8/3/2019 So,...How deep is your valley? A lesson on Psalm 84

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So,how deep is your valley?

A Lesson on Psalm 84

In this lesson, I will discuss how the Old Testament promises of God directly relate to us

in this New Testament Age of Grace, the blessedness that is bestowed on those that are in

Christ, and how we can apply the promises of God in our lives on a personal level.

For All the promises of God, in Him are yea, and in

Him amen unto the Glory of God.. 2 Cor. 1:20

This verse combines all of the old testament promises of God, and all of the newtestament promises, that were given to Gods people at different times throughout history,

into one bundle of GODs Grace that is freely given unto us for the taking. What most

people dont understand is how to apply a certain promise in their lives. Every one has

problems grabbing hold of Gods promises, and hanging on to them no matter what. The

thing that has to be learned, and it seems that it takes some time, at least for me, is to be

able to hand over an issue to God, claiming a promise that will handle your problem, and then

(Heres the kicker) LEAVE IT WITH GOD. This of course is the hardest part about

standing on any promise of God, however it is absolutely necessary in order for God to work

through our faith. When we take back our problems from God and start worrying about

them again, we in effect, Tie Gods Hands, at least until we let the problems go again back

into the hands of our loving Lord and rest in the assurance that He Worketh. He may in

fact still fulfill our need while we fight with giving the problem back to Him, but it will not

be because of our faith in any promise of God, it would be purely by His Grace. His timing is

never as we would have it, but it is always perfect. We may not understand his answers, but

time will prove them correct. Sometimes He doesnt answer right away, and we think He isnot listening. We must bear in mind though, that His answer isnt always yes or no but

sometimes it is, Wait. Sometimes we think he is rejecting our pleas when we pray about a

problem. We can even see an obvious solution, but somehow God makes it not work out and

we think He is working against us. We may jump ahead of God, trying to help him with ourproblem and things just always seem to go wrong. What we dont realize is that He probably

has His own solution, which would be far greater than ours could ever have been. So dont

be so quick to see a Cracked door as being from God, for Satan would have us walk

through doors of problems and strife just to keep us down. Test everything with your

Spirit, and He, our Comforter, will guide your steps and keep your path on the straight andnarrow.

Another thing about claiming the promises of God is to discern whether the promise isconditional or non-conditional. You cant just claim a promise of God, without fulfilling the

requirements God demands in order for him to fulfill His part. Jehovah-Rapha is the Lordthat healeth thee. It is his very nature to do so, and we have every right as sons and

daughters of God to claim that promise with nothing else needed. It sometimes helps for usto claim a promise though, by doing some physical act of faith. Instead of a totally mental

application of Gods nature to heal, we can, in the Holy act of Communion, claim that promise

of physical, mental and even spiritual healing through the Bread aspect of the communion,

while also claiming the eternal forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus via the Wine

aspect of communion.

When we claim these promises, and leave the issues with God, His promise is that He

Worketh. This is where patience and perseverance come into play. We must stand in faith,

acting as if you already have the healing in hand, leaving the details of your healing up to

God. For your act of faith, He promises to work. If we die, not having obtained thepromises fulfillment, then we die in faith and are immediately healed and rewarded for our

faith Over there. With that in mind, we can then go back and look over what God says

through the writers of the Old and New testaments alike, and we can gain strength andhelp in our lives. Psalm 84 is one of my favorites when I am feeling the Valleys of Life

pressing down on me.

Psalm 84:1-4; How amiable (Beloved or worthy of love) are thy tabernacles, O Lord ofHosts. My soul longeth, yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my

flesh cryeth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house and the swallow anest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King,

and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.

