"I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me." (Psalm 30:1closePsalm 30:1
Joy Comes with the Morning
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
30:1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me. (ESV)
closePsalm 30:1closePsalm 30:1
Joy Comes with the Morning
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
30:1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me. (ESV)
Joy Comes with the Morning
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
30:1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me. (ESV)
; from the readings for April 14, 2013)
“I will exalt you, O LORD…”
-How will we lift up a God who dwells in the Heavens? He is already high and lifted up. It is not really God who is being lifted up, but rather our estimation of God that is being elevated and enlightened. We who once were in the darkness have been brought into the Light; the Light was always there; it did not begin to exist once we were aware of it. We exalt God when we recognize and confess that we are sinners in the presence of an awesome and mighty God. Lord be merciful to me a sinner; these are the words that exalt God.
How will I exalt God in my Prayers today? ____________________
How will I make God exalted among the nations in my community? ____________________
How do I explain the difference between the God of the Bible and other gods? ____________________
-David’s response is one from gratitude; God’s grace produces His fruit. Talking with God and thanking God, is a “get to” not a “got to”. When we speak about ourselves (“I will….”); it is always in reference to making God glorified; it is no longer I, but Christ who lives inside me.
What will you thank God for in your Prayers? ____________________
What ministry are people grateful for? ____________________
How do we make sure that God alone is glorified in our new ministries? ____________________
“… for You lifted me out of the depths…”
-In God alone is our strength, our help and our Redeemer. When our own right hand fails us, He never tires. His eye is on the sparrow, He knows your needs; there is nothing so wrong that you have gotten yourself into, that He cannot get you out of. They say that if you are in quicksand, that the worse thing to do is to struggle, because you will only sink quicker; you must remain still until you can be rescued. Our own efforts cannot actually bring us out of the depth; we will only resort to stepping on the necks, shoulders and heads of others, in the hope that we can get a leg up. We cannot lift ourselves up; we must be lifted up. And this is what our loving Father desires to do; this is why He sent His Son into the world
What do we need to Pray about, for God to lift us up out of? ____________________
-When God lifts us up; He lifts us completely out. In Christ, we are not partially forgiven, partially redeemed, partially adopted, partially set free, partially healed, partially welcomed or partially anything else. In Christ, we are a new creation; the old is gone! In Christ, there is no longer any condemnation! In Christ, we are brought into the full inheritance that is ours, from our Heavenly Father! In Baptism our souls are redeemed, eternally; they are the first fruits, waiting the resurrection of our bodies. If you have been born from above, not by the will of a man; but by the work of the Holy Spirit, your soul is now redeemed; even if your body is not yet raised. Because God now dwells inside you, He works out in you, your new life. Sin no longer has any eternal control over you; you are redeemed. It was for freedom, that Christ set you free.
What “depths” have we seen people fall into in our community? __________________
Who should we gather for Prayer about this need? __________________
“…and did not let my enemies gloat over me…”
-Let God fight for you.
Jim Buckman
