FROM A TO ZZZZZ

I could attribute it to the pandemic's disruption of “normal life,” or to old age, but I have my share of nights when it's hard to get to sleep or stay asleep. I try to avoid the pill solutions (like melatonin, although it can be helpful) and opt for a warm cup of milk (in the dark) and a cure I call “A to ZZZZZ.” It's one way that Psalm 127:2 works out for me: “He grants sleep to those He loves.”

Years ago, I'd claim that verse in the middle of the night when a hungry infant didn't care if I got eight solid. Typically, after a feeding, I'd collapse right back to slumberland. But with age and the burden of life's myriad concerns (yes, even COVID), I've needed a new way to ease back to slumber. And for me, it's a practice of praying through the names and attributes of God. As I focus on Him and His help and goodness, some of the concerns and worries that keep stirring me awake fade away.

My prayer notebook has a section titled “Attributes” in which I have jotted, by letter of the alphabet, words for the names and attributes of God. It's helpful in praising Him during devotional times. But when sleep eludes at night, I opt for memory rather than turning on the light. In the darkness, I simply focus, in A to Z order, on ways that God is faithful and has sheltered and helped me in times of need.

For “A,” it might be “ You are ABLE,” from 2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is ABLE to make all grace abound to you.” It's also in Jude 24 and Daniel 3:07. And it's my paraphrase of Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me,” which I claimed in one of the lowest points of my life. It was natural for me to add “ABLE,” for “the Lord is ABLE to fulfill his purpose for me,” as I had certainly run out of options. I had a freshly-minted master's degree and couldn't find a job. As a 31-year-old single, I couldn't go back home to Mom and Dad's to wait things out; they had both died the previous year. Then, just days before I had to vacate college housing, no place to go, I got a job offer and provision for temporary housing. That situation and many others come to mind as my heart recalls the times that God was ABLE and made a way forward for me.

Another word, the Hebrew “Adonai” title for God, as One who has power and authority (found some 300 times in the Bible). Or it might be “Abba,” the familiar, fatherly title for God. Or “Abounding in love” (Psalm 86:5, 13), “Advocate” (1 John 2:1),“Almighty” (Rev. 4:7, Psalm 91:1, Isaiah 47:4), “Anchor” (Hebrews 6:19) “Alpha and Omega,” “Awesome” (Daniel 9:4).

Some alphabet letters have creative possibilities. “Q” sends me to queller of storms, quick, quicken-er (Psalm 80:18 KJV), quiet in his love (Zephaniah 3:17). “Z” is zealous—for which I recall “The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this” (found in both 2 Kings 19:31 and Isaiah 9:7).

In the silence and dark of the night, it is a precious time. The problems that try to keep me awake will still be there in the morning. But in the dim of a nearby nightlight, rays of hope illuminate my heart as I focus on the Lord and seek to praise and honor all He is.

Paul concluded his second letter to the Thessalonians: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:18). By turning times of insomnia into times of focusing on God's infinite and intimate character, He often blesses me with peace that leads again to rest.

The internet offers many lists of ABC prayers. Here is one: Attributes of God From A-Z | ThePreachersWord

CREATED/SUSTAINED (Psalm 104)

I'm looking forward to summer and another crop of blueberries! Every

handful reminds me of God's creativity in providing us with food.

(A continuing series of the 48 psalms recommended for study during times of “feeling down,” as listed in pastor/counselor David Seamands’ book, Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

Getting away from it all, like going to an inspiring outdoors location, is a well-known “medicine” for times when life gets you down. Psalm 104 is the guidebook for such mental health rehabilitation. From time to time we need respite to just absorb in the splendor of God’s creation. If getting away isn’t possible, then there’s value in finding a quiet corner and reading thoughtfully through Psalm 104.