Selah (Think of that)

Discerning just what is the House of God is important in applying many scripture verses in

our own lives. There are only three literal houses, temples, or tabernacles of God spoken ofin scripture where He will dwell and where we can meet or dwell with Him. Gods heavenly

tabernacle, which still exists in heaven, the earthly tabernacle that the Israelites used forforty years in the wilderness, and in Solomons Temple at Jerusalem. We no longer have

access to Gods Literal House on earth, God saw to it that the literal earthly place was

destroyed, and the Ark of the Covenant became Lost. Jesus however changed forever the

definition of Gods House. For in his parables, he tells us, DESTROY THIS TEMPLE, AND

IN THREE DAYS I WILL RAISE IT UP John 2:19 They thought he was talking about the

Temple in Jerusalem, he was of course referring to His own body and his resurrection fromthe dead. Now if Jesus referred to His own body as a Temple, and He proved His deity by

raising from the dead, then is not His own body, the Temple of God? Carrying this further,

are we not, as believers of Jesus Christ who are indwelt with the Spirit of God in theperson of the Holy Spirit, also a Temple of God? In your inmost center, the Holy Spirit,

which was given unto us as the earnest of our inheritance, is now the new dwelling place of

God. We must always worship God in spirit and in truth, and it matters not where we are,

God is with us. He is not bound to any building or place, he is omnipresent, meaning

everywhere at the same time. When these grand and ornate churches are spoken of as

being Gods House, as where we must go to in order to meet GOD, I just want to shout

out, GOD IS NOT HERE, .PRIEST, as Anthony Hopkins spoke in The Rite. For any

church building, no matter how old or how gold it may be, is just a building. God himself

dwells not in a building made of hands, but in a living, breathing, fleshly temple composed ofall true believers in Jesus Christ.

In this section of Psalm 84, Truly Blessed men of God, will find themselves dwelling in thehouse of God, within themselves. They have learned to be still, listening for that still, small

voice, and praising Him because of that intimate contact. At the same time they are still inthe midst of the trials and turmoil's that life is constantly dishing out. We can always go

inside ourselves, praying and seeking God, for He dwells within each of us through the Holy

Spirit. Realize that YOU are the TEMPLE OF GOD, and APPLY that in your life, walkinghumbly before your Lord, seeking Him constantly which aids the resisting any evil influencethat comes your way, for he knows your innermost thoughts, and as we seek Him within, we

become truly Blessed men and women of God. Dont get discouraged when you fail. Keep

going back, and Gods promise that As you turn to Me, I will turn to you, will be fulfilled.

You will find that finding forgiveness for your iniquity comes easy, as you truly seek tofollow His voice within. Then over time you will actually find that your very nature has been

altered, you will fulfill Gods law because it is your very nature to do so, not because of

some regulation you must follow. Your faith walk will also become easier, as you see God

working in your life. Then, when you encounter new obstacles, you will know that God canhandle that too, and it becomes easier to leave problems with Him.

Another thing that I need to go over is that the term, Blessed, is not one of a temporal

blessing bestowed, and not even of a Blessedness that will eventually come after we die.

It is a term indicating that we are now in a constant State of Blessedness, that will

continue as long as we continue to apply this promise. Dwell with the Lord in your inmost

parts, meditate on Him In His House, for your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we cant see it, but Blessedness becomes your lot. That is where things like,Mans wisdom is foolishness, and Gods Grace is Sufficient, God works all things

together for the good, etc. come into play. Sometimes, as hard as this is to hear, we just

have to be tried as by fire, purified as gold is refined in the fire, yet even through the

most severe tests of life, if we rest in the Grace of God, while reassuring yourself that you

are in Gods hands, and relying on Him, we can continue on our walk of faith one step at a

time. We have to stop saying to the Potter, What Makest Thou, let God work a good work

in your life, taking the punches along with the blessings, walking in faith daily, praising and

worshiping Him within yourself, and our reward will surely follow.

Recognize also that verse 3, down to the word young, is parenthetical. The psalmist did

not intend for you to perceive that the Swallows would build their nests and lay their youngon Gods altar. The altar was kept clean and free of debris. What his intention was in this

verse is that just as the birds have places for their nests, homes, so should men haveaccess to the altar of God, Gods house, and the old testament psalmist expresses his

longing for such a place.

Psalm 84 5-10; Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee, in whose heart are the waysof them, Whopassing through the valley of Baca, (Weeping) make it a well; the rain also

filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of themin Zion appearethbefore God. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer, give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah Behold,

O God our shield and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is betterthan a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the

tents of wickedness.

