Psalm 30

^{Psalm 30:} I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
² Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
³ You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.

⁴ Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

I hope none of you were lifted out of a soggy pit this morning. The rain lasted all night but it appears to be abating. David knew the glories of kingship included favor from many but threats of death by others. He could feel the gloating of his enemies so he called out to the Lord. He was almost dead but the Lord saved and restored him.

There is no guarantee of perpetual safety in the Kingdom. There will be times of danger and we will call out to the Lord for healng. We will sense his anger at times followed by his favor. We may weep at the misfortunes of this night but awaken to joy in the morning. So praise God for his wondrous works in your life. You have come through the time of trial and you trust God to bring you home.  Pray for the homeless and those who have lost power and phones in the rainstorm. Amen.

Make ready the way.‏

Psalm 92

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

¹ It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name, O Most High,
² proclaiming your love in the morning
    and your faithfulness at night,
³ to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
    and the melody of the harp.

⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
    I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
⁵ How great are your works, Lord,
    how profound your thoughts!

What did you accomplish on the Sabbath that clears the way for you to accomplish your best this week? Did you worship and sing praises to the Lord? Was God highly exalted so that your vision is clear to see what God wills for your week? ”God is highly exalted." That means he is above all other’s to contend for your loyalty. You owe him first. He has demonstrated his faithfulness and so you trust those first steps out the door this morning. Wherever you go it becomes the way of the Lord.  

Your brother, Christ, has cleared the way. He has defeated your adversary, Satan. All of his tricks and accusations are disarmed. You are a son or daughter of the great King. It’s amazing how one hour of worship can set your feet on the path that leads to everlasting joy! So make sure you have reserved a place in God’s House this Sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks and to sing praises to our God.

We pray for Joseph and for Bonnie. 

Amen.

there's love at the core‏

^{John 3: 4} Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

A drilling project might try to find out what is at the very center of our earth. So far we have only scratched the surface going down a couple of miles when the center is another four thousand miles to go. What we know about God is that small: we have only scratched the surface. But, what we know about him from his Son, Jesus, gives us a confident estimate of what the Father is really like. Jesus is not just another visitor to the earth, he is the only begotten Son. He is not taking and giving, but only giving of himself. His life is love poured out for people to enjoy and to find real life.  His love is both strong and tender as we see on the cross tough enough to take the punishment and tender in forgiving his executioners. His love is the one thing that will save and redeem us and the entire world. At the core of our being there is a "God shaped vacuum" that only God can fill. Listen! I hear him knocking now! 

 Amen.