Prayer - A Man of Peace

 "Woe to me that I dwell on this earth, that I live among people who want war instead of peace.  Too long have I lived among those who hate peace"  Psalm 120 NIV.

Even now, on  this earth, in this world there are strife-torn areas.  People who seem to hate peace, "but I am a man of peace," says the psalmist of Psalm 120.  "When I speak, they are for war".

Lord, in this day and age, there's so much war, pride and strife, rioting and rebellions.  We think of demonstration in Hong Kong and currently in many US cities and towns.  Demonstrations, yes; but rioting, vandalism, looting...?!  

What would Martin Luther King, Jr have said about this?  He would have demanded peace.  A man of peace who wrought such great victories by unceasingly, advocating peaceful demonstrations.   Yet, there was, and still is the element that wants 'war'.

King believed,

"a riot is the language of the unheard".*

He also,

"...inspired the human race to strive for harmony among all people. His tragic death shocked the nation, but his words and his dedication to equality continue to inspire younger generations."*

Hopefully, his words, so sacrificially spoken, have not been forgotten.

Mahatma Gandhi...what would he have done or said about all the rioting?  He would likely have gone into fasting mode, day and night, for as long as it took for the rioting to stop.  He'd come out nothing much more than a gaunt sack of skin and bones, rather quite literally.  Man of peace.

Father, Your Son Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace also wants peace.  However, when men speak of peace there is war instead.

I ask, Father, do bring about peace in these various places:  those mentioned above and in other parts of the world that are under such war grounds or threat thereof in one way or another.  We long for the peace and justice You can bring.  May Your Kingdom come.  We do know that true and full peace will not come until Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ comes back to this earth during the millennium.  Come quickly.

Until then, we do thank-You for the peace we can have in our hearts, here and now, through Jesus and the accepting of Your gift of salvation through Him.

Additionally, I ask that we can dwell in this world with rulers of countries who know how to control their people, not in authoritarian ways, but with authority, with care for their people and their lives.  It's not a matter of black or white, or Asian or whatever.  It's not a matter of ethnic background.  It's about misuse of power.  People in positions of authority of power who misuse it.  Human nature fighting for supremacy.  

You hate it Father.

Lord, yes, people want their situation to be better and there's nothing wrong with that.  I do not condemn the demonstrations, as long as they are peaceful.

However, Father, help the governors, mayors, and others in administrative positions in the affected areas to be able to find peaceful solutions and resolutions and actual taking of action to address the serious issues as and where needed.  Bring Your justice to the peoples.

We know that the end of this world appears to be imminent by all these things.  We've got "The Virus" (covid-19); plagues of locusts, cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes, the demonstrations turned vicious by nefarious folks who willfully wish to spoil and cloud the sincere demonstrators' purpose.  Father, may Your justice and peace reign.

People look for peace in their time.  "Peace, peace," they plead.  Yet, the potsherds of the earth stir up war.

Father, may the populace look up to You, the One true God and Your Son Jesus Christ and have peace in their hearts in the midst of all the chaos.

I ask all this in Jesus, the Prince of Peace, precious Name.

Psalm 120, especially verses 6 and 7, at the outset says, 

"I call on the Lord in my distress and He answered me." 

We call on You too, in the distress of the world, for peace, for resolution of COVID-19; for demonstrations that turn violent.  Father, bring us the peace we need in our respective countries where we are so we can live in all godliness and honesty.  Nevertheless, in the troubled areas, LORD, save them.  Save them. Save them.  Bring about peace.

Come, Lord Jesus, Prince and Man of Peace.

I ask in the Divine Man of Peace, Jesus', name, that all people everywhere, will lift up their eyes to the hills from whence their help will come...from You, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Thank You for watching over us all...

                                                            ~ERC  May 2020~

Based on Psalm 120 especially verse 6 and 7.

*Reference:

keepinspiring.me/martin luther king jr quotes.

Sing, It Is Well With My Soul, with Audrey Assad

Good Book - Though WATERS ROAR

 Here's another work of fiction.  However, what I'd like to direct you to is the author in general, rather than this book in particular; although it too will be addressed.

This author, Lynn Austin, is a fantastic one, at least from the standpoint of those who love to craft English or see it crafted in ingenious ways.  The way Austin tweaks and twirls the vocabulary will leave your mouth agape in astonishment, among other effects.  She creates her tone, not so much by what she says but how she says it.

Her use of alliteration gives one punch after another, not letting her foot off the gas, so to speak, and constructs a magnificently splendid roller coaster of humor that will have you  grinning like a Cheshire cat or even in very undignified,  outright snortings and guffaw-ings.  This is especially seen in her book, A Proper Pursuit, which was the first one of Austin's books I ever read.  She had me hooked!

You could say her works are historical fiction with some weavings of mystery to boot, at least the one's I've read, which has been only two, more's the pity, but she also touches on the attitudes and character of a woman who knows, or comes to know, herself.  Her characters become strong and are god-fearing women of faith-even if sometimes, reluctant faith. 

Austin has gotten awards for her work and one of her novels has even been turned into a movie by Hallmark:  Hidden Places.  It is set during the Great Depression years.  But, we are getting off track.

This particular book, Though WATERS ROAR, gives snapshots of two women:  a grandmother and a granddaughter.  The grandmother's childhood was during the US Civil War years (1861-1865) and the granddaughter's time was during the Prohibition days of the 1920's.  Both had spent time in jail due to being involved in demonstrations for the causes of their day.  Of course this does have a tinge of romance but is not the focus of the story.  

The grandmother went through a heartbreaking time and tells her granddaughter, who also had her struggles, of the faith and hope in the Lord and of how she lived one day at a time through the days of "roaring waters".  Each had their strengths and weaknesses and it wasn't so much about what they

 

"accomplished but about the sort of person they'd become".

Grab a copy, curl up on the couch and 'bookworm' your way through.

Happy Reading!

                                                    ~ERC  September 2020~

Prayer - Double-Mindedness, Away!

 

"Do you want the blue one or the yellow one?"

"Um, the blue one to match my eyes.  Oh, but the yellow one is so fresh and spring like and cheery."

"Soooo, which one?"

"Hmm.  Blue or yellow?  Blue.  No, yellow..."

…and...the double-mindedness goes on.

Choosing a blue or yellow dress or blouse is not very life-threatening or stressful yet in more important issues, double-mindedness is mostly seen as negative action.

The psalmist of Psalm 119 (vs 113) says he "hates" (yes, a strong word) double-minded people.  Yes, we do get frustrated with them.  Not sure what the psalmist's issue was with them exactly but they must of galled him enough to say, "hate" them.  His antidote, however, was to love God's law.  He made the LORD his refuge, shield, and hope in God's word.

Father God, in our exasperations of life with other people, and in this case, double-minded ones who become "unstable in all their ways" (James 1:8), may we find our stabilizing anchor and hope in You, Your word and Your protection.  May we habitually turn to Your Word for the guidance and wisdom we need to navigate our lives.

Maybe evil doers were tempting the psalmist, attempting to pull him into their circle of nefarious deeds, yet his conscience and fear of You pulled him back to the right path as recorded, and according to Your Words, laws, commands, precepts; back and forth, the decision tottered and somersaulted, like being tossed upon the stormy sea waves (James 1:5-8).  Father God, we often do this too.

Thank-You, Abba Father, Your words, when we trust in them and You, tip the scale to You and Your protection.  Indeed, "keep those evil doers away" from us and our loved ones.  Protect our hearts and minds against them so we will think and act aright.

Father, Your word says You will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6), and in so doing, with You by our side, we can be sustained by this promise and be kept in the right path via right thinking and understanding of Your love, care, promises, and Your words.  Bring them always to mind to uphold us, to be steady in our choices and decisions; thus be delivered from double-mindedness ourselves.

Like a chain reaction of events, then, Father, may Your sustaining power, Your deliverance, Your keeping of promises, Your very presence in our lives dispel any delusions we may have, or that may have been planted by evil doers to rush off this way or chase after that, and in so doing give us Your mind, and the mind of our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Discard the dross.  

Cause us to love You and Your words with our whole being.  Cause us to cling to Your Word and may double-mindedness be cast away.  May we tremble in reverence and fear and stand in awe of Your laws and how they exponentially buoy and buffer our lives, keeping us on a steady course of life that pleases and honors You, drawing us ever closer to You!

You never fail and You never change Your mind.  You have loved us from eternity past till now, and always will.  

In Jesus Name we, Your children, ask, praise and pray.

                                                  ~ERC  August 2020~

Based on Psalm 119:113-120 (Samekh).

Sing, Show Me Your Ways along with Darlene Zschech of Hillsongs

Prayer - Joy in the Heart Despite the "Suffer Much" Oaths

 

Okay.  Just off the top of your head; can you quote Psalm 119:105?  More than likely you can.  It is probably the most well known and loved of all the Psalm 119 verses; it and verse 11.

Verse 105 reads,

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (NIV).

The path of life is fraught with many challenges and to move forward, to overcome, its a "must" to have the word of God to illuminate and show us the way over, under, through and/or around the obstacles so we can place our feet firmly and confidently on to our next step.

Then there is the case of 'the oaths'.  Such serious things and I don't mean the foul language oaths.  No way!   I'm talking formal promises made in front of a judge, magistrate, congregation and/or a pastor, that involves putting it in writing and signing with witnesses, and public declarations.

Similarly, as the Psalmist did.  He declared he had,

"...taken an oath and confirmed it" (v. 106).

Not sure what the legalese is here with that couplet, but in my mind its verbally declaring, then the "signing and  sealing"; double assurance that it will be done as stated.

This person of the Psalm's pen, was showing his genuine and serious intention to follow God's righteous laws. This is so very commendable.  It was not something done lightly.

What vows have we each committed to?  There are many kinds.  Most likely think of wedding vows.  Then there's oaths taken in court to "tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth"; there's oaths to utter when being sworn in to becoming a citizen of some other country other than your own land of birth.  They make you promise on the Bible or some book of religion to show you really mean what you say in the sight of God, or the tenets of their respective beliefs.

Words come cheap though.  Easy to promise but not easy to keep.  The psalmist said he "suffered much" and then asked the LORD to "preserve his life" (v. 107).  When the going gets tough, we often "suffer much".  Thus, the call to "preserve his life", I imagine, as we too, may feel.

You know, take marriage for a capital example.  That couple has no idea what they're vowing to.  Oh, most think they know, but, well,...they "suffer much" in this unbreakable league of friendship (that's an expression I read somewhere that seem aptly apropos here).

You see, there's this saying about marriage where some people hint that it is a three-ring circus.  They say,

"First, there's the engagement ring.

 Second, there's the wedding ring.

Third, there's the suffer ring"*

Such suffering, for example, comes cuz they didn't know there were actually SIX people tying the knot that day, not TWO!  That's what my Daddy used to like to say.

Of course I didn't want to listen to that "nonsense" but there seems to be some truth in it.

First, there's the person which each of the 'halves' believes themselves to be; that's two.  Then, who she thinks he is, and who he thinks she is; that's four.  Lastly, who they each really are; that's six.  So you can see quite a confusion in the fusion of "thinks".  The shock of discovery can come rather soon on the heels of the sound of the lilting, "I do's" that are wafted into the air.

And so they "suffer much" as they wrestle their thoughts into the compelled new line of thinking.  This requires that please, "preserve my life" prayer if they wish to persevere and uphold those oaths that they had "taken and confirmed".

Sounds like a dim view of marriage but I believe that many vows or decisions people take have hidden elements that one could not ever foresee.  It's impossible to know all the implications of even good things like marriage; or taking your aging parents into your home to care for; or deciding to do full time mission work in a foreign land.  One will never know the extent of such "oaths".

The psalmist points in the right direction with his call to the LORD to "preserve his life" and to "accept his praise."  He knew great extenuating circumstances even in his kingship role.  It was not a bed of roses.

As we emerge through a bout of "suffer much" or even as we navigate through it, "willing praise" is an antidote to frustration, anger, despair and etc.  This, I believe, the psalmist was trying to tell us.

Here's a little poem about affliction from a binder of "Notes and Jottings" my father collected over the years.  The author is unknown.

"Affliction is but for a moment.

But after its purpose is wrought

The Blessing will go on forever

The fruit that trial has brought."

In addition to praise, ask the LORD to teach you His ways.

Oh Father God, we, Your children, cry out to You.  Only You know the full extent of our individual oaths and how each one suffers.  Indeed, we echo the words of the psalmist, "preserve our lives". Thank-You so much for that, we have every confidence in You, knowing You will come to our aid, and for Your written word that we can read, meditate upon, consider and obey.  Help us to focus on You through thick and thin.  May Your words be the joy of our hearts, triggering more willing praise.

When the evil one sets a snare before us to hurt, hinder and harm us, to dissuade us from keeping our oaths; again, may none of us "stray from Your precepts".  May our hearts be steadfast in You and Your words with the strong mind of keeping them to the very end.

