"How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?" (Psalm 13:2)
This is the cry of a very deeply troubled soul. Most people do not think of David like this because religious people have to have flawless heroes. I have news perhaps for many; there are none, just those who try to impress with their flawless spirituality. Read the Bible and let the Bible read you. There is hope and strength without measure in The Word of God, Jesus, and in His Words.
One of the most sad statements is, "I take counsel in my soul." The word means just that, "counsel, advice." It is the sad place of a soul who concludes abandonment, a soul who has to talk to himself and advise himself because all have forsaken him; no one is listening-------------------- not even his God.
Leonard Ravenhill once said, "One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed." The reason for the embarrassment most likely will be the realization of the real comfort, that the delivering, keeping, sustaining power of Jesus is in us, because He, our Comforter, our Deliverer, is in us and we in Him. My friend, it is eternal life we have in Jesus, not coming and going life. "The Presence" is not in a building or a meeting. "The Presence" is Jesus Christ, the One Who claimed, "I Am the Good Shepherd," the One Who affirms by His Words, "....though [you] walk through the valley of the shadow of death,..[I Am] with [thee]."
"Some simple soul will...read it, and believe it." That soul will realize the deeply intimate and personal Presence we have in Jesus, all the time, everywhere, in all of life's battles-------- not just where the cliched say "the Presence" is! I pray you and I be that "simple soul" today who does not have to, "take counsel in my soul," but in Jesus Himself. We will then realize and affirm what David declared by faith in the last two verses of the psalm, "I have trusted in Thy mercy;...I will sing unto the Lord...."
The song on the link below is one of the greatest worship songs in Church History, bar none. I heard it this morning and had great, "counsel in my soul." I highly recommend listening to it. It tells you and me Who we have in Jesus. Better yet, Who has us.
This is the cry of a very deeply troubled soul. Most people do not think of David like this because religious people have to have flawless heroes. I have news perhaps for many; there are none, just those who try to impress with their flawless spirituality. Read the Bible and let the Bible read you. There is hope and strength without measure in The Word of God, Jesus, and in His Words.
One of the most sad statements is, "I take counsel in my soul." The word means just that, "counsel, advice." It is the sad place of a soul who concludes abandonment, a soul who has to talk to himself and advise himself because all have forsaken him; no one is listening-------------------- not even his God.
Leonard Ravenhill once said, "One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed." The reason for the embarrassment most likely will be the realization of the real comfort, that the delivering, keeping, sustaining power of Jesus is in us, because He, our Comforter, our Deliverer, is in us and we in Him. My friend, it is eternal life we have in Jesus, not coming and going life. "The Presence" is not in a building or a meeting. "The Presence" is Jesus Christ, the One Who claimed, "I Am the Good Shepherd," the One Who affirms by His Words, "....though [you] walk through the valley of the shadow of death,..[I Am] with [thee]."
"Some simple soul will...read it, and believe it." That soul will realize the deeply intimate and personal Presence we have in Jesus, all the time, everywhere, in all of life's battles-------- not just where the cliched say "the Presence" is! I pray you and I be that "simple soul" today who does not have to, "take counsel in my soul," but in Jesus Himself. We will then realize and affirm what David declared by faith in the last two verses of the psalm, "I have trusted in Thy mercy;...I will sing unto the Lord...."
The song on the link below is one of the greatest worship songs in Church History, bar none. I heard it this morning and had great, "counsel in my soul." I highly recommend listening to it. It tells you and me Who we have in Jesus. Better yet, Who has us.
