Written by: Rob Frost – Share Jesus International
Psalm 15 v 1-6
LORD, who may enter your Holy Tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
Only those who are innocent and who do what is right.
Such people speak the truth from their hearts and do not tell lies about others.
They do no wrong to their neighbours and do not gossip.
They do not respect hateful people but honour those who honour the LORD.
They keep their promises to their neighbours, even when it hurts.
They do not charge interest on money they lend and do not take money to hurt
innocent people.
Whoever does all these things will never be destroyed.
Notes
If we are to enter into God’s Holy Tent, and live in his wonderful presence,
we need to purify ourselves of all those things which create barriers.
On 29th November, 1761, John Wesley wrote words in his journal which help all of us to prepare ourselves to meet the living God:
“Many have, and many do daily experience an unspeakable change. After being deeply convinced of inbred sin, particularly of pride, anger, self-will and unbelief, in a moment they feel all faith and love; no pride, no self-will, or anger: and from that moment they have continual fellowship with God, always rejoicing, praying and giving thanks. This work of transformation and change is an ongoing process.”
On a number of occasions over the years I've had to return to the Lord to ask him to deal with aspects of my life which I know have displeased him. When I feel that I've failed, I need to face up to my sin and remember again the extent of his redeeming power.
Today, reflect on those aspects of your life which are not pleasing to the Lord. Do you really want to live in a continuing cycle of failure, selfishness and despair? Allow the Redeemer to transform those areas which you know are flawed; allow him to change those wrong attitudes, that unyielded thought life, that root of selfishness and weakness. Hand over the trash in your life, and let him get to work on redeeming you!
Prayer
Lord, I feel fed up today
And I don't really want to pray.
Things are hard for me today
And I'm too depressed to care.
I guess I'm tired and drained.
I've done so much,
been through so much,
With nothing more to give.
Lord I come to you:
In laziness,
Half-heartedness
And apathetic disbelief.
And I praise you:
With my mind, though my emotions aren't engaged;
With my lips, though my heart is cold;
With my will, though my spirit seems so dead.
Pour your love afresh into my life, I pray,
And accept me
In my weariness.
Amen
Psalm 16 v 1-6
Protect me, God, because I trust in you.
I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord.
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
As for the godly people in the world, they are the wonderful ones I enjoy.
But those who turn to idols will have much pain.
I will not offer blood to those idols or even speak their names.
No, the LORD is all I need.
He takes care of me.
My share in life has been pleasant; my part has been beautiful.
Notes
The refuge which is the Holy place of the Lord’s presence is a wonderful place!
Teilhard de Chardin once wrote: “Radiant Word, Blazing Power, you who mould the manifold so as to breathe your life into it, I pray you, lay on me your hands. Powerful and considerate, omnipresent, which plunge into the depths of the totality of my being through all that is most profound.”
This is the place where broken hearts are healed. This is the
place where the heavy load of sin is lifted. This is the place where the torture
of worry is resolved. This is the place where marching orders are received
and the way ahead discovered. This is the place where indescribable joy is
found! Some of us can go for days, months or even years without entering the
holy place. We can maintain a regular prayer time, be frequent at worship and
remain consistent in Bible study. But we have not moved past the wall of our
indifference to the holy
place of his awesome presence.
Prayer
Dear Father,
I bring before you those who suffer,
Whose days are dark,
And whose nights are long.
Give them comfort, give them peace,
And grant them, I pray,
The wonder of your presence,
So that right where they are
They may discover your refuge.
Amen
Psalm 16 v 7-8
I praise the LORD because he advises me.
Even at night, I feel his leading.
I keep the LORD before me always.
Because he is close by my side,
I will not be hurt.
Notes
I will praise the Lord!
Praise is an attitude of heart and mind which needs to be cultivated. It demands energy, commitment and effort - especially if we're tired or don't feel in a praising mood. Praise isn't something passive, but something actively given to God from the depths of our being.
Praise should not be quenched by the sadness of bereavement or the pain of suffering. Even when our earthly, human situation has changed for the worse, the living God has not. He is as worthy of praise today as he was before our troubles began!
As we discipline ourselves to praise him and to glorify his name,
we are lifted above our earthly situation and catch a glimpse of heaven. At
times like these we see beyond the horizon of our human suffering and know
the limitless resources of his love.
Today, discipline yourself to reach out in praise to the Lord. Catch a fresh
glimpse of his majesty and power. Regain a right perspective on who he is ...
and who you are. His love and presence are the foundation of your life - a
foundation which never moves.
Prayer
O Thou divine Spirit that,
in all events of life, art knocking at the door of my heart, help me to respond
to Thee.
I would not be driven blindly as the stars over their courses.
I would not be made to work out Thy will unwillingly, to fulfil Thy law unintelligently,
to obey Thy mandates unsympathetically.
I would take the events of my life as good and perfect gifts from Thee;
I would receive even the sorrows of my life as disguised gifts from Thee.
I would have my heart open at all times to receive – at morning, noon and night;
in spring, and summer, and winter.
Amen
Psalms 16 v 9-11
So I rejoice and am glad.
Even my body has hope, because you will not leave me in the grave.
You will not let your holy one rot.
You will teach me how to live a holy life.
Being with you will fill me with joy; at your right hand I will find pleasure
for ever.
Notes
You have made known to me the paths of life.
When I got up to preach I was still wrestling against the pain and turmoil of a really tough day’s events, and felt like giving the sermon a miss.
When the time came for me to make the appeal, I found that in some bizarre way I was talking to myself. The challenge of total surrender which I was laying before the congregation was actually something that I needed to hear for myself.
