Grace Abounding
Opening Prayer
Lord, my heart longs for Your heavenly city. May its reality be revealed through me and Your church in the world.
Read Psalm 125:1-5
[1]A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. [2] As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. [3] The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. [4] LORD, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. [5] But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Do you know God's intimate protection?The town where I lived until recently is ringed with hills. They are a pretty sight and hard to climb as time goes by, but they give a sense of security. It was a good place to live.Last week’s psalm spoke of the help God gives in times of distress. This psalm deepens that into a sense of utter security. From God’s perspective, we are like an impregnable city ringed by protective hills (2). God has set his love upon us and will never let us go. That is the meaning of grace. This is just as well when we come to verse 3 with its suggestion that evil forces are abroad that have the potential to hijack God’s children. Yes indeed they do, but not finally to defeat us. From our perspective, we know ourselves to be pilgrims journeying through occupied territory and under constant attack. We may well be secure, but we are not always safe! So we need to make sure that our hearts are in the right place. For the rest, we can trust God. He is the one who has set our hearts on pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5,6) and he will journey with us, go before us and be there at the end to welcome us. “Peace be on [you]” (5).
Apply
Think of a time when you experienced the enveloping presence of God. Thank him for his love.
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