Yesterday was a good day. We got a few things accomplished, and I got to attend the wedding of a friend in the morning.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. 32 When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. 33 For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
Here we see that God desires praise and thanksgiving more than the sacrifice of animals. "I will praise the name of God with a song..." That's what I do. That's who I am. I get to attempt to help others do that same thing every Sunday morning.
Don Wyrtzen writes, "The ear of the Lord is tuned to the hearts of His people." What a beautiful statement, inspired by verse 33 above, as well as Exodus 22:27, which says, "And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate."
David counts on that compassion as he sings and gives thanks. "In turn, this sacrifice of praise will be heard by all in the assembly, and the hearts of the people will be encouraged."
The most encouraging word in this? God hears the prayers of the needy! And since we are all "needy" in one way or another, we can be sure that God hears our prayers.
(From A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen)
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Verses like this are a stumbling block to many. Many people cannot handle the concept that it was God's will to "crush" Jesus. But it was. It had to be; how else could our redemption be accomplished??
Here is a beautiful reading from Matthew Henry Daily Readings.
"Come, and see how Christ loved us! We could not put him in our stead, but he put himself. Thus he took away the sin of the world, by taking it on himself. He made himself subject to death, which to us is the wages of sin. Observe the graces and glories of his state of exaltation. Christ will not commit the care of his family to any other. God's purposes shall take effect. And whatever is undertaken according to God's pleasure shall prosper. He shall see it accomplished in the conversion and salvation of sinners. There are many whom Christ justifies, even as many as he gave his life a ransom for. By faith we are justified; thus God is most glorified, free grace most advanced, self most abased, and our happiness secured. We must know him, and believe in him, as one that bore our sins, and saved us from sinking under the load, by taking it upon himself. Sin and Satan, death and hell, the world and the flesh, are the strong foes he has vanquished. What God designed for the Redeemer he shall certainly possess. When he led captivity captive, he received gifts for men, that he might give gifts to men. While we survey the sufferings of the Son of God, let us remember our long catalog of transgressions, and consider him as suffering under the load of our guilt. Here is laid a firm foundation for the trembling sinner to rest his soul upon."
That, my friends, is the Gospel proclaimed! Hallelujah!
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God...
In Holiness Day By Day, Jerry Bridges writes about competency in God's service. "If you feel incompetent in God's service you are in good company. Paul felt that way, also." Paul wrote the verse quoted above. Of all the people in Scripture, Paul probably had the most abilities to brag about. "He was a brilliant theologian, a gifted evangelist, a tireless church planter, and a sound missionary strategist." He was even good at cross-cultural ministry. But his acknowledgment is that all of those gifts came from God and that he would be useless were it not for the gifts that God had given him.
"We are not competent, but God makes us competent." My musical skill that makes me a "good worship leader" (I use that phrase loosely...other people say that about me, I don't say it about myself), comes from God and God alone. I was gifted with musical talent. I never had to work at it. Oh, sure, I had to practice, just as anyone does who owns a skill. But it was never a struggle. Even the trombone was natural for me. I was formed in my mother's womb to make music to God. Therefore, I can claim no competency on my own. Like Paul, I must acknowledge that it all comes from my Father. There is nothing that I have that did not come from God.
I praise you for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Father, I thank you for crushing our Savior so that we might be redeemed. Jesus, I am grateful to you for being willing to endure the sufferings that you endured for our sake. I fall to my knees and on my face as I consider my sinful life behind me. It was my sin that caused you to have to suffer. Not mine alone, though, so I don't feel "special." You suffered for the sins of all the elect. We are blessed, dear Lord, for your sacrifice, and we praise you with songs and with thanksgiving.
Father, I praise you that you hear our prayers and that you are compassionate. The prayers that I raise this morning...there are many of us that need jobs. Some younger, some older. I pray for the perfect job for each of us, for what we need, and the place we are in our lives. There are some among us who need healing. I pray for Gina to be healed from cancer, and for wisdom for her in decisions that have to be made. I pray for Christi's knees to be healed. I pray for Rick Ashley's continued healing from his brain surgery. I pray for Ms. LaRue's continued recovery from her surgery. There are some among us with financial needs. I pray for relief for those.
Thank you, Father, for hearing us.
PRAY FOR THESE NATIONAL LEADERS IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK:
Dennis Ross, Senior Director for the Central Region (includes the Middle East), Special Assistant to the President.
David B. Vittner, United States Senator, Louisiana.
Judge Lynn N. Hughes, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
General Keith B. Alexander, Director of NSA, Commander CYBERCOM.
Grace and peace, friends.