Remember Your Beloved

Aug 31, 2007

Remember Your Beloved

Kathleen Maples

Psa 132:1 A Song of degrees. LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions: Psa 132:2 How he swore unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Psa 132:3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; David's name means Beloved. He was determined to provide a habitation for the presence of the Lord. He made provision and preparation. He would not rest and be at ease, until this was done. He so wanted His Lord as near Him as possible. He wanted the Lord to have a proper, and beautiful place to dwell. He was not playing church, he wasn't playing games with God. He loved God. David was a man who had suffered greatly because of personal sin. He had repented and been forgiven, because he humbled himself before the Lord. There had arisen rebellion in his home because of his sin. He lost four sons. There was strife and contention with many enemies that arose in David's life, by some closest to him. There were times when even his own warriors threatened in their grief to stone him. He knew what it was to have to run for his life. You are His Beloved, too, if you are in Christ, for David was a type of Christ. Put YOUR name in the place of David's in this Scripture, "Lord, remember me, Your beloved, in all my afflictions, remember how I have loved You and Your house, and Your Word, and I hunger for You to abide in fullness in me, ever increasing fullness." We, too have afflictions, problems, trials, and temptations. The enemy fights dirty and hits hard, and he loves low blows and cheap shots at the Bride of Christ. God's people are being tried harder and are being bitterly tested.

Psa 132:4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, Psa 132:5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. We must prepare our hearts, and make room for Him to increase in our lives. To have Him, we must be eagerly willing to cast off any and everything that offends, or would take His rightful place in our heart. We can only know what offends this great and beautiful God as we spend time in His Word and in His presence...learning of Him, and from Him.

Psa 132:7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. Psa 132:8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength. Psa 132:9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. Oh, come, Lord, may you be pleased to find a place the power of your presence can dwell in me. We should go into His House and humble ourselves, with reverence for this great and awesome God. We will adore and praise and magnify this precious God who loves us so much. We will bow before His presence, and sit at His feet and learn everything we can, because nothing is more important than the Lord. He will dwell richly in an humble vessel, that is so dependent on Him, on His strength and His promises. Because He is holy, He will make His habitation holy. He will clothe us with His righteousness because our righteousness is of and from

Him. Being so close and secure in Him, brings His saints, who know they are accepted in the Beloved, great peace and joy, regardless of what comes against them. Their joy is not conditional to the events of the world, and circumstances, but it is conditional on the Lord, and His presence in their lives. Abiding in HIM brings the joy. In His presence is the fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.(Psalms 16:11) He will teach us the path of life as we abide in Him and always lean on HIM not flesh.

Psa 132:13 Psa 132:14 Psa 132:15 Psa 132:16 for joy.

For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud

If we will guard and protect with respect His Word, and not try to twist it to suit our carnal minds or flesh, but accept and receive it as it is, pure and holy, and just, we do well. He has chosen a Bride for His Son, carefully selecting her, and testing her, and as she is His child, too, He wants to dwell among His children. He has called many but there will be a testing to prove them. Those who endure, those who are willing to cast off what they can see so they can have by faith what they cannot see, do extremely well. The Father wants to be close to us. This is what He longs for with great desire. He covets the presence of His children around Him more than they seem to covet being in His presence. (Look up the word "desired" H183 in your Strong's Hebrew Definitions, and you will see this, too). Think about what that is saying and let it draw you to Him. I pray it provokes you to reach out and draw nigh to Him because He wants to draw nigh to you. He will bless our provision, satisfy the the poor and needy among us that lack and feel destitute, He will bless them with bread-and oh, Father, we need our daily bread, that life giving Word of God that changes us, strengthens us, and takes us from our image of ourselves, to the image of Christ. It takes us from our own strength, crucifies us, and replaces it with the strength of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ which works in us. It takes us from the weak and pale glory of the flesh to the glory of God. It takes us beyond human reasoning and faith to the faith of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! He promised to fill us up abundantly with His precious truth! He will cover us with liberty, deliverance, and secure us from eternal death and separation. We are covered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and washed clean from the awful stain of sin, and we have learned to hate what He hates and love what He loves and because we learn this from Him, from His abiding presence in our vessel, our lives, we know the difference. We are ever learning and coming to the knowledge of the truth and how it applies and works and changes us into the image of His dear Son! We shun the form or appearance of godliness that has no power, because we do not seek to be conformed by man's traditions or ideas, no, we are learning to let HIM shape us and mold and make us, as He sees fit. What we do, and how we live, is under HIS leadership, and the decisions we make are heavily influenced and guided by HIS Word, His Spirit, and His love. We do not want to grieve or embarrass this great and lovely God we serve. Being so intimately acquainted with HIM will bring us the joy and peace and rest we need and must have to face whatever comes.

If we are abiding in HIM and He abides in us, and we are in communion with Him, we will not be taken by surprise, we will not be weak or unstable, and we will not be easily deceived. We will understand HE alone is the great prize, and we look for HIM, not streets of gold, or mansions in heaven. HE alone has our hearts, and where ever HE is, Heaven is. We will sacrifice our wants for His needs and the needs of others to know Him, and we will joyfully take the spoiling of our goods, delighting in our King, and that others may come to know Him, too. Praise the Lord! What wonderful promises to start your day with, saints! As the song says, Let Him have His way, in you. His presence in you is your only hope of glory, and those around you who do not know Him. Let Him shine, not you. Lord, remember your beloved, and all the things in her life, and his life, that are loading them down, that are making them weak and poor and needy. All the trials, and opposition of their deadly enemy, all the warfare they endure as the enemy attacks and seeks to devour their faith. Remember your beloved, oh, Lord, as you behold the works of the flesh, and the devil, that would divide and conquer her. Remember your beloved, oh Lord, in her sickness, and weakness, and temptations. Your eyes behold all, Lord, and You alone are her help. And as you remember her, you will move in her behalf. You will not let her enemy triumph over her. You are her strength, you are her salvation and provision, and you cover her, secure her and light her up with your truth and your love. Holy and Reverend is Your Name, oh, Beloved God, Precious Lord Jesus Christ, and Lovely Holy Ghost of God! Your people are preparing, making themselves ready, and seeking You, Your kingdom, Your way, Your truth, Your life, and no matter what it costs, it's a small price to pay to have YOU.