Sabbath Psalms: God's Love

Psalm 66:20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (NIV)

              Each morning as I drive to church, I talk to God in prayer. I find it helps me focus on what tasks I need to complete that day, as well as saying personal prayers for my family, friends, and parishioners.

I usually start by giving thanks to God for another day, for the sleep I have known, and for the opportunities to serve the Lord which I don’t deserve. I know that I am unworthy of being blessed by God because of my selfish and sinful ways, so this makes me grateful, just like the psalmist before me, that despite who I am or what I’ve done, God does not reject my prayer or withhold his love from me. 

By the time I get to the church building, I have completed my daily prayers which includes asking God to protect and bless my loved ones all over the world. My prayers include folks and relatives who live in the US, Scotland, England, Ireland, Norway, Austria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the US again, and finally, Canada. It’s a global list of people that I know and love, so each day I’m thankful to God for watching over them. 

I think the psalmist from long ago experienced something similar. The practice of prayer is very empowering and there have been many times in my life when prayers have been positively answered by God to help loved ones and friends overcome issues and crises, illnesses and problems. In some circumstances, they were unable to pray for themselves, so I have been glad to do their praying for them. 

I hope that you may also be given the opportunity to experience the power of prayer, as well as God’s love and compassion. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, no matter what situation you or loved ones are experiencing, please know this: God is mindful of what’s going on and will not reject your prayers or withhold his love from you. 

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for the gift of prayer which enables us to reach out to You for guidance and support, encouragement and love. Be near to all of our loved ones and bless them with healing and strength, confidence and faith. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Christian devotion: Crown Prince - Hebrews 5:5

Hebrews 5:5    So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 

The main purpose of a priest is to make prayers before God on behalf of the people. Mostly all religions appoint holy men and women to intercede between their deity and the community at large. Festivals and feasts, holy days and religious celebrations from all over the world have this in common: at the center of the event, prayers are made to God, as well as petitions, confessions, and thanksgivings.

As Presbyterians, we practice the priesthood of all believers which is why we make our prayers of intercession and confession together in church. The only High Priest that we recognize is Jesus Himself and so we offer our prayers in Christ’s Name. Some people say that we miss out the ‘middlemen,’ but that’s not really what we do. Our prayers are always sacred and so we make them sincerely to Jesus, in the confidence and knowledge that He is always in the presence of God, His Father.

When Jesus left Heaven to come to Earth, He did not feel entitled to His appointment as the Chosen One. He still had to be given that High Office directly from God. This is why we read several times in the Gospels about God declaring and proclaiming that Christ is His Son. It is not just a public statement made in the presence of the disciples and other witnesses, it is a genuine calling from God to Jesus. It is the act of a High King conferring the title of Crown Prince on his son; it is the divine deed of the Creator bestowing the highest honor upon His child.

Today, we will all say prayers. We will make confessions about our mistakes, as well as intercessions about our circumstances. Whatever the case, and whenever we pray, we all need to remember this: our prayers are made to Christ and we send them to Him because He can then take them on our behalf and bring them before God. This is what our High Priest does; this is Christ’s duty as the Crown Prince of all Creation.

Questions for personal reflection

What am I praying for today? Am I truly giving my prayers to Christ?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we worship You as our High Priest and Heavenly King. We praise You as the Crown Prince of all Creation and the Lord of all our lives. Thank You for receiving our prayers, as well as for interceding each day on our behalf. May we serve, glorify, and honor You forever. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask a question or make a comment about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Holy Week drawings. It’s called “Tormented Sky,’ which depicts Christ in silhouette carrying His Cross to Calvary. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/13367529973_4ea429584b_b.jpg