pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March, Uncategorized

March 11, 2017

 

Silence

Psalm 83:1
“O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.”

The human soul cries out against silence when silence is the very thing that will heal us.

We want noise, so we fill our work spaces, resting places, traveling spaces with sound—recorded books, music, podcasts, anything but silence. We especially do not want God to be silent. We want to hear His voice, the music from His Throne Room, and the hum and clatter of His creation.

In our humanity we are convinced that silence is sinister, masking plots, hiding secrets, exciting our fears and suspicions.

Sometimes silence is the sound of progress.
Perhaps, the Kingdom of God advances in silence as much as it does in shouted sermons and in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Could it be that ambient noise is more dangerous than silence? Are there sounds that are only heard when the deluge of random noise we select each day subsides?

It was so in Gethsemane. Jesus’ tortured prayer to His father was answered with silence. And this silence also, the Kingdom was advanced.

The Noisy Soul
Before Isaiah was a prophet, he was a historian writing the story of his hero, King Uzziah. When the King failed God, the noise in Isaiah’s soul must have been deafening—His hero had fallen! King Uzziah lost track of his role in the Kingdom of God and supplanted the ministry of the priests. It cost him everything, position, pride, health, legacy.

Finally, a Profound Silence
In an amazing moment of worship, the noise of confusion in the heart of Isaiah was driven out by the sound of praise from the Throne Room of God—sound so great it shook the doorposts of heaven. Even as the room was filled with smoke, clouds of confusion seemed to clear before the eyes of Isaiah and He saw the Lord “high and lifted up.” This astounding vision justified the sounds of heaven. There followed a moment of cleansing when an angel took a coal of fire from the altar and touched Isaiah’s lips pronouncing his absolution.

I imagine that there followed a profound silence—angelic hosts waiting breathlessly to hear the words of God.

Into this silence God spoke. “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

I am sure this question echoed through the still trembling walls until falling into a deep silence. Into this silence, the shaken prophet spoke: “Here am I. Send me!”

Worship Leaders seek this high sounding praise. We want to see the Lord high and lifted up and well we should. But there should follow this manifestation of grandeur a silence as we listen for His voice.

And in this silence, the Kingdom is advanced.

Scriptures:
Isaiah 6:1-8 NIV
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV
“But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there is a time for me to speak, to praise you with a loud voice, to cry out to You in pain, and to sing with saints and angels as we worship You. Help me know when to quiet my soul and listen for Your voice. The Bible declares that You are speaking today. Forgive me for letting this noisy world muffle Your lovely voice. Save me from the cacophony of these times. There is a place where I can go to hear Your voice and drink deeply from the pool of Your presence. You called that place the Secret Place of Prayer. You said the Father was there. I seek this silent solitude, this peaceful quiet communion with You. Thank You, Lord.

Song:
The Solitude of Silence
Words: Stephen Phifer; Music: Angela Danadio

1. In the silence of my soul, Lord, I will seek You.
In the stillness of my spirit I will stay.
I will flee from all the rush and noise around me.
In the solitude of silence I will wait.

Refrain:
For Your voice cannot be heard above the clamor.
Your presence does not rest upon our haste.
In the silence of my soul I will find You.
In the solitude of silence I will wait.

2. I will ask the singing winds to serenade me.
I will let the sunlight dance upon my fears.
Thinking back to all who listened here before me:
Silent laughter, silent prayers, and silent tears.

Refrain

3. In the pages of the Book Your heart is calling
As the ancient words fall soft upon my ear.
Like an early season snowfall, cool and healing,
Heaven’s peace, a glistening blanket, quells my fear.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 10, 2017

Meditation

Our brains were created to think deeply about things.
They also enable us to do things by reflex, instantly responding to stimuli without thought. Athletes and musicians prove that if we drill an action enough that action can move from a thought-provided thing to an unthinking reflex. If this were not true nobody could ever play the infield well in baseball or play the B Major scale on any instrument at a fast tempo when a score required such virtuosity. Through repetition, we develop carefully considered actions into instant reflexes by a of process of drill and drill and drill again.

Most of the conscious action of our brains is neither reflex nor meditation. We simply give things as much thought as they require. It is as if we must reserve our brain power and not use it up unnecessarily. We can even divide our brains between two demanding activities such as daydreaming while we drive.

The mind God gave us is a marvelous instrument.
Man has yet to invent a computer with the memory capacity that a child’s brain possesses. Contained safely in a skull designed for light weight strength, supplied by blood and oxygen in precise quantities by the body connected below, the brain sits like the captain on the bridge of a great ship navigating our lives, keeping our balance, enabling us to walk and think and chew gum all at the same time.

Still there is more to us than a remarkable brain.
There is a spirit within us that searches for the Divine while the soul within in us perceives the world through the five senses. There is a brain skill that actually bridges the two; there is a level of conscious thought that can bless us spiritually—meditation.

Meditation is a natural skill that can be developed without reference to the Word of God or the Holy Spirit or even the human spirit.

  • If we meditate on base things, our brains will try to build our lives on these porous foundations.
  • If we feed our base urges, our brains will scheme and plan to put our bodies in the places where we can get into the most trouble.
  • If we open our hearts to evil spirits, they gain entrance into our spirit, binding us in chains and dragging us slowly to hell.

Meditation has a godly purpose.
However, if we put this deep function of the brain to its intended use, the spirit within in us can be greatly strengthened. In a striking parallel to physical training, our brains can train us in spiritual disciplines. In the New Covenant, the Lord promises to inscribe His word on our hearts. Meditating on the Word of God and the narrative of God does this. As we think deeply about the things of eternity, our time on earth becomes more manageable.

This takes time and commitment. It doesn’t happen by accident. The Bible tells us time and again to meditate on the things of God.

  • When we use our imaginations to place ourselves in the biblical narratives, their power is appreciated at a deeper level.
  • The Bible tells that contemplating the glory of God changes us!

This is time well spent, energy strategically placed, and a Covenantal promise fulfilled.

Scriptures:
Psalm 119:97-104 NIV
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Psalm 1 NIV
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
Philippians 4:8-9 NKJV
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true… noble, … just, …pure, … lovely, …of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Confession of Worship:
You are God
(from The Book of Common Prayer)
You are God: we praise You; You are the Lord; we acclaim You; You are the eternal Father: All creation worships You. To You all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise You. The noble fellowship of prophets praise You. The white‑robed army of martyrs praise You. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father, of majesty unbounded, Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the King of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.

When You became man to set us free You did not shun the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help Your people, bought with the price of Your own blood, and bring us with Your saints to glory everlasting. Amen.

Song:
Think about His Love
Words and Music: Walt Harrah

Think about His love; Think about His goodness.
Think about His grace that’s brought us through.
For as high as the heavens above
So great is the measure of our Father’s love;
Great is the measure of our Father’s love.

For a detailed article, Thinking Carefully about Jesus, go to: http://stevephifer.com/thinking-carefully-about-jesus/

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 9, 2017

Disturbances

In the atmosphere they are called storms.
In the city they are called riots. Disturbances in the home are called domestic. In the night when dreams disturb us, these dreams are called nightmares.

A disturbance could be defined as a frightening break in the routine.

  • Peace was expected but violence erupted.
  • Quiet was the forecast but noise drove silence away.
  • Confidence in what tomorrow may hold, is shaken by an unexpected turn of events today.

Worry, sleeplessness, tension in the limbs, knots in the neck and pain at the top of the head—all are the resulting disturbances. Sleep, if it comes at all, is shallow and without rest.

No one is immune to these disturbances.
No amount of careful planning can prepare for all eventualities. Any routinely dependable person can experience his/her own life disturbances that in turn create disruptions for us. Life’s disturbances don’t come to us single file. They tend to appear in bunches, piling on us like a sudden and sustained hailstorm. Each single pellet of ice makes a mark negligible in itself but amounting to serious pain in total.

“That’s life!” Someone said (and Sinatra sang!)

Yes, that is life.

Why do disturbances disturb us so?

I believe that deep within each of us is a strong desire for order.
Even those who may not consciously plan each day, do not expect disturbances. They expect their cars to run on inflated tires, their washing machines and dryers to work, and their phones to function—if they remembered to charge them. We expect normalcy. When a new societal disturbance happens often enough in enough places, it becomes the “new normal.” This re-classification does nothing to alleviate the disturbance, it only lowers our expectations a notch or two.

Jesus came to earth to enter this time-bound life that we live. In these days of devotion we think deeply about our Savior and His earthly sojourn.

  • He laid aside omniscience along with His pre-incarnate glory.
  • While He walked among us, he could not see the challenges every tomorrow would bring until the Holy Spirit informed Him.
  • He was tempted in all the ways that we are tempted that must include the temptation to fret, worry, fume, and fear.
  • There is no record that Jesus ever fretted, or worried, or fumed, or feared what might happen next.

The prayer He gave us to pray is rooted in faith not fretting, confidence not worry, peace not fuming, and faith not fear.

Once a violent disturbance struck them all in a boat on the Galilee.
The disciples did all the fretting while Jesus simply turned over, adjusted the cushion He was using for a pillow, and continued to sleep. When His followers woke Him He stretched, yawned, look at the frightened men He had chosen thoroughly drenched from the terrible wind and waves. First He rebuked the storm and then He rebuked them for their lack of faith. At His command the disturbance in the atmosphere grew still and the sea settled down to rest. I’m sure Jesus went back to sleep.

I am not so sure about the Disciples.

Scriptures:
Mark 4:35-41 NIV
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I cannot see the day that stretches before me this morning. I don’t know what will happen, but I will not worry because You know every moment to come. Nothing will happen that is outside the realm of Your authority. Just as You saw me through the night You will see me through the day. Even if a sudden storm arises to blow me about a bit, help me remember that You are safely nestled in my boat, resting in Your strength and sovereignty. If there is need, You will calm the winds and still the waves of any storm I may encounter today. Thank You, Jesus.

Song:
A Shelter in the Time of Storm
Words: Vernon Chalresworth; Music: Ira D. Sankey

1. The Lord’s our Rock in Him we hide, A shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide, A shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain:
Oh Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, A weary land, A weary land;
Oh Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, A shelter in the time of storm.

2. A shade by day, defense by night, A shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes affright, A shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain

3. The raging storms may round us beat, A shelter in the time of storm;
We’ll never leave our safe retreat, A shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain

4. O Rock divine, O Refuge dear, A shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our helper ever near, A shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 8, 2017

Innocence

Innocence can be shocking.
The preponderance of guilt in the world has conditioned us to expect hidden sin in everyone, to watch our backs in even the most polite company, and to suspect that what is going on is not what is really going on.

Then suddenly innocence appears before us:

  • A child with wide eyes and a wider smile, looking at us is if we might be innocent,
  • A pure-hearted person who without effort invites our trust,
  • A strong man who can weep without condescension for those who are weak,
  • A wounded healer whose scars can only be seen in kindness and strength.

The earth has seen such a shocking display of innocence before.

Jesus, the Innocent
Innocence came to the Temple as a 12 year old boy asking questions of the elders and giving answers to their questions. Innocence came to John in the Jordan, demanding to be baptized in repentance for sins he had not committed. John complied only when he understood that it was a baptism to fulfill all righteousness. Innocence was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit of God for more than a month of the most severe testing. Face to face with evil, Innocence spoke His Father’s words and a guilty devil had to slink away, defeated.

Innocence walked the earth in power and gentleness. Children came to Him instinctively, sensing without hesitation the warmth of His presence and the safety of His arms. The guilty shrank from Him, but not far. What remained in them of the Creator’s likeness drew them to proximity to the innocence they had long ago lost. Sinners found Him kind. Hypocrites found Him angry  with a whip or with stinging words, but His anger bore no malice toward them—only a commanding desire that the evil in them be stayed.

The brilliant found Innocence to be more so. The impaired somehow shared His strength. The lonely sensed He was a friend and companion. The abandoned felt as if they had been found. The blind could see truth in His voice. The deaf could hear life in His eyes. The sick found the strength to press through the crowd for a simple, healing touch. Soldiers could see the authority of Innocence. Politicians could see that Innocence was not fooled by the show.

Yet innocence could not restrain Judas in his scheme. The Temple guards muscled Him in the Garden and the guilty men who loved Him ran away. Innocence did not soften the bite of the nails in the Roman whips as they tore into the flesh on His back. Nor did it cushion the crush of the thorny crown they jammed onto His Head. The fists of His tormentors broke through His innocence and found their mark time and again. The insults of the crowd fell like cruel stones against His innocent heart as nails pierced hands that had never shed blood and feet that had never strayed.

And, most amazing of all, Innocence died.

It was not the end of the story, for Innocence would live again and Jesus the Christ would share His innocence with us.

Scriptures:
Psalm 26:1-8 NIV
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites; I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O Lord, proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds. I love the house where you live, O Lord, the place where your glory dwells.
Psalm 19:12-14 NIV
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
John 19:16 NIV
Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

Prayer:
(from the Book of Common Prayer)
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Song:
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Words: Isaac Watts; Music: Traditional

1. When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of glory died.
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my God.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

3. See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown.

4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 7, 2017

Recapitulation

In some ways the story of Jesus is like the structure of a symphony.
The classic musical form calls for three distinct sections: the exposition, the development, and the recapitulation.

  • The first section introduces the themes;
  • the second section develops them and
  • the final section restates the themes in altered forms.

In other words the music ends where it began although the themes have been affected by the passage of the music through time. When the moment of recapitulation comes there is a great sense of satisfaction for the players and the listeners—a sense of coming home from a journey.

The Symphony of Grace
In the fullness of time, Jesus abandoned His throne of Glory to come to be our Redeemer and, when the work of Atonement was done, He returned to His rightful place in Glory. His was a glory surrendered, tested, and regained—a grand recapitulation in Glory!

What, exactly, is “Glory?”

In this Lenten season we continue to praise Him, as the Psalmist said, to “give Him the glory due His name.” It is only right that we do this. As the Book of Common Prayer says, “It is altogether fitting and proper that we should praise Him.”

As we praise Jesus, we ascribe glory to Him.
The Hebrew word for glory means weight, meaning, significance, copious splendor. (Strong’s OT:3519) If someone has all of these wonderful (glorious!) things, we cannot add to the “weight” of his/her incumbent worth. What we can do is measure the weight, recognize the significance, embrace the meaning, and express wonder at the splendor we see before us.

This is praise. This is worship.

And what is the measure we must use? Many people use all kinds of worship criteria:

  • Artistic quality,
  • Doctrinal depth,
  • Cultural relevance,
  • Creative innovation,
  • Traditional fidelity,
  • Personal approval and pleasure, or
  • Congregational acceptance.

The Psalmist will let none of these standards pass. He demands only one standard—

The Glory Due His Name!

When we judge our devotional acts by our abilities or understandings or even our passions, we inevitably come up short. All of these measuring tools are rooted in us, not it God Himself. We have to set before us a loftier goal—The Glory Due unto His Name!—not how much glory we can give, but how much glory does Jesus deserve. Complete recapitulation is the goal: to contemplate His current regality in the light of the glory He possessed before He made His incredible sojourn into the world He created.

A Higher Standard
When the glory-due-His-name is the standard we use to plan and present our worship, we will always do our best; nothing less is to even be considered. Like Mary’s Alabaster Box, our praise will be the finest we can give, our worship, the best of the best we possess. This is why singers and players rehearse. This is why worship in Spirit and in Truth must stretch every worshiper beyond his/her natural preferences to those of the Lord Jesus. Music becomes the tool for this work of art and only that—never again the work itself.

In His glorious recapitulation, Jesus, like the themes in a symphony, has been changed by the passage of time.

  • Before He came to earth there were no scars in His hands and feet.
  • There were no welts on his back or puncture wounds in His forehead or in His side.
  • He is the One who was slain but who lives again, the sinless One bearing the marks of our sins.

With a vision of the Glory of the Resurrected, recapitulated Jesus, the first followers of Christ turned the world upside down.

Well, it needs turning again, so we must see His glory and be changed!

Scriptures:
Psalm 29:1-2 KJV
Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
John 17:24 KJV
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NKJV
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Psalm 24:7-10
Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty — he is the King of glory!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as I behold Your glory, let Your Holy Spirit alter me—change me—fundamentally at levels too deep for me to reach by myself. I will read Your Word. I will rehearse Your promises. I will deeply reflect on Your story. As I do these things, You have promised to write the Word of God into my heart. As I do what I can do, You will do what only You can do—change me. I will behold Your glory and I will be changed; I will be different at the end of the process than at the beginning. In awe of You, Lord Jesus, Amen.

Song of Praise:
Down From His Glory
Words: William E.B. Clibbon; Music: Traditional O Solo Mio

1. Down from His glory, Ever living story,
My God and Savior came, And Jesus was His Name.
Born in a manger, To His own a stranger,
A Man of sorrows, tears and agony.

Refrain:
O how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine, my all in all.
The great Creator became my Savior,
And all God’s fullness dwelleth in Him.

2. What condescension, Bringing us redemption;
That in the dead of night, Not one faint hope in sight,
God, gracious, tender, Laid aside His splendor,
Stooping to woo, to win, to save my soul

Refrain

3. Without reluctance, Flesh and blood His substance,
He took the form of man, Revealed the hidden plan,
O glorious myst’ry Sacrifice of Calv’ry,
And now I know Thou art the great ‘I Am’

Refrain.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 6, 2017

Shelter

Jesus and His men were used to roughing it.
They probably spent most nights huddled around a couple of fires, the flames dancing in their eyes as they listened to Jesus speak softly, with need to project His voice to a crowd. There was something tender in His voice muffled by the heavy night air speaking visions of another world and truths that must be resident somewhere out there in the darkness beyond the fire’s light. The clear nights with multitudes of stars seeming almost to sing of the glory of the Lord, made thoughts of eternity seem almost within reach.

