Blessed Lord Jesus,
Before your cross I kneel and see
the heinousness of my sin,
my iniquity that caused you to be "made a curse,"
the evil that excites the severity of divine wrath.
Show me the enormity of my guilt by
the crown of thorns,
the pierced hands and feet,
the bruised body,
the dying cries.
Your blood is the blood of incarnate God,
its worth infinite, its value beyond all thought.
Infinite must be the evil and guilt
that demands such a price.
Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,
born in my birth,
alive in my life,
strong in my character,
dominating my faculties,
following me as a shadow,
intermingling with my every thought,
my chain that holds me captive in the empire of my soul.
Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light,
the air supply breath,
the earth bear my tread,
its fruits nourish me,
its creatures subserve my ends?
Yet your compassions yearn over me,
your heart hastens to my rescue,
your love endured my curse,
your mercy bore my deserved stripes.
Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation,
bathed in your blood,
tender of conscience,
triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place-- the Most High, who is my refuge--
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.
Does this Psalm really say that we will never suffer pain or loss? That is obviously not the case, because we do, frequently, suffer both. However, we are protected from what I call ultimate pain or loss. To quote Wyrtzen, "If I take refuge in the Lord, I will not be afraid in spite of my circumstances. I become aware that the deep inner core of my personality - the real me - cannot be touched or harmed by evil unless I permit it." Matthew Henry, in his commentary, also adds that "evil" in this context, refers to "pure evil." In other words, anything that comes our way that might appear to be "evil" to us, will not be "only evil." Whatever comes our way will be ordained by our Father, and will contain a measure of his "good" within it. Remember Romans 8:28. We quote it all the time. We need to remember it when we are faced with "evil."
We have a choice when trouble arrives. We can choose to trust that God will deliver us or we can be victimized by it. I confess I have chosen both throughout my life. But I hope that, as I grow in the Lord, I will choose more that he will deliver me from anything that comes along.
And, from the inspiration of Jerry Bridges, I pray for the success of the gospel in the world today. Mr. Bridges regrets that we modern Christians don't pray enough for the success of the gospel. I will do this every day, as the Holy Spirit reminds me. You said, through your psalmist, in Psalm 22:27, "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you." I pray for the working out of that promise. Let all the nations praise you, O God!
I thank you for your promised protection of your people. We acknowledge that we will suffer. We know we have pain in our lives. But ultimately, we are safe. There is nothing that our "enemy" can do to us that will hurt us permanently. We are secure in you. The "worst" possible thing that could happen to me would simply send me home. Or send one of my loved ones home to be with you. Through all sources of pain and suffering, I will trust you, and we will be kept secure and safe in you, our Fortress, our Refuge, and our Rock!
Continue to show me, through these Puritan prayers, the measure of my sin, the severity of our disobedience to your commands. Let me walk in humility each day. Let me love the Church as Christ loves her. Let me love my brothers and sisters as Christ loves us. Let not a damaging or negative word come out of my mouth. Protect my heart and my soul, O Lord!
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
President Obama told the AFL-CIO that unions can improve workers� lives, and that�the business community needs
to understand that what is good for workers is good for business.� He also pledged to reach out to businesses.
Carol Browner of the Environmental Protection Agency reported that the �static kill� on the Deepwater Horizon BP
well in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be successful, and that the relief well work can now proceed.
Pray for President Obama and the members of his Cabinet and White House advisors.
Grace and peace, friends.