Father, I know that in this very fallen world, these oaths do get broken and cause other untold "suffer much-es".  We are so sad and sorry this happens.  We know that in the end, You will comfort those who have been the injured parties.  Help them overcome, Father, and bring them an avenue of joy for their hearts.

For the others, like the psalmist, may we be as determined and say as emphatically, 

"I have taken an oath and confirmed it, I will follow Your righteous laws" (v. 106), 

which give... 

"...light to our path".  

May there be joy in the hearts despite the "suffer much" oaths. 

                                                     ~ERC  August 2020~

Based on Psalm 119:105-112 (Nun)

Sing, Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) along with the Hillsong folks.

*Reference: 

Michael Hodges in 1001 More Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking

Cornerstone Rejected

 The Sanhedrin's refusal to answer Jesus' question, and their refusal to accept His right of power and authority, led Him to relate a surprisingly, very pointed parable about Wicked Tenants in a vineyard.  This you can read about in Luke 19:9-19.

To recap, a man planted a vineyard and rented it out to tenants, and then left for a long time.  Who knows, perhaps it was the nobleman from another parable who had left his servants with a gold mina coin each to mind, while he went off to acquire the kingship of the region.  

Anyway, at harvest time this landlord sent a servant to collect the harvest.  It could be that in lieu of currency, the tenants paid rent in terms of produce:  grapes, in this case.  The tenants, being wicked, beat the poor soul up and sent him away empty-handed.

The land owner sent two more such servants who received the same maltreatment as the first chap.   The owner then believed the tenants would respect his only son.

How very wrong he was!  The son got murdered and thrown out of the vineyard.

The vineyard owner came and did away with the wicked servants and replaced them.

Although Jesus' parable was told to the ubiquitous crowds that clamored about Him, His real target was the religious leaders from the Sanhedrin.  He wanted to point out to these Jewish leaders that God would destroy them if they rejected and killed Him.

He was saying that the vineyard owner represented God, and that He was God's Son that was killed and thrown out; rejected.  Added to that was that the wicked tenants, representing the Jewish religious leaders in particular, and the Jewish nation in general would have their places in the Kingdom of God given to others.  They, like these wicked tenants in the parable, would be replaced by others.

Who were these others?  Why, the very Gentiles they despised and tried to keep out of the Temple Court of the Gentiles.  The Jews, as a nation would be set aside, making way for the Gentiles;  those from the rest of the peoples of the world.

I do not mean to say the Jews no longer have a chance of relationship with God their Heavenly Father ever again!  NO!  Recall that God made a promise to King David, ever so long ago that he would forever have a descendant upon the throne.  So, the individual Jewish person can take heart.

Salvation is unto all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior.  Jews and Gentiles, alike, have this wonderful gift offered to them.  They are all welcomed when each repents, confesses their sins and has Jesus wash their sins away.  They are then a child of God, in His family of people from every tribe, nation, and people.

The different slaves or servants sent by the landlord to collect the harvest, typify the various Old Testament prophets God sent over the years of Israel's history.  Time and again they strayed from God's laws and hankered after other 'gods'.  The One True God then sent His men to tell the Israelites where they were going wrong, to repent, come back and obey God and to serve Him alone.

These were such prophets as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Daniel, among others.  Many were badly treated.  Jeremiah, for example, was thrown into a miry pit and left to die by angry men who didn't want to hear the message.  Thankfully, some of Jeremiah's friends managed to haul him out with ropes (Jeremiah 38:1-13).

In the New Testament, it was John the Baptizer whom the religious leaders of his and Jesus' day, did not want to admit, was sent by God.

Finally, God sent His own Son, Jesus.  Look what these jealous leaders did to Him.  Killed Him, they did, as rather explicitly told in Jesus' parable.

This rather enraged the Jewish religious leaders and they plotted to kill Jesus.

All along, Jesus did not directly declare His divine nature in words, so much as in this parable.  Perhaps, as Jesus' time of death was nearing He began to reveal Himself more.  In a way, He was also telling the Sanhedrin members from whence He got His power and authority.

This was also serving as a warning to them of the consequences of rejecting His authority and attempts to get rid of Him.

The people's reaction was great surprise and horror at what had happened to the servants, but more so to the owner's son.  "God forbid!" they exclaimed.  They just could not grasp it.

Jesus' analogies went on.  He spoke of the cornerstone which was rejected.  A cornerstone was a very important piece in any construction of buildings in ancient times.  It was the very first piece to be put in place.  It would be set in the corner of the foundation to determine the two walls on either side of it.  These walls needed to be absolutely straight, of course, as they were aligned to the cornerstone.  If the cornerstone was off kilter, so would the walls be and the whole building would then be rather shabbily put together and in jeopardy of collapse.

Cornerstones could be rejected for whatever reason.  Possibly they were not smooth or not square, potentially rendering the the building not square.

Jesus' response to the peoples' reaction that the son would be killed and thrown out, was that He, Jesus, the Son and "cornerstone," would be termed 'worthless" and therefore, rejected.  This rejection inflicted by the very ones, who should have known who He was and welcomed Him with opened arms--the recognized Jewish leaders. 

Another aspect of the cornerstone, besides its need of perfection, is that it had potential destructive power.  If it were to fall upon anyone or anything, it would crush the person or item, breaking them to smithereens, even to dust.

What could this mean?  The homology here, is that people may oppose and reject Jesus, but they would be the ones to suffer in the end.  There is future judgment even for people who reject Christ, today.  This is solemn and terrible.

Jesus always wanted people to understand those things and by talking about this cornerstone, could be seen to be warning the crowds about rejecting Him too.  The consequences of judgment would be upon the person who rejects Him; an eternity in Hell with the devil and his minions.

Once again, the teachers of the law and chief priests who were listening, look for a way to arrest Jesus.  They knew He was talking about them and their anger, and hatred deepened.  They did not march Him away just yet, however, as they were restrained by their fear of the people revolting.  They did not want the mobs stoning them nor creating a riot.  Riots attracted Roman attention, and this was vastly undesirable to them.

Pause a while here.

As always, we need to examine ourselves.  Have we accepted Jesus as Savior?  How about as Lord?  There's a difference you know.  To accept Jesus as Savior is to repent and confess our sins to God and to receive his forgiveness of sins through Jesus.  It is to receive His eternal life and the Holy Spirit.

To make Jesus Lord of our life is to make Him our "Boss" or Master, or King over us; to make a throne out of our heart and allow Jesus to sit there as King and to call the shots of our life.  We are obedient to Him so when we read God's Word and He asks us to do certain things and we reject Him, we reject the Holy Spirit's work in our lives; that's NOT making Him Lord.  However, if we align ourselves to Him, we make Him our Lord, as well as Savior, we make Him the Boss, and our Cornerstone.