The day’s events were reviewed. Things they couldn’t laugh at in public were enjoyed with bursts of laughter that would cause others nearby who were likewise bedding down for the night to wonder who this band of twelve, no, thirteen men might be and what they might be up to.

Parables were explained. Deep silences followed the astounding words of Jesus. One simply could not answer; one could only consider. One by one the Disciples would find a place to make a bed as the fires and the conversation grew smaller and smaller. When all the men had found their places and the slow, deep breathing of sleep was all there was to hear, I can imagine that Jesus stood up and stirred the fires a little, perhaps adding some more wood. He would then have another conversation, this one with His father, one that could only be heard in His heart. Soon, even that conversation would end only to be continued before dawn as Jesus, tired from the day as any man would be, found a place to lay His head.

But what about bad weather?
In cold seasons and on stormy nights, Jesus and His men needed more shelter than the stars could provide, hidden as they were by clouds or bright as they were in the frigid winter air. Lodging was the shelter they needed; fires safely contained in stone and vented by chimneys of stone. This was the shelter they needed but the kind they seldom had.

The House at Bethany
This made the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany such a special shelter for them. It must have been a large house to accommodate so many.

  • It is easy to see that Martha’s hospitality gifts were vital to the whole enterprise.
  • Mary’s love for Jesus was itself like a fire that warmed and refreshed Him.
  • Lazarus, perhaps not as strong as his sisters, watched quietly and listened intently.

No Shelter in the Garden
On that last night after their last meal together, deep in the green of the Garden called Gethsemane, a silent storm raged in the heart of Jesus. His time had come. He had set His face like a flint toward the moment that was now upon Him. His sleeping disciples were no solace to Him. The Garden itself was no shelter from the interior storm–the icy winter of His soul.

There was no shelter for Him. He must face

  • the winds of wickedness,
  • the storms of Satan’s schemes,
  • the treachery of the traitor,
  • the swords of the soldiers and
  • He must face all of this alone.

The shelter of the Father’s wings promised in the Psalms was nowhere to be found.  There was no towering rock to give cover; no defense could be made against the madness of men.

No one was ever so alone, so exposed, so vulnerable as Jesus, without shelter on the night when sin ruled the world.

Scriptures:
Matthew 8:20 NIV
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Mark 14:32-42 NIV
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba,e Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Matthew 7:24-25 NKJV
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus You are my shelter against the storm. You are my rock and my salvation in this weary land. I have built my house upon you. You promised that the rains would fall down, the waters would rise up and the winds would howl and blow against my house but it would not fall. It would not be swamped by the rising flood or break beneath the weight of the winds. Today I remember all Your nights under the stars with no soft bed to receive You. I call to mind all those cold or stormy nights when You found to place to lay Your head. I remember also Your agony in Gethsemane where no shelter could shield You from the tempest in the hearts of men. I want my heart to be to You a shelter like the home of Martha and her kin. Be welcome in my heart and find shelter there. Amen.

Song:
Till the Storm Passes By
Words and Music: Mosie Lister

1. In the dark of the midnight I oft hid my face,
While the storm howls above me and there’s no hiding place.
‘Mid the crash of the thunder, precious Lord, hear my cry,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Refrain:
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

2. Many times Satan whispered, “There’s no need to try,
For there’s no end of sorrow, there’s no hope by and by.”
But I know Thou are with me, and tomorrow I’ll rise
Where the storms never darken the skies.

Refrain
3. When the long night has ended and the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore;
In the land where the tempest never comes, Lord may I
Dwell wee with Thee when the storm passes by.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 5, 2017

Forgiven

There is a deep healing in forgiveness.
In His home region of Capernaum, a crowd filled a house to hear Him speak of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps there were as many motives for being there as there were people: curiosity, despair, pain, desperation, boredom. Any crowd is a gathering of such emotions as well as one of names, faces, and stories.

Friends of a paralyzed man brought him to the door but not through it; it was blocked by people in the crowd, each one focused on his own situational paralysis with no thought for the invalid and his friends.

So they came through the roof.

This gained them the full attention of the Lord Jesus. He saw men of compassion, ingenuity, and organized strength. He saw their faith. He looked at their paralyzed friend and said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

That was nice but it wasn’t what they came for. They needed for Jesus to break the brokenness of their friend, to relieve him of his misery and them of their burden. The paralysis was real—it was present and unrelenting. Sins? Everybody had sins. Forgiven sins would not make their friend any lighter in their tiring arms.

