Make Known the Power of God. Psalms 67-68; First Timothy 3

May the mumbling commence!

God’s power to save is great.  It’s awesome.  Thank God for His mercy.  Pass it on…

Read from the beginning of Psalm Sixty-seven:

May God be merciful and bless us.

May his face shine with favor upon us.

Interlude 

May your ways be known throughout the earth,

your saving power among people everywhere. (Verses 1-2)

This passage echoes the priestly blessing of Aaron (as recorded in Numbers 6:24-26).  God has been merciful to us and blessed us.  The face of the Lord has shown upon us.

Let this grace and mercy be known.  May it be known from every word that comes from my lips.  Would that all people everywhere hear me praise my Lord and God!

God walks with me.  Indeed the Lord carries me when I go through times of deep valley and doubt.  I have always liked the poem “Footprints in the Sand”.  Though it is not biblical, it is based on the Spirit of the scriptures.  Look at a couple of verses from Psalm Sixty-eight (which have as their context a time of distress for the Hebrew people):

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!

For each day he carries us in his arms.

Interlude 

Our God is a God who saves!

The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death. (Verses 19-20)  

Thank you, O Lord, for the salvation from the death that this world calls life.  May we trust in you in lead us to the way of true life.  And that Way is the Way of Christ Jesus.  Let the church walk in this way from the Pope all the way to the laity.  That is the thought behind this passage from First Timothy chapter three that tells of qualifications for elders and deacons.  Read it below:

I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, so that if I can't come for a while, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and support of the truth. 

Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:

Christ appeared in the flesh

and was shown to be righteous by the Spirit.

He was seen by angels

and was announced to the nations.

He was believed on in the world

and was taken up into heaven. (Verses 14-16)

That is the Way.  Allow the Spirit of the living God lead you into all righteousness.  Obey the call of God in your life.  God will do the rest, so get out of the way.  God’s action is evident in the divine passive that dominates the last verse in this passage.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out