A Mother’s Prayers
(NIV) Rev 5:8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song…
Today is my mother’s birthday. She has lived almost as many years in heaven as she did on this earth.
I have grieved over many things in my lifetime, and one of the things I have mourned was the loss of my mother’s prayers. You see, I awoke many times hearing my mother cry out to God on behalf of her children. Not long after she died I realized I had no one to cover me in prayer. I felt that loss almost as much as my mother’s physical presence.
But then one day many years later I read this passage in the book of the Revelation. What joy I felt when I realized my mother’s prayers are all still in heaven, stored up in golden vials for me, my brother and my sister. And I am amazed once again at how intricately woven together is God’s universe. He has left nothing to chance, nothing undone, making provision even for a mother’s prayers.
What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
May we each be comforted in knowing that every prayer ever spoken on our behalf is stored in heaven, and may we take a moment to praise God for His great love.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
May my words be acceptable
(NIV) Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD. 21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction. 22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
but folly brings punishment to fools. 23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
and their lips promote instruction. 24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
We are “immersed” in a Discipleship training course at Rock Creek, and we were asked to think about the idea that we have become so accustomed to noise that it is difficult to live without it. But all of this noise serves to block out not just our restless thoughts, or awkward gaps in conversations, but also the voice of God. We turn on music while reading scripture, we have television on in the background while praying—is it any wonder our prayer life is ineffective?
Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, so our struggle for solace, and indeed for a godly communion, is not original, but it is nonetheless important. We talk too much. Silence can be uncomfortable, so we fill the void with words—any words. Have you ever considered that discerning thoughts lead to acceptable words?
Today’s scripture tells us that when we are discerning with our thoughts, then our words are gracious, and that gracious words promote healing. What a wonderful word picture that sweet words are healing even to the bones! But I think even more important is the effect gracious, or kind words, have on those around us.
Kindness promotes kindness. Understanding promotes understanding. May we begin each day, not just talking to God, but listening—really listening with our hearts. And may we turn our thoughts into words, and our words into actions.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sing with joy
(NIV) Psalm 32:11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
I sometimes think of all of the people from the Old Testament I want to meet in heaven.
- Isaiah, of course with his account of seeing the Lord in His throne room. And I will ask him what he was thinking and feeling as he penned that wonderful piece (we know it as the 40th chapter) where he speaks comfort to God’s people, and promises a renewal of their strength.
- Deborah, the only female judge, whose army of men wielding only spears defeated Sisera and his 900 iron chariots
- Ruth, whose loyalty was exceeded only by her trust
- Esther, who overcame fear of personal harm to save her people
- Rahab, whose obedience enabled her to save her family and earned her a place in the Hebrews Hall of Fame (Chapter 11)
- Nehemiah, who left the comforts of the palace of Artexerxes to lead the remnant left in Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.
And then there is David, who played his harp first for his father’s sheep and then for King Saul. David, who was called the apple of God’s eye, yet who acknowledged his sin was ever before him.
I will ask to hear the stories not yet told, and to rejoice with him over his love for God and his account of redemption. And then I will ask him to play his harp, perhaps singing those beautiful words, “as the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee.”
And as David sings a new song of praise to the King of Kings, I will join in with my own new song worshipping God for all He is worth. Then I will talk to the leaders of the first century churches.
But for the first one thousand years I will sit at Jesus’ feet, I will hold family and friends close, and I will sing with joy unspeakable and full of glory. That is what I will do when I get to heaven. How about you?
May we live today in a way that is pleasing to God, anticipating the joys of heaven while being the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Forgiven
(NIV) Psalm 32
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Do you think of David as being a hero, or is he too flawed? David was indeed flawed, but the thing that draws me to him was his innate understanding of Who God was and who David was in God.
When I first gave my life to Christ, I got it so wrong. I thought being a Christian meant I was to be sinless, which meant I had to be perfect. So, if I sinned I thought I had lost my salvation, or perhaps I never really had a saving relationship with God. Why didn’t someone tell me all I had to be was willing to ask for forgiveness? Why didn’t someone say to me that there are tools to help us live a lifestyle that is pleasing to God, and trying to be perfect was not one of them.
What are some of the tools David shows us in this psalm to enable us to live a Christian lifestyle?
- Be quick to confess your sins. David says when he kept quiet, he literally became sick. Sin does that, but Grace makes us whole.
- Seek out the Lord while He may be found. God never leaves us nor forsakes us, but the more we consort with sin, the farther we stray from God.
- Make God your hiding place. There is safety in the cleft of the Rock because that Rock is Jesus.
- Sing, sing, sing. There is deliverance in singing. My vocal cords are shot, but I can still make a joyful noise, and so can you.
May we find peace, forgiveness and joy as we walk daily with our Lord.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Living in the Light
(NIV) Incarnation of the Word of Life
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched —this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
I have long been enthralled by the relationship between light and dark. As a child I was afraid of the dark, going so far as to cover my head in bed so I would not be aware of when the lights were turned off. I think of the spiritual relationship between light and dark, and it is clear that what John says is so true—God is light and not only is there no darkness in Him, but He will not be in relationship with those in the darkness.
I think of Jesus walking in this glorious light, a light that emanates from Him, and holding hands with someone drenched in darkness—it just would not happen. Because you see the shadow cast by sin encroaches upon the light. No, for us to be in relationship with Jesus we must turn away from sin, and thus turn away from the darkness.
May we today and everyday live in the light of God’s mercy and grace as we share His love with others.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 