Tag: prayer

Seeking Authentic Transformation: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51

Psalm 51 New American Standard Bible 1995

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For [b]I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You [c]are justified [d]when You speak
And [e]blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the [f]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 [g]Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[h]Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 [i]Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create [j]in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew [k]a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will [l]be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, [m]open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

18 By Your favor do good to Zion;
[n]Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in [o]righteous sacrifices,
In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then [p]young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Our devotional verses today comes from David’s song of confession and prayer after his multiple, grievous sins against Uriah, Bathsheba, and God are placed before him by Nathan – David had tried to be so clever but God misses nothing.

His sins were especially heinous because God had blessed David with an eternal deliverance, and given him the very highest responsibility as Israel’s new King. 

We serve a God of powerful transformations.

All throughout Scripture God takes those whom the world deemed the lowest, the hopeless, and the helpless and uses them to change the world.

You are not beyond transformation.

God longs to break off that which inhibits you from experiencing fullness of life.

He longs to heal you, deliver you, and set you free.

As humans burdened and suffering from both our sins and the fallen nature of the world around us, we are in desperate need of relational transformation.

We are in desperate need of help from a God who has the power to not just clean us up on the outside but to transform us at the core of who we are.

But this God doesn’t force transformation on us.

He works when we make space for him to do so.

If we are going to authentically experience the freedom, joy, and purpose that can only come from the inner working of the Holy Spirit, we must be those who seek transformation in our relationship with God, with all our fellow neighbors.

Psalm 51:10-12 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” 

Here in Psalm 51 David exemplifies the heart of one who seeks transformation.

He models for us a posture of humility that will lead to powerful encounters with God’s transformative love. He doesn’t sit back and merely live with that which plagues him but goes to God with his problems that he might be changed.

David begins as we all should in asking for God to do a mighty work in his heart.

And in this contrite act of asking God to create in him a clean heart, David opens himself up, leaves his throne so to receive the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.

To receive transformation from God we have to come before him humbly and honestly that he might have all time, space, to do the impossible in our lives.

Often we spend a majority of our efforts trying to convince others and ourselves that we don’t need help.

We work tirelessly to build up a façade that we always have it all together.

We do everything we can to maintain a sense of control in our lives—even in regard to our spirituality. But in doing so we place appearances above reality.

We allow that which is destroying us from the inside to persist simply because we are unwilling to acknowledge that we have need.

It’s as if we deliberately tried to cover up an external wound with our jewelry expecting the surface-level beauty of something to contain the power to heal what’s underneath. We don’t need that which covers up. We need the healing that only comes from going with an honest, open heart to the one true Healer.

God’s heart for you and me today is that we would put down our guards, take an honest look at our hearts, and recognize our need for the truest transformation.

He longs for us to take a moment and call out that which is robbing us of the abundant life he so willingly died to give us.

Your God is willing and able to transform you.

That which has plagued you for so long will be healed and broken off your life if you will continually seek transformation from your merciful heavenly Father.

As we come to relive those momentous moments in the Upper Room, in the Garden of Gethsemane, moments of hardcore betrayal, witness the long and brutal march to Golgotha, watch as he is nailed, listen as he tries to speak his final words above the din of laughing mocking witnesses, may you experience some powerful transformation today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.

When we listen to the false witnesses, see Pilate wash his hands, may our life be forever changed as we spend time discovering God’s heart for transformation.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of seeking transformation. 

Allow Psalm 51:10-12 to be your model.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12

2. Take an honest look at your heart. 

Psalm 139:23-24 New American Standard Bible 1995

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [a]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Where do you need transformation?

What lie, habitual sin, perspective, or fear is robbing you of abundant life? What’s chaining you to the backward ways, cares, and burdens of the world?

3. Declare your need for transformation in that area to God. 

Psalm 25:1-7 New American Standard Bible 1995

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

25 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
[a]Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been [b]from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

Tell him you need his help.

Ask him to come and do a mighty work in your heart.

Listen to whatever he would speak over you, and trust that he will transform you if you continually seek his help.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

We all have areas in which we need transformation.

We all are in need of God’s help.

Not one of us is perfect.

Proverbs 3:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your [a]body
And refreshment to your bones.

Rather than spending all our energy trying to keep up appearances with others, yourself, with God, devote yourself completely to living honestly and humbly.

Stop exhausting yourself doing that which is of no value and seek help.

If you will commit to seeking continual transformation, your efforts will produce life and peace rather than more burden.

May your heart be filled with hope as the Holy Spirit works in your life today.

Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible 1995

Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.

32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

“Thy Will Be Done! O’ Lord, Amen!” What are we Missing? Matthew 6:10

Matthew 6:9-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day [a]our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [b]evil. [c][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Can You Miss God’s Will?

Matthew 6:10 New American Standard Bible 1995

10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

The fear of missing God’s will is enough to paralyze any Christian.

But here’s the question: can a Christian miss the will of God for their life?

Could you somehow go your entire life being outside of God’s good plan for you?

It seems that the Bible teaches that, yes, you can miss God’s will.

It also teaches that no, you can’t miss God’s will.

We Can Miss God’s Will If …

The way to miss God’s will is really simple: ignore the Bible.

In the Bible God has told us exactly what we should do when it comes to making decisions.

First, we should determine if our decision goes against anything clearly spelled out in the Bible.

The Bible is clear that fellowship with other believers is necessary for our Christian growth.

If taking a job will cut you off from fellowship with others, it’s not God’s will for you to take the job.

Second, we should ask God to give us wisdom. 

James 1:5–6 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…”

Getting wisdom from God isn’t a mystical, super-spiritual experience.

It means asking God to help us think clearly and biblically about the decision in front of us.

When we ask for wisdom we should believe God is going to give it to us.

God isn’t trying to hide his good will from us.

He wants to help us understand the right way to walk.

Third, we should ask the opinion of others. 

Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

This is so gloriously simple.

Finding God’s will for your life is as simple as asking others to pray for you on the matter and then asking the opinion of those other, godly Christians.

Lay the situation out before them, and then let God speak to you through their counsel.

You Can’t Miss God’s Will If…

If we heed the counsel of scripture, we won’t miss God’s will.

So here are 3 signs you are following God’s will for your life, and for each point we will also see the signs that will be present when we are about to miss God’s will for our lives.