If we always try to be like Jesus, this means we are aligning ourselves to the cornerstone who is Jesus.  Jesus was (and still is) perfect.  Even though the religious leaders did not accept that, we know that Jesus is perfect.  So, we can align ourselves up to Jesus and aim for perfection.

Of course, we are not God, so we will never be 100% perfect but we can certainly aim for that.  There's actually a verse in the Bible which asks us to do just that, "aim for perfection" (2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV).  If you aim for it, you could very well get very close to it.

We aim for perfection by reading God's Word, and obeying it and listening to the Holy Spirit's guidance in our lives.

Our God and Father, we thank-You so much for this lesson from one of Jesus' parables.  Help us not to reject Your Son Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives; rather to accept Him as Savior and Lord.

We know Father, that it is not always easy to live our lives in this manner but once again, we thank-You for the dynamic power of Your Holy Spirit that You have given to each one of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.

Your Holy Spirit can empower us to obedience and to refreshing our minds and hearts with Your word so we will live our lives in obedience to You and in pleasing manner to You, we can them aim for that perfection we need to align ourselves to Your Son Jesus, our Cornerstone.

Bless and keep each reader of this blog entry.  Bless and keep them; make Your face shine upon them and give them peace.  I ask this in Jesus our Cornerstone's Name.

                                                              ~ERC  August 2020~

Based on Luke 20:9-19 NIV 

Part 2 Video

Good Book - Slave Again

 

Have you ever heard of LiNK or Liberty for North Korea?  This is an organization somewhat reminiscent of the the underground railroad in the USA that helped the slaves escape to a life of freedom in Canada.  This LiNK, of course, is directed to North Korean refugees to find liberation to a life of freedom in other countries than their own.

If a North Korean escapes from North Korea into China, there's brief window of opportunity to rescue, rest and of removal from harm's way; i.e. being arrested and sent back to North Korea, for severe punishment.

This book, Slave Again, by Alana Terry, although a work of fiction, embraces resemblant stories from true life experiences.  This is rather a suspenseful novel and I suppose, gives us a small glimpse of what citizens from North Korea endure.

The protagonist, Mee-Kyong, had been in a prison camp.  She escaped, and eventually found her way across the border into China, helped by the trickery of unscrupulous people, and she ended up forced into the slavery of the sex trade.

Enter LiNk-type rescue...

The author of this book does her bit by helping raise funds for Liberty in North Korea and their underground railway to emancipation.  She also raises awareness of other such injustices as read about in this book.  This is the first ever book I've read of hers but the several others she's written look intriguing.

                                                      ~ERC  September 2020~

Who is Questioning Whom?

 

Jesus was having quite a week, and it was only three days in.  On Sunday, He had had His "grand entrance", on tamed donkey back, into Jerusalem; adoring crowds shouting in celebration much to the annoyance of the religious leaders.  On Monday, He had made His whip and then chased the money-changers, merchants and animal merchandise out of the Court of the Gentiles rebukingly announcing to those "religious" folks, that His Father's house of prayer had been turned into a marketplace!  Shame on them.  How could they have done such a thing!

Once He had cleared out the Court, He then taught the people while they clung on to every single word He uttered.  That seemed to have carried over to the next day, as on Tuesday, He was found continuing His teaching discourse to the people.

We often find Jesus teaching-most often in parables.  As He navigated the dusty roads between Galilee and Jerusalem, and sites in between, folks found Him healing, casting out demons, and....teaching.  What was He teaching and preaching?

The "Good News".

What was this 'Good News'?  It was the gospel of the Kingdom of God which would be established on Earth.  Thus when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey, they were so jubilant.  In their minds, "Aha!  Finally!  Finally He comes to be King, rescue them from the Roman tyrants, and set up an earthly kingdom."  No wonder they were disappointed when that didn't transpire the way they believed it should.  Their thoughts were definitely not God's thoughts.

However, to weave that in and briefly turn tack, take a look at what a kingdom is.  According to good ole Google, a kingdom is a nation with all its citizens, land and laws ruled by a king."  Ah, wow?  No brainer, right?  There's more....

In these four elements of a kingdom as applied to the Kingdom of God:  who is The King, where is the territory, who are the citizens and how are the laws and form of government administered?  

The king, of course, is Supreme Ruler, this infers, for our topic here, that Jesus is the King (because He is).  The territory is a specific location with defined boundaries over which the king rules.  Jesus' territory was/is, all the world.

"For God so loved the world..." (John 3:16 KJV).

Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world (or "all nations") to preach and proclaim the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).  They did eventually and so have many faithful believers in Jesus Christ, since.

The citizens within the borders of the Kingdom of God are the people from the whole wide world and who have accepted Jesus as Savior.  Our Heavenly Father says in Revelation 7:9 (ESV) that there will be people from every tribe and nation,

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands."

Oh, that's interesting..."with palm branches in their hands".  The multitudes that were shouting, "Hosanna" when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, also laying palm branches along the roadway in respect and reverence.  This type of esteem was a sign of an important dignitary, especially one of royalty.  This is truly noteworthy.

Back to the drawing board here.  The fourth element that characterizes a kingdom, is its laws and form of government, through which the will of the king is exercised.  

The "will of the king"... From time to time, a king will create a new law or decree that stems from happenings in the kingdom which may or may not be in opposition to a former law.  The citizens must change with the law.

There are very few kingdoms left in the world nowadays.  There's the kingdom of Brunei Darussalem, which is on the island of Borneo nestled between the two East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak; in addition, sharing the island with a state of Indonesia.  Thailand and Saudi Arabia are other nations which have a king or sultan.  The rest of the countries being democratic, socialistic and/or communistic in nature.  If you don't live in a kingdom or have never experienced it, you won't get the full import of the 'feel'.   The King's word is law.

For general interest sake, Malaysia has nine sultans and each take a five-year term, turn, to be the king pin acting more like a figure head or arbitrator at times, among other duties.  So these are designated changes.  However, in a more full-fledged kingdom, the king reigns steadily until he dies or passes the kingship on to his crown prince son.  There is a more steady family line going down from father to son, or perhaps a daughter, depending on the country.

So in lieu of a government that's...

 "of the people, by the people and for the people" (Abraham Lincoln), 

...you have a king.  The subjects are then at his mercy.  

Getting back to Jesus and His kingdom...

