The Phil Files

A brother in Christ shared the following with me. This brother has — as the ol’ Timex commercial said — “taken a lickin’ and kept on tickin’.” I believe you will find this both convicting and powerful:

My Name is Legion

My name is Legion, and I am hurting –

… hurting from the loss of someone I love through deaht, or life

… hurting from a loneliness that overpowers (Doesn’t anyone care?)

… hurting from physical pain that has no relief

… hurting from mental anguish that almost drives me mad

… hurting from rejection, or a slight, or a put down

… hurting from guilt — surely what I did was unforgiveable

… hurting from gossip spread about me — true or not

… hurting from prejudices because of skin color, education, or money

… hurting from being avoided when I need a hug, a touch

… hurting from loss of direction when I need a guide

If you have love and compassion, look for me — I’m all around, for …

My name is Legion, and I am hurting

Jimmy Denio

Yes, we have opportunities all around us. Will we look for them, reach out, and care?

I love you, LORD, my strength.

  The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

  I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
  The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
  The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

  In my distress I called to the LORD;
    I cried to my God for help.
  From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came before him, into his ears.
  The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
  Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
  He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
  He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.
  He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
  Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
  The LORD thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
  He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
  The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
  at your rebuke, LORD,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

  He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
  He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
  They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the LORD was my support.
  He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

  The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
  For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
  All his laws are before me;
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
  I have been blameless before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
  The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

  To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
  to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
  You save the humble
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
  You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.
  With your help I can advance against a troop;
    with my God I can scale a wall.

  As for God, his way is perfect:
    The LORD’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
  For who is God besides the LORD?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
  It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
  He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
  He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
  You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
  You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

  I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
  I crushed them so that they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
  You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.
  You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
  They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
    to the LORD, but he did not answer.
  I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
    I trampled them like mud in the streets.
  You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.
  People I did not know now serve me,
    foreigners cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
  They all lose heart;
    they come trembling from their strongholds.

  The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be God my Savior!
  He is the God who avenges me,
    who subdues nations under me,
    who saves me from my enemies.
  You exalted me above my foes;
    from violent people you rescued me.
  Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.

  He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
    to David and to his descendants forever.

\o/ — Comments Psalm 18: The Lord My Strength! — \o/

I cannot speak of this Psalm without strong emotions. My first very real awareness of reading this Psalm as my own came at a time when my family and I had just returned from hiding for three days from someone who had threatened to kill us. It was not an idle threat. As I sat on the couch fearing what I had done to my wife and small children, I fumbled through my Bible seeking reassurance. I “somehow” came to this passage. It was probably the phrase about calling on the Lord and being saved from my enemies that caught my attention. I had sung those words many times; now I needed them to be true for my family and me.I had just heard the weather forecast on TV. No rain in sight. But, as I began to read this Psalm of reassurance, I came to the phrases about wind, lightning, thunder, and hail and … the wind blew, the lightning flashed, the thunder rumbled, and then the hail fell. This lasted only a few minutes.

According to the weather man, it only occured in a six block area. “Just a wrinkle, a minor disturbance in the atmosphere,” the meteorologist said. “I’m sorry, we didn’t see it coming.” Neither did I.

For several years, I shared this with no one but my wife, Donna. I didn’t have a theology to accept this as something for me, but somehow, the holy event changed me, restored me, and enabled me to get off the mat and continue.

Finally, after waiting several years, I was speaking to a class on the fear of the Lord and begin to talk about this experience with them. It was a hot summer afternoon. No rain in the forecast. As I read the Psalm again, there was wind, lightning, thunder, and hail. There was an uncomfortable and reverent laughter.

You may choose to interpret this as you want. All I know is that as my kids grew up and we had to have armed protection at church three different periods of time for my wife, children, and me because of threats made by dangerous people. Yet during these times, I confidently continued, assured the Lord would protect us through these times of danger until my children were grown.

And He has … and they are …

You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.
  Hear my prayer—
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.
  Let my vindication come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.
  Though you probe my heart,
    though you examine me at night and test me,
  you will find that I have planned no evil;
    my mouth has not transgressed.
  Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.
  My steps have held to your paths;
    my feet have not stumbled.

  I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
  Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.
  Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
  from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

  They close up their callous hearts,
    and their mouths speak with arrogance.
  They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
  They are like a lion hungry for prey,
    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

  Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down;
    with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
  By your hand save me from such people, LORD,
    from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
  May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
    may their children gorge themselves on it,
    may there be leftovers for their little ones.

  As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
    when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

\o/ — Comments Psalm 17: When I awake!! — \o/

I am not a good sleeper — never have been and don’t know if I ever will be! However, one of the blessings of reading through the psalms has been the obvious concern for God’s work in our lives while we sleep.

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the LORD sustains me! (Psalm 3)

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, LORD,
make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4)

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me. (Psalm 16)

Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find …
… when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. (Psalm 17)

… weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30)

Several months ago I felt called to pray for the Lord to minister to me and to my family while we slept. Things were in a tough place for me and I wasn’t sleeping. Sometimes, when I finally go to sleep, I would have nightmares that would awaken me. I knew I needed the Lord’s help.

I had already noticed that when it came to preaching and teaching, I would often awaken with a clear message to share with God’s people after going to sleep wrestling with Scripture, but not knowing quite how to present it. If the Father graced me with this blessing, then I wondered what else He might do to bless me and shape me while I slept?

As I read through the Bible with this in mind, I suddenly began to see the “night shift work” that the Lord did in the lives of His people. Why not pray for Him to be active in my heart and soul while I sleep? Why not ask for His comfort, healing, wisdom, discernment, clarification, leading, and conviction to come from His work in me while my body slept?

I discovered that the collection of the Psalms goes over this theme of the Lord’s presence, protection, and blessing during our sleep several times. Far more than the words of children’s lullabies or rote bedtime prayers, the LORD’s protection while we sleep is just part of His watchful care and consistent molding of our character as we pray ourselves to sleep and into His presence each night.