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Psalms 94 ‘LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it"...“Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood. But the LORD is my defense, and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.” (V. 3,6,7,17-23) The psalmist offers a response to burdened souls in this season of distress. We are all familiar with the rampant lawlessness and corruption in our world. When we reflect on how far we have fallen as a nation in such a short time and see ever-growing attacks on justice, we may drift into a sense of despair. The words from the passage above remind us that our concerns are not new. The psalmist's insight can offer us hope for tomorrow. But we must apply ourselves to the same answer he claimed for his strength The answer to remaining resilient in a lawless society is found within the verses. He states, “In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. " Our thoughts are constantly bombarded by what we hear and see, with the concerns that it burdens us. If we can't be selective and discreet about our distracting thoughts, we can easily be swayed and play the role of a victim in this lawless society. The survival of our faith and the assurance of hope will depend on where we choose to focus our thoughts. If we concentrate solely on the injustice of our world, we can only expect to live our lives in fear, thinking God is not in control. If we can see our roles as students developing our faith through life's classroom, we will expect God to fulfill his promises. Then, when justice does come, we will celebrate the salvation of our hope while having the reassurance of our faith. Hang in there, my friends. Remember, you are in class.

Seeing God in Your Every Day Psalms 104 Thou hast set a bound that (the waters) may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing* among the branches. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening...Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD. (v.9-15; 19-23;35b) The Psalmist in our passage begins his writing by describing all nature as an incredible creation both through a portrayal of art and by the perfection in operational design. He then considers the majesty of God who formed the earth by the very character of his glory and favor, evident for us to readily witness. After introducing the creation story from Genesis, he takes us on a tour from the beginning of deep waters that covered the earth without form and directs us to observe how the water was collected and bounded as a “lifestream” to preserve all creation. He invites us to acknowledge that the very stream, like the bump of the first domino in a series, was purposed by design, and continues a sequence of events that supply the diverse needs of all life on earth even to this day. He makes a particular point that even the “beasts of the field”, that do not acknowledge God’s provision are even still, provided the means to thrive and be sustained by God himself. The Psalmist then invites us to see how the cycle of each day and its seasons participate in the events of life which are also purposed, even without knowledge of how it impacts his creation. We are given insight into God's participation in his creation which is both active and engaging. If God is involved intimately with his creation both in orchestrating design and timing in life, what does that tell us about his involvement in our everyday activities? Is there anything that occurs without his knowledge? Are there any limits to his love for his creation? Even though plants and brute beasts do not acknowledge God as their provider, does he neglect them? This psalm offers a meaningful reflection of God’s grace and love for us and all creation. Acknowledging God is not a requirement for his care. But acknowledging God as our provider and sustainer will allow us to begin to understand the unconditional love he has for us. Even when we are imperfect, God remains faithful toward us. This is why the Psalmist could conclude this visual domino tour of nature with the words, “Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.” Look for God in your every day, He is there and he is making his presence known to you. But we may not see him, nor his provisions for us if we are not looking for him. Have a great day, my friends.

