Daily Bible Study for Thursday July
14, 2016
By: Hanny Lynn Stearns
Fish N
Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying
God’s Word Around The Globe”
Chapter Reading
for Today: Please read in
your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered
paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate
translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful
for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their
wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version,
that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I
will keep it with the New King James Version.
One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my
own writing. I am adding red to the letters when
it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.
Bible Gateway Verse of the Day
John 15:10
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My
love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Psalm
100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name.
Song: The Lord is My Helper By: Integrity Music Scripture Memory Songs
Psalm 12
God’s Word and His Help Are Proven
What would the world be like today if there were more people
like king David was? He loved the Lord (still does – now in heaven) and he
really cared about people. We have seen him cry out on behalf of the needy
multiple times in the few Psalms we have read so far. In that, he really did
show himself to be a man after God’s own heart. His compassion toward those in
need was ‘off the charts’ as they say. Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being a kind, caring and compassionate God. You
really do stand up for those who are oppressed. It is a comfort to know how
caring and loving You are to the humble people of this world. Father I ask You
once again to use my mind, my heart and these hands, mere earthen vessels, to
bring forth revelation to all who read this lesson, both now and in the future.
Father, show us what we need to see and understand about You and Your word in a
deeper way Sir. Give us new insight today as we study. Send out Your purpose in
this lesson unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. Thank
You Lord for always watching over Your word to perform it in our lives when we
obey You. Your words are faithful, pure and true. Lord, we purpose to be not
forgetful hearers, but doers of Your word. Thank You in advance Father for changing
us and bringing us up higher in wisdom through Holy Spirit in Jesus name. Amen!
Once again David cries out to the Lord because he knows he
can. He knows he can count God. He knows that the Lord is trustworthy. The shortest
prayer in the entire Bible is just as effective as the longest – “Help!” When
we cry out in humble reverence to the Lord, He hears. In this Psalm David was
saying that it seemed that good, honest godly people were nowhere to be found.
Does it ever seem that way to you when you go through your travels in your day?
Everywhere he looked he saw people who were evil, proud, dishonest
and just plain full of themselves. Does that sound a lot like our society today?
Things haven’t changed really, have they? People are not honest with their
neighbor, and they think that they can just say whatever they want and not be
held accountable for it. Many think that there is no Lord over them and what
they say or do. But David knew differently. He knew there was a good God in
heaven whom he could cry out to on behalf of those being taken advantage of (including
himself) and ask for His help. Verses 5, 6 and 7 really set the theme for this
Psalm.
The Lord Himself is speaking out in verse 5 saying…
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing
of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”
The Lord responds to the cry
of those that are helpless. And really, doesn’t that describe most of us at
some point or another? We are a needy people, but we were created by an
all-powerful, ‘everything you need’ kind of God. And when God says He is gonna rise
and do something, He means it. In fact, if we look at the
very next verse, we get the most important nugget out of the chapter. It is
what everything hinges on – God’s word. His words are…
Psalm 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times.
God is a consuming fire – so in that description
alone we can see that whatever comes from Him is pure. God is pure. His words
are powerful and they make things happen. Whenever He speaks, His words are
meant to cause something to happen. And because of the power of His words, they
cannot fail in accomplishing what they are sent for. Let’s look further…
Isaiah 55:10-11
“For as the rain
comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the
earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and
bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall
not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing for which I sent
it.
Psalm 33:6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
What God says will come to
pass. Period. There is no point in questioning it – He is faithful and His
words are accomplished. Let’s look at another verse…
Psalm 18:30
As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is proven; He is a
shield to all who trust in Him.
Why do we doubt something that is proven? I question myself here as much
as anyone reading this. If God’s word works, then why do we doubt? Consider
this. It is a proven fact that gravity works, right? We know without any doubt
that when something goes up into the air that gravity will pull it back to the
ground. If a person jumps off of a skyscraper, they will not remain in the air.
They will come down and hit the ground. It is a proven fact. It is a known and
proven fact that trees lose their leaves in autumn, but those same trees will
always bear new leaves when the next springtime season arrives. Does anyone
reading this, including myself doubt this? I dare say no.
Before we buy a car, it had to be proven to work and run correctly,
right? And when we buy it, we got in and turned on the key, fully expecting it
to work, right? So if we can trust a piece of machinery that is here today and
gone tomorrow to serve us and do what it is supposed to do every day, then why
do we doubt the all-powerful word of God which cannot fail? Let’s look at some
more verses…
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
His word is alive and actively working. It does not fall to the ground
without accomplishing the purpose for which He has sent it. His word will never
fail…
Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers,
the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33 all say the
same thing (in hope that we will get it)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Psalm 33:4
For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth.
God’s word tests the heart of man…
Psalm 105:19
Until the time
that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.
And Mary, the mother of Jesus had the right response to the word of the
Lord…
Luke 1:38a
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
God’s words bring eternal life…
John 6:68
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
God’s word grows, it multiplies, it prevails…
Acts 19:20
So the word of the Lord grew
mightily and prevailed.
His word endures forever…
But the word of the Lord endures
forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
What God says is powerful, faithful and true. His word always lasts.
People’s words do not. In this chapter we see what the words of the ungodly do.
They are flattering words, that are dishonest and vain. They are meaningless.
Ungodly people speak in pride and boasting, and God will surely cut them off.
But His words are sure. We can trust in what He says. Saints, there isn’t much
in this world we can depend on these days. We are in the last days and there is
much evil all around us.
In truth, we are in the last of the last days, and
evil has increased, though it has always been around since the fall of man with
Adam and Eve. But in this time of trial in the earth, the man and woman of God have something
sure, tried and true to grab onto. It is the word of our God. The only thing that
can cause His word not to work in our lives is a lack of faith. So if we are
not seeing something about His word working in our lives, we can be sure it is
not His word that is failing – it’s our faith! He is there to help us. When we
cry out “Help!” He hears us.
Just yesterday while I was exercising, I twisted my left ankle pretty badly.
I wasn’t paying perfect attention to what I was doing, and it caused me a
painful injury. I was quite unhappy when this happened. But as quickly as it
happened, I could hear the voice of the Lord in my spirit. He said, “Just keep walking.”
So I did. When I went back to the treadmill, he told me not to do any more
dancing for the day. He said to just walk treadmill and the elliptical, and so
I did. By the time I left the gym I was feeling great. I kept walking around
the house doing things after I got home and everything seemed to be fine.
When I sat down to work on my computer, I noticed that the ankle started
to hurt. I tried to ignore it and kept working. As the minutes passed by, the
pain continued to intensify. I elevated my foot and squirmed in my chair until
finally I couldn’t take the pain any longer. I left my work and headed for the
bed. I was home alone. My husband had to work late. As I laid in bed, in pain
and in dire need of healing, I cried out to the Lord. I commanded the pain to
leave in Jesus name and I kept thanking Jesus for healing me. I praised Him and
confessed good things as I began to toss and turn in severe pain.
I grabbed a
book about the Lord and started reading it. I tried to keep my mind focused on
Him and off the pain. As I laid there the Lord spoke to my heart about an issue of
disobedience. I repented immediately. Between the time I left the gym and the
time I had begun my work, I had eaten something I was not supposed to –
disobedience! I knew that my disobedience had opened the door for the enemy to
bring the pain. But God had heard my cries for help and He helped me to deal
with the issue that had opened the door. Once that happened, I just laid there
and continued to read.
I praised Him and thanked Him for helping me. I sent a
text and asked my neighbor and my husband to pray for me and they did. As time
passed, though there was still too much pain to walk, it was subsiding a bit. My
husband came home and helped me to the restroom. After that I went to sleep. By
then the pain had subsided even more.
In the morning I woke up and was able to get out of bed and walk on my
own. Praise His name forever! He is a healing, gracious and merciful God. He
knew why the pain had gotten so intense and He came to my side to correct me so
He could have the right to intervene and help me. Like our Psalm today says,
the Lord will set the needy in safety. He will keep them and preserve them forever
more.
Friends, I only shared this experience as a testimony to the grace of
our great and awesome God. We all need to hear testimonies of how He heals
people and then remember that what He has done for others He will do for
us. God’s word is powerful and His help
is sure. Look at this…
Psalm 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Last night the Lord sent forth His word and healed me. And He wants to
do the same for you too. Did you know that? I mean, do you really know that? Do
you understand that the Lord always wants to help you? There are times in
everyone’s life when we are in great need. Other times, by His grace we are
able to extend ourselves to others in need. Life is a series of give and take
experiences, though it is always more blessed to give than to receive.
