Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV.

Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10 NASB.

And (the Lord) said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 NKJV.

As for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7.

Studying Scripture and turning to Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, in prayer brings us into a sacred space we find nowhere else. It’s a journey and found best in the company of those who love our God and rejoice to be with Him. Why? Because together we find the love of our God for us opens up our hearts and minds in ways we alone could never achieve. Let God’s love renew your heart and bring peace in understanding. I thought about Moses this morning. He was able to talk with our God and spend time with Him. And then Moses returned to the people and the difference was so stark. With God…without God. So Moses longed for God’s Spirit to be with every person so they could understand what he knew with God, Numbers 11:29.

And our psalm today, Psalm 115, was a psalm sung at Passover meals according to the notes below. It’s a psalm for every single person so we can understand what our hearts need. Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. v. 1. Again, slowly to understand…Not to us…Lord…not to us…but to your name…Lord…be the glory…because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. v. 2, 3. It goes on to describe the physical idols they worshipped, made by their own hands, v. 4-8, and in the notes below for us today, it said…”The writer asked that God’s name, not the nation’s, to be glorified. Too often we ask God to glorify his name with ours. For example, we may pray for help to do a good job so that our work will be noticed. Or we may ask that a presentation go well so we will get applause. There is nothing wrong with looking good or impressing others; the problem comes when we want to look good no matter what happens to God’s reputation in the process. Before you pray, ask yourself, “Who will get the credit if God answers my prayer?” Do we want to give credit and glory to God knowing He is the one helping us? Is our God that real to us? With God…without God. The prayer the psalmist gave for the Israelites and house of Aaron can be our prayer for all people…All you Israelites, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield. House of Aaron, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield. You who fear him, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield…The Lord remembers us and will bless us; He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the Lord – small and great alike…The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord. v. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18.

In God’s love for you, grow in understanding of Him. Let Him guide your heart and mind and you will never walk alone. God’s love is the cornerstone and foundation…the height and depth…filling and surrounding us as we seek Him and long for His return so all may come to know this love that surpasses all understanding today. Our world is not the same as it was at creation or when Moses walked or when Jesus walked this earth. But our God is the same. Cling to Him who is the same yesterday and today and forever, Hebrews 13:8, He is our help and shield always.