From the Heart by B.Demaere

There are many scriptures in the Bible that encourage us to praise the Lord. It is easy to praise God when we have a song in our heart, and everything is going great. It is a different story when it is not so good. It is like taking off the ground assuming you are a bird lifting a heavy weight. Can anyone relate?   It feels like we are constantly oppressed by the power of darkness. Could it be that what Israel is experiencing right now be the reason for this oppression?   Nevertheless, we must praise the Lord through this oppression. Things are happening in the heavenlies and in this world that we do not understand. Only God and the enemy understand, and we must persevere through this.   Anyway, I am calling on all the praisers out there to get singing (it is your privilege to be chosen as the ones who go first). It is going to be good. Victory is ours. It is not time to be weary and discouraged, it is time to confront a problem head-on and fight with praise ...

  Our Heart’s Cry (Isaiah 63:7 to 64:12) First, let’s start at the end of this long text.   We will understand better the heart of God toward his people.   In this case, it is Israel.   But for New Testament people, it is the born-again Christians who are God’s chosen people.   God’s people have throughout history been known to rebel at times. Isaiah 64:11-12 “Our holy and beautiful house where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord?   Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?” We can see clearly that the prophet Isaiah is concerned with the house of worship, in our world today it would be our church or the Church of Born-again Christians. Now at the very beginning of this passage in Isaiah 63:7, he wants to remind God’s people of the goodness of the Lord and our motivation for praising him.   Have we forgotten how good he is and...

  Ultimately, God is in control throughout history.   We, of course, see this in the land of Israel.   Obviously, if he was that close to Israel, he is also close to other nations and to you and me. In Psalm 105:12-24, we read that they started in small numbers and a chain of events took place until Joseph came on the scene.   First as a slave and prisoner and then he became a ruler over Egypt.   This was the pattern God was going to use to create a path for Israel or Jacob to enter Egypt.   Joseph through that chain of event became the rescuer of Jacob by settling in Egypt and helping them. All through that passage we see what it took God to bring the rescue of Israel and the judgment of Egypt.   It took only one man like it only took Jesus to rescue the world. Jesus became a criminal to the world, but a ruler by his Resurrection. Also, as you read this passage in Psalm 105, try to perceive the full meaning of it in relation to your daily life...

A song from the ascent to Jerusalem I look up to the mountain---does my help comes from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth! He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you!  The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not hut you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. Looking up is safer whether or not the world says that looking here is the thing to do.  Our ultimate safety is up in the direction of the mountain.  Actually the Lord is the one who made the earth and the mountains and the heavens.  That is where my help comes from and not some material found in the mountains like diamonds and precious stones. If you want real help it's to the Lord that you sho...