Why are you far off O Lord?

Psalm 10^[a]
1 Why, LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

² In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
³ He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
⁴ In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
⁵ His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by^[b] him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
⁶ He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”

One of the reasons why the psalms are so powerful is because they are so honest.  There is no sugarcoating here saying “everything is just fine”.  The psalmist lays bare his heart before the Lord.  And the reality is …we also look around at times also wonder why do the wicked prosper?  Why does is seem like evil is winning?  Why does greed and pride overcome those who are humble and meek?   And the psalmist challenges us to be honest and to seek God’s answer. 

I am starting a book called truefaced (it’s using the common term two faced and turning it on its head).   It challenges us to take off the masks we wear and to be real… to be vulnerable and laid bare before the Lord.  This is exactly what the psalmist does.   He comes to the Lord because things are not right in the world. And He is calling on the Lord to step in.   And folks that is actually trust.   It takes trust to cry out to the Lord.  It takes trust to admit that we need god to step in.   We think of trust sometimes as ignoring the issues “that everything is just fine” … but it takes more trust to cry out and lay our hearts before the Lord.   Times when we feel like the Lord is far off and we ask where are you… actually reveals that our faith depends upon God revealing himself anew to us.  In other words if we cry out “why?” “where are you?”  it is an act of faith because we believe God will somehow respond. 

And that’s why at the end of this passage the Psalmist is able to proclaim…

 ¹⁷ You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
¹⁸ defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.

Questions to face

1)      Are you being honest with God and others about who you are and what you are struggling with? 

2)      Will you trust God enough to cry out to Him with all your hurts, all your broken dreams, all your insecurities … and believe that somehow God hears and will respond in His time? 

Pray for the afflicted and the persecuted church around the world

Psalm 9
¹ I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

³ My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
⁴ For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
⁶ Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.

⁷ The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
⁸ He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹ Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
¹² For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

¹³ LORD, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴ that I may declare your praises
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.

¹⁵ The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
¹⁶ The LORD is known by his acts of justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.^[c]
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
all the nations that forget God.
¹⁸ But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

¹⁹ Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
²⁰ Strike them with terror, LORD;
let the nations know they are only mortal.

Just a few very short comments on this scripture as I encourage you to read it. 

1)       Spend some time today in praise to the Lord.

2)      Pray for those who are being persecuted all over the world for their Christian faith.  I heard on the radio the other day that Nov 13, 2011 is being set aside to especially pray for the persecuted church.  For we have many brothers and sisters around the world who feel forgotten at times.  So mark that date and still pray for them now.  Pray for those who are afflicted.  Pray that “the Lord would arise and that mortals would not triumph”.

Back to School Back to Discipline

Proverbs 12
¹ Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

Romans 1:11-16
¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,^[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”^[f]

Last week I got off track.  I did not post any scriptures.  School is getting back into session and I felt a little swamped. I did read some scriptures, but not as diligently as I should. 

As I look at these scriptures I realize I need to get back into the discipline of reading and posting.  As the proverb 12 points out discipline and knowledge go hand and hand.   Students know this as they get back into school.  They need the discipline of study.  Discipline is often good because it provides a framework to learn.   Getting back into school can take effort because you may have felt you lost that regiment of study (or maybe you never had it in the first place).   

I look at the other scripture in Romans and am encouraged to get back “on the horse”.  Get back to the regiment of reading and posting.  Paul was eager to go share his faith to the Romans but each time something came up.  Yet that did not mean he was indifferent.  He desperately longed to encourage their faith.  He knew the power of the gospel and was not ashamed of it.  So he was eager to let others know and even in times when he was delayed he still pressed on.  I pray that I would have the same gumption and boldness.  Yet, the truth is we all fall short at times.  We have all fallen “off the wagon”  (to borrow and AA term) in some sort of way.  The point is not to beat us up over it … but to move forward and get back to it. So even when at times I get sidetracked, I pray Christ would eagerly be prepared to share the good news of Jesus when the opportunity arises.

Questions to consider...
1)      Have you gotten sidetracked (either now or before) in your study of the Bible? 
2)      If so be encouraged to get back to it… take up the discipline again.  Even if you’ve “fallen off the wagon” Christ invites us to once get back to hearing His Word, fellowship with His church, and share His Gospel.      

Who am I that God would love me?

Psalm 8^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] A psalm of David.

¹ LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
in the heavens.
² Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?^[c]

⁵ You have made them^[d] a little lower than the angels^[e]
and crowned them^[f] with glory and honor.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their^[g] feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

The Psalmist looked out into the large world…he sees the vastness of all of creation.  He recognized that with the magnitude of all there is out there, there are so many possibilities…and ihe poses the question we all can struggle with, “Where do I fit in to all of this?

Yet, it gives us a concrete answer that gives us courage and significance.  This Psalm points us to the greatness of God our creator.  God is praised for his glory and majesty far above all creation, which He made and continues to be held together in His hands.

And when we stand in awe of the majesty of God we begin to see who we are and where God calls us to be.  We are not an accident.  We are loved by God.   You and I were created by God for a purpose. The Sovereign God has a plan for your life!

The same God who created this vast world ... also created us and loves us.  ..

It reminds me of a song named  “Sea of Faces” by Kutless 

Sometimes my life, it feels so trivial
Immersed in the greatness of space
Yet somehow you still find the time for me
It’s then You show me Your love.

Yes, compared to the heavens and vastness of space we are tiny, but the God who created it all loves us so we are important.

Therefore, each of us can sing praise to God saying:

            And in Your eyes I can see
            And in Your arms I will be
            I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
            Lost in a Sea of Faces
            Your body’s the bread, Your blood is the wine
            Because you traded Your life for mine.

Ways to respond …

Spend some time praising the majesty of God and know you are loved by God. . 

Reach out to someone today who is hurting or wondering where they might fit in. 

The Righteous Judge

Psalm 7
 LORD my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
² or they will tear me apart like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³ LORD my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—
⁴ if I have repaid my ally with evil
or without cause have robbed my foe—
⁵ then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust.^[c]

⁶ Arise, LORD, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
⁷ Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
while you sit enthroned over them on high.
⁸ Let the LORD judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.
⁹ Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
who probes minds and hearts.

¹⁰ My shield^[d] is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
¹¹ God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.
¹² If he does not relent,
he^[e] will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
¹³ He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.

¹⁴ Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
¹⁵ Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
¹⁶ The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.

¹⁷ I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

God is the righteous Judge.  In this psalm the psalmist seeks deliverance and shelter from the attacks of the wicked.  In fact prayer itself is is a way of taking shelter in God’s protection.  While it might come across as pleading his own righteousness, this psalm is not one that is boasting in self righteous.   The focus is that God knows our heart searches us out completely… and in the midst of being falsely attacked the Psalmist is depending up God to deliver him.  God is the righteous judge.  In our modern world today we may not be comfortable with that image.  But imagine for a moment the world without justice.  Think of the times when the meek and innocent do get crushed by the wicked.  In those cases we see the need for a righteous God who knows the truth and knows our hearts.   Also notice that the Psalmist pleads to “Lord, my God” .  this prayer is based on a relationship to the one who is the Ultimate judge and deliverer.  (reference from Interpretation commentary on the Psalms, by James L Mays).

Questions to consider

Where do you take shelter in the midst of attacks?  Who do you call out to? 

Are there incidences of injustice we see today that we call out to the Lord to judge? 

Deliverance for the Bruised Reeds

Isaiah 42
The Servant of the LORD
¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

⁵ This is what God the LORD says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

⁸ “I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
⁹ See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”

Yesterday, I referred to the scripture where we are able to rejoice in our suffering.  Yet this does not mean we rejoice in suffering in general or the suffering of others.  We rejoice in our suffering because of what can result from it through God’s strengthening. 

And while we can rejoice in our suffering, still we see in this scripture that God is one who has come to deliever those who have suffered.  Isaiah speaks of the servant who will bring justice.  This servant will not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick.  And so maybe there are times we feel like a bruise reed (just waiting to fall apart)… or smoldering wick (feeling like in all the pain we will burn out and fade away).  Yet, it is at this very time when we realize our deepest need and are thus open to the ways the Lord can save us.  This servant of the Lord comes to open our eyes, free us from captivity and release us from darkness. 

In Matthew chapter 12 .. as Jesus healed the sick this passage from Isaiah is referred to … to show that Jesus was the one who would be the servant who brings justice and deliverance to the helpless and needy.  And in Luke chapter 4, Jesus himself reads this passage from Isaiah and states he is the one who fulfills this promise.  

So Jesus not only give us strength in the time of suffering.  Jesus also comes to break the bonds of oppression and deliver us with his justice.  Jesus comes for those who are the bruised reed and the  smoldering wick to bring us  the ultimate hope. 

As his people it also means that we are called to relieve suffering…  To speak justice ….and to care for those who are bruised reeds. 

Prayer

O Lord who comes to set us free.  Bring your justice.  We thank you that you are one who does not come to break those who are wounded.  No you are the one who sets free the capticves.  We pray that your justice would reign.  We pray for those who are hurting.  Open our eyes to their needs that we might show them your love.  And when we are the ones who are hurting may we lean on you to save us. 

 In the of the righteous servant Our Lord Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen

Rejoice in suffering?

Romans 5:3-5

³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

(Side note: I’ve been on vacation for a week, so I have not been able to post since now.)

“We glory (or rejoice) in our suffering”.   That might sound a little strange as though we should want to suffer and seek to punish ourselves. But that’s not the point.  It’s not that the suffering itself is what is good … instead what is good is what results from the suffering due to faithfulness to Christ (perseverance, character, hope, and assurance). 

In other words a person can be going through a very rough time. (Maybe an illness, a loss of a loved one or persecution).  And while the situation is not what I would want for them… still God works to bring about good out of it.  Looking at those who have gone through a rough life and have come out of it stronger shows what perseverance truly is.  Think of the character of one who has gone through such trails and still holds strong.  (Like metal that is heated in fire, purified and strengthened).  Then look at the hope one can have who has faced all that pain and sorrow has thrown at them and still they know God is there.   That assurance of God’s love and presence is more precious than any experience we can have.   Ultimately what results is that we are made more like Jesus.  Jesus is the one who suffered, persevered and still not only had hope but give us all hope.   And it is His Spirit living inside us which  enables us to rejoice that in any situation God is able to mold us to be more like God’s son. 

Questions to consider…

How is God working to shape your character? 

What struggles are you facing?   Can you ask God to help you to allow whatever you are going through to mold you more into His likeness?

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

This is just a short post to remionds us to rejoice.  Rejoicing lightens the heart.  We are told to rejoice (not once but twice we are told).  We need to be reminded to rejoice.  For it can remind us of all the blessing God has given us. 

Think for a moment of what you are thankful for. Write them down.  Go over the list.  Alow it to really soak into your life.  What are you thankful for?  Allow it to move you into praise.  Rejoice.  Rejoice again. 

Psalm 6 Hear my cry for mercy.

¹ LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
² Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint;
heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
³ My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, LORD, how long?

⁴ Turn, LORD, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
⁵ Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?

⁶ I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
⁷ My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.

⁸ Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
⁹ The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

If you’ve ever felt really ill, if you’ve ever felt like your tired and worn down from groaning, then this prayer is one for you.  The Psalmist is crying out for God’s healing and God’s mercy.  He is so worn down that all the way down to his bones he hurts.  

Whether it’s the result of a physical illness or emotional turmoil, one can cry out to the Lord for help.  It is an honest and heartfelt plea.  Prayer is completely honest and vulnerable.  It lays it all out there.  In fact, prayer can be so heartfelt that words can fall short.   That all you have is groans.  Romans 8:26 says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and interprets even our groans.  So if you’ve ever been in a situation where words escape you and all you can do is moan, God still searches out our heart and understands. 

In the end the Psalmist is able to give thanks for God has heard his cry for mercy.  The Lord accepts our heartfelt cry for help. 

Prayer….

Go through this Psalm again this time praying it.   Either pray it on your behalf or on behalf of someone you know who is going through a rough time. 

Or if you’re having trouble praying the scripture itself, here is a prayer based off it. 

Lord, have mercy.  Heal me.  Help me.  How long will I hurt? 

Lord, I need you.  I need you to hear my cry.  I need you to rescue me, and I lean upon your never-ending love to save me. 

I’m exhausted.  I have no words to even speak my pain.  I cry all night long. 

Yet, you have heard my plea.  You know my heart for it is completely laid bare before you.  So I give thanks for your mercy and your salvation.  Lord I praise you for you alone can save me. 

  

(song that this Psalm reminds me of is “I Love the Lord for he heard my voice, he heard my cry for Mercy. I love the Lord for He Has turned His ear to me, I will call upon Him as long as I shall live.” Promise Keepers song)

Psalm 5 Morning Prayers

Psalm 5

¹ Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.
² Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
³ In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

⁴ You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.
⁵ The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.
⁶ You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.

⁷ But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.
⁸ Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.

In the morning I lay my requests before you.  How many times when I have missed talking with God and rushed through the day without praying, have I found that the day just seems to get more and more frustrating.  I don’t know if it is that it causes more things throughout the day to be bad (multiple situations arise which bring bad news) or if it’s just that without that early morning prayer, I’m not prepared to hear bad news.  Either way I know that almost every time I miss pray in the morning the day often goes sour.   I know this.  Still there are times when I just neglect prayer. 

God is righteous and merciful.    There is both justice and love in God.   How.  God’s righteousness detests sin.  And wickedness cannot even stand in the presence of God.   But if that’s so how could I even approach God in prayer?   Only by your great mercy can be come into God’s house.   And be led.  This is most clearly seen in the cross.  God righteousness and justice requires that sin be destroyed… but instead of destroying the sinner … God pays the penalty through His own Son.  

Mercy comes because the requirements of judgment and righteousness were met already in Jesus.  Therefore may you and I approach his house to converse with the Holy One every morning, leaning on God’s mercy which is new every morning. 

Questions to consider
Have you taken the time each morning to talk with God and lay your requests before him?
If so, what keeps you from doing so?

Do you know God as both righteous and merciful? 

If so how does this affect your prayer life?  

(For further study read the rest of Psalm 5 )

 9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.
¹⁰ Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
¹² For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Hebrews 11 Faith and Hope

Hebrews 11:1

¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

Hope.  It is a blessed thing.   It’s true that sometimes our hopes can be dashed.  They can seem like there is no hope at all.   But when something changes and a glimmer of light appears hope itself is able to be resurrected.  
Hebrews speaks of faith as a confidence in what we hope for and an assurance about what we do not see.  There are times when it is very hard to see what the plan of God is … but faith rests in the assurance that God will come through.  
In this passage it goes on to list a number of the patriarchs who had faith and even when they did not fully see the outcome believed upon God.  
I especially am encouraged by the account of Abraham’s faith in this passage. 
⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she^[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
He was called to have courage.  Leave what he knew.  Follow God.   Trust that even when he could not see where he was going still God would lead.  By faith he recived God’s promise of Isaac.  And by faith he would become the father of nations.   (Though during his lifetime he did not see the full promise of how many descendants he would have.)

As it goes on to say ..

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 
There are times when that promise is shown in our lifetime.  Abraham had a son Isaac.  But even so more often than not the full effect of that promise and that hope is not experienced in one’s lifetime.  But that’s why faith is so crucial it believes when it cannot fully see. 

Questions

What are you believing God for that you are unable to fully see? 
What is God calling you to trust him more in?  Are you listening for His promise?    

 (For further study you can read Abraham’s story begriming in Genesis 12).