Trivia:
You all got it right; The taxi's in New York are all yellow, makes them easier to spot.
Here's a trickier question; Which First Lady taught her husband how to properly punctuate and communicate? Louisa Adam's; Rachel Jackson; Martha Washington; Eliza Johnson: Make your guess.
Challenge:
Psalm 31:6-12 "I have hated those who regard useless idols; But I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eyes wastes away in grief, Yes my soul and my body! For my life is spent in grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquainces; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am a broken vessel. For I hear slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take my life. But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God."
Have you ever asked yourself: What benefit is brought to others by offering gifts to an inaniimate object? (Idol) When in fact after placing these gifts before them, they then need to clean up those gifts soon afterwards, with no seeming benefit. In fact, the thought passed on by many who practice such acts, are that these idols are a way to appease their god, due to their believed tendency is to bring harm to those very followers.
Now the writer of this Psalm makes a statement that presents his reason for taking an apposing position. He puts His trust in God because he has noticed that the tendency of God is to respond to his followers with mercy, to care about His troubles. He also recognizes that God understands and cares about the troubles of His followers when others who reject Him (God) in fact respond with hurtful motives towards those who give allegiance to His (God's) ways.
He goes on to state that His words in the Bible express to those who follow Him, the fact that He desires to assist them through lifes hardships. Those who follow the guidance of God even recognize the many benefits that come to everyone, when these instructions are heeded. "You have set my feet in a wide place."
Next the writer go on to speak of just how the fact that even though we strive to follow the instructions written in the Bible we recognize the conflict that come from those who rebel against the ways of wisdom. In Verse 9-13 lays out just how the many conflicts that come to us from the outside forces who reject our God.
He warns us of these conflicts that our enemy (Satan, the god of those idols), intentionally places into our lives , grief (misunderstandings), conflict (sighing), weariness (waste away), reproach (they run away from me) , forgotten (ignored), make light of me (like a useless broken bowl), attempt to speak evil of me (scheme against me, try to make light of me).
But regardless of these challenges, "I trust in You".
Have you noticed how that many times those who are misunderstanding of our confidence in God, many times when uncertainty, even death, is near, they are drawn to our confident calm, and peaceful demeanor?
SO GO WITH GOD my dear one for He "considers (understands) your troubles" "He knows (gets you) your soul". He is attempting to place you in a wide, safe place, where peace and rest can be yours. Oh, for the time it may seem lonely, difficult, forgotten, and even broken and misunderstood. Look forward to the promise of the next verse 15, "Your times are in His hands." He holds you as we would a precious treasure enveloped with both hands.
Martha