Today Our Daily BREAD Psalms 107 & 2 Cor 2:14

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her daily journal.

Psalm 107:1-49

Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance
1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
4They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
5Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
7And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
8Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
10Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons--
11Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
12Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
13Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
15Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
17Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
20He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
21Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
23Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
24They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
25For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits' end.
28Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
33He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
34A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
36There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
39When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction and sorrow,
40He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
42The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
43Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Lena’s Journalin’ Today
Good Morning!
I sense an air in the minds and hearts of many, a misunderstanding that I’d like to try to clear up, if I may.
I sense people reading these passages today and doubting the words in them. I hear thoughts being voiced silently, such as, “Yeah, well, I believe God IS merciful, but I’m not sure if it’s forever” or “My enemies seem to be all about me everyday, why does it say, “He’s taken me out of the hands of my enemies?”, and if He has done that then why to I feel so victimized?” The next thought of reason could say to us, “Well, He does that for some of us and not for others, maybe we’re just not “the others” here in this instance, or maybe we have to wait in line, or do something to deserve it” or whatever.
These thoughts are common to human reason, to the world’s influence on us. Remember the father of this world, the devil, hates God and hates us and wants to lie to us as much as we will allow Him to. He will be so far ahead in winning our souls over to his reason, if we believe him and turn away from believing in God’s goodness, greatness, love etc.
This is very personal. If we disregard God’s goodness to us personally we then can justify that we are not doubting God in general, just questioning His love and kindness and desire towards us personally.
I want to open up an idea to you that I’ve received and that I hold onto that keeps me in His love always.
The real enemy against us is eternal death. The enemy is eternal separation from God. The enemy is that which takes my faith in God, in Jesus, in the Holy Spirit and destroys it.
The enemies are not so much, lack, turmoil, strife, discontent, hatred towards us which is unmerited etc. These are only temporary symptoms and pains the earth inflicts on us to try to sway us away from knowing, experiencing and winning others over to the kingdom of God. They are tests given us to see who we really are and who we really serve, they show if we’ve gotten the eternal picture or not.
I’d like to challenge you to look at the word from eternal eyesight, rather than just the here and now vision we many times view from.
He’s taken us from an eternity of doom! Do you SEE that? Do you even understand what hell is about? Do you know what it would be like to have no grace, no mercy, no God available at all? Ask God for this revelation. Ask Him to show you His face in this area so you can add to your perspective of eternity.
This is something to jump, shout, dance & holler about. Even if I’d lost my job, or my spouse left me alone, or I was injured somehow (trails, not enemies)- Jesus died for my sins, the sins that kept me from an eternity that would take me completely out of His arms reach. Jesus loved me enough to redeem my soul and yank me out of hell. He pursues me. He tries over and over again to offer me chances to come to Him while I’m alive here. That’s mercy and grace in demonstration. He keeps sending messengers my way, till I bow my stubborn will over to His and return His love. He has people pray for me, when I don’t deserve anything, even when I’ve cursed Him in my lack of understanding of life. He sets me in a household where someone loves God in whatever way they know. He has me living in a country where there is a place of refuge, a church building, on practically every other corner of every other street. He surrounds me on every side, offering to save me from my enemies, those that would kill me here before I receive and serve Him, before I give Him back one iota of what He gave me, before I even realize who He is to me, what He did, and why He put me here. He actually preserves my earth life here by people who are willing to pray for me, so that I’ll have multiple chances to serve Him, before death would bring me to point of facing the effect of my decisions for or against His love extended towards me.
This is mercy
This is redemption
This is grace
This is kindness, this is Love & goodness, faithfulness, longsuffering, etc.
I may have the worst things in all the world happen to me.
I may be abused at home, born without any parents, I may have lost all of my extremities physically, or have seen cruelty and pain and suffering that I cannot seem to shake….But His kindness, His love follows me asking me to receive this ticket to eternal life and to come in to a place in the spirit, where I’ll so desire to invite others in to receive a ticket also.
Our enemies want us to think God causes us the harm, pain, suffering, and that He’s the one who’s abandoned us. Please silence the enemy, tell him he’s a liar and cannot lie to you any longer. You belong to God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
He’s going to hell and wants you to go along so he’ll have “medals” of his victory against God’s heart’s cry- you.
Are you going with him or coming to God?
I pray you come to God and serve Him all of the rest of your days, not wasting another moment of time of fellowship with Him. In His is fullness of joy and at His right hand are treasures forevermore.
So, are you persecuted?- you are saved out of hell.
So, you are abandoned?- you have His spirit .
So you are injured?- He’s your comforter.
How about cast down and depressed? He’s the lover of your soul and your peace. Seek and find Him in the midst of this world where pain is divvied out everyday.
Find Him, He’s not very far off, at all.

(daily repetitive verse)
2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.