There's a plethora of books out there on the subject of praying and I've read some of them. I have to say that this one that I've recently read is having the most grand impact and that's why I'm excited to share it with you...
Watch out though when you read Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney. You won't have enough hours in your day to pray. You'll learn how to pray but not how to stop! Simple but revolutionary! From the boring "same old, same old" cliches about the the same old things you will bring revival to how you commune with your Heavenly Father. You will speak "His language".
You will definitely read your Bible and pray every day; even possibly, all day long.
~ERC January 2020~
Heavenly Father, LORD, we come into Your presence as we go up to Your courts to worship, to give thanks, to remember Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection. As we go in to Your presence, there, what offering do we bring as we enter?
Are we offering our grumbling, our complaints, or are we offering our praise, to You? The praise of our lips, the sacrifice of praise to Your holy Name is the better choice, we know. Sometimes, praise is a big sacrifice because we have so much dissatisfaction we'd rather spew.
However, may that sacrifice of praise be upon our lips as we ascribe glory and honor to Your Name. As we ascribe praise to Your strength, Your awesomeness, Your authority and power and Your unfailing, sacrificial love, may we bow down our hearts and tremble before You, make Your people tremble more, realizing the reverence due Your Name. Let there be absolutely no apathy, no taking for granted, Your holiness, and our desperate need to look up to You in total, wholehearted dependence.
As we come into Your presence LORD, help us to understand this, that You reign; You reign in our lives. You reign. We praise.
"May the heavens and earth rejoice and be glad. May the seas resound and the fields be jubilant. The trees of the forest sing for joy" (Psalm 96: 11-13 NIV).
Creation praises You.
This reminds me of the time when Jesus was entering into Jerusalem, a humble "grand entrance" on donkey back. A wild little donkey that had just been miraculously transformed into a tamed-by-Jesus, little donkey. The crowds were jubilantly rejoicing and loudly proclaiming that their King had come; a king who was coming in the name of the LORD.
The Pharisees got all hot and bothered and annoyed and asked Jesus to make the people be quiet. Amusingly, Jesus told them, if the throngs keep quiet, the stones would cry out! Creation cannot be hushed from praising You, its Creator!
Oh that we would grasp this in depth and learn to praise You noisily, Father. We get so abashed to do so, wondering what others will think of us. Focus our attention and praise on You. This would be a kind of sacrifice of our self-consciousness, learning to praise with abandon.
We praise You as our Righteous Judge, as in time to come You will judge the world in righteousness. The people, in truth, because even now, the peoples of the earth are NOT full of justice and truth. In fact, it seems blatantly the opposite; falsehoods erupting exponentially, of late. They look for loopholes out of and to avoid, justice and truth. BUT...Father You will reign in righteousness, truth, power, splendor and majesty. We look forward to that precious day!
I'm not a singer/song-writer, per se, Lord. Help me to make it a habit, though, a way of life, as part of my DNA, to sing praises unto You. To NOT slander or cast slurs upon others, rather to sing Your praises, to bless You and others. With such singing and speaking of kind words, bringing this offering of sweet-to-You fragrance and praise, to You. I lay it at Your feet, Father.
When we go up to Your house, to meet together with other fellow believers, may praises to You be upon our lips and roll off our tongues as we give thanks together with the "two's and three's" in Your presence. You will be there, You said so, so we had better be there too.
May such offerings be acceptable in Your sight as we pass the bread and wine one to another, partaking and drinking thereof, together, each Lord's Day, in remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection for us. This too is part of our offering to You.
Thank-You, Father.
Thank-You, Jesus.
It is in Jesus Holy Name we pray, praise and remember.
~ERC June 2020~
(originally prayed/written)
Based on Psalm 96
Sing along, All Creatures of Our God and King by Sovereign Grace Music
The Blind Beggar makes me laugh. He asks what the crowd's commotion is all about and learns Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. At last, he gets his chance and calls out,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:38 NIV).
The crowd, essentially, tells him, "Shut up!"
Ha, ha, the guy shouts even louder! He's undeterred. No sirree! He'll not be silenced.
