We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.
The audio file below is the entire episode for today. The text below is today’s prayer. I’m reading the Contemporary English Version of the Text, copyright 1995, by the American Bible Society.
God. Abba. Father.
We praise you with the psalmist today for you are worthy to be praised! We thank you that everyone will eventually come to your throne, recognizing our sin-filled lives. Yes, our sin is just too much for us to bear. Our guilt consumes us. But the very good news is that you are quick to forgive us all. You have removed our sins once and for all, by the grace offered through Jesus. You have invited us to live with you and worship you in your holy place. Thank you!
You have saved us. You have answered our prayers. You are our great hope. You have created the earth out of nothing. You formed the mountains. Through your strength the oceans were filled. And all of creation responds to your commands. Yes, the whole earth is filled with awe and joy at your hands.
We thank you for the seasons of planting, watering, growing and harvesting. The hills dance and the valleys blossom. You provide for our blessing and bounty. We sing to you! We thank you for the promise of our inheritance. We join with the flowers and the animals, the grain and the clouds, the rivers and oceans, the mountains and the rolling meadows in songs of joy and praise to your holy and wonderous name. You are the Creator. You are our King. You are our Shepherd. You are our loving Father.
We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.
The audio file below is the entire episode for today. The text below is today’s prayer. I’m reading the Contemporary English Version of the Text, copyright 1995, by the American Bible Society.
God. Abba. Father.
Hear our prayer. Today we need to vent. It seems there are some times when the circumstances of our lives take us down and defeat us. It’s the cruelty of strangers or the deep wounds from a friend or even harsh insults from those we love the most. Please protect us. Guard our hearts. And please forgive us when we are those people to others. Yes, we know and confess that our minds can also be cunning and our tongues ruthless.
We choose to fall on our faces before you, oh God. We are in awe of who you are and your holy ways. We bow before you and proclaim the great works of your hand. It is good for us to ponder your righteousness and aspire, by your grace, to live a zealous life as your disciples.
We rejoice in you, Yahweh. We are glad and run to your arms. Thank you for blessing your people with peace and happiness. We celebrate you today.
We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.
The audio file below is the entire episode for today. The text below is today’s prayer. I’m reading the Contemporary English Version of the Text, copyright 1995, by the American Bible Society.
God. Abba. Father.
Today we join with psalmist in praising you, our great King! We will say of you, oh God, “There is none like you! How awesome are your deeds!” And we think of our lives and wonder at how you have been with us through it all. You have encouraged us. You have challenged us. You have blessed us. You have taken care of us. Thank you.
You are the steady rock, the one thing that never moves or fails us, Lord. You have pushed us and tested us. You have walked along side us. You are the anchor in an ocean of the waves of life that toss us back and forth. As you have pushed and prodded, you have refined us like silver. You have polished and molded us so that we humbly reflect your image as the master silversmith. You have brought us to our own Promised Land. Thank you!
We will worship you! We will, with great joy, tell others of all that you have done for us. Thank you for hearing our prayers. You are such a great listener. And you didn’t turn away from us. Even when we confessed our most terrible thoughts and sins. You have chosen to love us, unconditionally. You offer grace in abundance.
We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.
The audio file below is the entire episode for today. The text below is today’s prayer. I’m reading the Contemporary English Version of the Text, copyright 1995, by the American Bible Society.
God. Abba. Father.
We thank you for forgiveness today, Lord. Your word says we all get to rejoice because our transgressions, our sins, are wiped away. You hold nothing against us when we stopped hiding from you.
Before we opened our hearts to you, our bodies were exhausted and weak. Night and day our guilt consumed us and sapped the strength from our very bones.
But once we acknowledged our failures, the pressure was gone. We thank you for the relief and joy we have found in your grace… our guilt dissolved; our sin disappeared.
We worship you Lord! You are our strong and mighty foundation. When the devastation of sin threatens to sink us, we won’t be swept away. You are our hiding place. You keep danger at bay. You surround us with songs of joy and praise and deliverance! Thank you for agreeing to teach us and to lead us. We are humbled, oh God, that you want us to be your students. Thank you for keeping your loving eye always on us.
We celebrate and sing together. You are good to your people. We trust you and thank you for shielding us with kindness and surrounding us with your unfailing love.
And, of course Lord, we thank you because forgiveness doesn’t happen today without the grace of Jesus… in whose name we pray. Amen.
I know a lot of things. It comes with the territory. God speaks to me. He reveals His truths to me. And He puts me in positions to hear and to learn of things. He then calls me to act.
And right now, He has graciously given me the assignment of watching over our king.
My name is Nathan. And I serve in the royal court of David, the King of Israel. Our majesty has a good heart. He truly does. Like all of us, sometimes he is selfish, and his pride gets in the way of God’s best.
Such is the case of the shepherd boy turned monarch and his major lack of judgement. I honestly had trouble believing it when Bathsheba confided in me. Certainly I could understand how any man would be swayed by her beauty. But first it was one thing, then another and another… and as she unveiled each new plot twist of the story my heart broke for both of them.
By now the whole kingdom knows what kind of man our sovereign is… He is a voyeuristic, lustful, conniving, wife-stealing, adulterer, who committed murder to cover up his wretched ways. Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? And, indeed, it is. Who wants a ruler like that? Aren’t those in power supposed to be above the fray of life’s messes? Or, do we, just maybe, prefer someone in a seat of power whose day-to-day family life is as chaotic as ours? Could it be that it shows how human and ordinary they are?
Time elapsed and worry increased. Fear of being caught began to enter the scene. When confronted with his sin, David had two choices… more coverups, more lies, more asserting his standing and power, more murders, perhaps? Indeed, as I spoke to him in quiet whispers that cool day in his chambers, I wondered if my own life might be at stake… Or, the other choice: David could open his heart and concede to his disgraceful acts. When the Lord revealed David’s muddled mess to me and I challenged the king about it, our ruler did the right thing. The gravity of his actions began to make his heart race and his lips quiver. He uttered six words: “I have sinned against the Lord.” And he began to sob uncontrollably. He fell to his knees and grabbed my tunic.
As his mentor and friend, can I say I’m proud of him? Lessor men, like his predecessor Saul, are full of excuses. Certainly David could have suggested it was a combination of Bathsheba’s and her husband Uriah’s doing. David might have blamed it on his wife Michal and her coolness to the way he worshipped before God. David could have invoked some sort of royal privilege, I suppose. No. Our king confessed.
He later showed me how he wrestled with Yahweh about this terrible sin. You know, David really connects with God through worship. So, the musician wrote a song that began with this plea: “Have mercy on me, oh God, according to your unfailing love…”
David knows that God and only God can blot out man’s transgressions. Only God can wash away our iniquities. Only God can restore to us the joy of His salvation.
God’s judgement against David and Bathsheba was to take the life of their son. Again, that is horrible. But God’s grace is new today, and every day. The royal couple will have another son soon. And God has assured me that His hand will be on this heir, in ways that reflect God’s steadfast spirit and astute wisdom. They will call this child “Solomon.”
Some of the words, actions and thoughts, perhaps, of Nathan the Prophet and David the King from 2 Samuel 11 and 12 and Psalm 51.
Jesus, in the Garden, prays for you and me, asking that we may live in unity. (John 17:21-23)
I have a friend who is a gym teacher at an all boys elementary school. He loves to tell a great story about watching kids line up for gym class. You can see them, can’t you? All dressed identical in little navy gym shorts and grey t-shirts. Timmy pokes Jason in the side. Jason pokes him back. Timmy slaps Jason. Jason slaps him back. Soon, it escalates to shoving, and before you know it, one of them is on the ground looking up at the gym lights and rafters.
