“Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” – Psalm 4:1
At first, this cry for help seems very demanding. However, closer inspection shows that this is really the cry of desperation. Have you been there? I surely have and I regularly hear from folks who are there now. But, read how this Psalm ends! What is the secret to surviving a long agony? I believe three things are important:
1) honesty in our prayer life with God,
2) confidence that God hears and cares even when our prayers sizzle with pain and frustration,
3) genuine praise for God included in our prayers even when things seem bleak. It's not a magical formula, but it is a Spirit-inspired one .. check it out in Psalm 4!
Are you without Sin?
“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her [the woman caught in adultery]." – John 8:7
When we find it easy to identify the sin of others, God wants us to be reminded of how important it is for us to take a rigorously honest inventory of our own faithfulness. He wants us to deal with our own sin before we evaluate anyone else.
Thoughts
"Pardon comes not to the soul alone; or rather, Christ comes not to the soul with pardon only! It is that which He opens the door and enters by, but He comes with a Spirit of life and power." - John Owen
"God did not write a book and send it by messenger to be read at a distance by unaided minds. He spoke a Book and lives in His spoken words, constantly speaking His words and causing the power of them to persist across the years."
— A. W. Tozer
Prayer
. Lord, thank You for delaying my punishment, giving me time to repent and change my life. I know we aren’t promised a tomorrow, so please help others to change today, while there is still time to turn from evil and live for You. Make them deaf to Satan’s whispers to delay to obey. Let them only hear Your Spirit and be willing to respond. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Message No: 6667]
At first, this cry for help seems very demanding. However, closer inspection shows that this is really the cry of desperation. Have you been there? I surely have and I regularly hear from folks who are there now. But, read how this Psalm ends! What is the secret to surviving a long agony? I believe three things are important:
1) honesty in our prayer life with God,
2) confidence that God hears and cares even when our prayers sizzle with pain and frustration,
3) genuine praise for God included in our prayers even when things seem bleak. It's not a magical formula, but it is a Spirit-inspired one .. check it out in Psalm 4!
Are you without Sin?
“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her [the woman caught in adultery]." – John 8:7
When we find it easy to identify the sin of others, God wants us to be reminded of how important it is for us to take a rigorously honest inventory of our own faithfulness. He wants us to deal with our own sin before we evaluate anyone else.
Thoughts
"Pardon comes not to the soul alone; or rather, Christ comes not to the soul with pardon only! It is that which He opens the door and enters by, but He comes with a Spirit of life and power." - John Owen
"God did not write a book and send it by messenger to be read at a distance by unaided minds. He spoke a Book and lives in His spoken words, constantly speaking His words and causing the power of them to persist across the years."
— A. W. Tozer
Prayer
. Lord, thank You for delaying my punishment, giving me time to repent and change my life. I know we aren’t promised a tomorrow, so please help others to change today, while there is still time to turn from evil and live for You. Make them deaf to Satan’s whispers to delay to obey. Let them only hear Your Spirit and be willing to respond. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Message No: 6667]
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