Psalms 103:13-14, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
What a precious truth! The Bible comforts us as believers by teaching us that
God pitieth His children who fear Him. Pity is a feeling of sympathy and
sorrow for the misfortunes of others. We are comforted also in Psalms
34:18, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such
as be of a contrite spirit.”
Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Notice that God lovingly “FORMED” man with His own omnipotent hands; whereas, He spoke the rest of the universe into existence “by the Word of God” (2nd Peter 3:5).
God could have spoken mankind into existence, but He wanted to give a personal touch to His beloved special project. Humanity is the object of God's wondrous love. The angels, as beloved as they are, cannot relish in being the object of Christ's redeeming blood. We humans are the object of the omni-benevolent (all-loving) grace and mercy of an awesome God.
What a wonderful truth to ponder... “FOR HE KNOWETH OUR FRAME; HE REMEMBERETH THAT WE ARE DUST.” By the way, this was Pastor Jack Hyles' mother's favorite passage of Scripture in the Bible. The Lord KNOWS that we are the mere dust of the earth. God never forgets anything. Nothing ever occurs to God. HE ALWAYS KNOWS EVERYTHING! I am amazed as I ponder the truth that mankind is composed of dust from the earth. This is another reasons how we know that evolutionists are wrong. Evolutionists claim that human life originated in the sea and one day crawled out and became man. But the Bible teaches that Man was formed from the dust of the earth, which blood tests have verified.
Man Formed From The Dust
Did you know that human blood is composed partly of salt? It's true! Salt is mined from the dust of the earth. Whereas evolutionists errantly claim that man evolved from primitive ocean life, the Bible teaches that God formed man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). The ground is where the salt is. The ocean's salt comes from the drain-off of flowing rivers from the mountains and thunderstorm rains returning through the earth to the ocean. So man had to come from the dust of the earth, just as the Bible teaches in Genesis 2:7 and Ecclesiastes 3:20, 12:7 (our text verses). The salt in the ocean comes from rocks on land. This is further proof that evolution is a bogus big lie and that God is indeed the Creator of mankind, the earth and the universe!!! Man didn't come from the ocean!
God continually remembers that we are made of the DUST of the ground. That means God is fully aware of our tiredness, weakness and struggle with the lusts of the flesh. God knows that we are a spirit and soul living in a physical body composed of DIRT!!! That's mind-boggling when you think about it. It is the spirit that gives life to the human body. God gives our unique spirit at conception and then our spirit returns to God Who gave it at death (Ecclesiastes 12:7). When we sin or do good, we do so with our spirit that controls our flesh. The mind (to think), heart (to feel) and the will (to freely decide) influence the spirit. The soul and spirit are inseparably intertwined; yet God's Word is so powerful (Hebrews 4:12) that it can even pierce between the dividing asunder of man's soul and spirit, revealing the thoughts and intents of our heart. That's powerful my brother!
I love the following song, which I learned decades ago. The words still stick in my mind and are a precious testimony to God's omnibenevolence (all-loving), omnipresence (all-present), omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipotence (all-powerful)...
He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.
There really ought to be a sign upon the heart,
Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.
He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.
In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.
He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.SOURCE: http://youtu.be/O-2_3qrv7Tg; ©HE'S STILL WORKING ON ME, The Hemphills
The more that we proclaim the
goodness of God, the more we will begin to see His goodness! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!
We Are So Blessed By God
When you get discouraged, just remember that God is fully aware at all times that you and I are only made of DUST. God knoweth our FRAME. It simply means that God created us and is continually aware of our needs, burdens, pain, afflictions and thoughts. God does see that poor person on the other side of the world, who lives in a mud hut which Americans wouldn't use for a toilet. The people in third world countries are so poor that children don't play with toys. Instead they hit rocks with sticks and roll around scrapped tires for fun. We are so blessed in America. People in China have to squat to use the bathroom because they don't have toilets as in the United States. They just have a bowl built into the floor. Americans couldn't handle living in most foreign countries.