How does Jesus govern?  By His love and grace.  So do His righteousness and justice, and this is only the tip of the iceburg being mentioned.  The divine attributes of God are so many.

We, God's children through the acceptance of salvation through Jesus, are citizens of the Kingdom of God and we need to be obedient to Him and His will and ways.  Where can we discover His will and ways?  Through His word, the Holy Bible and His Holy Spirit within us, teaching, leading and guiding willing hearts.

If any of these four elements are ignored, the message of Jesus, brought from God our Father; that is, the message of faith in Jesus, will be distorted and will not bring salvation.  The news will not be 'good'.

Put it like this...If there's a supreme king who says there's no god or that god is something else, the message of the Kingdom of God is distorted.  Or, you say Jesus is only come for a certain group of people, not for everybody.  Things are changed and its not right.  There will not be salvation.

We learn to please God from what the Bible says, so if someone says God's Word is a bunch of myths or full of contradictions or just nice stories, but don't think its the living, breathing truth, and therefore not real; again, the truth is distorted and you won't have salvation.  The news, definitely is not, 'good'.

Yet, Jesus was teaching.  The eager throngs of ordinary citizens listened entranced as Jesus "proclaimed the good news", that Tuesday.

Trouble was brewing though.  An official inquiry perpetrated by members of the Sanhedrin:  chief priests, teachers of the Law and the elders, came up to Jesus.  They wanted to know, in no uncertain terms, just who gave Him, and how, the right and authority "to do these things" (verse 2 of Luke 20).  Seems this group were rather affronted by Jesus and in some ways you can empathize with them as they felt they were being displaced.  

Just who was this Sanhedrin bunch, anyway, and how did it have clout to think it could confront Jesus?

The Sanhedrin was a Jewish High Court.  It consisted of seventy-one members:  men coming from among the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders of the Jewish clans.  They were led by the High Priest.  They could decide about almost every court matter except for that which required the death penalty.  Only the Romans, under whose regime they were captives, could decide that.  Thus, when they wanted Jesus crucified, they had to involve the Romans.  They held court in an anteroom of the Court of the Priests in the Temple.  

Incidentally, a majority of the Sanhedrin members were of the Sadducee sect.  We'll discuss more about them another time.  Suffice it to say, that they were given a high level of power and authority from said, Romans, thus their feeling of superiority over the rest of their fellow Jews.  Thus, too, the antagonism between them and the other groups, especially from the Pharisees.

To explain a wee bit further, the chief priests were the ones to offer up sacrifices on behalf of the people.  As mentioned earlier, they were headed by the High priest.

The High Priest was the only one who could go into the most holy place of the Temple where the Ark of the LORD was placed.  Many folks call this area the "Holy of Holies".  He could only go in once a year and NOT empty-handed.  In each hand he must have the blood of an animal:  on one hand for the remission of his own sins; and on the other hand, on behalf of the rest of the people, for their sins.

This High Priest would have to realize that this was the presence of Holy, Righteous God that he was entering and not to be taken lightly.  Nowadays, we can enter directly into God's presence by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus.  We do not need a priest to mediate for us.  We confess our sins to Jesus, He will forgive and purify us from all sins (1 John 1:9) because it has been His blood which has given us remission of sins.  His sacrifice has been good, once, for all, for all persons of the world who wish His salvation gift, and this is good for all time and eternity.

The teachers of the law were the ones who knew God's laws and word, and taught the people. The part of the Law they most likely would have been from the five books of Moses, the prophets, Psalms, Proverbs; basically the whole Old Testament.  The New Testament was unfolding at that time.  These men were generally well respected.

Can you see how, when Jesus "jumps into" their "territory", they would get upset?  He was cutting into their turf, as they saw it, and causing them a tumultuous turmoil of effrontery.  They never realized, or wanted to realize, that this was their Messiah, and this building was designated as Jesus' Father's house of prayer and worship.

Then there were the elders.  This segment of the Sanhedrin was assembled from among influential families of Jerusalem and tribal and family heads.  Together with the other two groups they made up this High Court of Law which 'reigned' and presided over the Temple, and it's people, in religious as well as secular matters.  There would be similar prominent assemblages of 'officials' in the towns among the Jewish population; law and order must be kept.

The Sanhedrin then, was legally entitled to question anyone on matters relating to Roman law as well as their own Jewish beliefs.  If they felt anyone was not speaking truth about God and God's laws; they would stick their oar in and confront the person.  They would do this especially to a 'new' teacher or rabbi (as they called them).  

Apparently, it was a practice for any would-be rabbi, to train under a respected rabbi, who would then eventually bestow a certificate or diploma upon a person who'd reached a certain level of accountability in their knowledge of God and His laws, and teaching of it.  This is actually something good, right and proper.

So they questioned Jesus.

Do you suppose Jesus had this certification?  Not from mankind, He didn't.  His was from a Higher Court.  His Father had sent Him on this earthly mission and He had every right to do as He did.

I'm inclined to believe that this 'inquest' was not an entirely honest one, however.  The way they cross-examined Jesus, they did not show much, if any, respect.  They tried to discredit and shame Him and that in front of the people.  Stir the people up to turn against Him, especially if they could raise the suspicion that He was a threat to the Romans.  After all, Jesus claimed to be a king.

This would be directly threatening to any local king and definitely to the Roman Emperor, himself.  A very serious offense.  The people would suffer if the Romans got into the picture, and so would likely be counted on to avoid such confrontation when put to them.  Maybe, this was what turned them from shouting "Hosanna!" to "Crucify Him!" in a week's interval of time.

They questioned Jesus about "these things" (verse 2).  Likely, what right He had to clear out the Temple Court of the Gentiles in such a manner.  This area was supposed to be kept for the Gentiles who wished to pray and worship the One True God.  They couldn't do that very well with it being used for unholy purposes.  Likely, some of the questioners were among those who had their stalls upended.  Removing them, infuriated them.  The financial loss on top of the public rebuke slapped on them about turning His Father's house of prayer into a marketplace would really have upset them, to put it mildly.

Who'd given Him the right and authority to take such dramatic action?  Who'd made Him 'boss' to do "these things"?

Jesus, however, shoots a question right back at them; answering their question with a question.

By all accounts, this was a common form of questioning.  Almost like a debate, I suppose.  Question for question to try to trick and trap the one being targeted for investigation and put down.  Their mode of questioning showed how hostile they were against Jesus.  However, they had met Someone who was more than their match.  Jesus used this 'question for question' style and makes things rather awkward for His questioners. 

Jesus, the "outsider", a "nobody" in their eyes:  He was not a priest, a teacher of the law and not even one of the elders.  Who was this guy, anyway, and who did He think He was?  Indirectly, they were telling the mesmerized-with-Jesus crowds, that Jesus had no right to do "those things"; He's just a "nobody".

So, Jesus, the "nobody" asks His question to the Sanhedrin "somebodies" and propels them into a tizzy.  Their questioning had backfired.  Look at their dilemma from verses 5 and 6,

"...if we say, 'From Heaven; He will ask, 'Why didn't you believe Him" But if we say, "of human origin,' all the people will stone us because they were persuaded that John (the Baptist) was a prophet." (NIV)

Jesus had asked what they believed about John the Baptist and his baptizing,

 "was it from heaven or men".

So if they answer 'A' - then why didn't they believe?

If they answer 'B' - the people will stone them.

These were the religious leaders who were supposed to know God and His word and be able to answer tough questions.  Yet, look at their quandary.

"If they answered "From Heaven," they'd be admitting that God had given Jesus the right to His ministry, the clearing the Temple Court, and to rebuking them and to be seen teaching in the Temple.

John the Baptist's role had been to prepare the way for Jesus' coming and pointed to Jesus as the One who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies; the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.  Therefore, if they did not say John's message was from God, they'd face an angry mob's retaliation reaction.

Therefore, they say they cannot answer.

Jesus, therefore, says He also cannot answer them.

If they had answered Jesus' question, they would have gotten the answer to their own.  Some of them may well have known it too.

When Jesus mentioned John the Baptist, whom the people accepted as being sent by God, He was clearly intimating His divine power and authority for Himself.

John the Baptist actually had authority and power but it was bestowed upon him by God.  The difference between him and Jesus, was that Jesus' authority and power was, yes, from God, but Jesus is God, so it was, and still is, His innate, divine nature; His aseity.  This is a distinction we need to make.  It was one the Jewish leaders did not want to accept.

When we, nowadays, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we have this divine power and authority through the Holy Spirit.  We have His dynamic power which can help us to transform our character and attitudes to be more like Jesus and do the things that please Him--our ongoing, progressive sanctification process.

The Sanhedrin's refusal to answer Jesus led Him to tell yet another parable.  This one about Wicked Tenants and a Vineyard that was directly directed at them, but that can keep for another time.

May all of us followers of Jesus Christ know God's divine power and authority through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit working in our lives.  Ask for God's transforming power to help you grow in your relationship with Him, and to lead a diligent, obedient life for Christ.

Why would the word 'relationship' be in green?  "Grow your relationship...."  'Grow' reminds of things that can grow, obviously:  grass, trees, flowers; which grow into some things of beauty, wonder and shelter.  

We need our relationship with God to grow and be beautiful to Him and others.  How do we get it to grow?  It's by spending time in His presence, reading His Word, meditating upon it, thinking about it, and of course, obeying it; living an obedient life for Him.  In such manner, He will teach you.  Hang on to His words.

May each one of us know and understand this and build this relationship with God because, He will never let you down.  My prayer is that one and all can understand this.  God loves you so much.  He wants you in His family.  He's your Heavenly Father and He cares very much for You.  Seek Him because you will find Him.

God and Heavenly Father, we look up to You and pray that whoever is reading this message, will have the ongoing understanding needed to realize the dynamic power of Your Holy Spirit within all followers of Jesus, through their salvation that they have had through Him, allowing Jesus to be King of their life.

May all hearts and minds be like a throne for our King Jesus, in our lives.  May we bow down, humbly before Jesus.  May there also be that relationship with You, their Heavenly Father and know, that whatever happens in our lives is actually for our good and You are doing it for our good and welfare; to help grow that relationship with You, come what may.

Lord, may we have Your understanding and wisdom to sit quietly to hear from You what You want each individual to know, especially about You and how You love them.  Also to follow Your will and ways all the days of our lives; not just for various, selected points of time in our lives, but all the days of our lives.

Bless and keep one and all, 

I ask all this in Jesus' precious Name, the One who has all power, authority and right to govern our lives.

                                                             ~ERC  August 2020~

Sing, Lead Me to Calvary (King of My Life) by Old Songs With Lyrics

Sing with the Cleveland Baptist Church Lead Me to Calvary

Lovely old pieces sung in lovely old fashion manner.

REFERENCES:

Google (www.gotquestions.org) and

SPM book, a Studyt Guide to the GOAPWL According to LUKE.  Published by Issachar Sdn. Bhd.; copyright 2005; Malaysia.

Prayer - Understanding Gained Through Sweet Words

 In Buddhist belief, they have the Wheel of The Law, representing the way to achieve Understanding, or Enlightenment, It is also known as the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment.  If an adherent can follow that one hundred percent, they will glean a harvest of understanding that ceases the cycle of rebirth and winds them up in the alleged state of nirvana.  They have made it to their "heaven".

With that "wheel", which encompasses:  right understanding; right thought; right speech; right action; right livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness and right meditation, they must grab that helm, of their own volition and power, then navigate their current life.

In Psalm 119:97-104, we see how the psalmist navigates.  It's from God's precepts (vs 104).  He said he 

"gained understanding from God's precepts".  

This caused him to 

"hate every wrong path".  

In addition, he mentions God's commands, law, statutes, and word.

Where did the psalmist find these precepts, laws, and etc.?  From the books Moses wrote (Genesis-Deuteronomy), which reveal the bulk of God's Law and the history of His dealings with mankind from the beginning of time (creation), through His relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then with the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, to the Psalm-writer's day.

Throughout this acrostic writing (Psalm 119), the psalmist credits God for His help in living in a correct manner; a manner pleasing to God.  Due to his knowing and loving God's Laws and ways so well, and of prime importance, obeying them, he was blessed in several crucial ways.

God's Words were "always with him"; "made him wiser than his enemies"; made him to "have more insight than all his teachers"; gave him "more understanding (there's that word "understanding" again) than the elders;" his feet have been kept from "every evil path"; and he "gained understanding" in general; and "hated every wrong path".

He noted that these were not burdensome to him either.  He said, that God's words were

 

"sweeter than honey to his mouth".  

 

He was very grateful to God for teaching all these to him.

Did you catch that?  

God taught him!

Through the psalmist's meditations and memorization of God's Words, through his reading and writing them down (every new king was supposed to write out his own copy of God's Laws[Deuteronomy 17:18]), and through his obedience to the words, he allowed himself to be taught by God.  These kept him on the right path of pleasing God and of hating every wrong path.  He would know it was the wrong path too, as he was very familiar with the right one.  God's right path kept him from the "evil path".

