Friday, November 20, 2009

We serve a God with Un-Quit-able Love!

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I shared a verse here in yesterday's post that I found in my yesterday's immediate-need-of-the-moment. I knew it in the NIV, but was encouraged further by seeing it afresh in The Message's wording. It’s found in Psalm 136:23-26, and it says, "God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits. Rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits. Takes care of everyone in time of need. His love never quits. Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!"

Taking that verse that God used in energizing me in my moment of despair, I went back to it again today to reread it again and then to read the whole chapter. First in The Message, then the NIV, then the KVJ..... and once started, who could stop there? I could NOT help myself, an elaboration HAD TO BE made. I did what any sensible-awed-with-wonder person would do, I pulled out my defining equipment and here's where I went with it.

Psalm 136:
Thank God!
He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.

Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.

Thank the Lord of all lords,
His love never quits.

Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.

The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.

The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.

The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits.

The sun to watch over the day,
His love never quits.

Moon and stars as guardians of the night,
His love never quits.

The God who struck down the Egyptian firstborn,
His love never quits.

And rescued Israel from Egypt's oppression,
His love never quits.

Split the Red Sea right in half,
His love never quits.

Led Israel right through the middle,
His love never quits.

Dumped Pharaoh and his army in the sea,
His love never quits.

The God who marched His people through the desert,
His love never quits.

Smashed huge kingdoms right and left,
His love never quits.

Struck down the famous kings,
His love never quits.

Struck Sihon the Amorite king,
His love never quits.

Struck Og the Bashanite king,
His love never quits.

Then distributed their land as booty,
His love never quits.

Handed the land over to Israel,
His love never quits.

God remembered us when we were down,
His love never quits.

Rescued us from the trampling boots,
His love never quits.

Takes care of everyone in time of need,
His love never quits.

Thank God who did it all!
His love never quits!


Now in the KJV  :)
Oh give thanks
[thank, laud, praise, confess, cast out, throw]
unto the LORD;
for He is good: for
His mercy
[His checed - His goodness, His kindness, His lovingkindness, His faithfulness]
endureth forever
[owlam – for ever, always, continuous existence, perpetual, everlasting, indefinitely, unendingly, eternally].

O give thanks to the Lord of lords:
for His mercy endureth forever.

To Him who alone doeth [works, makes, fashions, accomplishes, produces, prepares, puts in order, ordains, orders, brings about] great [large, loud, great, distinguished, powerful, mighty] wonders [marvels, to be wonderful, to be surpassing, to be extraordinary, to be beyond one’s power, to be difficult to do, to be difficult to understand, to do extraordinary or hard or difficult things, to do wondrously, to show oneself wonderful or marvelous]:
for His mercy endureth forever.

To Him that by wisdom made the heavens:
for His mercy endureth forever.

To Him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
for His mercy endureth forever.

To Him that made great lights:
for His mercy endureth forever.

The sun to rule by day:
for His mercy endureth forever.

The moon and stars to rule by night:
for His mercy endureth forever.

To Him that smote Egypt in their firstborn:
for His mercy endureth forever.

And brought out [to bring out, to lead out, delivered out] Israel from among [from within them, from the middle of them, from in them] them:
for His mercy endureth forever.

With a strong [strong, stout, mighty, firm] hand, and with a stretched out [extended, held out, stretched forth] arm:
for His mercy endureth forever.To Him which divided the Red sea into parts:

for His mercy endureth forever.

And made Israel to pass through the midst of it:
for His mercy endureth forever.

But overthrew [to shake off, to overthrow] Pharaoh [“a great house”] and his host [his strength, his might, his army, his power] in the Red sea:
for His mercy endureth forever.

To Him which led [walked with, proceeded with, moved with, went with; to lead, to bring, to CARRY, to cause to walk] His people through the wilderness:
for His mercy endureth forever.

To Him which smote [killed, beat, slay] great [larger, loud, great, powerful, mighty, important] kings:
for His mercy endureth forever.

And slew [to kill, slay, murder, destroy] famous [great, majestic, nobles, famous] kings:
for His mercy endureth forever.

Sihon [“warrior”, “sweeping away”, i.e. a leader carrying everything before him] king of the Amorites [“a sayer”… from amar – to say, speak, utter, to say in one’s heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend, to tell, to call / i.e. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made, He said to the woman, “Did God really say?”]:
for His mercy endureth forever.

And Og [“long-necked”, “gigantic”, a king in Bashan celebrated for his great size] the king of Bashan [“fruitful”]:
for His mercy endureth forever.

And gave their land for an heritage:
for His mercy endureth forever.

Even an heritage unto Israel His servant:
for His mercy endureth forever.

Who remembered us in our low estate [lowliness, low estate, low condition, wretched condition;… sink, humbled, humiliated]:
for His mercy endureth forever.

And hath redeemed [tore us apart, tore us away, broke us away, snatched us away, rescued us, redeemed us, delivered us] us from our enemies [our adversary, our trouble, our distress, our affliction, our foes, our sorrow, our oppressor, our narrow place, where we are bound, where we are tied up, where we are shut up, where we’re besieged, hard pressed, suffering distress, vexed, harassed]:
for His mercy endureth forever.

Who giveth food to all flesh:
for His mercy endureth forever.

O give thanks unto God of heaven:
for His mercy endureth forever.


What can I say? He is a GOoD God! He does deliver! He does save! His love lasts forever! There’s nothing we can do to separate ourselves from it. We can never get away from His love. For His love never quits. No matter what we do. No matter what we’ve done.

How can I say that? How can I believe that? What about when there is still sickness and sorrow? Still harm and hurt? Still pain and prisons? What about then? How can we still say this then? How can we believe still in our God when He doesn’t rescue us completely from the horror of some pits? when we’re still locked in some prisons?

I don’t know all the answers. But this I’m convinced of. It doesn’t matter who asks Him to, if anyone will believe in Him and His Son that came to save, He will give them eternal life. Life without pain or sin or sorrow or suffering in the next one. He’s warned us that we’ll still have troubles here. It’s a fallen world, where we’re not freed from evil. But we can miraculously be freed and live the promised abundant life no matter our surroundings or circumstances.

.

2 comments:

  1. That blog entry like reading a whole book! How long that take you to write?!

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  2. Oh, that is so funny. So sorry! I'm a writer.... as in I write a LOT, a WHOLE LOT all the time. Yet, thankfully to most I'm sure, I'll never have enough time to write down all I wish I could. :)

    And actually, it didn't take me long. Bless your heart. I hope God blessed you in reading it.

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