If music aids you in worship, find a hymnal and sing through Robert Grant’s 1830 hymn, “O Worship the King,” based on this psalm. Pause as its lyrics exalt God as King, Shield, Defender, Ancient of Days, Maker, Redeemer, and Friend. Marvel at the poetic expressions for things that are hard to wrap our minds around: His power, might, grace, bountiful care, love, and majesty. In singing this hymn, bear in mind that Grant was born into British political privilege in India. Both he and his father served in high British political positions, including posts in Parliament and India governance. Yet Grant was also known for his love and zeal for the Lord and his mission efforts. India, his adopted homeland, named a medical school in his honor.

Yet despite his worldly honors, his heart remained true to scripture study and worship. His study one day of Psalm 104 led to the lyrics later matched to a hymn tune. Though nearly two centuries old, they still instruct us in how to “gratefully sing [of] His pow’r and His love.” 

CREATOR

Psalm 104 strands in awe of God as Creator and Sustainer, the One “clothed in splendor and majesty” (v. 1) .We get a hint of that in just drinking in the beauty of nature—the land, water, foliage, skies. The psalm restates in poetic form the Genesis-revealed sequence of creation, starting with Genesis 1:3’s “Let there be light.” That’s followed by expressions of God separating out the waters, rising up land and plants, assigning time to the sun and moon, creating animal life (fish, birds, animals), and providing food and a “sprinkling system” to grow them. Finally, there’s the crown of creation—people—with work (purpose) and sustenance. 

In a nod to Genesis 2:7, which described the first man coming alive through the breath of God, Psalm 104:29 reminds us of the mortality that sin imposed: “When you take away their breath, they die and return to the earth.” We depend on God for our very breath.  As someone who takes medicine for my asthma, I’m acutely aware of that—and also that some day, I will take the final breath that separates my earthly existence from eternity.

My blessings far outnumber the generous number

of berries from this picking!

WORTHY

Life would be a meaningless churn of birth, living, and death without a purpose under God. That’s where Psalm 104 ends:I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD. (vv. 33-34).Then it breaks in with disturbing reality: But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. (v. 35) That’s reality. Those who reject God will not enjoy eternity with Him.  How much better the attitude reflecting in the psalm’s ending high note of praise: Praise the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord. (v. 35b). In Hebrew, that phrase is “Hallelu jah!” It acknowledges the vast and amazing creation of God and His comprehensive care of it all.  He opens His hand, and we are filled with good (v. 28). No wonder the psalmist urges us to look around and be lifted up in realizing we know and serve such a great God. 

ANOTHER ‘SUSTAINED’ ILLUSTRATION A little over seven years ago, the then-pastor of my church challenged the congregation to “be the church” in the community. That led to a day of volunteerism involving repairs, painting, and cleanup among our community’s needy. The planned projects weren’t the greatest for me as an asthmatic, but I can sew—and in the past had taken patchwork baby blankets to our community’s pro-life ministry, to give women deciding to keep their babies. Others were now fulfilling that agency’s needs, but I learned our local hospital could use these blankets to give babies born into impoverishment.Can you imagine being so poor you don’t even have a nice blanket for your baby, and maybe “home” is a car? Some, I was told, would go with newborns placed in foster homes. I put a way-out-there goal for myself--50-- obviously to be accomplished in more time than just that one “be-the-church” day. With each completed blanket (usually a two-hour effort) and each delivery of several at a time, I sensed the smile and sustaining presence of God. The "50" became 100 and more. People started giving me fabric, batting, and thread, even gift cards to fabric stores. I found other supplies at thrift stores and yard sales.  A few weeks ago, I finished blanket #1,000 and took it to one of five hospitals within 100 miles where I donated regularly. Yes, the staff knows they’re for “people in need”—“and we have many of those,” the head obstetrics nurses in those hospitals have assured me. Who would have guessed that a simple baby blanket could be a ministry?

Psalm 136: It Bears Repeating!

Our perception of God's attributes is sometimes
foggy, but praise sharpens what we understand of Him.

Can you repeat these words without looking?
Give thanks…His love endures forever.
Congratulations! You have just quoted half of Psalm 136—or at least the second half of its 26 verses! Responsive readings were frequently part of services in the church where I grew up. When the reading was Psalm 136, this little pig-tailed girl felt quite proud of knowing half a psalm! But as I grew up and reconsidered this psalm, I realized it packs a lot more than that repeated refrain. In fact, I’d consider it a great “New Year’s Psalm” for its emphasis on simply thanking God in everything.

