Psalm 19: The Meditation of My Heart

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Good Seed, Good Soil, Good Fruit

“But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. . . . But these are . . . those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:8, 20)

Nothing beats rich, loamy dirt, horse-manured, compost-fed, and broken-up two feet deep. Well-watered and well-drained, warmed by the sun and comforted by a blanket of mulch to hold moisture down and weeds at bay, such soil is a seed-bed for wonderful things. Wonderful fruit-bearing things.

Like apricot trees and watermelon vines, nine-foot-long tomato “trees” and elephant-ear summer squash. Things like okra spears thrust into the sky and gigantic jewel-drops hanging from the eggplant plants. Wonderful things like grapevines filled with bright and juicy reds ready to explode with flavor, green beans poled and granny smith apples stretching a tree’s limits. It all begins with good soil.

Christ makes it clear: Where the Spirit and the Word of God are, there is such a thing as “good soil,” and there is such a thing as “good fruit.” There may be variations in quantity from vine to vine or branch to branch, but good soil results in good fruit. When the fruit is poor or non-existent, check soil conditions.

What makes for good soil? Not only ears that hear but hearts that receive the Word of God for the truth, law, and promise that it is. Not only lips that confess but hearts that embrace and love and obey. Pray for such hearts, long for them, work for them, and use the organic material of the Word of God to enrich them. Such hearts are tilled and turned over, clods broken up, stones cast out. Such hearts are made soft over time and with experience rather than hardened and left fallow through disuse (or misuse). Such good hearts receive the Word of God and produce.

What is the fruit? The apostle Paul gives us this list as representative: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Those who are full of the Spirit are full of these things, and those who are full of the Spirit are drinking from the well of living water the Spirit has authored, that is, the Holy God-breathed Scriptures. Pray for this fruit as well, look for it, hope for it, long for it. Pray for a never-ending supply of love for God and love for others. Pray for God-given peace externally (between you and others) and internally (in your own breast). Pray for increasing crops—the hundredfold variety—of charity and goodness and purity and faith. Pray for the blessed fruit of patience produced by trials, itself producing perfections and completeness. But in all your prayers remember these things spring only from the seed of God’s Word planted in the receptive soil of the heart.

“God, grant us such fertile hearts as receive Your Word and find it growing healthy, fruit-bearing vines that extend to every corner of our lives. Fill us with Your Spirit, and by Your Word produce within us the fruit of the Spirit, dropping from our branches and lying all about us on the ground. Give us ears to hear, hearts that accept, lives that bear fruit—hundredfold—we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”

Thorny-vines

“And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. . . . Now these are the ones . . . who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:7, 18, 19)

Weeding is a reality in life. If you want tomatoes and squash and beans and okra and any other good thing, pulling up the other stuff—the grass, the weeds, the thorny vines—has to happen. If you want a nice lawn, something has to be done about that ragweed, those thistles and briars. Leave a garden untended, and the wilderness will take over in no time and with no help from you.

Such is life for the Christian. It may be true the tares and wheat grow up together, i.e., the wicked and the righteous are left to share space in the world; but this cannot be true of our hearts. There is a garden that must be kept weed-free. There is no place there for anything other than that which bears the fruit from the seed of God’s Word.

Three things are specifically pointed out by our Lord, three varieties of thornies. First is mentioned “the cares of this world,” which cares we all know all too well. These must be replaced by or transformed into the cares of the kingdom of God. It is not that we are not to care about things, as if the Christian life were simply a “don’t worry, be happy,” laissez-faire sort of affair. We have plenty to care for—lots of healthy, fruit-bearing, life-enriching plants that need watering, nourishing, guiding, encouraging, pruning, and so forth. But the cares of this world are cares for things other than what God cares for, things that distract us from the work of the garden-kingdom rather than promoting it.

The second thorny-vine mentioned is “the deceitfulness of riches,” which is a major theme in Christ’s teaching, the rest of the New Testament, and throughout Scripture. God knows, even if we are slow to admit, money and the love of money and the lust for money—the hope and belief that more money will answer our deepest longings in life—drives a big chunk of what goes on in the world and what goes on in our lives. But such a belief and hope is deceitful, a bald-faced lie. It bears no fruit but chokes the life out of true life and leaves us bare and broken and empty. This thorny-vine must have its ugly little head clipped off every time it pokes through the surface, and its root of covetousness and envy and self-love dug up and thrown on the burn pile.

Then there are “the desires for other things.” Our chief desire and the root and stock of all other desires in our lives must be the desire to know and love and cherish God Himself and the revealed will of God in His Word. “One thing have I desired,” writes the psalmist: “That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” All other desires will choke out this one desire if this one desire is not cherished above all others. Guard against this and any and all other thorny-vines that threaten the fruitfulness of God’s Word in your life.

“Dear God, grant us repentance, and help us to nip in the bud all worldly cares, the love of money, our desires for worthless things, and replace them with utter devotion and love for You and Your will as found in Your Word. So we pray in Christ’s name and for His kingdom. Amen.”

Roots in the Rocks

“Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. . . . These likewise are the ones . . . who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” (Mark 4:5, 6, 16, 17)

I live in the South and have lived in the South practically all of my life. I find it humorous to hear the comments each year: “It’s never been this hot before!” “I can’t believe how dry it is!” “It’s gotten a lot hotter earlier this year”—and on and on the complaints and seeming amazement roll out every time there is a gathering. But, as I said, I have lived in the South all of my life, and it always gets hot, pretty much from April to October, and we almost always have a drought (there have been exceptions) or at least what can be called a “dry season.” Grass stays green in your lawn if you water, but brown and yellow can generally be expected to take over at some point if you don’t. It has always been that way and always will be, “global warming” or not.

I have lived in the world all of my life too (as we all have, of course), and there is another certainty I have found: trouble comes to everyone, and persecution comes to all who love God’s Word enough to live by it (2 Timothy 3:12). Christ says in this passage there are “rainy-day Christians” who find it easy to be Christians when things are going well for them, when it is easy to flower and blossom and look promising. But when summer comes, and the sun gets to glaring, and the long haul of 100˚-days sets in—when sickness takes hold, relationships get tough, or the Christian thing to do goes contra “cool”—where is their faith and hope and love now? It has found no root, Christ says, in the stony soil of their hearts but is far more like the pretty spring wildflower-weeds that spring up today and wither tomorrow.

A well-balanced soil makes for not only happy but healthy plants. All green on top but no root results in a flashy but short show. Hearing the Word of God, believing it, committing to it, obeying it, and living according to it in every nook and cranny of life, come hell or high water and through thick and thin, means growing the deep roots that will survive any trouble/trial/tribulation or the sure persecution that comes from loving the Word more than the world. Survive, not “make easy.” Trouble and persecution by definition exclude “easy.” But while the heat of life destroys some, it is life and even joy to others—the difference being the roots that can reach the water of the Word of God through faith, hope, and obedience.

“Lord God, we give You thanks for the gift of Your Word, the sound of Your voice that has come to our ears. We pray our thanks would not be short-lived or fair-weather only but that we would love and cherish Your Word always, when the pressure is on as well as off. Help us to endure when all the world seems against us. Help us to rely upon You, trust in Your promises, hope in Your grace and mercy, when life is hot and dry and troublesome or mundane. Keep us from stumbling, dear God, and grant to us the strong roots of trees that bear fruit, whose leaves do not wither, because their delight and every thought is grounded in the Word of God. So we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”

Tidy Sidewalks

“And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. . . . And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:4, 15)

Birds eat seed. I have three birdfeeders in my backyard, and the birds keep me busy filling them up with sunflower seeds. This is great, of course, if you are trying to attract birds, but it is a whole ’nother story if you are trying to grow sunflowers. Put out bean “seed” in the garden and wait and watch. Before long, here comes rockin’ robin to see what you left him. Plant enough for the birds.

Just as surely as the birds are going to eat some of your seed, the devil’s purpose in life is to take away the Word of God out of your heart. That has been his line from the very beginning. When God had given His word to Adam and Eve, Satan came along and twisted it and questioned it and tried to rub it out altogether.

So guard your heart. The first step is to plant the Word of God there. But if it is not guarded and cherished through faith and obedience, Satan will come waltzing in through an open door, robbing you of its benefit, strewing doubt and lies and temptations in its stead.

Sometimes we allow the Word of God to lie bare upon our soul like so much seed on the sidewalk. To use another metaphor, it is like we walk up the front steps of the Word, take a look around, pick up an item or two and turn it over curiously like we would a museum piece, place it back neatly on its little table or stand, and walk back out again. If we are not using the cutting board and knife, eating the food out of the refrigerator, sleeping in the bed, taking clothes off the hanger, etc., we are not living in the Word of God, from the Word of God, through the Word of God, by the Word of God.

To return to Christ’s picture, the Word of God must penetrate into the hard clay soil of our hearts (which needs softening up by the Spirit of God) and take root there, bearing fruit, else our hearts begin to run the risk of having it taken away altogether. This may sound ominous, but, sadly, there are too many once-orthodox-but-now-agnostic-or-atheist “believers” to be counted, whose lives each tell the same story. They heard the Word, but through disobedience their hearts were hardened to its life-changing message, and they have had less and less use for it until it is gone from their lives altogether. They have tidy sidewalks, thanks to the birds, who are all too happy to gobble up all that unused seed lying about and making such a mess of things. But the birds leave their own mess, of course, and in the end there is no true life where the voice of God has disappeared.

“God, we pray for better things in our own hearts. Break up the fallow ground, these stony hearts of clay, and cause Your Word to take root and bear fruit in our lives. Guard us from the evil one, dear God, who would rob us of Your Word and the life it brings through Christ our Lord. Move our hearts to respond to Your Word always in faith and obedience, and revive us, O God, according to Your Word, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”

Sowing Good Seed

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. . . . The sower sows the word.” (Mark 4:3, 14)

God is a gardener. And when He made man, He made him a gardener too. He gave him fingers to dig in the dirt, fingers for sandy loam to run through. He gave him taste buds and a growling stomach to drive him into the dirt to plan, plant, and wait. He gave him eyes to behold the beauty of peach orchards, corn fields, and fat red tomato slices on the white plate before him. God made man with a hoe and a rake and a shovel already waiting for him in the shed out back.

God Himself is a sower of seed. His way is the way of life. He dreams of life, plans life, prepares for life, and makes life happen. When He makes dirt, He makes it for seeds to grow in. When He makes it rain, He rains life on His seed. When He calls for the sun to come out and blaze, the hot sun that sometimes also scorches and kills, He is calling forth the life in the seed. When He pulls weeds, leaving them to dry up and disintegrate and turn back into the dust from which they sprang, He is pulling for the seed. He does all He does for the life of the seedling: nurturing, caring, tilling, fertilizing, watering, praying for life and health and a good return for His labor.

Want to see life flourishing at your fingertips? Sow the Word of God into it. Do all you do to nurture the success of the Word of God in your life. The voice of God called forth all things into existence, and it is nothing other than the voice of God that brings forth life and goodness and causes all things to thrive. Beautiful fruit will come—through wind and rain and summer sun—where the Word of God takes root. If we want to see life and love and happiness and fruitfulness in our lives, in our families, in our world—in our “garden”—it will only come by way of the seed of the Word of God sown and grown and nurtured over time. When we pray according to the Word of God, think, dream, plan, work, speak, feel, and act according to the Word of God—when every square inch of the dirt floor of our lives is covered with the seed of the Word of God—“eye has not seen, nor ear heard” what God has in store for those who love Him in such a way.

“Great God in heaven above, we give thanks this day for Your sowing Your seed of love in our hearts and bringing forth the fruit of love for You in our lives. Thank You for the Word of God in which we find life, and thank You for causing it to take root in us. Grant to us life and fruit through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and make us good and hearty sowers of the Word ourselves, in our own lives and in the lives of all whom our lives touch. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”

Psalm 119:153-176: Great Peace Have Those Who Love Your Law

"Consider my affliction and deliver me,
For I do not forget Your law.
Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.
Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord;
Revive me according to Your judgments.
Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
I see the treacherous, and am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.
Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

"Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.
I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.
I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.
Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.
Lord, I hope for Your salvation,
And I do Your commandments.
My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.

"Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.
Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments."

Psalm 119:129-152: Direct My Steps by Your Word

"Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
The entrance of Your words gives light;
It give understanding to the simple.
I opened my mouth and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.
Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me.
Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.

"Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are your judgments.
Your testimonies, which You have commanded,
Are righteous and very faithful.
My zeal has consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
Yet Your commandments are my delights.
The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
Give me understanding, and I shall live.

"I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.
I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.
They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
You are near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever."

Psalm 119:105-128: A Lamp to My Feet

Make this the prayer of your heart and will:

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And teach me Your judgments.
My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.

"I hate the double-minded,
But I love Your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word.
Depart from me, you evildoers,
For I will keep the commandments of my God!
Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
Hold me up, and I shall be safe,
And I shall observe Your statutes continually.
You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.
You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies.
My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.

"I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
Be surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the proud oppress me.
My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation
And Your righteous word.
Deal with your servant according to Your mercy,
And teach me Your statutes.
I am Your servant;
Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
It is time for You to act, O Lord,
For they have regarded Your law as void.
Therefore I love Your commandments
More than gold, yes, than fine gold!
Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things
I consider to be right;
I hate every false way."

Psalm 119:89-104: Oh, How I Love Your Law!

Pray with the passion of the psalmist if you can; if you cannot, pray for the passion too!

"Forever, O Lord,
You word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.
I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

"Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
I have not departed from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way."

Psalm 119:65-88: Better Than Thousands of Coins of Gold and Silver

Psalm 119 is one of the most wonderful prayers in all of Scripture. Pray with mind and heart fully engaged--which often means slowly and meditatively.

You have dealt well with Your servant,
O Lord, according to Your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe Your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
The proud have forged a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.
Their heart is as fat as grease,
But I delight in Your law.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
Because I have hoped in Your word.
I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to Your word to Your servant.
Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
For Your law is my delight.
Let the proud be ashamed,
For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood;
But I will meditate on Your precepts.
Let those who fear You turn to me,
Those who know Your testimonies.
Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,
That I may not be ashamed.

My soul faints for Your salvation,
But I hope in Your word.
My eyes fail from searching Your word,
Saying, "When will You comfort me?"
For I have become like a wineskin in smoke,
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.
How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
The proud have dug pits for me,
Which is not according to Your law.
All Your commandments are faithful;
They persecute me wrongfully;
Help me!
They almost made an end of me on earth,
But I did not forsake Your precepts.
Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

Psalm 119:41–64: I Will Delight Myself in Your Commandments—Which I Love!

Another prayer from God’s Word: a confession of our love for God’s Word and His ways.

“Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—
Your salvation according to Your word.
So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
So shall I keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.
And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.
And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love.
My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes.

“Remember the word to Your servant,
Upon which You have caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life.
The proud have me in great derision,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.
I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord,
And have comforted myself.
Indignation has taken hold of me
Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.
Your statutes have been my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.
I remember Your name in the night, O Lord,
And I keep Your law.
This has become mine,
Because I kept Your precepts.

“You are my portion, O Lord;
I have said that I would keep Your words.
I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;
Be merciful to me according to Your word.
I thought about my ways,
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.
The cords of the wicked have bound me,
But I have not forgotten your law.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.
The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy;
Teach me Your statutes.
Amen.”

The Source

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:16, 17)

Everyone, without exception—every man, woman, and child; rich man, poor man; Christian, non; despairing or content—everyone without exception devotes his or her life, thoughts, feelings, and actions to the pursuit of happiness, to getting the good and perfect “gifts.” Those who get up in the morning and do whatever they do—eat breakfast, go to work, laugh and play—do so because they think it is the right thing, the good thing, the thing that will bring them pleasure. Those who stay in bed—to mourn, to run away, to indulge, to rest—do so for the exact same reason, because they think it is what will bring them the best good. We are all looking to satisfy the aching in our soul for good and perfect gifts.

And even those of us who know better and know what this verse in the Bible tells us, that all things good—again without exception—come from God, even we struggle frequently (daily? moment-by-moment?) against the deception the damned serpent presented to our parents in the Garden (where everything was Paradise, right?): God is holding back. Somehow somewhere something outside God’s plan and God’s law and God’s ways (outside God Himself?) is going to bring me more pleasure, more delight, more satisfaction, more power, and more glory than what comes down from above.

In other words, the essence of sin is the disbelief of this verse. If we would go to the Father of lights, the Father of all things light and pure and good and true, if we would ask of God, the God who gives liberally and without reproach to all who ask for the good, we would avoid the shipwreck of wrong desire and temptation and sin and the death that ensues. But we teeter back and forth much of the time, unfortunately, between such faithful asking-looking-trusting-and-waiting and the utterly foolish response of lusting for the fruit forbidden if not sinking our teeth into it altogether.

God is the source of all things good, and He is good Himself, neither empty nor stingy, and with Him there is no variation or shadow of turning. The source—and nothing but the source—will always bear what it bears, give what it gives. God alone can be trusted for the goodness and perfection for which we long and live and pursue. Go to Him, beloved, and abide in Him, look to Him, and delight in Him, and He will give you the desires of your hearts.

“Father of lights, Source of all good, Goodness Himself, forgive our disbelief, deliver us from deception, draw us to Yourself, grant to us Yourself. Keep us from looking for love and joy and happiness and fulfillment and wisdom and comfort in all the wrong places, and by Your Holy Spirit guide us in the way that leads to You and all things good, true, and beautiful. We pray believing and trusting in our Lord’s most holy and precious name. Amen.”

Made Alive

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1)

I was once a dead man
Dead in my trespass and sin
Cold, unfeeling
Without breath or blood
No song on my lips
No beat in my breast
No sight in my eyes
No warmth to the touch
I was a lie
A body with no soul
Creation in wilt
Form and no substance

I was once a stillborn
Brought forth unnaturally damned
A grave for my cradle
Innocence spurned
No promise of growth
No hope of affection
No dreaming of futures
No memories to build
I was surreal
A world turned sideways
Seed gone bad
A child of wrath

But God is a world full of mercy
His self-purposed love giving cause
Entirely by grace
And for His good pleasure
With life in His fingers
And fire in His eyes
With kingdoms to build
And kindness on tap
He made me alive
A breathing spirit
Garden restored
Life after death

“Lord God, we give thanks for life after death, for forgiveness of sins, for Your undying mercy, for grace and faith and Your holy purposes in and through Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”

Psalm 57: Until These Calamities Have Passed By

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.

I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.
He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who would swallow me up.
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.

They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen.

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
Awake, my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.

A General Prayer by Richard Baxter (Part Three)

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16b)

“We pray, dear God,

• That You would keep us from murders and violence, as well as from injurious passionate words and actions;
• That You would keep us from fornication and all uncleanness, from adulteries and immorality, from lustful thoughts and filthy talk, and from all unchaste behavior; we pray
• That You would keep us from stealing or wronging our neighbor in his property, from perverting justice, from false witnessing and deceit, from slandering, backbiting, or any other wrong to the reputation of our neighbor; and
• That You would keep us from coveting any thing that is our neighbor’s; we pray
• That we would love our neighbors as ourselves and do to others as we would have them do to us;
• That we would love Christ in His members with a pure and fervent love; and
• That we would love our enemies and do good to all as far as we are able and especially to the household of faith; we pray
• That You would give us our necessary provision for Your service and that we would be content with it;
• That You would bless our labors and the fruits of the earth in their season and such temperate weather that would be supportive of them; and
• That You would deliver us and all Your servants from such sickness, wants, and other distresses as may unseasonably take us off of Your service; we pray
• That You would keep us from gluttony and drunkenness, slothfulness, unlawful gain, and from making provision for the flesh to satisfy its lusts; we pray
• That when we sin, You would restore us by true repentance and faith in Christ;
• That we would loathe ourselves for our transgressions;
• That You would forgive all of our sins and accept us in Your well-beloved Son;
• That You would save us from the curse and punishment which our sins deserve;
• That You would teach us to forgive others from our hearts; and
• That You would convert our enemies, our persecutors, our slanderers, and that You would forgive them; we pray
• That we would watch against temptations, and that we would resist and overcome the flesh, the devil, and the world;
• That by no allurements of pleasure, profit, or honor we would be drawn away from You to sin;
• That we would patiently suffer with Christ that we may reign with Him;
• That You would deliver us and all Your people from the enmity and rage of Satan and all his wicked instruments; and, dear God,
• That You would preserve us for Your heavenly kingdom.

