Thursday, December
27, 2012, 4:57 a.m. – The Lord Jesus woke me with the song “A Believer’s Prayer” playing in my
mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 61-65 (quoting selected passages from the NIV 1984):
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the
earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my
refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in
your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your
wings. Selah
For you have heard my
vows, O God;
you have given me the heritage of those who
fear your name…
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for
you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary
land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the
sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is
better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as
long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be
satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember
you;
I think of you through the watches of the
night.
Because you are my
help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me…
When we were
overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
Blessed are those you
choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the
good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
You answer us with
awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope of all the
ends of the earth…
My Cry
The psalmist David prayed to God. He
described his emotional state of mind as having grown faint of heart. He was
short on courage and/or was feeling timid, perhaps. Or, he may have been
disturbed in heart and mind by some type of difficult circumstance he was
facing. Or, he could have been feeling very emotionally weak and in great need
of the strength of the Lord in his life in order to keep going, and to be able
to meet the challenges yet to face him. He was crying out to God, so something
was certainly troubling him in his spirit. As was often the case, he was
confronted by enemies all around him; with those who made slanderous
accusations against him, and who hotly pursued him with the hope that he would
be taken down. There were many who sought to take his life, yet God was his
strength, hope and sustaining force through all of his troubles and
difficulties.
Perhaps today you can identify with the
emotions of the psalmist. Maybe you are being faced with some very challenging
and difficult circumstances in your life right now that are pulling at you
and/or are weighing you down emotionally. You may even be experiencing enemy
forces coming against you in hot pursuit, perhaps merely through the attacks of
Satan on your emotions, mind and/or body, or possibly there are other human
beings, even family members, fellow Christians, neighbors and/or friends who
are presently standing strong in opposition against you because of something
you believe in and/or are taking a stand on, or for whatever reason they may be
against you. As well, you could be mourning over the loss of a loved one, or
the loss of a job or some other tragedy in your life.
I know from personal experience that these
types of situations can be physically and emotionally draining, and can sap you
of all your physical and emotional strength so that you may wonder how you will
keep going. The temptation may be strong to just give up and/or to give in to
your flesh and/or to withdraw and sink into self-pity and/or depression. It is
hard to be rejected and/or hated and/or misunderstood, especially by those you
love. It is difficult to have slanderous accusations made against your
character and for people to believe the lies being told against you. It is
tough when you treat others with kindness and love only to have them treat you
with disdain in return. And, although we are to count it all joy when we suffer
for righteousness sake, it is not always easy doing that. So, that is why we,
like the psalmist, must cry out to God for his strength and help to make it
through.
My
Sanctuary
The psalmist’s salvation was his God and his
hope and faith in his Lord. He knew instinctively to call upon God whenever he
was facing trouble. He trusted God with his life, and asked for his leadership
and guidance in knowing what to do and in how to respond appropriately to his
circumstances. The Rock that was higher than the psalmist was his Lord, Jesus
Christ, God the Son. In his Lord he took refuge, especially when his foes
pressed hard against him.
The Lord was his sanctuary, i.e. his shelter
in a storm, his protection and his safe haven. The word sanctuary is also used
to describe the Holy of Holies, i.e. the inner sanctuary of God where his
presence dwelt. Now that sanctuary is in the hearts of true followers of Jesus
Christ, and we can go to meet with God any time of day, any day of the week, and
at any location. So, when we call on God it does not have to be in a particular
way or at a specific time or even at a set location. We can go to him anytime
in prayer and talk with him just like we would a best friend. We can pour out
our hearts to him and tell him all our troubles, and trust him to meet all of
our needs.
The psalmist longed to dwell in the tent
(sanctuary; temple) of the Lord forever and to take refuge in the shelter of
his wings (like the wings of a mother bird protecting her young). Oh, that we
would all have that kind of relationship with Jesus Christ to where we long and
hunger for our times with him each day, lest our times alone with him become
routine and nonproductive because we are just going through the motions. Oh,
that we all had that kind of passion and desire for our Lord and for his
presence! And, oh, that we would all take our “marriage” vows to our Lord Jesus
seriously and that we would honor him in all that we do. Oh, that we would all
be very in tune to God’s voice and presence with us when we lie down to sleep
at night, when we wake in the morning, and throughout the day, so that we would
desire nothing more than to please him in all we do and say.
My
Praise
The psalmist knew what it was to truly fear
(respect; reverence; obey; and to stand in awe of) God Almighty. He loved God
with all his heart, mind and strength. And, he regularly praised God for all
his awesome deeds, both those done for the psalmist personally, and for those
done in behalf of all mankind and all living things. He praised God for the
heritage God had given to him and to all who feared (reverenced; respected) God
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. He praised and thanked God for his love,
faithfulness and protection. He respected God for his power and his glory and
he thanked him for all his many provisions. He adored his Lord for the personal
relationship he had with him to where he could go before the Lord and pour out
his heart and know that God would hear him and would answer him. And he expressed
gratitude in his heart for God’s many acts of righteousness – for his
forgiveness of sins and for his salvation.
The psalmist expressed his praise for God in
many ways. He verbally praised, reverenced and thanked God through written and
spoken word and through song. He also showed appreciation for God through the
fulfillment of his covenant vows to God.
Our covenant vows to God today are much like
the ones expressed by the psalmist. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we
make an agreement with God to turn away from a life of sin and to turn to walk
in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ and to his commands for our lives (see
Eph. 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-25; Rom. 12:1-2). Yet we understand that this is not of
our own making nor can we do this in our own strength and power. Even the
ability to believe in Jesus Christ and to turn from our sins and to walk in
faithful obedience to Christ is a gift of God’s grace and can only be
accomplished in the power and strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit of God
within us, as we cooperate with that work.
I pray today that each one of us would
fulfill our covenant (marriage) vows to Jesus Christ, that we would long for
his presence, and love our times alone with him each day, and that we would
continually praise him in all things; and give him the respect, honor and
reverence he deserves - with our mouths, with our hearts, and revealed and
evidenced through how we live our lives each and every day for him and for his
glory.
A
Believer’s Prayer / An Original Work / July 31, 2012
With
my whole heart,
Lord,
I pray to be Yours,
And
Yours always.
Lead
me in Your truth today.
May
I love You, and obey.
Lead
me in Your righteousness.
When
I sin, may I confess;
Bow
before You when I pray;
Live
for You and You always.
Love
You, Jesus,
You’re
my friend.
Life
with You will never end.
You
are with me through each day,
Giving
love and peace always.
You
will ne’er abandon me.
From
my sin You set me free.
You
died on that cruel tree,
So
I’d live eternally.
Soon
You’re coming back for me;
From
this world to set me free;
Live
with You eternally.
Oh,
what joy that brings to me.
I
will walk with You in white;
A
pure bride,
I’ve
been made right
By
the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned
by His sacrifice.
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