Psalm 103 ~ the Lord has compassion

  

Psalm 103

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being,

Praise His Holy Name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins

and 

heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you 

with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed

 like the eagle's.

6 The LORD works righteousness

and 

justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known His ways to Moses,

His deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The LORD is compassionate 

and gracious,

slow to anger, 

abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,

nor will He harbor His anger forever;

10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us 

according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great 

is His Love 

for those who fear Him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far 

has He removed our transgressions 

from us.

13 As a father has compassion 

on His children,

so the LORD has compassion 

on those who fear Him;

14 for He knows 

how we are formed,

He remembers 

that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD's love

 is 

with those who fear Him,

and His righteousness 

with their children's children -

18 with those who keep 

His covenant

and remember to obey His precepts.

19 The LORD has established His Throne 

in Heaven,

and His Kingdom

 rules over 

all.

20 Praise the LORD, 

you 

His angels,

you mighty ones 

who do His bidding,

who obey 

His Word.

21 Praise the LORD, 

all 

His Heavenly Hosts,

you 

His servants who do His Will.

22 Praise the LORD, 

all 

His Works

everywhere - in His Dominion.

Praise the LORD, 

O 

my soul.

~12 as far as the east is from the west, 

so far 

has He 

removed our transgressions 

from us.

 Mark 9

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 

And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 

And someone from the crowd answered him, 

“Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 

And He answered them, 

“O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 

And they brought the boy to Him. And when the spirit saw Him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 

And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 

And Jesus said to him, 

“‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

 And when He had entered the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 

And He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Abba, Father,

We pray for Israel.

For the Children of Israel who are terribly afraid

in their homes of violence.

Cover us in the 

Highest Name of Jesus.

Our hearts cry,

Lord Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, as we pray

Dwell in us, Father, please.

Dwell in the ones we Love.

Bless us with Your Love,

Help us to Seek You First.

And 

we will finish well in Jesus Christ.

Heal the hurting, uplift the families. 

Send Your vast blessings. Father God, 

You are truly are as vast as the Universe itself 

and as gentle as a breeze. 

Speak the Word, Father God, and we know Your healing. 

We ask You for healing:

In the Nation,

Nations and Israel,

mankind,

families

and the weather

Economics.

All the things we pray for diligently!

We pray 

to rise

 to shine for Your Glory.

In the Name of Jesus Christ,

Your Son.

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Thank You Lord Jesus 

Luke 11:1-13 ~ ask Him

 

 

Luke 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He had finished,
one of His disciples said to Him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. 

Thy Kingdom come, 

Thy will be done,

 on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses, 

as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

5 And He said to them, 

“Which of you who has a friend 

will go to him at midnight and say to him, 

‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 

6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 

7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 

9 And I tell you, 

ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 

13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, 

how much more will the heavenly Father

 give the Holy Spirit 

to those who ask Him!”

Jesus begins the Eleventh Chapter of The Gospel of Luke, with an unusual phrase,

Jesus was praying in a certain place

I sing a song of the saints of God:

patient and brave and true, 

who toiled and fought 

and lived and died

 for the Lord they loved and knew.

And one was a doctor, 

and one was a queen,

and one was a shepherdess on the green: 

they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,

 God helping, me to be one too.

They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,

 and His love made them strong;

 and they followed the right, 

for Jesus’ sake, 

the whole of their good lives long.

And one was a soldier, 

and one was a priest, 

and one was slain by a fierce wild beast: 

and there’s not any reason, 

no, not the least, 

why I shouldn’t be one too.

They lived not only in ages past; 

there are hundreds of thousands still; 

the world is bright with the joyous saints 

who love

 to do Jesus’ will.

You can meet them in school, 

or in lanes, 

or at sea,

 in church, 

or in trains, 

or in shops, 

or at tea; 

for the saints of God are just folk like me, 

and I mean to be one too.

The Almighty does not want us to pray in any certain place. 

"Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God." - Teresa of Avila. 

This passage, Luke 11, links prayer to friends seeking a favor.

Strictly a come as you are invitation, Prayer. 

When we see David including all the aspects of life, for example hating the wicked, God is allowing David to be who he is.  When we see violence like the war in Israel, we are plunged into emotions. God is allowing us to come near Him with our inner being. God doesn't stop David and say, no, hate the wickedness. This wouldn't help Aaron come into the Holy of Holies. 

A human being will ask us to be saintly and wear contrition. Contribute to God, even if you wear a mask?  God would run to us and say, My Child is Coming Home. God wants us to fully understand, God sees our heart to infinity and beyond. 

When Jesus returned to His Disciples from the Transfiguration, He met a father with a son possessed by a demon. And the father didn't cry out, my son hit his knee. Or my son fell into a fire. A few times. Maybe my son took wine. It happened more than a few times.

Jesus challenged the man. Jesus didn't say this is okey-dokey, let's give it a quick fix.  Jesus looked at the father and His Disciples and said, "Have Faith, keep praying." Then Jesus was a bit ruffled, by the less than eager idea of having faith. And He said, "Anything is possible with God!"

