Revive us again

   “Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy LORD, And grant us Your Salvation.” (Psalms 85:6-7)

 

 

   These words from Psalms 85 are a precious prayer to our Lord to do what only He can do for the nation of Israel and for our nation today also. This Psalm was written by the sons of Korah and is a wonderful cry to God, as a people remembered just who it is that is responsible for our well being and the only One we can depend upon in times of trouble like we are going through today. It begins like this:

 

   “LORD, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgotten the iniquity of Your people; You have covered their sin. You have taken away all Your wrath; you have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.” (verses 1-3)

 

   God had been favorable to the land of Israel. He had taken them out of captivity in Egypt and later would return them from captivity in Babylon. He had forgotten about His anger over their sin, and was no longer punishing them for forsaking Him so often. God has been favorable to this country (the USA) over the past 300 years. He brought people here who wanted to worship God, without the restraints of the old world. He has blessed this country beyond what any nation in the world has been blessed with; a good government, natural resources and beauty, good leaders, and safety from the domination of other countries unlike any other nation throughout history. 

  

    “I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him. That glory may dwell in our land.” (verses 8-9)

 

   Are you and I hearing what the Lord speaks to us in the Scriptures? He speaks peace to our hearts because He teaches us his statues and how to know Him personally. But we can’t turn back to the folly we were in before we were saved, and we must fear (stand in awe) of Him as He speaks to our hearts and gives us the desire to serve Him wherever He has placed us. 

 

   “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase. (verses 10-12)

 

   What an awesome word picture! “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.” God brings the best things together for His people. The Lord give His best for His servants that are living for Him and he will provide the increase for our land if we are faithful to love Him and obey His commandments.

 

  Finally the psalmist declares: “Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.” (verse 13)

  

   God leads the way with His righteousness, and we can follow in His footsteps as we allow Him to live through us, and be obedient to the things He has showed us in His Scriptures, and has prompted us with His Holy Spirit. 

 

PRAY

 

1.    Lord, we praise You and magnify Your Holy Name. We praise You for Your mercy, grace, and longsuffering with us each and every day. You are our faithful Lord, our loving Father, and benevolent King!

2.    Revive our hearts, Oh Lord, and start with my heart. I need Your Spirit to guide me and fill me with Your loving guidance so that I can follow in the footsteps You have prepared for me today.

3.    In You “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.” We can live for You only because Your Spirit is in us and will take us on the right path. Help me to be obedient to Your leading today.

 

 

 

 

 

But even though....

 

   “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, an He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said. ‘Behold I make all things new.’ And He said to me. ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” (Revelation 21:3-5) 

 

   I know you have heard the expression: “Nothing is sure in this life except death and taxes.” Well, I think you know that occasionally someone gets out of paying taxes (if even only for a short time). But I am pretty sure you have not ever known anyone who didn’t eventually die or who will die. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) But the good news is that all those who are followers of Christ, who have a personal relationship with Him will live eternally with Him in the manner described above in the book of Revelation.

 

   You have God’s word on it directly from His Son, Jesus! ‘’’And if I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may be also.’” (John 14:3) He even told the thief on the cross, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you shall be with Me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:43)

 

   Pastor Gordon Macdonald tells this story about someone he knew that was dying:

 

   “My neighbor’s wife was dying of cancer. I was at the hospital with him as we waited for her life to end. It was a difficult moment because she thrashed about in her bed in semiconsciousness. And no medication or medical treatment seemed to bring her a modicum of rest. It was clear to me that the physicians and nurses had exhausted every means at their disposal to assist her in this dying hour. And it was a difficult thing for them because during her illness they had all come to love her. So their professional poise was affected by emotional attachment.

 

    I am not given to this kind of thing, but I felt impelled to ask permission to step to her bedside. In turn the medical personnel surrounding the bed stepped back. It was clear that they welcomed anything that anyone, including a pastor could do. 

 

   I placed both of my hands on J_______’s emaciated shoulders, now thinned by the ravages of this terrible ordeal, and I gently pressed her back into her pillow. 

 

  ‘J________,’ I said, ‘its Pastor Mac. Listen to me! Are you listening? Do you hear me?’

 

   She looked at me with eyes that were filled with fear, almost panic. ‘Yes, Pastor Mac, I hear you.’

 

   ‘J_______, I’m going to say something to you, and I want you to listen as carefully as you can. Don’t move, don’t speak, just listen! OK?’

 

   ‘Yes, Pastor Mac,’ she whispered, ‘I’m listening.’

 

   And then I reached deep into my soul for the simplest, most familiar words of the Bible. Words that I now ponder every Thursday when I think of the God who is there. And I said,  ‘The Lord is my shepherd….I have everything I need….He makes me to lie down in green pastures… He leads me to still waters…He restores my soul…He leads me on the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake…And even though…and even though…even though I walk through the valley of death…I am not afraid…I have nothing to fear…Do you hear that, J______, nothing to fear… because You are with me.

 

   ‘J_____, we’ve know each other for a lot of years, and we’ve talked about this moment  when any one of us might go to be with Jesus. You’re going first, J______. He’s a wonderful Shepherd, and He’s ready to take good care of you. Do you hear me, J______? He’s ready to take good care or you.’

 

   I felt the anxiety, the panicky energy, leave her. He eyes became soft, and she relaxed in her bed. And then I listened as, with a calm voice, she turned to her husband and whispered, calling him by name,  ‘Thank you for being good to me, for loving me. You’re a good husband, and I love you.’

 

   And then J_____ looked at her daughter, ‘Mommy loves you, dearest; be strong for Daddy,’ and then to the medical personnel who stood there, ‘Thank you for taking such good care of me; thank you for all you have done. I love you all.’

 

   Almost instantly, following those words J_____ closed her eyes and went to sleep. A few moments later she met the Shepherd face-to-face, crossed the threshold of death, and understood for the first time the full meaning of everlasting life.

   And that is why we love to sing with increasing frequency:

 

    When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

    Bright shinning as the sun,

    We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

     Than when we’d first begun.”

 

(Gordon MacDonald, The Life God Blesses, pp 166-168)

 

   Yes, we don’t like to think too much about death. We know it is coming. We know that we will go the way of all men. But if you do think about it today, what do you believe will happen? If we are children of the King (Jesus), then we don’t have to worry! We can relax now, and we can even relax on our death bed.  We can look forward to that glorious day when we meet our Savior face-to-face! 

 

 

PRAY

 

1.    Thank you Lord for dying on that cross that we might have our sins forgiven and that all who call you Savior, will inherit eternal life.

2.    Help us to live each day for you so that when You call us home to live with You for eternity we can hear those wonderful words: “Well, done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.”

3.    Fill me with Your Spirit today that I may be used by You to minister to others that come into my path today, and if they don’t know You I will be able to tell them about how You have changed my life, and assured me of the life to come.