Troubled times....powerful prayer.

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, "I am your salvation." Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
(Psa 35:1-6)

David presents us with a sterling example of one type of prayer we should avail ourselves of in these troubled times.  Jesus made it plain that He was sending us out as sheep among wolves and that we should be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Easy to say, hard to do.

But if we will regularly pray in the manner we see here I believe our hearts and minds will be encouraged and strengthened.  Such prayers are both wise and innocent and will facilitate and calmness of mind and body when we are in distress - when we must contend with the world, the flesh and the devil. 

Don't think in terms of some extraordinary event or circumstance.  Contention with the world the flesh and the devil is the norm for our lives not the exception.  Sure, it may be that at times the contention seems exceptional BUT we must remember that we are engaged in a war 24-7-365,  When we only "notice" the exceptional times of contention  we allow the enemy to gain just a little more ground on the battlefield.  We must keep the battle we are engaged in before us at all times.  There is no truce, there is no cease-fire, the battle rages even if it does so quietly and just out of sight.

In some corners of the world they are killing us.  In other corners of the work they are marginalizing us.  In still other corners of the world they are vilifying us - dehumanizing us so that we will have little value and our passing will be acceptable.

We must pray, seeking God's intervention.  Yes, there is much we can still do to address these issues that we must contend with.  But our options grow fewer and opportunities more limited.  And so we call upon our God, our defender, to do as He has promised to do and fight this fight as we never could.  We must pray for the destruction of His enemies, our enemies - which means in the end we must pray for His prompt return and His might in the mean while.

Take all such troubles to Him and call upon Him to engage the enemy.  We can only do our little part.  We can only armor up and hold the line.  We can stand and pray and David's prayer here is a good example of how our prayers should be concerning these troubled times.

 

When considering the providence of God, October 6, 2015

October 6, 2015

When considering the providence of God . . . .

Too vast the ocean, too many the grains of sand.
Such is the providence of God

Such is my reflection and consideration.

Trying to "count one's blessing" is a most frustrating endeavor.

Too vast, too many.

Neatly woven like a web, God's providence touches all, all the time.

There are no loose ends no blind courses

God's providence is a whole - complete and entire.

There are no "great" blessings there are no "minor" blessings.
,
They are all of one value, great beyond grasping.

Though not always in our view they are utterly purposeful and directive.

Those past are our guides and instructors.

Those present are our comfort and consolation.

Those future are our hope and joy.

Our perception of them, often sullied by indwelling sin,
causes us to rate them on a skewed scale feeding our self consumption and yet rebellious wills.

Surrender brings peace and comfort.

Trusting, when trust is hard, brings strength and growth.

We need be patient with ourselves as we learn to appreciate His providence and to see the value in the whole of it.

We need to see the whole of it.  Though hard and demanding we need to do the work that helps us see the whole of it.

One does not look at a part of a portrait and see its beauty, one must view the whole.