relationships (Psalm 36:1-12) Heart Condition Options

(Psalm 36:1-12)  For the music director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

1   Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within his heart;
     There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2   For it flatters him in his own eyes 
     Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
3   The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
     He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4   He plans wickedness on his bed;
     He sets himself on a path that is not good;
     He does not reject evil.

5   Your mercy, Lord, extends to the heavens,
     Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6   Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
     Your judgments are like the great deep.
     Lord, You protect mankind and animals.
7   How precious is Your mercy, God!
     And the sons of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8   They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
     And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights.
9   For the fountain of life is with You;
     In Your light we see light.

10 Prolong Your mercy to those who know You,
     And Your righteousness to the upright of heart.
11 May the foot of pride not come upon me,
     And may the hand of the wicked not drive me away.
12 Those who do injustice have fallen there;
     They have been thrust down and cannot rise.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God looks at and judges the heart.  The condition of a heart reveals who a person is and what they are all about.  There are only two kinds of hearts:  

Verse 1 mentions the ungodly heart.  Even though we are born sinful, God created us with a conscience and a soul that can only be filled with the Lord.  Therefore, when we sin, we will feel guilt and shame.  With that, we have two choices, turn to the Lord, or try to bury our guilt and shame with feelings of pride, arrogance and self-righteousness so that we can continue on in a sinful course.

Because of pride, a person thinks they are wise and good and strong all on their own.  They decide to trust in themselves, or someone or something else, or even create something that they want to trust in.  And even though there is evidence all around them, even in creation, they do not want or see a need to be saved.  Eventually the proud will fall.

Verse 10 mentions the upright heart - the godly heart.  This is only possible when a person humbles their heart and sees their need to be saved.  It is in understanding how limited and helpless we are, and how vast, amazing and delightful the Lord is.  

The evidence is overwhelming, and the humble heart can see and understand that God is merciful, faithful, righteous, all-powerful, life and light.  The humble heart accepts the salvation that is available through the Lord Jesus Christ, and embraces His forgiveness, mercy and grace.

When we accept the Lord as our Savior, He enters our heart, and changes us from the inside out.  And because of the righteousness of Jesus, the humble will rise.  As we learn more about God, we can see that we can trust in Him, not only for our eternal security, but for guidance, provisions and refuge right now.  Therefore, we can have a relationship with the world which leads to misery and eternal death, or we can have a personal relationship with the Lord which leads to eternal life, victory and blessings.

relationships (Psalm 35:1-28) Dealing With Enemies

(Psalm 35:1-28)  Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;

     Fight against those who fight against me.
2   Take hold of buckler and shield 
     And rise up as my help.
3   Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
     Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4   Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
     Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
5   Let them be like chaff before the wind,
     With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6   Let their way be dark and slippery,
     With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7   For they hid their net for me without cause;
     Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8   Let destruction come upon him when he is unaware,
     And let the net which he hid catch him;
     Let him fall into that very destruction.

9   So my soul shall rejoice in the Lord;
     It shall rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You,
     Who rescues the afflicted from one who is too strong for him,
     And the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
     They ask me things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good,
     To the bereavement of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
     I humbled my soul with fasting,
     But my prayer kept returning to me.
14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
     I bowed down in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.
15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
     The afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me,
     They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast,
     They gnashed at me with their teeth.

17 Lord, how long will You look on?
     Rescue my soul from their ravages,
     My only life from the lions.
18 I will give You thanks in the great congregation;
     I will praise You among a mighty people.
19 Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
     Nor let those who hate me for no reason wink maliciously.
20 For they do not speak peace,
     But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They opened their mouth wide against me;
     They said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!”

22 You have seen it, Lord, do not keep silent;
     Lord, do not be far from me.
23 Stir Yourself, and awake to my right 
     And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, Lord my God, according to Your righteousness,
     And do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!”
     Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”
26 May those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress;
     May those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
 
27 May those shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in my vindication;
     And may they say continually, “The Lord be exalted,
     Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness 
     And Your praise all day long.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

It is interesting that the world likes to hear "David and Goliath" stories.  They seem to know this one:  the small person fighting against the giant and being victorious.  Yet here is David himself saying in verse 10. "Lord, who is like You, Who rescues the afflicted from one who is too strong for him...?"

David knew to seek the Lord's help regarding his enemies.  Even against Goliath, David as a boy understood that the Lord is his strength, as he says here in verse 9, "So my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, it shall rejoice in His salvation."

The danger of us trying to deal with an enemy in our own strength and wisdom is that it is quite likely we will stoop to their level.  This only creates even bigger problems.  That, and now we have proven to the enemy that we are no better than them.  I love how David inserts verse 24, asking that God judge him according to God's righteousness.  It is very wise to rid ourselves of any sin as it creeps into our life, and then continue on in God's will.

So, it is one thing to find ourselves facing a giant and thinking that maybe we have a chance and we are strong enough or smart enough... and how will we know if we don't try?.. It is quite another thing to immediately go for the sure thing of victory by asking God to fight our battles for us.  Not only will God fight our battles for us, but God asks that we leave these things to Him.

relationships (Psalm 34:1-22) Allowing Change in Our Lives

 (Psalm 34:1-22)  I will bless the Lord at all times;

     His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2   My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
     The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3   Exalt the Lord with me,
     And let’s exalt His name together.

4   I sought the Lord and He answered me,
     And rescued me from all my fears.
5   They looked to Him and were radiant,
     And their faces will never be ashamed.
6   This wretched man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
     And saved him out of all his troubles.
7   The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
     And rescues them.

8   Taste and see that the Lord is good;
     How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9   Fear the Lord, you His saints;
     For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything.
10 The young lions do without and suffer hunger;
     But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me;
     I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who is the person who desires life 
     And loves length of days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil 
     And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
     Seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
     And His ears are toward their cry for help.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
     To eliminate the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears
     And rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted 
     And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The afflictions of the righteous are many,
     But the Lord rescues him from them all.
20 He protects all his bones,
     Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil will bring death to the wicked,
     And those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt.
22 The Lord redeems the souls of His servants,
     And none of those who take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The bad news is that we are born with a sinful nature which separates us from God, and leads to eternal death.  The good news is that God wants all to come to know Him personally, and therefore He came in flesh to take our place in death, and to pay the price of sin - so that - when we become "broken hearted" regarding our sin, and we humbly go to the Lord for His forgiveness - He forgives and saves us!  

It doesn't matter how bad someone is.  We are not to first try to be "good enough" to approach the Lord.  We are to go to Him as we are.  He is the one who will change us from the inside out, so that we can be born again, into God's family!  And then, as we ask and allow, He will continually work in and through us.  The key is - NOT to just live by do's and don'ts - but - to ask the Lord to live in and through us!  We can ask Him to do everything FOR us.

"His praise shall be continually in my mouth."  The Lord's praise!  Not just my praise for the Lord.  He deserves more than what I could ever offer.  As I desire that God does everything for me, why not ask that God put praises in my mouth and in my heart?  God is able to do everything perfectly... better than I could ever do!  As well, we - His servants - let us gather together to serve Him and exalt the Lord together, in His strength and guidance.  And He will accomplish great things!

relationships (Psalm 33:1-22) Having a BFF

(Psalm 33:1-22)  Sing for joy in the Lord, you righteous ones;

     Praise is becoming to the upright.
2   Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
     Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
3   Sing to Him a new song;
     Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4   For the word of the Lord is right,
     And all His work is done in faithfulness.
5   He loves righteousness and justice;
     The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

6   By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
     And by the breath of His mouth all their lights.
7   He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
     He puts the depths in storehouses.
8   Let all the earth fear the Lord;
     Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9   For He spoke, and it was done;
     He commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord nullifies the plan of nations;
     He frustrates the plans of peoples.
11 The plan of the Lord stands forever,
     The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
     The people He has chosen for His own inheritance.

13 The Lord looks from heaven;
     He sees all the sons of mankind;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out 
     On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
     He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
     A warrior is not rescued by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
     Nor does it rescue anyone by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
     On those who wait for His faithfulness,
19 To rescue their soul from death 
     And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
     He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him,
     Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your favor, Lord, be upon us,
     Just as we have waited for You.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

As Christians, how much time do we spend thanking and praising the Lord versus grumbling and being critical?  The latter is not becoming!  And it is not only unproductive, but it is destructive.  Our desire should be to encourage and support and help equip and build up the kingdom of the Lord!

Verse 8 is clear that we should LET all the earth fear the Lord.  Who are we to hinder anyone from going to the Lord and expressing their praises to Him!  If there is anything to be stopped, the Lord will handle it.  If there is anything happening that is against the Lord's plan, He will take care of it.  If there is some sort of destructive activity going on in our home or church, God's word gives us insight into how that should be handled properly.

In this particular passage, if we study all the words highlighted in purple, we can see that our priorities and purpose are to:

- praise the Lord and give thanks 

- play and sing songs to the best of our abilities

- encourage all to fear the Lord and stand in awe

- gain knowledge and understanding of God

- fear (awesomely, reverently respect) the Lord

- wait on the Lord and trust in Him

- and rejoice! 

