May 31, 2017
Worship: Times by Tenth Avenue North
I know I need You
I need to love You
I'd love to see You, but it's been so long
I long to feel You
I feel this need for You
I need to hear You
Is that so wrong
Oh oh …
Now You pull me near You
When we're close, I fear You
Still, I'm afraid to tell you all that I've done
Are You done forgiving
Or can You look past my pretending, Lord
I'm so tired of defending what I've become
What have I become
Oh oh …
I hear You say
My love is over
It's underneath
It's inside
It's in between
The times that you doubt me
When you can't feel
The times that you question
Is this for real
The times you're broken
The times that you mend
The times you hate me
And the times that you bend
Well my love is over
It's underneath
It's inside
It's in between
The times that you're healing
And when your heart breaks
The times that you feel like you've fallen from grace
The times you're hurting
The times that you heal
The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal
In times of confusion
In chaos and pain
I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame
I'm there through your heartache
I'm there in the storm
My love, I will keep you by my power alone
I don't care where you've fallen or where you have been
I'll never forsake you
My love never ends
It never ends,
Oh oh …
Writer(s): Mike Donehey
Tenth Avenue North Lyrics
"Over And Underneath" (2008
Lyrics have been edited from the above link for brevity and punctuation errors
Witness:
Ps 31:14-15a
… I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands…
NIV
Heb 13:5c [Josh 1:4]
… "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
ESV
I heard this song several days ago. It is a personal song sung to the Lord. It is written much in the style of many psalms. It begins with acknowledging a need followed by a confession of weakness and ending with truth from the Lord.
I need to manage my times better. It’s 9:03 pm already and almost time for work. I woke up on time but wasted time on my phone. I had to go to the store to get some things for a stew I was cooking tomorrow. As usual, it took twice as long as it should have with all my looking at labels and research online for the benefits, if any, of the things I was considering purchasing. When I came home, I had to cook dinner. Then I sat down finally to study. However, my computer was sluggish and freezing up. So, I rebooted it, and now it is running fine. However, by the time I finished getting prepared (which included reviewing an old journal entry) It was after 8 pm. So here I am now writing this entry just when I have to go to work.
Every day, it seems I recognize my need to plan better and focus better. To avoid the distractions. I live in the hope that one day I will be able to do this. Behind all this stumbling towards becoming better at time management is the recognition that ultimately my times are in God’s hands and He will never abandon me. Yes, He may choose to remove the sense of His presence and grace in order to wake me up to my need at the moment which I was ignoring or had grown insensitive to.
His promise of His presence is a gracious two-edged sword. It warns, and it warms. It cautions, and it comforts. When I sin, He says, “I saw that.” When we stray and get lost, He says, “I know where you are, I am coming to get you.” When the storm builds and breaks over me, He says, “I am here, and I am holding you.” When in the midst of dark times and days of trouble, He says, “I am here and though you can’t see where you are going, reach out and take hold of my ‘rod and staff, ’ and I will guide you through.”
WORD:
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Ps 26:8-27:1
8 I love the house where you live, O Lord,
the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But I lead a blameless life;
redeem me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground; in the great
assembly I will praise the Lord.
NIV (’84)
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Ps 26:8-27:1
8 I love your sanctuary, Lord,
the place where your glorious presence dwells.
9 Don't let me suffer the fate of sinners.
Don't condemn me along with murderers.
10 Their hands are dirty with evil schemes,
and they constantly take bribes.
11 But I am not like that; I live with integrity.
So redeem me and show me mercy.
12 Now I stand on solid ground,
and I will publicly praise the Lord.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
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Ps 26:8-27:1
8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.
KJV
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Ps 26:8-12
8 O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.
ESV
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If you read Psalm 26 in various versions, you will see that the Psalm is divided differently when it comes to v. 8 and 9. The NIV (84) and NLT have verse 8 grouped with 6-8, and the ESV connects verse 8 with 9 – 12 and the NIV (2011) connects it with 9-11. One could get bogged down in deciding which one it is. However, I would rather see it as one who knows when writing poetry and prayers, one’s thoughts generally flow forward as they write. Therefore, as David wrote verse 6-7 it naturally flowed into verse 8 and out of it grew his petition in verses 9-10 and profession in verses 11-12.
Verse 9 perplexes me. In light of what just preceded in verses 6-8, why would David pray that God would not allow him to suffer the same fate as the wicked? Perhaps the answer is in remembering that he began this psalm with a prayer for vindication from his detractors and enemies. Yet, David knows that he may be self-deceived and wants the Lord to examine him to see if his claim of innocence is valid. In verses 4-8 he is building a case for why he believes he is not like the wicked and therefore should be vindicated. Yet God may not see it that way. Perhaps there was a sin he was blind to. Paul was concerned about this for he says,
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Cor. 9:27 ESV
In light of this concern, he says, “I discipline my body and keep it under control.”
David declares in verse 11 something to that same effect,
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity
It is only the self-righteous and overly pious who would never deign to pray such a prayer. They would even be afraid to pray,
And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.Matt 6:13 NIV
After all, they would never be tempted anyway.
The true believer should always look at themselves with distrust and to the Lord with complete confidence. We should say with the Apostle Paul,
But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 2 Cor 10:17-18 NIV
Healthy self-examination is encouraged by both Paul and Peter.
2 Cor 13:5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?NIV 2 Peter 1:10-11Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
NIV
The “things” the Apostle Peter refers to are found in the preceding verses.
2 Peter 1:5-7For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.NIV
Lest one thinks that I am advocating a works oriented salvation let me say that “these things” are not ultimately wrought by us but by God Himself working His will and way in us. Peter makes that clear by what he writes preceding these verses and upon which the fulfillment of “these things” can take place.
2 Peter 1:3-4His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
NIV
Paul witnesses to this same power and same working of God in our lives. He does so in Philippians 2:12-13, Romans 8:28-30, and 2 Corinthians 3:18.
The author of Hebrews says,
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.Hebrews 10:11-14 NIV
Finally, we have the testimony of Jude who declares his praise in a benedictory fashion at the end of his epistle.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.NIV
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