WATCHWORD:
1 I love you, Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me, the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the Lord; From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them
15 The valleys of the sea were expose and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:1-19
Meditation:
Abide in Me
I don’t know how often the word “Abide” is used in the Bible. It was one of Apostle John’s favorite words. He uses it 53 times in his Gospel and letters. Each time he uses it to say that God Abides in Christ.
What does he mean by that? I dug into that question and this is what I found: Classic Greek writers used the word meno, meaning,” to stay,” “stand fast,” “remain” or, in our parlance, “Abide”. It carries the idea to remain at home, or stay where you are and not wander off. It also conveys the idea of sustaining an unbroken fellowship with someone.
When John applies ‘abide’ to the relationship between Jesus and God, he is saying that He (God) dwells in Him and therefore has a constant influence upon Him. John 10:38 says “Jesus said, ‘the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.’”
I think we would all find the logic in the relationship between Jesus and God. But, how do we apply that to God and ourselves? It would seem to be sacrilegious for me to say, the Father is in me and I in the Father, referring to the human you and me. How does that work? Only one way, through faith, and abiding in His love.
As I was thinking about this meditation, I recalled reading a small book that was given to me during a Cursillo Weekend, Closer Than a Brother. The writings in the book are those of Brother Lawrence, a member of the Carmelite Community at Paris, who died in 1691. Although he was a comparatively uneducated layman, his simple faith attracted even bishops and other church leaders to him with problems and doubts about their faith.
To all who came to him, he gave the same answer — stop putting your trust in human rules, devotional exercises and acts of penance. Instead, live a life of obedient faith to God. Live as though He were beside you and with you all the time, as indeed He is. Brother Lawrence would often send them away with the advice that the man who lives like that will be fully human, completely Christian and genuinely happy.
So, my friends, this faith of ours has power when it is lived in the presence of God. When we abide in Him we would achieve genuine happiness, for He is, indeed, closer than a brother. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Abide with Me
Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil and tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, oh abode with me.
Verse-A-Day Prayer:
Lord, as we live for You and temptation comes, please let Your peace guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. You Lord are our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. Reveal to us today Lord what it truly means to put our hope in Your word. We look to You for healing, protection, provision, comfort… for everything. I praise You Lord that You are our everything, and will never leave or forsake us. Amen.
