Vindicate Me, O God

Vindicate Me O God

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 04:00 AM PDT

By Erik Retallick

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!

Psalm 43:1-5

---

A short while ago I wrote an article about Psalm 42 and mentioned that Psalm 43 follows on very closely with its thoughts and tone.

However, on taking a closer look, I think you will see a much brighter spirit emerging from the gloomy preoccupations of Psalm 42 with its small glimmers of hope here and there.

Those who have suffered depression or mental health disorders which have become so prevalent in our modern world know that it can sometimes seem like a long tunnel they are going through, and at first there appears to be no light at the other end.

After a few bends in the road and maybe some lighter moments, it is glorious to emerge once again into broad daylight, to feel God’s love, peace and joy returning as a reality in our daily experience.

God has been there all the time of course, but we’ve been looking in the wrong direction or become too preoccupied in a cycle of gloom and negativity.

The first thing the Psalmist asks for in this Psalm is vindication and defence, emanating from God. He knows that he has to constantly deal and cope with ungodly people, just as we have to in our contemporary world.

He requests deliverance from the unjust and ungodly man, something which many of us long for when dealing with the current ways of carrying out business.

Some would say it has ever been thus, but I have noticed a definite slippery slope as money becomes scarcer and business becomes harder to maintain. Honesty and integrity, certainly in the UK, seem to be very much lacking in so many areas of business, but especially in the worlds of finance and politics.

Isn’t it a comfort to know that we have a God in whom we can take refuge (verse 2), yet despite this it is still possible to feel that God has abandoned or rejected us.

When the Psalmist asks the question, “Why do I go about mourning because of of the oppression of the enemy?” I believe it is because He feels something of the way God must feel when people abandon His commandments and decide to do things their own way.

It makes us feel oppressed and as though we are swimming against the tide when we try to follow and keep to God’s laws in a society where they have been abandoned.

Verse 3 is a prayer which all those who know and love Jesus, desiring to follow Him, must want to echo. “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!

The nearer we draw to God, the nearer He will draw near to us (James 4:8). We will then reflect His light towards others and they will see that we have been with Jesus and the radical difference it makes to us as His chosen people.

The Psalmist is then led to go to the altar of God, the place where sacrifices are made and where thanksgiving and praises are said and sung.

Do you enjoy praising and thanking God, for who He is and what He has done by saving us from the world, the Devil, flesh and the last enemy, death itself ?

In Psalm 122, David begins this Psalm of ascent by saying “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” You’ve probably heard the story about the husband who wakes up on a Sunday morning and says to his wife “Oh no, it’s Sunday again, I really don’t want to go to church,” to which his wife replies, “but you’ll have to go, my dear, because you’re the pastor and you’re taking the service!”

I don’t know whether it’s because of the (polite British) persecution we are experiencing here now, or people’s apathy to anything that is spiritual, but I always go to worship God together with His people with a sense of excitement and anticipation, because I know He is going to meet with us, to love and enjoy our praises and hearts being led out to Him in praise and worship.

We can bring the needs of our world, friends and brothers and sisters to Him and hear and put into practice what He has to say to us! To me it is party celebration time, and the way things are going, we don’t know for how much longer we will be free to have this privilege, which is a foretaste of Heaven, where we shall be able to praise and serve Him for ever!

Although Psalm 43 ends with the sad “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” refrain which we see several times in Psalm 42, we see an amazing positive outcome.” The Psalmist ends by saying that if he hopes in God, He will praise Him again and know His salvation.

Salvation, wholeness and healing are still available to all who put their faith and trust in Jesus, seek His forgiveness through confessing their sins (1 John 1:9) and choose to follow Him as their Saviour and Lord.

You can know God’s salvation today, maybe by inviting Him into your heart and life for the first time. In John 1:12 it says “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."

My prayer for you is that you may know with certainty today that you are a blood-bought child of God through knowing that Jesus died to save you from sin and have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

If you already know Him my prayer is that you will walk ever closer with Him and draw others to Him. As St. Augustine said, “preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

http://Erikallan.fireboat.hop.clickbank.net

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

Make sure to check out our "Blog Honor Roll" where you can discover more about this author and our other author's

[Translate]

Psalm 42

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul

by Erik Retallick

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
”Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Many people can probably identify with many of the anguished feelings the Psalmist expresses here, with all the turmoil going on in the world at large, the Middle East and African unrest and their own personal uncertain circumstances and relationships.

Do these things give us a thirst for God, as expressed here (verses 1-2)? Or do we become bitter and say, why should this be happening to me? As one of my mother’s Christian friends who is very ill, and has been for many years responds when people say, “Don’t you question why God lets all these things happen to you?” with the reply, “Why shouldn’t these things happen to me? Like Paul, she seems to count it a privilege to share in the sufferings of her Lord, to be counted worthy enough to suffer.

In between the overwhelming moments of feeling downcast and depressed, the writer of this Psalm expresses some wonderful thoughts, which we would do well to take to heart in these turbulent times.

1) In verse 2 he longs to come and appear before God, to be in His presence, to take delight in being with Him!

2) In verse 4 he recalls the days when he felt liberty in praising God, making his way with a crowd of God’s people singing with joy as they anticipated a forthcoming festival celebration. Do we feel like that on our way to worship the Lord with our brothers and sisters, or is it a case of sighing and thinking, “it’s that day of the week again, I suppose I ought to go.”

3) Verse 6 brings in the hope factor, that essential ingredient of our lives, that helps us to get up in the morning and motivates us to serve the Lord with gladness! He obviously had a real sense of God’s presence in the land of Yarden and the Peaks of Mount Hermon and the hill of Mizar. It does us good when we are downcast to recall those precious moments in our lives where God has touched us in a special way and reminded us how special He is to us and how important we are to Him; even the very hairs of our head are numbered.

4) In verse 9, even though the Psalmist questions why God has deserted him, he refers to God as his Rock, the one and only firm foundation in his life. Again, it does us good when we are going through overwhelming problems, to recall that God is our Rock, whose ways are perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 says “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, he is righteous and straight.”

5) This amazing Psalm, which expresses so many depths of sorrow and anguish, ends with a reaffirmation of faith in our trustworthy God, our Rock. “Hope in God, since I will praise Him again for being my Savior and God.”

Without the walks through the dark valleys and the steep climbs up the rocky mountainsides, how would we ever get to appreciate the mountaintop experiences in our lives? Sometimes the mountaintop experiences may seem far and few between, but they are then all the more precious. Even when his friends and family questioned “Where is your God?” the writer of this Psalm knew deep in his heart that He was there all the time. Likewise, He has promised to “never leave or abandon us” (Hebrews 13:5)

Meet Erik

@erikallan123

on Twitter

Here

Rating 3.50 out of 5

Related posts:

1. The Restless Soul…
2. Take ACTion
3. The World is Crying Out
4. A Mother’s Love
5. Hear My Cry, O God

"The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (ESV)

John the Baptist with Jesus in the River Jordan

John the Baptist preaching

John the Baptist was a cousin of our Lord Jesus and was sent to prepare the way for the coming of our Lord. He baptized people in the river Jordan and his baptism was a baptism of repentance. The word repentance simply defined is "to change your mind about something." I think a more satisfactory definition is to make a 180 degree turn around to face and move in the opposite direction. Certainly, when you become a Christian you find yourself moving in the opposite direction to most of the world around you. This baptism John offered, in water, was for the turning away from sin, the baptism Jesus offers, with the Holy Spirit (verse 33) is turning to Christ and being filled with His indwelling presence.

What an amazing declaration John makes here when he sees Jesus walking towards him. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The word "Behold" is translated from the Hebrew word "hinneh" and the Greek word "idou" which means something like "Pay careful attention to what follows! This is important!" Although in some contexts this word could be replaced in modern English with the word "look!" "see!" or "listen", in many instances these modern equivalents do not carry sufficient weight or dignity. This is especially the case here, when referring to our Lord Jesus, who is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

Why does John refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God, when in other places we see Him referred to as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." To understand this, we need to look in the Old Testament at Exodus 12, the Passover Feast, where a perfect spotless lamb had to be slain and its blood applied to the two doorposts and lintel of the door of each house in order to prevent the killing of the firstborn of each family, including flocks and herds as well as people. The lamb was eaten as part of the Passover feast the night before the plague, and the Israelites celebrated it at the ready with shoes on to escape from slavery in Egypt early the next day. This was all a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to take away our sin by having His blood spilt in order that we could be forgiven, delivered from slavery to sin and saved for eternity.

Have you beheld Jesus, the Lamb of God, confessed your sins to Him in order to receive forgiveness and eternal life with Him in Heaven? Earlier in John 1, in verse 12 we read, "to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (ESV) Note that in the Passover it was only those who applied the blood to the doorposts and lintel who were saved. Likewise, it is only those who put their faith and trust in and receive Jesus who become children of God, heirs of salvation and citizens of Heaven. There is still time for you to behold Jesus, and once you do you will know His peace and joy in your heart and mind and His presence with you through the storms and trials of life. He will give you a whole new sense of purpose, direction and fulfilment and He will never leave you or forsake you.

If you were put on trial for your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Within the huge community of Christians living throughout the world, said by some to number more than 1 billion people (the Lord alone knows how many are truly His) there are many who live comfortable, middle class lives, suffer no particular hardships materially or spiritually and lead what we would call a “normal” life according to the cultural environment in which they live.

One thing characterizes the lives of true followers of Jesus Christ, and that is that they have turned around (repented or made a 180 degree turn) to leave this world’s relative values behind to follow the one who is King of kings and Lord of lords. Imagine what would happen if you were driving along a major road in heavy traffic and decided to do a U turn and drive against the oncoming traffic on your side of the road. There would inevitably be a clash or crash of vehicles with very severe repercussions. It reminds me of the story of the man who was driving along a major road. His wife phoned him on his mobile phone to warn him that there was a report on the travel news that someone was driving the opposite way to the rest of the traffic on the road where he was travelling and he should take care. Looking out from his car he replied to his wife, “hey dear, there’s not just one car, but loads of them!”

Ever since the Church was born at Pentecost about 2,000 years ago, Christians have been called to be witnesses to their Lord, a word which translated from the Greek means the same as martyr, one who is prepared to die for what they believe. We know that Stephen was the first Christian martyr and Saul, who later became known as Paul was there, giving approval to the event, was standing there keeping watch over the coats of the men who stoned Stephen to death. Paul was one of the greatest persecutors of the very first Christians before his dramatic conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus, on his way to arrest Christians and take them in chains to Jerusalem. He later says that at the time he was convinced that he was doing the right thing.

Throughout the history of the church there have been those who have been called on to suffer for their faith because their values are in opposition to those of this world and today we know them as the persecuted church. There are currently many Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus, in places such as Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan and North Korea, to name just a few places.

It is Pakistan I wish to talk about, because I am in daily contact with Christians there and have recently been made aware of a serious humanitarian situation involving persecuted Christians in a remote region of the country called Gojra. In 2009 a very serious confrontation occurred there, now referred to as the GOJRA INCIDENT. This was a very serious clash between Christians and Muslims which resulted in a church being burned to the ground, 40 Christian houses being destroyed by fire, the death of 7 Christians and the injury or harm of a further 18. There are many videos providing evidence of these events. If you go to YouTube and type GOJRA INCIDENT in capital letters you can see much graphic footage and images of what took place there.

I read an article a few days ago which indicated that somewhere between 100-200 million Christians are currently suffering or being persecuted for their faith around the world. We are told when we come to Christ that we are to take up our cross daily and follow Him, and that Christianity is not the road to health, wealth and prosperity or the instant solution to all our problems as some preach so eloquently in their designer suits on their dedicated TV channels. Our great Lord and master was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. His life was one of service to the poor, needy and suffering and we are called to follow in His footsteps.

The situation in Gojra has deteriorated to such an extent recently, not helped by severe flooding in Pakistan, that I was recently asked by a Christian living in Gojra to ask if we could help to provide funding for food and clothing. They are currently living through Winter conditions in that region of the world and suffering from food and clothing shortages, producing a very accute need for humanitarian assistance. I immediately put the organization working on behalf of the Christians in Gojra in touch with Barnabas Fund and later Open Doors, also contacting these Christian ministries myself. Both these organizations are active in Pakistan.

Let me describe a few things I have been told about what it is like to declare your faith in Christ if you live in Gojra. You would be unable to get a job with an employer unless it was a menial one like sweeping streets or doing domestic chores, even if you were highly educated and qualified. Many Christian women work in Muslim households and are paid a pittance, but have to do this work as it is the only source of income for their families because their husbands can’t get jobs.

Donations can currently be made to help the extreme needs of our brothers and sisters in this area. We are told that when one member of Christ’s body suffers, we all suffer with him or her. This is how I have felt during the past few weeks. I have felt the weight of the problems of these persecuted brothers and sisters so heavily and at times almost moving me to tears.

