God delivers

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post, dated November 12, 2008, in the archives, where I introduce myself and the blog.

July 14, 2009
Devotions: Ps 26, 28, 36, 39; 1 Sam 19:1-18; Acts 12:1-17; Mk 2:1-12

Lord, Your steadfast love fills my heart and mind, and I walk in faithfulness to You. God’s own integrity is imputed to me, and I hate the company of evildoers. I love Your house and Your congregation. I live redeemed; I walk with God’s integrity, and I bless YHWH! Keep me near You, God! Cut off those who refuse You. YHWH be blessed, because He hears and answers my supplications. The Lord is my Strength and Shield; my heart trusts Him, and exults! God is my Shepherd. Meanwhile, sin tempts the wicked; he plots mischief and welcomes evil. Lord, Your steadfast love extends to the heavens; your faithfulness, to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains; Your justice rolls like the ocean tides! I feast on Your goodness, my God. Cast down my enemies, I pray, and sustain my life. I will keep myself from sin; I will trust and wait upon the Lord. Father, help me overcome my impatience; deliver me from my besetting sins. I accept Your judgment and Your discipline. Bring me to Yourself, my God.

Saul told Jonathan and all his servants that they should kill David. But Jonathan warned David, and defended his friend to his father King Saul. And Saul repented, and welcomed David back into his household and service. David continued his military successes, and Saul, again tormented with an evil spirit, sought to pin David to the wall with a spear as the young man played the lyre to ease his king’s suffering. David’s wife Michal helped her husband escape the murderous intent of her father the king; when Saul challenged Michal, she said David had threatened her life. David fled and hid at Naioth in the company of Samuel, YHWH’s prophet.

Herod Agrippa began a persecution of the church. He killed the apostle James, brother of John. When he saw that this murder pleased the Jews, Herod proceeded to arrest Peter, planning his execution. Four squads of soldiers guarded Peter in Herod’s prison. The church interceded earnestly for Peter, and the night before he was to be tried before Herod, God’s angel came into the prison where Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains, between two soldiers. The angel woke Peter and told him to get up quickly. Peter’s chains fell away, and he put on his mantle and the angel led him out of the prison and into the street, and then disappeared. Peter came to himself and realized he really had been delivered from imprisonment and condemnation. He went directly to the house of John Mark’s mother, Mary, where many Christians were gathered and praying. When Peter knocked, a servant girl named Rhoda came to the door. When she heard Peter outside, she ran back to tell the assembly that Peter was at the gate. They thought she was crazy; then they thought it was Peter’s angel or his spirit. But as he continued to knock, they opened and saw him in the flesh, and were amazed. He told them how the Lord had delivered him; he charged them to give the news to James, Jesus’ half-brother, and to all the other Christians. Then Peter departed and went into hiding.

After a preaching circuit of Galilee, Jesus returned to His base in Capernaum. Many gathered to Him—the house was jammed and the crowd overflowed outside. As Jesus was teaching, four men approached, carrying a paralytic. Because they could not get close to Jesus, they climbed to the roof and removed the section above Jesus, and let down the pallet and the paralyzed man near Jesus. When Jesus noted the faith of the friends, He said to the paralytic, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’ Some scribes sat nearby, questioning in their hearts: ‘Why does this man say this? It’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins.’ Immediately, Jesus perceived their questions in His spirit, and He spoke to the scribes: ‘Why question thus in your hearts? Which is easier: to tell this man his sins are forgiven, or to heal his body? But so that you may know the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ and He turned and spoke now to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, rise, take up your pallet, and go home.’ And the man did exactly that! All were amazed and glorified God, expressing they had never seen anything like this.