This, yet another person of society from the looked down upon echelon the crowd wanted to hush, teaches us a lesson. Have you ever shouted when you've prayed? Have you ever kept at it? Try it sometime. That's part of taking our stresses, anxieties, sicknesses, and limitations to the One True God who can help. The Blind Beggar was unashamed to shout. He was persistent, too. Look where it got him.
I think it was a BIG factor, combined with a couple of others, that caused Jesus to stop for him.
One of Jesus' purposeful appointments to keep.
Look at the title he gave Jesus: "Son of David". Whatever could this mean? How did he even know to address Jesus by this title?
This hearkens all the way back to the Old Testament, King David, and God's promise to him. David had lived for the most part, a very upright, righteous life and had a close relationship with, and dependence upon, God. God rewarded David by pledging to David that he'd always have a descendant upon the throne, forever.
Delve back into the history of ancient China, for instance, to compare. There were so many different dynasties: Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou (the Period of the Warring States time that lasted 100's of years); down to the Qin Dynasty where Qin Shihuang unified China, then on to the Han, the Jin...to the final ones, the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Yes, some lasted hundreds of years, but that's all. Ever changing; never, forever.
Swivel back to the Bible again. Before King David, there was King Saul. King Saul"s "dynasty" was only himself. He never had a son on the throne after him. The kingdom was put into David's capable shepherd hands, and character of integrity. Yes, he had his terrible perpetration of adultery and murder, and paid the price and consequences in the death of four of his sons! Yet, he had a repentant heart and sought God's forgiveness and God forgave him (don't get me wrong, I'm NOT minimizing, nor condoning the seriousness of David's crimes).
From then on, David lived humbly and in the good of God's forgiveness, accepting the punishment with humility, yet with trust and dependence upon God; living in the fear, reverence and awe of His Almighty Advocate, Deliverer, Rock, Fortress and Great Shepherd, and even, I might add, his "Best Friend".
God's promise was then forthcoming and we see proof of that delineated for us in the genealogy recorded in Matthew chapter 1. You can read the whole chapter but here are the verses in focus, to highlight...Luke 1:1 & 2 (NIV),
"A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the Son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers..."
Follow that down to verse 6,
"...and Jesse the father of King David..."
There's our man. King David.
"...David was the father of Solomon..."
Skip down again to verses 16 & 17,
"...and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."
"Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ."
Do you know how many generations in all? Three groups of fourteen equals...
Forty-two!
What's more, Who is the current King?
Jesus, the Christ!
Doesn't that continuity totally amaze, astound and astonish, you?!
Do you ascertain the significance of the title of "Son of David"?
The Blind Beggar "got it". He believed that Jesus was THE descendant of David! The rightful king, in fact. He may have been looked down upon by others, but he knew and acknowledged Who Jesus was. Here, after about four hundred silent years; silence from God, was their King, the Son and descendant of David.
That's gripping!
The Jewish nation had been looking out for just such a Deliverer. They believed that their Christ, the Messiah, would deliver Israel from her enemies (the Romans at the time under the cruel Caesar Augustus @ Nero), and would then reign forever (2 Samuel 7:16). Here was the Promised One: THE Son of David, Jesus' royal description.
It must have been rather disappointing then for the Jewish people when this did not transpire. Jesus had not come to rescue the nation, no, His purpose was far greater: to rescue all of mankind by going to the cross and gaining our way of salvation. This is our Rescuer.
Let's get back to the roadside...What does Jesus do when He hears His title SHOUTED? He stops. He orders those shusher-uppers to bring the man to him. Another little chuckle there. Jesus has a way of really keeping people on their toes.
Then Jesus asks, "What do you want?
Ha. What a question to ask! Wasn't it obvious? If you were blind and determined to go to the One who You knew could help you to see, and that One knew what you actually wanted, and could help...Well, why ask what the guy wanted?
Oh yeah, he was a beggar too. Money or your sight? Which one would you help out with? Or, rather, could you help with?
Jesus is God and He is omniscient, and He knew very well what the fellow wanted, yet still, He asked him what his heart was set upon.
We, too, can ask the obvious. God knows. Yes. However, as our Father, He wants to hear us say it, ask it, and say it specifically. He delights to hear our voice of dependence.
Many fathers like to hear their children talk to them. Although some may treat their Dad's like ATM machines, they want the connect, and we may even treat God that way, with a wish list, yet our Heavenly Father has said in His Word to "ask...seek...knock" (Luke 11:9 & 10).
Those who ask, receive; those who seek, find; and those who knock, have doors opened. Show your dependence upon Him. This is what He wants. Yes, He knows what's in our minds and hearts, yet speak with Him anyway. Speak to Him today.
The Blind Beggar did, well, not today but a way back when...
Jesus' further response was to heal the man and now he can see. Jesus affirms,
"Your faith has healed you" (verse 42).
This is just like He said to the 1/10 lepers that were healed and came back to thank and praise Jesus (Luke 17:11-19 NIV). Jesus remarks,
"Rise and go, your faith has made you well."
You know, part of praying unashamedly, humbly, specifically, persistently and expectantly, is doing so wrapped in faith. Think of this wee example, that of a string of pearls. The individual pearls are like the elements of prayer, the persistence, etc. The thread, or string, that runs through each 'bead' is faith, connecting and creating something very beautiful.
The result of healing, which happened, "at once" and "immediately" (v. 41), was that the man received his sight, yes, but he also ups and follows Jesus, giving thanks. The ripple effect was the throngs, seeing it all, began praising God right along with the ex-blind beggar.
What about us? Let's pray too, follow Jesus no matter what, give thanks, whether or not our prayers are answered, how and when we wish. Praise God through Jesus and tell others of God's wonderful help and healing in our lives. Just maybe they'll praise God and be encouraged to live their lives for Jesus, the Son of God and David, our forever King.
Father we thank You we can ask of You, even shout, showing our determination and unashamedness, asking specifically, persistently, and humbly, with reverence, expecting answers from You, since You always have Your ear opened to our call. We can come to You in our sickness, distresses and anxieties of life. Thank-You. We praise You in and through the Name of Jesus, the Son of David. Long live King Jesus! We know He will!
May God Almighty bless you with a day full of joy and happiness in Him.
~ERC June 2020~
Based on Luke 18:35-43 NIV.
Sing, I Pray in Faith, by Janice Kapp Perry
What did persistent widows, tax collectors and children have in common back in Bible times?
The stigma of, "of little value and importance"; looked down upon and who would want to bother with them.
So saying, what is this?!
People with babies converging upon Jesus!
What ever for?
Well, they wanted Jesus to "place His hands on their babies and children," of all things! Perhaps they wanted His blessing or Jesus' healing touch upon them.
That seemed rather presumptuous to the disciples.
Why?
Some clues could be that the infant/child mortality rate was high and a significant majority of the young didn't make it to adulthood. There were precious few, if any, vaccines back then and it's well-known antibiotics were not available, as yet, for eras. Consequently, death rates were high. Therefore, if a wee person wasn't going to make it to adulthood--the child would be seen to have minimal value. A dim view, I know.
Thus, the disciples scolding the parents, telling them not to bother Jesus. Their attitudes had imbibed societies' outlook; the young and slaves (also termed "children") were not to be taken notice of nor to be entertained. Why bother Jesus and take up His time. Couldn't the people see Jesus was busy with "more important" work?
It takes you aback some seeing as how the disciples had already spent considerable time on the road with Jesus by this time and should have guessed, at least, Jesus' take on the matter. After all, they'd recently heard His parables about the persistent widow and the praying tax collector; two other categories of people looked down upon, where Jesus is more or less making a pointed point that they are, indeed, of worth.
My feeling is, the disciples should have hesitated to shoo the people and children away from Jesus. Strange that they did not.
Remember Luke 17:1-4 where Jesus talks about rebuking, repentance and forgiving? Here's an occasion for rebuking. Jesus rebukes His disciples for barring the young from Him. Jesus then called the children to Himself and announced,
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Luke 18:16 NIV).
He punches that on further by making extra note of them, using this as a teaching moment for another good lesson, and vilifying the peoples' desire for Jesus to place His hands on their children.
Jesus goes on to say that the Kingdom of God belongs to
"...such as these..."
