Paul McKenzie

Memory Verse, Thursday, February 12, Psalm 34:4

Daletl: "I sought the LORD and he heard me, And delivered me from all of my fears."

In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus spoke about anxiety, He told us that the remedy to defeat anxiety was this: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:33-34)

AA has the second part right (one day at a time), but they miss the most important point: seeking the Kingdom of God. If you live day by day and not worry about tomorrow without the eternal perspective, you have a great deal to worry about. That will turn into a foolhardy mission, for the point is that your goal is to serve Christ in every aspect of your life, and live accordingly. It's not just any "higher power". That's just a pipe dream. It is seeking the "Real Power" and that is the Spirit of God through Christ.

And this verse brings out this principle. You are delivered from all your fears when you are seeking the Lord and His righteousness. The reason you don't have to worry about tomorrow is because each day you are praying and purposing to walk in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:10 says that He has works prepared for us. We realize that we are not walking in this world without purpose. Our purpose is, and always has been, to be stewards of God during the brief moment we live here. This is a preparation ground for the real Kingdom to come.

There is a reason why Jesus puts the very second request we ask in our daily prayer after "Hallowed be Thy Name", as "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." It is only after we pray this, we see the request, "Give us this day our daily bread".

Some get the wrong impression of why Jesus encourages us to look to the birds and the flowers as examples. They are basking in the reflection of God, and relying on Him to live. But even the birds don't sit and expect the "worms" to fly to them! They are constantly busy doing what God has designed them to do.

As should we. We can live in complete rest, while working non-stop for the Kingdom of God. We are seeking Him and His righteousness. And those who seek Him and His righteousness are diligent to utilize the gifts He gives us to their fullest. They don't waste time on petty things because they know their purpose, and that is to serve at the pleasure of their King.

We know that He has a plan, a BIG plan, and that it includes His children throughout eternity. And even the most paltry of things we do in our lives while seeking Him are preparing us for the glory that shall be revealed.

Remember the great words of James, the half-brother of our Lord, who said: "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring, What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15, ESV)

It did not say to not make plans. Just lay them in the care of the Lord, and expect Him to guide your steps. And if you do that, knowing that "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps," (Proverbs 16:9) your anxiety is removed, no matter what the situation. You walk in peace and purpose, because you know in your heart that you are seeking God with all your heart to guide your steps.

The loser in the parable of the talents buried God's treasure and went his way. The winners took the gifts God gave them and followed His direction. And while their master was away, they had a great hope that they are doing the will of their master.

And they were rewarded. The Lord heard them, and delivered them from all of their fears. The same can be your life, if you seek Him with all your heart. Start today.

Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

*KJV used*

Memory Helps

Dalet:

"I SOUGHT, the LORD, and he HEARD me,
And de LIVE-vered-me-from-ALL-of, my FEARS."

Remember our "magnifying glass" in the previous verse? Well, we're using it again, this time, like "Sherlock Holmes", looking for clues in dark, "fearful" places as to where the Lord is, and calling His name. The result is that "He heard me, and delivered me from all of my fears."

You can picture the big hand of God putting you in an envelope, and "delivering you" out of that dark, "fearful" place and putting you by His side, alleviating all of your fears. Silly, but it helps you remember.

By the way, I started a new song with verse 4. I'll let you know how many verses I include when I include them. Right now, that's all I have on my recorder. It's got a "Jewish" flavor in the minor key.

For verses 4, I use my friend "Ray" as a memory character (R=4, vowels fillers). He is the one with the magnifying glass in that dark, "fearful" place. He is sitting on the "singing mare", as he searches, and the Lord puts them both in that envelope and "delivers" them into heaven, where they join in with the angels and saints singing unto the Lord. This way we get Psalm 34:4 (Singing MaRe (34), Ray (4) to link with the words of the verse.