Psalms 90 "Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men...In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth... So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days... Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” (v.3,6,12,13,14,17) This psalm was believed to be authored by Moses and and included as a foundational writing for the people of God. In order to gain the intended meaning we must consider the fall of mankind from the very beginning. We were not created with an expiration date in mind. The gift of love and sharing that love is the highest treasure of life and living. But love requires free Will to experience it. Two trees were provided in the garden of Eden. One was the tree of knowledge,the other was the tree of life. However, humanity brought down a curse when they used their free will to choose disobedience, leading to banishment from the garden. Man no longer had access to the tree of life. That is when death entered into the world with all the associated turmoil and sorrow. God even then did not abandon us. His love for mankind was too great to dismiss. That is where his own son was provided as a sacrifice for the our death sentence, in order to retain his wayward children eternally. It was the only way to restore us in fellowship with God. The curse of our earthly lives remain with the burdens from disobedience. This is what is stated in the verse, "Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men”. We were formed from dust and we will end as dust. The verse goes on to say "In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth”. Our curse was brought on by disobedience that all man now bears. Despite our limited scope of a social status,despite our wealth, or level of achievement; we all are made the same and we will all share a common end as dust. That is quite humbling. It is with this awareness of our limited existence on earth that Moses makes the request, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”. Life is short and our journey together has no guaranteed duration. That is the reason for us to make life count. Moses shares the object of our life can only be accomplished through honoring God, “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days... Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.” Our lives have much suffering, sorrows and pain. But we have a unique honor to contribute wisdom, instruction and encouragement to those who follow after us. By passing on our own experience and by sharing God with others, we will be instrumental in the peace and unity of future generations. This is the work that is so important for us all. Even though we bear death in our body we can still live in fellowship with our eternal God. This was the original plan from the beginning. This is where we are brought in the passage conclusion, "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”. May we all reflect on the contribution we can make for peace and unity in our world. Let us keep moving the flag forward as God’s people. Have a great day, my friends.

Psalms 85 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps. (v.9-13) The believers walk in faith does not come easily and often seems to be threatened by the fringes of hardships. Faith implies that we learn to trust God despite the lack of evidence in our circumstances of life. Faith was never meant for us to understand without its applied practice within life’s challenging situations. Faith is not the exercise of mental effort for the hope we possess. It is the calm assurance that our God is in control of all things while acknowledging his unconditional love toward us as his children. The psalmist shares how such a ‘salvation’ is “nigh to them that fear him”. This is not the kind of fear that we may think of as ‘being scared’ or frightened. It is the expression of awe and wonder, while embracing the highest level of honor toward our creator and an almighty King. This “awe” is the very orientation of our hearts that is required for God to work in us and through us as his children. When we recognize God in truth, our spiritual nature becomes stirred and awakened to his presence in our lives. Just as children learn to balance and walk in their early stages of development, so it is with our maturing faith. Walking requires the use of our senses to adapt to different types of terrain. This is also true with our spiritual walk. Our spiritual senses need to develop adequately for us to adapt to each situation and circumstance in life. Living our lives as believers means to sense two realities. We are in the world, but not of the world. Our maturity becomes optimal when we can perceive that our reality is both physical and spiritual. The delicate balance of mercy and truth can never be fully met through human efforts. We often see undeserved mercy offered by corrupted legal establishments where justice requires firm consequences for criminal acts in truth. But for a God who knows our hearts, mercy is proportioned to those who deserve reconsideration where only justice under the law would frustrate or obstruct true sorrow from wrongs done. The words, righteousness and peace have kisses each other”, is further described in the passage when it says, “ Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven”. Righteousness only occurs in truth. Just like rain comes from above and refreshes the ground, truth is born from the ground when it receives the truth from heaven. The harvest of the earths rich vegetation born from heaven do not compete for survival, but share a common yield of produce which is peace. When the righteousness of heaven is received it produces truth, and such truth assures peace. God is already providing his righteousness to the world. If peace is our shared goal, then it requires that we accept the revelation of himself as we cultivate the truth that is produced in our lives. As believers, our lives do not need to be threatened by the fringes of our faith. We just need to be willing to turn our receptive hearts toward God’s righteousness and allow truth to be produced toward his peace for all mankind. May we all keep our eyes on his righteousness, my friends.