The father didn't say, you betcha, sounds good. Jesus didn't turn to the men He appointed, anointed, and say, line up, and we will take names and numbers of who didn't handle this spot on. 

Let's take a step back and look at Jesus with Spiritual Glasses. 

Jesus is Glowing with Vacation. Tremendous, Heavenly Vacation. Jesus laid eyes on His Father, for the first time since Bethlehem, perhaps.  Jesus is coming down the hill with Peter, James and John and they are - seeing correctly - Who Jesus Christ Is.  Jesus is with them in profound fellowship.

The Lord is greeted by a great crowd of people looking at Him in the distance. Welcome Back, Jesus, You Have a Problem. Dealing with a cloud over them, because the boy has a demon. Upset people. People who are focused on Jesus because they can't solve the situation surrounding them and know He can provide a joyous path forward.  The cloud is reminding them, they are powerless. The cloud is also saying this whole thing is a downer. The exact opposite of Vacation. Polar opposite.

The Disciples have a history of complaint in their hearts about Jesus. An equal measure of awe and discomfort, with some hand it off to Jesus. Maybe even thinking Jesus is going to give us the speech about knowing bread, again.

The father is motivated at the arrival of Jesus. 

Yes, sir. Here is the exact problem, with my exact need. Let's get to the Jesus part.  This needy father is going to annoy Jesus, what me?  What are you saying, that we should pray about this? What, Jesus, wants me to do something? A something vague, like be positive,  then the outcome will eventually pray out???

The father picks up his solution, miracle hope. Jesus is standing here! What should this man do with have a hope? Ask Jesus for More Help! Goal!

Voila, we have Prayer.  

The man realizes Jesus is dealing with him, the exact way you deal with a friend:

Let's flowchart, a possible thought process: 

Glad to see you. 

Oh, Lord, you have a need? 

Ok, what.  

Yes, thanks heard you. 

What are you really telling me? 

And you want me to do the whole thing? 

What are you going to do? 

Oh, is that enough? 

I can't do that. Correct. 

Great, now we have the same situation.

Yes, like a team.

 Mark 9

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 

And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 

And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 

And He answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 

And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Everyone faces they are powerless. The forest for the trees.

And look to Jesus with all sorts of emotions:

Flowcharting a prayer, from the brain to the heart, to the soul:

Gratitude

Why did you take so long, 

Why don't you help me more and faster.

Maybe I should try to look like I'm enthusiastic

I'm compliant

So glad You are here, even if you are a disappointment.

But You forgive! 

There is Hope!

The process is about Friendship. Understanding Who is in Charge.

Dealing with His Authority.

Feeling like a duckling under His Pinions.

Feeling a little like Judas for having negative emotions.

Being forgiven again.

Awe at the Gracious Endurance of Jesus.

Wonder at the Steadfast Love of God.

Joy at His Mercy.

And the Lord's Prayer is an ongoing search for the Living Word

of His mysterious Lord's Prayer. The clarity of one phrase, as needed.

Because Jesus was praying in a certain place!

Our Almighty Father does not record the name of the father and son. They do not come back and say thank You. And neither are they condemned. There is no Chapter saying they came back to complain that God gave a backsie miracle. 

Instead, they are forgiven that day, that week, that month. Forgiven on the Cross. 

The Mercy and Love of God are Steadfast.

Jesus is true, honorable, just, pure. Their lives do not place this time as their forever.  They are not listed as Purgatory.  Jesus, even as He says, Pray, isn't telling them stand here forever.

Jesus is Lovely, Commendable, Excellent. He does not call down fire from Heaven when not faking full faith. Don't Have Enough Faith, have some fire! There is no backsie, God changed His Mind Chapter. 

Anything to Praise? The crowd counted this as death. They cried out, this is death.

Jesus gave Life. Anything is Possible With Jesus.

Psalm 122

 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

    “May they be secure who love you!

7 Peace be within your walls

    and security within your towers!”

8 For my brothers and companions' sake

    I will say, “Peace be within you!”

9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

    I will seek your good.

Abba, Father,

We pray for Israel.

For the Children of Israel who are terribly afraid

in their homes of violence.

Cover us in the 

Highest Name of Jesus.

Our hearts cry,

Lord Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, as we pray

Dwell in us, Father, please.

Dwell in the ones we Love.

Bless us with Your Love,

Help us to Seek You First.

And 

we will finish well in Jesus Christ.

Heal the hurting, uplift the families. 

Send Your vast blessings. Father God, 

You are truly are as vast as the Universe itself 

and as gentle as a breeze. 

Speak the Word, Father God, and we know Your healing. 

We ask You for healing:

In the Nation,

Nations and Israel,

mankind,

families

and the weather

Economics.

All the things we pray for diligently!

We pray 

to rise

 to shine for Your Glory.

In the Name of Jesus Christ,

Your Son.

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Thank You Lord Jesus 

Micah 6:8 ~ what is good

 

In a novel I read, the wife maintained the happiness of her marriage by listening to the songs her husband would whistle, sing or find on the radio. And with his inner thoughts arriving, then the discussion could be made complete.

We live in a dichotomy. 

Controversy and comfort. Struggle, yet maintain safety.

Peaceful Protests had strong desires, because when we see the USA history of riots, we learn our roots of yearning to be free are also fighting words. And then, we find in the Bible, mankind lives to struggle. Like roses, trimmed back pretty diligently and severely, to bloom again, in health. People crave, crave controversy and want, or make up reasons, to have controversy, because they are singing a song within themselves to work out meaningful lives.  Push this away of watch this. Apply ideas to life.

We are just people. And if we think casually of surfing, we are going to think of Portugal, the incredible force of nature, waves.

Jesus understood mankind well. 

He said He did not trust Himself to us. And then brought a new Heaven and a new earth. Jesus died for me to be called holy and righteous, Jesus died for you to be invited, as holy, to His Eternal Kingdom. Forever. And Jesus died for the Church, with all the flaws of His Disciples, due to humanity and shown in history.

Jesus said, He has overcome the world. Expect the world to have situations requiring prayer and diligence and hope.

Jesus told us He is the Light of the world and gave us the rhythms of life.

 If we were going to seek a Biblical phrase to describe us all, putting one day to the next, we might grab:

Matthew 2:1-6 ~ Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him

Scripture repeats situations and advice.  God tells us to live in hope, do kindness, seek justice and walk humbly with God. Letting God be... in charge.  Allowing our own wonder into the works of God to overcome just looking at our own needs.

We will all have different portions of our understanding of God. We will all have different ways to seek God. And different Scripture, the Word of God, to favor our own relationship with The Lord and Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit in us will give us strength in our unique qualities and bless His Mankind.

We live in the Dichotomy of Faith. 

More science or mysticism. 

Some are more like the Book of Esther. No one walks on water, and real life situations are where the good are thrown. Soaked in the present day culture. And not responsible for taking the controversy, relying on faith and overcoming.

Some are like the Apocrypha, or David, watching the wind in the trees to see the movement of God's Works. Mighty, mighty, mighty.

Some are like the Books of Acts and want results, results, results. Can end up haunted by performance, looking like Simon asking to pay for the Holy Spirit. Believing money solves everything and then the Holy Spirit will be satisfied. Then we will have works. 

Reawakening, Revival. 

Like Salvation. Are the Work of God. 

And God will not be stopped.  Mankind does not save mankind. Jesus Does.

Some are like Peter, trying hard, looking bad and pleasing the Lord mightily.

Some are like John, and will lose their life, home, and gain a new family and a longevity through faith and loyalty with Love.

Some are like Philip. Rejoicing in the Spirit of God and moved on. Story unknown, yet in God's hands.

Some are like Samuel, strong with mistakes. 

No one is like Jesus Christ. All have fallen short. And we, who look to the game of finding faults, do not serve God is Love.

Israel is peril.

Some will say this is their fault. Some will lament the sorrow of the 9 Million Jews of Israel facing nations of ugly, horrible actions.  Loss of the elderly and children. Watch with dislike at the people who call this victory. And some will look to mysticism of the ways of God and say: Israel had fallen into reworking Orthodox or Biblical standards. As told in Numbers and Deuteronomy and, recently, the 20 year peace following the 6-Day War of 1967. 

Others will look to the Book of Ruth and say mankind is within the tyranny of Herod and everyone is troubled.

We have to rely upon the Truth. Sorrow for the harm. Shock at the depth of violence. Sorrow, sorrow. Living in expectation of Israel, relying again upon their Savior, The Lord God Almighty, to be a strong Israel again. To support this incredible nation in our heart, in our prayers, in our votes and in our monetary support. 

We have to support History. To understand, the World War II Jewish refugees getting off the ships, from the concentration camps, were fired upon in Israel. And ran into a Catholic Church to find miraculous help. Herman Wouk recorded the History. The Jews did not come in and toss out, or evict, anyone. Granny was not evicted. The Jews purchased homes and worked. In fact, the Jews could afford the swamps and desert. And the Desert Bloomed due to hard work.  Truman and the peacemakers allowed their government a voice in policy. 

The Nation of Israel is really a miracle.

The Blessing seekers. Controversy. To bring Heaven to earth. To travel through Egypt and the Middle East, there is poverty. The people seeking God have created a clean, gleaming space. Traveling through a land desiring water, Israel is now planted, irrigated, swamp leveled and fixed. The Garden of Eden is tended and worked. The buildings are white, architecturally accurate with simple lines.  The landscape is carefully planted with those would bloom where planted.

Israel has more patents per person than anywhere on earth.

Micah 6:8

He has told you, 

O man, what is good

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice,

 and 

to love kindness, 

and 

to walk humbly with your God

When the world does not bring good readily, when Justice is merely a cry from the heart,

Kindness is a memory, walking with the Lord is not the glorified path, there is an answer:

Zechariah 8

16 These are the things that you shall do: 

Speak the truth to one another; 

render in your gates [your own home] 

judgments that are true 

and make for peace.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Thank You Lord Jesus