Rainbow moments

I love this Psalm.  We've all experienced many storms:  financial, danger, arguments, illness and more.   But after every storm comes a rainbow moment.  A time when we sit back in awe at what God did.  That moment when God's power is so real and our weakness so undeniable.

This Psalm reminds me of when I went to college.  I drove to Phoenix, Arizona from Utah by myself.  I wanted to go to a Christian school.  I was driving a 1967 Ford Mustang  in 1979.   It had a few problems.  I had the tires changed and the mechanic forgot to tighten the lug nuts.  I turned a corner and the tires fell off.  I had no idea you had to put water in the radiator.  One time it overheated and I went to a mechanic asking how to get rid of the steam.  He rolled his eyes and said that it needs anti-freeze and water all the time.  So driving by myself in this car was a bit nerve racking.  

I got closer to Phoenix and as the temperature rose outside so did my little temperature gauge.  I learned to pray without ceasing.  I got to the school and the car literally died.  For Christmas, I wanted to visit my brother who was stationed in El Paso, Texas.  The car still had a few problems.  But I wanted to go.  I'd drive a ways and it would slow down, the lights would dim.  So I'd pull into a gas station and get the battery recharged.  The 70's wasn't the safest time period for girls to be out at night alone.  It was a very long drive...  And again, I prayed without ceasing.  The car died at my brother's apartment.  He helped me get it fixed.  I remember getting out of the car with shaky legs.  So very grateful for God's deliverance. 

Psalms 116

I love God because he listened to me, 

listened as I begged for mercy. 

2 He listened so intently

as I laid out my case before him. 

3 Death stared me in the face,

hell was hard on my heels.

Up against it, I didn't know which way to turn; 

4 then I called out to God for help:

"Please, God!" I cried out."Save my life!" 

5 God is gracious — it is he who makes things right,

our most compassionate God. 

6 God takes the side of the helpless;

when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me.

Here's the rainbow moment.  Your knees quit knocking and your adrenaline slows down.   You pray, "Thank You God!!!!"  Then collapse.  Actually it was like that when I gave my testimony to a Church for the first time too.

7 I said to myself, "Relax and rest.

God has showered you with blessings. 

8 Soul, you've been rescued from death;

Eye, you've been rescued from tears;

And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling."

9 I'm striding in the presence of God,

alive in the land of the living! 

10 I stayed faithful, though bedeviled,

and despite a ton of bad luck, 

11 Despite giving up on the human race,

saying, "They're all liars and cheats."

What do you give the God who has everything?  He created the elements that are used for our money- it has no meaning to Him.  Unless it affects us.  Angels are in His presence so He doesn't need friends.  He created the universe so one of my photos wouldn't be all that impressive.  All He wants is our thanks, worship, praise and trust.  I lay my gifts and talents at His feet; I am His servant.

12 What can I give back to God

for the blessings he's poured out on me? 

13 I'll lift high the cup of salvation — a toast to God!

I'll pray in the name of God; 

14 I'll complete what I promised God I'd do,

and I'll do it together with his people. 

15 When they arrive at the gates of death,

God welcomes those who love him. 

16 Oh, God, here I am, your servant,

your faithful servant: 

set me free for your service! 

17 I'm ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice

and pray in the name of God. 

18 I'll complete what I promised God I'd do,

and I'll do it in company with his people, 

19 In the place of worship, in God's house,

in Jerusalem, God's city.

Hallelujah!

THE MESSAGE

I think of these times as rainbow moments, because God gave the rainbow to Noah and all mankind, after the flood.  A symbol that this would never happen again.
Genesis 9:16
16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
NKJV

In the end, there will be a rainbow around God's throne.  All suffering will end.
Revelation 4:3
3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
NKJV

Picked on...

Psalms 35
23 Please get up — wake up! Tend to my case.
My God, my Lord — my life is on the line.
24 Do what you think is right, God, my God,
but don't make me pay for their good time.
25 Don't let them say to themselves,
"Ha-ha, we got what we wanted."
Don't let them say,
"We've chewed him up and spit him out."
26 Let those who are being hilarious
at my expense
Be made to look ridiculous.
Make them wear donkey's ears;
Pin them with the donkey's tail,
who made themselves so high and mighty!
27 But those who want
the best for me,
Let them have the last word — a glad shout! —
and say, over and over and over,
God is great — everything works
together for good for his servant."
28 I'll tell the world how great and good you are,
I'll shout Hallelujah all day, every day.
THE MESSAGE

Sometimes it seems like God is asleep.  There's so much bad in the world.  But... He's not!  He does wait until the right time.  What I loved about these verses was how David summed up what people face in a beautiful way.  We want to see those who make fun of us be put in their place.  We want to say, "Who's laughing now?"  The Psalms are so honest.  But God wants us to be steady, humble and not proud.  Jesus had every right and reason to do this.  But He didn't.  He prayed, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do,"  from the cross.  God always offers a second chance and a relationship with Himself.  I don't want to get in the way of that.  Does this make us passive? Some interpret it that way.  But I don't.  I believe we need to protect those who are being hurt and sometimes that means stepping in to fight for the innocent.  However...

Proverbs 24
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
NKJV

Besides... God has His own ways of making things right... ; )