So called, "helpless and frail" children, have wholehearted trust, were in a humble position, and were therefore more ready to receive the Kingdom of God as a gift from Him.
Children can think, but compared to adults, their reasoning power has not yet been honed to ask more questions or make excuses to hinder themselves from coming into the Kingdom of God. They have the tendency for greater dependency upon their parents and accepting hearts to receive what they are told.
Yes, that could be tricky, especially with con artists around, yet, Jesus' point was that adults could and should take note that they too, need to have that kind of total dependence upon God, their Heavenly Father.
After all, salvation is totally the work of God. Any merits or achievements we think we might have can't help even one iota! It's...
"...by God's grace we are saved, through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
A gift spawned from God's grace.
What a wonderful "object" lesson Jesus unfolded to the disciples, and to the milling, listening crowds. Don't underestimate the child, widow, nor the tax collector segment of society, either. No discrimination.
Taking a breather, step back and review what we've learned the past while about the Kingdom of God before pressing on to the next segment of verses.
So what do we know?
The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which can grow from the tiniest of seeds into a tree capable of sheltering birds who favor building their nests therein. This is symbolic in that people from all nations: North, South, East and West, will come and shelter in the Kingdom of God through God's grace and salvation, and that through Jesus Christ.
No one can say, "Here it is," or "There it is," yet it's influence is noticed, similarly to how you can see the effects of the wind against the trees, grass and our wind-blown hair. The influence is also akin to yeast in bread; again, it can't be seen but the evidence of raising bread, tells you of its presence.
Life within people of faith gives evidence of the Kingdom of God within them, in the way their attitudes and character are shaped and sculpted by their obedience to God's will and ways as learned from His Word.
The Kingdom of God comes suddenly. Before they know it, faith has done its work and one here and one there come to Christ. Of course, in the end, the Kingdom of God, with Jesus the King, will reign and rule on earth in a millennium to come.
Now we have learned that a person must humbly enter the Kingdom of God, as a child, with wholehearted trust, openly receptive and by God's grace, in full dependency upon Him. What more could there be?
Enter the rich Jewish leader into Jesus' space. He calls Jesus "good"; "good Teacher".
Was he trying to flatter or gain favor from Jesus? Did he truly believe Jesus to be "good"? Did he believe Jesus to be God? Apparently, back then, the term "good" was reserved for addressing God and God, alone, designating one of His attributes (info gleaned from SPM book footnotes).
So which was the man's perspective?
It seems to be the flatter rather than the latter, judging from Jesus' confronting him. Jesus, knew the man's heart and goes for it. The man says he has kept all those commandments, yet Jesus knows he lacks one thing which was of utmost essential need.
Did the man hear correctly?
"Sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have riches in Heaven; then come follow Me"! (vs 22 NIV)
What?
"Sell all!?"
The man could not take it. He became "very sad" because he was "very rich" (vs 23). This man was attempting to save his life.
Hearken back to Luke 11:33 (NIV), which tell us,
"Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it."
The man had counted the cost, found it too great, and that he could not "spend" his earthly wealth and possessions for heavenly riches. No wonder his heavy sadness.
If he had used his wealth to buy treasure in heaven he would have been able to go on his way blessed and rejoicing. His wealth was his 'god'.
Truly,
"...no man can serve two masters...you cannot serve both God and money" (Luke 16:13 NIV).
Isn't it great that Jesus didn't say it was "impossible" for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God? He just said it was "hard" (vs 24). There is allowance, and praise God for those brothers and sisters in Christ, who our Heavenly Father has endowed with over and above finances, and who use it generously for His glory and honor, and furthering the Kingdom of God, buying treasure in Heaven.
Jesus loved to tell mini-stories from every day life, to illustrate His point. He talks about the camel having difficulties going through the eye of the needle. Likely this reference was NOT the sewing needle, rather a place in Jerusalem where there was a very small passage, which, in order for camels to get through, they had to some how kneel down and crawl through. Their heavy burdens removed in aid of that. All round, an awkward, difficult manoeuvre.
The incredulous listeners exclaimed,
"Who then can be saved?"
Who then, indeed!