 These do sound much the same as the Wheel of The Law in Buddhist belief (Buddhism only came to be somewhere around 500 BC).  Most beliefs, religions and philosophies, will come up with non-violence and the good and right code of conduct by which to live.  However, the difference is that most are self-propelled whereas, with God, it is a relationship, a partnership, if you will, with Him.  One can see how much the psalmist loved and appreciated his communion with his Heavenly Father and hung on to His every word.  Out of gratitude to God, he gained understanding and his actions were right.

He craved and sought out God whom he realized was his only Help and Solace in his struggles to live according to God's righteous ways, and in persevering in them throughout the times of affliction.

Father God, in You and in You alone, we put our trust.  In You and Your Words, alone, do we learn to walk in Your ways.  In you alone, can we find understanding.  May each of us who belong to You through Jesus Christ, Your Son, crave your words and make them our food and drink for our spirits' nourishment, our souls' enlightenment and our body's navigating into Your right path.

That path may be straight and narrow, Father, yet it is the one to You.  May we love, cherish and obey each jot and tittle of Your Word.  Teach us Your ways so we may gain understanding of them, and in turn, of You.

We know that this learning may well involve affliction as it did for the psalmist of Psalm 119.  May we ever be faithful and true to You and Your "school".  May we gain that understanding, come what may.  With You right there beside us, carrying us, teaching and comforting us may we wholeheartedly follow after You, even if its faint, yet pursuing, all along Your righteous path.  We can only do this with Your intervention.

Thank-You for salvation through Your Son Jesus Christ which sets us on this path in the first place.  Thank-You for His Holy Spirit who enables and empowers us with His dynamic power.  Father, thank-You for Your love, faithfulness and care.  Thank-You for Your Words, Laws, Precepts, Commands, and Statutes; without them we would not know how to please You.  Without Your Word we would not know salvation nor be able to look forward to and eternity with You in Heaven in time to come.  May we ever say Your Words are "sweet".

                                                           ~ERC  August 2020~

Prayer - See Your Face

 Father, how satisfying it would be to wake up and see Your face!  To wake up and be satisfied seeing Your likeness.  That reminds me of the hymn, Face to Face with Christ our Savior.  However, what would a regular wake up be like...

Many people wake up and take a glance at the sleep disheveled person beside them.  Maybe they've even gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, so they're kind of grouchy.  How wonderful though, to wake up and see that person beside us, or one from the next room when they get up and stumble, sleepily out, that we would actually see You, in them.

To see a likeness of Jesus in that person, that would be amazing!  A Christ-likeness in each of those/us, who are followers of Jesus Christ.  Imagine what that would be like.

David, in his Psalm 17 and verse 15, wrote that that was the first thing he saw when he woke up; Your face and likeness.  He was vindicated and satisfied despite all the negative stuff going on for him.  He would have, what we'd call "Morning Devotions" and as he read and thought upon the Scriptures and upon You, Father, he could see Your likeness and feel liberated.

Father, may this encourage us too, when we feel disgruntled or dismayed, and crotchety, or someone else is feeling low, that we be "Jesus" to them; that they will indeed see Your likeness in us and be refreshed.

A tall order, I know.

A challenge even when we have Your Holy Spirit's help because someone else's (or even our own) negativity has potential to rub off on others, creating a chain reaction of despondency.  We are in no morning mood to be "as fresh as a daisy" or shine Your light.

Yet, LORD, You never fail, as Your prophet said about You in Zephaniah 3:5 (KJV),

"He faileth not..."

LORD, help us be Jesus to others so they can also wake up and see Your face and be satisfied.  This not propelled by our human nature, but with that Christ-likeness wrapped round and assimilated into our character, and actions.

I ask this in the Name of Jesus.

                                                         ~ERC  April 2020~

                                                        (originally prayed)

Based on Psalm 17 especially verse 15.

Sing, Face to Face With Christ, My Savior, as sung by Altar of Praise

Lord's Day Devotional Prayer - Good and Upright

 "Good and upright is the LORD, therefore He instructs sinners in His way."

God is not a hypocrite, that's for sure!

Father, I pray, and thank You that You are not a hypocrite.  So glad we can trust You and be admonished by You because You are the One who has the right and authority to do so.

You instruct sinners in Your ways.  Praise You, it does not say that You "lambaste sinners"!  You instruct.  May we learn from You at Your feet.  You are the greatest Teacher, the One who can educate in the most persuasively, loving and compelling of ways.

Often, I feel like a hypocrite because what I say, I'm then responsible for, I don't always do it.

Lord, help me.  You guide the humble to teach them Your ways.  All Your ways are loving and faithful.  I cannot say that for myself.  In contrast, You are though, what a mercy!  You keep Your covenant with those who do keep the demands of Your covenant  The psalmist got that.

LORD, we followers of Jesus Christ belong to You.  You bought us at great cost but we don't always live up to what is right and just and fair; we are often far from humble and often fail.

However, thank-You for Your mercy and grace and for the sake of Your Name, You forgive us our iniquity, no matter how great or small and insignificant we might think our bad deeds may be.  Thank-You once again for that verse in 1 John 1:9,

"If we confess our sins; You are faithful and just and will forgie us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Help us to see our faults from Your perspective and in the light of Your watching over us and seeing our hearts.  You know our minds.  You even know the number of strands of hair upon our heads.  You know us but we don't always know You.

You know us better than we know ourselves, so we can have the courage to "'fess up".  Nevertheless, we're aware that just confessing isn't enough, it must accompany a repentant heart which spills over into our actions.  Help us, in our feeble humanness, to repent and stick at it; and forgive when and where needed too.

You told Your disciples, in Luke 17, to forgive 70 x 7 times; that's so many times it's difficult to keep tract.  You are like that...our forgiving God; forgiving us again and again.  We love You because You first loved us.

We need to repent, confess, and forgive others their trespasses, even as You do forgive us.

May our eyes ever be on You so You can govern us, even with just Your eyes.  We've all had our mothers and/or fathers look at us when perhaps we were not doing as we should.  Sometimes when we were doing what was right and they gave us a look of satisfaction and pleasure in their eyes; vindicating our obedient compliance and we felt happy inside.

In contrast, a look of "No, no, no!" and sadness and disappointment when we're tempted to do wrong or even in the act of 'wrong' and the wrong had had its course, cuts to the quick of our hearts and hopefully, guides and compels us in the right direction the next time around.

Lord, be gracious to us.

There are many lonely, afflicted hearts crying out; be a Friend to them even if they do have one or two earthly friends, or even a community of good friends, they may still feel as if they are marooned on an island no one else is on.

Rescue them and may we each have integrity and uprightness that will protect us and help us to become more like Your Son, Jesus Christ, in our attitudes and character.  When we feel we are spiritual, may we be then able to turn and help another friend along the way who may have turned astray or gotten into the wrong group of people, to admonish, being careful we ourselves aren't lured away.

Father, again, thank-You for the verse in Psalm 25, verse 8, that says You are,

"Good and upright therefore You can instruct us and keep us in Your way."

Help us Father to go in the way we should go, and not tell others to do this and that but do nothing about it ourselves.

It is because of the cross and the work Your Son has done for us, giving His life for ours, taking our punishment for our sin, giving us forgiveness of sins and eternal life, that we too may become good and upright.  Father, as we partake of the bread and drink of the cup of wine each Lord's Day, may be remember that our righteousness has come only because of what Jesus has done for us by His death and resurrection.  Thank-You for providing the way...

In Jesus' most perfect, good and upright Name, Amen.

                                                              ~ERC April 2020~

                                                          (originally prayed)

Prayer - Perfection's Limit

 Eternal and Holy Father, Your word is perfect, established and endures forever.  Your faithfulness to Your people, throughout all generations stands steadfast and secure.

The psalmist makes note of this; "through all generations," as far back as he could recall to his father, grandfather and so on, of his ancestors.  He says through "all generations".  I suppose he was remembering how You, shepherded the people of Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.  Perhaps he even went further back to his "fathers" Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all that history of how you cared for them.

That was a lot of 'caring'.  We know 'cuz, we can read all about it too.

This gives us great hope and encouragement too Father, that You will do the same for us in our generation.  It is penned there in verse 90 regarding Your faithfulness continuing "through all generations".

I really like that, Father.  We, too can make good on that and delight in Your laws, commands, precepts, etc, too.  It's like having our cake and being able to eat it too!  You are so good to us.

Again, through our trials and afflictions, even now with the COVID-19 redefining  and dictating to a large degree, how we live, You preserve our lives through Your words.

"Save us; for we are Yours!" (v. 94).

We can claim this too as the psalmist did.  He appreciated the relationship and banked on it, and appropriated it.  Thank-You, Father, we can too.

He had no guilty conscience between himself and You as he had sought out Your precepts.  He did not try to hide anything from You.  He pondered on them when the wicked were lurking, just waiting to pounce upon him.  Yet, he realized that he was not perfect, that there was, and still is, a limit to our human perfection.  He reveled, however, in Your commands to which there are no bounds-no limits.

Your commands can cover all bases for us no matter what troubles we have.  For this we give You our praise and thanksgiving.

All the way, our Savior leads us through this world of so much woe.  From You alone we gain our perfection and holiness and righteousness.  We gain salvation through Your Son Jesus.  In this, too there is no limit to Your care and gift.  All our generations back, that we can recall, and to our next generations which are and which are to come, may they know You and Your words and perfection through Jesus.  

In the most Holy name of Jesus we give you praise and thanks.

                                                         ~ERC  August 2020~

Based on Psalm 119:89-96 (Lamedh)

Sing, All the Way My Savior Leads Me as sung by The Haven Quartet

Prayer - Tent of Smoke

 

My eyes fail due to wear and tear of age.  After sixty years of use, I suppose that is bound to happen; what say you?

The acrostic psalmist writes that his "eyes fail" (Psalm 119:82 NIV).  Setting aside age, which may or may not have been his problem, he said the reason was due to,

"...looking for Your promise,"

Father.  He was looking for some unspecified, unnamed, promised comfort.

He'd watched and watched til his eyes ached and his soul fainted with longing for Your salvation (v.81) to intervene.  

Yet his impetus for perseverance in the wait and watch was his...

"...hope in Your word,"

Father God.

This makes me think of the prodigal son's father.  It came to mind this morning that maybe he began his vigil out on the dusty road, searching the distant horizons for the return of a repentant, wiser son, right from Day 1.  No doubt his eyes ached and failed many a day as the wind whipped sand and dirt into watering, smarting eyes.  Yet he determinedly, faithfully, watched all those days, months, and perhaps, even years.

When would he have his comfort of such an emotionally, pivotal moment; his hope rewarded?

There's another story of endurance others may have heard of a mother who left her front door, always open, and a light on; I assume on the front porch.  She awaited the return of a "prodigal" daughter.  This did have a happy ending many long years later.  How that Mother-heart must have fainted at times; the travail of her soul unbearable at her "loss", never knowing if her beloved offspring would return to the fold; imagining all the things the daughter could have gotten into; buckets of tears shed and smotherings of prayers blanketing her dear girl.

Some of you may relate.

The psalmist likened deep distress, longing and waiting to a "wineskin in the smoke" (v 33).

From what I can gather from checking it out online, the ancients hung their wine up in skins, in their tents.  Smoke from the cooking fires would 'cook' more than their food, and the wine skins were not exempt.

There was good and bad to this scenario.  Some smoke had a mellowing and flavoring effect upon the wine inside the skins which enhanced the taste; so it said.  On the other hand, too much smoke, over time, would blacken and stiffen the skins rendering them of little worth for capturing wine.

You likely can see the psalmist's connection.  His fainting soul and failing eyes, his anguished endurance through the arrogance of persecutors' torment and that "torment" without cause (v 86), is the "smoke of affliction" upon the person, "the wineskin".

All our tears and sorrows, and our hearts may rebel to hear this, are "smoking" us to refine our attitudes, character towards greater Christ-likeness and relationships with our Heavenly Father.  Too much "smoke" and we may become bitter, and unforgiving and decide to forget God.

Heavenly Father, You are good and You know that we are feeble human beings and can only take so much "smoke".  LORD, as David often cried out to You, be merciful to us in our times of trial and tribulation.  I know You are and You do bring comfort along the way.  Thank-You.

May our "tent of smoke" time ever turn us towards You, our Heavenly Father, with Your unfailing love, trustworthy commands, and the comfort of Your salvation; never forgetting Your decrees, and to be obedient  "to the statutes of Your mouth: (v 88); as was the psalmist acrostic reflection.

Father, You are faithful and Your words are true.  Thank-You.

May the 'wine' of our life be as excellent as that wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee that Jesus made.  Continue to turn our water into wine, Father, even if we need to go through the smoking process and test of time spent in your tent of smoke.

                                                        ~ERC  August 2020~

Based on Psalm 119:81-89 (Kaph)

Sing, "Our Times are in Your Hands" Metropolitan Tabernacle, London