Because He Lives, There Is Hope Series

Psalm 68:1-13 - NLT

1 Arise, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives. 2 Drive them off like smoke blown by the wind. Melt them like wax in fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.3 But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.4 Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD— REJOICE IN his presence! 5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. 6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But for rebels, there is only famine and distress. 7 O God, when you led your people from Egypt, when you marched through the wilderness, 8 the earth trembled and the heavens poured rain before you, the God of Sinai, Before God, the God of Israel.9 you sent abundant rain, O God, To refresh the weary promised Land. 10 There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people. 11 The Lord announces victory, And throngs of women shout the happy news. 12 Enemy kings and their armies flee, While the women of Israel divide the plunder. 13 Though they lived among the sheepfolds, Now they are covered with silver and gold, as a dove is covered by its wings.

God is our deliverer! Our Greatest weapon in the war against the enemy is God himself! Many years ago someone gave me a book called “Hand on the Helm” by Katherine & Pollard Carter It is a book about some outstanding and incredible miracles that have changed the course of Human history. It is a book about God answering Davids prayer Arise o God, and scatter your enemies!

One such story happened in 1968. A whole village in South Vietnam experienced a miracle of Divine intervention and protection. Under cover of darkness a Viet Cong soldier, one of a battalion of over one thousand in the area came to the village and warned, “Tomorrow is your day. So if you need to get out of this village get out now” It turned out that most of this village were Christian. They met together and decided that they were greatly outnumbered but that indeed Christ was their defender; The whole village agreed that they would turn to Jesus in prayer. Fervently they sang and prayed. Then at dusk they could see the enemy moving toward the edge of the village, The Lord filled their hearts with peace and they continued to sing. Shots began to ring out, but as soon as they started they stopped. All night the villagers prayed! Then in the morning it was obvious that the enemy had scattered. Several days later some of the Viet Cong were captured by advancing forces, and brought to the village as prisoners. When asked what had happened, they replied. “As we began to shot the village was surrounded by beings dressed in shining white, as we shot at them they just increased in brightness and advanced toward us, they wouldn’t fall. So we ran and didn’t stop. God caused them to be blown off like smoke and to melt like wax in the fire! He was the greatest weapon on that day!

We often forget to lift our heads a few inches! We look straight ahead at the circumstances and wonder how to get out. We look to the left and right for help from our friends or family, if we just looked up to the king of Glory we would see deliverance and victory!

Psalm 3:3 “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter of mine head.”

Sometimes it only takes a little lifting to get our heads up into the Glory

Sometimes your head may be way down in a pit but you just need to lift it one notch higher to see Jesus and experience His glory.

The bible says Ï know the plans I have for you plans for good and not for evil”

1 Cor 13:12 “For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face:

Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I am known.”

When the Lord touches you today you shouldn’t get up too quickly or move away from the power of his presence And Glory too soon.

Stay in his presence until you receive all He has for you.

As we walk through our own wilderness we need to see that God is working for our good!

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. He eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.