Psalm 146:7b “The LORD sets prisoners free,”

[Right from the beginning of our lives we are all imprisoned by sin, for the web of Satan has everyone snared in its sticky strands of lies, fear and violence. Just being born into a broken and twisted world results in quirks and tightness in our personalities that bring problems, difficulties and oppression.

Our upbringing and family culture instill further dysfunctional thoughts, feelings and desires into us. Our natural worldview and its internalized values trap us into destructive feelings, desires and goals. All these lead us to emotional pitfalls and accepting false answers to the great human thirst for approval, for significance, for belonging, for security. These lies then produce fear: fear of man, fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of pain, loss and hurt. Satan uses all these to oppress, control and in the end to kill all he can.

But You, Lord Jesus, you have made a way out of this prison of oppression, opening the door to the cell of hopelessness. You have called us to step out of the darkness of fear into the light of your Love, into the rich relationship with you where our fears can be washed away in the river of your goodness and grace and glory.

Through your great sacrifice and work, your provided all we thirst for: in you we belong, we have significance, we have security and we have approval. In you there is the certainty of your shepherding us through every valley of life into the wonder of your everlasting dwelling in heaven. You have provided all that is needed for us to follow you in freedom: Your “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life…” (2 Pet. 1:3).

You, Lord Jesus, are the great Deliverer, the mighty Shepherd, the everlasting King. You are worthy of endless honor, praise and exaltation; you are worthy of all obedience, glory and thanksgiving.

I praise you for your constant, deep, compassionate and lovely presence in my life, drawing me on to greater surrender, convicting me of the next sin, protecting me from my own foolishness, guiding and empowering me to live more and more worthy of you. So I lift you up, praise your Name and exalt your Word above all things. Use me today to bring honor to your name.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and gracious heart. Praise you that you look down and see every single person on this earth; you are aware of each one’s needs, desires, suffering, rebellion and anger.

I praise you that you work in the life of each, believer or not, to supply their needs: “… your Father in heaven…causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” Matt. 5:45).

You bring each one help: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psa. 34:18).

And most importantly you offer opportunity for all to enter your Kingdom “when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world [everyone] of sin, righteousness, and judgment….” (John 16:8-10).

Psalm 146:7 “He upholds the cause of the oppressed”

[You, Heavenly Father, went right to the core of the issue and provided an escape from the sources of oppression: Satan, sin and self. All other oppression we experience flows out of these three.

Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for paying the price of great, deep, profound, excruciating suffering to provide the only possible way out from this oppression. Praise you that you give grace, guidance and goodness to your children in the midst of every oppression so we can rise above it.]

“and gives food to the hungry.”

[You are the One who provides our daily bread, you give enough to live on and you give us the freedom to share this with others, supplying for their needs. Help us not to squander or withhold from others the abundance you constantly give. We praise you that you are wonderfully generous and give freely, fully to all.]

Help us to recognize the marvelous supply you give us every day in the unending stream of gifts, help and guidance you pour into our lives. Help us to live in the light of your love and to bring honor to you in all we do.

“His countenance beholds the upright.”

[You, Lord, in your love and goodness, consistently look after us, we who now stand in the uprightness of Christ. You have qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light! You are aware of every event that comes to us, you filter out what is truly evil and harmful and you have equipped us to deal with whatever you allow through.  You are carrying us on to glory, honor and praise as we respond to your direction in faith. Your love is great, rich, pure and powerful.]

“Blessed is the man whose help is the God of Jacob”

[You work with us, as you worked with that rebellious rascal Jacob. You are patient, persistent, allowing consequences to bring understanding, intervening at the right time, and drawing us on to full surrender],

“[Blessed is the man] whose hope is the Lord his God”

[Jacob kept calling you, “the God of my father” rather than his own. It took a whole life time of suffering, fear and loss before Jacob on his death bed finally bowed before you and worshiped. May we not wait so long to surrender! ]

“[Blessed is the man whose hope is the] maker of heaven”

[You, Lord, made both the throne room where you dwell, and the starry hosts: trillions of stars (and you know the name of every one!) placed in billions of galaxies, spread across billions of light years of space]

“and earth, the sea and all that is in them”

[You spoke the earth into existence with its mountains and plains, rivers and streams; and the seas with all their great expanse, and the astounding myriad of plants and animals, from the single-celled, up through insects, cats and dogs, to elephants, walrus and whales–plus the unseen spiritual creatures around us.]

You, Lord God, are amazing: powerful, creative, wise, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-present, the Creator, Victor and King. From you alone comes real, sure, enduring hope: the great certainty of having salvation, significance, security, a life of meaning and purpose and then a sinless eternity with you.

We can know that all which comes to us in this life will be for your glory, our good and the outworking of your triumph over evil. To you be glory, honor and praise forever: may you be lifted up, esteemed and exalted in my life today, in my motives, thoughts, words and actions.]

 “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.”

Psalm 143:8

While in a difficult situation recently, someone asked me how I could be so cheerful. The answer is a Scripture-based phrase that I often use to give myself perspective: “God is moving history to a conclusion and is taking us with Him!” Whatever the present event, it is part of God’s work to finish history and move us into eternity. He is in control; I can trust Him.

This perspective is found throughout Scripture. Colossians 3:2-4 expresses it well: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Have the wider, God-focused perspective.

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Leave behind the culturally-based, performance-oriented, comfort-focused value system and rest in the security we have in Christ

“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” He will appear, and He will bring us with Him—focus on the long-term truth!

This understanding gives a wide and long view of what’s happening. This view can change our goal from being comfortable and safe, to joining God in what He’s doing.

If, from a human perspective, my whole life collapses around me (illness, accident, loss, poverty, persecution, injustice, war), I can look at it within the bigger picture of God’s glory, greatness and grace, knowing that He is doing something significant through it; therefore I can praise and trust Him in it. My favorite verse sums it up: “My soul finds rest in God alone” (Ps. 62:1).

This is a huge shift from “normal” human thinking. We cooperate with God in making this shift by internalizing Scripture, and then putting it into practice in every day little events. Disappointments, delays, little hurts, small losses all are opportunities to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps. 50:23) and honor God.

In giving thanks, we affirm that God is good, God is in control, God is at work using this irritation to expose my sin, to transform me, to give me opportunity to be a light to those around me, to give Him glory before the unseen hosts. Truly, knowing Jesus is enough for joy, period! Let’s join Him today in living in this truth!

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, you are enough. Help me to walk with you through this day in your power, giving you glory in each decision, trusting you rather than myself. Praise be to you for what you will do in me today. Amen.”

Taken from the devotional book, EDIFIED!

“Personal ministry…involves exposing hurt, lost, and confused people to God’s glory, so that they give up their pursuit of their own glory and live for His”!!! (Paul David Tripp’s significant book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishers, 2002, p. 184).

That is a massively profound statement leading to a potential worldview shift. All of our lives we have been taught by our culture that the goal of life is to be independent, fulfilled, successful and comfortable. And we’ve unconsciously absorbed this message.

In contrast, as we spend time in personal worship (giving God glory for who He is), our focus can shift away from our own little plans, problems, hurts and fears to the bigger picture of who God is and what He is doing, We can begin to see the major themes of the Scripture that Mr. Tripp points out: the Glory of God, the Greatness of God and the Grace of God.

Mr. Tripp goes on to say that personal ministry is “embedding people’s personal stories in the larger story of redemption, so they approach every situation and relationship with a ‘God’s story’ mentality.”

Joseph in the Old Testament is an example of this. In his later life he understood some of what God had been doing in allowing/sending all the suffering of his early years. He said to his brothers concerning their having sold him into slavery, “You meant it to me for evil, but God meant it for good, to the saving of many people” (Gen. 50:20).

In God’s plan He calls us to a partnership with Himself, giving us significant roles and responsibilities: He prepares, then waits for us to obey His direction. If we willingly choose to obey, our foot can still slip, we can still fall, we can suffer difficulty, but as we continue walking in obedience we are lifted up again and again by His love and power.

So what is God doing in our lives with the difficulties He brings to us? Are we, through worship, looking at God’s glory daily, and thereby getting glimpses of the great things He’s doing? Are we grasping that our disappointments, hurts and sufferings are all being used by Him in the big picture in significant ways we can’t understand, and therefore praising Him for these problems?

As an application of this, a doctor comments that getting “over an illness should not be the primary goal” for a Christian. “What glorifies [God] is what is best for all believers; therefore what glorifies Him will be the best for the sick believer. Getting well is not necessarily the best thing…The hope for the believer is victory, not relief. Relief is not inherently wrong, but it becomes wrong when it is the primary goal [an idol]. God promises victory in illnesses and trials, not deliverance from them.” (Dr. Robert Smith, The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference [Stanley, NC: Timeless Texts, 2004]). The real goal is God’s glory!

Prayer: “Lord, I confess that your glory has not been my goal. Forgive me for pursuing personal comfort as my goal and idol instead of your glory. Help me today to live with the desire to bring you glory and honor through my motives, thoughts, words and actions. Amen.”