Out of Sync?

 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long? Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

Psalm 6:1-4 (ESV)
 
Rescue me for your sake, God? Indeed. We were created to glorify God, not ourselves. Whenever we think this life is about making me "great" in some way, shape, or form, we are out of sync with reality. Being out of sync is dangerous and potentially destructive.
 
A car engine needs to be "timed." All the components in the engine need to work together, or they are in danger of sudden and disastrous destruction. Being a little off effects all the moving parts, and can render a valuable vehicle worthless.
 
There are signs that things are out of sync, both in a car and our lives. The most obvious sign in life that things are out of sync is when we make things about us. Correct it, or we face destruction.

Dependence

 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:11-12 (ESV)
 
What is it in which we take refuge? Is it our position, health, strength, money, power, family, friends, etc.? What is it that will fail and prove that God alone is the one in Whom we can trust to take refuge?
 
History is clear and points to the fact that God alone is worthy of our trust. He alone can defeat the enemies, protect the innocent, guide the sojourner, and provide for the needy. He alone can give purpose to any journey and is always at the end of the journey, waiting to greet those who love Him-which means He alone is one in Whom we can take refuge.
 
Every person alive today started out dependent upon someone else and will continue to be dependent upon someone else. God is the common denominator for a life well-lived and well-ended.

We Need To Pause

 Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.

Psalm 5:1-7 (ESV)
 
David asks God to consider his groaning or meditation, not just his words. Man should ponder, for there is no other way to grasp reality. Constantly being a "busy mind" leads us to be a "busy body," more interested in what is visible, and less interested in the invisible reality.
 
We need to pause daily in the presence of the Lord if we are to gain the strength of the Lord.

Strategize or Obey?

 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.

Psalm 4:4-5 (ESV)
 
"God made him inwardly happy, even in his poverty. He had lost for a time his palace and his kingdom, and was dependent upon the supplies of friends. Yet he was happy, and who made him happy? ". . .Thou hast put gladness in my heart." God alone can make us happy anywhere and anywhen. ". . .Although the fig tree shall not blossom," etc. (Hab. 3:17). What does Paul say? ". . .I glory in tribulation." Martyrs have sung in dungeons, and triumphed in flames." (Biblical Illustrator)
 
Angry people destroy themselves while trying to destroy others. Those who trust the Lord will gain strength, power, and purpose. The strength and endurance will increase as long as the "gaze" stays secure.
 
Circumstances cannot and should not control me, for that is a privilege reserved for God alone. In this fact, there is tremendous rest.
 
God did not make us to strategize; He made us to obey, and as we do so, we will win.
 

God Protects

 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Psalm 3:1-6 (ESV)
 
Those who fight against God will lose; there is no alternative. All fights have a moment when one might wonder what direction things are going to take, yet those who fight against God have a proven track record of disaster.
 
God protects those who come to Him for protection. His protection is beyond anything we could ever imagine. It may not be protection from the earthly dangers we face, but protection from the very Evil One, who would, in a minute, destroy both our life and soul should he have the opportunity.
 

Raging Leaders

 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

Psalm 2:1-4 (ESV)
 
The Lord holds those who ignore Him and who make plans to succeed without Him in contemptuous ridicule for their ignorance. Ignoring God is the same as disobeying Him.
 
All nations throughout history have the same struggles. Those who are given authority, if they are Godless, try to make all things about themselves. In the process, they are limited in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
 
The most outstanding leaders in history were the greatest followers of God and His directives.
The Godless create burdens and then try to legislate ways to carry them. The Godly experience burdens and give them to the only one who can carry them.
 
Without God, we are left with raging leaders who plot in vain to fix what they cannot.
 

Hearing God

 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Psalm 1:1-4 (ESV)
 
Sometimes, people focus on what we should be doing and avoid discussing what we should not do. That sounds good, but is not practical. To understand something, one must grasp the positive and the negative. God tells us in this passage that those who do not, which is the negative side, walk in the counsel of the wicked…stand…sit, but do something else (positive side) and who delight in God's Word are those who are blessed.
 
Being consumed by the rhetoric of the Godless diminishes our ability to hear God's voice.