My Chapter

 Good morning everyone! Today I hope to bless you with some final words on enemies, in this series. Nothing can get to you faster than unjust treatment, harsh deeds and/or  traps laid by enemies. You know, I told you a long time ago that, because of His infinite wisdom and His love for us, the Lord lovingly had the Holy Writ penned for us. I have identified with Job - walked in his shoes; identified with Joseph - dreamed in his shoes, identified with Sara and Hannah - walked in their shoes; but the person that I identify with on a daily basis is David, through the book of the Psalms.
Psalm 71, this chapter is mine! Take a read of the two Tweets that I have written this morning:

Found two verses that
I claim as mine
But never in my wildest dreams
Did I think, an entire chapter
I would find.

I have found my chapter
That you had written so long ago
You knew one day that such as I
Would wonder where you were
When I uttered my cry.

(Further verses written since my Tweeting:)
 So, You had this chapter penned
For children such as me
To show me that You understood
My enemies and their cruelty.

You had me to experience this
Horrendous onslaught
Because You knew that I would
Tell fellow travelers what I thought.

Saw one of my enemies scared
And running today
Though they claimed that they
We're not bothered at all
And to "Let the hammer fall."

Still, I see them being skittish
And wondering what's going to happen next
As they still try to do their thing
And work another...mess
Instead of asking me for forgiveness.


I have told you before that I identified with Jeremiah 9:24 and Isaiah 50:4, but I was knocked off my feet when I read Psalm 71. Now, don't get me wrong I have read my Bible through several times before and had even highlighted some of Psalms 71 for a Ladies' Day lesson that I had prepared. That however, was done years ago. Now, all of my life situations point me directly to Psalm 71. If you have time I will walk you through it, okay?

What pointed me to Psalm 71 this morning, in particular, you might ask. Well, I read a devotional magazine called, "Power for today" every morning and my reading for today sent me to Psalm 71. Okay, so as is my habit, I dutifully went there to read. What I read there, stroked my soul and made my doubts and fears take a backseat indeed!

Now, I have been dealing with enemies for a good long while, but I just pray, ask for help  and keep on stepping. Do you remember when I told you that you can deal with a "storm so long that it becomes your norm." That is what had happened to me. BUT, if you recall, you will see that I told you that when your enemy sees that you are weathering that or those particular storms well, then they up their torturing and troubling ways. I'm sure there are those of you reading this who know something of what I am talking about, humm-m-m? Well, let me tell you; my enemies upped the pressure so much this week that it knocked me to my knees! I found myself trying to pray right in the midst of the new onslaught, but got no relief. But, I didn't stop pushing on. I found myself asking the Lord if He could hear me and if He cared about me still. Let me continue to break this on down to you so that you will see why I say this chapter is mine. I reminded the Lord that I had been depending on Him since I was a child and that since He had allowed me to develop an intimate relationship with Him where I could lean on Him, why was He deserting me now? I wondered if it were because of my age and I asked Him that. Let me tell you folks, I had a good old pity party when I talked with the Lord; some of y'all know the drill; you know how we do when the bottom falls out and it seems like it is going to stay out. We cry and pray and pray and cry and sometimes, we resort to whining as we talk to Him. Yes, folks, no need for me to plead the Fifth; I confess I did all of the above. I reminded Him that I had not only devoted my life to Him, but had written a volume of praise where I talked about His marvelous wonders. I told Him about how folks looked up to me as a person of faith. Yep folks, I pled my case just like Job did in the Bible. Then I told Him that I was nowhere around when He created the earth and laid its foundations. I told Him that I was just a mortal woman who was trying to find an audience with her Lord, Who could do all!  Then I asked Him to stop my enemies and give them a good old spanking for bothering me, His child, in the first place! 







I finished  my prayer, read my Bible and called it a night. This went on for three days. The difference was that on that third night, I determined like Job, "Though He slay me, I'm yet going to trust Him." But oh, on the fourth day, I awoke with a feeling of all going to be okay, until I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and remembered my situation. Yet, I still had that strong resolve to keep on trusting Him, even if... By the fifth day, when I awoke, I knew in my heart and in my spirit that my situation was on its way to being rectified and it is.

Now I said all of that to show you this:
Psalm 71 broken down, as it blessed me this morning -
Praying (verses 1 & 3) - used to it just like David was                   color above
Asking if He could hear (verses 2 & 12) - just like David                    color above
Asking if He cared like He used to (verses 9 &18) just like David              color above
Enemies (verses 4,10, 11, 13 & 24) just like David                    color above
Youth (verses 5, 6, & 17) just like David               color above
Used to Praising Him (verses 6, 8, 14, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 & 24) just like David              color above
Known as a Person of Faith (verse 7)  just like David                      color above.

Do you see the beauty in this chapter? Because the Lord looked down through time and saw my situation, He had an encouraging section placed  in the Bible that walked me through every emotion that I had this week! That is the kind of God we serve and that is why I say, "I won't stop; I can't stop; I can't come down!"  And another thing, if I had not had this awful time this week, there are some of you out there who would still be floundering; but because He blessed me and my relief was so great, I told you and you were blessed too! And you want me to think that this was just a chance happening that every one of my emotions were recorded in Psalms by David at the will of the God of all creation? Nuh uh!

Doing What I Can, While I Can
Alma Jones

Aside - Now you know why I always say that if the Lord has moved some mountains in your life and leveled some valleys, you ought to tell somebody. Do I still begin my day with prayer? You betcha'!