For devout Jews, reciting this psalm antiphonally was part of observances of both the Jewish Passover and Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). Priests shouted the beginning of each verse, and the people responded with the refrain. Most important, the psalm praises God for His unique, inexplicable and generous love toward us.  The 1611 King James version renders the repeated refrain, “for His mercy endures forever.” However, “mercy” doesn’t convey as well the original Hebrew chesed, which named God’s kindness, loyalty and never-ending fidelity toward His people. The psalm attempts to praise this chesed through a sweeping description of history.

CALL TO WORSHIP (vv. 1-3)

The psalm before this, 135, also praised God as being greater than the “gods” of other nations around them. It talked of silver and gold images that had mouths, eyes, ears, and nostrils, but couldn’t speak, see, hear, or breathe (135:13-17). They contrast with the God of gods, and Lord of lords, “who alone does great wonders” (136:4). He’s not some little trinket image of false religions. He is real and powerful.

CREATOR (vv. 4-9)

All of creation showcases His power: the heavens, earth, waters, great lights, and cycles of day and night. We can praise God for designing the earth’s axis to give us seasons, for a sun at the right distance to support and not incinerate life, and a reflective moon to lift the oppression of night.  And don’t get me started on the marvel of stars, which bewilder our attempts to number.

REDEEMER (vv. 10-15)

No other nation can claim a history of redemption like the Jews. After years of enduring bitter enslavement in a foreign land, they saw the flower of Egypt’s manhood smashed. They escaped through a miraculous yawn in the waters of the Red Sea.

GUIDE (v. 16)
The verse is so simple: “him who led his people through the desert.” The logistics would be humanly impossible. The refugees numbered 600,000 men plus wives and children (Exodus 12:37). Some estimate that to total at least two million. How could so many survive in an barren desert—except for God’s miracle of food and water?

CHAMPION (vv. 17-22)

Some people are paralyzed by fears. They don’t try because they think they’ll fail.  Or, they don’t look for other ways to achieve goals with God’s help. The Jews could still be wandering in the desert, afraid of the next step, if God hadn’t gone before them in warring against its pagan kings.  The only way to the Promised Land was through these kings’ lands.

I always wondered why only two kings were mentioned in this psalm when many other rulers had to be defeated. The answer may be that “Sihon” and “Og” were the most significant rulers of the area. Together they ruled over an area of roughly 17,000 square miles east of the Jordan. Sihon ruled the northeast shoulder of the Dead Sea, about 30 by 60 miles. Og ruled over 60 cities, many big enough to be walled (Joshua 13:30). His kingdom stretched north to Mount Hermon. He was also a huge, physically threatening man, descended from “giant” stock. Moses later wrote that Og’s bedstead measured 9 cubics long by 5 wide—in our measuring system 13’6” by 6’ wide. It was displayed for a time at Rabboth as a memorial (Deu. 3:11), something of a Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not” in Bible times.

 

The story of conquering both kings is told in Numbers 21, but its retelling in Deuteronomy 2-3 reveals God’s heart.  He told Moses, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you.  Now begin to conquer and possess his land” (Deut. 2:31). God didn’t push Moses and his warriors forward without assuring them that He was their champion. He is still our champion and advocate in life’s challenges.

HELPER, RESCUER, PROVIDER (vv. 23-25)

What wonderful attributes of God are packed into these closing verses. Being snared in a “low estate” (v. 23) is everyone’s story, for without Christ we are lost and needy. But we are rescued from the snares of sin through Christ’s offer of salvation. And God provides what we need. Enough has been said of how the holiday shopping frenzy tries to persuade us we need this gadget or that, or nicer clothes or…or….  In contrast, Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

GOD OF ALL AND MORE (vv. 1-3, 26)

Our English translations are prone to make us skip over the praiseworthy names of “God” that have definite and revered meanings in the original Hebrew. Four are worth noting:
v. 1: “LORD,” for “YHWH” (what we call “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”), which is the name of God so holy that no pious Jew would write or articulate it. 
v. 2: “God of gods” or “Elohim over false gods.” “Elohim” denoted the strong and true God, as opposed to heathen gods.
v. 3: “Lord of lords” or “Adonai over false gods.” “Adonai” meant “lord” or “master” and conveyed submission to God’s authority.
v. 26: “God of heaven” or “Elohim over all.” This is the God of Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.” His name “Elohim” occurs more than 2,500 times in the Old Testament. He is all the powers of eternity and infinity. The praise of Psalm 136 must go back to God’s first revelation of Himself.  The One who crafted and populated earth is the only true One, and the only One capable of hearing, “His love endures forever.”  And that bears repeating, over and over and …..

Making ‘Psense’ of Psalms—Psalms 42-43: Hope

Sunset on a stormy day--photographed at Moscow, Idaho--
an appropriate visual for spiritual hope in life's dark times

Part of a continuing series on Psalms.
 “Well, they have ‘down-in-the-dumps’ right,” I reflected after reading Psalms 42 and 43. At some time, I’d probably whined my own version of the psalms’ refrain: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted ["disturbed" in NIV] in me?” (42:5, 11; 43:5).  I was the guest of honor at my personal pity party. Then the refrain’s conclusion grabbed me with its remedy for being down-in-the-mouth: “Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”  The “cure” for those downcast, “poor me” times was turning attention from myself to the hope I have in the Lord. These psalms need to be read together. Indeed, in early Hebrew manuscripts (before the assignment of chapter-and-verse headings), they were linked. Attributed to the “sons of Korah” (temple musicians), there’s no historical subtitle. But the imagery and intense language transcend time as they speak to us today, particularly when we feel depressed.

THIRSTY

Psalm 42 opens with a picture of desperate thirst: “As the hart [deer] panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Unlike camels, whose fatty humps help them survive long periods in desert terrain, deer must have regular access to water. I live in “high desert” with miles and miles of rocky scrublands, bisected by a life-giving river. The highway along the river is a death trap for deer trying to get to water. Despite warning signs for drivers, deer still get hit. When I see a deer carcass while traveling, I’m reminded of Psalm 42 and its truth through this image that our true spiritual survival depends on sating our thirst for “the living God” (42:2). 

Spiritual opposition can heighten our thirst. The psalmist tells of non-believers who scoff, “Where is thy God?” (42:3). Deceitful and unjust people jeer the believer (43:1). The psalmist also pines over missing the festive worship at the temple in Jerusalem (42:4). Worship in those days involved processions, dancing and singing.    

LONESOME

Some scholars think the psalm’s author may have been far away, near Mount Hermon, about a hundred miles from Jerusalem as the crow flies. Though separated from the temple worship with all its festive trappings, he found there a new way to connect with God. He refers to Hermon and a lesser hill, Mizar, plus what might be the cascading headwaters that eventually drain to the Jordan (42:6, 7).  He also senses God’s power and plan in the cycle of day and night (42:8). What we today call “natural revelation” reminds him that he can worship God even  away from the temple. Even today, people find special spiritual encouragement by simply getting away to reflect on God’s creative power.

Thinking about God’s attributes encouraged the psalmist. Embedded in both Psalms 42 and 43 are numerous names for the works and character of God. He is “the living God” (42:2, a phrase found in another yearning-for-God psalm, number 84).  He is “my God” (42:6, 11: 43:4), with the pronoun “my” indicating a personal connection to this great God of all.  He is “the LORD” (v. 8), rendered in small capitals in English Bible translations to indicate the name that Jews considered so holy that they would not speak or write it.  We know it as YHWH or “Jehovah.” The psalmist also addresses God as “God of my life” (42:8), suggesting submission.  He is “God my rock” (42:9), a solid and reliable God, a term that shows up in nearly twenty other psalms. He is “God of my strength” (43:2), the source for “keeping on.”  He is “God my exceeding joy” (43:3), who will bring me out of that “downcast” condition. 