1. When You Are Obeying God’s Commands and Seeking to Glorify Him, You Are Following God’s Will for Your Life / When You Are Not Obeying God’s Commands and Choosing Not to Glorify Him, You Are Missing God’s Will for Your Life

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

Sanctification and Love

4 Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to [a]walk and please God (just as you actually do [b]walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you [c]by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from [d]sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to [e]possess his own [f]vessel in sanctification and honor , 5 not in [g]lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but [h]in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

According to these verses, if you want to follow God’s will for your life, it will all start with obeying God’s commands.

Notice the emphasis Paul puts on us to do what we “ought” and “walk and to please the Lord.”

We are to follow the “instructions” of the apostles which Jesus gave them (which is the word of God).

God’s will is that we be sanctified. God has called us to live holy lives.

Therefore, it is reasonably safe to say that when we are obeying God’s word we are following God’s will.

2. When You Are Choosing to Sacrificially Love Someone, You Are Following God’s Will for Your Life / When You Are Running from Sacrificial Love, This Is a Sign You Are Missing God’s Will for Your Life

God always leads us to love.

How we express this love will look differently depending on each situation.

Sometimes God will lead you to commit to someone more so you can love them in a greater way.

Sometimes God will lead you to let someone go because that is what is best for the both of you.

The key to real love is to put that other person above any selfish desires of your own. 

Notice what Jesus said in John 15:12-17. It states:

John 15:12-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

Notice that Jesus actually “appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.”

What is that fruit that he has called us to produce?

That we love one another as he has loved us.

You will recognize what path is God’s will for your life by choosing the path of sacrificial love.

3. When You Are Being Joyful in the Lord Regardless of What Doors God Is Sovereignly Opening and Closing in Your Life, This Is a Sign You Are Following God’s Will / If You Are Resenting God Because You Do Not Like What God Is Doing in Your Life, This Is a Sign You Are Missing God’s Will

When it comes to following the will of God for your life, often what is more important than “what” you choose to do is “how” you choose to do it.

In other words, the details and events that occur in our lives are often outside of our control and fall under the “sovereign will of God.”

But how we go through these events and experiences that God brings into our lives will truly be determined by the choices we make and don’t make when we choose to follow God’s Spirit or not.

You will know you are following God’s will for your life by your attitude towards the things that are out of your control. 

As 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

So whether you choose to relate that person, place or thing or not, whether you are single or get married, whether you stay at that job or go work somewhere else – the single most important variable in the equation of following God’s will for your life is whether or not you are choosing to humble yourself, surrender your will, to glorify and honor the Lord by remaining joyful in him at all times.

God will open and close certain doors in our lives and this is out of our control.

But God desires that no matter what happens, we go through it all with him in a spirit of prayerful submission and joy.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray …

Matthew 6:5-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day [b]our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [c]evil. [d][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

By the model of prayer that Jesus gives us here, what this prayer teaches us is God isn’t trying to hide his will, or trying to trick us into making a bad decision.

Go away to your “prayer closet,” your “private place” your “war room” where God alone knows exactly what is going on, God alone knows what needs to be.

Pick up your Bible, and in no uncertain terms, fully engage the Word of God!

If we evaluate our decision by scripture, ask for wisdom, and then ask the opinion of others, we are doing what the will of God requires of us, for us.

He promises to guide us through that process.

Often, our prayers can be focused on the chaos of the “street level” of our lives.

We are concerned about health, finances, relationships, and decisions.

Jesus does not deny the chaotic troubles of this world, but by this Lord’s prayer, he invites us all to see the world also from God’s perspective as he teaches us to pray that God’s kingdom will come, and that God’s will may be accomplished.

We don’t need to seek a subjective, mystical, spiritual feeling when it comes to decision making.

Don’t get me wrong; sometimes God gives us peace about a decision, and that’s an authentic blessing when God knows we truly need it above all other things.

But that’s not always the case.

Sometimes we might not feel one way or another about a decision.

In general, feelings are a very bad barometer of the truth.

A feeling of peace can come from God, but it can also come from a lot of other things, like a glass of wine or a good nap.

Plus, what exactly constitutes the “right” feeling when it comes to a decision?

Is it peace? Or maybe joy? Or a sense of rightness?

The Bible doesn’t tell us what we’re supposed to feel about our decisions.

Instead, it tells us how to make biblical, God-honoring decisions.

So, if you have a big decision to make, don’t freak out.

2 Timothy 2:14-15 New American Standard Bible 1995

An Unashamed Workman

14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

James 1:19-24 New American Standard Bible 1995

19 [a]This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear,  slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all [b]that remains of wickedness, in [c]humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [d]natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [e]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

Instead, go to the Word, study it and ask for wisdom, and get others involved.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 20 English Standard Version

Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

4 May he grant you your heart’s desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
    and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
    he will answer him from his holy heaven
    with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

9 O Lord, save the king!
    May he answer us when we call.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

Finding God, our Hope: “For my soul has had enough troubles, And my life has drawn near to Sheol.” Psalms 88

Psalm 88 New King James Version

A Prayer for Help in Despondency

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” A [a]Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.

88 O Lord, God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
[b]Incline Your ear to my cry.

3 For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near to the grave.
4 I am counted with those who go[c] down to the pit;
I am like a man who has no strength,
5 [d]Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.

6 You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah
8 You have [e]put away my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an abomination to them;
I am shut up, and I cannot get out;
9 My eye wastes away because of affliction.

Lord, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.
10 Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall [f]the dead arise and praise You? Selah
11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 Lord, why do You cast off my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;
I suffer Your terrors;
I am distraught.
16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me;
Your terrors have [g]cut me off.
17 They came around me all day long like water;
They engulfed me altogether.
18 Loved one and friend You have put far from me,
And my acquaintances into darkness.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Who Knows This Measure of Agony?

We come now to psalm 88, the lowest point of lament and despair in the entire psalter, it is the only psalm which does not have any ‘yet’ or a ‘nevertheless’ to redeem its pain, but, considered as a psalm in itself, ends in the same agony and loneliness with which it began:

“My lovers and friends hast thou put away from me: and hid mine acquaintance out of my sight.” Verse 18 AKJV

That is the end of the psalm, but not the end of the psalter, the book of praises.

In fact, as Paula Gooder points out in the Introduction to David’s Crown, it is, in terms of the number of verses in total, the exact mid-point of the psalter, it is the middle, and not the end of the story.

This is vital for us to remember: both that we can freely tell God our worst fears and feelings, as the psalmist does here, and also that we can know that those fears and doubts are not the end of our story, any more than they are the close of the psalter, for the psalter re-ascends from this darkness, closes with praise.

It is this, which enables us, in this devotional response to psalm 88 to trust God with the uppermost uncensored bleakness of our own personal experienced of spiritual darkness and depression-maybe even give insight into Jesus’ Calvary.

Hello Darkness my old friend, again I come to talk …

We may be more used to the idea of darkness as a friend from that Simon and Garfunkel classic the sound of silence with its opening line “hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again”… than the closing line of a psalm, but that is exactly how psalm 88 finishes ..with the psalmist saying darkness…it is the darkness which is my closest confidant, my dearest most trusted friend.

It is the ‘saddest and darkest psalm in the whole psalter.

IT is one wail of sorrow from beginning to end.

You could say that from go to woe… well it’s just all woe.

Another commentator says… its uniqueness is in its bleakness.

“Psalm 88 is unmatched in its tone of darkness and despair”.  

The only glimmer of light is the first line, “Lord, you are the God who saves me”, kind of like the last comforting rays of the sunset before the long dark night envelops the psalmist as he waits and waits and waits for God to help.

One of the amazing things about the psalms is that within them the whole of human experience is raised up before God.  

AS such it is “proper that it should contain the record of an hour so dark that no relief comes” (EM Blaiklock).

From the introduction to this psalm we see it was put to a tune, it was a song that was designed for corporate worship, so it was meant not only as a personal expression of suffering and waiting for God to act but as a corporate one as well, drawing together people, acknowledge a shared pain and longing and disquiet.

I could imagine the exiles by the rivers of Babylon singing this sort of psalm as they wept, as they remembered Zion (Psalm 137).

It reverberates with the loudest cries of people who have suffered oppression down through the ages.

It echoes the cries of people of faith who have wrestled with unanswered prayer.

In fact the psalm comes from a place where there seems to be no simple answer, it’s part of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Scriptures that wrestles with the deep question of good versus evil, why bad things happen to good people.

It has many similarities with the book of Job, the Psalmist is sick and facing death and disaster, he feels like Job, God is unjustly turned away from him and he finds no comfort in friends or neighbors, they simply add to his suffering.

While there are good theological answers to the question of suffering and evil in the end, it is the greatest testimony to the strength of faith in God, the people of God resort to poetry, to song to bring out the depth of that suffering. (Psalm 23)

Praying, Finding Hope in the Darkest Psalm

Psalm 88:1-2 New Living Translation

Psalm 88

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm[a] of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
2 Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.

One of the most difficult seasons we can endure is when we feel God is silent, especially if we’re already going through challenging situations.

When it seems everything is going wrong and your Help seems to be nowhere in sight, sadly too leaves a person feeling forgotten, in disparity, simply rejected.

Our major frustrations from these harsh times and seasons come not from simply being in this pit but thinking that God’s silence means His absence.

If this is you, you’re not alone.

The author of Psalm 88 has not only been through this type of heartbreaking situation, he wrote about. 

As I said, Psalm 88 appears to be one of the saddest and most dismal chapters in the Bible. Dare yourself, just feel free to check it out and I’m sure you will agree.

The writer expresses feelings of being overwhelmed, cut off, forgotten, grieved, rejected, terrified, and despaired. 

Worst of all, he is crying out to God wondering where God is in all his suffering. 

The Psalm ends saying, “darkness is my closest friend” (Psalm 88:18 NIV).

However, the hope this Psalm offers is not in its ending, but in its beginning.

“LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.” (Psalm 88:1 NIV)

Before his laundry list of everything that’s going wrong, the Psalmist acknowledges that there is hope for salvation in the Lord, even when God appears silent.

We learn that just because God is silent does not mean He is absent, and it certainly does not mean He is not working behind the scenes on our behalf.

Do not be deceived by the darkness in your life, it is never greater than where your help comes from. (John 1:1-5)

Even when you feel you are in an inescapable pit, as the writer of Psalm 88 describes, God is there with you.

One of the things this psalm does is allow us to know we are not alone in wrestling with God, we are not alone in facing seemingly insurmountable difficulties, we are not alone in feeling alone and unloved.

We are not alone in still having redeeming faith and trusting in God even in the face of what may seem like God’s absence.

Four times in this Psalm the writer calls out to God.

His plea echoes through time, reminds me of Jesus suffering horribly on the cross crying out in his darkest moment to the Father.

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? – Matthew 27:46 NIV

I want to ask, do you think God stopped loving Jesus because He was dying a horrible death on the cross? Was Jesus’ suffering a sign God dismissed His Son?

Absolutely not!

If God didn’t stop loving Jesus on the cross then no matter what dark season you are in He has not, and will not stop loving you.

And if He’s promised to never leave you for forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6) please trust He’s right in the darkness with you friend.

He walks through the valley of the show of death with us (Psalm 23:4). 

We may not always feel or hear God but we can always believe His promise is greater than our darkness.

This darkest season only served to push the writer of Psalm 88 closer to God.

He was not calling out to another person or thing for help.

He called out to the ONLY One he knew could save.

This Psalm reminds us that our dark seasons don’t serve to show us that God is absent but actually, emphatically, just how desperately we need His presence.

The Psalmist felt his life was near death so he cries out to the very One who raises the dead. 

He does not look for salvation from people or things.

When you’re near death you cry out to the One who overcame death.

There is purpose in our pain and hope in our dark season to push us to the light.

I encourage each of you readers to pray to God just as the writer of Psalm 88.

John 14:1-4 New Living Translation

Jesus, the Way to the Father

14 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2  There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.[a] If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4  And you know the way to where I am going.”

In my own experience, I’ve learned that sometimes God empties us so He can fill us back up. Sometimes He’s silent so we can learn to listen. Sometimes He allows the deepest darkness so we can see that He is the true light of our life.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 27 New American Standard Bible 1995

A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the [a]defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I [b]shall be confident.

4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the [c]beauty of the Lord
And to [d]meditate in His temple.
5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His [e]tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices [f]with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 [g]For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a level path
Because of [h]my foes.
12 Do not deliver me over to the [i]desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 [j]I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

“When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61

Psalm 61 New King James Version

Assurance of God’s Eternal Protection

To the Chief Musician. On [a]a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your [b]tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may [c]preserve him!

