12/2/11 PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD
12/2/11 PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD
Psalm 130:1-131:3 Friday, December 2, 2011
Key Verse: 131:3 Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
“3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”
Dear Lord heavenly Father thank you so much for your love and your grace. Help me to be loving and graceful to others, reflecting the same grace that you showed me. I pray that you may help all the opponents to UBF may reflect the heart of Jesus and follow the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and serve to expand the Kingdom of God in peoples’ hearts. I don’t know where this is a heading but I trust in Jesus I want to shepherd those whom you send my way. It may be that you are calling me to shepherd those whom no one else absolutely wants to shepherd. Thank you for the night out that I can have with Julie. Help her to run the Christmas dinner well and open many opportunities to talk about Jesus. Grant me one word through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!
1. With him is full redemption (130:1-8).
Verses 1-8 read, “Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”
Nothing moves a mother’s heart like a hungry child crying loudly with big tears in his eyes. Likewise, our cry for mercy touches our Father God’s heart. God has mercy on each sinner whose sins are piled up like the Willis Tower. We fear God because there is forgiveness in him. In his word, we put our hope. God never disappoints us when our hearts yearn for him more than watchmen who wait for the morning. The problem is our dull sense toward our sins and the lack of a heart that seeks God.
Thank you Lord, for forgiving my sins. I need a deep sense of my sin and a deep sense of the holiness of God and a deep appreciation of what God has done for me on the cross. Thank you Lord Jesus. I also am relieved when I think of grace of Jesus and what Jesus has done for me. It is relieving to draw near to God and way from our human struggles with other people. I need the calm of being in Jesus. I pray that all of my kids and my Bible students may love Jesus more than anything and find the peace and rest that is in him. I pray that those who oppose the work of God in our ministry will find their peace and rest in Jesus and seek God’s wisdom.
I put my hope in the Lord. I put my hope in God for my life and ministry. I put my hope and trust in the Lord concerning my salvation and eternal life. God will send whom he wants to send. God will grow whom he wants to grow. I am ready Lord to be a mentor and shepherd for the lost and those who no one else will mentor. I want them to find their peace and rest in Jesus Christ and your glorious gospel.
2. Like a weaned child (131:1-3).
Verses 1-3 read, “My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. 3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”
When we taste the truthfulness of the words of God and the full redemption in Christ, we find real peace and rest in God. We become like a weaned child, resting in the everlasting arms of God. When our sin problem is solved through redemption in Christ, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God both now and forevermore (Ro 5:2)
A weaned child is the picture of contentment. I can be content when I turn my eyes upon Jesus and look deep in his wonderful face. Then I can be content. But I can not be content when I look at the struggles of people. Lord, may I fix my eyes on Jesus and the kingdom of God. May I take deep root in you. Thank you for the place of refuge that you provide for us. Where in this world is this refuge. It is not even in Church programs nor Christian books nor in theology. It is in Christ alone and in a personal relationship with Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for stretching out your arms of love when I was helpless in sins. Thank you so much for the glorious hope and peace in Christ.
One Word: Real hope comes from God
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