Psalms 84 “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.'...For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” (v.5-7,11,12) This psalm captures the essence of true and embraced hope in God for our life. Even though believers can have an assurance of seeing God at the end of life’s journey, we are offered the perspective on the blessed path that leads to God. The blessed quality of living is not only about the expected comforts at our future destination. If we strive through life only to hope for what lies ahead in heaven, then we neglect the true companionship we can already have with God in our present life’s journey. Our life on earth is a training ground for our growing faith. Everyday we attend the classroom of God’s instruction. God provides each of us uniquely tailored lessons as we embrace the strength and faith that he provides. Barnes’ Notes offers a unique perspective on the “valley of Baca “ mentioned. "The true rendering is, "valley of lamentation," or weeping; and it may have reference to some lonely valley in Palestine - where there was no water - a gloomy way - through which those commonly passed who went up to the place of worship. ..employed as an illustration of the effect of religion in diffusing happiness and comfort where there was trouble and sorrow - as if fountains should be made to flow in a sterile and desolate valley." (Barnes Notes) Barnes helps us understand that this psalm reminds us that despite the terrain of our life, even in hardship and trials we can find a refreshing, a peace and an uncommon happiness at such difficult times. The “way” was a designated pathway toward the temple of God, where God comforted and provided strength to believers. The temple was the destination but God was to be found in the journey as well. Sometimes we may find the journey difficult. Life has many challenges that can complicate our efforts. But God offers us “steps” for our footing as we make our way from "strength to strength” toward heaven where we will surely “see God”. In the way, “God is our sun and shield”. He provides light in darkness, clarity of vision and protection from those that threaten our journey. When we rely on God during the changing seasons of life, we learn the true measure of grace that is extended toward us. Such grace saturates our life as we characterize grace toward others in the way we live. Grace becomes the emblem of promise for the paired glory that is shared for us as believers. Further, we are promised that our necessary needs will be met and we will not be denied of any “good or beneficial thing” that comes our way. If life is to be found in God, then we can be confident that our best of life is assured in the following the ways of God. If we trust God as our father and teacher in life, we can be secure in his companionship in the journey. Have a blessed day, my friends.

Psalm 83 “Keep not thou silence, O God For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones...have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee..(saying).."Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession". O my God, make them ..as the stubble before the wind...as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;.. and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD...That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” There is a motivation or drive behind every action we perform. Deep behind the motivation there are emotionally charged ideas which stir that motivation into action. Often, the motivation for change is not specific toward a particular goal but only a change from one state to another. For example, I may be sitting and reading in one room where the temperature is a little too warm for my comfort, so I may get up and move to another room. In this case, it was a general decision to move to another location just to feel more comfortable. What I gained in changing my setting to read was a more comfortable place to make the reading experience more comfortable. In psychology, we may frame this as negative reinforcement. I received a reward in moving from one room to another. When we consider the words of the psalmist, we see that the enemies (those who align against the writer) make "tumult," (i.e. a wild, furious rage) driven by a hate toward God. The "lifted up head " refers to pride in their opposition toward God. We are told that the take “crafty counsel against God’s people”. This refers to loose imaginations and creative plans against those who honor God. It is not enough that the followers of God perform their worship privately or conducting their personal worship outside the view of unbelievers. The enemies of God’s people plan to eradicate them regardless and seek alliance with others who will join them to trouble believers in their own personal religious practices. When considering the general motivation of some unbelievers against the private faith of believers can reveal some points. This passage suggests: 1) The presence of Godly people creates a level of discomfort in unbelievers that can stir strong feelings against believers; 2) Unbelievers can not claim a believers faith as insignificant. Otherwise, a believers private faith would not have any impact of the course of an unbelievers own daily life. There is significance in the faith of a believer that is influential and directive to the level of stirring emotional reaction in unbelievers; 3) Unbelievers may become emotionally charged when they actively oppose the faith and religious practice of a believer. It is not just a matter of “not agreeing with religious practice of another”. The motivation and effort required to stir antagonism in unbelievers toward even private worship of believers, directly engages the decisions that regulate antagonistic acts. The psalmist then makes a request that God would make the enemy frustrated by seeing their plans fail without any effect (stubble in the wind), and that they would have that their efforts consume their own security ( uncontrolled fire), while acknowledging that they are inadequate to oppose the defense of God upon his people (fear). The psalmist hopes the enemy will come to believe as he does, in the God of believers as mighty in power and strength. Invisible influence upon the Visible Before there was the science claiming the concept of molecular structure in nature around us, a microscopic study observed the influence of some invisible form within water that impacted pollen movement when viewed on a microscope slide. The pollen seemed to be bumped around by something that was not readily visible to the eye. The movements of pollen by the collision within a drop of water were called Brownian motion which led to the eventual discovery of water molecules. According to Wikipedia, "in 1905...theoretical physicist Albert Einstein published a paper where he modeled the motion of the pollen particles as being moved by individual water molecules, making one of his first major scientific contributions. The direction of the force of atomic bombardment is constantly changing, and at different times the particle is hit more on one side than another, leading to the seemingly random nature of the motion. This explanation of Brownian motion served as convincing evidence that atoms and molecules exist and was further verified experimentally by Jean Perrin in 1908." Brownian Movement- Pollen moved by water molecules In some way, we could argue that there is a type of Brownian motion or true invisible substance to a believers faith. A believers faith, even though out of view, influences the hearts of unbelievers to a level of reaction. If an unbeliever is driven against the private practices of a believer, then clearly the antagonistic motivation is more than just a personal and individual decision. There is an influence deep behind the motivation that is emotionally charged which is responsible for troubling the believer. Such unbelievers are not comfortable with their own state of decisions. Why does a private faith provoke the comfort of unbelievers? Something else is controlling the reins. REFERENCE Wikipedia contributors. 2022. “Albert Einstein.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. May 27, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Albert_Einstein&oldid=1090038459.

Psalm 82 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. (v. 1,2,5-8) The psalmist in this passage shares the importance of proper and right justice in the stability of our world. We are told that true justice is expected from those who have the honored role to judge according to right and unbiased principles. The psalmist tells us that God possesses all nations and expects those who govern our nation are to honor their noble role just as He would determine. This noble state of seeking right judgment would be consistent with the children of God, who are considered as “gods” (as God’s child). Being a “child of God” alone brings nobility to all people. The role of governing a nation through “God-like justice“ is essential for the stability of any nation. In such ways, we have the privilege to encourage justice in others. Those who are appointed to judge a nation are then extended the role “as if” from God to perform their diligent duty. Such judges are honored by those who achieve justice in truth for the security, stability and peace provided equally toward all people. When a nation is not established with justice, then truth is no longer followed. The foundation on which the nation operates can be pushed off-course and chaos results. A nation without justice is no longer united and peace can not be possible. In the final verse, there is a call to God to bring justice back to the nation where those who were to honor their noble role only abused their office and judged people according to their own desires and privilege. Such leaders would lose any respect, as be remembered without honor after true justice comes. After all, the nation was not possessed by those who judge. They were only to be stewards of the justice that God intended. Humility under God’s rule is the true role of any judge and it is the only path toward peace in our world. Despite the the present injustice and growing crimes we may experience from corrupted leaders, we know that God’s justice will be come and his righteousness will always prevail to unite us as a great nation.

Psalm 81 "..open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! " (v.10-13) We all seek two things in life; we want to belong and we want to feel meaningful. This is what drives us to do the things we do and the ways we we choose to do it. Meaningfulness is achieved when the structure and function are aligned with each other. Let’s consider the use of tools. The hammer is designed to drive a nail into wood. A screwdriver is designed to turn screws. Even though a hammer may be used as a screwdriver or a screwdriver may be used as a hammer, they are far less effective than using the right tool for the right job. When the hammer is used as a screwdriver it is far less meaningful, but when it is found to be the most effective tool to drive nails it becomes “meaningful” for the job. Meaningfulness can then be ascribed to the structure (or design) which fulfills the function for which it was designed. What our passage tells is that we are designed to be in fellowship with God. But when we neglect the best application of who we are in God, we will never achieve the ultimate purpose for which we can serve. When we seek only our own pleasures and ambitions without God, we allow our imagined function to be assigned to our own design. A hammer can be used as a screwdriver, though it will not be the most meaningful use. If we are to live meaningful lives, it will always begin with remembering whose we are and how we our given skills can be applied best. If we begin from any other foundation outside of Gods ways, we can never hope to achieve our most meaningful lives. Have a meaningful day, my friends.

Psalm 79 “O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake. Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.” (v.8-12) Psalms 79 is believed to be written by a man named Asaph or one of his descendants after experiencing the Babylonian Invasion. The destruction of Jerusalem was widespread and Jerusalem suffered hardship under the foot of the enemy, where even the dead were prevented from being buried. The sights and smells of defeat and despair pervaded while needless injustice seemed limitless. Destruction of the city and the crush of defeat would be enough to bear. But to remain in a state of continued injustice and abuse under the power of the enemy only serve to crush any hope of salvation. Within that plea, the psalmist is willing to own any fault for sins which may have contributed to the defeat from their enemy by consequence. In verse 8, “let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us”,carries the idea of asking God to stir a sense of anticipating justice from God against unrestrained evil. This speaks clearly to a people suffering great defeat unto complete exhaustion and grief. Their eyes of hope seemed to be covered by a curtain of despair The only final plea was for God to grant them at least the expectation that justice would eventually come. The psalmist desperately clutches to the character of God, whom he serves. He trusts that God would surely “render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom”, as he requests that justice would come, and not only be complete, but that the laps of their enemy would always be reminded how they brought their own judgment upon themselves with great regret. There are times in our life we may experience a similar sense of hopelessness and the environment where we find ourselves does not give us any assurance of hope. In such times even justice may seem neglected. Reflection is needed as we take inventory about our own contribution to the trials where we find ourselves. But in our worst case, God's peace seems removed from us, we may rely on what we know of Gods character. We know that God is just and he will surely bring right Judgment in due time. When we find ourselves surrounded by the curtain of hopelessness, we can at least be confident that there is always justice to be found in God's character. God is still God, even behind the curtain, my friends.

Do we really have free Will? There has been a debate in religious circles about Christian salvation; whether salvation is by choice or if salvation of the chosen was predetermined. There are a number of scriptures which seem to support both positions. For example, one of the first verses most churched people learn about salvation is 1 John 1:9. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but whosoever believe on him shall not perish but have eternal life” But at the same time the scripture seems to support a predetermined condition, where we read also another passage: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:29–30) There are a number of other verses which seem to bring us back to the table on this particular debate. However, there may be a way to embrace both predestination and free Will without contradiction. What I would like to offer through a clear representation is a possible answer to this matter. Necessary Principles To begin with this approach there are three points which must be established as foundational. 1. We are absolutely free to choose to accept salvation or deny it. We are told that God is love. He desires us to love him. If we are not free to choose to love, then it would contradict the very nature of our relationship with him. Also if we are preprogrammed to behave and decide to serve God, then we would be living like robots without any range of decision-making. If the decision was not up to us it would remove us from any responsibility. The greatest point of arguing for Free Will, is the level of sacrifice required, that God sent his only son to die for us in order to be saved. If salvation was not a matter of choice, It would be unnecessary for God to sacrifice his only son, where he could just dictate who would be saved. But that was not the case. His son, Jesus had to die for us in order to offer the opportunity to be forgiven and restored in a relationship with God. 2. God is not only a God of love, but also a God of immeasurable grace. When you consider how frail we are in our walk of faith, there is no way we can expect any salvation based on our efforts. Consider the models we have in scriptures, with prophets, priests and kings. There was no perfect follower, no perfect person that would be worthy of following God, except for the love and mercy God so readily poured out upon those who followed after him. 3. God is timeless and all-knowing God has always existed. There was no beginning or ending for our creator. Since he does not operate within the boundaries of time, he is able to transcend time. If God can transcend time, everything is known to him from beginning to end. In fact we read in Psalms 139: “He knows all our days before we had lived a single day” God is intimate and knows us completely. I remember a quote from a science class I attended long ago. The quote goes something like this: “If we knew everything about one square inch of earth, we would know all answers of the universe”. Imagine if you knew everything about one square inch of ground; how pressure, temperature, the nature of soil, its potential to promote life in