"Fall seven times and get up eight."--Japanese Proverbs
This is my goal--to get up more times than I fall down. So here we go after a few days.
Psalm 79
Asaph is once again sad that the enemy has invaded Israel, God's land. They defiled the Temple and left Jerusalem in ruins. The people themselves were so destroyed that no one was left to bury the dead! Their enemies mocked them. All this was a result of God's judgment on their sin. Asaph is honest in his prayer, begging God to know how long His anger would punish Israel. Then he asks God to destroy the enemies. He cries out in faith to God. "Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name." v. 9
He asks God once again in v. 12 to pay back the neighbors 7 times for the scorn they had hurled on God. "Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation." He is trusting God to care for His people just as we today trust Him to take care of us, and he promises to thank God and praise Him. We do expect God's care and trust Him for it, but may we never commit the terrible sin of being ungrateful! This morning I heard a radio preacher use these verses from Isaiah 49: 14-16, "Yet Jerusalem says, 'The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.' Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands..." Neither will He forget us...neither will He forget us!
Luke 10:1-20
Jesus sends out 72 more disciples. He tells them that the job will be difficult, but it will also be rewarding. They will tell the wonderful message of Jesus, and they will work miracles. v. 20 is interesting, "But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven." The greatest miracle of all is our salvation--our sins are covered and we are God's children!
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