Seek God And He Will Answer

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Lexicon / Concordance for Psalms 23:6

Background:
Many of David’s psalms are full of complaints, but this is full of comforts, and the expressions of delight in God’s great goodness and dependence upon him. It is a psalm which has been sung by good Christians, and will be while the world stands, with a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction. I. The psalmist here claims relation to God, as his shepherd (v. 1). II. He recounts his experience of the kind things God had done for him as his shepherd (v. 2, 3, 5). III. Hence he infers that he should want no good (v. 1), that he needed to fear no evil (v. 4), that God would never leave nor forsake him in a way of mercy; and therefore he resolves never to leave nor forsake God in a way of duty (v. 6). In this he had certainly an eye, not only to the blessings of God’s providence, which made his outward condition prosperous, but to the communications of God’s grace, received by a lively faith, and returned in a warm devotion, which filled his soul with joy unspeakable. And, as in the foregoing psalm he represented Christ dying for his sheep, so here he represents Christians receiving the benefit of all the care and tenderness of that great and good shepherd (Henry, 1996).


Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. His hope rises, and his faith is strengthened, by being exercised. Observe, (1.) What he promises himself—goodness and mercy, all the streams of mercy flowing from the fountain, pardoning mercy, protecting mercy, sustaining mercy, supplying mercy. (2.) The manner of the conveyance of it: It shall follow me, as the water out of the rock followed the camp of Israel through the wilderness; it shall follow into all places and all conditions, shall be always ready. (3.) The continuance of it: It shall follow me all my life long, even to the last; for whom God loves he loves to the end. (4.) The constancy of it: All the days of my life, as duly as the day comes; it shall be new every morning (Lam. 3:22, 23) like the manna that was given to the Israelites daily. (5.) The certainty of it: Surely it shall. It is as sure as the promise of the God of truth can make it; and we know whom we have believed. (6.) Here is a prospect of the perfection of bliss in the future state. So some take the latter clause: "Goodness and mercy having followed me all the days of my life on this earth, when that is ended I shall remove to a better world, to dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, in our Father’s house above, where there are many mansions. With what I have I am pleased much; with what I hope for I am pleased more.’’ All this, and heaven too! Then we serve a good Master (Henry, 1996).

3. How resolutely he determines to cleave to God and to his duty. We read the last clause as David’s covenant with God: "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever (as long as I live), and I will praise him while I have any being.’’ We must dwell in his house as servants, that desired to have their ears bored to the door-post, to serve him for ever. If God’s goodness to us be like the morning light, which shines more and more to the perfect day, let not ours to him be like the morning cloud and the early dew that passeth away. Those that would be satisfied with the fatness of God’s house must keep close to the duties of it (Henry, 1996).

Reflection:
Even though David had a flaw of sin that manifested itself in adultery and murder, he yet trusted in God and not in man. He knew that he was but flesh, and he had to trust in God for everything. David continually prayed to God and expressed his faith, trust and reliance upon God by seeking God in prayer; in the midst of difficult times as well as in the midst of good times. Let us remember that we can always go to God in prayer, no matter what. He will answer our prayer, as long as our prayer is in line with his word, and we are not asking for something that is contrary to his will; which is his word.

Blue Letter Bible Definitions:
Surely, goodness: 2896
a) good, pleasant, agreeable (to the sensess)
b) pleasant (to the highest nature)
c) good, excellent (of it's kind)
d) good, rich, valuable in estimation
e) good, appropriate, becoming
f) better (comparable)
g) glad, happy, prosperous (of man's sensuous nature)
h) good understanding (of man's intellectual nature)
i) good, kind, benign
j) good, right, (ethical)

And mercy: 2617
1) goodness, kindness, faithfulness
2) reproach, shame (above)

Shall follow: 7291
1) to be behind, follow after, pursue, run after
a) Qual (1) to pursue, chase, attend closely upon
3) to follow after, aim to secure

All the days: 3117
c) a lifetime

My life: 2416
1) living

And I will dwell: 3247
1) to dwell, remain, sit,
    (1) to sit, sit down
    (2) to be set
    (3) to remain stay
    (4) to dwell, to have one's abode

In the house: 1004
1) house
    (1) house, dwelling habitation

Of the Lord: 3068
Jehovah
(1)  The proper name for the one true God.l

Forever: 753
1) length
    (a)  physical lengtjh
    (b)  of time

References:
Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on Psalms 23." Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 1996. 2010. 19 Jul 2010. AuthorID=4&contentID=1146&commInfo=5&topic=Psalms&ar=Psa_23_6 >

Blue Letter Bible. "Book of Psalms 23 - (KJV - King James Version)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 19 Jul 2010. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=23&t=KJV >

Higgins, S. (2010). Seek God And He Will Answer. Devotions for Thought. Higgins Publishing. Http://www.higginspublishing.com

Double Vision Agreement

Scripture: Acts 10:3,11-17

About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!" [Acts 10:3] and he [Peter] saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!"[Acts 10:11].

