Friday, September 8, 2017, 6:37 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Cry for Mercy.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read Psalm 143
(ESV).
Our Prayers
(vv. 1-4)
Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to
my pleas for mercy!
In your
faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one
living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
he has
crushed my life to the ground;
he has made
me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart
within me is appalled.
As followers of Jesus Christ,
we have a shared enemy, who is Satan. His goal is to destroy us or to reform us
to his ways, which also destroys us. The closer we walk with the Lord, and the
greater impact we have for Jesus Christ in the lives of others, the stronger
the opposition is against us. But, Satan does not act alone. He has a myriad of
demons and humans who serve him, and who do his bidding, and they, too, will
come against us to try to kill us, one way or another.
They will try to discourage
and dishearten us, in hopes we will give up, or they will try to sully our
reputations so that people will not listen to us. Or, they will attempt to
trick, deceive, shame and persuade us into abandoning our commitments to Christ
Jesus, and to forsaking the sharing of his gospel of salvation with others. Or,
they will lock us up, drug us up, or do whatever they know how to do to hinder
us from sharing the gospel, for that is their ultimate goal, to keep the gospel
of Jesus Christ from spreading further, in hopes people will not turn their
hearts over to our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, when the enemy is coming
strong against us, we need to look up. We need to not let him get the best of
us, but we must keep our eyes firmly focused on Jesus Christ and the hope we have
in him. Just because things look bad, in the light of this world, it does not
mean God or his plans have changed or that he has abandoned us. He will never
leave or forsake those who are truly his, and he will work all things for good
for us who love him, and who have been called according to his purpose.
Thirst for Him
(vv. 5-8)
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on
all that you have done;
I ponder the
work of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul
thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord!
My spirit
fails!
Hide not your face from me,
lest I be
like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I
trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I
lift up my soul.
I think that, sometimes, when
things get bad in the present, we have a tendency to forget all the times
previously when God brought us through difficult circumstances. That is one of
the reasons it is good to journal, or to make notes in our Bibles or somewhere
that we can refer back to, so when things get tough, and our hearts begin to
fail, we can look back and see how God moved in our lives before, and then it
encourages and strengthens our hearts in the present. Many times I have read
through previous journals and have just wept when I read how God ministered to
my heart at another time when I was going through a time of trouble, and it
just blessed my heart.
When we go through tough
times, though, it has a way of drawing us to our Father’s bosom. When things
are going well for us, we may have a tendency to get lazy or apathetic about
our relationship with God, and to, perhaps, drift from our pure devotion to
him. So, he allows us to go through difficulties, trials and tribulations so
that we will call on him, and so we will draw closer to him, and so we mature
in our walks of faith with him, and we learn greater dependency on him. It is
for our good that he disciplines us, in other words, in order that we may share
in his holiness, and so that it might produce a harvest of his righteousness in
our lives (See: Heb. 12:1-11).
On Level Ground
(vv. 9-12)
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled
to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are
my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level
ground!
11 For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life!
In your
righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my
enemies,
and you will
destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am
your servant.
It is good for us to be afflicted
that we might learn his commands (Ps. 119:71). We often learn more through
suffering, concerning following our Lord in obedience, than we ever learn when
life is going forward without even a bump in the road. Jesus, who was/is God, and
who was perfect (sinless), learned obedience through the things he suffered.
So, how much more should we, mere humans, learn through the times of testing we
go through how to follow our Lord in surrender to his will for our lives.
So, when we go through
suffering, we should call on God, and we should ask him to teach us what we
need to learn through our time of testing, instead of always wanting to be
rescued out of it. If we are rescued too soon, we may not learn what we need
for walking closer to our Lord, and for knowing his will for our lives. I
think, as Americans, that we often miss out on all God has for us because we
are prone more towards trying to relieve our suffering rather than learning
what God has to teach us through it. I am all for relief, don’t get me wrong,
but we should not so easily look for quick fixes that we miss the blessings God
has for us in the process.
We should want (desire) to
know and to do the will of God more than we want instantaneous relief from pain
and difficulties. Too many people run to drugs for relief and never run to God.
Or, they try to escape their pain in other ways, rather than trusting the Lord
to see them through and to bring healing to their bodies, minds and hearts. So,
if you are going through a tough time right now, seek God with all your heart.
Ask him to teach you his way, that you may walk in it. Ask him to give you an undivided
heart with which to serve him. Trust him to walk you through your
circumstances, and believe him to accomplish his good for you through what you
are experiencing. And, then believe him to fill you with his peace and joy.
My Cry for Mercy
An Original Work / October
31, 2013
Based off Psalm 86
Hear my prayer, Lord, I am
needy.
Guard my life, for I’m
devoted to You.
Save me! I’m Your servant.
You are my God. I trust in
You.
O, Lord, have mercy on me,
For I call to You.
Bring joy to me, for to You
I will lift up my soul.
You are giving and forgiving.
You abound in love to all who
Call upon You. Hear my
prayer, Lord.
Listen to my cry for mercy.
In days of trouble I call to
You,
Knowing that You will
Do marvelous things,
Because You are my God.
Teach me Your way; I’ll walk
in it.
In Your truth, Lord, You will
guide me.
A pure heart, Lord, You will
give me,
So that I may glorify You.
Turn to me, Lord, and grant
Strength to Your servant.
O, Lord, You are my help,
For You love and You comfort
me.
Teach me Your way; I’ll walk
in it.
In Your truth, Lord, You will
guide me.
A pure heart, Lord, You will
give me,
So that I may glorify You.
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