Category: Practical Apps

Being Preoccupied

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Psalm 19: 7 – 11

The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much of the fine gold; sweeter than honey and the dripping of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 27: 4 – 5

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

Psalm 119: 10 – 11, 14 – 16

With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.  

King David was always delighting in the Word of God. He may not have been a learned man as he rose from being a shepherd boy to the king of Israel. However, he was aware of the law of God. He meditated on His word. Before he became the king, he sought the Lord in every aspect of his life. He sought the counsel of Urim and Thummim in many situations when he was on the run from Saul and when he had to wage war against the enemies of Israel. Later, when he became king, he sought the counsel of the Lord and of the prophets in the land. Whatever situation he was in, he thought of God first.  More than anything else in the world, his delight was in the law of the Lord. He favored the temple courts than any place else. The reason being there was constant praise and worship in the Tabernacle of the Lord by the priests of God and he could join the throngs to worship Him.

David’s preoccupation was God Almighty. He meditated on His law night and day. No wonder he did not fear his enemies. He knew the Lord his banner would be with him. When he wanted to make important decisions, he sought the Lord his wisdom for wise counsel. When he wanted to satisfy the desire of his heart, he delighted his soul with the law of the Lord. Such was the passionate love of David towards His Maker. No matter what circumstance he was in, David was always preoccupied with the Lord, His Word, His laws, His precepts and His presence.

In our present times, we have numerous things to be preoccupied with. We have come up with ways to kill boredom. We have 24/7 television, other forms of entertainment, our careers, families, hobbies, health, etc., to keep our minds occupied. On the flip side, we have the cares of the world, the responsibilities we have to bear, illness of a loved one, the state of our country and world around us, etc., that have become our primary preoccupation. In all situations, it is not a sin if our minds and hearts are preoccupied with these pressing matters. However, are we steering our hearts and minds to the precepts of the Lord? Do we seek the presence of the Lord in all our circumstances?

Dear Saint of God, let us delight ourselves with the Word of God even in dire circumstances. Instead of the worries and anxieties of the world wearing us down, let us wear the garment of praise so that all the cares of the world are washed away from us. For our Lord will take up our burdens upon Himself and He will give us His yoke which is light and easy. King David was confident that if his delight was in the Lord and His house, then His Almighty God would shield him in His Holy Tabernacle. Yes, the cares, the worries, the responsibilities are real and present every day of our lives. Jesus Himself said these words, “But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6: 33 – 34)

Let us be preoccupied with the Word of God, seeking His presence, and His counsel every minute of our lives. Let His laws steer our every thought and every action. Even when we sleep, let His precepts guide us. It is delightful to be preoccupied with His Word for He alone can satisfy us like no other. Once we taste the sweetness of His presence, there is no going back. We become so addicted that we seek His presence constantly. Our Heavenly Father becomes our primary preoccupation. Nothing in this world will delight us like His presence. Yes, we may be distracted for a bit, but our hearts’ desire causes us to refocus on Christ, our Redeemer. For He is beautiful beyond description. Soon will come a day when our Lord will descend and take us home to be with Him where we can truly delight in His presence for all eternity.

Psalm 119: 97 – 98O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine.

Being Ready

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Joshua 5: 13 – 14

Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”

2 Timothy 4: 1 – 2

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

The Lord of Hosts has now charged Joshua to lead His people into the Promised Land. Joshua, now fully empowered but still cautious, took his responsibility very seriously. This generation that was before him was fully equipped, were highly motivated and focused to take over the land of the Canaanites. Joshua constantly reminded them to obey the Voice of the Lord. He led by example. Now that the people have crossed into Jordan, they were ready to take the city of Jericho which was the first fortified city. Instead of marching ahead, Joshua and all the fighting men waited on the Lord for instructions.

Joshua himself was scouting the land and he chanced upon a man with a drawn sword. Since he didn’t recognize the man, probably not attired in the same way as the Israelite soldier, Joshua cautiously approached him. Joshua was ready to take him down if he was the enemy. Joshua was constantly on the alert. Joshua was courageous enough to question the man if he was for them or against them. However, when he learned that the man was the captain of the host of the Lord, Joshua fell down and worshipped him.

Apostle Paul charged Timothy to constantly be on alert, be ready to defend his faith, to reprove, to rebuke and to exhort at the drop of a hat. We, as believers of Lord Jesus, are supposed to be on our toes constantly when it comes to defending our faith. That means, we have to immerse ourselves in God’s Truth, day in and day out. The more we are filled with the Truth, the more confident we will be to defend our faith. Every curve ball, our fiery dart that is hurled our way, we can deflect them by being on the offense. If the sword of Truth is in our hands and on our lips, we can face any giant, any ism, any doctrine head-on.

In a world where we are constantly being challenged for our faith, subtly questioning the confidence we have in Christ, how much empowered we must be to defend our faith; not only defend our faith but confident enough to point others to the Truth of God’s Word. We do not know when and what kind of enemy will attack us. In season or out of season, we must be ready to defend our faith with kindness and patience.

Dear Saint of God, let us strive to immerse ourselves in the Word of God, so we have confidence to stand boldly in defense of the faith we hold so close. The enemy is lurking around every bend to bring us down, luring us with false doctrines, and placing a doubt in our hearts and minds. Let us boldly avert every attack of the devil, deter every false teaching with the Word of Truth, just like Jesus did.