“For You alone are the universal King: all power is Yours in heaven and on earth. All things are of You, through You, and for You, and all the glory will be Yours forever and ever. Amen.”

Psalm 23: A Prayer to the Good Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Amen.

A General Prayer by Richard Baxter (Part Two)

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16b)

“We pray, dear God,

• That You would put it in the hearts of the rulers of the world to submit to Christ and rule for Him as His stewards;
• That You would save them from temptations that would drown them in sensuality or would break them on Christ as a rock of offence by engaging them against His holy doctrine, ways, and servants; we pray
• That You would have mercy on the President of the United States, protect his person, illuminate and sanctify him by Your Spirit; we pray
• That the President would seek Your honor, the increase of the true faith, and holy obedience to Your laws; and
• That he would govern as Your minister, appointed by You for the terror of evil-doers and for the praise of those who do good; we pray
• That under the current leadership we would live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty; and
• That You would have mercy on all the other leaders in the land: the members of Congress, the members of the Supreme Court, and all of the other magistrates; we pray
• That they would fear You and be examples of holiness and temperance; haters of injustice, covetousness, and pride; and defenders of the innocent; and
• That in their eyes a vile person would be condemned and that they would honor those who fear the Lord; we pray
• That every soul would be subject to the higher powers and not resist; and
• That they would obey all in authority, not only for wrath, but for conscience’ sake; we pray
• That You would give all the churches able, faithful pastors who would soundly and diligently preach the Word of God and guide the flocks in ways of holiness and peace;
• That these pastors would not oversee and rule the churches by constraint but willingly, not for money, not as being lords over them but as the servants of all and as examples to the flock (that when the Chief Pastor shall appear, they may receive the crown of glory); we pray
• That the people of the churches would know those who are over them and labor among them preaching the Word of God; and
• That they would highly esteem them in love for their work’s sake, consider them worthy of double honor, and obey them in the Lord; we pray
• That parents would bring up their children in holy nurture so they will remember their Creator in the days of their youth;
• That children would love, honor, and obey their parents;
• That husbands would love their wives and guide them in knowledge and holiness; and
• That wives would love and obey their husbands; and we pray, dear God,
• That all others in authority would rule in the fear of God, and that those under their authority would obey in the Lord;

This we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”

A General Prayer by Richard Baxter (Part One)

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16b)

The great Puritan pastor Richard Baxter used the following prayer as a general prayer in public worship (I have revised it slightly and organized it here into “points” as well as into three parts). Lending itself to “effectiveness and fervency,” not only is it useful for public worship, but it is a great prayer for us to use on a daily basis, as well as a model for our own prayers. Of course, a goodly portion of the fervency is up to you!

“O Holy God, righteous Father, Creator of all things—You alone are our deliverer, our hope, our sustainer: we lift up to You our petitions and pray that through Christ You would hear our prayers. We pray first of all:

• That You would help us to make our calling and election sure,
• That our faith and repentance would be genuine, and
• That we might have peace with You through Jesus Christ; we pray
• That Your would fill us with Your Holy Spirit, that You would sanctify us and dwell in us; and we pray
• That we would deny ourselves and give ourselves entirely to You as being not our own but Yours; we pray
• That Your name would be glorified throughout the world,
• That self-love, pride, and vainglory would be destroyed, and
• That You would cause us to love You, fear You, trust in You with all our hearts, and live for You; we pray
• That all the earth would subject themselves to You, their King,
• That all the kingdoms of the world would become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ,
• That all atheists, idolaters, Muslims, Jews, and other unfaithful and ungodly people would be converted;
• We pray that You would send out more laborers into the harvest, and that the gospel would be preached throughout all the world; and
• That You would preserve and bless these missionaries and ministers in Your work; we pray
• That You would sustain those persecuted in other countries and in ours, that You would grant them perseverance and deliver them from the oppressor; we pray
• That You would unite all Christians in Jesus Christ, the one true and universal Head, in the true Christian and catholic faith and love; we pray
• That You would cast out heresies and corruptions, heal divisions; and
• That You would cause the strong [in the faith] to receive the weak and bear their infirmities; we pray
• That You would restrain the spirit of pride and cruelty, and let nothing be done in strife or vainglory;
• That You would keep us from atheism, idolatry, and rebellion against You;
• That You would keep us from infidelity, ungodliness, and sensuality; and
• That You would keep us from false security, presumption, and despair; we pray
• That we would delight to please You, and that Your Word would be the rule of our faith and lives;
• That we would love Your Word, and understand it, and meditate in it day and night; we pray, dear God,
• That we would neither corrupt nor neglect Your worship;
• That we would not take Your holy name in vain;
• That You would keep us from blasphemy, perjury, profane swearing, and lying; we pray also
• That You would keep us from a contempt of Your ordinances (worship, the Lord’s Supper, etc.);
• That You would keep us from false, unworthy, and unreverent thoughts and words about God and holy things; and
• That You would keep us from the neglect and profaning of Your holy day

Through Christ our Lord and for His sake. Amen.”

Psalm 107: Oh, That Men Would Give Thanks for His Goodness!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help,
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.

Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise him in the company of the elders.

He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place.
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Leaders of Choice (Part Two)

“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” (Exodus 18:22)


One of the reasons, obviously, it is so important for us to choose such men is because they, after all, are to be rulers over us. And rulers rule. As sinners, we tend toward rebellion against this idea. On the one hand, we like to call the shots ourselves when it is to our advantage—in other words, we each like having the rule at times—but for precisely the same reasons we often object to the idea of ruler-ship in others. At yet other times we want others to rule over us because we have no desire to take up our own responsibility and want someone else to “do” for us. But then we grow to resent this also, and we simultaneously grow unhappy with rulers once again.

But God has set up the universe in hierarchy, and it is inescapable. God the King is at the top (even the Trinity has a Father and a Son): all things are under His rule. He sets the sun in the sky to rule by day, the moon by night. He appoints man as sub-sovereign over His creatures on the earth; and there is a hierarchy in each man’s family: the man is head of the woman, and children are to honor and obey father and mother. God has set things up with rulers in mind. If we are smart, we will follow suit.

So again this is why it is so important to get the right leaders in place when we have the choice. If submission and following and judgment and laws are going to be involved, and they all must be for true leadership to take place, then we want good leaders to follow. If our desire is to be the best sort of men and women ourselves, it is wise for us to place over us, when we have the choice, those who are “the best” among us. Just as a student will be like his teacher, so a people will be like their rulers.

If we are to be God-fearers ourselves, if God is to be our Sovereign in all affairs, then we must have rulers who fear God above all others, who look to God, trust God, love God, serve God, and long to be like Him in all of His character, more than anyone else. If we desire justice and mercy and truth and honesty and integrity in all of our own dealings, we must have leaders who will set that standard for us.

For rulers not only rule, but they are the rule, so to speak. And they will rule according to their own standards as well. If our rulers are prone to be adulterers, then adultery will be winked at in our culture. And so it is. If our rulers are covetous and desire to gain at others’ expense, we will live in a society pronounced by greed and theft and bribery and injustice. We must have rulers, we need to have rulers—that is the way God has made the world, and it is what God calls for. But we do not need any rulers other than the kind for which God calls, and we would do well this day to pray for God to grant us such, to make us such, and to choose such leaders when the opportunity is given us.

“Sovereign God, we give You thanks for the way in which You have made the world, and we give thanks for Your own righteous and holy and just rule over us and all creation. We pray, dear God, You would make us like You, that You would help us to choose wisely those who are to rule over us, and that You would in Your own wisdom and kindness exalt those to places of leadership over us who will lead us in paths of righteousness because of their own righteousness and desire for good. Have mercy on us and grant such to us, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”

Leaders of Choice (Part One)

“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” (Exodus 18:22)

God is a God who selects men. Moses himself was a man chosen by God to lead His people. And although God can use and has used donkey breath to do His bidding, and although aside from His own Son He must use mere men, predominantly it is recorded in the Scriptures that the man of choice God places in leadership is a man who fits the description here: “able” (which word in the original language means far more: man of excellence, man of virtue, man of valor—the cream of the crop in every aspect), a man who fears the God who calls him, a man of truth and integrity, a man who deplores greed, envy, and lust.