Sometimes, it is that way with grown-ups too, isn’t it? At work. In your family. Even at church. Mr. Smith says something to Mr. Franklin that just happens to push Mr. Franklin’s buttons. Before you know it, Mr. Smith is offended. At Men’s Bible study coffee the next morning, Mr. Smith is telling Mr. Thompson about how horrible a man Mr. Franklin is. Mr. Thompson sees Mr. Franklin the next Sunday morning and decides not to talk with him any longer. Mrs. Franklin then sees Mrs. Smith at the Ladies Bible Study on Tuesday and gives her an earful and Mrs. Thompson stands off to the side and can’t imagine why her two dear friends are terribly miffed at each other.
Miscommunication. Being misunderstood. A short email not intended to be mean-spirited turns into hurt feelings and an offended heart. Holding grudges then turns into bitterness. And it can be like a malignant cancer that spreads not only through one person, but among a whole group of people. And things get ugly.
And every one of us is susceptible to ugliness, because every one of us is human… and we are sinners. Relational conflict is a part of a normal life. Solomon suggested it is healthy as it sharpens us. Ugliness and slander and gossip, however, are sin.
The Bible is full of great counsel on how to handle relating to one another.
If you look at the Ten Commandments, they are all about relating. The first four outline our relationship to God; the other six provide rules for our relationship with one another. There are hundreds of scriptures that deal with relationships and communication. Here are a few:
A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.
Proverbs 15:1 (The Message)
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Ephesians 4:29 (The Message)
Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
2 Timothy 2:16 (NIV)
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
Proverbs 18:21
Or as the Living Bible puts it:
“Those who love to talk will suffer the consequences. Men have died for saying the wrong thing!”
The gospel according to my mom said it this way: “Ask these three questions before opening your mouth: Is it needful? Is it truthful? Is it kind?”
Words are important.
Think about that for a moment. Think about when words have lifted you up and given you life. “It’s a boy!” “Yes, I will marry you!” Or those times when you have been devastated by words, and even brought death… death to a marriage, death to a lifelong friendship, death to a dream. All because someone merely spoke some words.
Jesus takes it a step further by saying in Matthew 18. verse 18: “What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this.” Your words are eternal! Once spoken they continue on into the cosmos forever… like a stone that ripples in a borderless pond.
Yet, even with all this warning in the Bible, sometimes we say dumb things, don’t we? Sometimes we don’t think before we speak, do we? And when that happens, there is a “blazing flame of destruction and disaster” (see James 3).
So, if we can control our tongue that’s good. If we think before we speak, that’s good. But when we don’t, we often hurt other people. And then what happens next? There is anger. Bitterness. Friendships are strained. Lifelong relationships are fractured.
But Jesus… the grace of Jesus gives us some very practical tools to bring reconciliation. And that is why during this Thanksgiving season we can be thankful for His grace and His perfect plan of forgiveness. With the Holy Spirit guiding us, we have the ability to walk with joy with one another.
What is His plan for forgiveness? Matthew 18:15-17 and Ephesians 4 are great resources you can explore. Can you commit to walking in a Biblical model of forgiveness? Can you agree to this covenant:
I will not pass along a bad report about anyone.
I will first go to the one who offended me and seek reconciliation.
Only if we cannot be reconciled person-to-person, I will meet with an elder or pastor to discuss the situation, with the goal being a meeting with the person who offended me and an elder or pastor.
I will guard the unity of the Body of Christ.
This is a model that is not convicting, but rather freeing, in how we can walk in personal relationships. When Jesus prayed for us in the garden in John 17, He asked the Father to give us the grace to walk in unity as the Father and the Son are unified.
Jesus is asking that we, fellow Believers, be one… just as the Father is of one heart and one mind with the Son. We can be united SO THAT the world will believe. That’s key isn’t it? Yes, of course, we are human. We will have relational and communication issues as sure as the sun shines every day. And even this week, when you get together with your family for Thanksgiving or next month at Christmas… sometimes those are the hardest times and the most difficult people to offer grace and forgiveness to, right?… But we don’t have to let our differences, our offenses, destroy that which God has established.
Jesus has made a way for us to be reconciled… eternally with God and right now with each other. And that is something for which we can all be thankful.
If you’d like to hear the full sermon from this message, go here: http://bit.ly/1a4VIJf
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