19 April 2014 - A reflection

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

2 Samuel 7:14-15

Lord God of hosts, You alone are great.
Indeed Almighty is awesome
For You are faithful to Your promises to Your servant
You redeemed me with the blood of Your Son
Sanctified me with Your Spirit, and
Still sanctifying and transforming me to the likeness of Your Son
You disciplines me whenever I sinned against You
Your staff pull me back tenderly when I gone astray from Your path
You carries me with Your loving mighty arm
When I fell to the ground and bruised
Truly bruised reed You do not break
Faintly burning wick You do not quench
But You shows steadfast love to Your people
According to Your covenantal mercy

Therefore LORD of hosts, my LORD, my God
Teach me Your way, O LORD
That I may walk in Your truth
Unite my heart to fear Your name
That I will after Your heart all my life
Strengthen me when I am weak
Bring me back to You when I am lost
Discipline me when I become stubborn
Soften my heart that I be mold by Your statute
Produce in me a thirst for Your truth
Create in me a hunger for Your righteousness
May my life bring forth Your glory
May my life show forth Your grace
May Your kindness be sure in my path
May Your faithfulness be firm on my way
That Your name will be great
And the world will bring You praise

In the name of Jesus Christ, my LORD, my God, my Savior, Amen  

Psalm 77

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
in the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
When I meditate, my spirit faints.

You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
Let me meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
“Will the Lord spurn forever
and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?

Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
You have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.

When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
Indeed, the deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great water;
yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

*******

What do we do when we are stressed?
When we doubt God? When we unsure of His grace, faithfulness?
When we ‘don’t feel’ His presence?
When we tremble before Him, don’t know what to pray?
When we face all kind of pressure within and without us?

The psalmist poured out his heart.
He cried aloud to Him. Then,
he pondered and meditate on the work of the Lord.
The ancient mighty deeds He did
when He brought His people out from the land of slavery

Today too, let us learn to focus on Him.
Lives is never easy. Especially since Adam sinned.
But we add our sorrowness upon that root: we sin, too.
We make our lives more miserable
when we focus on problems, instead of Him

Here is the solution: focus on God
think of Him, meditate of His deed
Remember how He led His army from Egypt?
Remember how He opened the sea with His mighty deed?
He is Almighty, the Holy One, no other gods match Him

So take heart! He never forget!
His path through the water is unseen
Likewise His wondrous work in our lives
Tough often unseen to us, yet
He works marvel us when we are delivered

So praise Him! Give Him glory! For He deserves that!
He is the Holy One of Israel
and we His people
Whom He chosen in Christ
Surely, He will shepherd us till we see Him face to face

Lord God, Jesus Christ my Savior
Save me

*******

Psalms 118:14
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.