April 21, 2011
Hallelujah to the Lamb!
But first...
Psalm 88 is about misery. I don't know where the context of this misery came from, whether it is misery as a result of the accountability for life style choices as referenced in Psalm 140 or if it came from a "poor me" attitude. Whether it originated from disobedience or from a self-centered view, both hopefully cause the person to seek God. Disobedience—confession, repentance and forgiveness. Self-centered—confession, repentance and forgiveness.
Now, back to the Hallelujah to the Lamb. The Life Lesson verses for this section is entitled "Overcoming Spiritual Depression" and while reading them you just can't help but say—Hallelujah to the Lamb. I am going to write them out in their entirety. It will take pages, but this is Holy Week—Hallelujah to the Lamb.
Job 42:1–6 - "Then Job answered the LORD: 'I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be ruined.' You asked, 'Who is this that made my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak. I will ask you questions, and you must answer me." My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you. (I have written beside this: Praise God! 4/14/08) So now I despise myself; I will change my heart and life. I will sit in the dust and ashes."
Psalm 42 – 43 - "As a deer thirst for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God. I thirst for the living God. When can I go to meet with him? Day and night, my tears have been my food. People are always saying; "Where is your God?" When I remember these things, I speak with a broken heart. I used to walk with the crowd and lead them to God's Temple with songs of praise. Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him, my Savior and my God. I am very sad. So I remember where the Jordan River begins, near the peaks of Hermon and Mount Mizar. Troubles have come again and again, sounding like waterfalls. Your waves are crashing around them. The LORD shows his true love every day. At night I have a song, and I pray to my living God. I say to God, my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why am I sad and troubled by my enemies?" My enemies insults make me feel as if my bones were broken. They are always saying, "Where is your God?" Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him my Savior and my God."
"God, defend me. Argue my case against those who don't follow you. Save me from liars and those who do evil. God, you are my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why am I so sad and troubled by my enemies? Send me your light and truth to guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to where you live. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God who is my joy and happiness. I will praise you with a harp, God my God. Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising Him, my Savior and my God.
Romans 8:18–39 - "The sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be shown to us. Everything God made is waiting with excitement for God to show his children's glory completely. Everything God made was changed to become useless, not by its own wish but because God wanted it and because all along there was this hope: that everything God made would be set free from ruin to have the freedom and glory that belong to God's children."
"We know that everything God made has been waiting until now in pain, like a woman ready to give birth. Not only the world, but we also have been waiting with pain inside us. We have the Spirit as the first part of God's promise. So we are waiting for God to finish making us his own children, which means our bodies will be made free. We were saved, and we have this hope. If we see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. People do not hope for something they already have. But we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently."
"Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people's hearts. And he knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit speaks to God for his people in the way God wants."
Hallelujah to the Lamb.
Next Entry: Psalm 87:1 – 88:18 (Continued)
Hallelujah to the Lamb!
But first...
Psalm 88 is about misery. I don't know where the context of this misery came from, whether it is misery as a result of the accountability for life style choices as referenced in Psalm 140 or if it came from a "poor me" attitude. Whether it originated from disobedience or from a self-centered view, both hopefully cause the person to seek God. Disobedience—confession, repentance and forgiveness. Self-centered—confession, repentance and forgiveness.
Now, back to the Hallelujah to the Lamb. The Life Lesson verses for this section is entitled "Overcoming Spiritual Depression" and while reading them you just can't help but say—Hallelujah to the Lamb. I am going to write them out in their entirety. It will take pages, but this is Holy Week—Hallelujah to the Lamb.
Job 42:1–6 - "Then Job answered the LORD: 'I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be ruined.' You asked, 'Who is this that made my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak. I will ask you questions, and you must answer me." My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you. (I have written beside this: Praise God! 4/14/08) So now I despise myself; I will change my heart and life. I will sit in the dust and ashes."
Psalm 42 – 43 - "As a deer thirst for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God. I thirst for the living God. When can I go to meet with him? Day and night, my tears have been my food. People are always saying; "Where is your God?" When I remember these things, I speak with a broken heart. I used to walk with the crowd and lead them to God's Temple with songs of praise. Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him, my Savior and my God. I am very sad. So I remember where the Jordan River begins, near the peaks of Hermon and Mount Mizar. Troubles have come again and again, sounding like waterfalls. Your waves are crashing around them. The LORD shows his true love every day. At night I have a song, and I pray to my living God. I say to God, my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why am I sad and troubled by my enemies?" My enemies insults make me feel as if my bones were broken. They are always saying, "Where is your God?" Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him my Savior and my God."
"God, defend me. Argue my case against those who don't follow you. Save me from liars and those who do evil. God, you are my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why am I so sad and troubled by my enemies? Send me your light and truth to guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to where you live. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God who is my joy and happiness. I will praise you with a harp, God my God. Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising Him, my Savior and my God.
Romans 8:18–39 - "The sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be shown to us. Everything God made is waiting with excitement for God to show his children's glory completely. Everything God made was changed to become useless, not by its own wish but because God wanted it and because all along there was this hope: that everything God made would be set free from ruin to have the freedom and glory that belong to God's children."
"We know that everything God made has been waiting until now in pain, like a woman ready to give birth. Not only the world, but we also have been waiting with pain inside us. We have the Spirit as the first part of God's promise. So we are waiting for God to finish making us his own children, which means our bodies will be made free. We were saved, and we have this hope. If we see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. People do not hope for something they already have. But we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently."
"Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people's hearts. And he knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit speaks to God for his people in the way God wants."
Hallelujah to the Lamb.
Next Entry: Psalm 87:1 – 88:18 (Continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment