Reflections
Psalm 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14
“I will hear what God proclaims …
glory dwelling in our land.”
Our psalmist knows the importance of
listening carefully for the voice of the Lord.
We too must listen attentively for the voice
of the Lord and be careful not to miss
His presence among us.
“I will listen for what God, the Lord, has to say.”
How do we seek Him out?
Where do we find the Lord?
We find Him when we read and study
His Word, His living Word,
as fresh now as it was thousands
of years ago. For His Word is
as penetrating as a two edged sword,
able to separate bone from marrow;
convicting us; pointing the way to salvation;
and providing us with
an instruction manual for life.
All we have to do is follow it.
As our psalmist cries out,
“Near indeed is His salvation
to those who fear Him.”
For us Christians the Psalm
is more than a cry.
It is a promise of salvation --
the psalmist prepares the way of the Lord.
The psalmist promises that the Lord
himself will give us His benefits.
And what should we expect?
Nothing less than the coming
of the Messiah himself.
That’s what happens when
“Kindness and truth shall meet;”
when “Justice and peace shall kiss;”
when “Truth shall spring from the earth”
(when the Messiah is born).
The goodness and blessings that
the psalmist speaks of
are fulfilled in Christ.
Where else would we turn
to receive real spiritual abundance.?
For our Savior is truly
“Glory dwelling in our land.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist speaks of, 'Glory dwelling in our land;'
and says that the Lord's salvation is 'near indeed'
to those who fear him. These verses suggest that our Savior
is close at hand and accessible to all of us who fear Him.
Describe how our Savior is present to you.
2. The Psalm says, 'The Lord himself will give His benefits.'
Tell of the benefits you are receiving from the Lord.
I definitely believe there is a constant spiritual battle going on around us. Daily I see the pluses and the minuses of living in the computer age. So much information is now available to us instantaneously no matter where we are...we are wired electronically.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I believe we are losing our ability to socialize with others as we overly focus on all these many handheld devices. I see God in natural settings.....on a mountain trail, by the ocean, on a golf course, and in a peaceful relaxed setting with good friends. I find it difficult to see God in a stressful, toxic situation or where I'm surrounded
by asphalt, concrete, and/or steel.
I try to put myself close to the Lord in times of need, but unfortunately I find it is too easy to not focus on the Lord in the good times.
1. Our Savior is present to me because whenever I am in a hard situation, I always receive a reward at the end. For example, during the school year I had a really hard final test. I asked God to please help me do well. I kept praying to myself, "Lord take over. Lord take over." He rewarded me with a 97%.
ReplyDeleteAnother example would be through my ballet dancing. When I dance it is Jesus dancing through me. Whenever I am backstage about to go on to perform, I do the sign of the cross and go on stage with the confidence from Jesus. My reward? A wonderful performance.
The benefits that I receive from the lord are: Care, Love, Knowing what to do in difficult situations, and Always wanting to help in whatever way.
ReplyDelete1. Our Savior is present to me because whenever I am in a hard situation, I always receive a reward at the end. For example, during the school year I had a really hard final test. I asked God to please help me do well. I kept praying to myself, "Lord take over. Lord take over." He rewarded me with a 97%.
ReplyDeleteAnother example would be through my ballet dancing. When I dance it is Jesus dancing through me. Whenever I am backstage about to go on to perform, I do the sign of the cross and go on stage with confidence from Jesus. My reward? A wonderful performance.
1. There are many different ways He is present to us, showing us His unfailing love towards us, granting His Salvation, and reviving us, bringing us back to spiritual life. If we hear attentively His voice; and study His Word on a daily basis; and seek Him out faithfully through His Word and our prayer, we'll always find our awesome God there. As he promised, He'll abide in us. We abide in him. He made himself known to us as our Savior.
ReplyDelete2. Our benefits we are receiving from the Lord are His strength and protection in time of hardship and trial. When we are struggling to fight against the devil, the Lord shields us from the danger of the devil's snare. He gave us Wisdom and discernment, preventing us from falling into the devil's traps. Meanwhile, He comforts and heals us in times of need. And also He is God of provision, He sustains us. We can harvest abundantly. First of all, there is His unconditional love for us - to save us from eternal condemnation. Then there is His forgiveness, covering up all our sins because of His Mercy. We receive spiritual blessings as well as material blessings from Him as His children; His peace and joy through the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that, "Whatever we ask in his name, our petition will be granted." What a privilege we have!