“Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”
– Psalm 83:18
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you believe that the enemies of God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids will one day be able to amass a global confederacy of powers so that they might cause chaos on the Christ-follower family? Do you think that the antagonists of God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids are presently bivouacked as a global consortium of forces so that they might create confusion in the Christ-follower community? Do you feel that the adversaries of God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids have already assembled a global conglomeration of minions who are conniving crises within the Christ-follower body? Do you know personally a guy, gal and/or kid who is right now experiencing a difficult life crisis? Your grandpaa a couple of weeks ago received a telephone call from his youngest sis. Peg told your grandpaa that one of her grandkids had a biopsy done on the tumor that had just been discovered behind one of Gerrit’s eyes. The biopsy’s result of the tumor is that Gerrit has brain cancer. Gerrit’s doctors are planning to use radiation to aggressively attack the cancer. Gerrit is one of your dad’s cousin’s kids. The long term prognosis for Jeremy’s oldest kid is not good. Your grandpaa received an e-mail this morning from an acquaintance. This friend’s e-mail listed three prayer requests which are: the bro of a ‘dear’ friend has been extremely ill with an undisclosed condition which the guy will not even tell his folks. The very sick guy per the e-mail just wants to die at home. The second request is about the son of a ‘sis’ like friend who early last month purportedly – while he was driving his pickup, fell asleep. The resulting rollover caused a broken leg, broken ribs and internal injuries. Subsequent blood clots have been messing with the young guy’s emotional and physical wellbeing as well as keeping the guy from being released from the hospital. Medical bills have ostensibly exhausted all the family’s financial resources. The third request is about a next door neighbor gal who was very recently diagnosed by a neurologist with having a brain tumor. The tumor is located in an area that affects speech and right side motor function. The neighbor gal – who is said to be living an activity filled life, has three youngsters. Her husband’s job often takes him out of town. The gal has a craniotomy scheduled to take place in about two and a half weeks.
A health crisis will at times be the defining moment for a Christ-follower guy or gal to testify publicly of his or her undeniably faith in God’s amazing grace and healing power while for another Christ-follower guy or gal a health crisis will be at times the seminal moment for him or her to internally question the promised claims of God’s loving mercy and limitless healing ability. In what way have you seen a Christ-follower foe discourage, disconcert or discombobulate a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid? Your grandpaa is more and more bothered these days by the news dependent, negative political arena where willful, debasing lies are being told by both mainline political parties that are couched as truths. Your grandpaa is also really perturbed these days by a progressive based, minority driven ideology that advocates using money as a ransom entitlement to insure obeisance from marginalized guys and gals and/or ethnic groups. The reality really is – Christ-follower guys, gals and kids have an enemy opponent who will use every means available to dry up the faith seed that a Christ-follower guy, gal and kid has. Psalm 83 is an Asaph psalm song. Asaph was a leader in David’s choir. Asaph’s apparent premise for scribing his psalm song was his heartfelt desire for God – as God the Father, to utterly crush the enemies of the Israelite people group guys and gals. Because of the ongoing prosperity and worldwide influence that the Israelite people group guys and gals – who are God’s specially chosen guys and gals, were experiencing, Asaph may have sensed a developing passiveness among his compatriots towards God – and he may have seen a growing hostility towards his people groups guys and gals from neighboring countries. Asaph uses his psalm song to tell God – as God the Father, to look at how His enemies are astir, how these enemies are raising their heads to attack and how cunning and devious that the plots were from these enemies. Asaph seems to be aware of an alliance that had been formed between Edomite, Ishmaelite, Moabite, Hagrite, Gebalite, Ammonite, Amalekite and Philistine people groups of guys, guys from the city of Tyre along with Assyrian guys to do a number on the Israelite people group guys and gals. Asaph scribed in his psalm song – as a reminder to God – as God the Father, what Gideon did to the Midianite leaders after Gideon defeated Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah and Zalmunna. Asaph wanted God to repossess the pasturelands of the land which He gave to his specially chosen guys and gals to always have to live in as their very own land if . . . and to make the enemies of His specially chosen guys and gals like tumbleweeds or chaff that is being blown around by the wind or like burning them like a fire burns down a forest so that they are shamed and disgraced.
Do you think that Asaph was too harsh in what he scribed in His psalm song? Do you think that more should be done in reproving guys, gals and kids who . . . verse 18 is the point that Asaph wants to really get across to every guy and gal, “Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” What is God doing in your lives today to have you exalt Him? Are you always waiting for help from God?
Psalm 83 (1105)