or understand God’s message, but some will respond to the “sayings of everlasting life,” (John 6:68).
Furthermore, when God’s principles guide our own choices, we can enjoy being alive in a spiritual sense (Lev. 18:5).
A healthy relationship with God can in turn bring us true happiness and is a glimmer of “the real life” Christians anticipate, a future life without pain or injustice of any sort (1 Tim. 6:19).
Jehovah God extended this opportunity to His People, giving them “righteous judgments, laws of truth, good regulations and commandments” that they could fully rely on to find peace and happiness (Neh. 9:13).
However, His people continuously rejected these by sinning, repenting and then returning to their sinful practices (Neh. 9:16-35).
Let us never show such a lack of appreciation for God’s undeserved kindness (2 Cor. 6:1).
Instead, let us live by observing His word.