"Be Merciful to Me, O God" - 10 December 2017


“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me” (Psalm 57.1-2). We look around our big world and see trouble on the right and turmoil on the left. We implore you, O God, for all the nations of the world, but especially the USA, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica and Cote d'Ivoire: to bring peace in our time, to preserve the downtrodden and demoralized; but also to raise up leaders who will seek good, and not evil, that life may flourish, who will hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; and who will let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (from Amos 4.14-15, 24). And preserve, prosper, promote and pilot your Church, our brothers and sisters in all places, to include this congregation; both Emmanuel Baptist churches in OKC; Enterprise Baptist; and the Evangelistic Baptist Church of Christ. Raise up and rebuild the tent of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the nations who are called by your name (taken from Amos 9.11-12 and Acts 15.16-18).

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me” (Psalm 57.1-2). We look around our families, neighborhoods, friends and colleagues, especially those undergoing trials and tribulations. We implore you hear us as we prayer on their behalf…let them know that you are God who lifts up the humble; who restores the fainthearted; who heals the wounded. But also we pray that you will show yourself as the one who stands up for the weak and vulnerable and hunts down the abuser; condemns the violator; and resists the proud.

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me” (Psalm 57.1-2). We look at all of these children, and the ones baptized today, with warm hearts. Lord Jesus you said very pointedly “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And then you took them in your arms and blessed them, laying your hands on them (Mark 10.14-16). Take these children in your arms, and may we, the adults and parents, be purposefully bringing them to you, endeavoring to set before them a godly example, praying with and for them, teaching them the doctrines of our holy religion, and striving, by all of your appointed means, to bring them up in your nurture and admonition. 

We ask this all in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" (Rev. Ed.) by John Fea. A Review

Image
  John Fea is a professor of history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. A university founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. He originally published "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction" in 2011, and it was revised in 2016. This 328-page paperback is packed full with Colonial and American history, drawing from original sources to answer that question. It is a book written "for the historically minded and thoughtful reader who is looking for help in sorting" out this question, avoiding polemics (xix). Since we live in a sound-bite culture, Fea recognizes that it is difficult to have a sustained dialogue on this topic, but he makes a valiant effort toward having that sustained dialogue. The book reads fairly straightforward, and doesn't seem to get bogged down in the contentious mudpuddles or bogs. In the end, Fea seems to get his point across. To answer the reigning question if America was founded as a Christian...
Read more

Union with Christ - An Application

Image
  (This was my weekly letter to my congregation on Wednesday, 21 February 2024) This morning in my devotional reading, I was working through 1 Corinthians 8. Though I’ve read these words a huge number of times over the years, today one verse caused me to stop and take stock.  Paul wrote, “ Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). What struck me is a couple of things. First, in God’s saving work, we are – by grace alone – united (hitched, bonded, ingrafted) to Christ so much so, that what happens to us happens to him, and what is his becomes ours (think of Galatians 2:20, for example). As Sinclair Ferguson put it, “through union with Christ all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith” (“The Christian Life,” 110). Let that percolate in your heart for a while. Your fear, anxiety, tears, and so forth, he feels. And his “ Peace, be still ” is yours. Second, the way we treat one an...
Read more

"Ah, Lord! We are Animated by Anger and Anxiety, Fear and Fury..."

Image
I hesitate to put this out there because of the combative environment we are in at present. But I think some souls will take courage from this, and some will also join with me as we get to the end of this little composition. I am struck by the words of God in Zechariah 8. As he rehearses the waywardness and faithlessness of his people in the past, he clearly declares that he " set every man against his neighbor " (8:10). That got me thinking long ago. I started putting the pieces together and realized that one of God's acts of judgment is division, setting a man against his neighbor. That's what happened when he divided his people into the northern tribes and southern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Because of Solomon's turning aside, allowing his wives to turn his heart away from the God of his father, David, the Lord brings about a rift in God's people. And this pattern of divisive judgment runs throughout Scripture. On the other hand, truthful unity is the g...
Read more