(and repeat) because having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus who created all things and is in control of all things, is literally having the best friend in the highest of places - forever!  How could we not want to celebrate and share that?

relationships (Psalm 32:1-11) Avoiding Deception

(Psalm 32:1-11)  How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven,

     Whose sin is covered!
2   How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord does not take into account,
     And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3   When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away 
     Through my groaning all day long.
4   For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
     My vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah 
5   I acknowledged my sin to You,
     And I did not hide my guilt;
     I said, “I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”;
     And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 
6   Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
     Certainly in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him.
7   You are my hiding place; You keep me from trouble;
     You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 

8   I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
     I will advise you with My eye upon you.
9   Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding,
     Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
     Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 The sorrows of the wicked are many,
     But the one who trusts in the Lord, goodness will surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
     And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

What a lovely depiction of salvation and our personal walk with the Lord!  Without Him, we will wander aimlessly towards more and more despair.  As a child of God, as soon as we realize that we've stumbled or gone astray, we can know that He is there to help get us back on track.  But if one has never put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, because of a sinful nature, their way leads to eternal death.  

(Jeremiah 18:9) "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick..."  Psalm 32 verse 9 demonstrates how we are born into sin and are enslaved to sin, which continuously steers us in the wrong direction.  Verse 2 not only supports this, but shows us the only way we can stop deceiving ourselves!  When we stop clinging to lies and deceptions that our flesh craves and dictates, and we realize our need for the Lord's salvation and continuous help, we are seeing and accepting truth.

In our relationship with Christ, He steers us towards His truth and His will for us, which is intended to bless us.  In this, we will experience His righteousness, goodness, blessings, protect, wisdom, instruction, guidance, gladness and joy.

relationships (Psalm 31:1-24) Blessings of a Relationship

(Psalm 31:1-24)   In You, Lord, I have taken refuge;

     Let me never be put to shame;
     In Your righteousness rescue me.
2   Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
     Be a rock of strength for me,
     A stronghold to save me.
3   For You are my rock and my fortress;
     For the sake of Your name You will lead me and guide me.
4   You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
     For You are my strength.
5   Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;
     You have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth.

6   I hate those who devote themselves to worthless idols,
     But I trust in the Lord.
7   I will rejoice and be glad in Your faithfulness,
     Because You have seen my misery;
     You have known the troubles of my soul,
8   And You have not handed me over to the enemy;
     You have set my feet in a large place.

9   Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
     My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body too.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow 
     And my years with sighing;
     My strength has failed because of my guilt,
     And my body has wasted away.
11 Because of all my adversaries, I have become a disgrace,
     Especially to my neighbors,
     And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
     Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten like a dead person, out of mind;
     I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many,
     Terror is on every side;
     While they took counsel together against me,
     They schemed to take away my life.

14 But as for me, I trust in You, Lord,
     I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand;
     Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
     Save me in Your faithfulness.
17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I call upon You;
     Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be speechless,
     Which speak arrogantly against the righteous 
     With pride and contempt.

19 How great is Your goodness,
     Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
     Which You have performed for those who take refuge in You,
     Before the sons of mankind!
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of mankind;
     You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
     For He has shown His marvelous faithfulness to me in a besieged city.
22 As for me, I said in my alarm,
     “I am cut off from Your eyes”;
     Nevertheless You heard the sound of my pleadings 
     When I called to You for help.

23 Love the Lord, all His godly ones!
     The Lord watches over the faithful 
     But fully repays the one who acts arrogantly.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,
     All you who wait for the Lord.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

There are so many blessings that come from seeking the Lord and making Him our refuge and personal Savior, God and King.  Just in this one psalm, we see that the Lord is righteous, just, faithful, truth, marvelous, great, gracious, good, blessed... He is a stronghold, fortress, rock of strength... and He hears and sees everything, so He knows all our troubles.

Because of who the Lord is, to those who fear Him, love Him, call on Him and wait for Him - the Lord redeems, rescues, establishes, protects, helps, leads, guides and gives us strength and courage.  So while we go through various struggles (sometimes self-inflected, like David confesses in verse 10), we will still trust in the Lord, rejoice and be glad, and strive to serve Him!

In our personal relationship with the Lord, we will desire to get to know Him better and better.  And as we do, we will desire to draw closer and closer.  The more we understand the blessings that come from being faithful to the Lord, the more we will trust in Him and desire to live out our faith in His strength, to follow His will, all to His glory.

relationships (Psalm 30:1-12) Humbly Lifting

(Psalm 30:1-12)  I will exalt You, Lord, for You have lifted me up,

     And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2   Lord my God,
     I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
3   Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
     You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
4   Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones,
     And praise the mention of His holiness.
5   For His anger is but for a moment,
     His favor is for a lifetime;
     Weeping may last for the night,
     But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

6   Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
     “I will never be moved.”
7   Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
     You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
8   To You, Lord, I called,
     And to the Lord I pleaded for compassion:
9   “What gain is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
     Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?

