Economic depression. Economic woes are weighing heavily on some Americans, so much so that the federal government is boosting financial support for suicide prevention centers around the nation. Richard McKeon, the lead health adviser for suicide prevention at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, says calls to suicide crisis centers have increased sharply in the past year, with more than 57,000 calls in July alone. He said about a quarter of the calls were linked to economic distress.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God's your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can't get close to you,
harm can't get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go. (The Message)
Verses 9-10 of this passage are my favorite verses in one of my favorite Psalms. They are the ones in bold...
"When all these attempts to encourage us have been tried, and God finds that we still linger and hesitate to approach him, or cast ourselves upon his sole and exclusive protection, he next makes mention of the angels, and proffers them as guardians of our safety. As an additional illustration of his indulgent mercy, and compassion for our weakness, he represents those whom he has ready for our defence as being a numerous host; he does not assign one solitary angel to each saint, but commissions the whole armies of heaven to keep watch over every individual believer."
THAT, my friends, is a comforting thought.
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"The Constant Struggle"
Weekend Reading
Paul, in his writings to Timothy, had first described a life of self-centeredness, envy, and materialism. Then Paul advises Timothy to "flee these things." (1 Timothy 6:11)
We should flee sin as we would flee upon visiting a friend's house to find that his whole family was sick with a stomach virus. I know that doesn't sound very compassionate, but you get the idea.
But where do we flee? Not randomly. Not in a "serpentine" pattern. We are to chase a "Christ-centered righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Hey. Those sound familiar. Galatians 5:22...22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (ESV) If we do not engage in a deliberate pursuit of holiness, we may wind up facing yet another sin. Amos describes a man fleeing a lion only to come face to face with a bear. (Amos 5:19) (That's slightly out of context, but I get the message.)
We can't go in two directions at the same time. It is impossible to pursue sin and godliness at the same time. We are either moving toward one or the other. If I follow Christ with my mouth, but chase after sin with my heart and my habits, I am only pursuing sin. James says, 4:8, Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (ESV)
Know this, however. After Paul told Timothy to flee and pursue, he told him to "fight the good fight." There will be a battle, anytime we are fleeing sin and pursuing godliness. As the title of this article suggests, it is a constant struggle. And don't go blaming Satan for all of this, either. Frankly, friends, we give him way too much credit. A lot of this struggle is due to the fact that we carry this treasure around in jars of clay. This body...it's not "redeemed" yet. It's like carrying a dead weight around with us. We have been crucified with Christ, yes. But we still have this old nature hanging on like a parasite. Until we reside in heaven with glorified bodies, we will have this struggle.
The good news is, if you are having this struggle, you're ok. It is the "double-minded man" who only gives lip-service to Christ and lives however he pleases who knows nothing of this struggle.
Let us live as Jonathan Edwards, who said, "Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruption, however unsuccessful I may be."
"The Discipline of Prayer"
Psalm 119:25
My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word! (ESV)
"Prayer is the tangible expression of our dependence."
Psalm 119 is a good lesson in the discipline of prayer, for pursuing holiness. I've long thought of Psalm 119 as a Psalm about God's word, however, it is, more accurately, an expression of "the psalmist's ardent desire and commitment in pursuing holiness." Over and over, the psalmist pleads for help in obeying God's law.
But he also speaks of spiritual discipline as he speaks of memorizing portions of Scripture and meditating on it.
So this man was a man of prayer and discipline. He did not neglect one in favor of the other. "He practiced discipline and dependence."
I pray for all who are emotionally distraught because of the world's financial woes. I pray that they will find a way to be dependent upon you for sustenance and for emotional strength. I pray that our own nation will turn away from worshiping the dollar.
I praise you, Father, for the angels! What a comfort to know that there is an army of angels commissioned to protect all of us saints! I'm actually more comforted by this thought than by the idea that I had my own angel. An army is always better than one, no matter how strong an angel is. Let me always trust your protection, Lord!
I ask you to make me more faithful in my prayer life. There is not enough prayer, and to be honest, there is probably not enough discipline, either. I need improvement in both areas. Help me be more committed to both in the future. Help me to build good habits in these areas.
Grace and peace, friends.