Good morning, my fellow sojourner!
If you are reading this post today, I thank the Lord for your presence in my life -- whether I know you personally or not at all. How blessed am I to know the Father might choose to use my own journey to comfort and bless your heart! Today, I pray for Christ Jesus to be your sole vision, your only Lord, and your one true King for the remainder of your days.
We celebrated the resurrection of Christ just five (5) days ago.
What glorious hope we have in the Son of Man!
Yet for those believers who were alive around the time of Christ's crucifixion, they were very much afraid and troubled even on the day the tomb was found empty. They were concerned about their safety and also wondering about their faith without the bodily presence of the Messiah with them at all times.
Thus, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen them.
And, oh glory, He came!
He came for them.
He came for you and me.
Today, I am grateful to know that Jesus is very much alive. On this fifth day of my fifty (50) days of waiting for Pentecost Sunday, I am blessed to know my faith in Christ is secure because His Word affirms it and the Holy Spirit confirms it. Fifty days after Easter Sunday is the commemoration of Pentecost, the day that the Holy Spirit came and rested on the disciples and followers of Christ like tongues of fire. This is how it is recorded in Acts 2:1-4,
"When the day of Pentecost came,
they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind
came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire
that separated and came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them."
It took a long time for the day of Pentecost to come.
It involved the exercising of patience of the part of the disciples.
Patience, as revealed to me in the process of writing Weeding Impatience, is defined as "wisdom gained while waiting with a hopeful attitude despite harsh circumstances." And what better wisdom can I hope to gain than to park in God's Word, slowly digesting and absorbing His truths?
Indeed, the Father's wisdom causes me to sing.
"He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in Him."
Psalm 40:3, NIV
It was also the Father's wisdom that inspired King David to sing amidst his own harsh circumstances. For the past four days we have been looking at David's confession written after a series of shameful events that would cause most of us to hide in a corner. For David, however, so enraptured and heartened was he by God's wisdom, he could not keep silent.
He wrote a psalm -- Psalm 51, to be exact.
My hope, if I am still alive come June 8, is to meditate daily on this penitential psalm line by line until Pentecost Sunday. I invite you to join me on this quest. For your convenience, the first few entries in this series can be found here, here, and here.
We are slowly going through the heading of the psalm, which reads, "For the director of music. A Psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba."
Yesterday we reflected upon "For the director of music."
Today, let us look at the next fragment -- A Psalm of David.
Lord, please open our minds and deposit in our hearts precious nuggets of Your wisdom as we look at this segment in this beautiful psalm of confession. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen!
Building upon yesterday's concept that everything that comes out of us is dedicated and offered to the ultimate director of music/life (God Himself), "A Psalm of David" suggests to me that David wrote this psalm for the glory of the Father. It implies that the writer took his time to work assiduously in order to produce a new, pleasing, and fragrant offering to the Lord. It tells me that David labored to prepare and present a special new gift. In the process, he was able to write a literary work, a poem. a song that detailed his request for forgiveness, the sincerity and brokenness of his heart, the true repentance of his soul, and his renewed trust in God.
That is a vivid picture of patience.
It means that David took ample time to grieve and mourn over his sin.
King David parked himself in God's presence and gained wisdom and insight.
"A psalm of David" causes me to ponder:
When was the last time you or I composed a song, penned a poem, prepared a tribute to the Father in repentance over our boatloads of sins?
In case you're thinking, "Well, I'm not musically or artistically inclined" . . . When was the last time, as a result of your confession and repentance, you presented something new to God involving your areas of giftedness?
See, when our hearts become truly repentant, we attach ourselves to the Vine of Christ. The ensuing purity that covers us does nothing less than unleashing productivity, creativity, and fruitfulness for the advancement of God's kingdom.
Is there anything that remains unconfessed in your heart? Please, come and attach yourself to the Vine of Christ. Let His purity cover you and render you productive, creative, and fruitful for His Kingdom.
Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! O, thank You, Lord!
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