Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Psalm 130 - Persistent Prayer

I wait for the LORD, to hear my prayers and answer. There have been a few prayer petitions that I have been praying for forty, even fifty plus years. Like the persistant widow, (Luke 18) I will not let up.  My whole being waits for the LORD to answer. There are times, when the prayers are answered, and then thanks to the human condition, everything goes back to the way it was before.

Psalm 130 reminds us that God does not keep a record of the sins of those whom He forgives. The problem is that we do. Even though God forgives; sometimes, it is impossible for us to forgive ourselves and we carry along the old baggage, doomed to repeat those things that have separated us from God. We are doomed to repeat those very things which we hate about ourselves.

Through faith in the one who died for our sins, we are forgiven. Believe it so that you might move on. Believe it so that you will be one less prayer petition on someone else's tongue! 

I have seen so many prayers for salvation of others answered. They serve the LORD with gladness. I was one of the prayer petitions for an aunt for many years. The LORD heard her and answered, leading me to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, guiding me beside still waters (Psalm 23). Thanks be to God for this persistent widow! Like the persistent widow, I will not stop crying out of the depths to the LORD for those who are lost. I may never see, with these eyes, the answer to my prayer. But, with the eyes of faith, I know that it is already done.

The LORD forgives you. He has wiped the record of your sins clean. You are free to reverence and serve Him.  Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

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