As I knelt at the communion table, with tears rolling down my cheeks, I realised again that what really mattered in my life was knowing the Lord, and following his path!
There and then I laid my work, my plans and my ministry before him. I looked up at the bread and wine and remembered again what love he has for me, and knew for sure that he was the mainspring of my ministry.
Today, submit to his will again. Offer your life to him in full surrender and accept that, through all the confusions of the journey you travel, he knows the way ahead. God will not abandon you. He will fill you with joy on the path of life!
Prayer
O God, the King of glory, who hast exalted Thine only Son Jesus Christ with
great triumph unto Thy kingdom in heaven;
We beseech Thee, leave us not comfortless;but send to us Thine Holy Ghost to
comfort us, and exalt us into the same place whither our Saviour Christ is
gone before, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end.
Amen
Psalm 17 v 1-5
LORD, hear me begging for fairness; listen to my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer, because I speak the truth.
You will judge that I am right; your eyes can see what is true.
You have examined my heart; you have tested me all night.
You questioned me without finding anything wrong;
I have not sinned with my mouth.
I have obeyed your commands, so I have not done what evil people do.
I have done what you told me; I have not failed.
Notes
Lord – probe my heart and test me!
One day Jesus probed Peter’s heart. He said: “Peter, do you love me?” (see John 21 v 15-19). There were a hundred and one things which Jesus could have talked about. There was the work of evangelism, the mission of the church and the future of the kingdom for a start! But Jesus knew that he only had to get one thing straight.
Love had to be the starting point. Peter had to get this sorted before the breathtaking story of Acts could unfold. If this was right then everything else would fall into place.
But what a question! Hadn't Peter given enough by leaving everything behind to follow Jesus? Hadn't he risked enough by staking his reputation on a wandering teacher? Hadn't he done enough, this Peter the rock, on whom the church would be built? No. Peter's denial before the cock-crow had to be faced. His unfaithfulness had to be dealt with. All the sacrifices and all the good deeds didn't mean anything unless he could look Jesus in the eye and say, “I love you.”
“Peter, do you love me more than these?” The boat, the fish,
the tackle. The business, the
livelihood, the culture of the Galilean fisherman. The camaraderie of the crew,
the good times on the lake. The family, the friends, the faithful crew. The
safe, ordered life passed on down the generations of Galilean fisherfolk. Did
he really love Jesus more than these?
If the Lord probed your heart today, could you say: “Yes, Lord, I really do love you”?
Prayer
O God our Father, who dost exhort us to pray, and who dost grant what we ask,
if only, when we ask, we live a better life; hear me, who am trembling in
this darkness, and stretch forth Thy hand unto me; hold forth Thy light before
me; recall me from my wanderings; and, Thou being my Guide, may I be restored
to myself and to Thee, through Jesus Christ.
Amen
St Augustine (354-430)
Psalm 17 v 6-9
I call to you, God, and you answer me.
Listen to me now, and hear what I say.
Your love is wonderful.
By your power you save those who trust you from their enemies.
Protect me as you would protect your own eye.
Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
Keep me from the wicked who attack me, from my enemies who surround me.
Notes
Call on God!
There is a simplicity about communicating with the Lord which should be sincere and uncomplicated. It is not the length of what we pray or the poetic phraseology which is important. True prayer comes from clear thoughts carefully formed in the mind.
One day I entered a lovely white-walled garden on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer.
I stood and watched pilgrims from around the world praying the Lord’s Prayer in a multitude of different languages. It was quite challenging to realise that these simple, but profound phrases bind us to the peoples of every tribe and tongue.
Prayer is not a gabble of hurried words and phrases. The pauses
can be as significant as the words themselves. Prayer is not just idle chatter
– it demands concentration. It is an act of the mind. St Paul wrote: “So what
should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind”
(1 Corinthians 14 v 15). Prayer doesn't just happen; it entails the engaging
of mind as well as spirit!
Prayer
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
(Matthew 6 v 9-13, AV)
Psalm 17 v 10-15
They are selfish and boast about themselves.
They have chased me until they have surrounded me.
They plan to throw me to the ground.
They are like lions ready to kill; like lions, they sit in hiding.
LORD, rise up, face the enemy and throw them down.
Save me from the wicked with your sword.
LORD, save me by your power from those whose reward is in this life.
They have plenty of food.
They have many sons and leave much money to their children.
Because I have lived right, I will see your face.
When I wake up, I will see your likeness and be satisfied.
Notes
Sometimes we, like the psalmist, feel that we’re surrounded by lions! Today,
ask the Lord to reveal the ways in which the enemy is active in your life.
Take authority over the evil one. Jesus has risen victorious from the dead.
Satan is defeated. You already have the victory; it's yours to claim. Don't
just believe it - live in it too!
Burglaries are fairly common where I live in south-west London, but thankfully armed robberies are still relatively uncommon. Recently, two men armed with automatic handguns attacked our local sub-post office. Bullets hit the door, shelves and walls ... but mercifully no one was injured. One customer, so outraged by what he saw, told the men off and chased them down the street! They got away with nothing.
This news story is a parable of how we should face up to the devil. He might seem menacing, threatening and dangerous, but when we order him away in the name and power of Jesus he does a runner! James wrote: “Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you” (James 4 v 7).
Prayer
I am no longer my own, but yours;
Put me to what you will,
Rank me with whom you will;
Put me to doing,
Put me to suffering;
Let me be employed for you,
Or laid aside for you;
Exalted for you,
Or brought low for you;
Let me be full,
Let me be empty;
Let me have all things,
Let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield
all things to your pleasure and disposal.
Amen
The Covenant Service Prayer, The Methodist Church
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes