We never want to stop learning and growing in our relationship with the LORD. The consequence of having a sinful nature and living in this World is that we can find ourselves against the wall.....at the end of our rope. Worse yet is knowing that the sins and mistakes we have made have put us in this place. I know I have felt those pangs of hopeless despair that wage a war within. At those times the thought of being restored, a comeback seems dim.
When a nation begins to reject the LORD, the consequences and decline can bring great anxiety and pain. We have been experiencing this in our nation and world today. Economic uncertainty and the stress of living in 21st century America have caused some to wonder if God has forgotten us because many have forgotten Him.
The Psalmist during a time of national calamity remembers that he has a good shepherd in the LORD, one who restores the soul and brings deliverance. He is honest with God in sharing his feelings of despair and three times makes this urgent plea.
Psalm 80:19
Restore us O LORD, God of Hosts,
Cause your face to shine
and we shall be save
NKJV
He makes this cry to the God who controls the universe and has the power to save.
He makes this plea not just for himself but for a nation.
How much more can we, the redeemed, come to our God, who "has made His light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
Making a comeback is possible with the LORD!
O LORD God of Hosts, restore us
Cause your face to shine upon us
And we will saved.
NASB
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Living among those who hate peace
Psalm 120:7
I am a man of peace but when I speak, they are for war
One of the more difficult and at time frustrating aspects of living the Christian Life is the conflict that ensues as we take the Gospel of Peace and bring it to those who desperately need to hear the Message of Jesus Christ. There will be those of the tents of Meshech and Kedar who will work to bring distress into our lives. Meshech was a tribe from just North of modern day Turkey known for their cruelty and fierceness. Kedar was in the South - from Abraham's clan -born of his son Ishmael. Reminds me that even "relatives" and close associates can be the source of distress. The distress comes from those words that can discourage and feel as if a sharp object was thrust into ones flesh. Many have been wounded by the untamable tongue.
This is a Psalm of Ascents - Those heading to worship God in Jerusalem for the Passover feast would recite it on the road. The Psalmist reminds them at the outset of this Psalm about the one who is there to answer this prayer. We need to trust Him to defend us and to be our strength and encouragement.
Psalm 120:1
I call on the LORD in my distress
and He answers me
I am a man of peace but when I speak, they are for war
One of the more difficult and at time frustrating aspects of living the Christian Life is the conflict that ensues as we take the Gospel of Peace and bring it to those who desperately need to hear the Message of Jesus Christ. There will be those of the tents of Meshech and Kedar who will work to bring distress into our lives. Meshech was a tribe from just North of modern day Turkey known for their cruelty and fierceness. Kedar was in the South - from Abraham's clan -born of his son Ishmael. Reminds me that even "relatives" and close associates can be the source of distress. The distress comes from those words that can discourage and feel as if a sharp object was thrust into ones flesh. Many have been wounded by the untamable tongue.
This is a Psalm of Ascents - Those heading to worship God in Jerusalem for the Passover feast would recite it on the road. The Psalmist reminds them at the outset of this Psalm about the one who is there to answer this prayer. We need to trust Him to defend us and to be our strength and encouragement.
Psalm 120:1
I call on the LORD in my distress
and He answers me
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