But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean." Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate;

Background:
It is a turn very new and remarkable which the story of this chapter gives to the Acts of the apostles; hitherto, both at Jerusalem and every where else where the ministers of Christ came, they preached the gospel only to the Jews, or those Greeks that were circumcised and proselyted to the Jews’ religion; but now, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles;’’ and to them the door of faith is here opened: good news indeed to us sinners of the Gentiles. The apostle Peter is the man that is first employed to admit uncircumcised Gentiles into the Christian church; and Cornelius, a Roman centurion or colonel, is the first that with his family and friends is so admitted. Now here we are told, I. How Cornelius was directed by a vision to send for Peter, and did send for him accordingly (v. 1-8). II. How Peter was directed by a vision to go to Cornelius, though he was a Gentile, without making any scruple of it, and did go accordingly (v. 9–23). III. The happy interview between Peter and Cornelius at Cesarea (v. 24–33). IV. The sermon Peter preached in the house of Cornelius to him and to his friends (v. 34–43). V. The baptizing of Cornelius and his friends with the Holy Ghost first, and then with water (v. 44–48).

Commentary:
Peter was at Simon the tanners house and he fell into a trance. During the time he was caught up, he had vision of all types of animals, and creeping things. God told Peter to kill and eat, but Peter rejected what God was saying. God continued to show this vision to Peter a total of three times. When Peter came out of the trance, he doubted the vision and was perplexed. That's when God sent three men from Corneilus' house in search of Peter; who also had a vision prior to the vision of Peter. God told Peter not to doubt and to go with the three men because He had sent them. Even though Peter was perplexed, and doubted in his heart the meaning and the purpose of the vision, God persisted with giving him the same vision with no revision. God also sent the answer to the vision while Peter was still in his doubtful state, because his doubt did not determine the answer that God had already provided pertaining to Corneilus. Let us remember the importance of fulfilling our part of the vision that God gives us, and not to doubt what He has spoken to us.

Reflection:
When the three men arrived in front of the house of where Peter was staying; they were separated by a gate.

1. What stands between you and the gate?
2. What in your life represents the gate?
3. What blocks you from accepting the answer that God has already provided?
4. What vision does God keep giving you, that you continually reject?

Even though we don't see the whole picture and possibly we become perplexed about what is going on in our life, this is a perfecy example of ttrusting God even though we don't necessarily understand what is happening. The main thing is to trust God because He loves us and only desires the best for us; and has already prepared the way for us.

Blue Letter Bible Definitions: Acts 10:17

Peter: 4074 - A rock or a stone - one of the 12 disciples.

Was Greatly: 1280 - To be entirely at a loss, to be in perplexity.

In mind: 1438 - Himself

The Vision: 3705 - A sight divinely granted in an ecstacy or in a sleep,
a vision.

Might Be, Behold: 2400 - See, lo

Who had been sent: 649 - To order one to go to a place appointed.

By Corneilius: 2883 - Of a horn, a Roman Centurion of the Italian Cohort stationed in Caesarea who converted to Christianity.

Having asked direction: 1331 - To find out by asking inquire.

Appeared: 2186 - Coming upon one suddenly. To be at hand.

At the Gate: 4440 - A large gate of a palace. The front part of a house, into which one enters through a gate, porch.

References:
Blue Letter Bible. "Acts of the Apostles 10 - (NASB - New American Standard Bible)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 2 Jul 2010. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Act&c=10&t=NASB >

Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on Acts 10." . Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 1996. 2010. 2 Jul 2010.
< http:// www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm? AuthorID=4&contentID=1698&commInfo=5&topic=Acts&ar=Act_10_1 >

Higgins, S. (2010). Double Vision Agreement. Devotions for Thought. Higgins Publishing. Http://www.higginspublishing.com.