Then, a few days ago I was contacted by a Christian pastor in Lahore, which is apparently only 4 hours drive away from Gojra. He knew nothing about my involvement with Gojra or the needs of the brothers and sisters there. I believe God led Him to me to bring his awareness to the needs of fellow Christians on his own doorstep. He has indicated that his church can provide some funding to help the Gojra Christians in their current circumstances. I believe we are beginning to see God break into this situation and bring Christian brothers into contact who can work together to help this part of the persecuted Church.

Once we establish contacts with Barnabas Fund, Open Doors or both, we hope to be able to send donations more easily and efficiently to where the needs are greatest through one or both of these ministries. Until then, please give as the Lord leads you through the channels open to us currently. The good news is that the Pakistani Rupee is very devalued and continues to devalue very quickly at the moment, so your donation, however small it may seem to you, could meet a lot of needs!

Please visit my open group “Help for Christians in Gojra, Pakistan” on Facebook if you want to receive updates on the Gojra situation and sign up to the group if you feel you want to declare your support for this small part of the persecuted church.

We may be grateful to them in the near future for their help to us when we are being persecuted for our faith in Christ. They have already told me that they are praying for us!

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” ~ Matthew 5:11-12

Just a closing thought. “If you were put on trial for your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

GRACE, POWER AND MARTYRDOM

The stoning of Stephen

A pirouetting ballerina is graceful; a charging bull is powerful. We do not often think of the terms "grace" and "power" as going together. To refer to a martyr as "full of grace and power," as Stephen is described in Acts 6:8, may seem strange. A martyr is powerless, a victim of those who hold the power of life and death. Also, martyrdom is far from a graceful affair. Bones are crushed under a hail of stones, limbs are severed between the teeth of Colosseum lions, flesh melts in the heat of a blazing fire. It is far more gruesome than graceful.

In the book of Acts, there is more to martyrdom than may at first be apparent. The Greek word "martyr" means, literally, "witness." That is precisely what Stephen was, even before his death, and when he preached grace, he did so with power. Luke describes him as a "man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" Acts 6:5. Jesus had promised His followers, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Acts 1:8. They bear witness to God's grace and bear witness by God's power. In the person of Stephen-and in all witnesses and martyrs of the Church - we see this central theme of Acts.

WITNESSES TRUE AND FALSE

As the events of Stephen's death make clear, all witnesses are not equal. When Stephen gave testimony of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, the human wisdom of his opponents could not refute him. So, Luke tells us, "they set up false witnesses." Acts 6:13. They falsely charged that Stephen had blasphemed against God and His prophets and rejected the divine law of Israel. But as Stephen narrated to them the history of Israel, it quickly became apparent that his accusers were the ones guilty of rejecting God's Law and prophets. Stephen's testimony exposed them, so they killed him.

The sham trial of Stephen bears remarkable likeness to that of his Lord. As Christ stood before Caiaphas, "the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward, Matthew 26:59-60. When Jesus finally opened His mouth to confess truthfully that He was the Son of God, He was promptly charged with blasphemy and sentenced to death.

Jesus before Caiaphas

Just as false witnesses are found throughout Scripture, so false martyrs abound even today. From suicide bombers, in the Middle East to imprisoned terrorists starving on hunger strikes, we are often led to believe that all who commit suicide in the name of a cause, even when wrong or misguided, deserve a certain amount of respect for the strength of their convictions. Many would argue that they at least deserve a headline. They are, we are told, martyrs. However, we do well to recall the sentiment of the early Christians. Death does not make a martyr, they would agree, but the content of one's testimony while still alive does.

THE SEED OF THE CHURCH

Tertullian

Basil the Great

The early Christian writer Tertullian (c160-c225) asserted, "The blood of Christians is the seed of the Church." Through the spectacle of martyrdom, he meant, the Church gained victory over those who would destroy it. The patient suffering of Christians inspired more people to follow Christ. Basil the Great, another ancient Church teacher, wrote: "the blood of the martyrs, watering the Churches, nourished many more champions of true religion, each generation (preparing) for the struggle with the real zeal of those that had gone before."

However, other Christian writers recorded stories of zealous but confused believers who went to great lengths to seek out martyrdom. For example, the mother of a young man named Origen was forced to hide his clothing in order to prevent him from leaving his house in search of a martyr's death.

But Scripture is clear, the death of sinners, even the death of those who are also saints, is not the foundation on which the body of Christ is built. The Church is built on one foundation: Jesus Christ. Only the proclamation of His death and its saving benefits is responsible for the Church's growth on earth. And only those who by the Spirit's power proclaim God's grace in Christ are truly His witnesses, or martyrs. This is so even if they do not meet death for their faithful testimony.

SEEING HEAVEN OPEN

Though you may not experience the dramatic death associated with martyrdom, you certainly cannot expect to escape death itself. Death entered our world on account of sin St. Paul reminds us. "Death spread to all men because all sinned." Romans 5:12. The fact of your mortality is a constant reminder that you are a sinful being living in a sinful world. Nothing within your power can change that.

But you, like the witnesses and martyrs of the earliest Church, have not been left to your own power. God bestowed on you His own grace and power when you received Him as your Saviour and Lord. Like Stephen, even you are "full of grace and power." By His grace, you are saved and by His power you can now testify to the salvation He has provided for all. This, in fact, is precisely what you have been called to do. This is what the Holy Spirit has empowered you to do. You are to be a witness. You are to be, in the original meaning of the term, a martyr.

You may not, as Stephen did, see heaven open as you fall under a hail of stones. That is probably good news to you! But what is certainly good news is that you will indeed see heaven open when you depart this earthly life. And there you will see the Saviour in all His power and glory, graciously welcoming you home.

Adapted from the Lutheran Study Bible

At the beginning of a New Year, may I first of all wish everyone a Happy and joyful New Year, filled with God's presence and blessings.

I would like to share a few thoughts with you about encouragement. It's a word we use a great deal in Christian circles but what significance does it have to God's people or anyone else, and what exactly does it mean and involve?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there are three different senses in which we can use the word "encourage" as a transitive verb, (encouragement being the noun).

1) a. means to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope as in the phrase, "she was encouraged to continue by her early success.

Here it would mean that we hearten (lift up the heart in someone) when we give encouragement.

b. means to attempt to persuade, as in the phrase, "they encouraged him to go back to school."

In this sense it means to urge someone onwards in the wonderful and positive actions they are engaged in, when we encourage them.

2) Another definition is "to spur on" as used in the phrase, "warm weather encourages plant growth. In this sense, encouragement implies stumulation to someone else, an energizing and motivating force.

3) Another sense in which the word "encourage" is used is "to give help or patronage to someone or a cause." The government grants designed to encourage conservation" is a phrase which uses it in this way.

In this way it is like fostering someone or something.

None of us would be the people we are currently unless we had received some form of encouragement in at least one of these meanings of the word, especially through our parent(s) and education, however basic either our up-bringing or education may have been.

Very often in our lives and even in our walk with God we need to encourage ourselves or get through by encouragement we have received in the past. It's rather like a car needing fuel to run, it has to be tanked up regularly or it grinds to a halt!

In his first letter to the Thessalonian church Paul says, "Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV). In other words, it was a work that was already going on and he encourages (urges) them to keep on encouraging (heartening and stimulating) one another. In verse 14 he goes on to say, "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." (ESV)

Paul's letters in the New Testament were written mainly for the encouragement of Christians who were going through all kinds of difficulties, temptation, persecution, suffering, materialism and over-indulgence, false teaching to name some of their problems. In other words, they were human, just like you and me and we are no strangers to the same things 2000 years later. Technology may advance, the spread of information and travel are faster and more widespread, but human nature and the effects of sin unfortunately remain the same.

If you want to have a go at a bit of "Do-it-yourself" Bible study and you are a good mathematician, it would be interesting to see how many references to the word encouragement are made in the letters Paul wrote to the early churches. Then add to this total the number of times he encourages them to do good works and encourage one another.

I want to pinpoint one particular exhortation, which can be found in Hebrews 10:24-25. " Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." The day he refers to is obviously the return of our Lord Jesus and he underlines the need for us to draw closer together by gathering for fellowship in church services and smaller groups, rather than become more isolated as Christians. In today's world there is always the excuse that we can watch a Christian TV broadcast, listen to internet radio or a podcast. However, we may be depriving ourselves of the opportunity to give and receive fellowship and have meaningful human interaction.

I wish you every encouragement for 2011, and you can take this to mean being "heartened", "spurred on" in your walk with God and service to Him and "given help" by others and by our great Lord Himself who equips us to carry out the service He has called us to do.