I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. (Verses 5-6)
"Anxiety is deep and profound. Fear controls and dominates. Long nights become threatening. Children cause distress and personal grief. Big questions start to press upon me, and I start to feel that God has withdrawn from me."
Wow. Sounds like I could have written that.
These are the times that we need to learn to pour out our hearts to our Father in heaven! "Spirituality begins with honesty." We need to learn to express ourselves emotionally to God. I remember when I was at seminary, in the music program, there was much criticism levelled at the up and coming popularity of the "chorus movement." "Too emotional...too much about feeling." My response to that was, "So?? What's wrong with that??" Yes, we need to have thoughtful, cognitive thoughts and meditations about God. But we need so much more than that. We need to share our whole selves with him. "...the mood swings, the ups and downs, the consonance as well as the dissonance of my life, the harmony as well as the disharmony."
We think we have problems with our children? David's son tried to kill him. But he entrusted his troubles and all of the emotions that went with them to God. "...and turned over and got a good night's sleep."
(Quotes from A Musician Looks At the Psalms by Don Wyrtzen)
Nehemiah 10:29 ...to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord.
This selection taken from Henry's commentary on Genesis 2.
"Let us acknowledge God's right to rule us, and our own obligations to be ruled by him; and never allow any will of our own in contradiction to, or competition with, the holy will of God...Let us never set up our own will against the holy will of God."
This goes back to the quote from the Psalms the other day (I think it was Psalm 105...) that states that our God is in the heavens and does whatever pleases him. He has every right to rule us. He created us. When we set our will up against his, we will lose. Kind of like when a car gets into a fight with a train. Car never wins...
"Christ Our Holiness"
Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
It is widely accepted by most that Christ is our righteousness and the basis for our justification. However, he is also our sanctification, or our holiness. "All believers are sanctified in Christ, even as we are justified in Christ."
Hebrews 10 helps us understand this. In verse 10, we are told that we have been sanctified. This speaks of a completed work.
Verse 14, though speaks of an ongoing process of sanctification. Yes, we have been "perfected for all time," but we are also "being sanctified." "So in one aspect of sanctification you're already holy because Christ's holiness is imputed to you; you've been made perfect forever. In another aspect, you're being made holy day by day through the work of the Holy Spirit imparting Christ's life to you."
This, my friends, is truly wonderful news!
I happily acknowledge your right to rule me. I do not want to place my will up against yours. My will is corrupted. My will is faulty. My will is still tainted by the sins of the flesh. Your will is perfect. I submit to you, my Lord.
I thank you that I can bring all of my emotions to you when I pray. Anger, sadness, depression, happiness, joy, all of them. Take those feelings that I bring to you and mold them, perfect them and turn them all in to a holy joy that will never be disappointed!
I thank you for yet another good day for Stephanie. She is doing so much better, and we praise you for that. We can credit enzymes and other pills for success, but, in reality, you are the great physician, and even the pills that men make would not work unless you ordain it.
I pray for my pastor this evening, who is experiencing some physical pain. I pray that you give him relief.
Grace and peace, friends!