Father, Forgive Me

Luke 23: 32-47


“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” These are words I’ve prayed many times. I’ve prayed them for the world at large, for strangers, for friends and family members. But if I’m being honest, I usually pray them for myself. “Father, forgive ME, for I do not know what I am doing.”

How did I get here? How did this happen? Where should I be? How do I find my way? In the past, I’d look for answers in misguided places and chastise myself for not getting it right. As my relationship with Christ has matured, I’ve learned to seek His will. I guess that’s what they call spiritual growth. I still don’t have the answers, but it does help me sit with the questions a little longer. He’s helping me learn to wait and listen.

Today, we recall the Crucifixion. While Christ endured our pain, one of the criminals next to him said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

For the repentant sinner, those words of forgiveness removed a huge weight. “YOU will be with me in paradise.” How sweet the sound!

And as Jesus breathed his last, I want his words to be mine - “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” It’s not just a deathbed prayer, but one worthy of repeating each day, “Father, I place my life in your hands!”

He knows better what to do with it than I do, but I’m learning… waiting and listening.

Peace to you this Good Friday.

         

Don't be Afraid to Ask

Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus passing by and he began to shout out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47)

Jesus' response is striking, he asks Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?" (v 51)

"Rabbi, I want to see," was the response.  Bartimaeus believed Jesus could make his life better, that He could heal him from blindness. He wanted Jesus to intervene and make him whole.

"Go," Jesus said, "Your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (v 52)

Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Isaiah 64:4

This Isaiah verse refers to a God who acts for those who wait for him. The Hebrew word for wait is an active word. It means to long for, to cling or adhere to. It has the sense of something that is uppermost on a person's mind.

So the question here, for me and for you to ponder is, what do I want Jesus to do? What do I really want? Who or what is trying to silence me - my shouts for help from God? Is my unworthiness stifling my prayers? Is it my desire for material things that get in the way?  

What does God want me to ask of Him? "You do not have because you do not ask." (James 4:2) I must examine my heart and go boldly before the throne and put my faith into action.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)

So, what do you want, really?

Mark 10:46-52

Psalm 27

Prayer is Waiting

We wait in line at the grocery store. We wait in traffic. We wait to be seated at restaurants, then wait to give our order, wait to be served, wait for our check, wait for our change, and then wait to exit the parking lot so we can wait at the traffic light for our turn to go, so we can get to the next intersection and wait some more.

We accept this waiting because it is a must if we are to get what we want and remain safe.

Psalm 27: 1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:4-5 “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in his temple. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in his dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”

In this fast food, express line world, we forget what it is we are called to do. Psalm 27: 14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

He will give us what we desire, and He has promised to keep us safe. We can count on that promise. Our grocery stores, restaurants, and cars may offer us momentary satisfaction, but our true source of peace and contentment can be found only in the Lord.

As we conclude this series in Psalms, please remember that this book is a wonderful source of encouragement and comfort when this world beats us down. Psalms holds truth and hope for all of us. Turn to Psalms when you are tempted to close off the rest of the world and have yourself a pity party. Open the book of Psalms when those you thought were friends disappoint you. Rest in the book of Psalms when your heart is broken. His word is always there for you, and His promises remain.

Strength Will Rise As We Wait Upon The Lord!

Listen to “Everlasting God” by Chris Tomlin

Listen to/Read Psalm 27 

Prayer is Waiting

Psalm 143:7-8 (MSG)  Hurry with your answer, GOD! I'm nearly at the end of my rope. Don't turn away; don't ignore me! That would be certain death.  If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I'll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I'm all ears, all eyes before you.

When reading through the Psalms I generally want to use my comfortable version; the one I recognize and draw comfort from, but today let's use the words from Eugene Peterson's, The Message Bible. This version is using the language my heart often imparts to my head.  Maybe it is the other way around, my head imparts to my heart.  Often I allow my humanness to override sensibility and I take on an attitude of impatience, or worse yet, impatience with attitude.

Trusted friends tell me it is okay to be honest with God, to tell Him just how I am feeling.  They say He has big shoulders and can handle my temper tantrums and defiant rantings. God is the only one who truly understands my heart and the only one who can make me whole again.

Praying through the Psalms is quite a journey.  It would be interesting to sit down with all of you and discuss just what this trip has been like.  I would love to ask if there was one general theme or word you heard from God during this time.

God knows us so well and because of this He speaks to us often in ways that surprise. I am in a season of change and challenge.  I find myself passing through valleys I thought I had visited years ago. God has been laying the word "wait" on my heart.

Waiting is not something I do well.  But as I find myself in the midst of just such a season I might as well obey.  I know that God's timing is perfect.  That should make me so excited that I wait without questioning. It is about time I learn from the past.

He has always been faithful, even when I wasn't.  He has always walked at my side, even when I tried to escape. His arms are always open for my return.  He has spent much of my life waiting for me to wake up.

Waiting is now the next stage of my life. Point out the road I must travel; I'm all ears, all eyes before you. Has God given you a word to work on, to pray about and to ponder?

Psalm 142, 143, 144

Hagar and Ishmael -- Genesis 16:1-16

It is difficult to wait. I get impatient when I must wait for people. I find that I will fuss in my head about doctors who make me wait, cable repair people who don’t arrive in the 4 hour window they provided. It is also hard to remain patient when anticipating something I have dreamed about for years. Attitudes of impatience can be as childlike as waiting for Christmas morning to arrive or as grown up as the feelings that accompany a sixty year old who is counting on retirement someday soon.

The Bible story today explores the promise God made to Sarai and Abram concerning children. God made a covenant with Abram, promising he would become the father of many nations. God did not provide Abram with a date; He did not tell him when he would father a child, only that he would. That was good enough for Abram…for awhile.

Abram got tired of waiting, the physical facts that he was getting very old caused him to doubt God’s promise, so when his wife said, “The Lord has kept me from having children,” Abram agreed. The impatience practiced by this couple changed the world and history.

The saying, "good things happen to those who wait," is often true.  When it comes to waiting for God, it is always true.  His timing is perfect.

Read the scripture text for today at Biblegateway and Genesis:16-1:16

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