He crossed a line.
Others in the crowd were surprised by the line this “son of Joseph and Mary” had crossed. Miracles were wonderful to see. They brought hope for more miracles and a faint confidence in the Jehovah they had heard about all their lives. But forgiving sins? That was a whole different issue. Miracles could be seen, like mental before-and-after-photos today. But sins, forgiven or otherwise, were spiritual things, blurry to the mind and invisible to the eye. Anyway, miracles were useful to people but sin forgiving was only God’s business and it was best left to Him.

“Which is easier,” Jesus asked, “To heal the body or to forgive sins?”

He had a way with questions that tended to silence the questioners.

“So that you may believe in me,” Jesus turned to the man on the mat and his friends still breathing hard from the work, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”

He did exactly that, to the amazement of the crowd.

In this season of Lent, each of us tries to get to the real Jesus.  We need to touch Him, to see Him, and to be changed by Him.  We see His sufferings and beyond those we see His triumph–not just the crucifixion, but the empty cross and the forsaken tomb.

To look at the empty cross is like

  • Looking into the manger to see God in the flesh, or
  • reading the Gospels to see the Son of God at work, or
  • hearing the matchless music of His voice, or
  • beholding His glory in prayer and worship.

To do these things is to be changed. Not only are we forgiven—no longer guilty—but we are welcomed into His presence.

And we didn’t even have to come through the roof.

There is a deep healing in forgiveness.

Scriptures:
Mark 2:1-12 NIV
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
1 John 1:9-10 NIV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, all I have to do is believe in You, to somehow touch the hem of Your garment with my faith and repentance and I will be forgiven of my sins. Paralyzed by disobedience no longer, I can rise, take up my life and walk. As I walk in this amazing forgiveness today, help me also be a forgiver of those who have struck at me. My freewill offering today is one of humility, repentance, and thanksgiving. I will know your deliverance in my heart and see it in my friends. Amen.

Song:
The Healing Waters
Words: H.H. Helmar; Music: L.L. Pickett

1. Oh, the joy of sins forgiv’n, Oh, the bliss the blood-washed know,
Oh, the peace akin to Heav’n, Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain:
Where the healing waters flow, Where the joys celestial glow,
Oh, there’s peace and rest and love, Where the healing waters flow!

2. Now with Jesus crucified, At His feet I’m resting low;
Let me evermore abide Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain

3. O, this precious, perfect love! How it keeps the heart aglow,
Streaming from the fount above, Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain

4. Oh, to lean on Jesus’ breast, While the tempests come and go!
Here is blessèd peace and rest, Where the healing waters flow.

Refrain

5. Cleansed from every sin and stain, Whiter than the driven snow,
Now I sing my sweet refrain, Where the healing waters flow.
Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 4, 2017

Forsaken

Turning Points
They are not easily forgotten though at the moment they occur their significance might not be clearly seen. After an initial season of acceptance when crowds came to marvel at His words and deeds such a turning point in the earthly ministry of Jesus happened out it the wilderness of Galilee. The day after He famously fed the multitude Jesus attempted to make spiritual sense of this material miracle. The disappointed crowds turned away from Him and the downward spiral of forsaking began its inevitable plunge toward Calvary. The crowd broke up and wandered away, still hungry but contemptuous of His message: “I am the Bread of Heaven!” They did not know they needed Him more than another fish dinner.

Heart-broken, Jesus turned to the twelve to ask what must have been a painful question: “Will you also go away?”

Peter swallowed hard as he and the other chosen ones exchanged desperate glances. He said what needed to be said. “Lord to whom would we turn? You have the words of life. You are the Christ!”

Only a Few
So a multitude forsook Him and twelve men chose to follow on with Him. This was the beginning of His forsakenness. Even his own family, except of course for His mother, turned away from Him, refusing to believe. They asked Him to leave Galilee and head south to Judea, out of their hair and no longer a family embarrassment.

How it must have hurt to work miracles that ended the pain of the possessed, the poisoned, the paralyzed, the fearful and the frail with no relief for the pain in His heart. His smiles at these joyful deliverances hid the pain inside Him at the rejection of the religious leaders.

In the Season of Lent We Seek to Share His Pain.
This season of the Christian Year invites us to read the Psalms that describe the pain of being forsaken. This is a deep sort of rejection because it comes along after one has encountered Christ—professing interest and perhaps even love. But unexpected events or unpleasant lessons rub us the wrong way and we decide to abandon Him.