But God is not the only one who selects men. God calls us to imitate Him and select leaders for ourselves. We must do this—it is hoisted upon us, we have the responsibility. If we are passive in choosing leaders for ourselves, men will seize such a golden opportunity and select themselves—and most of the time for all the wrong reasons: power, pride, and personal gain. When we take up the responsibility, however, we have the added responsibility to choose the right men, men such as God would choose Himself.

These opportunities arise in various arenas at various times in our lives. We may not get to choose our own parents—God does that for us—but we do have the immense responsibility to choose the leaders in our family when we choose a mate. When a man takes a wife, among other things, he is choosing a “leader” in his own little kingdom, and he should choose a woman who fits the bill. Obviously, the woman has just as much responsibility to choose wisely for herself and for her future children: she is called upon to choose the excellent, God-fearing, truthful man who hates covetousness.

God also tasks us with choosing leaders in our civil government—from the most local magistrate (“ruler of tens”—think alderman, police chief, town mayor) to the highest offices in the land (“rulers of thousands”—our legislators, judges, and the President and all his men). When we go to the polls, do we use the criteria given by God here for choosing those who are to rule over us and judge our affairs? If not, why are we surprised or upset when we get what we generally have?

“God, grant to us leaders such as You Yourself choose, and grant us the wisdom and courage to choose such ourselves. Help us in all of the choices continually before us—whether leadership in our homes, in our churches, in our communities, in our businesses, in our nation, or even in our friendships—to select the best, the most virtuous, those who love You above all else, men and women of integrity, those we can trust, those who are not controlled by money or greed or envy or lust. And make us such ourselves, we pray, dear God, in the name of the greatest example of such a Chosen One, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Psalm 66: Praise to God for Answered Prayer

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God,
“How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.”

Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
He turned the sea into dry land;
They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.

Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

I will go into You house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats.

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!

The Call (Part Four)

“Now the Lord had said to Abram:

‘Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”
(Genesis 12:1–3)

God called Abraham (1) to leave and (2) to follow, and He promised (3) to bless him and (4) to make him a blessing to others. These are God’s call and promises to us.

Much of the time, however, we get focused on #3 to the exclusion of the others. It is not wrong but altogether right for us to look to God for His blessing. “Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights,” and God wants us to look to Him for every good thing and to give thanks to Him for every good that comes to us. (That is the essence of “prayer” and “thanksgiving.”)

But it is inextricably woven into the woof and warp of the universe that the blessing of God is all tied up with loving and leaving—loving God above all else and with all your heart, loving your neighbor and desiring his good as much as you desire your own, and walking away from your own sin, the world of sin, and the devil who keeps calling you back to it.

Adam’s eldest son Cain is one who desired the one without the other. He was all about the blessing of God. And when he saw it falling on his brother Abel and not himself, he responded with anger and envy. “How come—he got—why didn’t I—?” God’s answer was simple: If you do well, if you do what is right, the blessing will come—trust Me. Cain was called to leave his sin behind, including his anger and envy, to seek the pleasure of God (“find out what is the will of God and do it”), and to love his brother as himself—to rejoice in his blessing as much as he would rejoice in his own. Cain resisted, however, and blessing eluded him the rest of his long and lonely life.

Certainly God has blessed us without our having to do a thing, just as Cain had been blessed prior to his own downfall as well. And God is gracious and merciful to offer us forgiveness and second chances when we get off track. For these things we give thanks, and without the grace and mercy and initiative of God, there is no blessing and no expectation.

But Abraham would never have received what God had promised—blessing to him and through him—if he had not responded the way God calls us to respond, namely, through repentance and faith, through turning from idols to serve the living and true God, through giving up all to follow Christ. But thank God he did, and thank God for the grace He gives for us to do the same.

“Grant us Your blessing, O Lord, and make us a conduit of blessing to others. Lead us not into temptation but into your paths of righteousness, and grant to us a persevering faith and a thorough repentance. We give thanks to You for all good things, dear God, and we look to You for all blessing and happiness and goodness in this life and throughout eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”