THOUGHTS ON PRAYER

Charles Woodruff

Tomorrow (May 6th),is designated The National Day of Prayer. It was started by George Washington, our first President, and continued periodically by other Presidents. Then it was declared to be an annual event by President Truman in 1952. President Ronald Reagan set it up officially as the first Thursday in May in 1988. Our church began an intensive study on prayer in January which involved more corporate prayer than usual. The messages are designed to be concise introductions (20-30 minutes), to the actual prayer time. It has been very helpful. All of them were not recorded, but we have recently started recording them, and trying to recover some of them by remakes, and placing them on our Sermon Audio site. http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=missionaryman
We believe the value of such messages speak for themselves.

WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is basically conversation with God. There is quiet prayer, fervent prayer, effective prayer, urgent prayer and desperate prayer. Leonard Ravenhill once said “God answers desperate prayer”. Prayer is the hardest work for a Christian. It is elusive. We can easily attend church, read the Bible, study, witness, preach and teach and do all our duties ( all in the flesh unless we pray for the Spirit‘s help). We can do all the other things relatively easy, but struggle to pray. Why is this when prayer is where our strength is energized? Leonard Ravenhill once said: “Satan laughs at our singing, witnessing, preaching and all else, but trembles when we pray”.

We cannot pray all the time, as other duties press us. We are commanded to “Pray without ceasing”. (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How can we accomplish this? It means to be in an attitude of prayer at all times, as well as to pray often. It seems to me that requires walking in the Spirit Remember this verse connects with six other short admonitions (God’s perfect number of seven; could it be that all these go together, equally important?)

The first prayer in the Old Testament
The first conversation with God recorded was in Genesis 3:8-19. Remember, prayer is conversation with God, but we don’t usually think of it as this one. The first words were addressed from God to Adam in verse nine: “Where art thou?” Man by nature, since the fall, does not seek God, God seeks man.

The first prayer in the New Testament
The Magnificat (if you consider it a prayer. Certainly the virgin Mary was praising the Lord). And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. (Luke 1:46-55).

The First Prayer Chronologically
In Luke it is mentioned that people were praying, so maybe this was the first mention. “And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense” (Luke 1:10). Praying= Greek; Strong's G4336 - proseuchomai (pros-yü'-kho-mi) used 90 times in 82 verses (online at Blue Letter Bible)

The longest prayer in the Bible
Nehemiah 9:5-38 (We won’t print it because of its length. It was prayed by a number of Levites after a rediscovery of the law of God and the awakening under Nehemiah). Daniel also had a long prayer recorded.

The shortest prayer in the Bible
It is very short, but to tell the story requires a longer context.
“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. <this is the shortest prayer>
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:25-32 ;esp. v. 30)

Jesus’ Prayers
The True “Lord’s Prayer”; the high priestly prayer in John 17. Let’s look a bit at this one. Especially verses 15-17.
“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Oh doesn’t it thrill you that Jesus Christ prays for you; and for me! Hallelujah!

Paul’s Prayers
He had many, but I remember this statement in Philippians so well: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3-6).

John’s Prayers and Teaching
Here John tells us some words about praying; “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment” (1 John 3:22,23).

Peter’s Prayers
Acts 9:40 With Tabitha (Dorcas); “But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.”

Hannah’s Prayer
“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. (1 Samuel 1:9; see verse 9 through verse 19)

Jacob’s Prayer
In the figurative language, we can see that Jacob wrestled with God and was afterwards called Israel. “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” (Genesis 32:24; See Genesis 32:22-30)

The Prayer of Jabez
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested” (1 Chronicles 4:10) .

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON PRAYER

Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an absolute law of this – always obey such an impulse. --Martyn Lloyd-Jones

No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it. ~Guy H. King

There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anywhere. Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed. --Charles Haddon Spurgeon

It is good for us to keep some account of our prayers, that we may not unsay them in our practice. ~Matthew Henry

God can pick sense out of a confused prayer. ~Richard Sibbes

Prayers not felt by us are seldom heard by God. ~Philip Henry

Some people pray just to pray and some people pray to know God. --Andrew Murray

Prayer is the Christian’s life. Though every other ordinance be attended to, yet if this one be neglected, all is vain. It is as impossible for the soul to be spiritually alive and active without a punctual course of fervent and believing prayer, as for the body to be alive and active without breath. Prayer has more influence on the sanctification of the soul than all other ordinances.
(From Enoch Walked With God, a sermon by Edward Griffin, page 6)

When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart. ~John Bunyan

Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue. ~Adam Clarke

Is prayer your steering wheel, or your spare tire?-- Corrie Ten Boom

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.”
Martin Luther (also quoted by others including Arthur W. Pink)

WHAT ARE YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS?

THOSE BLEMISHES IN OTHERS

JOHN NEWTON (1725-1807)

"Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God." Romans 15:7

The Christian, especially he who is advanced and established in the life of faith, has a fervent zeal for God--for the honor of His Name, His Word and His Gospel. The honest warmth of zeal which he feels, when God's Word is broken, His Gospel is despised, and when the great and glorious Name of the Lord his God is profaned, would, by the occasion of his infirmities, often degenerate into anger or contempt towards those who error--if he was under the influence of zeal alone.

But his zeal is blended with benevolence and humility; it is softened by a consciousness of his own frailty and fallibility. He is aware, that his knowledge is very limited in itself, and very faint in its transforming power in his own life; that his attainments are weak and few, compared with his deficiencies; that his gratitude is very disproportionate to his obligations; and that his obedience is unspeakably short of conformity to his prescribed rule; that he has nothing but what he has received, and has received nothing but what, in a greater or less degree, he has either misapplied or misimproved. He is, therefore, a debtor to the mercy of God--and lives upon His multiplied forgiveness.

The Christian also makes the gracious conduct of the Lord towards himself--a pattern for his own conduct towards his fellow-worms. He cannot boast of himself--nor is he anxious to censure others. He considers himself, lest he also fall. And thus he learns tenderness and compassion to others, and to bear patiently with those mistakes, blemishes and faults in others--which once belonged to his own character; and from which, as yet, he is but imperfectly freed.

He therefore acts in character, as the follower of Him who was compassionate towards the infirmities and mistakes of His disciples, and taught them gradually, as they were able to bear it--and not everything at once.

But then, the same considerations which inspire him with meekness and gentleness towards those who oppose the truth--strengthen his regard for the truth itself, and his conviction of its importance. For the sake of peace, which he loves and cultivates--he accommodates himself, as far as he lawfully can, to the weaknesses and mistakes of other sincere Christians; though he is thereby exposed to be censured by 'bigots' of all parties, who deem him flexible and wavering, like a reed shaken with the wind.

But there are other fundamental points, essential to the Gospel, which are the foundations of his hope, and the sources of his joy. For his firm attachment to these, he is content to be treated as a 'bigot' himself! For here he is immovable as an iron pillar; nor can either the fear or the favor of man prevail on him to yield the truth of the Gospel, no not for an hour! (Galatians 2:5). Here his judgment is fixed; and he expresses it in simple and unequivocal language, so as not to leave either friends or enemies in suspense, concerning the side which he has chosen, or the cause which is nearest to his heart.

Knowing that the Gospel is the wisdom and power of God, and the only possible means by which fallen man can obtain peace with God--he most cordially embraces and avows it. Far from being ashamed of it--he esteems it his glory. He preaches Christ Jesus, and Him crucified. He disdains the thought of distorting, disguising, or softening the great doctrines of the grace of God, to render them more palatable to the depraved taste of the times (2 Corinthians 4:2). And he will no more encounter the errors and corrupt maxims and practices of the world, with any weapon but the truth in Jesus--than he would venture to fight an enraged tiger with a paper sword!

(From Letters of John Newton; Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA)

MYSTERY OF DIVINE MYSTERIES

BY CHARLES WOODRUFF

Occasionally I have enjoyed reading a mystery novel. I have read most of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and greatly enjoyed the late Jeremy Brett in the role when PBS aired most of them in a TV series a number of years ago. I now have them all on tape so I can view them whenever I like. I also liked some of the Alfred Hitchcock movies, especially the ones with James Stewart. My wife still likes Diagnosis Murder and Murder She Wrote. There is something about a mystery.

The Bible has much to say regarding mysteries. The word “mystery” is strictly a New Testament word, and is found 22 times in the KJV, and “mysteries” is found 5 times. It is from the Greek word mustēriŏn of which Strong says “to shut the mouth; a secret or mystery.” Young’s Concordance says “What is known only to the initiated.” Vine’s Dictionary says “primarily that which is known to the initiated (Greek= mustēs ).” The word “secret” is used a number of times in the OT, with several Hebrew words and shades of meaning. Most notably for this study is “The secret (Heb. sathar), things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed (Heb.galah) belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Here secret means hidden, or concealed. But “revealed” here means exposed, denuded, disclosed or discovered. Many things were disclosed to God’s children in the OT to encourage them to follow the Lord and obey His law. But many things were not yet revealed in that OT dispensation. In the NT the mysteries are revealed, or will be, to the true Christians.

In the NT there are many different mysteries that are discussed. I have tried to categorize some of the most obvious verses as follows:
1.The kingdom mysteries mentioned by Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; and Luke 8:10; Matthew and Mark say kingdom of heaven, Luke says kingdom of God).
2. The parousia, or second coming mystery (I Corinthians 15:51).
3. The charisma or spiritual gifts mystery (I Corinthians 14:2).
4. The God’s will mystery (I Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1 :9).
5. The body of Christ mystery (Ephesians 3:1-9; 6:19).
6. The Christ and church mystery (Ephesians 5: 32).
7. The Christ is God mystery (Colossians 2:2; 4:3; I Timothy 3:16; Romans 16:25).
8. The Christian faith mystery (I Timothy 3:9).
9. The mystery of iniquity (II Thessalonians 2:7).
10.The apocalypse mysteries: the mystery of the seven stars (Revelation 1:20); the mystery of God (10:7); the mystery of Babylon (17:5 ); the mystery of the woman(17:7 ).

W.E. Vine tells us in his Expository Dictionary of NT Words the following information:
“The word "mystery" in the New Testament does not denote that which is mysterious (as with the English word), but it denotes that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a mystery implies knowledge withheld; its scriptural significance is truth revealed” .

In other words these mysteries are mysteries to the uninitiated, i.e., those who have not had the supernatural, divine revelation. In today’s modern churches, so often everything is by program, by rote, and by repetition. Nothing unusual ever happens. There is no expectation for God to do anything. The service could well go on without God. Yet the Bible warns us that true salvation must come by supernatural revelation by the Holy Spirit. “Knowing brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you by word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance…” I Thessalonians 1:4,5). This is the sinner’s “initiation” into the mysteries of God. It requires the new birth, which only God can give (see John 3:3).

The way of salvation, yes, all the ways of God are a mystery to those who are outside, to those who have not been supernaturally called. There are some mysteries that remain for the redeemed child of God because God reveals many things by progressive revelation, not all at once. For instance, we that have been saved for many years do not know all the mysteries of the Return of Christ. There is much in scripture (especially Daniel and Revelation), that remains locked. Remember Daniel was told “Shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased”(Daniel 12:4). John the Apostle was told “Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1b), but it wasn’t all totally clear in the book he wrote. It still has many symbols, types and shadows of which we don’t have all the keys yet, though some say they have it “all figured out.” We are told “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1:3), so we do need to study this challenging book, as difficult as it can be.

In future issues of Word of Truth, I hope to look into some of the individual mysteries listed here, beginning with the mystery of the NT church which indeed was “hidden” until Christ shed His blood at Calvary. There was, of course, the Old Testament assembly, or congregation; even called the “church in the wilderness” by Stephen in Acts 7:38. But in that form it was a figure, a type which could not be completed without the sacrifice of Christ. He implied this when He said “Upon this rock (Greek= petra), I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” ( Matthew 16:18). The rock was not Peter (petros; a piece of stone), but the petra, i.e., the huge foundation stone; Christ Himself, which was the revelation of the mystery that Peter supernaturally received “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” If this revelation is not first received, I do not care how many professions you have made, how many times you have been baptized, how many times you have received communion, if you saw an angel, a ball of fire, or a premonition of death. It doesn’t matter how elect you think you are, how much you do or do not believe in predestination, or any other doctrine, if you have not had Christ revealed to you supernaturally -- you are lost!

NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN- CHARLES WOODRUFF

There was a popular song back in the 1970’s with that title. It was written in 1970 by Hoyt Axton, and originally sung by Three Dog Night, the Australian group. Elvis Presley had a version of it that I remember. He sang it in live concerts. The lyrics indicated a fascination with the beauty, and intrigue of the Spanish nation, and its women, and a curiosity to go there on the part of the singer; yet, in the song, he never got there. I always thought I would like to go there, and although I have been in England and France, that is as close as I have come so far in my life of 67 years.

Paul the apostle planned to go to Spain. “Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come unto you” (Romans 15:24). This was his human plan, but in God’s purpose he met a detour. The ultimate detour was to Rome where Paul was executed. We may think an apostle would know whether his ambition would come true or not, but Paul did not. Was God’s purpose thwarted? Was Paul’s life cut short (other than in a human sense)? No! Emphatically no! Remember “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27), and “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23). God had a purpose in Paul dying in Rome, and not on the isle of Melita when the viper bit him (Acts 28:1-6), or in Jerusalem (Acts 23:27), or Lystra when he was stoned (Acts 14:19). We can see some of His purpose in the thriving early church there in Rome. There were in subsequent years, many others executed there for Christ’s sake. There were many Christians in that empire then, and many more martyrs after the Roman church became the heretical Roman Catholic church with all its corruption.

Yet in the early days the gospel spread from there, as it had from Jerusalem earlier. God had a purpose in Paul not getting to Spain, but Rome instead. Paul had wanted to see Rome also, but I see nothing to indicate he expected to die there; at least not at first. Later, as he was under imprisonment, he knew he would not get to Spain, for he told Timothy “For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:6-7). Some scholars speculate that Paul did get to Spain between his two Roman imprisonments, but there is no mention of that in scripture. I believe if he had, we would have been told about his work there as we were regarding Philippi, Corinth, and even Rome. He likely never made it to Spain. I may never get to Spain either, but if I can have a testimony similar to Paul at the end, I won’t care. Follow Paul as he followed Christ. (I Corinthians 11:1).

SINS OF THE LAND--MARK WOODRUFF

This article is by my son, Mark. He is one of the preachers at our church here in Georgia. I published it a couple of years ago, but I thought it so relevant for where our nation is at this very moment. We are in deep trouble as a nation. Perhaps America is on the way down. At least it is likely to never be again the America we once knew. What is the reason? It is SIN as Mark details in this article. A nation that has consented to abortion for over 30 years, and many other sins deserves nothing else except judgment. Each of us as individuals have to account to Almighty God. May Hehelp us!

My thoughts have turned this week to Isaiah 59:1-4 "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."

God was telling Israel through Isaiah that it was not the fault of God that their prayers were not being answered; it was because of their unconfessed sins. God had hidden His face from them to cause them to feel the shame of their sins. This is certainly in agreement with David's words in Psalms 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: "

It is apparent that the sins that God referred to in the life of Israel were sins that they had given a place of honor, reverence, or respect. These were their "pet" sins. They were the ones that they did not care for God to touch, or rebuke them for, yet the Lord told them that as long as they kept these sins He would not be their help. They must turn and repent of these sins before they could expect God's blessings.

I want to encourage each of you to read the context of Isaiah 59 to get a feel for the sins that God was talking to them about. The truth of these words is certainly applicable to us today. As the people of God, we have the responsibility to make sure that there is nothing between us and Him, nothing to bar our hearts from communing with His heart, and certainly nothing that will keep Him from hearing our prayers.

It is time to be honest with ourselves and with God and not trust in the vanity of our own ways.

In the words of the well-known hymn:

Nothing between my soul and the Saviour,

naught of this world's delusive dream:

I have renounced all sinful pleasure,

Jesus is mine, there's nothing between.

Nothing between like worldly pleasure;

habits of life, though harmless they seem,

must not my heart from Him ever sever,

He is my all, there's nothing between.

Nothing between, like pride or station;

self or friends shall not intervene;

Though it may cost me much tribulation,

I am resolved, there's nothing between.

Nothing between, even many hard trials,

though the whole world against me convene;

watching with prayer and much self-denial,

I'll triumph at last, with nothing between.

Nothing between my soul and the Saviour,

So that His blessed face may be seen;

Nothing preventing the least of His favor,

Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.

Words & Music: Charles A. Tindley, 1905 Link: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/b/nbetween.htm

CHRIST ALONE, GRACE ALONE--W.F. BELL

Here is another good meditation by my friend William F. Bell. I hope it speaks to you. cw

How deceived the religious world is, which thinks "the gospel" is something we are to DO! But the Bible declares that "the gospel" is what Christ has already DONE! "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (satisfaction) through faith in His blood" (Romans 3:25). We are not told to "make" propitiation ourselves to God, but the gospel "sets forth" Christ alone as having done this "for us."

The way to heaven is not our works or obedience, our prayers or Bible reading, our giving or self-sacrifices, but the only way is through the "propitiation" of Christ on Calvary's cross. He Himself is our "mercy seat," and His "sacrifice" alone has appeased God's wrath and justice -- and not anything we do or sacrifice or give.

And the only way we can know for sure that we are among the "justified" and the "redeemed" is by being "created in Christ Jesus" by the "workmanship" of God Himself in His grace and mercy (Ephesians 2:10). It is never by our obedient works or actions (including our repentance or faith), though this "creation" in Christ is "unto good works." Not "by" but "unto." Grace alone puts us in Christ, therefore all the boastings of men in their works are "excluded" (Romans 3:27). Grace crowns all the work of God, so God alone gets all the glory in declaring "His righteousness" through the blood of our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE SAINT'S JOY--W.F. BELL

Delight yourself also in the LORD" (Psalm 37:4). "And He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness" (Psalm 105:43).

We live in a world of awful sin and bad news. We are inundated today with news of illegal aliens, war with terrorism, senseless murders, high gasoline prices, political knavery, and religious hypocrisy. Why do we even listen to all of this horrible news? Only because depraved minds crave depraved man's latest bad happenings. But not so the joyful Christian. Those who are "delighting" themselves in the Lord Jesus Christ truly feed on better things than the vomit and stench of this world. God-fearing people don't find cause for joy in the cesspools of sin.

We rarely ever meet a truly joyful person. The ills of society have rubbed us all the wrong way. It is easy to complain and be bitter about things. But, let us "look again" at the wonderful Word of God, meditating therein for just a moment. Listen to the Psalmist: "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD" (Psalm 104:33-34). How's that for true, holy, positive thinking? "I will sing." "Unto the LORD." "My meditation of Him." "Shall be sweet." "I will be glad." "In the LORD."

Charles Spurgeon comments on the above verses: "We never sing so well as when we know that we have an interest in the good things of which we sing, and a relationship to the God whom we praise....Meditation is the soul of religion. It is the tree of life in the midst of the garden of piety, and very refreshing is its fruit to the soul which feeds thereon." Beloved, have we lost our song? Even in our night of sin, God will give us "songs in the night" (Job 35:10; Psalm 42:8). Christ Jesus Himself, even though "a Man of Sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3), once "rejoiced in spirit" (Luke 10:21), praising His Father's sovereign good pleasure, stating "All things are delivered to me of my Father" (Luke 10:22). We too rejoice in the sovereignty of God, even when we do not understand God's mysterious providences.

Let us return to singing! Let us return to holy meditation! Let us return to rejoicing in this great truth: "The glory of the LORD shall endure forever: the LORD shall rejoice in His works" (Psalm 104:31). Let us return to clapping and shouting: "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph" (Psalm 47:1). Why? Simply because we know who our God is -- we know Him as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Blesser and Provider of His people, the Redeemer and Savior of His elect. "For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding" (Psalm 47:7).

Our God is the Most High! Our God rules and reigns! "He is a great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet" (Psalm 47:2-3). Does this not bring us true joy? Can we forbear to sing His praises? Does this not loosen our tongues to praise our great King? No wonder the Psalms are filled with praises to our Sovereign Lord: "Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name" (Psalm 103:1), and "Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them REJOICE that seek the LORD" (Psalm 105:3). As true Christians, let us ever remember this admonition: "REJOICE EVERMORE" (I Thessalonians 5:16). Yes, despite a world of sin and "the world of spin," let us not become bitter, but better -- better at praising our Lord Jesus Christ, and better at remembering that a day is coming when "sinners shall be consumed out of the earth" (Psalm 104:35), "and the trail of the serpent is cleansed from the globe" (Spurgeon). Truly, LET US REJOICE! HALLELUJAH!