(5)  Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
(6)  Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
(7)  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Where there is a trusting heart, there is a rejoicing one, and where the works of the Lord are regarded in praise, there is not only escape from destruction, but also building up from the Lord.

Several years ago there was a businessman that chose to run on an independent ticket for the presidency. He was a very short man with a bit of an odd appearance that might be considered unattractive, and an annoying, nasally voice. At first sight and sound he definitely, at least for me, didn’t provide an impression that would make me want to trust him to clean my car, let alone lead my country. It wasn’t until you began to be interested in what he had already managed to accomplish that this impression could be altered. He had been very successful at running his companies and had developed some strong opinions of how the country should be run, but his biggest challenge was getting people to be impressed enough with those things to get past his appearance. He did manage to do this for a large number of people, however- those that most regarded his accomplishments and embraced him as their candidate. Most people, on the other hand, weren’t familiar enough with his qualifications or else didn’t really understand or relate to them. Their hearts were never turned by who he really was.

All right, I know God isn’t a small little man with a squeaky voice, but there is an issue, it seems, today with acknowledging His works and allowing this to affect the condition of the heart. For some it may be their perception has been a bit skewed by what they’ve seen in one of His followers, while others may have a difficult time with resolving circumstances regarding His existence. Some have just never even heard the news of the gospel. For those of us, though, who have tasted of His goodness and heard of His incredible works, there is no reason for anything other than a heart that is rejoicing and a resulting song of praise. Even in the direst of circumstances there will be more than enough reason for the heart to defy their normal response by rejoicing, if it will but spend some time regarding the incredible greatness of our God. Where the heart is overwhelmed, though, and oppression has set in, the inferior deeds and abilities of the frightening or challenging opposition must have gained precedence in praise. The mouth will have given more time and focus to regarding the wicked and their deeds than the far greater resume of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Today is a day of victory, preservation and building up in the presence of the Lord. Where He’s regarded and praise occupies the mouth this will most certainly be the case. If anything other than this victory starts to raise its little ugly head with a squeaky little voice, disregarding it and displacing it with regard for the Almighty will return the heart once again to the much preferred state of rejoicing and encouragement. Why even acknowledge the inferior?  He is great and greatly to be praised.

I recently registered on this web site that puts you in a group with other classmates from your high school, allowing you to make contact and find out what’s been going on in the last umpteen years of their life. It’s amazing how many of those people, from that whole period of life of grade school through 12th grade, have become a memory that is a bit hard to recall. So many of the kids that had been a part of every day classes, band, sports, and other groups require a picture, a name, or even a description in order for their memory to be brought back into focus.

Since then, there have been other periods of time in which relationships were developed in different parts of the country and even the world that were very valuable and precious while we were in contact, but once proximity to those people has been lost, their memory has also been lost somewhat. While we were associating on a regular basis, they were a very integral part of life and the development that was taking place in me, but once another community became home and another goal and focus was set before me, there was a loss of those ties that had been such a valuable and even essential part of previous existence. In many instances, this has been somewhat disheartening, when an investment of years of passion and caring into relationships has been apparently lost as there is very little opportunity for further contact to be made and weakening bonds to be renewed. Memories of those people fade into the distance and with them the valuable resource that they have been and potentially could still be.

While there may be this perception of loss along with memory in our experience of life, with God there is no investment into a relationship that is removed from His resource of blessing that may just take a name, a picture, or a description for there to be a restored flow of communication and valuable fellowship. He can bring to our remembrance those to whom we may not spoken in many years and prompt our hearts to pray a prayer, send a note or gift of encouragement, and possibly provide for much needed deliverance. It may appear that we’ve become far removed from those that have blessed us so much in the past and those to whom we’ve also provided a resource of blessing. The separation may seem to be too great and far removed from being productive, but God will never lose track of any relationship that has been a part of His plan and purpose for our life, and a prayer lifted to Him and an ear listening to His voice will bring the restoration of much needed relationships in the time of His appointment to fill a need in us and in them. They may have forgotten us and we may have forgotten them, but God has forgotten none of us and by His spirit He’ll restore, renew, deliver and encouragement in His loving provision. Joseph certainly felt forgotten and even misused, but with God there is never a misplaced relationship investment and at the right time the memory was brought to mind and favor imparted.

There is a memory of us in the minds of those we’ve touched and their memory is there in our minds, whether in the front or buried in the back somewhere. Each touch and every giving of the heart is useful in the hands of the One that will use it for His blessing and His purpose. There is never a loss of heart investment in Him, just a need to trust Him to keep all those things that concern us.