Flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp. Just Saying.

Hey y'all so this morning I decided to dive into the book of Psalms. I came across Psalm 32:10

"Many sorrows come to the wicked, but the unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord."

I immediately felt drawn to this verse, and love the picture it paints. Describing the love that God offers to us when we put ourselves into His hands. The one word though that really stuck out to me was surrounds. That depicts a beautiful idea! And being the person I am, I really wondered what that word in the original text was. Hebrew words usually have deeper complex meanings I'm discovering. I did a little google magic and found this blog someone wrote who had the same thought as me.

I hope you read it, its really not that long. I know most of you are out of school and "done with this whole reading thing" but I found it so interesting and compelling that I wanted to share it with you. Let its truth encourage you today!

Your sister in Christ
Simone

---------------------------------------------http://skipmoen.com/tag/psalm-3210/
Circling The Earth
Saturday, April 17th, 2010 | Author: Skip Moen
Many are the sorrows of the wrong; but as for the one trusting YHWH, kindness surrounds him. Psalm 32:10 (ISR)

Surrounds – The Hebrew word savav is spelled samech-bet-bet. Samech paints the picture of twisting slowly or turning. Bet is the picture of a tent or house. Let’s combine these images. Savav is the picture of something slowly circling the house twice. This Hebrew word picture doesn’t show us a single circumnavigation of the house. It shows us the action of going around and around and around the house. This action is continuous.

When we apply this picture to David’s psalm, we see that the idea here is not simply being held in God’s hand (surrounded). It is the picture of God’s continuous action encircling the righteous. Just as the Torah is a fence around those who uphold it, so God is constantly moving around and around the lives of His children, protecting and guiding them. The Creator circles the earth, searching out those who put their trust in Him in order that He may shelter their lives inside His protection (2 Chronicles 16:9a).

David contrasts God’s reliability with the many sorrows of the wicked. We would do well to reflect for a moment about this contrast. Why do the wicked have many sorrows? On the surface, it often appears that the wicked are blessed. They seem to have the secret to powerful and plentiful life. The psalmist Asaph eloquently described the apparent success of the wicked and the possible envy of their fortunes in Psalm 73. He concludes that it is all a sham. They face judgment. No amount of success in this life will rescue them from that fateful day. But this isn’t the only reason the wicked have many sorrows.

David might agree with his son that money and power make life easier. So, David’s insight can’t be about the inevitable twists and turns of living. Everyone experiences those traumas. What distinguishes the righteous from the wicked is something deeper. In the end, the wicked have no protection. Without a moment’s notice, everything can be taken away. Disaster can strike without warning. No amount of insurance, bodyguards or safety nets can ultimately protect us. As the Greeks clearly understood, in a world of random chance, anything can happen to you. The wicked are exposed to any possibility. So, the Greek poet Theognis said, “Not to be born is the best of all things for those who live on earth,and not to gaze on the radiance of the keen-burning sun. Once born, however, it is best to pass with all possible speed through Hades’ gates and to lie beneath a great heap of earth.” A man without God is alone in the universe. That is a great sorrow indeed! If you want the biblical parallel of this Greek poet, read Ecclesiastes. The Teacher comes to virtually the same conclusion. Without God, it’s all just hot air.

God’s encircling protection means much more than disaster prevention. It means purpose and hope in spite of disaster. My life has meaning because He cares for me.

Topical Index: Psalm 32:10, savav, surround, 2 Chronicles 16:9

There are 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet. Just Saying.

"Purity is not the absence of sexuality. It is the discipline to control it. "

A group of cats is called a clowder. Just Saying.

waivering faith. I would be telling a bold face lie if I said my faith never waivered. I think a lot of us would. The ups and downs of our relationships with God are part of the gig. My faith is strong, dont get me wrong, but I have experienced a bad case of waivering faith.

waivering:the act of intentionally relinquishing or abandoning a known right, claim, or privilege

From Merriam-Webster itself. Although not all hardships lead to waivering faith they are often times attributed to it.

Look at it this way:
Bad thing happens,
I feel hurt/mad at God for letting it happen,
faith waivers.

Although they sucked to put it bluntly, I can honestly attribute my most intense periods of spiritual growth to these "bad times". They have made me into the human being, the woman, the CHRISTIAN I am today.

Ephesians 6:10-11,13-20 NLT

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness.15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.*16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.*17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.*
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.*20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God's ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

God knows those hard times are coming! They dont suprise Him. (I mean come on, are you kidding, He's the creator of the universe.) He doesnt leave us to fend for ourselves! He calls us to put on the armor his armor. In Philemon it refers to followers of the way as "soldiers of the cross". We are in Christ's army, of course he will equip us!

When first read, this passage may seem like a list of armor. However upon further inspection and research one will find something interesting. All parts of armor are historically and accurately mentioned except one. The sheath. (for those of you confused its the little holder you put a sword in...oh yeah, you knew that right.) This is left out for a reason. Its meant to be left out because times of trouble, war, battles: they are coming! Our hand must be frozen to the sword! We must be always ready for the warfare, the "bad times".

The best part is this: we dont need to do anything but stand. We dont need to rush in. We dont need to charge. We simply must stand there sword in hand, God by our side, waiting. So put on the armor of the Lord our God and stand.

We already know, that OVERWHELMING victory is ours through Christ (Romans 8:37) We already know how it ends!

Are you living like you're in a world of war?

Sim

Animals that lay eggs don’t have belly buttons. Just Saying.

Well blogging. I can't say I've ever done it before, I've never really been motivated to. However, with a new chapter of my life beginning in college, I feel like it will be a great way to share that with those who actually care, and keep in touch with the cool kids back home. I won't actually start until college- September 6th. But until then, keep it snazzy.

Sim