“1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs– O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud. 3 Lord, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph? 4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. 5 They break in pieces Your people, O Lord, And afflict Your heritage. 6 They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless. 7 Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.” 8 Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? 10 He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? 11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile. 12 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, And teach out of Your law, 13 That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the Lord will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. 15 But judgment will return to righteousness, And all the upright in heart will follow it. 16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? 17 Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence. 18 If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. 19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. 20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You? 21 They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood. 22 But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off.”  Psalm 94

This past month I lay in bed with a bad case of the flu and several ribs that I separated from vomiting so hard.  It was so painful and so frustrating both physically and emotionally.  Not only could I not move without severe pain, it brought some painful memories of the years of isolation and rejection I felt being sick for so long.   As I lay there, this scripture just rang through my ears as God reached down to my heart and spoke His truth.  It enabled me to rise up against the hopelessness, the voices of torment from the past and the victimization that wanted to keep me down and not focused on Him and His plans.  He spoke exactly what I needed to hear.  I see you…I hear you… and I have greater plans for you…

Oh friends, there is no one like our God.  There are greater things awaiting you no matter what you are facing.  Turn your eyes upward, turn your ears upward, trust Him and believe Him today!!!

Yesterday, Natalie Grant led praise and worship at our church and she told the story of the song I have posted here today.  It was written by a group out of Ireland called Blue Tree.  These guys were available to the Lord and God gave them this incredible view of His victory that I have included for you.

God is saying to the world and to you today, I see you…I hear you…I have not forgotten you…I have not forsaken you…you matter to Me and I have greater plans for you and for this city, this nation and this world!

Let this prophetic proclamation wash over you today and drive out all of your  hopelessness, rejection, victimization and apathy.  No matter what you are facing or what you are fighting, you can be sure that God is bigger!!  He sees you!  God hears you!  You are not forgotten nor forsaken!  Neither are those girls in Thailand, the orphans of the world, nor anyone else facing the many atrocities of Hell.  Begin to rise up in your spirit and proclaim His victory.  Begin to speak into the darkness, His light.  Begin to allow yourself to be His hands and His feet of help to the world…however He might lead.

Our pastor laid out an interesting challenge yesterday:  Be the kind of Christian that makes God stop you rather than motivate you.  What he meant was to be so active in your faith that if God needs you to rest or to not be active in a certain way, let Him be the one to put the brakes on for you instead of the one to constantly inspire you to move out of your comfort zone and do something.

Just as He did me, let Him minister to you right where you are and bring you hope.  It is amazing, when you have hope for yourself and your situation, how much hope you have for the world and you truly do believe… “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26 and “You will see greater things than these.” John 1:50

 His blessings are yours today and always!