Michelle continues her quest to discover keys to Revival in Psalm 119 reading verses 145-152 in the Passion Translation. Today, we'll look at the question: "Who or What do I turn to in difficult circumstances?" As we read, we'll discover the key of utter dependence on God and surrender to Him as our source in every moment of our lives as a key to revival, not only for us - but as we engage with the world around us as well!

Show Transcript:

You are listening to the Blooming Inspired Podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network. We exist to empower the voices of women who live their their lives #BloomingAlive through Podcast Community. Now, here is your host.

Blooming Inspired Podcast equipping and empowering the voices of women who live their lives Blooming Alive.

Introduction

Good Morning! This is Michelle Bentham, host of Blooming Inspired Podcast. We announced last week on our Facebook Page that we would begin sharing this podcast once a week on Tuesdays at 11 am (CT). We’ll replay the episode on Thursday mornings in case you didn’t catch it on Tuesday - AND, we also have Bible study airing on Facebook Live each week at 10 am (CT) at facebook.com/bloominginpsired. So you will still have the opportunity to #GetBloomingInspired each week through the podcast and Bible study. Our next session of Bible study will be on Saturday, October 12th --- If you haven’t already liked the Blooming Inspired FB page go ahead and do so today! That way you’ll get notified and see our posts in your regular feed.

I had an early appointment this morning that ran longer than I intended and so we’re running a bit late getting online today. We’ll be reading from the Passion Translation in Psalm 119. So go ahead and grab your favorite translation of the Bible and turn to Psalm 119: 145-152 as I recap what we read last time.

Review

In our last episode, we read verses 137-144 as we continued to discover keys to revival. As we read, we acknowledged the truth of God's Word, and how it leads our hearts to burn with furious passion for the Lord. When we understand His word, we understand not only His righteousness but the faithfulness of His promises. These promises are TRUTH to set us free.

This Week’s Reading

So Now Let’s Pray, Father God, I ask that you would impart truth to our heart, mind and soul today - would you open our eyes to see your revelation, open our ears to hear your voice, and open our hearts to know you more? I thank you that when we believe in Christ, we are hidden in Him and His blessings. Remind us of these truths as we read today! I ask these things in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.

The heading for today’s reading is, “Save Me, God” As we work our way through scripture today, I want you to consider this question: To who or what do I turn when troubles come?

Verse 145: Answer my passionate prayer, O Lord, and I’ll obey everything you say. The psalmist almost seems to be bargaining with God - “if You’ll answer my prayer, I’ll obey you…” But, that is not what they write. Instead we see two connected statements… Answer my passionate prayer, O Lord, and I’ll obey everything you say. The psalmist is asking for God to answer his prayer so he’ll know what to do… Dependent upon God speaking to him for his next step.

Do we live this way? Utterly dependent on our relationship with God -- what we read in Scripture AND the way we sense Him responding to our prayers. Are we committed to cry out to Him in every circumstance and obey what we sense He is leading us to do?

It is powerful to consider how the psalmist is reaffirming his commitment to obey God over and over again throughout this lengthy psalm - which leads me to a conclusion. The key to revival is both walking in dependence on God’s words given to us in Scripture and by revelation of the Holy Spirit. That to awaken our hearts to His truth we must know the Scriptures and then receive revelation from the Holy Spirit about how to live, and move, and find our being in Him. He alone can protect, guide and reveal Himself to us in every circumstance we face. We must be willing to cry out to Him, wait for His response and respond as He directs us. Utter dependence is a key to revival.

Verse 146: Save me, God, and I’ll follow your every instruction. Again, we see the psalmist in utter need. Dependent upon the salvation of God -- his heart cry is if you will show me your salvation I will do it. I will do what you instruct me to do. As we approach God through the Scriptures and prayer, I’m reminded that my heart must remain teachable. When my spiritual eyes and ears are tuned to the voice of God and His instructions - only then will I know the true depth of His redemption and salvation in my life. I cannot rely only on what I’ve known about God - but rather come to Him crying out each day, in every situation and receive His instruction as both truth and necessity in every moment of my life.

Verse 147:Before the day dawns, I’ll be crying out for help and wrapping your words into my life. What a beautiful picture of dependency on God. Early in the morning, before the sun even comes up -- I’ll be crying out for your assistance as I wrap your words into my life. The deepest desire of our heart should not only be to depend on God and be saved by Him, but to have a heart to Know Him the way we are Known By Him. To have His words that express not only His will, but His very being to us - to be woven into the fiber of who we are. To be written upon our hearts as only He can write them. Wrapping our lives in His words, and His truth. Hiding ourselves in Him.

Verse 148: I lie awake every night pondering your promises to me. Letting His promises resonate deep within our hearts. That His word would resound so loudly that it would rob us of our sleep the way a young maiden rehearses the words of her lover as she lies on her pillow at night. Pondering, meditating on and dreaming of the promises of God and His truth in my life.

Verse 149: Lord, listen to my heart’s cry, for I know your love is real for me; breathe life into me again by the revelation of your justice. When we know the reality of God who is LOVE for us, then we begin to understand that His justice is not that of vengeance - taking recompense for what has offended Him. But rather, His justice, born of love, lays down its life to save those who offend Him. What would our heart’s cry sound like if we knew the love of God for those who offend us? If our justice sacrificed itself on behalf of others… What would that look like? I believe sacrificing my right to be right, and surrendering my need to be justified is a key to revival. It changes my heart to see from God’s perspective those that would offend me the most and step forth in truth to reveal His heart for them.

Verse 150: Here they come—these lawless rebels are coming near, but they are all so far away from your laws. Honestly, we can recognize the lawlessness in others, we can also avoid meeting them and ministering to them because they seem like a lost cause. But, Jesus didn’t render them lost causes. He came to save them, to correct them, to free them from the bondage of both sin and religious piety that was empty and valueless in the eyes of God. Can I pray for the sinner, the lawless ones, the way I pray for the saints I live my life with day in and day out? Can I dig for the gold of God’s treasure in them rather than call them out for who they are being or what they have done? How will we reach them if we do not love them as we find them - in their lawlessness. It’s not saying that evil is good, but saying I believe God placed His goodness inside of every life He created and it is my job to lead them out of darkness and into the light of His truth so they may discover it for themselves. Isn’t this what love looks like?

Verse151: God, you are near me always, so close to me; every one of your commands reveals truth. If God is always near me, so close to me that His truth is continually revealed to me, then what do I have to fear? If Christ lives within me, if the powerful Spirit of God lives inside of me and has baptized me in His Power and His Truth - then why do I fear when the world around me rages and people seem to seek to harm me? Why don’t we, as the Body, believe and walk in His authority and live as if the victory is ours for the taking, that people’s lives will change when they encounter the God whom we profess? Why do we try to manufacture gimmicks and device schemes to get people to church when the Holy Spirit Himself wins people to Jesus Christ when He is lifted up? What if our next marketing plan for the local church was to be like Jesus everywhere we go, and make disciples in the streets and the marketplaces because the word dwells so richly in us that God’s goodness splashes out on everyone we mee? His goodness and His promises do not come to me for my benefit alone - they come so I may be a benefit to others.

Verse 152: I’ve known all along how true and unchanging is every word you speak, established forever! The truths of God are established forever - His revelation, His promises and His Kingdom are all established forever. Every plan of God is revealed and established by His Son Jesus Christ. So why wouldn’t we cry out to Him in our need expecting Him to respond with favor, goodness and blessing toward His beloved Children?

Closing Remarks

That's all the time that I have for today! Thank you for tuning in with us. I want to ask you if this podcast has been a blessing to you: would you subscribe to it and share it with your friends and family? We’d love to partner with you in sharing messages that encourage and inspire.

If you’d like to be a guest on this show or get more information about hosting your own podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network - please reach out to [email protected]. I’d love the opportunity to connect with you and figure out how we can share your voice with the world around us.

BIBLE STUDY SEASON IS UPON US! We began our The Gospels: Verse-By-Verse Bible Study this past Saturday. We will resume on October 12th in person (Granbury, TX) and on Facebook Live at 10 am (Central Time). That’s right - This season our study is found in the book of Luke. We read the first 80 verses last weekend and will pick up in Chapter Two next week. You can learn more and catch up on last week’s study by visiting facebook.com/bloominginspired and checking out the events listed on our page!

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Tune In Wednesdays! Accidental Hope Podcast airs on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. central time. Each week Jennifer Eikenhorst brings hope-filled messages and interviews related to overcoming accidents and traumas we face in life. You don’t want to miss her final of a three part interview series with Tina Boyd as they talk about how Faith Moves You Forward this week!

And now, I want to remind you as I always do: Blooming where you're planted is the first step to living your wildest dreams, so live your lives blooming alive!

Thank you for listening to the Blooming Inspired Podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network. This show airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 am central time. Please take a moment to like, share and subscribe to this podcast. To learn more about this podcast and its network, or the ministries of Blooming Inspired Network please visit BloomingInspiredNetwork.com and click the podcast link at the top of the page.