First we need to take out the italic writing, which is added by the translators, and we read.Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee, (GOD), in whose heart are Thy Ways,

(GOD). Passing through the valley of weeping, make it a well, the rain also filleth the pools.

Here we have a man, who exists in a state of blessedness, who is walking through valleys of

weeping. He is not sitting down, crying Woe is me, Ive have enough God, I want to die so

just take me now. This man is walking in the midst of his valley, but taking steps to walk

out of it. We have to keep moving, dont sit down and give up, keep going. Our strength

comes from God, we have to use Him in our downtrodden state, and claim his promise to be

our strength when we seem to have none. Not only is this man, who exists in a constantstate of blessedness, walking through his valley of pain, hardship, strife, turmoil, sickness,

etc, he or she is continuing to walk in faith, relying on God for strength, and his valley isbeing turned into a well, a spring which overflows and further rain of blessings will cause his

path to fill up with pools of overflowing grace.

Gods Grace is Sufficient

This is a verse that I use constantly, and have to rely on it almost daily. The Psalmist sees

the overflowing ability of Gods Grace unto us, and also the importance of allowing this

Grace into your life. We can just as easily block the flow of Gods Grace unto us, as we can,

open our hearts and lives to the God of the Universe, allowing Him to live in our innermost

selves, and walk in the Abundant Grace that He will flow into our lives.

They go from strength to strength, in Zion appeareth before God. O LORD God of hosts,

hear my prayer, give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah

Blessed men, whose hearts are given over to God, walking through valleys of weeping, exist

from Victory to Victory. Our victories and triumphs are evidence of God working in our

lives, and once obtained we must keep walking and faithing in order for the next victory to

come. We may not even need a new victory. Occasionally, we seem to be just sailing along,and sometimes our victories are like plateaus that last some time, But, eventually you will

hit another valley, for most people the victories seem to be few, and a long time in-between, but if we faint not, and keep walking in faith, God will guide us to victory again.

Christians also need to realize that the only way that God can increase our faith, is for usto go through ever increasing demands on our faith. Remember, He promises to bring us to

completion, and I dont know of any earthling today, that could do one percent of what

Jesus was able to do, much less a hundred percent, which is where all Christians will be

eventually brought to, in their walk. We will, as Jesus peers deep into our souls at theJudgment Seat of Christ, be perfected. He will burn away all the Wood, Hay, and Stubble,

and what remains is the Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones, and then we will be truly like

Christ. We will become the representation of Jesus the Christ to the masses of this earth,

throughout the millennium and forever thereafter. Our thoughts will be Jesus thoughts,our desires His. We will be the expression of Himself to the world, as He rules from Davids

Throne in Jerusalem.

In Zion, appeareth before God, is a proclamation of the faith that one day, these blessedmen, will appear in Zion before God. The city of David, the site of Messiahs reign, Gods

dwelling place, Salvation to come out of.., A place from which Gods perfection and beauty

will shine out of, Capital of the whole earth during the millennium, Central place of worship

during the millennium, etc. These are just a few proclamations spoken of Zion in the Bible.

Christians today are to be the future residents of this city on earth, where God will dwellin his fullest embodiment of His Messianic Self, so he can intermingle and dwell among

mankind. The inhabitants of Zion, will be these Blessed men spoken of in this psalm. Then

David prays to the God of Hosts, meaning the God of all gods, that He would hear his

prayer. David emphasizes the fact that He, God, was the God of Jacob. Why did he not say

Israel? Because when God came to Jacob, Jacob, the old Heel catcher himself, deserved

nothing, and yet God promised him everything. We deserve nothing, and yet God stillpromises us everything. All of Grace, nothing of merit. GOD comes to us in our most

unworthy, even unrepentant state, and offers us eternal life full of blessings and Gods

grace, if we would but trust Him. Then the psalmist ends this part with Selah, Think ofthat. We all need to think about the fullness of Gods grace, in that while we were still

sinners, Jesus gave his life for us so that we may be counted part of the redeemed of God.

Walk then in that humbleness with pure blind faith as a child, and we can continue existing

in that State of Blessedness and abundant Grace of God.

Behold, O God our shield and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is

better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell

in the tents of wickedness.

Behold, O God our shield, for you are our Shield, this is absolutely true, but I also see this

as Behold O God, our shield, our Faith, for in the Armor of God, the Shield represents

our Faith. So, God, as we show You our Faith, look upon the Face of thine Anointed. Look

upon us Lord, for as types and shadows, we are Thine Anointed, just as Jesus is Gods

Anointed One. When God looks at us, in our faith, he sees not an undeserving soul, He sees

us already In Christ, and our justification and reunification with God is complete. Behold

me Lord, and no matter what I may or may not deserve in Your Kingdom, by FAITH I am

claiming my inheritance. I would rather be there than any where else. True joy andhappiness occurs by dwelling with God within ourselves, where He will meet us. Living in the

evilness of this world only serves to separate us from God, maybe not eternally but willcertainly block any true blessing of God that would have come otherwise. So it is better to

be homeless, and able dwell with the true God within yourself, than to live in the mansions

of the wicked, and never be able to connect with the only true source of Life and happiness.

Psalm 84 v. 11-12 For the Lord God isa sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no

good thingwill he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed istheman that trusteth in thee.

God is our sun and shield. The sun provides light, life, and warmth, and a shield is for

protection. His promise is to provide and protect us as we trust in Him. Trust in Him with allyour heart and as you walk in faith, allowing God to manifest himself through you so you canbe a light to others in some manner or another, God will not withhold any Good. Just as

Gods grace is needed by us to persevere, Gods Glory is not given unto us to as some

reward, as much as it is for us to be a light unto others, to help them in their path, without

being a stumbling block, teaching and edifying other saints and non believers alike. Trust inHim everyday. Practice recognizing Gods presence within. Start out your day talking to

Him, and it is easier to talk to and recognize his presence within you throughout the day.Remember also, this is a Sacred, Private thing, between you and God. We must worship Him

in Spirit, (within), and in Truth. We are to pray in private, as we commune with God. Thereare times when many may join in prayer, such as at meals, and when coming together to pray

for the sick, I am not talking about these prayers. We are not to say our prayers on thestreet corner to be heard by men, for in that we have our only reward, being heard by men.

When you are serious about talking to God, go somewhere private, or just silently seek Himwithin yourself, and He will respond.

Bear in mind, that as I teach this lesson, I am first teaching to myself. I have just as much

of a hard time with standing on promises of God, as the next guy does. What I do know isthis. Ive been through many valleys in my life, some tougher than most people go through,

and some so deep and hard that only a parent that has lost a child can relate to. So I knowa few things about valleys, but I also know a bit about walking out of them. I know what it is

like to want to sit down under my juniper tree and ask God to just take me because I had

had enough. Yet somehow, my Comforter, that deposit in my heart of the earnest of myinheritance, aroused again the desire to walk in faith within my inmost soul as I was cryingout in agony to God. And I walked out of the toughest valley anyone can go through. I came

out of the deepest valley so far, with a clearer understanding of what God had to gothrough, by giving up his son to be crucified. I am still faithing and still walking, and if I can

do it, I know that you can. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of Good Cheer,

for I have overcome the world. John 16:33

So summing up this lesson, Blessedness is ours for the taking for those that dwell withand seek God within themselves. Gods new abode is within all true Christians that walk in

faith through the trials of life, trusting in Gods grace to sustain them, and those that pray

and trust in the Lord, the God of gods, leaving their problems at Gods feet. If we will just

Walk Humbly and Uprightly before our Lord, we can proclaim just as Elijah did, As the

Lord God of Israel liveth, Before Whom I Stand. We can know the Presence and the

Power of the true God that is dwelling within us, while emanating outwardly His Power and

Glory, Amen and Amen.

With Love in Christ,

Patrick Robinson, Minister

01-09-2012

Email me at: prepareyetheway@live.com HOME

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So,...How deep is

your valley? Lesson

on Psalm 84