8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my vows.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

One thing I love about reading through the book of Psalms is that each Psalm usually begins with a heavy heart, and ends in praise and rejoicing.

Psalm 61 is no exception.

There are several reasons I love Psalm 61, and verse 2 is a bit part of that.

Here are some of the reasons that Psalm 61:2 is such a huge encouragement:

  • No matter where we are on this earth, God hears us. There is no where we can go that God cannot reach (Psalm 139:7). This fact alone should provide comfort and encouragement.
  • We all feel overwhelmed at some point or another. David says, “when my heart is overwhelmed”. Not if, when. It is completely normal for our hearts to feel overwhelmed on occasion. The key is that we need to take it to the Lord.
  • God is our rock. What an encouraging and reassuring fact, to know that we have a rock which cannot be moved (Psalm 62:6).

A Prayer for When the Heart and the Hurt Is too Heavy

Psalm 61 New Living Translation

Psalm 61

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

1 O God, listen to my cry!
    Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
    I cry to you for help
    when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3     for you are my safe refuge,
    a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
    safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude

5 For you have heard my vows, O God.
    You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
6 Add many years to the life of the king!
    May his years span the generations!
7 May he reign under God’s protection forever.
    May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.
8 Then I will sing praises to your name forever
    as I fulfill my vows each day.

On those days when I Pray: “Lead me to the Towering Rock of Safety …”

I cannot know what is going on in your life the exact same way God does, but I do know that God knows and reveals that no one goes through life unscathed.

Some of my darkest and heaviest moments were moments of loss — the loss of one’s health, a dream job, the loss of a relationship, the loss of family members.

The Lord does not promise an easy life.

In fact, in his final discourse in the Upper Room before being betrayed, before being arrested, before the kangaroo court, before the massive beatings, before being spat upon, the public scorn and humiliation, before the crown of thorns, being slammed down on his head, the march to Calvary, John 16:33, Jesus said,

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

I am not so sure our hearts can ever get as heavy as Jesus’ did in those hours.

But when we feel as though they do, where do we go when our hearts are heavy?

Did you see the first part of John 16:33?

It says, “that in Me you may have peace.” 

Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…”

Psalm 61 New American Standard Bible 1995

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength [a]against the enemy.
4 Let me [b]dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. [c]Selah.

5 For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.
6 You will [d]prolong the king’s [e]life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will [f]abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.

Although we may wrestle mightily with why God has allowed certain things to take place, He offers Himself as a refuge when there is no other refuge available.

He is not timid, nor scared nor unprepared for your questions, tears, or anger.

His hands are strong enough to hold us when we are certainly falling apart.

I want to encourage you to do what David did and wrote about in Psalm 62:5-8,

Psalm 62:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Pour out your heart and your hurt to God.

Meditate and Pray through each verse of Psalm 62:5-8 separately …

And when You are struggling to trust Him, like we all do, ask Him to help you trust Him. 

2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

If you find yourself struggling to pray today, I can surely empathize.

Somedays Life hurts.

It sometimes and some days leaves us utterly incapacitated and speechless.

Again, I can empathize, I want to encourage you that God never stops working. 

John 5:14-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

14 Afterward Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

John 5:17 says, “In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’”

And from our “wrecks and ruins” God does refresh, repair and restore and heal.

Isaiah 58:11-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

11 “And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your [a]desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not [b]fail.
12 “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the [c]streets in which to dwell.

I want to pray into your wreckage and ruin for you, even if you cannot join me.

As much as these temporary moments and the world may lead you to believe I absolutely, definitely, unequivocally, want you to know you are never alone!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 40 New American Standard Bible 1995

God Sustains His Servant.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

40 I waited [a]patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the [b]miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.

4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not [c]turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

6 [d]Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have [e]opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is [f]written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”

9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[g]Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has [h]failed me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my [i]life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [j]in my hurt.
15 Let those be [k]appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 Since I am afflicted and needy,
[l]Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

“O Lord, how many are my foes? Many are now rising against me!” Psalm 3

Psalm 3 New American Standard Bible 1995

Morning Prayer of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David, when [a]he fled from Absalom his son.

3 O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying [b]of my soul,
“There is no [c]deliverance for him in God.” [d]Selah.

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy [e]mountain. Selah.
5 [f]I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For You [g]have smitten all my enemies on the [h]cheek;
You [i]have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 [j]Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing [k]be upon Your people! Selah.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

When Opposition Comes (and It Will)

Of all the things that are uncertain in this life, there is something we can be sure of—opposition.

Opposition will always come, in one form or another, and we won’t always be prepared for it.

In the work place, it may come as a challenge to our ideas or strategies.

In our families, it may be against our parenting styles, it may be a retaliation against our principles, it may be the children demanding their own bedtimes.

And in faith, as Jesus lived, opposition may come as a mockery or even a threat.

King David truly knew the severity of opposition and experienced it regularly throughout his reign. More than once, he fled into the mountains, fearing for his life. Frequently, he cried out to God over the extreme opposition he faced.

The title of Psalm 3 is “A Psalm of David When he fled from his son Absalom.”

“Many are my foes! Many are rising against me!”

David’s experiences with his adversaries were most likely far greater than anything we have experienced or will experience.

But no matter what, we can be sure of this: God is our Great Defender.

There is no greater defense than that of our Father in heaven.

And He urges us to allow Him to deal with our opposer instead of taking matters into our own hands.

Faith—Overcoming Evil

Romans 12:17-21 New American Standard Bible 1995

17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. [a]Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but [b]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to jump into “defense” mode.

It can be difficult to let things roll off my back, especially when I feel wronged.

Yet, so often in my rehearsed plans of retaliation, I sense the gentle voice of the Spirit saying, “Peace…be still. Let Me go before you in this.”

It began as a peaceful march to protest the killing of George Floyd.

But as the darkness deepened, it became a dark night of riotous behavior.

Images of angry people smashing store fronts, of police cars ablaze, and of businesses going up in flames brought me to my knees in earnest prayer and disturbed my anxious sleep. What I saw was way beyond bad, frightening, evil.

In the morning I checked as much of the news as I could access by internet.

The rioters were gone, but they had left a disturbing mess: smashed windows, burned cars, rocks and bricks and vile graffiti, sad ruins in the heart of the city.

A reporter surveying the damage approached a young mother with two children.

He asked her, “Why are you here this morning?” She said, “We saw the news; we decided that this city needs someone to show the love of God.”

Others were there too—sweeping glass shards, trying to restore order to chaos.

The mom and her children, who were perhaps about 5 and 7 years old, were there with buckets, their brushes and soap, trying to erase stubborn graffiti.

To me, they sacrificed their time, they brought some light into the darkness, some of God’s love into a broken place where the evidence of evil was very real.

In that mother and her little ones, I saw the presence of the resurrected Jesus.

She and her children were being the church, Christ’s body—overcoming evil by doing good.

As I watched, my anger was transformed, replaced by warm and grateful tears welled up from within me in a prayer of thanks to God.

When we surrender our will to the Father, no matter how justified we feel, there will be an unexplainable peace that comes.

Surrendering all of our “fists-in-the-air” attitudes and plans of pay-back will always result in a better outcome—an outcome that is surrounded by certainty that reminds us, “God’s got this.”

The more we live out our faith in Christ, the more people will oppose what they don’t fully understand.

It’s a way of retaliating against something that challenges them in some way.

If you and I are actively living out our faith, walking in the fruit of the Spirit and showing God’s love, that will be a challenge for some.

And in that challenge, we may find ourselves greatly opposed.

Harsh words, divisive questions, and rude comments might be the ways in which people come against us.

But just as David, in Psalm 3, took those oppositions to the Lord, we, too, can release them to our Mighty Defender.

Psalm 3:3-6 New American Standard Bible 1995

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy [a]mountain. Selah.
5 [b]I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

For in the end, as David knew from vast measures and degrees of experience his whole life long, God, and only God, can right those wrongs of unjust opposition.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord the Keeper of Israel.

A Song of Ascents.

121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will [a]protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will [b]guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

The man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God. Genesis 3:8-11

Genesis 3:8-11 New American Standard Bible 1995

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [a]cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Across ethnic, linguistic, and geographical boundaries, children and even adults of all ages everywhere continue to enjoy the fun of playing hide-and-seek.

It is a universal and innocent game.

But the first game of hide-and-seek in this world was neither fun nor innocent.

It was something deadly serious, it came with serious and severe consequences.

After Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the garden, they hid from each other behind fig leaves and from their Creator behind the trees of the garden.

They unsuccessfully attempted histories very first cover-up—and God came walking in the garden, seeking them with a simple question: “Where are you?”

This revealing question turns on its head the common assumption that man is naturally looking for God, who is hiding somewhere in or beyond the universe.

Instead, we discover the opposite: we are the ones who are hiding, whose first, most natural inclination is to hide and God is the one who comes seeking.

The question may seem like a strange one for God to ask these first humans.

After all, doesn’t God know everything already?

But God asked where Adam and Eve were not so He could gain new information but because He wanted to help them come to grips, understand their situation.

God came to draw them out more than to drive them out.

As much as it is possible for our finite thought processes, imagine the many ways God could, should have reacted in response to Adam and Eve’s rebellion.

If He had responded strictly in judgment, He could have instantaneously brought about the sentence of death He had warned them of (Genesis 2:16-17).

But it is in God’s nature always to have mercy; so He came instead with a single question.

This is the first glimpse of God’s grace after humanity turned their backs on Him.

God did not immediately give them what they justly deserved; rather, out of His immense kindness, instead He granted what was not deserved: an opportunity to respond with above board honesty, with integrity and in truth and to return.

That is not what happened here – instead they responded with the blame game.

We immediately hide behind our excuses, none of us would feel comfortable if those closest to us could see all of our deepest thoughts and previous actions.

We may hide the truth from each other, and perhaps even from ourselves.

But to hide from God is futile.

There is simply no way to hide and nowhere to shift the blame to.

Psalm 139:1-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know [a]when I sit down and [b]when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You [c]scrutinize my [d]path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 [e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [f]Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will [g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark [h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

We cannot hide our thoughts, we cannot hide ourselves from God -we must not believe the lie that God won’t see the “little” sins we keep hidden from others.

He sees.

Ultimately, He sees into our souls and knows exactly what we have done and where we stand.

1 Samuel 16:6-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

6 When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for [a]God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

Wonderfully, we do not need to pretend that we can hide.

He comes to us in mercy, not in judgment, for

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).

Are you burdened by some besetting sin or secret shame?

Are you seeking to hide from God what you have been hiding from others?

There’s never been a better time to stop hiding from Him. Step into the light.

Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible 1995

Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.

32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Uncover what cannot remain hidden before Him—so that He might cover it with His blood and so that you might know you are both known and forgiven.

Psalm 32:1-2 Easy-to-Read Version

A maskil of David.

32 It is a great blessing
    when people are forgiven for the wrongs they have done,
    when their sins are erased.[a]
2 It is a great blessing
    when the Lord says they are not guilty,
    when they don’t try to hide their sins.

How genuinely blessed did you feel yesterday?

How genuinely blessed do you feel today?

How confident are you that you will feel genuinely blessed tomorrow?

Psalm 139:23-24 Easy-to-Read Version

23 God, examine me and know my mind.
    Test me and know all my worries.
24 Make sure that I am not going the wrong way.[a]
    Lead me on the path that has always been right.[b]

He is a compassionate kind and saving God who desires a relationship with us.

How much do you genuinely believe this?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 103 New American Standard Bible 1995

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.

A Psalm of David.

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

6 The Lord performs [b]righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who [c]fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who [d]fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows [e]our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
17 But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [f]fear Him,
And His [g]righteousness to children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.

19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His [h]sovereignty rules over [i]all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

Stuck in Life? Never Give Up through the Unanswered Prayers! Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

Parables on Prayer

18 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘[a]Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4  For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will [b] give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will [c]wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, [d]and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [e]faith on the earth?”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Have you ever been stuck?

Not behind a massive traffic jam, or in the mud or a blizzard or snow drift – but stuck in life – you cannot go backwards, the present is super glued to the floors.

Imagine you have an adversary who is making your life extremely difficult.

Certified letters come in the mail, and you are summoned to a court hearing.

You receive a letter in the mail and it is the tax man wondering about the math.

You are in a job, there is either no or very limited prospects for advancement.

You are a Pastor and your church is not growing, the congregation is dwindling, the building is in need of uncountable numbers of both minor and major repairs and there is little to no prospect of the budget supporting repairs and the salary.

Pick your own scenario and create that one worst possible story surrounding it.

You have prayed, and it seems that God is not acting on your behalf.

You ask God, “If you are my Father, why don’t you help me?”

In the court room, the judge adds insults to your injury and has no empathy for you – you know the tax man will not be any kind of empathetic or sympathetic.

Where do you turn?

Jesus told a parable about a woman in a situation like that, to show his followers that they should “always pray and not give up.”

The woman wanted what was rightfully hers.

And yet she appeared to be powerless, without money or connections to bail her out, and she lost case after case – but she still continued to bother the judge.

This harsh judge, who didn’t care what God or people thought, relented, finally surrendered and acted on her behalf, and she received what was rightfully hers.

In the midst of hopelessness in this world, Jesus promises hope in a far greater courtroom, where he defends his own.

He says,

“Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

Followers of Christ are called to be persistent in the midst of adversity, for we have a mighty Advocate who comes to our defense!

Never Give Up through Unanswered Prayers

Luke 18:1-8 The Message

The Story of the Persistent Widow

18 1-3 Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’

4-5 “He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’”

6-8 Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”

Some believe if you ask God once, you don’t need to ask Him again.

However, Jesus taught His disciples to always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).

In one of His parables on prayer, Jesus proposed what you might do if a friend comes to you in the middle of the night seeking food for an unexpected guest.

You might be tempted to tell him to go away because it’s late, and you and your family are in bed.

However, because he’s your friend and has so boldly approached and asked you for help, you most likely will get up and give him all He needs (Luke 11:5-8).

Luke 11:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 Then He said to them, “[a]Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children [b]and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his [c]persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

In summing it up, Jesus said, 

“So I say to you; Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; know and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11: 9,10).

Jesus tells in another parable of a godless judge’s dealings with a widow who refused to accept his unwillingness to grant her justice from her adversary.

After relentlessly pursuing the judge with her case, he gave into her merely because she refused to give up.

To His followers, Jesus reassures that if an unjust judge who doesn’t fear God will bring about justice to a widow simply because she kept bothering him, how much more will God do for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night?(Luke 18:2-8).

Philippians 2:1-4 New American Standard Bible 1995

Be Like Christ

2 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any [a]affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete [b]by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing [c]from [d] selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind  regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Jesus also urges in Matthew 7:7 to, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

So instead of seeing unanswered prayer as a reason to stop praying, view it as a motivator to not ever give up.

As Romans 12:9-13 admonishes us …

Romans 12:9-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; [a]give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12  rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the [b]saints, [c]practicing hospitality.

As Thessalonians 5:17 encourages, “Pray continually.”

Keep Praying!

If you’ve been struggling with unanswered prayers, find comfort in knowing God has not forgotten you.

So instead of withdrawing from Him when it seems like He isn’t answering, consider what He might be teaching you during these times, knowing as you draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to you (James 4:8).

How Can We Get Close to God?

James 4:8 New American Standard Bible 1995

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

What do you do when you can’t find God?

The Christian author C. S. Lewis searched for God during the illness of his wife without finding him.

In his book A Grief Observed, Lewis wrote, “Meanwhile, where is God? … Go to him when your need is desperate … and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double-bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away.”

Many believers have searched for God without being able to find him.

David, who wrote of the wonderful comfort of God in Psalm 23, also cried out in Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus said those same words on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

If for some reason you can’t seem to find God, let him know you can’t find him—and then listen.

God is right where he always is.

C.S. Lewis found that perhaps his own cries deafened him “to the voice [he] hoped to hear.”

He wrote later, “I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face?”

Accept God’s invitation: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Come as you are, empty handed, with weary souls, and with a simple prayer.

Psalm 23 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 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.

God is where we are.

Says Jesus in John 6:37, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

It’s a sure promise!

Do You Believe This?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 13 New American Standard Bible 1995

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us hope in our dark times as we wrestle against adversaries. Hear our prayer and act quickly on our behalf. Lord our God, show us your presence in our lives. Savior Jesus, Help us to trust that you will never let go of us. BFF Jesus, As you have always promised, you will never forsake us. Alleluia Amen

https://translate.google.com

Seek An Undivided Heart. Psalm 86:11

Psalm 86:11-13 New International Version

11 Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
    you have delivered me from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

In today’s societies very few people have an undivided heart.

They seek many different things all at the same time.

Often they are loyal to something for a moment, then a few days later they drop that loyalty and begin to be loyal to something else.

Pick up any magazine at the drug store, notice the incredible diversity of their titles and their incredible efforts at maximizing their front cover graphics to draw your attention only to them – fads come and go constantly with change.

These can be found in the multiple things people do, play with, listen to, or use.

What is popular today, soon becomes old tomorrow because of divided hearts.

People will genuinely struggle with what they really want to aim for.

They want a little bit of everything and often end up with a whole lot of nothing, because they are uncertain of their priorities, badly divided in their loyalties.

Psalm 86:11 David prayed to God, David wanted God to teach him His way, so that he would be able to know and rely solely upon God’s great faithfulness.

Considering all of the intrigue which surrounded his day to day life, He wanted to have a undivided heart that would be fully dedicated to God and God alone.

While the world struggles with divided hearts, many believers also struggle.

They struggle with whether or not to fight for things to provide for themselves and have their kind of fun, or to follow, trust in God alone for what they need.

The sinful nature inevitably rises up inside of many, causing them to become impatient with themselves and God and so want to go back to old sinful ways.

They become divided in their hearts, seeking to find success, or pleasure in sinful ways, rather than seeking purpose and life in God and His ways alone.

Going back and forth like this, causes a divided heart.

Directional Faith

James 1:5-8 New International Version

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

God has a way of changing us deeply through various crisis points in our lives.

But what happens when God strings together a long series of crisis points?

Eventually the trail of change-points will lead somewhere, like stepping-stones crossing a river.

As we realize this, our collection of snapshot crises starts to become a movie with a story line.

But how does one tell where the story is supposed to be going?

That’s not easy.

God assures us that he has plans for our lives, but it can be hard to tell where those plans might lead.

Sometimes it would be nice to have a burning-bush episode like Moses had—something concrete we could see through the fog of life’s busyness (Exodus 3).

Why is it so difficult to determine God’s direction for our lives?

Sometimes it’s simply because we forget to ask.

It’s surprisingly easy to charge into the events of a day without bothering to ask God what he wants from us that day.

Sometimes that can prompt God to allow a minor crisis to pop up as a wake-up call to pull our attention back to him.

When was the last time you asked God to show you his plans for your day?

How about asking him right now?

Why?

Because …

A divided heart make a person lukewarm, whom God will in the end reject.

The believer needs to be sold out to God alone, focused on serving Him alone.

Jesus said there cannot be two masters, but only one–God.

Examine your life and see where your loyalty lies.

What is it that you are focused on, you are aiming towards?

Seek to know God and His way for your life.

Trust in His faithfulness alone.

As you find satisfaction in serving God, you will be able to live for God alone. 

In living for God alone, you will no longer have a divided heart that goes back to the old sinful ways.

Temptation to live in sin will lose its grip upon you when you are sold-out to God alone. 

Ask God to reveal His faithfulness to you and to give you an undivided heart that will be loyal to Him.

I pray today that you the reader will know the faithfulness of God; that God will reveal His path for your life; that you the reader will trust in God alone; that you will have a heart sold out to God; and that God will give you an undivided heart. 

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Works and the Word of God.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a]line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be [e]blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

Practices that Sustain Community: Living Truthfully. Psalm 86:11-13

Psalm 86:11-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have delivered my soul from the [a]depths of [b]Sheol.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

It’s another beautiful day to gather together, to connect, to learn, and to grow in our faith.

This devotion explores the importance of embracing and living in truth, as it shapes our lives, guides us, and ultimately sets us free.

Today, we are here to talk about living with truth and authenticity in our Christian lives.

Now, I know that’s a big topic.

It’s something we all grapple with, in big ways and small.

But it’s also something that’s so crucial to our faith, to our walk with God, and to our relationships with each other.

The late great Christian author, Ethicist, Dr. Christine D. Pohl said it well:

“We don’t always notice how profoundly our expectations, desires, and practices are … shaped by our culture. We bring the values of self-actualization, individual success, consumption, and personal freedom—and the choices that result from them—to church life, just as we bring them into family and work. . . This is not a promising recipe for strong or lasting communities.”

And how true that is.

We bring many false narratives from the world into our community here.

We bring the values and the ideologies of a culture that is far from God into a community that is meant to represent the nature of God.

A community of forgiveness, kindness, and truth-telling.

Let’s take a look at the Scriptures that will guide our devotion today.

The first is from Psalm 86:11, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

The second is from John 8:31-32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”

These passages remind us that truth isn’t just something we know.

It’s something we live.

It’s something we hold to.

It’s something that shapes us and frees us.

It’s something that God teaches us, and something that we’re called to live out in our lives and in our communities.

So, let’s talk about the importance of living truthfully…

The Importance of Living Truthfully

Living truthfully is a calling that echoes throughout the Scriptures.

It’s a calling that’s woven into the very fabric of our faith.

It’s a calling that’s as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.

It’s a calling that challenges us, that shapes us, that frees us.

When we think about living truthfully, we often think about honesty.

We think about telling the truth, about not lying or deceiving.

And that’s certainly part of it.

But living truthfully is about so much more than just honesty.

It’s also about authenticity.

It’s also about integrity.

It’s about being true to who we are, to who God has created us to be.

In Psalm 86:11, the psalmist prays, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

This is a prayer for truthfulness.

It’s a prayer for a heart that’s undivided, a heart that’s fully committed to God, a heart that’s authentic and true.

And then in John 8:31-32, Jesus tells his followers,

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Here, Jesus is talking about a truth that’s more than just facts or information.

He’s talking about a truth that’s lived, a truth that’s embodied, a truth that unleashes us, a truth sets us free.

So, what does this look like in our lives?

How do we live truthfully?

First, living truthfully means living with integrity.

Integrity is about being the same person in all situations.

It’s about being the same person on Sunday morning as you are on Saturday night and continuing being that self same person on Monday thru Friday too.

It’s about being the same person in public as you are in private.

It’s about living in a way that’s consistent with our beliefs, with our values, with our faith.

Second, living truthfully means living authentically.

Authenticity is about being true to who we are.

It’s about not pretending, not putting on a mask, not trying to be someone or something we’re not.

It’s about being gut honest with ourselves, with God, and with others about our strengths, our weaknesses, our successes, our failures, our hopes, our fears.

Third, living truthfully means living transparently.

Transparency is about being open, being vulnerable, being real.

It’s about letting others see us as we really are, not as we wish we were. It’s about sharing our struggles, our doubts, our questions, our joys, our victories.

Finally, living truthfully means living faithfully.

Being faith-filled, faithful to God, the Father, God the Son, and Holy Spirit.

Faithfulness is about being true to our commitments, our promises, our word.

It’s about being reliable, being trustworthy, being dependable.

It’s about showing up, sticking it out, staying the course.

Living truthfully is not even minimally easy.

It’s not even minimally comfortable.

It’s not even minimally convenient.

But it’s absolutely, maximally, utterly, worth it.

It’s worth it because it’s what we’re called to do.

It’s worth it because it’s what brings us closer to God.

It’s worth it because it’s what sets us free.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today, eager to learn, eager to grow. We ask that you would guide our conversations, that you would open our hearts to your truth, and that you would help us to live it out in our lives. We ask for your wisdom, your guidance, and your love as we study, talk about these important topics. Amen.

A Psalm of Supplication and Trust.

A Prayer of David.

86 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy.
2 Preserve my [a]soul, for I am a godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7 In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For You will answer me.
8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.
9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great and do [b]wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have delivered my soul from the [c]depths of [d]Sheol.

14 O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
And [e]a band of violent men have sought my [f]life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and [g]truth.
16 Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

Gloating: When we simply cannot get along, or simply refuse to get along with someone. Proverbs 24:17-18

Proverbs 24:17-18 New International Version

Saying 28

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
    when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18 or the Lord will see and disapprove
    and turn his wrath away from them.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Love Thy Neighbor as You Love Thy God and Savior?

We don’t often think of people in terms of enemies and foes, and so when we come to read and study verses like these in Proverbs it may be hard to relate.

For this reason, let me bring it down to a level you may understand.

Are there people in your life who you just don’t like or really can’t get along with or refuse to get along with? Does that hit a more realistic nerve for you? 

While you may not call someone an enemy, I can be certain you the reader can name some people in your life you just don’t any have warm, fuzzy feelings for.

In all walks of life, you are going to encounter people that are hard to like and hard to root for and easier to hate with every kind of passion you can think of.

I usually get along with everyone yet there was this one person who really got so deep under my skin to the point that I just did not want to be around him.

I will spare you the details of why this person impacted me in this fashion.

Recently I discovered that life did not work out so well for this person, and when I heard what happened, my first reaction was, I am not very surprised.

I didn’t realize it at that moment but what I was doing was gloating.

One definition of gloating is when you find some kind of pleasure in someone else’s misfortune, to show in an annoying way that you are proud of your own success or excessively, expressively happy about someone else’s failure and I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but that is exactly what I was doing. 

The hypocritical nature of gloating is sometimes we wrap our gloating and mix it with highest praise, even mightily thanking God for the calamity or trouble of the person we don’t like because they we feel they mightily deserved all of it.

After all, they messed with me, and I am a child of the king.

Yet when we lay our hearts before Scripture and come to verses like these in Proverbs 24:17-18, we realize that is not the way God desires us to respond.

When we do behave in this manner our response could have the opposite effect.

“Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, 
 for the Lord will see and disapprove
 and turn his wrath away from them.” – Proverbs 24:17-18

To say this as plainly as possible, God is not pleased when we gloat over our enemies.

How should you respond to those you don’t like?

Thankfully the Bible lays out an essential framework for how to address those we don’t like, we refuse to get along with or who are our sworn enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” – Matthew 5:43-44

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” – Colossians 3:8

Jesus commands you to love and pray for those who persecute you.

Paul instructs us to get rid of all malice, and one of the definitions of malice is to gloat over someone else’s misfortune.

When we lay the cards on the table, gloating is sinful.

The interesting thing about this type of sin is no one around you would ever know unless you opened your mouth and told them.

Gloating and malice are things we keep in our hearts; and while we can hide them from others, God sees what lives there. (2 Samuel 11)

Intersecting Faith and Life:

Proverbs 24:17-18 The Message

28

17-18 Don’t laugh when your enemy falls;
    don’t gloat over his collapse.
God might see, and become very provoked,
    and then take pity on his plight.

Here is a hard test of character.

Here is strong evidence if you are a child of God.

Here is a real measure of godliness and wisdom.

Here is a challenge for your faith, whether you want one or not.

Think now.

Are you happy when bad things happen to your enemies?

God commands you to love your personal enemies, and it is one of the chief measures of a true Christian.

Such love includes being grieved when your enemy falls or stumbles in life.

If you are glad or rejoice when he is hit by adversity, you have sinned.

In this proverb, the Lord God offers a simple rule for spiritual victory in your life.

Read on.

The proverb is not complete by itself, for the next verse, verse 18, explains the consequences of rejoicing at his troubles, “Lest the LORD see it, and it displeases him, and he turn away his wrath from him” (Proverbs 24:18).

God may switch from your side to your enemy’s side, if He detects you gloating about pain or trouble in your enemy’s life.

Beware!

If you are happy when bad things happen to your enemy, the Lord will see your selfish and vengeful glee; He will be angry at your wicked attitude; and He may lift His punishment of your enemy (Proverbs 24:18).

You will have stooped lower than your enemy, all the way to murderous thoughts of the heart – at those, A holy and righteous God cannot stand by.

Revenge is sin; vengeance is God’s (Romans 12:17-21).

But the proverb is not that simple.

The Preacher will not let you escape just because you have not actively sought to injure an enemy.

The wisdom of God is broader, more comprehensive than that (Psalm 119:96).

Solomon is going after your secret malignant thoughts that enjoy seeing your enemies in pain or trouble (Proverbs 24:9).

Do you rejoice – in your thoughts – when your enemy falls?

Are you glad – in your secret heart – when your enemy stumbles?

Do you feel a sense of vindication and pleasure at hearing of his or her misfortune?

These are the sins Solomon condemned.

Ah, dear reader, the glorious light of God’s word shines deep – all the way to your inner feelings. (Hebrews 4:12)

How do enemies fall and stumble?

They can fall and stumble into sin, which gives you no right to joy, because love “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (I Corinthians 13:6).

If you care about someone, even in the least degree, you would not be glad to hear of their involvement in sin, for you should have the desire for all men to live righteously.

Enemies can fall and stumble into earthly troubles.

They may lose a job, get a divorce, have problems with their children, contract a disease, have an automobile accident, lose their dog, or catch the flu or a cold.

Wicked men secretly smile in their malicious hearts, for there are few things sweeter to the depraved soul of man than to see his enemy having troubles.

There is a right way to exact holy revenge or retribution on your enemy.

Are you ready for the secret of inspired wisdom?

Treat your enemy with love and kindness, even in your thoughts, and let the Lord deal with him (Proverbs 25:20-21; 20:22).

You prove a righteous heart; the Lord is pleased by your actions; and your enemy will face your angry Father.

Dealing With This All-Too-Common sin called Gloating

Let’s deal with this issue by doing something practical.

Think about anyone in your life you either don’t really like or that you would consider an enemy.

Write their name down and spend the next week praying for that person or people if there is more than one.

I know what you may be thinking, but you don’t know how they are, you don’t know what they have done, or you don’t know what it is like to deal with them.

You are probably right about that, but God’s Word puts no qualifiers on this.

We are to love them, pray for them, hold no malice in our hearts toward them.

Here is why this is important for you.

It is your own heart that is at stake.

When you refuse to get along with them, or harbor malice and gloat over that person’s misfortune, you allow that person to keep a measure and degree of control over you, and you give room for bitterness to take root in your heart.

However, when you pray for them and love them, they no longer have influence over your life. 

Who is that enemy of yours?

Do they work at your job?

Are they your neighbors?

Do they live in your neighborhood?

Do they go to your church?

Are they in your family?

Are they yourselves – are you the one who hates yourself the most?

Wherever they are, love them and pray for them.

James 5:16 New American Standard Bible 1995

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective [a]prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

I can’t guarantee this will change them, but one thing it will definitely do is it will definitely change you, and just maybe that is what God was after all along.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com