For The Righteous…
Please pray and them read the scripture for today’s blog:
Psalm 34:15-20N New International Version (NIV)
15
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.
17
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20
he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
The first word that popped out at me as I read this passage was “righteous”. A couple of weeks ago I researched exactly what the definition means to Christians. Of course there were many, but the one that struck home with me was, “People receive righteousness (moral perfection) through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Christ, the sinless Son of God, took humanity's sin upon himself and became the willing, perfect sacrifice, suffering the punishment mankind deserved. God the Father accepted Jesus' sacrifice, through which human beings can become justified.” It appears three times in this short passage. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous” - I wonder is that me? Yes, I do believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and my faith is made stronger only through Him, not from my works or things of this world. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord Hears them;” - Our Father continues to amaze me in huge ways (healing of alcoholism) and in everyday small things (where did I put the butter?) if we cry out to Him. (both of these things I saw answers to this week) He reinforces this same thought with the third mention of righteousness in verse 19 and promises, “the Lord delivers him from them ALL”. We are so very Blessed!
I love how this passage shows the love our Father has for us. Words like “brokenhearted”, “crushed in spirit”, “cry out” are familiar emotions of many, including me. I can go right to that place for things that I see in my life, the lives of others, and in the world and become instantly overwhelmed. “But His ears are attentive”, “He delivers and saves” are the answers that bring me out of that depressed state of mind.
What Good News!!!! What promises, what a Provider we have! It’s so encouraging to me and I hope it brings warm, happy tears to your eyes as well.
Sunday’s Message was titled “Showdown of the Gods”. (between our God and the Baals) and throughout the passages for this week our God has shown how He is the One True God and how He works in the lives of those who believe in Him. This passage is no exception. What more could we ask for? Not ONE of our bones will be broken under His protection.
Well I believe it! Do You? What did you hear from God when you read this scripture?
May the Grace and Peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be with you all this Friday.
Cindy