plants, the way light is converted to the air we breathe, the organization of cellular matter, how molecules can organize and communicate to each other in order to scaffold life. It is proposed that if we knew everything about that small region of matter, we would be able to unlock all secrets to the very universe. More simply, imagine if one could just know how any flipped coin could land on heads every time, no matter the height of the toss, the force of flip, the way the muscles in the arm are used and the posture while flipping the coin. Guesswork is not required when one is thoroughly familiar with all aspects of physics, anatomy and physical sciences in order to have a "heads" come up each time. Even our creator has this level of familiarity about all of his creation. Now if we hold all of these principles to be true and foundational, we can move to the next section without any reservation. Our freedom to choose In order to understand how predestination and Free Will can coexist without out contradiction, let us consider the following example. Let us say, we enter a room that has a large table and we are handed a jump rope like the one below. Let us imagine that the Master hands you the rope with an instruction. You are told to stretch that rope from one end of the table to the other. You are permitted to decide on any variation you choose as you make any design or pattern out of the rope along the table. You are free to arrange that rope as you wish, as you wanted without any other instruction. Let us say that I completed the task requested and you see the result below. As you can see, the handles are over each end and I was free to arrange the rope to my liking. If I am asked, “Were you free to choose the design you made?” My answer would be, “Yes, I was free to arrange it without any other influence, according to my liking”. Now, I step back to the doorway of the room, and the Master steps up to the table. Let’s say he wants to add some of his own items to the table. Without disturbing my pattern, which was a product of my choice, he adds a couple of shakers and a candle, where he chooses in order to accent my chosen pattern. So now, after the Master finished placing items within the rope pattern, he returns to my side. What the Master has done is he used my rope placed by my decisions and incorporated his own accent by the items he contributed to the table after my choice. The rope here is representative of my life, from beginning to end. I had the freedom to choose any pattern or points of decision during life’s course. Christ gave me freedom to choose and it was only after I made my decision, did he choose to add items to the table. All the items the Master added after my decisions, contributed a decorative quality to the glory of God. There will be days of salt, of healing and preservation. There will be days of pepper, when pain and trials come my way. There will be days where I will find a candle, when insights, repentance and rededication will restore my footing. The things the Master adds, despite my choices in life serve to glorify our Father in heaven. Even for the sinner, or by wickedness and wrongful acts of evil people, God can still use such free acts to fulfill his purpose, revealing his authority to his glory. God can be revealed in every choice made by man. Our God is already aware our decisions and he knows the choices made by others in our lives. God often reveals himself to us through relationships that interface with our lives, reassuring his divine coordination in the background. Those that walk in God's salvation are often reassured of God's presence by those he has orchestrated to connect with us at significant moments. God is glorified and magnified by such blessings with those who share a common faith. Believers often encounter others that "show up" in their lives at crucial times in life. We will often acknowledge that how many encounters we have with others in our lifetime is not by accident. The fellowship of believers is a very special addition to the table of our lives. In great wisdom, the Master has a way to bring glory to our Father by the people we encounter on life’s journey. It may be a church member, a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a neighbor, a pastor. Only an intimate Savior can know how to negotiate our life in such a way that would not disrupt the free Will of others we encounter in life. The Start of the journey Now, as the Master has returned to our side, he prepares to take the lifelong journey with us. Knowing that our Master is aware of our free choice, knowing the Father already knows our path in life and the way God will be glorified, knowing that there are no surprises for God, who is our companion and guide; we can walk in confidence that not only does he walk with us in the journey, he will also perfect us in all things, no matter what we encounter, until the journey is complete. Now, consider, did I have Free Will? Was I predestined before I began? I hope this helps to bring some clarity to what I imagine is the best way to answer the debate. I hope it also brings both assurance and confidence in your journey. Greg

