How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?  How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all day?  How long will my enemy be exalted over me?  Psalm 13

The writer of this Psalm is David.  We know as a young shepherd boy that God was preparing David to be King.  God had rejected Saul for his partial disobedience and He sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a new King.  When Saul found out he was rejected by God, his jealousy grew and set out to pursue David.  It’s hard to imagine the fear and confusion that David felt because God had sent the prophet to the House of Jesse and it was God who chose him and was raising him up as the new leader.  I have found myself in a situation where God had sent 8 people and a prophet to persuade me to make a difficult decision.  As I began to make the decision to obey God, I was met with a great deal of resistance.  I had been dealing with a situation where it seemed that my enemy was pursuing me and I kept calling out to God for his vidication.  At one point I began to become angry with God, afterall, I am just trying to be obedient and why was He not helping me?  How long must this battle go on?  We may not always understand God’s plan and it seems as if our enemies are prevailing over us.  We read the end of Psalm 13 that David is professing his trust in God’s lovingkindness and his heart will rejoice in God’s deliverance.  If David had not gone through running for years we would never have the great Psalms that were written.  His authenticity of his fears and questions of God’s ways and timing are writings of a real vulnerable man with who we can identify with.  The greatest leading of David is always trusting in God and knowing that the Lord was His shepherd leading him to victory over his enemies and ultimately being a man after God’s own heart and reigning as King of Isreal.  Your Saul can take on many forms, such as cancer, addiction, legal issue, difficult employer, abusive spouse, financial difficulties or persecution, to name a few.  God’s glory was revealed by the writings of the Psalms and there is glory to be revealed hidden as treasure in your trial.

 

What is your name ?

The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will designate.  Isaiah 62

This is one of 2 very important scriptures that the Lord had brought me to during a time of a broken engagement.  I was shocked and confused and along with many lables that I took on myself, were rejected and abandoned.  The truth is I was not abandoned, I was actually rescued and I am the bride of Christ.  I was also born to teenagers and I was not planned and labled an accident, but God’s word says I am chosen and I am predestined, it was also said that I was not conceived  in love, but God’s word says that I am loved and I am the apple of His eye.  I was given a report from my doctor that I had cancer, but the Lord says that I am healed.  During a brief period as a young adult I was labled an addict, but God’s word says that I am free.  I experienced a very serious legal issue where I was being held to a frivilous judgment over $20,000 and was labled guilty and God became my lawyer and His justice reigned me not guilty and my debt cancelled.  When I was younger I was labled skinny bones and if anyone wrote about me in my annuals it was never that I was a nice person, etc…..it was “to the skinniest girl I know” but God says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  One of the worst things that happened to me is that I was kidnapped and sexually assaulted and for a long time I thought that no one would want me that I was used and damaged goods, but God’s word says that I am a new creation in Christ and the old things pass away and behold all things become new and that I was created for good works!  These are just a few testaments that I share of God’s deliverance in my life.  The scripture in Isaiah says that nations which the greek word is people will see your righteousness which is God’s justice which will reign victorious or glorious in every situation that you face.  The second part of the verse is so beautiful, out of the mouth the Lord will designate a new name for you.  Beloved, just like me, we all take on many lables, but our identity does not lie in what our society, traditions, failures, body type, health or even unforseen circumstances, your identity and your report lies within Him and no matter what you are facing or what you have gone through He will bring you through victoriously and He designates your new name !