10 “Hear, Lord, and be gracious to me;
     Lord, be my helper.”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;
     You have untied my sackcloth and encircled me with joy,
12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
     Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

As believers, the Lord lifts us up.  First, from eternal death and sin;  and then, from our tests, trials and tribulations;  until finally He will lift us up to heaven to be with Him.  Just because the Lord Jesus has lifted us up, and continues to lift us up, and gives us a solid eternal hope, we should desire to humble ourselves and lift Him high in praise and exultation.  God will use that to build His kingdom and draw others to Him - to have a personal relationship with Him - which comes with healing, peace and joy!  And as believers, we WILL sing praises and give thanks to the Lord God forever, for everything He has done!

relationships (Psalm 29:1-11) Finding Approval

(Psalm 29:1-11)   Ascribe to the Lord, sons of the mighty,

     Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2   Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
     Worship the Lord in holy attire.

3   The voice of the Lord is on the waters;
     The God of glory thunders,
     The Lord is over many waters.
4   The voice of the Lord is powerful,
     The voice of the Lord is majestic.
5   The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
     Yes, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon in pieces.
6   He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
     And Sirion like a young wild ox.
7   The voice of the Lord divides flames of fire.
8   The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
     The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9   The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth 
     And strips the forests bare;
     And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sat as King at the flood;
     Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
11 The Lord will give strength to His people;
     The Lord will bless His people with peace.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In general, people desire and depend on a system of awards and rewards and recognition.  The world of business, sports, dance, music and acting hand out various accolades for all sorts of achievements.  In some sports, at the end of each game, honorable mentions are handed out immediately.  And now, in this technological day and age, never mind giving reviews after seeing a movie or eating at a restaurant, people are grading everything.  

With that, people want to get the five stars!  Kids will often respond to the star system from parents, teachers and coaches for doing something well - or - just simply doing as they were asked.  In fact, most kids are being taught that everyone should get a "star" - just because.  Women and girls (even men and boys) will spend a lot of time and money trying to look a certain way, not just to feel better about themselves, but let's be truthful, some people love to be complimented.

This is all not necessarily wrong.  God does understand us and our needs, and therefore, He promises His children that our rewards, treasures and inheritance are in heaven.  So, let's put this all into perspective.  

We are to strive to do our best, with righteous motives.  This includes loving God, and then loving people,  Understand that unconditional love does not mean that we approve of everything a person does or believes.  And, while it is not our place to make people do or believe the right things, we ourselves are to strive to do our best, in God's strength, love and wisdom...

(1 Corinthians 9:24-25)  Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

We are not to flatter people, but encourage people and build them up in the Lord..

(Hebrews 10:24)  and let’s consider how to [a]encourage one another in love and good deeds

We are to strive to please God, not seeking out the approval of others...

(1 Thessalonians 2:4)   but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not intending to please people, but to please God, who examines our hearts. 

We are not to take the credit, but instead, ascribe honor and glory to the Lord, because He is worthy!

(1 Corinthians 10:31)  Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.

relationships (Psalm 28:1-9) Our Rescue

(Psalm 28:1-9)  To You, Lord, I call;

     My rock, do not be deaf to me,
     For if You are silent to me,
     I will become like those who go down to the pit.
2   Hear the sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
     When I raise my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
3   Do not drag me away with the wicked 
     And with those who practice injustice,
     Who speak peace with their neighbors,
     While evil is in their hearts.
4   Give back to them according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
     Give back to them according to the work of their hands;
     Repay them what is due them.
5   Because they do not regard the works of the Lord 
     Nor the deeds of His hands,
     He will tear them down and not build them up.

6   Blessed be the Lord,
     Because He has heard the sound of my pleading.
7   The Lord is my strength and my shield;
     My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
     Therefore my heart triumphs,
     And with my song I shall thank Him.
8   The Lord is their strength,
     And He is a refuge of salvation to His anointed.
9   Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
     Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Even if we don't feel God's presence or if we think He isn't hearing us, we have to know that He is present, because He is omnipresent.  And He does hear us, because He is omniscient and loves us.  Do we think that God came in flesh to suffer and die for all sins - to be able to offer salvation to everyone - only then to ignore us and leave us hanging?  Or do we think that God is too busy and unable to help us in various circumstances?  He can and will help us because He is omnipotent and sovereign.

Like David, we can go to the Lord for all our issues and questions, no matter how big or how little.  Jesus has said, "You don't have because you don't ask."  As well, like David, we need to remember to thank the Lord for when He does help us, for being our strength and wisdom.  As the loving Shepherd, the Lord does hear us when we cry out to Him, and He will come to our rescue!