Page 30 - Living light - The Psalms

PRAYER FOR TODAY
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Wednesday July 3 - In the world...
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us... Psalm 46:6-7
You could be forgiven for getting anxious because of reading this week’s psalm! But today’s passage is a helpful reminder that there are worldly kingdoms... and then there is God’s kingdom. Although it doesn’t explicitly say it, the fact of God being present and protecting speaks of someone who is in the world but not of the world; someone who is in God’s kingdom. We touched on this earlier in the week when we looked at how those who have put their faith in Jesus are in Christ, and he in us. His kingdom may be a spiritual one, but that doesn’t mean God is powerless to intervene in our natural circumstances. He is, after all, the One who created the natural order, so whatever the world throws at us, God is well able to come to our aid.
It’s clear from today’s passage that nothing has changed – there was turmoil in the psalmist’s day and there is turmoil now. This can encourage us to know that the confidence he had in God then can be ours now. Not only do we have the assurance of angelic protection, but as we invest in our relationship with Jesus we will grow spiritually strong. The earth may be in turmoil but our inner world can remain at peace and secure.
Father God, thank you that you are with me, and that your peace and protection enable me to live life with a confident assurance that you will always come through for me. Amen.
Thursday July 4 - Letting God be God
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease. Psalm 46:8-9
It’s a wonderful truth that Jesus has made it possible for us to have a personal relationship with Almighty God. Not only do many of the psalms reflect this understanding but so do countless worship songs. They usher us into a place of deep intimacy with our heavenly Father. And yet we hold this in tension with the other truth that God is also the creator and sustainer of all things. Sometimes in a world where we feel powerless it’s difficult to believe that God can come to our aid, and yet, when we look at the awe-inspiring images that state-of-the-art telescopes show us of outer space, we get a glimpse of his sovereignty. But not only is he a God of power, as the psalmist makes clear – he is also willing to use it. The “why doesn’t God do something?” question is knocked into the long grass. He is a God who is prepared to intervene in the affairs of humanity. And if we needed further proof of God’s willingness to bring his sovereignty to bear in our troubled world, then we can look to none other than Jesus Christ, our Rescuer. Armed with this knowledge, it is okay to simply let God be God in whatever circumstances we are facing.
Father God, thank you that you are an all-powerful God. According to your word, may your power be made perfect in my weakness! Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY