Sharing my gift...

Just before Christmas God gave me more than a Christmas present - He gave me a word for this year. The Lord and I have had what I call a "WAY"  (Word A Year) deal for a couple of years now. I'm so happy about this because my heart desire has always been (& always will be) to know the Way of the Lord not just knowing (& benefitting from) His acts (Ps 103:7*)

I'm not saying that God only speaks to me once a year - oh God forbid! He very generously gives me a Word that "guides" & guards me - it's like an anchor that keeps me stable in the waves of the year.

Now back to the Word...

...it started with a verse (in bold) and then expanded - let's read them together:

²¹ I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!

²² The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.

²³ This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.
²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵ Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.
²⁶ Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷ The Lord is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

(Ps 118: 21 - 29 - NLT)

 

After I listened to a message based on verse 22 that blessed and challenged me, I was led to read the preceeding and succeeding verses. As always, when God sheds light on His word it lightens our "load."

The first thing that struck me in this set of verses is that "rejection" is just a comma not a full stop in one's life.
If you "omit" or skip over verse 22, you'll notice that the Psalmist is simply testifying of God's goodness in his life in the past, prophesying of the Lord's doing in the future and heartily praising God in the present.


The second thing that struck me was the fact that "rejection by man" was a precursor to promotion by God. I will never tire I saying that the only thing that matters in one's life is what God has said - it is only God's word that is settled forever.**

 

Building on Ps 118: 22 (pun intended), God reconfirmed His word with Job 22:28 - 29. Verse 29 says: 

"When they make [you] low, you will say, [There is] a lifting up;

and the humble person He lifts up and saves."^

Verse 28 tells us how to deal with such "rejection" - by the words of our mouths:

"You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God’s favor] shall shine upon your ways."^

 

So here's another confirmation that the word of God out of our mouths will come to pass. 

For the word of God to proceed from our mouths, it must first be stored in our hearts.

 

I know I'm going all over the place - what a multi-dimensional Word! Let me go back on to the key points that struck me from the passage:

 

The 3rd thing is: we always have a reason to give God thanks because all things always work together for those of us who sincerely love God.***

 

The fourth thing is that each and everyday is a gift to us from God - a gift that we should accept gratefully as it is our choice whether or not to rejoice and be glad in it. Like Bishop TD Jakes said:

“Each day is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to Him.”

 

Summary: While we do not pray for rejection, we must see & deal with it in a different perspective. See "rejection" by men as your way up - which is how God sees & deals with it...it is paving our way forward and upward. In all things, praise God and He'll raise you.

I'm sure you'll glean more from these verses...feel free to share them with the rest of us.

 

 

References:

*Ps 103:7 - He let Moses know his ways. He let the Israelites know the things he had done. (God's Word Translation)
^ Amplified Bible
** Ps 119:89 - O Lord, your word is established in heaven forever. (God's Word Translation)
Mark 13:31 - Heaven and earth will perish and pass away, but My words will not perish or pass away. (Amplified Bible)
Is 40:8 - The grass dies [withers] and the flowers fall, but the word of our God will live [endure; stand] forever. (Expanded Bible)
Lam 3:37 - Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? (NLT)
***Rom 8:28 - And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (NLT)