Monthly Archives: February 2012

Answer Me, for I am Poor and Needy

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What a model for prayer is the singer, songwriter, and King, David. These sentences are filled with deep, heart cries to and bold declarations of a great God. They provide a powerful way to start your day today, talking with the Father:

 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy. 
Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. 
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day. 
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. 
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace. 
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me. 

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours. 
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name. 
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God. 
Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name. 
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever. 
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 

O God, insolent men have risen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them. 
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 
Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maidservant. 
Show me a sign of your favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

A Sign of the Times

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That is the argument of Albert Mohler in a recent post on Rick Santorum. He writes:

Former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan had it just right — someone had better read Rick Santorum his Miranda rights. In the big leagues of national politics, she warns, “Everything you’ve said can and will be used against you.”

Keep in mind that Rick Santorum has said a great deal, and is still talking. In a world accustomed to bland politicians, Santorum breaks the mold. He admires conviction politicians, and he aims to be one. He speaks his mind, and then keeps on talking. On crucial issues of a moral nature, Santorum not only states his position, he explains it in detail and then goes on to present his convictions in the form of an argument. He is willing to make comprehensive statements of cultural analysis and sweeping moral judgments.

And he concludes:

Finally, Rick Santorum attracts protests on college campuses because people believe him when he speaks. William McGurn of The Wall Street Journalpointed out recently that, even as Rick Santorum opposes same-sex marriage, so did Barack Obama when he ran for the White House in 2008 (and, at least in terms of official statements, even now). But Santorum gets jeered and Obama gets a pass. Why? McGurn understands: “There’s no mystery why. Mr. Santorum is attacked because everyone understands that he means what he says.”

That may be the real bottom line when it comes to the Santorum predicament. Saying such things might not be a problem, but saying them when everyone understands that you mean them . . . that is another thing altogether.

I don’t post often on political issues. Not because I’m uninterested or uncaring, but because I think others are more informed and better at it than I. Therefore, I’d rather direct you to them. Mohler is one such man, and his article is a helpful example of insightful cultural and political commentary. He will be worth following this election cycle.

For another angle on Rick Santorum, check out Ross Douthat’s recent article in the New York Times.

Don Carson on the Wrath of God

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In this 12-minute interview, Don Carson explains the wrath of God and counsels pastors in how to minister its truth. However, his insights are helpful for all, as it is amazing how much truth-filled and gracious instruction he is able to pack into such a short exhortation.

[Or watch here at Desiring God]

Scripture Memory

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Our Scripture memory passage (we call them Fighter Verses) for this week, to recite on Sunday ::

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

(Jesus, Matthew 5:21-22, ESV)

The Core Corruption

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"The Fall of Lucifer," by Gustave Dore, for Milton's "Paradise Lost"

The moment you have a self at all, there is a possiblity of putting yourself first – wanting to be the centre – wanting to be God, in fact.

That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race. Some people think the fall of man had something to do with sex, but that is a mistake. (The story in the Book of Genesis rather suggests that some corruption in our sexual nature followed the fall and was its result, not its cause.)

What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could ‘be like gods’ – could set up on their own as if they had created themselves – be their own masters – invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God.

And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history – money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery – the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

~ from Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis

For, Nothing will be Impossible with God

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The Bible text for the third sermon in our new sermon series from Luke’s gospel story.

  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

~ Luke 1:26-38, ESV

Restore and Revive Us, O LORD!

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As I mentioned a few days ago, I am reading through the Psalms in addition to the Calvary read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program. My goal is to study, meditate, soak in, and PRAY a particular Psalm for as long as I feel the Spirit calling me to. The last few days it has been Psalm 85.

I invite you to prayerfully and slowly read this Psalm from the Sons of Korah.

  LORD, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah
You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger. 

  Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us! 
Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 
Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you? 
Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation. 

  Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly. 
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land. 

  Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other. 
Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky. 
Yes, the LORD will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase. 
Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.

Aaron’s Blessing

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Every Sunday, I end our service at Calvary with a blessing over God’s people. My reason is found in the command that God gave to Aaron to bless his people. In this way, Aaron would literally put the name of the LORD upon the people of the LORD. I believe that now, as then, these words of blessing are powerful and effectual. It is why I use these particular words more than half the time as we end on Sundays, and more than half the time over our children as I tuck them into bed each night.

Here they are, for you, today:

 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

~ Numbers 6:22-27, ESV

A Virgin Will Conceive A Child

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This Sunday, we will be studying the story of Mary meeting the angel Gabriel. He brings the extraordinary news to this young girl (probably between 13 and 15 years old) that she is going to conceive a child, as a virgin, by the Holy Spirit.

If that isn’t enough, the astonishing nature of the news continues to build, when seen as a fulfillment of a centuries-old prophecy from another herald of the LORD, Isaiah. This is exactly Luke’s (and God’s) objective. He wants us to clearly see all that is being fulfilled in this story (Luke 1:1). Listen to the old prophet, and rejoice at the good news of the coming of the Son of God.

   Later, the LORD sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the LORD like that.”

Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

    The people who walk in darkness 
will see a great light. 
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, 
a light will shine. 
You will enlarge the nation of Israel, 
and its people will rejoice. 
They will rejoice before you 
as people rejoice at the harvest 
and like warriors dividing the plunder. 
For you will break the yoke of their slavery 
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. 
You will break the oppressor’s rod, 
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. 
The boots of the warrior 
and the uniforms bloodstained by war 
will all be burned. 
They will be fuel for the fire. 
 
    For a child is born to us, 
a son is given to us. 
The government will rest on his shoulders. 
And he will be called: 
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
His government and its peace 
will never end. 
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David 
for all eternity. 
The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies 
will make this happen! 

(Isaiah 7:10-14; 9:2-7, NLT-SE)