Psalm 144

1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
Ever felt like you were in some type of battle? Maybe a battle to keep your family together or a personal battle to stay focused. There are many types of battles that everyone will face in their lifetime. Whether we are going to be in a physical battle, emotional battle, or spiritual battle, we need to realize that the foundation in which we stand on should be God. What this means is that we need to trust God and focus on Him throughout the battle. We must continue to seek His face. It is easy to say that we will make God our Rock but I don't think a lot of us take the time to really understand what that even means.

2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
Steadfast love is an amazing thing to think about. Steadfast means fixed in place. God's love for us is fixed in place meaning it isn't going anywhere. God will always love us! Isn't that a great thing to think about? God will always be there for us. It is so easy for me to find myself upset about the fact that I feel like no one is there for me. I always wish that some one would care; that some one would always love me. God is that person who will always be there for me and always care. What a great thing to think about!

3 O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
Its amazing that God loves us so much. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows our every though and listens to our prayers. He ALWAYS is there for us and loves us so much! It amazes me because life is so short. Did you know that there is about 6.8 billion people in the world right now? God cares about each and every one of them! On top of that, God has cared about all of the people that lived before us and He will care about all the people who live after us! When you think about all those people, it is overwhelming to think about the fact that God still has time and even the desire to care about you.

5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down! Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them!
These verses remind me of watching a severe thunderstorm. I don't know about you but one of my favorite things to do is go sit on my front step and watch thunderstorms go by. If you think about it, most outdoor things shut down during a thunderstorm. Most people go inside of a building or a car. I love how the outside goes quiet and still. I mean obviously there is the noise of thunder and the wind blowing in the trees and possibly even the sound of a heavy rain or even hail. But think about it, the people and the man-made noises tend to be silenced. To me, watching a thunderstorm reminds me of God's power. This is why I love snow too! When it snows a few inches here in VA the entire state seems to shut down. I love how God can get this busy world to slow down by simply using the weather. We fill our lives with so many things that we tend to forget the most important thing; God! This is why I personally love stormy weather! it's a natural reminder of the One in control.

7 Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, from the hand of foreigners,

8 whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
We should always be on guard of the lies that are fed to us. We need to continually seek God's face and pray that He will help us to know the lies that are being fed to us. It is so easy for others to pull us down.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
I know that you have heard this and probably known this for awhile but when was the last time you really though about this. The God we sing to is the same God David sang to! We read about these characters in the Bible but how often do we think of them as real people? People thousands of years ago used to make music to the same God that we make music to. Isn't that exciting?! We sing songs to the same God the angels sing to!

11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace;
Plants full grown and corner pillars of a palace? For a little bit I had to think about what these words meant. I finally realized what full grown plants and corner pillars have in common; they are both strong. Full grown plants have deep roots and corner pillars are sturdy and strong. As a youth worker this is my desire for the students in our youth ministry. I hope and pray that they will become strong in their faith with God.

13 may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;

14 may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
How often do you find yourself complaining about the things you need? How often do you tell people that money is tight this month or that your fridge is empty? Now compare that to how often you pray for God's provision. Now also compare that with how many times you take aside time to seek His face. Shouldn't we be spending more time seeking God's face than asking for things from Him? And shouldn't we be spending more times asking God to provide instead of complaining about the lack of provision?

15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!
Blessed are those who choose to make God the Lord of their life. These are the people who have the heart attitude of surrender to God. They truly desire for God to direct them and have control of their life. To me this song represents what they are all about when they choose to make God Lord of their lives.

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as You choose.
Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.
Take my will and make it Thine
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own
it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour
at Your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.
Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

-Take My Life