May 19
Ps 79-82
If we only spent a little more time looking up towards God, life would make more sense. As we saw ourselves in His light, self-reflection would result, and confession and repentance would be the natural response. But, instead we spend all of our time looking outwards at others, then comparing ourselves to them. By doing this we don't seem so bad. Our generation doesn't seem all that much worse than others. By doing this we compare ourselves to the godless standards of the world rather than the perfect standards of God. Nothing happens by coincidence, both personally and societally. God is continually moving through the history of our times, along with our personal history. When personal hardship strikes, when national calamity strikes, don't get angry, reflect instead. We learn from Job 1-2, that even Satan can only do as much as God allows him to do. God loves us and He sees the big picture. We often can't see beyond the day to day. God desires heaven as our eternal destination, most humans simply seek earthly comforts. Our only hope for our present world is revival, a turning back to God or a turning to God for the first time. Everything else being offered by politicians, scientists, economists, and any other expert for that matter are simply band-aids to a sin problem, which can only be cured through the blood of Jesus Christ. As we read through the Psalms, may we reflect a bit on our own plight individually and as a nation, and see ourselves as we should.
We read in Psalm 79:6-8, "Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—on kingdoms that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people Israel, making the land a desolate wilderness. Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair." This Psalm written around 586 BC, highlights the time that the people of Judah were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. They were right to call on God, but still don't seem to rightly see their own actions, as they ask not to be held guilty for the actions of their ancestors, rather than pleading for mercy for their own sinful behavior. We see more reflection in 80:5-7, "You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful. You have made us the scorn of neighboring nations. Our enemies treat us as a joke. Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved." Notice the Psalmist realizes that not their ancestors, but they need to be turned to God for salvation to occur. Then we read in 80:17-18, "Strengthen the man you love, the son of your choice. Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more." Nothing short of revival will suffice.
We read in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." We indeed have and continue to experience tribulation. Realize that we are in the hands of a loving and merciful God. As we go through these difficulties may we reflect rather than quickly react. May we take the time to see how we might have drifted from the counsel of God. When we experience various hardships we are positioned better to reach out to others who are going through similar experiences. As we look up may our hearts and minds clear as we realize that nothing short of revival will do. May we stop getting absorbed into all the other distractions which seek to consume our time. Only by doing this will we look outwards and begin to see our world as God does. Only then will we adopt the eternal perspective that God has. Only then will we be consumed with reaching out to others with the gospel message, as nothing else is as important as this. May we, the ambassadors of God, reach out in the mission fields that He has prepared us for.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: