Heavenly Father, when we think of persecution in whatever form, but especially without cause (is there ever justice to it?), we think of pain, torment, agony, betrayal, hurt and bewilderment. Maybe there is even a giving in to the persecutors. Those perpetrators who manipulate terrible horrific nightmares for Your people of faith to go through in unrelenting perpetuity.
I actually prayed this prayer back in September, but this morning I'm only getting to input it into my blog. This morning, our church service was to learn about and to pray for "the suffering church". Those severely tried by the hands of aggressors who know not You, our God of love and mercy, nor Your Son Jesus Christ who died for them, and whom these victims worship and adore and trust in.
We learned of our brothers and sisters in Nigeria, how back in April 2020, one village had been attacked and burned and so the survivors fled to another village where there were many believers. The attackers who hate them for what they stand for (faith in Jesus Christ), came there too. Those in this second village had showed hospitality to those from village 'A' and there were up to twenty persons each in one small home. This too, in time of Covid-19. In this village 'B', there was also no mercy shown and their homes were burned as well and likely many other horrors inflicted. When they had left, the combined village A and B, buried their dead and roamed, looking for places of refuge. They did not dare to go the the 'regular' refugee camps as there were those who would continue the severe harassment, and hurt.
Oh Father we beseech You on their behalf. May they find the necessities of life and be comforted by You and Your people from all over the world. May they continue to find their hope, peace, comfort, refuge, courage and forgiveness in You. Supply their needs Father through Your children.
We do wonder how these and such other victims keep steady and sane?
In verse 161 of Psalm 119, the psalmist says his "heart trembles". I guess it would for all that! However, look why it trembles. It is NOT because of the persecution without cause. It is not trembling in fear and/or anger as we may expect. No, his heart trembles at Your Word, Father!
Seems a strange perspective.
His heart trembles at Your word and he,
"rejoices in Your promise" (verse 162)!
Go on! Is he for real?
After reading from the opening of Psalm 119, the "Aleph" verses up until now, more than one hundred verses later, this is what we can expect from this author. He has a very deep, close, trusting relationship with You, Father. He turns our hearts and minds to You and Your words, too.
He says Your promise is,
"like one who finds great spoil" (v 162).
This guy has been to the wars. He and his military troops have been victorious. They have experienced wonderful finds of jewels and gems, cloth, robes, livestock and perhaps even weapons of war, abandoned by the defeated, fleeing enemy armies. The spoil and "trophies" of war won. Exciting and triumphant, and he equated such finds with the promises he'd found in Your word. They were his true treasures.
Father, there have been times I have found a coin or dollar on the ground as I walked along somewhere. As a child that was really satisfying and made one's heart glad to retrieve it and skip along home to proclaim and exclaim about it and deposit it in a piggy bank. That is similar to the gleeful feeling, I believe the psalmist seemed to have had at discovering Your word.
Oh how this Psalm writer loved Your law (v. 163), Father God. He loved it because it is truth. The truth in Your words as opposed to the falsehoods he hated. The falsehoods, of false accusations as likely alluded to in the
"rulers persecuted me without cause" (v. 161).
So his heart trembled, and rejoiced at the law he loved, causing him to praise You, not once, not twice, but "seven times a day" because of Your righteous laws (v 164). This in turn gave him great peace and steadied him. He declared,
"...nothing can make me stumble" (v. 165).
Father, may our hearts be fixed on your Words too. Bring them to memory, for those persecuted for their faith in You and Jesus. May our hearts and theirs beat with rejoicing from whence will spring praise, and keep us all steady through obedience to them.
This is a key. Obedience to Your Words. The psalmist wrote that he did not just love Your promises, commands, laws, precepts, etc, but he obeyed them. This is how he grew closer to you. This is how he got to know You and cling to You in times of trouble, great or small.
You already knew
"all his ways" (v. 168)
as You know and see, with heartache, all those oppressed on Your behalf. He was in the process of knowing You, loving You and loving Your words "greatly". No doubt, those of our brothers and sisters fleeing for their lives, put these to the test too. Be their Shield Father and Provider more than ever.
Combined, the process kept the psalmist from stumbling. They will also cause the persecuteds' hearts to hold firm in faith to You too. Father God, they will keep all of us, Your children, steady when we love and obey them. Then there will be no losing our grip on You.
It's good to know, though that You and Your Son each hold us in Your hands and it is actually You keeping us steady and on balance. In this we put our trust.
We break out in praise in the morning, at noon and night and as many times in-between, as we like.
This is the ideal, theorizing "exercise" and habit to get into our heads, and hearts. This is not just about the talk but the walk too, needs to come into play, as words do come cheap. When the rubber hits the road, Father, find us as faithful as those in that African country and in other such countries where Your children are plagued and persecuted unendingly. May we make this our everyday modus operandi as it must have been all along for the psalmist. This, so that when persecution, in whatever form, does descend upon us, we will be able to already have our "armor of God" practice upon us. May we have Your words, and our relationship with You in place. May we place our confidence and trust in You; the by product will protect us and keep us steady and sane.
There will be no stumbling. By Your grace, Father God, and in you we make our trust and boast. We love You Lord, because You first loved us. Thank-You for Your Holy Spirit who helps us know You more through our obedience to Your word, who helps us stand faithfully firm for You.
We praise You!
In Jesus Name we pray and praise.
~ERC September 2020~
Based on Psalm 119:161-168 (Sin & Shin)
Sing the Sunday School song, Seven Times A Day I Will Praise You.
No comments:
Post a Comment