Hidden

Why, O LORD, do you stand off? 

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?               Psalm 10.1

I can hear the psalmist’s anxiety and desperate cry in these questions. He is afflicted and in desperate need of God’s presence and help. And God seems to be nowhere near.

I hear his cry and I taste his desperation, but I’m not sure that I agree with his sentiments. I like to think – indeed, I choose to think – that God is there with me in every time of trouble. I may not feel it, and this might be because I allow the threat, the danger or the adverse circumstances greater focus than my efforts to reach God and to rest in Him.

In such times my efforts to touch Him must surely be increased. He is there for me. My Lord Jesus paid the price of all suffering for me. I should not allow any present confusion (the subtle and effective work of Satan) to rob me of the assurance that my Lord and God is right there with me. I re-affirm His words to me that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I remind myself that God is with me (Immanuel) and I ask, “Who can be against me?”

Lord, Mighty Wonderful God,

I extol Your name. I sing high praise to You from every part of me. I thank You for Your faithfulness. I remind myself of Your constant presence and I rejoice. I pray that I might always know that You are with me. In times when it does not feel so, I ask for gentle reminders from You, and a strengthening of me that can only come from You.

O Wonderful Master, I feel You are with me right now. Lead me forward into this day. May Your name be hallowed, Your Kingdom come, and Your will be done, in Jesus’ name.            Amen.

Stubborn?

From the time I brought your forefathers up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.    Jer. 11.7,8

From this passage God might appear stern, unbending and even harsh. In fact, He is just. He continually reminded the Israelites of the behaviour He expected from them. This was no one-off warning. Time and again He spoke to them. And each time they chose to ignore Him and follow the stubbornness of their own hearts. The result was curse, as the natural consequence of disobedience to God. This is, truly, a sorry state.

But the converse is wonderfully encouraging. God’s blessing is upon those who fear Him and seek to do His will. He is a faithful and patient God who will help us and lead us through our weaknesses if we will only turn to Him and be guided by Him.

Today’s God time began at Psalm 103 where I noted the following verse:

         The Lord works righteousness and justice 

for all the oppressed.

Lord God,

I praise You with all of my soul for Your goodness and mercy. My desire is to follow You. I ask You to lead me in Your way, to forgive me and correct me when I falter. 

I rejoice in You. I praise all the wonderful aspects about You – Your love and care, grace and mercy, faithfulness and truth. But my love is given to You because You are. You are the great I AM. I am both privileged and humbled to be Your child.

Lord God, I thank You, in Jesus’ name.                Amen.

Family

He decreed statutes for Jacob 

and established the law in Israel, 

which he commanded our forefathers 

to teach their children, 

so the next generation would know them, 

even the children yet to be born, 

and they in turn would tell their children.           Psalm 78.5,6

Passing the message to our children’s children brings my grandsons to the fore in my mind. I most strongly desire that they will know, and walk with God. 

I feel limited, I feel limited in opportunities to share with them, and also limited in my own ability to share. Even so, my God is able to do all things. He can equip me as is necessary. He can bring opportunities to light. He can make a way.

Lord God,

I thank You for my grandsons. I release and commit them to You with my prayer that they will grow up, and grow strong, in You.

I pray that You will open ways for them to learn of You. If there should be opportunities for me to share with them, I ask You to give me all that I need to fulfil the task.

I commit their home to You. I ask You to infuse that home and that family with Your presence. Please minister to each member of the family with Your grace and Your love.

I rejoice in my biological and my spiritual families. I marvel in Your headship. My Dear Father, lead us forward further into Your family, in Jesus’ name I ask.               Amen.                                                                                

Lord

Look to the Lord and his strength; 

seek his face always.                                 Psalm 105.4

But they soon forgot what he had done 

and did not wait for his counsel.                Psalm 106.13

Psalms 105 and 106 are amazing summaries of Israel’s history in God presented from two different perspectives. Psalm 105 focuses on God’s good work, whilst psalm 106 speaks much about the Israelites recalcitrance and their hindrance to the good work of the Lord.

I think the two verses I have selected ably touch on this problem. Furthermore, these verses speak strongly to me today in reminder of the way in which I should conduct my own walk with the Lord. I shall review them in reverse order.

Firstly, do I tend to forget all that the Lord has done for me? He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-caring. His plans for me are plans that will prosper me and not harm me. I would do well to reflect on my history, and remember – and rejoice in – all that the Lord has already done for me.

And what has happened in those times when I have not waited for His counsel?

Of course, He has looked after me. But I have not made it easy, and I have endured several (and some quite long and most painful) unpleasant episodes in my life because I did it “my way” and not His way.

And the answer is so simple:

         

         Look to the Lord and his strength; 

seek his face always.               

This answer provokes a question in me. Is God my Lord or isn’t He? If He is my Lord, then He is Lord (master and controller) of every part of me and of all that I am and all that I do. I say that God is my Lord. I must act in accordance with my spoken allegiance.

This God who is my Lord is greater than all else. He can do anything. As I recall that His plans for me will prosper and not harm me, I am reminded that, in Him, I can do anything. I have sensed, for some time now, a growing confidence. This is a confidence not in me, but in Him. As I bring God into any, and every, situation, I can be most confident of the right result.

Lord God,

I rejoice. I feel, in some new way, that I can today call You “Lord” with more meaning than has ever before occurred for me.

You are truly my Lord, and I lay the whole of my life before You. I heed Your Word to “stop and wait”. I wait upon You, Lord.

I am unclear how I should conduct this time of waiting but I know to place my confidence in You. If waiting is being still – and Your Word surely encourages this of me – then I shall do so. And I will know that You will lead and direct me as You will.

I am Yours, Lord. Take me and have Your way in me. Show me Your face, I seek it with all of my being. I come to You, Father, Son, and Spirit, in the name of my Lord Jesus.             Amen.

Chosen

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.                           Eph. 1.4

I can read these words and be tempted to say, “Yes, I know!” But do I really know? Do I really take in the truth of these words to the depth of my being, into the very core of who I am? 

He chose me. The Lord, Almighty God, chose me before He made anything. I exist by divine election. He has adopted me as His own. I am a child, indeed a son, of the most mighty, most powerful, most loving and amazing being. He can do anything. And He has chosen me as His son. This truth needs to sink much deeper into my fibre than I think it presently sits.

Yes, He has chosen, adopted, predestined me. I am an incontrovertible part of His divine, cosmic plan. Wow! O, to find my true being in Him.

He chose me to be holy and blameless in His sight. He did not choose me because I am holy but, because He has chosen me, I become holy and blameless in His sight.

As I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour,I received an impartation of holiness from Him. As I offer myself fully and unashamedly to Him, I believe He will lead me in a process of personal sanctification. I so want this. I so need this! I am, at best, a miserable sinner. But my glorious Lord lifts me up out of sin and presents me holy and blameless in the sight of the Almighty.

Lord God,

I thank You for this wonderful word which I receive as a personal promise. I need cleansing and release. I ask You for this.

I pray also for further revelation of just who I am in You. I look to be filled up with all the fullness of Christ. I rejoice in You. I abandon myself to You this day.

I praise and glorify You. Hallelujah!           Amen.

Confession

Blessed is he

whose transgressions are forgiven, 

whose sins are covered. 

Blessed is the man 

whose sin the LORD does not count 

against him 

and in whose spirit is no deceit.                 Psalm 32.1,2

Psalm 32 begins by proclaiming blessing on the miserable sinner. His transgressions are forgiven and his sins are covered. The Lord does not count his sin against him and there is no deceit in his spirit.

Yet, who is this man, this sinner? And how does he come to receive blessing from the Lord? Verses 3 and 4 tell of his agony and suffering, whilst containing his sin within. Then, in verse 5, he acknowledges his sin in confession to God, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Confession of sin which leads to receipt of forgiveness from God is the most wonderful and releasing act. Yet it requires integrity on the part of the one confessing. Confessing sin is no mere recitation of mistakes but, rather, an acknowledgement of wrong or erroneous thoughts, words, or actions, made with a desire to not repeat the sin. This is the hard part for me because my repetitive sin seems to be such that I am unable to break its pattern. This, also, I believe I must surrender to God and ask His help to totally break its hold on me. 

The psalmist urges me to pray to God while He may be found (v6). He is there, waiting to hear from me. He is the place wherein I can hide myself. He is my protection and my deliverance (v7).

Let me receive the words of the psalm as the very words of God to me:

         “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; 

I will counsel you and watch over you.”  (v8)

I heed these words. I need them, and I need to surrender myself to Him.

Lord God,

I come before You with earnest and sincere request for Your instruction and teaching. Please counsel me and watch over me. I believe You long to help me, to release me from the hold of sin, and to lead me forward in new life in You. This, of course, is my heart’s deepest desire and also my hope – my joyous, wonderful hope – in You.

Lord, mighty God, You can do ALL things. Help me, I humbly ask.

Instruct me and teach me the way I should go. Lead me in Your way, Your full and perfect way. Counsel me and watch over me.

My deep desire is to do Your will, to live in full harmony with You, and to be used mightily by You. Hear my cry! Examine my heart! And lead me in a fulfilment that will delight You. Remove the barriers of sin. Please release me from these present hindrances,

         In Jesus’ name I ask.               Amen.

Heard

Away from me, all you who do evil, 

for the Lord has heard my weeping. 

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; 

the Lord accepts my prayer.                       Psalm 6.8,9

Psalm 6 is a penitential psalm, and an appeal for mercy. The palmist appears to be ill (vv 2,3). Is the Lord chastening him for sin?  He seeks deliverance. He does not want God to impose the full measure for sin, for then he would die. He pleads God’s mercy. He urges that praise of God is at stake. (Who praises you from the grave? v5). He groans in suffering and distress. Then a note of confidence returns. He sees a response to his pleas. God has heard his weeping and his cry for mercy. God has accepted his prayer. His enemies will be disgraced when the Lord responds.

I have much in common with the psalmist. I may suffer, and even despair! I can call out to God in penitence and faith. And I can be assured that God will hear. He will hear my weeping and my cries for mercy. He will accept my prayer. He will answer my prayer. Why do I know this? God accepts me. He loves me. He receives me. He is for me. Hallelujah! Praise my God.

Lord God,

I rejoice with the psalmist. I may suffer illness and depravation. I may struggle and experience difficulty. Bu You are always there. I can cry out to You. You will hear me. You will accept the prayers I offer You. You will respond. I am secure in you, for You are unchanging.

I thank you for Your guardianship of me. I acknowledge Your Lordship and I release myself totally into Your keeping. Lead me through this day. Let Your will be fulfilled in me,

                  in Jesus name I ask.                 Amen.