Even before studying this psalm, I had begun a practice of meditating on the names and attributes of God.  When problems kept me awake at night, I started going through the alphabet, recalling the names of God that gave me courage and encouragement.  I considered Him as the “Almighty One,” my Burden-bearer, my Compassionate Comforter—and on and on. By “Z,” peace and sleep would usually come. The practice reminded me that God, in the fullness of his deity, is far greater than any problem I might face.

FACE-BRIGHTENER

The last part of the psalms’ thrice-repeated refrain also reminded me of God’s care in difficult experiences: “Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” One more recent translation renders this “my Savior and my God” (NIV). The idea is that the God who lifts our saddened faces to show us His profound love is indeed the One who “saves” us from this despondency.

For me, the refrain’s key word is “hope.”  The apostle Paul reminded us “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). He emphasized that life’s tribulations can lead us, in God’s plan, to hope that never disappoints (“maketh not ashamed,” Romans 5:5 in KJV).

Psalms 42 and 43 are no longer the “despondency” psalms for me.  Yes, they describe someone who is downhearted.  But the psalms’ refrains don’t leave me stuck on “downcast.”  They remind me to hang on to hope. As John Stott remarked in Favorite Psalms (Baker, ’88, ’03, p. 50): “The cure for depression is neither to look in at our grief, nor back to our past, nor round at our problems, but away and up to the living God.”

Next week: Psalm 46.

Making "Psense" of Psalms--Psalm 8: Majesty!

The world could not contain all the photos of God's majestic
creation!  I took this one of the Tumwater River in
Central Washington state

 Second in a series of selected psalms.
It was still “black night” at 5:30 a.m. that January morning as I ran out to retrieve the morning paper. Despite the freezing temperatures, I paused to look up at the sky. I scanned the horizon in awe of scintillating stars too numerous to count. “Lord, it’s just magnificent,” I whispered, realizing I don’t stop and “consider” God’s amazing creation often enough. But when I do, the opening words of Psalm 8 frequently come to mind: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens.”

            I memorized this psalm as a child during a week of vacation Bible school.  At first, we children thought memorizing a whole psalm was too hard. Our teachers reminded us of verse 2—that if babies could praise God, we older kids certainly could tackle a mere nine verses. Years later, those words came alive as I studied what Psalm 8 teaches about God’s glory and man’s dignity. The psalm contains three big ideas:

            1. The praise of children dumbfounds unbelievers (v. 2). The astounding fulfillment of this would come when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the hosannas of children (Matt. 21:16, 1 Cor. 1:25-29). This sat poorly with the religious authorities, as Jesus didn’t fit what they thought a “messiah” should be.

            2. The universe testifies to God’s mind-boggling creative power (vv. 3-4). David composed this psalm, and it’s easy to imagine him watching his sheep at night, stunned by the glittering display of moon and stars. If God is big enough to craft all this, what is man to Him?

            If you sense your awe of creation has dimmed, visit this nine-minute You-tube video called “Powers of Ten: Adventure in Magnitude”: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0 . First published in 1977, the video starts with a picnic near Chicago, then progressively zooms away to 10 meters to the 24^th power (about 100 million light years). At that distance, our solar system is but a tiny speck. Then the video reverses, magnifying to 10 to the 16^th power, showing the proton of a carbon atom within the DNA molecule of a white blood cell. Viewing the video reminded me of Charles Spurgeon’s remark: “As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, as a finite creature to comprehend the eternal God.”

            3. The God who created us, loves us (vv. 5-8)! He placed humans just below angels in hierarchy, and gave them charge over all earth’s living creatures. Hebrews 2:6-8 quotes this part of Psalm 8, then adds, “Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.” Sin changed the perfect relationship of humans and creation. But someday, Jesus will restore that harmony of earth’s land, air and sea creatures. In the meantime, God is mindful of us! He cares for us! That’s even more amazing than the “Powers of Ten.”

            Psalm 8 is sandwiched by a refrain that’s easy to skip over: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (vv. 1, 9). The first name, printed in small capital letters, refers to a name for the self-existing, eternal God—a name that Jews considered so holy that they would not say it aloud or spell it. When vowels were added to ancient Hebrew scripts (which spelled words only with consonants), that name came to be known as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” The second “Lord,” is a translation of the word “Adonai.” It designates a relationship: sovereign,” “controller,” “lord,” “master,” “owner.” Together the names communicate our need to worship and serve God.

            Both those meanings unfold in Psalm 8. He is the mastermind of a mind-boggling creation. He is also the celestial authority who has graciously accorded men and women a place of responsibility in His unimaginably creative and complex system of living things. The best word in our impoverished vocabulary for all this is majestic!

Next blog: Psalms 16 and 24.

The Salve Psalms

Autumn’s dropping leaves are reminders that life includes times of loss that can leave us bewildered. I know at times I identified with the psalmist who cried out, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” (42:5, 11; 43:5). Psalm 42’s spiritual metaphor of a deer desperate for water made sense for me, too: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (42:2).  

I was drawn to these psalms when I experienced major life disruptions and turmoil with emotional and physical consequences. A man I loved rejected me. Several times I faced adjustments in moving far away from home. My parents’ months-apart deaths and resulting estate tasks overwhelmed me. Other times of despair came with a serious car wreck, care-giving ailing in-laws, and coping with the “empty nest.”

But recently, as I reflected on both psalms (which are linked in original Hebrew manuscripts), I found I’d missed how that despondent query ended with the salve of a hopeful “yet”: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”        

The psalmist reveals several possible reasons for this downheartedness. One is spiritual opposition. Non-believers scoff, “Where is your God?” (42:3, also implied in 43:1-2). He misses familiar ways of worshipping with others (42:4). Scholars think he’s homesick—possibly displaced from Jerusalem to someplace near Mt. Hermon and the headwaters of the Jordan (42:6, 7). Yet even there he realizes that the place’s natural beauty (“deep calls to deep,” 42:7)) is nature’s music drawing him to the omnipresent God. I recalled how getting out to a place of beauty refreshed me when I felt down.

But the greater salve is embedded in the psalms’ names of God. He is “the living God” (42:2), true and able. He is the personal “my God” (42:5, 11: 43:4), He is powerful covenant God known as “the LORD” (v. 8). This name (rendered in small capitals in English Bible translations) is so holy to Jews that they will not speak or write it. We know it as YHWH or “Jehovah.” The psalmist also voices submission to “God of my life” (42:8). He prays to the solid, safe “God my rock” (42:9) and “God, my stronghold” (43:2). From his despair, he appeals to “God, my joy and my delight” (43:4). 

Even before studying this psalm, I had begun a practice of meditating on the names and attributes of God.  When problems kept me awake at night, I started going through the alphabet, recalling the names of God that gave me courage and encouragement.  I considered Him as the “Almighty One,” my Burden-bearer, my Compassionate Comforter—and on and on. By “Z,” peace and sleep would usually come. The practice reminded me that God, in the fullness of His deity, is far greater than any problem I might face.

The last part of the psalms’ thrice-repeated refrain also reminded me of God’s care in difficult experiences: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” The King James version renders that last part, “the health of my countenance, and my God.” The idea is that the God who lifts our saddened faces to show us His profound love is indeed the One who wants to save us from this despondency. He may use medical professionals to aid us out to health.

For me, the refrain’s key word is “hope.”  The apostle Paul reminded us that “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). He emphasized that life’s tribulations can lead us, in God’s plan, to hope that never disappoints (5:5).

Psalms 42 and 43 are no longer the “despondency” psalms for me.  Yes, they describe someone who’s downhearted.  But the psalms’ refrains don’t leave me stuck on “downcast.”  They remind me that, in life’s spiritual autumns and winters, to hang on to hope. They assure me that it’s okay to thirst for God and seek a deeper relationship with Him. When I admit my need, He will lead me to His waters of spiritual refreshment. Thus renewed, I will again praise Him, my Savior and my God.