We all
need to receive at times. Receiving is a blessing. Giving is a greater
blessing. The Lord wants to supply our needs so that we can have more than
enough to give to others. He is a giving God. He is a loving God. While He does
away with the wicked, He helps the needy. He has given us His word and it is proven.
It is effective. It is sure. He loves to help His children. Look at this…
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted
in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise
him.
Psalm 63:7
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
Psalm 121:1
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence
cometh my help.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen
thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:13
For I the Lord thy
God will hold thy right hand, saying unto
thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Isaiah 50:7
For the Lord God will help me;
therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Isaiah 50:9
Behold, the Lord God will help me;
who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a
garment; the moth shall eat them up.
Hebrews 13:6
So that we may boldly say, The
Lord is my helper, and I will not
fear what man shall do unto me.
There are many more verses in the Bible which is the active, living and
powerful word of God that promises His help for those who cry out to Him. The
poor, the needy, the distressed, the persecuted, the injured. God cares and His
arm is never too short to help. The big question is; will we ask for it? And
then the second question is, will we receive it? Saints, we have a mighty God. I
don’t think any of us have any idea how much He really wants to help us. We
have not begun to understand the depth of His love. The sooner we start to
really grab that understanding in the depth or our hearts, the quicker we will
be able to access His hand for all the help we need in every situation.
I remember last night as I laid in bed writhing in pain, I knew I had to
act like Paul and Silas when they were in prison. Their backs were bleeding and
they were certainly in great physical pain and discomfort. But what did they do
in the midst of it? They praised God! They were in chains; they were bound in
stocks. They were certainly hungry, tired, maybe hot and very uncomfortable in
every conceivable way, yet they maintained an attitude of praise. Nowhere in
the Bible does it say they complained. – nowhere! And because they never did
whine or complain about their circumstances, here’s what God did as they
honored Him. He honored them…
Acts 16:23-26
And
when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging
the jailor to keep them safely:
Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner
prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God:
and the prisoners heard them.
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations
of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every
one's bands were loosed.
Those two men were pretty needy at that moment, wouldn’t you say? But
they never complained. Do we not think that God knows exactly what we are going
through every moment? And He certainly knows the level of physical or emotional
pain we are encountering. But what He wants to see is where our hearts are in
the midst of the worst of it. Are we really going to praise Him and trust Him
when it looks the bleakest and we are in the most need? That is what He is
looking for. Does He enjoy seeing us suffer? Absolutely not. Is He the one
responsible for our suffering? No way!
Our God is the helper of the needy and will do exactly what today’s
Psalm says, because it is His word after all. He will keep and preserve the
needy from this wicked generation and forever. No matter what happens to us.
Whether evil people are hounding us and saying bad things about us, or we have
been attacked in our bodies will sickness and pain, whatever it is that is
coming against us – our God is greater. Our God is able to deliver us from
evil, proud and boasting people. He is able to deliver us from pain – both in
our bodies and in our soul. He is our very present help in any time of need.
Will we believe it? Will we receive it?
Questions:
What did David ask God in the first sentence of today’s Psalm?
What does God do to people who speak and do evil things?
What does verse 5 promise us when we are in need?
Describe in your own words the promise contained in verse 6.
What does the Lord do for the poor and needy as described in
verse 7?
What about this chapter has encouraged you the most?
In what ways have you cried out to the Lord and seen Him move
in a mighty way for you in the past?
Psalm 72:12
For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper.
There are three main points to
consider from today’s study…
The Lord cuts off those who speak and
do evil
The Lord’s word is proven, powerful
and effective
The Lord is our Helper in every
situation we face
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for hearing me when I cry out to You for help!
Father, thank You for Your word that is proven, powerful and true at all times.
Lord, thank You for giving me something solid I can stand on through the trials
I face in this life. Lord, if there has been any area of my life where I have
not trusted You or depended on Your powerful word, I ask You to reveal that to
me now. And Father, as You do, I will make up my mind and change my heart to trust
in You and Your word completely with Your help and leading. In Jesus name I
pray. Amen.
Are
you really trusting in God and His word for your life?
And God Said… You fill in the blanks.
1 Corinthians
2:9-10
But as it is written:
“Eye
has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”[a]
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”[a]
But
God has revealed them to
us through His Spirit.
For
the Spirit searches all things,
yes,
the deep things of God.
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