Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures!
Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,
those whom he delivered from the power of the enemy,
and gathered from foreign lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.
When the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and raised he triumphed over the power of his enemy. As he was lifted up, first in on the cross and then as a lifegving spirit, he gathered people to him. He says, "Now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32) We, who put faith in Jesus, are delivered from this enemy too. As it is written, "He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good." - Titus 2:14
We are his and participants in our Father's eternal purpose. This great "mystery of his will" is "to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:10) Today he gathers together his believers as one body under his headship. When Christians come together in this manner is called church or congregation - in Greek the word is Ekklesia, a gathering. When we come together it is around our risen Lord for as he says, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)
They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road;
they found no city in which to live.
They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their trouble
He led them on a level road,
that they might find a city in which to live.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
For he has satisfied those who thirst,
and those who hunger he has filled with food.
When John the Baptist came to the earth it was to prepare a straight path, a highway to Heaven. He came to prepare the people for the appearance of Jesus, the Anointed One. Jesus is our rest from weariness as we cross the desert. He is the rock that provides the water. Jesus gives us the true water - "those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." (John 4:14) He is also the true bread that comes down from heaven and it "gives life to the world" (John 6:32) Abraham, the father of our faith, left Babylon to wander the deserts for he had faith in a promised heavenly city. (Hebrews 11:16) Today we are lead to this wonderful City as recipients of that promise. "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," (Hebrews 12:22)
"They sat in utter darkness,
bound in painful iron chains,
because they had rebelled against God’s commands,
and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king.
So he used suffering to humble them;
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
He brought them out of the utter darkness,
and tore off their shackles.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars.
Jesus frees us from the shackles of the Law, from sin, from death. He brings light into the world and opens our eyes so that we can see that light.
They acted like fools in their rebellious ways,
and suffered because of their sins.
They lost their appetite for all food,
and they drew near the gates of death.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
He sent them an assuring word and healed them;
he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
Let them present thank offerings,
and loudly proclaim what he has done!
Our Father is loyal in love. "God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) Even when we were like fools he sent his assuring Word, Jesus, and through him we are healed. "By his stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24) He is the good shepherd who seeks out his lost sheep and draws them out of the pit. We live through him and even the pit of death is not too deep for our Lord to reach down and rescue us. Jesus is the living embodiment of God's loyal love - let us praise God for the lamb! Let us approach Mt. Zion! Let us sing before the throne! "Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name" (Hebrews 13:15)
Some traveled on the sea in ships,
and carried cargo over the vast waters.
They witnessed the acts of the Lord,
his amazing feats on the deep water.
He gave the order for a windstorm,
and it stirred up the waves of the sea.
They reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength left them because the danger was so great.
They swayed and staggered like a drunk,
and all their skill proved ineffective.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
He calmed the storm,
and the waves grew silent.
The sailors rejoiced because the waves grew quiet,
and he led them to the harbor they desired.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!
Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside!
I'm reminded of that great sea-storm that tossed the boat. The disciples struggled against it but Jesus calmly slept at peace They roused him and frantically inquired, "Don't you care we are going to drown." Jesus turned and ordered the storm to be silent and the waves grew quiet. Let us have faith that Jesus will calm down the storms in our lives. Let us be at peace. The hope we have in Jesus is an "anchor for our soul, sure and steadfast" - it has chain reaching even up to the secret place of God. (Hebrews 6:19) Let us sing of his praise before the entire assembly of heaven!
He turned streams into a desert,
springs of water into arid land,
and a fruitful land into a barren place,
because of the sin of its inhabitants.
As for his people, he turned a desert into a pool of water,
and a dry land into springs of water.
He allowed the hungry to settle there,
and they established a city in which to live.
They cultivated fields,
and planted vineyards,
which yielded a harvest of fruit.
He blessed them so that they became very numerous.
He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number.
The redeemed of God have been brought into the Holy City. From the throne of God and the Lamb streams the life giving water that transforms the land, it brings forth live-giving fruit. Righteous fruit, the fruit of the Spirit of God, bring lifes to our dead body. Jesus gives us the live giving water that springs up from parched places. Let the spirit bubble forth and bear fruit.
As for their enemies, they decreased in number and were beaten down,
because of painful distress and suffering.
He would pour contempt upon princes,
and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.
Yet he protected the needy from oppression,
and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.
When the godly see this, they rejoice,
and every sinner shuts his mouth.
Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!
Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love!
When Jesus came into the world the people were beaten down and oppressed. Our Lord "had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) Jesus is "the good shepherd." and he "lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11) "The Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:17)
Praise Jehovah, our God and Father for his loyal love!
Praise our Shepherd, Jesus who rescued us and freed us - who heals us and feeds us!
Let us sing praise before the Throne of God and Before the Lamb!
No comments:
Post a Comment