"Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord [Jesus] is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him [Jesus], and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, and bear them up forever." (Psalm 28:6-9)
Our text is both petition and profession/confession, as in, "hold fast the profession/confession of your faith." You will find no greater petition, no greater, "profession of your faith," and comfort today than our text, e.g., "I am helped." The Word of God's promise to you and me is quite clear; only failure to receive Jesus' Words furthers despair.
There is a 1952 jazz classic, "That's All." I thought this after I read our texts/prayers this morning. But one need be careful by what one means by "That's All." As I was praying my "prayer list" this morning, at one point I prayed our text and thought, "Well, that's all I can do." Then it occurred to me what that statement can be saying, It can be a sort of fatalism, "If I could do more, I would, but, alas, I cannot." It can be code for unbelief. But how can one do "more" than pray? What does such a statement say about a possible latent attitude towards prayer? If you say that it reveals some "doubt," possibly. But to be "belief" is not what I "understand," or can grasp of Jesus' Purposes, or even begin to conceive of the greatness of His Person and the vastness of His Universe, His Words, but acceptance of what Jesus, "The Word of God," says. To me faith is, "Whatever You say, Lord Jesus," not, "O, yes, I comprehend all You say." Faith is not a mental process. Faith is an obedience process.
Our text is both petition and profession/confession, as in, "hold fast the profession/confession of your faith." You will find no greater petition, no greater, "profession of your faith," and comfort today than our text, e.g., "I am helped." The Word of God's promise to you and me is quite clear; only failure to receive Jesus' Words furthers despair.
There is a 1952 jazz classic, "That's All." I thought this after I read our texts/prayers this morning. But one need be careful by what one means by "That's All." As I was praying my "prayer list" this morning, at one point I prayed our text and thought, "Well, that's all I can do." Then it occurred to me what that statement can be saying, It can be a sort of fatalism, "If I could do more, I would, but, alas, I cannot." It can be code for unbelief. But how can one do "more" than pray? What does such a statement say about a possible latent attitude towards prayer? If you say that it reveals some "doubt," possibly. But to be "belief" is not what I "understand," or can grasp of Jesus' Purposes, or even begin to conceive of the greatness of His Person and the vastness of His Universe, His Words, but acceptance of what Jesus, "The Word of God," says. To me faith is, "Whatever You say, Lord Jesus," not, "O, yes, I comprehend all You say." Faith is not a mental process. Faith is an obedience process.
The prayer requests which I receive, let alone the global need, is at times so overwhelming, so beyond comprehension that it does not take much for me to feel so very, very small, like sort of attempting to get a jumbo jet off the ground by picking it up and hurling it into the sky. Silly, yes, but not much different from man's attempt to solve, or even help man in his deepest needs. Just praying today for some situations, pains, and struggles makes me feel so small. Now don't get "spiritual" on me and say, "Well, you should feel small." Humility "small" is not what I am talking about. It is a powerless-small.
But enter, our text: What power, what guarantee from the Godhead, Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit, what comfort, what peace to know that He Who formed the Universe, "by the Word of His power," formed you and me, sustains you and me, keeps you and me, now, tomorrow, eternally. Read our text again; accept His Words for what they are, Jesus' Words. Then,
"Sing them over again to me, Wonderful Words of Life,
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I confess that your are my, "saving refuge"; You, "save Your people, and...Shepherd them also." Amen.
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March Mission: March 10-31
"Sing them over again to me, Wonderful Words of Life,
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.
Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I confess that your are my, "saving refuge"; You, "save Your people, and...Shepherd them also." Amen.
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March Mission: March 10-31
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