Psalm 78 "How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy."(v.40-42) In Psalm 78, the people were encouraged to remain dedicated to God as he had delivered and remained with them faithfully. During the reading, the parents in attendance were instructed to share the story of God's deliverance with their children even as they were taught. They would teach their family about the miraculous acts of God throughout Israel’s history to redeem his people despite their unfaithfulness. The psalmist reminded the people of God’s mercy in spite of the stubbornness and disobedience of past generations from the beginning, and how the future of Israel depended on honoring God as his people. The psalmist shared how God was constantly challenged by the Israel even while they were being delivered from the hands of their enemies. Even though God provided water in the desert, food from heaven, and guidance by day and night, Israel often complained and became obstacles to blessings from God. As in the words of our passage, “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel”.The word “limited” is the same as ‘making a mark’, like drawing a boundary that separates plots of land. When you consider the ways in which God intervened and displayed his miraculous power for his people, it seems so contradictory that it was God’s people who had limited his power and not the enemy. It makes one wonder, if Israel had not desired prescribed answers to their concerns from God, how much more would God have provided for them? How many trials and struggles could they have avoided? How much blessing as a people did they deny for themselves by restricting God? What about us? How often in our despair, do we prescribe the way we want God to provide for us without considering what greater blessing he would otherwise provide for us? In our own way, we often limit what God can do because we do not see him as GOD. The God we hold in our own mind is often too small. Imagine what would be possible if we did not restrain God by what we want through our own limited expectations? May we learn to trust God in how his ways can exceed what we desire. Have a wonderful day, my friends.

Psalm 77 “ Hath God forgotten to be gracious? ... And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. ...Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people...Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. (v.9-11,15,19) Every parent enjoys playing “Peek-a-boo” with their children when they are young. Parents cover their face and then reveal their face to their baby as the child seems to become repeatedly surprised by the parent's reappearance. Children grow through developmental stages, of which this milestone is one of “object permanency”. This is where a child learns that objects out of sight still remain present even though they do not see them. According to one Prager, “Peekaboo develops the idea of object permanence, the idea that something out of sight is still there...“They’re saying to the child, ‘I’m here for you every time you leave.I’m not going away.’” It can actually beused to rebuild trustwith traumatized children.” (Prager*) We all have grown through this stage of development and understand this experience clearly. This process goes contrary to the old cliche, “Out of sight, out of mind”. Yet, if we are to be honest we have all felt from time to time that as Christians, when we do not see God working in our situations it seems to us that God has abandoned us. We look for evidence of his presence in the midst of a particular trial, yet we do not have any sign or clue that God is present nor has he been aware of us in our situation. This is the theme of Psalm 77. The psalmist questions if God has abandoned him. But eventually he has to acknowledge that this question was more about his own experience of God and not about God's absence. (This is my infirmity..). The psalmist then challenges himself to reflect on what his experience has taught him as he remembers how God has been consistently involved in the lives of his people. He considers the saving power of God’s "right hand", his "mighty works" for his people and the "wonders of old". As he embraces such memories and the evidence of God’s continued presence he then shares a metaphor for us. He states, “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known".The original word here for footsteps actually refer to “foot prints” left behind on the earth from our feet. To grasp the idea presented here, consider what it is like to walk the beach where we leave our foot steps in the sand just before they are washed away by the waves. The psalmist makes a more significant visualization of walking within the water where the water separates around our feet before us and after us. The water fills the space where our foot once touched the ground as it is lifted. There really is no way to see exactly where we have stepped nor where the next step will be made. The emphasis of this passage is more of reassurance to us of “object permanence”. The requirement of having faith depends on our trust in God even when we do not see him at work on our behalf or we see no evidence of his presence in our situation. Just as God lead his people in faith throughout many generations, we have a similar privilege to walk in the same faith as they did. Our impression of being abandoned is our infirmity. The reality is what God has done and will continue to do through those who walk in faith. There is something for us to learn in God’s “Peek-a-boo”. Trust that God is in us in our situation, my friends. We will not always sense that he is with us, but that is how our faith grows. --------- *Prager, Sarah, When do babies play peekaboo and why do they play it? | NewFolks (https://www.newfolks.com/stages/babies-peekaboo/2022/4/18)