The crowds, His half-brothers and half-sisters, His former patrons in the carpenter’s shop, and the leaders of His faith, all forsook Him. Some even made the unbelievable journey from follower to detractor to enemy.

In Gethsemane’s garden even His Disciples could not watch with Him, letting sleep, perhaps with their bellies full from the Last Supper, overcome them.

He was alone: forsaken.

And thus He would be until He bowed His head to give up the ghost on the Cross.

In this He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah Jesus must have memorized as a boy in the Synagogue at Nazareth. “We hid our faces from Him.”

We must not repeat this injustice today. We must turn our faces toward Him.

Scriptures:
Isaiah 53:1-6 NKJ
Who has believed our report?…He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him… All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
John 6:61-7:5 NIV
When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, …The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. … From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea… For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
Hebrews 12:22-24 NIV
…you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant,

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are no longer forsaken; You occupy the Throne of Heaven. Thousands of angels in joyful assembly sing and play the music of Your praise. In an immense gallery witnesses, some who bear my family name, join the song of the angels. It seems I can hear them now: sweet voices from earth who overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of Their testimony harmonizing with the hosts of eternity. Help me always turn toward You in prayer. Help me to follow You and never again forsake You. Amen.

Song:
O for a Thousand Tongues
Words: Charles Wesley; Music: Carl Glazer

1. O for a thousand tongues to sing My Great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace.

2. Jesus! The Name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease,
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears, ‘This life and health and peace.

3. He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood availed for me.

4. Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come; And leap, ye lame, for joy.

5. My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad, The honors of Thy name.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 3, 2017

Foolishness

Seldom does “foolishness” sound a positive note. In musical terms the foolish song is usually dissonant or disjointed or pointless or pretentious, or simply silly.

But foolishness, like beauty, can be found “in the eye of the beholder.”
It is possible for the finest art or science or invention the hands and minds of men may produce to actually be only foolishness. When compared with the creativity and ingenuity of the Holy Spirit, “foolishness” is a predictable result of the arrogance of ignorant men and women. Foolishness may make millions of dollars, produce names and terms that become common usage and move whole civilizations to foolish pursuits wasting God-given talent and energy in what the poet Solomon called “vanity and vexation of spirit”—like eating the wind—an emptiness of soul and spirit.

And on the other side of the fence, the things of God are foolishness to the world.
This is not a hidden secret; the Bible comes right out and says it is so. So, what can we who are thought to be foolish because of the things we believe and know to be true do about this? Do we argue and with unbelievers to try and convince them of their foolishness?

For sure we must answer their questions; the Bible tells us to do that. But how do you answer someone who does not believe? If they don’t believe the Bible is the Word of God, no amount of scriptural evidence will convince them of the truth. What can we do?

Tell the Story!
My mentor, Dr. Robert E. Webber gave the best strategy I have heard for this ministry—Tell the Story! All spiritualties are based on a huge story, a meta-narrative, that tells the story of who made the world and why, why people exist, and what comes after death. (I recommend Bob’s last book, Who Gets to Narrate the World.)

During Lent we tell a tender and tragic part of the story of Redemption—the Passion of the Christ. To the world it is foolish to think of the trials and death of Jesus as anything other than another sad story of a brilliant young man who was so far ahead of his time, the world he challenged had to eliminate him.

Foolish it may be but this was not your everyday brilliant young man—

  • this was God come in the flesh.
  • This was sinless humanity here on the earth for the first time since Adam and Eve.
  • This story is about the greatest of injustices ever seen.

And it was no accident—it was the plan from the beginning.

  • He whom heaven worshiped would abandon the ivory palaces of another world to surface quietly in an obscure stable hewn from a rock in this world.
  • He who knew no sin of His own would drink deep of our many, many sins.
  • He would lay down His life for it was beyond the reach of the law, Jewish or Roman, to take it from Him.
  • Another tomb hewn from a rock could not hold Him for more than three days and He came into and out of death for all who are similarly destined for the grave.

Now He reigns, returned with scars to heaven’s throne, and there in Zion’s holy halls we worship Him forever.

Foolishness?

No. Truth!

Scriptures:
Ecclesiastes 2:17 KJV & AMP
Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it.
1 Corinthians 1:20-31 ESV
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Prayers:
Lord Jesus, You promised that the truth would set us free. Let me walk in that freedom today for I believe in You and Your amazing story:
The Apostles’ Creed
BCP (Adapted by are SRP)

  • I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
  • I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
  • I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Song:
Tell Me the Story of Jesus
Words: Fanny Crosby Music: John Sweeney

1. Tell me the story of Jesus, Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious, Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus Sang as they welcomed His birth,
“Glory to God in the highest! Peace and good tidings to earth.”
Tell me the story of Jesus, Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious, Sweetest that ever was heard.

