Wednesday 14 December 2011

Cry out!


I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”                                                                                                                              Psalm 142.5


The psalmist speaks of being faint in spirit. He talks of men hiding snares in his path to trap him, and bring him down. He complains that no one is concerned for him, he has no refuge, no one cares for his life.

Indeed, his plight is altogether similar to one that I have felt many times.

But it is almost as if this person pulls himself up, in the midst of his self-pity, and cries out to the Lord. He begs God to heed his cry in his desperate need. He pleads with God to rescue him from his unhealthy pursuers. He recognises that they are too strong for him. He asks God to set him free from his prison.

This is what I must do, and I need to do it with the same understanding that the psalmist had.
The psalmist knew he could call on God and be heard and answered. He knew this for, before seeking this help and deliverance from God, he declared:
            You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.

God is indeed my refuge. He is the one place, the only place, where I am completely safe. He is the place for me to hide, to let go of everything, to relax and rest, to restore and refresh, to be filled anew with peace, power and strength, the strength of the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Together they love and care for me. Together they sustain me, they strengthen me, protect me, make every provision for me and lead me forward into life and living. God is my portion ‘in the land of the living’. In my present day-to-day living, God is there for me, with me, and in me. He is all I need. If I turn to Him with all of my being, He will fill me with all of His being.



Lord God,

I turn to You in thanksgiving and delight. I join with the psalmist and declare You to be my portion in the land of the living. I confess You as Lord of my life. I ask You to lead me forward in Your way. Direct my steps. Show me the way, the specific, carefully chosen way that You would have me go.

You are my portion, my only portion, in the land of the living. I ask You to fill me, and strengthen me to live patently in You, that all might see, and know, that I am Yours, that my only strength and sustenance is in You. I praise You. I rejoice that You are there for me,  sinner that I am.

I come before You in confession and repentance. Forgive me my sins, O Lord. Set me free from the hold of evil, protect me from the attacks of the enemy. You are my portion. I loudly and strongly declare this. Lead me forward, in love and strength, in Jesus’ name I ask,                                                                                                                                              Amen.

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