Human beings bump up against many obstacles in becoming "like a child" and simply accepting Jesus Christ, the Door into the kingdom of God or even to living the God-honoring life once they are in the Kingdom.
What are your obstacles? Think about it. Pray and seek God's help to overcome. Don't make the tragic decision as the rich Jewish leader did. Only our full dependence on Christ leads us to, and through "The Door" into His Kingdom.
Riches or anything else we've achieved, are God's sign of blessing and we need to use them for Him, exercising accountable stewardship thereof. Don't allow riches to be an obstacle, rather, turn them into an asset, serving you, and more importantly, God and His purposes.
Peter's boast makes you chuckle. In Luke chapter 18 and verse 28 he declares,
"We have left all we had to follow You."
Oh my, he was so pleased with himself and his cohorts.
Talk about patting yourself on the back. Yes, he and his brother Andrew; their partners, James and John, and the others truly, "left all". In Peter's case his source of income: fishing boat and nets. This is a huge thing, no doubt about it. They had counted the cost but sounded a bit proud about it.
God's Word says,
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
We need to watch out for pride.
I know of a brother, who had had a very good paying job, and who did leave all. He and his wife had had six children, all of them, as yet still underfoot, therefore they had eight mouths to feed, bodies to clothe, and heads to cover with a roof. All this without confirmed income, except that God's Word had said He'd supply all their needs.
They left father, mother and country to "follow Jesus" in the call the parents had had on their lives in the service of the King to 'buy" treasure for heaven and the Kingdom of God. Yet, in all the decades of humble, faithful following, not once did they go without a meal except, by choice. They were always clothed, and always protected by a roof.
Many others have faithfully and sincerely done likewise, also minus the pride.
Yet, this boast of 'goodness" could be an obstacle. The Jewish leader was not a bad man; in fact, he must have been very righteous if he'd truly kept all of God's commandments. Perhaps he thought he was "good enough" and the "lack" Jesus pinpointed was not really so crucial--he could have philosophized.
Let us beware of pride and any other hindrance that could set in and hold us back from full dependence on our Heavenly Father. Don't depend on self. Our hearts can deceive us if we're not careful (Jeremiah 17:9). Examine your hearts and minds; count the cost and humbly, wholeheartedly, put your hand in the hand of Jesus, and come, follow Him, unswervingly onward, till He comes.
Follow, "like a child".
~ERC June 2020~
Based on Luke 18:15-17 and 18-30.
Song, as sung by Johnny Cash and an appearance of others, like Anne Murray, singing, Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man
Heavenly Father, I feel a bit stunned today from reading Psalm 66. This Psalm starts out with shouts of joy and singing in praise to You and how awesome Your works were on men's behalf, but when we read, down a bit in the Psalm, although the Psalmist is still praising You due to the preserved lives, and Your not letting their feet slip, You still tested Your people severely.
They had to be brought through so much. They went into "prison" and burdens were laid upon their backs; You let men ride over their heads--sounds like colossal injustice; they went through fire and water. Why, all that?
Thankfully on the other side, You did bring them to a place of abundance.
Father, many times, Your people have been tested, almost beyond their endurance level; persecuted; falsely accused; and even actually sent to literal prison. They have endured so much. Yet in many situations, You found places of abundance for them. You did have mercy on them.
We fragile human beings wonder at these things. However, Father, You are sovereign, and understand You have a purpose and plan for each one who goes through turbulent waters.
I remember reading many such accounts of when Your people have been locked up and even left without food. In one instance, a hen came and laid an egg, daily, within one brother's reach but out of sight of the captors' notice. So his "abundance" was one daily, freshly-laid egg and knowing You had not forgotten him.
In another story, there was a man in China, likely in the 1960's, who was grievously maltreated for His faith in You and Jesus Christ. He was placed in a cell full of men who were hardened criminals of the worst caliber.
This lot were told that this man was worse then themselves and to treat him accordingly. Yet the love of Jesus exuded from this man and he continuously "turned the other cheek". These malefactors began to see it through the haze of their callous character. This son of Yours, heaped coals of the fire of Your love, grace and mercy upon their heads causing some life-changing effects upon the men.
In turn, the love of Jesus and Your grace, Father, turned the tide, and almost every single one in that crowded jail cell came to Christ (if I recall correctly) because of this brother's willingness to have such burdens upon his back, and have these men ride, sanctioned by jail house keepers, over his head. Yet, You preserved his life and kept his feet from slipping an brought him to that place of abundance where he could harvest treasure for Heaven, for You.
No doubt there are many other such stories. However, there are other sad stories of those who did not survive such treatment but who had remained faithful and courageous for You. Their "abundance" was to be with You. We can only believe that their deaths were not in vain.
For those who are even now enduring such atrocities, may it be that by the grace of God they'll stand true and firm for You, and NOT be shaken. I ask that they have the courage it takes as the apostle Paul did as we read of in the epistles in the New Testament. Some of the other apostles and disciples: "ordinary", everyday disciples for Jesus Christ, also stood up firmly to such tests. In fact, in the Bible times and all down throughout the ages since, each have their generations of brothers and sisters-in-Christ who have had the courage that could only have emanated from You, Father, and the love of Jesus Christ, to stand firm.
Father, as we consider Your preservation of these people, may we indeed have songs of praise, a sacrifice from our lips, to You. May all who fear You come and listen and share with one another all those works You have done for the people of God; Jew and Gentile, alike. Testimonies of how they have cried out to You and praised You because, Father, You surely listen and hear the voices of prayer and praise.
Father, help us not to cherish sin in our hearts. Help us to confess it to You because we know You will listen, forgive and purify us from all our sin (1 John 1:9). We know You will not reject the repentant heart. You will not withhold Your love from us when those burdens come to us. In fact, you go many extra miles for us.
Thank-you for preserving our lives.
I give You thanks in the wonderful and precious Name of Jesus Christ.
~ERC February 2020~
(originally prayed)
Prayer based on Psalm 66.
"Whatever is He talking about!? puzzled the disciples. "What does Jesus mean by informing us He's to suffer and die and rise again in three days!? This is the third time He's predicting such an unfathomable occurrence and we still can't understand what He's trying to tell us" (Luke 9:22; 43-45 and Luke 18:31-43)!
It was just too unthinkable for them. How could this sort of tragedy befall the most wonderfully, compassionate, kind and good Person!? They just could not understand it.
It is suggested in the study guide (SPM*) that the meaning had been hidden from the disciples because, as yet, they had not internalized the values of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, they were not yet ready to "get it'.
After Jesus prediction had come to pass and He had been resurrected and was on the verge of ascending back into Heaven, the disciples' minds were opened by Him and then they understood (Luke 24:45-49). Later on, once they had received the Holy Spirit, they understood much more, again, of all that Jesus had taught over those three years since He'd said to them, "Come, follow Me" and they had done just that.
Similarly, if we too, internalize God's Word, we will be more apt to understand His will and ways. When we "hide God's Word in our hearts" and obey it, hence comes that understanding and internalization.
That's, "making it your own," as if its part of your DNA. Then it will come naturally to you, especially with the help of the Holy Spirit, as well as to listen with open ears, minds and hearts to His leading.
Wonderful to know though, that in addition to this, at our disposal is our own mouths, if they are used to "ask". Ask the Lord to open our understanding. "Father, what is it You want me to know, to learn, to do?" Ask to make our minds and hearts ready to receive His answer; to make us ready to "get it".
Surely then, our understanding of the Scriptures will make us "wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15) and teach us how to live to please and honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What's more, to also establish an unsurpassed and unshakable relationship with our Heavenly Father. That would be a connection to expect the unexpected, in an amazing grace-filled manner.
For the disciples, though, it hadn't all sunken into their minds, perhaps, the idea was so foreign to them--so different from whatever they had experienced in all their grown up lives. They were adults and had experienced much and seen much of life. They were so Jewish (not a bad thing) and according to their teachings and way of life, this kind of thing had never happened.
Yes, they'd walked the dusty roads with Jesus for three solid years and had witnessed many 'foreign' things : miraculous healings; Jesus compassion for women, especially widows; tax collectors and even children! Hey! They even saw Him raise a young damsel, Lazarus and a widow's only son from the dead.
That made many people stop dead in their tracks! Raising a dead man at a funeral!? What next? Totally mind-boggling! Nevertheless, to have someone resurrect?! Never to die again! How could this be?
Recall, to rise from the dead, these now living souls, would once again, die. In contrast, to resurrect, means that to come alive again, and to stay so. By the end of this book of Luke we find that Jesus did do just that! Just think, this will also happen to those of us who have fallen, and will fall, asleep in Jesus, before the rapture. They/we will rise first and be caught up to Heaven, together, with those of God's children still living, to meet our Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Doesn't that make your heart sing?
All praise to our Abba, Father in Heaven!
Shifting the topic a bit, here's a question for you. Who do you think killed Jesus and got this prediction started? Was it the Jews? Was it the Gentiles? After all, Jesus said He was going to be handed over to the Gentiles. So, who was the who, who handed Him over and killed Him?
It was all of us! All human kind.
"All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Jesus suffered and died in our stead. He took the punishment, the debt, owed for the atonement of all our sins. In effect, then, none of us can point any fingers at one people group or another. We need to point at our self, admit we are a sinner; repent, confess our sins to God, and accept His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. In so doing, we make Him Savior and Lord of our life.
I pray that Your hearts and minds are opened to this understanding and gift God our Maker, and Jesus our Redeemer, have obtained for His human creatures.
That being said, we do know that God often uses mankind to fulfill His sovereign will and purposes. It was the Jewish leaders who handed Jesus over to the Gentiles. The Gentiles, in this case, being the Romans under whose rule they were encaptured.
So saying, because the Jews could not perpetrate the sentencing and death penalty, they were seeking, they "handed Jesus over" to their captors, the Romans.
That was only part of the motivation. Another being the more true catalyst, was their jealousy turned to hatred of Jesus. Jesus showed them up. He was kind and good to the crowds; the crowds instinctively knew He was speaking with authority and not with pomp as many of the Pharisees likely did. This, a conclusion to how the Pharisees in Jesus' parable had prayed; and the pride that oozed from his pores and even that of the rich young ruler who'd come to Jesus seeking what more he had to do to inherit eternal life (Luke 18:18-30). The crowds also followed Jesus in hordes, popular for having fed them (what a feat! Jesus came from a poor family, you know. How could He have afforded such a feast? And for so many!)
The list goes on...He healed many of their diseases, sicknesses; the blind, lame and deaf, etc.; not forgetting the raisings from the dead. The people were drawn to Jesus. This irritated, annoyed and angered the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Jealousy and hatred festered away in their hearts, culminating in handing Jesus over to the Gentiles with insistent shouts of, "Crucify Him!" "Crucify Him!"
What did the Roman Gentiles do? They insulted Jesus; made fun of him; spit on Him, whipped Him...and killed Him. All this He endured, for me and for you.
All this took place in Jerusalem, as Jesus had foretold. How though, did the Jews "trick" the Romans into doing their bidding? So tricky and subtle. They used the Law.
Being under the Romans who had a mighty empire at the time with, naturally, an Emperor whom they called Caesar, anyone else who claimed to be a king come to set up a kingdom was a threat that had to be taken seriously, for it was a serious crime. One could not have another stirring up rebellions and creating a coup. No siree!
This is the element the Jews latched on to, Jesus' claim to be the king of the Jews and equal with God. To the Jews, this was blasphemy: a man (to them Jesus was only a man--at least, they did not want to admit He was more), claiming to be God, should be put to death.
Perhaps some legitimately believed that He was only a man albeit a very good one. Whatever, the combined result was Jesus being handed over to the Gentiles. Sure enough, He suffered, died and resurrected. Praise God for all of that! What Satan intends for harm, God converts into good.
Think on all of this as you partake of the bread and drink of the cup on any given Lord's Day. Pass these emblems one to another and praise God, our Heavenly Father, and Jesus our Lord and Savior for all He has done and is doing in your life; especially His ultimate sacrifice, given from a heart full of love for me and for you.
No one will ever plumb the depths of God and His sovereign will and what Jesus went through for us, but we can understand some of the tip of that iceberg, and therefore, to a limited degree, be able to "get it".
~ERC June 2020~
Based on Luke 18:31-34.
*SPM = Study Guide for Grade 11 Students in Malaysia; Good News Resources, and Issachar Sdn. Bhd.; nineth printing 2011; writer, Goh Kim Guat
Sing reverently, There is a Redeemer, Keith Green.
How did David know? How did he know this about angels?
"Praise the LORD, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His Word" (Psalm 103:20 NIV).
David wrote: "angels do God's bidding" and "obey His Word".
Maybe there was more angel-mortal encounters back then; more visions and dreams of angel activity and bringing of messages in ancient times. Right off the bat I can think of the Jacob and the ladder of ascending and descending angels to Heaven and back, dream. A dream he had while he slept on his rock pillow (Genesis 28:10-19); of Abraham being visited and given the message about a son to be born to him--such joyful, almost unbelievable news. He had other interaction with angels, reporting and warning of coming judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah; Lot was visited by those same angels come to bring the destruction. They practically dragged Lot and family out of the twin cities to ensure their safety (Genesis 18-19); Ezekiel (Chapters 1 and 10) had visions of them.
Was it from these types of experiences that David deduced his "findings"? Perhaps. However, the point is that the angels obeyed God's Word and did His bidding and he is asking them, "all His Heavenly hosts," these "God's servants," to praise the LORD. Seems obedience to God is linked to praising Him.
This Psalm division actually opens with David exhorting himself, not just in his mind, but from his "innermost being", to "praise the LORD". He really loves doing this. In other Psalms, he speaks of enjoying it, especially when others join in and go to the Tabernacle (House of God), to praise the LORD together with others.
We think of humans praising the Lord for all He has done for us and even of encouraging others to praise, to give thanks with gratitude in our hearts for all He has done. Yet, this is more praise for Who He is that David's referring to. Praise because He is the: Redeemer, Rock, Refuge, Fortress; Deliverer; our Maker and many more...
David is not content just for himself and other people to praise God in adoration of Him, he wants the angels to join in. From the book of Revelation we can see that the angels do. Their praise rings out together with the myriads of redeemed saints; in fact it's quite "noisy" in Heaven with it all and the other activities that took place in John's visions (Revelation 5:11, 12; 7:11, 12; 15:1-4). Yet, David would not have known this.
If you read the whole of Psalm 103, you'll discover other aspects of God's character David specifically mentioned. We too, can praise God for these!
"Father God, thank-You for Your forgiveness of our sins"; for "healing our diseases", for "redeeming our lives form the pit" and "crowning us with Your love and compassion". You have given us good things that we can respectively enumerate, and can renew our "youth" like the eagles'.
Father, as one approaches the age of 60 years, in the near future, this verse seems rather apropos as I do not feel very youthful. Nonetheless, David must have found this to be true, so I'll take his word for it, that there's potential renewal in these praisin' bones yet. Shake a leg...
The list goes on..."the LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed." Praise You, LORD for this especially at this time in the USA of all the demonstrations re: rife racism. Father, we praise you that you can help here too, and in the conflict currently between the Korea's. May Your righteousness, mitigation and justice reign in those places like it's a forgone conclusion.
We praise you for Your compassion and graciousness. Spread this mantle over us and make it radiate out to others in "ripple effect". May these ripples nip at the heels of others and make them burst into praise too.
Your love is so great for Your mankind creatures. Thank-You for this love that compelled action. That action that would remove our sins and transgressions far, far from us: as "far as the east is from the west". Your everlasting love encompasses us. What wondrous love this is!
In Jesus Name we praise You, Father.
This might seem a bit creepy to some but I'm going to say it anyway...
The angels are watching, watching us (1 Corinthians 11:10) to see how we do.
The angels are also praising.
Let's all praise the LORD for "all His works" and for who He is. I still don't know how David knew but let's...join the obedient angels, praising our Heavenly Father, anyway.
~ERC June 2020~
Based on Psalm 103.
Sing, Praise Him in the Morning by pcm church
I will Praise Him, Give Him Glory as sung by Bill and Gloria Gaither's Music
