Reading from Psalm 107.
I keep finding myself stopping by this particular chapter from time to time.
Probably have taught more from 107 than any other chapter in Scripture.
It seems to speak of life with God and life (or the lack of) without God.
I think it is speaking to what is going on in the lives of people today in our country.
We are a nation that has bought into the notion that we can save ourselves from whatever comes our way.
Or at least the idea that the Federal Government can save us.
What happens when neither view is correct? That we cannot save ourselves or look to the government to be our savior.
I am a firm believer that we spend a lot of time praying for God to remove us, deliver us, restore us, take us out of, free us from, raise us above whatever event or situation we are facing.
This may not always be the case with God.
In verse 6 of Psalm 107 we read:
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and delivered them out of their distresses.
Sounds good, especially to our sense of self-preservation. But take a closer look at what is written.
The people cried out to God "in their trouble."
Smack dab in the middle of a situation that there was no answer for.
In the middle of a circumstance that had no solution, as far as the people could see, they cried out to God.
I'll buy that. So far the verse is right on target.
We have identified that we are in a "powerless" place where we cannot save ourselves.
Coming to that conclusion, we realize that only a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. That power being JESUS.
So, with everything we have, we cry out....HELLLLLLLLP!
Notice what the Scripture says.
"And He delivered them out of their distresses."
It doesn't say that He (Jesus) delivered them from the situation does it?
No!
It says that He delivered them out of their distresses. He brought peace to their hearts, souls, spirit, and mind. He delivered them out of the emotional turmoil and confusion that comes when we find ourselves in desperation.
We trust God and not our emotions.
We find the level place, the peaceful place that only God can give and then await His instructions.
Notice Verse 7:
"And He led them forth by the right way.........."
We have to be delivered from the emotional baggage in order to hear what to do.
We find this to be hard, because what we want is a pseudo-peace.
We want the situation to change so that we can find peace.
God says, "I will free you from the baggage and give you peace so you can follow Me through the situation."
Maybe this should be what we crave and cry out for more than deliverance.
God....deliver me from my own emotional baggage so I can follow you!
Think on this...
God on you.......
mb
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2 comments:
mb, I think we're under judgement as a Nation...am I being to harsh? I just wrote about this on my blog. Now I've read your post and I think we're on the same page.
I agree. On Oct. 3, 2003 I was lead to begin to search out and teach on Repentence. This has been my message for the last 5 years. Talking with my wife, we agreed that we are not fearful of what is happening around us. God is our provider, but we do believe that God's hand is shaking our country to collapse everything that does not glorify him.
That is why we must not stop speaking Repentence.
mb
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