2. Fasting alone in the desert, Tell of the days that are past,
How for our sins He was tempted, Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor, Tell of the sorrow He bore.
He was despised and afflicted, Homeless, rejected and poor.
Tell me the story of Jesus, Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious, Sweetest that ever was heard.

3. Tell of the cross where they nailed Him, Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him, Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender, Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper, Love paid the ransom for me.
Tell me the story of Jesus, Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious, Sweetest that ever was heard.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, March

March 2, 2017

Broken

“I am as useless as a broken pot.”
So said the Psalmist in a moment of weakness.

But “useless” and “broken” are not invariably linked. A broken piece of pottery may be utterly useless but a broken heart before the Lord can be a mighty weapon in His hand.

When we think of Jesus, we think often of a Garden,

  • not the beautiful, useful Garden of Delights called Eden, the place of our beginning, and
  • not the wonderful New Heaven and New Earth where we will walk with God once again in the cool of the day.
  • The Garden we must consider is the Garden of Brokenness—Gethsemane.

Here the seeds of our redemption—our usefulness—were planted in the good soil of a Savior’s broken heart and watered there by sweat tinged with blood.

He was absolutely alone.
Abandoned by his sleeping disciples, Jesus was alone in this Garden, alone to bear on His sinless shoulders the sins of mankind. He alone could seize in his healing hands the violence done at the hands of men. His innocent heart was the only heart qualified to take in the corruption of the human heart from Eve’s first taste of forbidden fruit to the terrible taste for blood that marks a fallen humanity. Only the lips that brought to us the life-giving Word of God could now embrace the bitter cup of deception and drain it dry.

So, the strongest man who would ever live was broken, “crushed” was the prophesy of Isaiah and the report of Jesus’ words to His followers in some translations.

Crushed, broken, grieved, exceedingly sorrowful, yes. But, useless? Never.

The Drama of Redemption
For centuries ignorant animals had gone under the knives of the priests on the altars of Jehovah. In their frightened eyes there was not a glimpse of understanding of what their substitutionary death would provide the men with sharp knives wearing colorful robes, glittering with jewels. These unknowing animals filled a role in the on-going drama of redemption. Thousands of them played the part of the One Final Lamb who would come and make the Final and complete sacrifice of brokenness.

If we could have looked into His eyes…
If we could have looked into the eyes of Jesus in this garden, we would have seen no such ignorance, no empty role playing. Jesus knew what it meant.

  • He had to hold back his goodness to take on our wickedness.
  • He had to restrain the strength of His flawless character to submit to the corruption of a deadly mix of religion and politics.
  • He allowed his humanity to be broken.
  • With the kiss of a friend, the soldiers took Him away, no doubt, in chains that He could have broken.

Don’t forget the angel.
Between the prayers of Jesus and the approach of the Temple Guards, another friend touched Jesus there in the Garden—an Angel of the Lord. In spiritual ways that we cannot understand, the Angel imparted strength to Jesus for the ordeal just beginning.

Why? So that even in His broken condition, Jesus would still be powerful in spirit, useful to all of us by not only bearing our sins far away, but be winning our redemption.

In this time of voluntary brokenness, may the Lord make us useful to His purposes.

Scriptures:
Psalm 31:12-13 NIV
I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.
Matthew 21:42-44 NIV
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Luke 22:39-44; Matthew 26:36-38 NIV
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Psalm 51:17 NIV
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, life can be a crushing thing. Sometimes the pressure is so great and the violence is so relentless that it seems I will be broken. Much of my trouble has been my own doing. It helps me somehow to know that You allowed life to crush You and it was not the end of the story. You took the pressure and the violence, none of it your own doing, and let life do its worst. In three days, You rose again, conqueror of death and master of life. In these days of thoughtful prayer, help me feel things more deeply, both the crushing and the rising again! Thank You, Lord! Amen.

Song:
Broken and Spilled Out
Words and Music: Bill and Gloria Gaither

Lord You were God’s precious treasure His loved and His own perfect Son
Sent here to show me The love of the Father Just for love it was done
And though You were perfect and holy You gave up Yourself willingly
You spared no expense for my pardon You were used up and wasted for me

Broken and spilled out Just for love of me Jesus
God’s most precious treasure Lavished on me
You were broken and spilled out And poured at my feet
In sweet abandon Lord You were spilled out and used up for Me
In sweet abandon, let me be spilled out And used up for Thee.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved