Skip to main content

Psalm 88:3-5 Prayer in deep distress - Day 277

Good morning friends,

We are not told much about the circumstances of this psalm that would result in such deep distress.  Yet the light of faith is evident.  I hope these thoughts encourage you on your walk today.

Blessings,

Jeff

Psalms such as this force me to ponder, Why would anyone write such a song if he did not believe that God would hear his prayer and give him relief in some way?  

In preparation for upcoming sermon on 6th petition (lead us not into temptation...), I have been reading Calvin's chapter on prayer in the Institutes.  Section 13 God’s command and promise as motive for prayer.  Not only are we commanded to pray, we are given the promise that God hears and will answer.  It seems to me, that the psalmist, Heman the Ezrahite, knew this deep in his soul.  

All the world has to offer is "The seven stages of grief".  Of course, to the promise to hear and answer is only to those who believe that the God who gave the promise actually exists.  The world denies God's existence, so the seven stages are the cheap imitation for prayer.

Dear friend, if you are in the place of Heman, know that these are not just soothing words to make you feel better.  God is real, He commands us to pray even in the darkest times and He promises to answer.  He wants us to be able to pour out our hearts before Him.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revelation 22:3-5 Final and eternal restoration - Day 365

Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...
Post a Comment
Read more

Malachi 2:10-12 Here we go again!! Day 363

Good afternoon friends, As we draw to the end of the Old Testament, we see that Judah has rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, but they are following in the footsteps of faithless fathers and not in the footsteps of Abraham and ultimately God.  The exile was a low point, but now a new low is about to happen.  The prophetic voice has once again become warning and not encouraging. Faithful reading and preaching of the word is all that keeps us from losing our way.  May we be faithful in our generation. Blessings, Jeff I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  The section summary, chapter and verse are not in the original language.  They are all rather modern inventions to help us.  For example, the section title here is "Judah profaned the Covenant".  That is OK as far as it goes, but which Covenant?  So let's take a look. Observations Starts with 3 questions but who is asking the questions and to whom are they addre...
Post a Comment
Read more

Romans 14:1-6 Not hindering the way of a brother Day 42

Good morning brothers and sisters, During sermon yesterday (originally written 10/12/20) I mentioned Martin Luther's approach to prayer in the letter to Master Peter.  I still have much to learn, but hope that we can learn and grow together. In the Beloved Jeff  Using Luther's "wreath of four strands" from  A Simple way to Pray  Instruction, thanksgiving, confession, petition.  Goal is a heart warmed and inclined to prayer. Instruction - textbook - what do these 4 verses teach me about what God expects of me? Not to pass judgment on one another any longer by deciding not to hinder the way of a brother.  Paul gives an example of food.  I think of "pass judgment" as a mental or verbal activity, but "not hindering" is a physical activity.  What I think or say about a brother or sister will show up in the way I treat them.  God is extremely interested in how we live with each other. Note of reminder - Faith and practice.  Paul develops theol...
Post a Comment
Read more