There are 86,400 seconds in a day, have we thanked God with even one of them? Jesus is worthy of our praises, for He left Heaven's glory and splendor to be despised, rejected, beaten, mocked, spit upon, reviled, falsely accused and crucified for OUR SINS. And Jesus did it all because He genuinely loves us unconditionally. Isn't that beautiful? Thank you Lord Jesus!!!
Don't ever become so selfish that you forget to count your blessings, considering how others who are less fortunate survive around the world. We take so much for granted. Americans think they're suffering persecution when someone laughs at their religious bumper sticker. In sharp contrast, Christian missionaries are being imprisoned, tortured, raped and murdered in hostile nations. We don't know what persecution is in America.
Evangelist Billy Sunday!!!
“It would be a godsend if the Church would suffer persecution today; she hasn't suffered it for hundreds of years. She is growing rich and lagging behind. Going back.”
SOURCE: Billy Sunday, The Need for Revivals, From "Billy Sunday: The Man and His Message,” by William T. Ellis, Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co., 1914
No matter what happens my friend, always keep in mind that God remembers that WE ARE DIRT. Psalms 103:13-14, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” God knows that we are only human, prone to worry and fear, prone to become tired and frustrated, and He has given us the Bible to light our path moment-by-moment (Psalms 119:105). The Lord wanted to be so close to us that He beautifully worked it out so that His Holy Spirit would live right within our very body (1st Corinthians 3:16-17). I love that!!!
In the Old Testament early days, God walked with men externally, as with Adam in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden, and as with Enoch. Then the Lord began to dwell amongst His people within the holy place in the Tabernacle. And then the Lord told Solomon to build His temple and God began to dwell amongst His people within the holy place in the Temple. And finally, after Jesus arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, the Lord sent the Comforter (Holy Spirit) to indwell every believer's body and soul. Since that time God has chosen to live in the body and soul of each and every born-again Christian believer (Romans 8:9). Amen! What an awesome God!!!
Why It's So Important To Keep Praying
When God Doesn't Seem To Answer
I've learned that CONSISTENCY is far more important than quantity in not only prayer, but most things in life. Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Here, in Luke 18:1-8, the Bible says that Jesus told a parable about an unjust judge, but verse 1 tells us exactly where we are headed and the end result sought by the Lord before even telling the parable, that is, “MEN OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY AND FAINT NOT.” Faint in the Bible means “to quit.”
Most people approach prayer like a Las Vegas casino or the stock market, trying it out to see if it works for them, but then abandoning it altogether when it doesn't profit them. I've learned that God works behind the scenes in ways that we cannot detect (Isaiah 55:8-9). The Lord does this deliberately to test us, to make us think that He's not answering our prayers (boy, atheists love this kind of talk don't they). God normally does not answer our prayers directly. I can prove this Scripturally with numerous Bible passages. The most obvious passage is right here in Luke 18:1-8. I've written an article dedicated to this important subject, which you can read here. The unjust judge couldn't have cared less about the widow, and he ignored her as long as possible.
However, she kept bothering him until he finally avenged her, giving her what she wanted just to make her go away. Likewise, and contrawise, God is pleased by our continual asking, but not because He is unjust or uncaringly; but rather, because faith pleases God and by making us ask and ask and ask, it requires much greater faith to keep praying even when it seems that God is not answering. GOD ABSOLUTELY LOVES WHEN A BELIEVER CONTINUES TO PRAY WHEN THERE'S NO APPARENT REASON TO DO SO. I mean, why would anyone continue to pray if it seems like God never answers?
The answer is because a wise Christian prays out of duty, and not based upon the circumstances or results. It is entirely a matter of faith. God's hand is not seen in weeks, months or even years, but in decades! I pray and continue to pray, even when it appears that God is not answering at all, because I trust His character, Word and promises, and am not praying to see results. Of course I want to see my prayers answered, but I also fully realize that God's will is far superior to my finite, flawed and often selfish human desires and reasoning.
Therefore, I pray and trust upon the Lord that He knows best, and have perfect peace in just knowing that I am praying in obedience to God. My faith is in God, not my prayers. I trust that God loves and cares about me, and that He controls my future, even when I mess things up. The Lord can work in incredible ways that no man could ever even begin to comprehend. I am grateful and happy that God is a good God, and that He is all-loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, unchanging and merciful.
God doesn't expect miracles from us, but us from Him. The Lord wants us to trust Him in all of life's troubles, challenges and burdens. The Word of God is not a book with white pages and black lettering; but rather, it is the incorruptible TRUTH, which was personified in the earthly life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word, Jesus Christ, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:10). Prayer manifests our faith in the Word of God, believing that God hears us, cares enough to help us and has the power to do so.
God Remembers That We Are Dust In Our
Praying
When I go to pray, I often feel that I could have prayed more the past week. This is how we ought to feel. No Christian should ever feel like they've met God's mark, have arrived or have reached the mountain-top of the Christian life. The more I serve God, the more inadequate and behind I feel in the race against time. Ephesians 5:16, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Remember that you are flesh, and God also remembers that you are only human, predisposed to walk in the flesh rather than walking in the Spirit. The important thing is that you DO PRAY. I don't think any believer prays as much as they feel they should. Truthfully, no matter how much I pray, I always feel like I could do better. Such feelings are normal. If you pray daily, then you are doing great. Most people only pray when tragedy strikes or they need something from God. I believe the Lord honors all prayer, even panic prayers which overshadow a life of praylessness.
However, the Bible teaches that God favors the prayers of those who are IMPORTUNATE in their praying, that is, consistently asking. Luke 18:1-8 plainly teaches this truth in the parable of the unjust judge. God is pleased by our FAITH, which is demonstrated by our continued asking. Prayer is faith, so continued asking is greater faith. And when we pray despite not hearing from God for a long time, that requires the greatest faith to keep praying. I don't know about you, but that encourages me to keep-on-keeping-on labouring in prayer! Our duty is to pray, not measure God by how, when or where He chooses to answer.
Prayer is entirely a matter of faith in a miracle-working God. Beware of unbelieving Modernists who teach prayer as a good therapy, focused mental energy, higher thinking, spiritism, or form of transcendental meditation. That is witchcraft, not prayer. Phooey on the “power of prayer”; but rather, I believe in the power of God Who answers prayer! Prayer is useless if there's not a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering, miracle-working, God up in Heaven on His throne! Amen!
God is awesome! The Lord knew that we would have difficulty knowing exactly what to pray, so He gives us an outline to guide us in Luke 11:1-4 (Our Father, which art in Heaven...and so on). But the Lord even made it easier for us, still knowing that we would have difficulty knowing what to pray, so He has the Holy Spirit make intercession for us...
Romans 8:26-27, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Isn't that beautiful? So when we pray, the Holy Spirit Who indwells (lives in) us speaks to God the Father on our behalf, telling the Lord exactly what we mean, need and ought to receive in answer to our prayer. We've all heard people warn to be careful concerning what we ask of God, because He might just give it to us. Well, thankfully the Holy Spirit is looking out for us and will intercept any harmful prayers, making intercession on our behalf to the Father... “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26). Isn't it wonderful that the Bible comforts us, by telling us that God knows that we don't know what's best for ourselves, and that the precious Holy Spirit HELPS US when we pray, interceding on our behalf!!!
Here is a precious passage of Scripture which encourages me, knowing just how much God is involved with my every thought and aspect of my life...
Psalms 139:1-6, “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”
We have often heard Hebrews 13:5 quoted which promises that God will NEVER leave nor forsake us, but the very next verse in Hebrews 13:6 also says that “THE LORD IS MY HELPER”! Isn't that awesome! Hebrews 13:6, “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” We are on the winning side in Christ Jesus! Hallelujah!
It comforts my soul and warms my heart when I read Scriptures which teach and promise that the Lord “remembereth that we are dust” (Psalms 103:14) and “helpeth our infirmities” (Romans 8:26) and “who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape” (1st Corinthians 10:13).
